Y13 [EN]: Chapter 174

Y13-174 2011 Off-Season

Duffy agreed with Youngjae. He didn’t mind if the player wanted additional income. Although he was considerate of his players, he was essentially an agent. He didn’t dislike earning commissions from additional income. Naturally, overseas rookies like Youngjae were bound to earn more from domestic advertising than from their salaries. Moreover, agent fees were proportionally higher for additional income than for salaries.

“That’s right. Considering the additional income Yoon will earn in Korea, this insurance premium is a drop in the bucket. So, are we settling on handling it personally and then joining the national team?”

“Please do so. I’d appreciate it if you could take care of the details.”

“Of course. We’ll handle it in advance, and you can reimburse us when you see the receipts later.”

Youngjae entrusted the details to Duffy since he didn’t know much about them anyway. That’s what agents were for, and with a big-shot agent like Bill Duffy handling things, he could trust him more than anyone. Youngjae wanted to move on to the next topic, and Duffy, sensing Youngjae’s intention, naturally changed the subject.

“In my opinion, there’s no point in me joining if all the players don’t join. Even if I handle the insurance issue myself, I have no intention of participating in inefficient training. So, I’d like to express my opinion that I’ll only join if all the players join, and I’d like you to coordinate that. It’s already known that the training facilities for the Korean national basketball team aren’t very good, so I don’t want to suffer from that. If possible, I’d like to spend as much time here as possible before joining.”

Duffy had already done a lot of research, so he readily accepted Youngjae’s request. However, he offered an alternative to prevent his player from only incurring losses. It was a common tactic used by agencies: media play to promote the player.

“Good. I don’t think the association will reject this either. From their perspective, the Asian Championship is important, not the Jones Cup. According to my research, the Korean association is replacing overseas training with overseas tournaments under the pretext of not having the funds for overseas training.”

Duffy continued, becoming slightly sensitive as he revealed that he disliked many aspects of the Korean association’s behavior. Perhaps that’s why he boldly made a suggestion to Youngjae.

“Let’s have Yoon do some media play as well. It’s too much of a loss for Yoon if we just leave it like this, isn’t it? We’ll leak an article saying that Yoon is paying for his own insurance to play for the national team. There probably isn’t another player like that in the world. The sacrifice of a young player for the country—the association won’t be able to treat Yoon carelessly with just that alone. And I’m planning to include options in the advertising contracts. By increasing your recognition and packaging your image through this media play, and then achieving good results in this international tournament, your advertising fees will increase even further.”

Youngjae knew the importance of media play, so he nodded. He was joining the national team, but he had no intention of being dragged around by the association’s power trips. And Youngjae knew very well that the association was the one in a hurry, not Youngjae. Therefore, the association was eager to bring Youngjae to the national team to achieve results and regain popularity.

Of course, the association was still maintaining a high posture, but anyone could see that Youngjae held the upper hand. Once this tournament was over, Youngjae could leverage the image of ‘an NBA superstar with strong patriotism who even paid a high insurance premium to participate in the national team.’

Nevertheless, Youngjae was cautious. From a rookie’s perspective, not having achieved anything after joining the national team was a weakness for Youngjae. Therefore, it was necessary to be somewhat humble for his first national team appearance. No matter how much he paid for insurance and joined, he had only shown his skills in the NBA, not in the national team, so he couldn’t guarantee that public opinion would be 100% on Youngjae’s side. Especially in Korea, burying a player with public opinion was not a difficult task.

“Good. That way, the association won’t be able to pressure me anymore, and my image will improve. It’s only possible because my insurance premium is cheap, but this method is 괜찮습니다 [Gwaenchanseumnida – It’s alright/okay in Korean]. I’ll entrust the advertising contract to you. I don’t know much about this, so I’ll trust you, Duffy.”

Having sorted out his thoughts, Youngjae couldn’t help but smile. This method was something he hadn’t thought of, and as expected of a professional, Duffy knew how to secure more practical benefits than he had imagined. The two concluded the national team matter in that way and discussed a few things about the training facility they were currently using.

After that, Duffy asked what he would do about the rush of current NBA players to go overseas. Deron Williams, Zaza Pachulia, Nenad Krstic, and others had already confirmed their transfers to overseas leagues and were awaiting FIBA’s (Fédération Internationale de Basketball Amateur) decision.

Since their contracts with the NBA were not completely terminated, FIBA’s approval was necessary. This was to ensure they could return to the NBA through a buyout if the NBA resumed. Such a clause had not existed before, and it could shake the foundations of overseas leagues, so FIBA’s approval was required.

“I don’t have any particular thoughts. Frankly, even if I go to Europe with my recognition, I won’t receive a very high salary. If I play in the Korean league, I’ll receive a considerable salary, but I doubt it’s possible. There’s no precedent for a case like mine in the Korean league. They’d have to create an exception, but the other nine teams wouldn’t agree to bring me in for the sake of one team. In that case, I’ll invest in improving my skills. I’m still in my first year, so it’s not bad to use this as a preparation period for the future. Next year isn’t the end of my basketball career.”

“Well… if you play for the national team, you won’t have any problems with your game sense. As you said, improving your skills right now will be good for the future. But you should consider it when the year ends.”

“I understand. If it goes on that long, I’ll have to consider playing in an overseas league. That would mean taking a season off. I’m aware that taking a season off can cause problems with my game sense.”

The two concluded that they would discuss the overseas league issue again if the lockout lasted longer.

“Okay, that’s all we need to talk about. Now, I just need to introduce you to one more person.”

Duffy closed the file and called someone on the internal phone. Youngjae sipped his coffee and wondered who Duffy had called, but he couldn’t imagine.

Knock knock.

“Come in.”

“You called, sir?”

“Ah, let me introduce you. Youngjae, this is Jay, who will be managing you during your time in Korea. I thought you’d need him since you’ll be going to Korea soon, so I hired a new employee. I thought it would be better to hire a new employee to act as your manager only when you go to Korea, rather than having a separate manager. I scouted him from the Korean community after our meeting with you. Yoon is likely to visit Korea every off-season, and requests from Korean companies and broadcasters will surge from next year, so Jay’s presence will be helpful to Yoon.”

Youngjae extended his hand to Jay, who had a friendly impression and a small but sturdy build of about 5’7″ (171cm). Jay smiled brightly and shook Youngjae’s hand with a grip as firm as a rock.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Youngjae Yoon. I never thought I’d have a manager, so I look forward to working with you.”

“I’m Jay Kang. My Korean name is Kang Jae-yoon. Call me whatever you’re comfortable with. You can speak Korean if you want. Here’s my business card.”

The two introduced themselves and exchanged simple greetings. Youngjae didn’t mind having a manager who could speak Korean. He wasn’t exactly a formal manager, but rather someone who would replace Duffy’s role in Korea. However, since he would be helping Youngjae in the position of manager, the title didn’t matter.

“This guy will handle all the schedules and negotiations, so Yoon, don’t worry and just focus on training. If you need anything, feel free to tell him or me anytime. Then, just let him know the date you’re leaving for Korea in advance. I’ll take care of the 업무 인수인계 [Eommu Insu Ingye – Korean term for ‘work handover’].”

Duffy wrapped up the conversation as if the business was over, and Youngjae greeted the two and left the office. Now it was time to go back to the hotel and analyze himself by watching the videos Jonas had sent him.

July was already approaching mid-month. In Hollywood, near LA, various movies and dramas were being filmed around the clock, striving to create even better quality for viewers.

The filming location for Walking Dead Season 3, located slightly away from Hollywood, was also working day and night, putting all their efforts into creating even better quality for viewers.

“Cut! That was great!”

Season 3 was quite масштабный [Mashtabniy – Russian word for ‘large-scale’]. There were separate interior and exterior 촬영세트 [Chwalyoung Seteu – Korean term for ‘film set’] for the prison where Rick, the leader of the protagonists, and his group lived. There were also 촬영세트 [Chwalyoung Seteu – Korean term for ‘film set’] for the villain Governor who appears in Season 3, and Woodbury, a fictional town led by the Governor, for a total of three main sets.

“Emily, great acting.”

This scene was an emotional scene with Lauren and Emily playing Maggie and Beth, and Hershel, who appears as their father. Hershel was bitten on the leg due to his own mistake. And Rick brutally cuts off the bitten leg with an axe to save Hershel and prevent him from becoming a walker.

Maggie, saddened by the unconscious Hershel, wandered around, and in the meantime, she met her younger sister Beth, who diligently took care of the group inside the prison, and they talked about Hershel.

– I was making pants for Dad to wear when he wakes up. –

Beth was altering the pants, saying that it would be uncomfortable if one leg was too long and dragging. Maggie asked her sister how she could do that, with her surprisingly calm demeanor and deep belief that her father, Hershel, would overcome it. Beth says to Maggie instead.

– Don’t you believe in Dad? Why have you become so pessimistic? –

And the deep sadness revealed in that line. The 촬영감독 [Chwalyoung Gamdok – Korean term for ‘cinematographer’] could only say that Beth’s emotional performance, which showed the sadness that had to be hidden and the calm expression, was amazing.

“You’re doing better than I thought. Keep doing that in the future.”

“Thank you.”

Emily didn’t show it, but she couldn’t hide her smile at being recognized for her acting skills. Lauren Cohan and Steven Yeun looked at each other for a moment, nodded, and then subtly moved away from Emily and began to whisper something. After whispering for a while, the two approached Emily as if nothing had happened.

“By the way, Emily. The supporting actor filming with Andrew today is really handsome~”

Emily nodded as if she had heard, but she had a disinterested expression.

“Really? So only the two of them went to the outdoor 촬영세트 [Chwalyoung Seteu – Korean term for ‘film set’]?”

Despite Emily’s lukewarm response, the two smiled slyly as if something was so funny, poking and teasing Emily.

“His name is Bran, and he’s really tall and has a great body~?”

Even at Lauren’s words, Emily just nodded, saying, “Really?”

“Ah… he contacted me first again. Ugh…”

Emily pretended to be angry at Youngjae’s phone call, which came at a great time, and said 새침하게 [Saechimhage – Korean word for acting ‘aloof’ or ‘chic’] that he had contacted her first again.

– Haha! Sorry. But the reason I do it first is because I like Emily so much that I can’t help it? –

“That, that doesn’t work! Today was my day to call… and the phone bill, and I, I want to call sometimes too.”

Emily hurriedly left her seat, concentrating on the phone while also saying that she had contacted him first again, pretending to be angry at Lauren’s 놀림 [Nollim – Korean word for ‘teasing’]-like exclamations. For some reason, she felt a strange sense of incongruity that the call had come at the perfect timing when filming had just ended, but it didn’t matter.

– I was a little worried. I wondered if I could call since it’s still early. –

“Yeah, today is better now. Because there’s 야간촬영 [Yagan Chwalyoung – Korean term for ‘night shoot’] later…”

Watching Emily leave while talking on the phone, Lauren and Steve 키득키득 [Kideuk Kideuk – Korean onomatopoeia for ‘giggling’] laughed and whispered in a voice so small that Emily couldn’t hear.

“I’m looking forward to 야간촬영 [Yagan Chwalyoung – Korean term for ‘night shoot’]? I wonder what kind of expression she’ll have when she meets Bran… 흐흐흐 [Heu heu heu – Korean onomatopoeia for ‘evil laughter’].”

============================ Author’s Notes ============================

★Thank you to those who gave 선작 [Seonjak – Korean term for ‘preemptive work’ or favoriting a story], 추천 [Chucheon – Korean term for ‘recommendation’], 코멘 [Komen – Konglish for ‘comment’], and coupons!!

★Thank you for the sponsorship coupon, 비드리히 [Bideurihi – likely a username]!!

＠In my personal opinion, demanding many benefits when there are no achievements as a national team member is unreasonable, no matter how big a star you are. The public will only support the player if they have achieved results for the country. And they won’t promote a player who has only played in the NBA for a year as someone who has enhanced national prestige. Only veterans in the West can make statements of conviction about national team matters. Even super rookies don’t do that. It’s not well received. Even LeBron James was criticized by senior players and the media for arrogantly disobeying the national team coach’s instructions and not listening to his seniors in his early days, and his sponsor Nike told him to watch his mouth and change his attitude, so he did. I think it’s right to be 적당히 [Jeokdanghi – Korean word for ‘moderately’] humble and take only what you can get.

＠Youngjae’s salary won’t exceed $3 million even after three years. If Youngjae’s advertising fees are at Park Ji-sung’s level in three years, he’ll exceed his salary with just four commercials. Originally, I was going to raise the Dallas team’s salary when this FA market opened, but I should raise it in advance…. Youngjae’s salary is the lowest level for an NBA player. If Youngjae had a lot of money, he would have had his own personal gym. Since he doesn’t have money, he trains at a gym affiliated with his agency instead of having a personal gym. Considering Youngjae’s salary in his first season after taxes, it’s about 600 million won [approximately $450,000 USD]. It definitely seems like a lot, but considering the amount that sports stars have to spend, it’s definitely not a lot.

＠I’ll replace the national team-related comments in today’s 리코멘 [Likomen – Konglish for ‘re-comment’] with the author’s notes above. The comments from several people overlap too much, making it too difficult to 리코멘 [Likomen – Konglish for ‘re-comment’] each one individually.

한달에100권님 [likely a username]/// I didn’t know either… Thank you for letting me know. I didn’t pay attention because it’s used in most newspaper articles.

울트라10님 [likely a username]/// 엌ㅋㅋ [Eokㅋㅋ – Korean slang for laughter] 6쿼터 [6 Kwoteo – Konglish for ‘6th quarter’] ㅋㅋㅋㅋ [Korean slang for laughter]. You were worked to the bone. Most ball-hog ball-handlers have a difference of about 3~4% or less. Some players are better at pull-ups than spot-ups;;;

goimosp님 [likely a username]/// Based on last year, I think Curry was slightly better than Paul, but personally, I think the difference is negligible. Paul is still only 30, so he’s still good enough.

석이형님 [likely a username]/// I personally don’t want to do the unbelievable development of winning a medal at the London Olympics. It seems like it will have to be the 2014 Incheon Asian Games to be exempted from military service.

친님 [likely a username]/// We don’t want to write about the national team for too long, except for episodes like broadcasts or trips in Korea.