Transfer (1)
Transfer (1)
087
The power of broadcast was certainly immense.
Maybe they were trying to capitalize on the fact that the Olympic fever hadn't cooled down yet, but Knowing Bros aired just a few days later.
We filmed for 6 hours, but the actual broadcast length was just over an hour.
They say broadcasting is all about the editing, and it's true; they cut what needed to be cut and added those variety show-style captions, making it way more entertaining.
—Anyone watch Knowing Bros today?
ㄴ11111
ㄴ22222
ㄴ33333
—Hong Min-jun is so hot... I really want to kiss him.
ㄴReporting you for Communication Media Obscenity Law.
ㄴUgh, f*cking annoying, seriously, reporting someone for something like this?
—But damn, Hong Min-jun is seriously handsome when he's dressed up;; He's way better looking than the male idol I stan.
ㄴFR, I'm getting a reality check.
—It wasn't just his soccer skills that were high, f*ck lololol.
—Ah, but where is he transferring to, lololol.
—What is this, Hong Min-jun was a romanticist, lol.
ㄴThe girl who dumped Hong Min-jun must be regretting it like crazy right now, right?
ㄴSeriously, I don't get it at all. With that face and those soccer skills... why on earth would she reject him?
ㄴI think his soccer skills exploded after he got to college? They said he was sluggish in high school.
ㄴSoccer or whatever, he looks like that and she rejected him? She's crazy lololol.
ㄴFR lololol.
—I want to hear how that girl who was his first love feels, lololol.
ㄴYou f*cking savage lololol.
ㄴKya~ Is this what they call a 'Regret-Depression Heroine'? lolol. This is a goldmine lolol.
Browsing through internet communities, I found that, surprisingly, the talk about my first love that appeared briefly at the end of the broadcast was a hot topic.
'Regret-Depression Heroine? Oh.'
As I was chuckling and browsing, the term 'Regret-Depression Heroine' in a highly upvoted comment reminded me of Yoon Da-ye and that strange day.
The sight of Yoon Da-ye hesitating with an expression I'd never seen before, amidst that strange atmosphere.
If the driver had arrived late that day, what would she have said?
Is she really regretting that rejection from that day?
As I pondered, I suddenly wanted to see her.
If I want to see her, I should just go see her. I dressed simply and left the house.
The office was located a 5-minute walk from the Penthouse.
The temporary office we rented in a hurry was bustling. The guys who were supposed to be experts were discussing something while looking at documents, someone was on a call in a language I didn't recognize... it was absolute chaos.
I entered the temporary CEO's office and found Oh Ha-rin, Yoon Da-ye, and three men having a meeting with documents spread out.
I flinched at the momentum of them all turning around at the sound of the door opening.
"Uh... should I come back later?"
...Why do they all look so terrible?
The guys looked old, their skin was dry, and their eyes were hollow—they looked like walking mummies. Oh Ha-rin and Yoon Da-ye were better off because their natural beauty was doing the heavy lifting, but they were still exhausted, with dark circles growing under their eyes.
"No. You came at a good time. Come in and sit down."
While I was chuckling while watching the variety show... no, monitoring the results of my filming, Oh Ha-rin and Yoon Da-ye hadn't even been able to sleep properly, let alone watch TV. Since we live in the same house, I couldn't help but notice; they'd always come in while I was asleep, and when I woke up, they were already gone—it's been like that for days.
They look so busy and tired that I haven't even been able to have sex.
...That's a shame.
"Wait a second. Ah, that's enough, you can go now."
The guys left as if they had been waiting for Oh Ha-rin's order to leave.
...They must have been worked to the bone.
Oh Ha-rin, who skillfully gathered and sorted the mess of documents, pushed a stack of papers in front of me.
"First off, these are the proposals we've sorted through after filtering out the ones we didn't want."
"Oh. There's a lot, huh?"
"Because we poked every decent club."
She looked cute rubbing her eyes and yawning slightly, probably because she was tired.
"We rejected offers outside of the top 5 European leagues. Unless the offers from the major European leagues were bad, there's no need to go to the outskirts when the conditions are better than expected. Just asking, do you have any intention of playing in the US, South America, the Middle East, or minor European leagues?"
"No."
She nods as if it were obvious, given my immediate, thoughtless assertion.
"Right. Next, we also excluded clubs that wouldn't guarantee a spot on the First Team. Unless they could at least specify First Team Roster registration in the contract, we excluded them no matter how good the conditions were, and I've gathered those separately over here. Interested?"
"Not at all. No matter how prestigious they are, if I can't play on the First Team, there's no point in going."
It's obvious. If a soccer player can't play in matches... no, if they can't even get their name on the First Team Roster, there's no reason to transfer.
I'm not some teenage prospect; I'm at the age where I should be playing matches.
Well, even if I don't play matches, as long as I have the status window, there's no problem with growth... but I don't want that.
What's the reason for leveling up stats in the first place? It's to perform well in matches.
Simply put, aren't the status window and stats all there to exist so I can perform on the pitch and receive the cheers of the crowd?
The reason I'm a soccer player, and for the sake of my dream, simply being able to grow isn't everything. Even if my growth slows down a bit, I want to play.
I want to show my skills to the fans, to the spectators, to people all over the world.
If I'm an attention seeker, then so be it, but isn't a soccer player just someone playing with a ball if they don't have fans?
"Good. This is the result of our best efforts. All 5 major leagues are here, so tell me if there's a team or league you want to go to."
Oh... is it that much?
"Does it not matter where?"
"It matters. But your opinion is the priority, so we're just saying we'll consider it."
I looked through the proposals one by one, starting from the one on top.
Hmm.
...Hmm, I see.
......Hmm.
"He won't know just by giving them to him like that. We have to explain it to him."
"Use polite language."
"...May I explain it?"
"Yes."
They're having fun.
Oh Ha-rin, arms crossed, snorted and gestured with her chin, and Yoon Da-ye let out a light sigh and began to explain.
"In the case of the English Premier League (EPL), which you prefer the most, the regulations are strict. The key is whether you can get a work permit... but in your current conditions, it's practically impossible."
"What? Then there's no point in even thinking about the EPL?"
That's disappointing.
I've wanted to play in the EPL since I was young.
"Don't be disappointed. It doesn't mean it's completely impossible."
"You mean high transfer fees or weekly wages? I know that too... but no matter how I think about it, it seems impossible."
There are various conditions for obtaining a Work Permit, which is a strict regulation unique to the EPL, and each condition is assigned a review score.
This review score must be 4 points or higher for the FA to 'recommend' the issuance of a visa.
It's not like it's automatically issued just because it's over 4 points; what a tricky condition.
The conditions with the highest scores are the national team appearance rate over 2 years (which is also differentiated according to FIFA ranking), transfer fee, and salary, and there are also small points given for appearance rates in top leagues or European continental competitions.
In my case, since I'm a Free Agent (FA), there is no transfer fee, but if my salary is high, I'm in a situation where I can earn a sufficiently high score.
However, that 'high' condition requires being in the top 25% of the club I'm transferring to in order to get 3 review points, so it's practically impossible.
It's impossible for a first-time professional contract player to be in the top 25% of the club's salary in the EPL, which has the highest average wages.
"Do you really think we wouldn't know that? We just need to use the exception clause."
"...Is there such a thing?"
"Yes. If you get recommendations from 3 or more prominent figures, you can bypass the strict regulations and get a Work Permit issued."
As she said that, Yoon Da-ye told me about cases that actually applied to Korean players.
Korean legend Park Ji-sung received a Work Permit for his transfer to Manchester United through recommendation letters from Guus Hiddink, Alex Ferguson, and Johan Cruyff, and Cha Du-ri, the 'Cha-minator' who tried to transfer to Celtic FC in Scotland—which isn't the EPL but requires the same UK work permit—received a recommendation letter from his dad's friend, German legend Franz Beckenbauer.
"Is this possible? I don't have any prominent figures in my connections."
At best, there's Coach Gong Jeon-seong... but his recommendation letter wouldn't be helpful.
"If we had agency connections, we would have utilized them, but unfortunately, we're a new agency."
Oh Ha-rin frowned at Yoon Da-ye's words.
"Don't be sarcastic and just explain it properly."
"Yes~ yes~ I'll do that."
"You really—"
"If we can't do it on our own, we have to borrow the club's power. It's a method where the club asks for recommendation letters from team legends, board members, or prominent British figures. In a way, it's not bad because you can see how much the club wants you and how sincere they are. They wouldn't use a player they signed like this as a benchwarmer, right?"
Yoon Da-ye rummaged through the stack of papers, pulled out a few sheets, and handed them to me.
"Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Tottenham are the clubs that fit this. Chelsea's stance is that they'll send you on loan for a season since there's no room in their First Team squad."
When did they coordinate this much?
No wonder not only Oh Ha-rin and Yoon Da-ye, but also the guys who were supposed to be experts recruited by the agency were half-dead; they're certainly effective.
"It's better to go to another club than to go on loan. Let's skip Chelsea. What's left is Manchester United, Arsenal, and Tottenham."
They are all teams with prestigious name value.
My heart is pounding because the teams I admired when I was young have appeared.
"Unfortunately, we haven't been able to grasp the intimate inner workings of each club. Since we're a new agency, there are limits to our information and connections."
As she said that, she glanced at Oh Ha-rin.
"What's with that look? Are you saying this is my fault?"
"Of course not. I'm just saying."
"Hmph. How ridiculous, seriously. That's why I provided support. What more do you want?"
"Of course. You invested a huge amount of money, swept up experts indiscriminately, and even pushed for cooperation with other agencies. You did everything."
"Hey! Watch your mouth."
"Yes? What did I do?"
"You really!"
"Did I do something wrong?"
Hmm. Hmm.
They've gotten quite close.
As expected, when you go through hardships together, a sense of camaraderie tends to sprout.