Chapter 87

〈 Chapter 87 〉 YSG

* * *

Director Choi Tae-dal stared blankly at the fallen cigarette with a dazed expression.

As the rising cigarette smoke reached his nose, a voice slipped out from his open mouth.

"…What the hell is that? Your mom told you not to?"

"Yes."

"Huh…"

Of course, given the nature of the profession, those who dream of becoming professional gamers are generally young.

It's an extreme job where talk of retirement often comes before one even reaches their late twenties, so it's only natural that the preparation period for this is much earlier than for other jobs.

Thus, it's not particularly special or strange for parents to be involved in such important matters as contracts.

However,

Even so, in Director Choi Tae-dal's experience, there aren't many parents who block their children's dreams.

Especially not when they've broken through countless competitions to finally reach this position?

"Is that woman crazy?! Blocking what her child wants to do?!"

"Well, even so, it's a bit…"

"Bit? Am I your friend? Stop answering back so much."

"…I'm sorry."

"Huh… I'll be back in a bit, so try to convince Yujin or something."

Director Choi Tae-dal, who had risen from his seat, seemed to be thinking about something before shaking his head.

"…No, just stay here. I'll handle it. Don't say anything stupid. Got it?! I thought you were going to cause trouble just by looking at you."

"Yes."

"Huh, really…"

Director Choi Tae-dal put on his coat and left the office.

­Bang!

Coach Park Tae-hyung clenched his fists so tightly that the veins in his arms bulged as he stared blankly at the roughly closed office door.

"Damn brat."

Although he didn't know why Outrow decided not to sign with YSG, it was likely due to the poor conditions of the YSG 2nd team practice room.

However, Director Choi Tae-dal was blaming Coach Park Tae-hyung for this issue, and even the usually good-tempered Coach Park Tae-hyung couldn't help but curse.

'I wouldn't come to a team like this either.'

Coach Park Tae-hyung had no choice but to come to such a team, but Outrow's situation was different.

Star.

Outrow is a star that can shine proudly even in the dark night sky.

Naturally, it would be a huge waste for Outrow to join a team like this.

'…It would be a lie to say I'm not disappointed.'

If Outrow were to perform well at YSG, it would bring hope to this desperate team.

But the water had already been spilled.

"Phew…"

Coach Park Tae-hyung sighed deeply and left the office with a heavy step.

The tightly closed door didn't open easily, as if it were broken.

* * *

Director Choi Tae-dal returned to the dormitory about six hours later.

"Park Tae-hyung, come in!"

Coach Park Tae-hyung, who was called back immediately after Director Choi Tae-dal's return, doubted his ears.

"Prepare a pre-contract immediately. Raise the salary to 100 million won, and add a clause that the player can suspend the contract at any time if they wish. Also, remove all clauses related to team transfers."

"…What?"

"I mean, add a clause that the player can leave the team at any time if they wish. Can't you understand!?"

"No, I understand that, but…"

"Then why are you so talkative! I've already discussed this with the chairman and the CEO. Just do as you're told."

Coach Park Tae-hyung, who heard this, was stunned.

If this were true, it would mean that the player could leave the team at any time during the season.

Even for a pre-contract, it was absurd to propose such a ridiculous clause to a rookie who was just preparing to debut.

'…Is he drunk?'

Now that he thought about it, he could smell a bit of alcohol.

He never imagined that this embodiment of stability would propose such a provocative clause, so Coach Park Tae-hyung only snapped back to reality after hearing a roar.

Director Choi Tae-dal usually doesn't yell at Coach Park Tae-hyung like this.

This also meant that Director Choi Tae-dal was taking this matter very seriously.

"What are you doing?! Move it!"

"…Wait a moment! This is ridiculous. If we propose such conditions─"

"Do you think I don't know that? Just do as you're told. If you can't even do what you're told, how did this situation arise?!"

Coach Park Tae-hyung's eyes narrowed at Director Choi Tae-dal's unhidden urgency.

'…Hmm.'

A contract that was unilaterally favorable to the player to the point of suspicion.

This was a contract that could only be proposed if the player side was the 'Super Alpha.'

'Is he really so determined to sign Outrow? This doesn't seem like something Director Choi Tae-dal would do…'

In professional sports, it's all about money.

In other words, to keep a superstar, you need to offer them appropriate treatment.

Unfortunately, YSG doesn't have the funds to tempt a new franchise star.

So, the only remaining leverage is the conditions.

In that sense, these conditions were openly favorable to the player.

From Outrow's perspective, even if he decided to change his mind tomorrow, the contract could be nullified according to the special clause.

'…Does he really believe he can keep Outrow with such a clause?'

What if the player leaves the team on a whim?

What risks would the club have to bear if that happened?

It's not for nothing that clubs set the minimum contract period to at least six months to a year, allowing the player to play at least one season.

At the very least, once a player is registered on the roster, they should play the season, or at least the round, right?

'This is ridiculous.'

Coach Park Tae-hyung genuinely thought so, but he couldn't ignore Director Choi Tae-dal's orders.

"…Understood."

"Go quickly. Since it's late today, contact them politely around lunchtime tomorrow."

"…Yes."

As Coach Park Tae-hyung left the office, he fell into deep thought.

What could Director Choi Tae-dal be relying on to propose such conditions?

After much consideration, Coach Park Tae-hyung reached a conclusion.

'He's trying to lure him with a starting position.'

Every professional wants to be a starter.

However, the path to becoming a starter in another team is extremely difficult.

Teams like SY and SCV, so-called prestigious teams, only select the best from their academy and 2nd team systems to become starters.

In those teams, even debuting as a professional is not easy.

But what about here at YSG?

There is competition here as well.

However, the competition here is incomparable to that of other teams, and Outrow has already proven himself to a certain extent in this competition.

Although there might be some resistance from existing 1st team players, from Outrow's perspective, he can come in with a promised starting position, and if the promise is not kept, he can simply leave the team.

'From Director Choi Tae-dal's perspective, there's no reason not to give him a starting position, so there's no need to break the promise.'

If Coach Park Tae-hyung's guess was correct, it would explain Director Choi Tae-dal's confidence.

A relatively high salary for a rookie.

A promised starting position.

A condition that can be nullified if things go wrong.

'With these conditions… Outrow might really accept.'

Especially the fact that the contract can be nullified if things go wrong means there's no risk for Outrow, which could instill confidence to give it a try.

"Phew…"

It's complicated.

Holding his smartphone, Coach Park Tae-hyung felt the same turmoil as before.

I hope Outrow accepts.

But I hope he doesn't.

"…I don't know."

In the inner conflict he couldn't even understand himself, Coach Park Tae-hyung pressed his smartphone.

* * *

On the day I first received the contract, after returning home, my mother said to me, who was wavering.

"‘If you can't make a decision, reject it first. If they really want you, they'll propose different conditions. I've looked into the company a bit, and it's not a completely bad place. …The rumors weren't great, though.’"

And a few days later, today.

"…They really came."

"Mom was right, wasn't she?"

I received a message from Coach Park Tae-hyung.

It said that they would remove some clauses from the original contract and add a few special clauses.

And those special clauses were quite radical, even to me, who didn't know much.

"Hmm."

"Why? What's it like?"

After carefully reading the message, my mother smiled at me.

"It's not bad. …It's a good condition for you, at least for now."

"Really?"

If my mother said so, it must be true.

Of course, the salary wasn't particularly appealing, but you can't expect to be satisfied from the start.

"But I still don't want you to join this team."

"Why?"

"It feels off."

"Actually, I don't really want to go that far either."

"Right?"

My mother smiled kindly.

It was a smile I hadn't seen in a while, and it gave me a strange sense of stability.

­Ding!

At that moment, my smartphone rang again. This time, it was from an unknown number.

[Hello. I'm Director Choi Tae-dal of YSG. I'm sorry I can't meet you in person, but I regret not being able to do so.]

The sender was none other than Director Choi Tae-dal of YSG.

The messages kept coming.

[I believe you've already heard about the changes to the contract. I'm contacting you separately to tell you something beyond the contract.]

[I know that you showed excellent skills during the tryout process. And we at YSG have no doubt that with you, we can reach the Red Cup stage.]

[If you sign with us, I promise that from the second round, you will be registered on the roster and given the opportunity to play as a starter.]

[As you can see from the revised special clauses, if I change my mind, you can act as you see fit. I mean to keep my promise.]

[Of course, this is because we highly value your skills, and I hope you make a wise decision. Thank you.]

'…A starter?'

I was prepared to spend a few months as a trainee no matter which team I joined.

But suddenly being promised a starting position?

Considering the previous contract terms, I must admit that I was somewhat tempted.

"Why are you like that?"

"Look at this."

My mother's expression changed as she read the message.

"Hmm… What do you want to do?"

"…To be honest, I want to give it a try. There's no real risk, right? I want to check it out."

I had some impressions and feelings from the tryout I did with YSG.

I want to confirm these feelings by playing in a professional team.

To see if it's really right for me to join a 'team owned by others.'

I had ignored the offers from other teams after reaching Grandmaster for the same reason.

I needed time to verify.

"There's some risk, but let's wait and see."

My mother, who took my smartphone, directly asked Director Choi Tae-dal to add a few conditions to the contract.

One of the notable clauses was that all copyrights to videos or photos featuring me would be entrusted to me, and their use would require my or my legal guardian's consent.

"…Is this really necessary?"

"It is."

My mother was firm.

[Good. Let's proceed with the contract. I'll be waiting.]

The reply came quite quickly.

"They seem to be in a hurry. Our daughter must be quite capable."

"…Yeah."

Although it felt a bit strange, since I had already agreed, there was no harm in it.

'One week. Just one week.'

And I'll confirm it myself.

What kind of life as a professional gamer I truly want.