Chapter 122
Chapter 122
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 122
Chapter Title: Uphill (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Black-Haired Tactical Genius
Neil Oakley, a second-generation Wanderers family member, sat at his computer desk, clicking the left mouse button repeatedly.
Soon, Oakley narrowed his eyes before breaking into a satisfied smile.
"Hmm, his market value's gone up nicely."
He had logged into the Bolton-Funding section of the homepage and was looking at the growth graph for the player he'd invested in.
It was the left-back, Morten Pedersen.
Oakley had invested in Pedersen through the event funding planned by Bolton.
And with the team climbing to second place in League One recently, the squad's overall market values had skyrocketed.
"Almost a 30 percent increase."
At this point, it seemed safe to tell his wife, Hey! I invested in Bolton-Funding!
"No, no."
Oakley quickly shook his head.
He glanced toward the kitchen, where his wife was busy preparing dinner.
Just looking at her back brought back her warning from before.
'If you mess with stocks or anything like that, you're dead.'
"..."
It wasn't exactly stocks, but Oakley decided to hold off and watch a bit longer.
'Treat it as emergency savings...'
"Hmm?"
Mid-thought, Oakley let out a puzzled sound.
This site he visited like clockwork had a new section added at the far right.
[Bolton Park]
"Bolton Park?"
Oakley furrowed his brow briefly before his face lit up.
"Is that it? Amusement facilities?"
For the past few months, Bolton had been building entertainment facilities next to the glamping site.
A 3-meter-high safety wall blocked the view inside, but it looked pretty large.
'They put up a much bigger safety wall than our home stadium.'
Unable to contain his curiosity, Oakley clicked on Bolton Park.
"Ooooh—!"
In an instant, Oakley turned into a soprano.
On the screen, not only were there rides kids would love, but adult-friendly attractions spread out like a backdrop.
* * *
Boom, boom, boooom—!
On a sunny afternoon, fireworks shot high into the sky and burst.
Children burst into laughter at the purple, red, yellow, and various other colors lighting up the heavens.
"Mom! I wanna ride that one!"
"Okay, okay!"
"Dad! I wanna do the bumper cars!"
"Bumper cars?"
"Bumper caaaars—!"
Kids who entered Bolton Park grabbed their parents' hands and dashed toward their favorite rides.
Ma Jeong-woo, in a rumpled suit, watched them with a pleased smile as he stood at the entrance.
A large sign with information and explanations loomed in front of him.
[Amusement facilities greatly aid children's growth and development. Especially for young kids, these play areas foster flexibility, social belonging, empathy with peers, and more...(excerpt)
For children's development and fun, we've built traditional playgrounds, creative ones to spark imagination, adventure playgrounds to build courage and teamwork...(excerpt)
We welcome you to Bolton Park!]
The park sprawled across land the size of four pitches.
Of course, they couldn't install something like a full-scale roller coaster.
The costs had been more substantial than expected.
Instead, they provided seesaws and swings, along with kid-friendly versions of roller coasters and bumper cars.
They even added sky bikes and zip lines.
"Come on, let's hurry!"
"Why are you in such a rush?"
"Oh, right, we booked from 2 to 4 p.m.! It's just past 2 now!"
Ma Jeong-woo glanced toward the voices.
A group of pot-bellied uncles, half their faces covered in beards, strode into Bolton Park.
Each carried a sports backpack.
"Heading to play some soccer, I bet."
Ma Jeong-woo had also provided sports facilities for adults.
Futsal courts, tennis courts, basketball courts.
He hadn't forgotten the rental fees, of course.
Rides like bumper cars and zip lines were free for season pass holders.
That's when it happened.
"Offering free entry to kids under 9 seems like a great PR move."
Emma, her blonde hair tied in a low ponytail, spoke demurely.
Ma Jeong-woo shrugged casually beside her.
"I didn't want to put a price on kids' dreams and fun."
"..."
She narrowed her eyes slightly and lowered her voice.
Then Ma Jeong-woo thought to himself.
'Damn, that was cool.'
He'd tossed it out casually, but replaying it in his head, it sounded pretty slick!
Emma showed no reaction, though.
He rolled his eyes toward her. Her turquoise gaze pierced the side of his face.
Ma Jeong-woo flinched for no reason.
'Did she see through me...?'
Free entry for under-9s was purely a ploy to draw in parents.
'No parent can resist their kid.'
Kids got in free, but parents without season passes had to buy tickets.
'That's why... I added sports for adults too.'
Sometimes parents won out over kids, so he'd included facilities to tempt them, right in the park.
Plus, being right next to the glamping site meant solid revenue.
From opening day, the glamping area and park had been packed.
'You could say it's a chain reaction.'
The food corners benefited too, in a symbiotic setup.
He'd sold popup store operating rights to vendors at bargain priority rates.
"Heh heh heh."
Realizing it all meant money, a sly chuckle escaped Ma Jeong-woo's lips.
'Club value's gonna pump up.'
Meanwhile, Emma stared straight at him.
Just seeing that grin peeking between his slightly parted teeth...
'He's so cool.'
Above all, his earlier words swam endlessly in her mind.
'I didn't want to put a price on kids' dreams and fun.'
A low, sincere, tranquil voice.
'He thinks of the children so much... It comes through even without saying it.'
A cool breeze rustled his hair.
A faint blush colored Emma's cheeks.
* * *
Dark evening, lights off.
[Mad Dog is a genius among geniuses. His tactics are beautiful and varied, and sometimes... sharp enough to pierce the enemy like a spear in one go.]
Ma Jeong-woo slouched in his executive chair, staring at the computer screen.
"Nickname 'Translator,' huh."
It was very familiar to him.
When he'd first uploaded tactics to World Management, the first comment came from this nickname, affectionately called Tran.
Tran had asked to be called that, so he'd obliged.
Back then, Tran had raved over his debut tactic.
- : My God... who are you? Where do you live? What team are you with?!
After that, whenever Ma Jeong-woo uploaded tactics, Tran was always first to comment, like a site regular.
"A die-hard devotee through and through."
A nickname like that screamed fanboy.
Ma Jeong-woo smirked.
Lately, he'd been jotting down a few tactics on World Management in his spare time.
Tran never failed to drop the first comment.
But recently, the guy had changed a bit.
Just looking at the post on today's upload showed a big shift in his mindset.
[At first... I never thought Bolton's Manager Ma could compare to Mad Dog... but maybe it's time to revise that. Bolton's Manager Ma...(excerpt)
Mad Dog is one of the top tacticians, but in my view, Bolton's Manager Ma matches him!]
Tran, who always proclaimed Mad Dog the best, was starting to acknowledge his offline self over Mad Dog.
"Man."
It felt utterly absurd to Ma Jeong-woo.
Mad Dog was his online self, and Bolton's Manager Ma was his offline self, after all.
Of course, Mad Dog fans were slamming Tran as a traitor and apostate with all sorts of abuse.
- : Weren't you calling him an internet basement dweller just yesterday? Comparing him to Manager Ma and Mad Dog? You're insane!
- : Disappointing! Tran!
- : Be honest. Got hacked, right? Admit it!
The reason for their rage was simple.
Tran was like the fan club president for Mad Dog.
His support for Manager Ma naturally sparked backlash.
On the flip side, Ma Jeong-woo found Tran's stance commendable.
"Guy's got real tactical insight."
He'd seemed like a rabid fan, but his comments and analyses of Mad Dog's tactics suggested he might be in the field himself.
Ma Jeong-woo even wanted to scout him.
"If only NB was like our Tran, huh?"
Suddenly, he clicked his tongue.
The newbie analyst, no longer quite so new, was still stubbornly pushing Mad Dog's tactics.
'Though lately, he's incorporating his own ideas a bit...'
NB was surely one of the die-hard devotees cursing Tran.
"If he was half like Tran, I'd be thrilled."
He hadn't fired NB yet... because the guy's tactical talent was decent enough.
The issue was not using it properly.
* * *
Bolton staff office.
Only the computer screen light illuminated the room.
"Hoo..."
Ryan Enby slumped at his desk and sighed.
Seeing the real-time comments flooding in hurt—too much.
But Enby had seen it clearly.
'Manager Ma... he's beyond Mad Dog.'
He'd denied it at first, but not anymore.
His pupils shook as he stared at the screen.
He'd waffled between Mad Dog and Manager Ma like a reed in the wind, but that was over.
'I'm following Manager Ma from now on.'
He'd seen it plain as day.
Beating Sunderland, crushing Arsenal, even forcing Manchester United to its knees.
'The score was 2-1, but...'
Enby had watched breathlessly for over 120 minutes.
Manager Ma dismantling EPL manager Solskjaer's mentality tactically.
It nearly drove watching Enby mad.
'I'd have collapsed if it were me.'
Manager Ma excelled in every way, each move heavy yet razor-sharp.
Now, Bolton had racked up wins over 44 games, surging to second place.
That's why.
Enby was gradually captivated by Manager Ma.
He still respected Mad Dog, but the passion had cooled a bit.
An anonymous face, after all.
Today, Enby finally steadied his wavering heart.
Proof: a farewell post to Translator—aka Mad Dog's devotee Tran.