Chapter 10

10

3. If you're going to act like that (3)

As soon as the morning training ended and I entered the cafeteria, I turned on my phone.

A feast of information poured in.

There was all sorts of information, but what I needed was the relationship between Sebastian and the other players. Fortunately, the information I wanted was mixed in among the jumbled data. When I organized this information, it came down to the following:

The players don't have much feeling for Sebastian. They are just afraid of Liam Grant's gang, more precisely, the gang called "Nuclear Waste Trio."

If I must add one more line:

The team's performance itself is not bad, so there is no particular need for Sebastian, and thus less interest in him.

I found it annoying that the other players were bystanders, but it was hard to blame them for not standing up to a player backed by a local gang. After all, players are not especially righteous, so I wasn't too angry.

I have to think positively. The fact that everyone is a bystander means that solving the issue with the Nuclear Waste Trio is enough.

After finishing my meal with Sebastian, I immediately called the EW Agency. Katie Cubitt answered on the second ring, and her first words were:

-Do you want to quit?

I was momentarily stunned but firmly replied:

"No way. I'm going to keep working."

-That's a relief.

I didn't care about Katie Cubitt's reaction and methodically explained the situation here. Katie Cubitt listened silently and then asked one question:

-Is that all?

I was stunned again.

She seemed emotionless from the start, but to show no reaction even after hearing this story was surprising.

"No..."

-We lack both manpower and time, so it might be difficult right now.

"What?"

-Do you have evidence? Clear evidence that can definitively bury the opponent, or a witness.

I was speechless. There was no guarantee that the bystander players would speak up, and there was no concrete evidence.

-As expected, it will take time. If you can gather evidence, try to collect as much as possible. I'll contact you again. Oh, I'll send you this week's pay tomorrow, and from next week, I'll send it every Friday.

"No..."

Click.

Isn't this an urgent matter? No, the agency's player is facing racial discrimination and unfair treatment from the coach!

Can't you act without evidence? At the very least, you should show some effort to protect Sebastian, and if he can't attend training, the agency should arrange a training ground for him!

I hit the wall with my fist.

I didn't even feel the pain from anger.

I turned on my phone again to call the office number but then turned off the screen.

The events of the past few days flashed through my mind like a panorama.

The life management coach who was supposed to manage my meals was not assigned for almost a month, and I, a novice, was the only one assigned to Sebastian. Harry, who had handed over the documents and apologized, was also part of it.

"Is he a discard card..."

I thought the agency might consider Sebastian not worth investing in. The agency that had terminated Chris's contract for business reasons.

It was a guess, but the support from the agency made it clear.

An excessively cold stance.

I was angry, but I had to be as cold as the agency's attitude.

"Do you have evidence?"

Then I have to bring evidence that will make them move. If they still don't move, I'll report it to all the British media.

"Hey, is the call over?"

Perhaps tired of waiting, Sebastian came to find me first, with a clean smile.

I stopped thinking and spoke to Sebastian.

"Seb."

"Yes?"

"I have to go to training tomorrow."

My tone must have been off, as Sebastian's expression stiffened for a moment. Then he forced a smile and said it was okay.

What a good kid. Seeing him, I became even more determined. I have to do my best.

"I'll deal with the coach's mood swings, so you just focus on training."

"Mood swings? What do you mean?"

Hearing Sebastian's innocent question, I smiled bitterly.

*

I looked at the night streets of Brighton outside the window and clicked send.

Today's report is done, and the video editing is done.

But I don't feel refreshed; I feel uneasy.

To make the agency, which is reluctant to move, take action, I need more solid evidence. Evidence powerful enough to make the agency face the backlash, even if an individual exposes it.

"Should I become a paparazzi...?"

It didn't seem like a bad idea.

The information from the helper was insufficient. Sometimes it provides key information, but it doesn't offer solutions. It doesn't provide support; it's literally a "Helper: Assistant."

Oh, my head hurts.

I don't know what Liam Grant and the Nuclear Waste Trio will do from tomorrow, and I don't know if the coach, who ignored my words, will act out.

I barely slept for almost 2 hours, and now my head hurts, but I can't sleep.

I wrote down the information I gathered today in a notebook. As the information increased, I could see content that could help improve performance, such as "Reducing passes will improve performance" and "Prefers to dribble to the left."

Of course, it's useless now. No matter how well Sebastian performs, he won't be able to play in the game.

"I want to heal..."

When my mind is complicated, I need rest. Worrying unnecessarily is meaningless.

Looking at my phone, it was 11 PM, and it was probably 8 AM in Korea.

I made a call.

"Big sister, how are you?"

-Yeah. I'm fine except for worrying about my good-for-nothing little brother who said he'd call but only called after a week.

"Ha ha ha... I did send messages."

-That's just a survival report. From next week, call regularly. Da-eun is already complaining that you only send messages and don't call.

"Really?"

It felt good to call my sister.

I had been thinking about racial discrimination, and hearing my sister's voice, which I've heard all my life, made me feel like I was back home.

-Anyway, how's work? Is it manageable? Do you want to come back right away?

"…Do you think I should come back?"

My sister chuckled.

How's work?

The first thing that came to mind was Liam Grant and the Nuclear Waste Trio, and the overly cold agency and the strange coach.

Sigh.

But thinking of Sebastian's puppy-like eyes and his brilliant movements during training, I could smile.

"The salary is good, and the client is nice. He's very talented."

-That's good to hear.

Then we chatted. Mostly about the family in Korea. My father is doing well, and Da-eun, now in her third year of high school, is studying hard at school. It was a conversation about daily life.

-I'm at the office. I have to end the call.

"Okay, I understand. I'll call you again next time."

-Okay.

I was about to press the end button.

-Wait!

"Huh?"

-You, don't rush into things. Don't prepare for things that haven't even happened. Do one thing at a time, calmly. Got it?

"…Thanks."

My sister, embarrassed, ended the call without even hearing my full answer.

"Ha ha."

I felt much better.

The complicated thoughts in my head seemed to be neatly organized into sections.

Was I trying to do everything at once, which made me feel overwhelmed?

I looked at the information I had gathered calmly. I'll remember it and see how Liam Grant acts tomorrow before making a plan.

I won't kill him, after all.

Yeah, would I really kill him?