Chapter 6

This time around, it's out of the question.

Yuchan and I have been close friends since we were young, growing up together in the alleyways, kicking a soccer ball.

Yuchan's father was in the clothing distribution business, and he did well, so they lived better than my family.

However, last year, the IMF crisis hit, and Yuchan's father took a direct hit.

Yuchan's parents divorced under pressure from debt collectors, and his father fled to some place in the provinces, with no word of his whereabouts.

Yuchan's mother opened a snack shop to make ends meet, but business wasn't going well.

"What is it? What do you want to talk about?"

I took Yuchan to the neighborhood park.

I lightly bounced the soccer ball he threw with my whole body.

Ball juggling is my specialty.

I can trap the ball for over 30 minutes using every part of my body—both feet, knees, shoulders, head, chest...

Because of this ability, I was praised as "a Korean player with good ball touch."

When I casually bounced the ball and passed it to Yuchan, he couldn't even bounce it three times before dropping it.

"Quit soccer."

"It was a mistake. A mistake. I'm just too tired from today's intense training."

"No, Yuchan. I'm not speaking metaphorically. Quit soccer right now. You don't have the talent. No matter how much you try, you won't make money from soccer."

"..."

Yuchan was shocked and dropped the soccer ball.

He and I have been on the same team since we were young.

Actually, Yuchan did have a bit of talent.

But it was a half-baked talent.

Nothing is more fatal than that.

That half-baked talent drags both him and those around him into endless suffering.

In my previous life, Yuchan got into Sejin University through my connections.

But that was the end of it.

He wasn't drafted into the K-League and ended up as a typical sports department loser after graduating.

Around that time, his mother, who had supported his sports career all her life, collapsed.

"How can you say such things outright!?"

"I can say this because I care about you like a brother. Yuchan, calm down and face reality."

"Why are you doing this to me? Is it because I got into Myungseong High through your connections?"

"Calm down, Yuchan."

"Can I calm down now!? What will happen to my mom if I give up here? Do you know how much money I've spent on sports so far!?"

This is a typical sports department dilemma.

Raising a child as an athlete from elementary school to adulthood costs hundreds of millions of won.

Only 0.01% of families end up making a huge profit from this investment.

About 2% of families manage to break even?

The rest all lose money.

The scary part of the sports department dilemma is that you can't quit halfway through.

Because of the sunk costs, you try to go all the way, hoping for that 0.01% chance.

The meaningless expenses continue.

"Stopping now is making money."

"... What!?"

Coach Jiyoungman must be planning a big move at the end of this year.

The so-called [Bundled Selling Technique].

In my previous life, in 1998, I reached the peak of my career with World Cup participation and reaching the semifinals in various national tournaments.

My body was already broken, but still.

Both the two major soccer universities, Y University and K University, as well as K-League professional teams, were drooling over me.

My father was busy getting free drinks from these people.

In this situation, Jiyoungman boldly pushed the [1+5 Strategy] and became the ultimate winner.

He bundled me and five of my classmates and got us into Sejin University, which was far below our level.

"Kenu, you know, a man must have loyalty. If you just change your mind a little, you can save people who are about to die. With your strength."

I fell for Jiyoungman's empty talk like an idiot.

My father's persuasion, influenced by Jiyoungman's convincing, was one reason, but the promise of a starting position from the first year, no hazing or errands, and the promise to build the team around me also played a big role in my decision.

Among the five classmates, Yuchan was included.

Yuchan was a significant factor in my decision to go to Sejin University.

At the time, I was naive enough to believe in the word "loyalty."

When the five classmates shed tears of gratitude, I felt quite proud.

Among the five, Yuchan was the only one who took care of me when I was struggling.

The others immediately turned their backs on me and cut off contact.

They even mocked me behind my back.

Despite getting into college because of me.

Only Yuchan came to see me, bought me pork belly, and encouraged me to keep going.

Even though he was in a difficult situation himself.

Because of this experience, I could trust Yuchan completely.

In the world I have to live in, trust is the most important thing.

Having someone you can trust completely is the basic principle of business.

"I'm doing this to make you a new offer."

"A new offer?"

"From today, you'll be my manager. I'll give you 10% of my income. I'm going to make 100 billion, 1 trillion. 10% will be quite a nice sum."

"... What? Manager?"

"In foreign countries, there's a job called a sports agent that manages professional athletes. You should aim for that and work hard. Your abilities and personality are better suited for that than being an athlete."

"Sports agent..."

At the time, it was an unfamiliar term in Korea, so I called it a manager.

"Like the movie Jerry Maguire?"

"Exactly! That's it! We'll team up and make a fortune in soccer."

"Can I... do it?"

"You were always good at studying."

"That was a long time ago..."

"It's not too late. Now that you have a clear goal, you can catch up quickly if you start right away."

Fortunately, Yuchan was quickly convinced.

Does he know?

In my previous life, he would always grab me when drunk and lament, "If I had been your agent back then, we would have both made it big!"

This time around, I decided to fulfill Yuchan's dream.

***

The next morning.

When Yuchan quit the soccer team, chaos ensued.

Coach Jiyoungman and the other seniors were shocked.

"He could have gone to a local university if he just hung in there. What's going on?"

"Coach seemed very disappointed..."

Of course, Jiyoungman was disappointed.

50 million won had just flown out of his hands.

He had pocketed 50 million won from each of the five students' parents by bundling us together.

Yuchan's mother, in a difficult situation, had taken out a loan to send her son to college, which would later lead to a major crisis.

Jiyoungman's greed wasn't limited to the parents.

He also received 100 million won from Sejin University as a bribe to bring me there.

My father, unaware of these details, was proud to have received 30 million won as a backhander.

"This time around, it's out of the question."

I meticulously prepared a plan to completely bury Jiyoungman.

While in class, my senior soccer teammates came to see me.

"Kenu, why are you so hard to find these days?"

"How's your body?"

"Uh, I'm in rehab. I have to go to the hospital after this class."

Among the friendly seniors, the leader was Han Gil-yong.

A handsome face, a model-like body, and a neat demeanor—this goalkeeper was a notorious womanizer.

Han Gil-yong, the son of a famous pastor in Eunpyeong District, was a pathological womanizer.

He and I were the only ones from Myungseong High to be drafted into the K-League and had a decent career.

What made him famous was his handsome appearance, which he used to seduce countless women.

What makes me so angry is that my sister was among those women.

Ji-hye fell in love with his soft manners and quickly gave in to him.

When Ji-hye realized she was pregnant, she also discovered that Han Gil-yong was dating at least five women simultaneously.

Not only was he skilled at seducing women, but he was also good at getting money and gifts from them. Since Ji-hye had no money, she was the first to be dumped.

Ji-hye had an abortion alone and suffered from the guilt, and eventually...

"Damn bastard."

"What?"

I inadvertently cursed at Han Gil-yong.

He was startled and stepped back.

"I'm not talking to you. I was just thinking about something else."

"Really? Who were you thinking about to curse like that? I was really shocked."

"There is. A human trash with a pretty face. I should burn his crotch with a blowtorch and turn him into a eunuch."

"Kenu, why are you making such a violent joke..."

"It's not a joke."

I felt so nauseous that I got up and left the classroom.

I couldn't beat him up for something that hadn't happened yet.

***

After quitting the soccer team, Yuchan started studying with me at a language school.

When I told Kevin that I was going to train Yuchan as an agent, he made this suggestion.

"I have a friend who's preparing for that. Should I introduce you?"

"Really!?"

"This guy is a soccer fanatic. He'll be shocked to hear that I know the genius boy Kim Kenu."

"Why are you embarrassing me like that?"

I went to Gwanghwamun to meet the person Kevin introduced.

I didn't expect him to work at the top law firm in Korea.

"Sure enough, the S University network is powerful."

From the top hospital in Korea to the top law firm and the top (?) language school.

The building was so grand that I hesitated for a while before finally mustering the courage to enter.

As I looked around the lobby, a man approached with a smile.

"Kim Kenu! What an honor! Nice to meet you!"

The man's name was Choi Jae-sung.

A graduate of S University's law school and, of course, a member of S University's soccer team.