Chapter 134
Chapter 134
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 134
Chapter Title: 2022-2023 Season, Championship (5)
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Black-Haired Tactical Genius
Chapter 134: 2022-2023 Season, Championship (5)
With the season over, the office inside Bolton was utterly deserted.
Most everyone had gone on vacation.
Only the young academy kids were out there laughing ha-ha, hee-hee as they went through casual training sessions.
Amid all that, Jeong-woo sat on a camping chair in one corner of his office, his eyes sharper than ever.
Sizzle—!
The moment he flipped a piece of meat on the grill with the tongs, it started crackling and spitting.
“This looks done, right?”
Hee-won, sitting to his right, swallowed hard and asked.
Jeong-woo shook his head firmly.
“Pork belly’s best when you cook it all the way through.”
Beef was the exception, of course.
And so Jeong-woo flipped the pork belly over and over.
With the utmost seriousness, as if he were unfolding some pork belly treatise.
“Some say you only flip it twice, but that’s for beef. Pork belly? Gotta cook it super well-done! Thoroughly! But keep the juices in...! You know how tricky that is?”
Hee-won let it go in one ear and out the other.
After a while.
“Done!”
Whoosh!
At Jeong-woo’s signal, a pair of chopsticks shot toward the grill like they’d been waiting for this exact moment.
Jeong-woo glanced at the owner and couldn’t help but smirk.
“Our executive director’s totally hooked on Korean BBQ, huh.”
To his left, Richard Geers sat in his camping chair, flashing his signature beaming smile in agreement.
“Can’t blame me. It’s the ultimate sidekick to any meal.”
With that, he elegantly layered ssamjang, garlic, rice, and ssam radish on top of the pork belly.
Jeong-woo watched Geers pop the whole wrap in his mouth and grinned in satisfaction.
On the other hand, he felt a bit guilty.
“Sorry about this. It’s vacation time, and here I am dragging work into it.”
“No worries. For Bolton? You can swing this body of mine however you like.”
“Ooh, a true wonder-worker!”
Jeong-woo marveled anew at the fire in Geers’ eyes—the fighting spirit and passion burning bright in the white-haired man’s gaze.
That was when Hee-won butted in with beady eyes.
“Hey, you punk, no sorry for me?”
Hee-won had given up his vacation for this too.
But Jeong-woo muttered with a completely different look from the one he’d given Geers.
“I told you today was optional, but you insisted on coming. Escaping the house, huh...? Why don’t you call your wife?”
“... Khm, this pork belly’s damn good.”
No denial—looked like he’d hit the nail on the head.
Either way, both men were here for Bolton.
They were chowing down on pork belly now, but just ten minutes ago, the three of them had been buried in papers and footage.
Jeong-woo glanced around after picking up a piece of pork belly, dipping it in gochujang, and eating it.
Papers were scattered everywhere—from the office desk to the reception table.
“It’s definitely a low-risk way to bring in players.”
Richard Geers accepted the soju Hee-won poured for him with both hands respectfully, downed it, and brought up the topic.
“Poaching players Manchester United released? Bold move.”
“On top of that, we’re targeting players from top clubs with mutual contract terminations or free agents.”
Jeong-woo’s eyes had cooled to a steely calm as he slammed back a shot of soju and continued.
“Man United’s dead set on blocking our signings. What can we do?”
And so the three of them were poring over dossiers and match footage of recently unemployed players.
Geers had pulled off a big one there.
“Manchester United refused to share footage..., but our executive director really knows everyone, huh.”
“Ha ha ha. Spend enough time in football, and you end up rubbing shoulders with all sorts. Naturally forms connections. Of course, with Manchester United, it’s more of a ‘fuck off’ relationship.”
Geers grimaced and grumbled at the tail end.
Jeong-woo shrugged.
“Well, what can you do. They’re hardwired that way.”
To be precise, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had nixed it.
But Geers had gathered footage of United’s released players from other clubs that held it, piecing it together.
Made narrowing down candidates a lot easier.
On that note, Jeong-woo nodded.
“Actually, it worked out better this way.”
“Huh? How?”
Hee-won’s already wrinkled face scrunched up even more as he shot back right away.
“Man United screwed our preseason plans.”
He followed up with a jab.
“See? I told you not to build that grave. Solskjaer’s pissed about it, guaranteed. Look at the Red Devils. They’re all saying they’ll build your grave in their front yard if you die.”
“Khm.”
That one did give him chills. Red Devils all over community sites ranting about erecting his grave in their own front yards.
“You punk, and you even posted that YouTuber video using the grave as a target for BB-gun shots.”
“... Uh, well, that was...”
Most of it was to solidify local derby rivalry with a personal sacrifice.
Definitely not because screwing around with it was fun.
Jeong-woo swiftly changed the subject.
“Ahem, anyway. Thanks to Man United’s meddling, we’re saving cash and it’s all good. Better to invest in retaining our current guys than splashing on new signings.”
Truth was, he’d been wrestling with this from the start.
After dominating League One, plenty of teams wanted Bolton’s players post-promotion.
It started with United eyeing Owen and Pax, but Championship sides and others had made tempting offers to a few more.
‘Bet there are secret talks I don’t even know about.’
To keep them all, contract renewals with Championship-level raises were essential.
Especially since Bolton was already known for stingy wages—even in League One.
Ever since Jeong-woo took over, he’d slashed the salary cap hard.
‘Debt up to our eyeballs. Anyway, re-ups for coaching staff and front office too.’
Sponsor talks were coming soon, but he figured it wouldn’t be enough.
Jeong-woo let out a wry smile.
“Revenue’s up, but so are the outflows.”
Championship promotion meant a massive broadcast fee lump sum—way bigger than League One—but it went straight to debt.
‘Added earnings from core business, paid off 10 million pounds—about 16 billion won.’
Bolton’s debt had dropped from 150 billion won to 124 billion, including some write-offs.
They’d made sure press and public knew Bolton was still kicking.
So Jeong-woo decided to make hay while United played unwilling breakwater.
Time flew.
The wall clock that read 2 p.m. now showed 10 p.m.
The only light leaking from the Bolton building was from Jeong-woo’s office.
Scribble. Scribble—!
Even now, the three sat at their spots, deep in paperwork.
Laptops open in front of them.
Jeong-woo would check dossiers, spot a promising name, then click into Geers’ sourced footage to watch their games.
Couldn’t sign just any free agent.
That’s how Jeong-woo aimed to mine every scrap of intel for Bolton fits.
After a bit more time.
“Whew—!”
Jeong-woo exhaled gray smoke from nose and mouth.
He pinched the cig between his teeth with thumb and forefinger, stubbed it out in the ashtray, and spoke.
“Gary Todd. I like this guy.”
* * *
Greater Manchester.
Gary Todd, just turned 18 this year, squinted at the blazing sun then hurried on.
All while avoiding stares from kids his age.
They’d been chatting and laughing, but the second they spotted him, they started whispering.
He thought to himself.
‘Just wanna get home.’
Once out of this school zone, maybe he could dodge those looks somehow.
Grip—!
His hand tightened on his bag strap.
Fantasies crept in too.
Those kids glancing and whispering—were they mocking him?
‘Gary Todd!’
‘Heard he got kicked from Manchester United recently?’
‘Why’s he still going to this school?’
‘Yeah, I’d have bailed from the shame.’
The school Gary attended was partnered with Manchester United.
That’s how he’d been going there on United’s dime all this time.
So yeah, his peers had questions.
Why was he, the reject, still at this school?
Gary had no obligation to explain.
That United hadn’t cut off his education support despite releasing him from youth.
It was their policy anyway.
‘And he’s still wearing that headgear?’
‘Remember that clash? Skull fracture. Wears it for the aftereffects.’
‘Poor guy.’
Stomp, stomp, stomp!
Gary’s steps quickened.
Now he was staring straight at the ground.
‘Damn it...!’
Inside, he cursed himself nonstop.
‘Todd, you idiot!’
And resentment bubbled up at his changed self.
‘If not for the injury...!’
Yeah.
One year ago—if not for the skull fracture, his fate might’ve been totally different.
He’d once been one of United’s promising strikers.
Not just striker—praise for handling any position, above average too.
Gary was that versatile.
But the injury stole it all.
“Huff, huff!”
He didn’t know how far he ran after leaving the school zone.
Just fleeing peers’ stares, shaking messy thoughts—blind sprint.
Bent half over in front of his house, Gary heaved ragged breaths.
Face slick with sweat.
“Huff, huuuff—!”
Still, that injury scene looped relentlessly in his head.
Like someone forcing the footage on him against his will.
[Gary Todd! He’s lurking behind the defender and darts in quick...!]
Crack—!
[Aaah! Todd! Collision! Center-back Victor Musse barreled in from the side...! Oh, looks bad! Medics rushing in!]
The opposing defender had lunged from the flank, knee smashing into Gary’s head mid-clash.
Gary blacked out. Woke in hospital.
Skull fracture diagnosis. Surgery.
But after—that was the problem.
No more powering through games like before.
Fear, you could call it.
What if another hit from some body part—some knee—sidelined him again?
Activity dropped off a cliff. The fearless poacher in the box? Vanished.
“Huu...!”
Breath steadying, Gary straightened up.
That’s when he frowned faintly.
A strange car parked in front of the house gate.
Stepping into the entryway, Gary froze.
“Gary, you’re home!”
His mom, Defnit, who’d been sunk in gloom since the release notice, beamed at him.
“How was school? Why didn’t you say anything?”
Her voice brimmed with excitement.
At his mom Defnit’s question, Gary blinked back.
“What?”
Instead of answering, Defnit pulled him into a tight hug, overjoyed.
“My precious boy! I knew it—you wouldn’t give up easy! Not my son. Oh, wait—not the time!”
Defnit flashed an awkward smile, peeled away from Gary, and pointed to the sofa.
“Bolton’s owner came himself. Said you took a secret test?”
“...”
Gary blanked out for a sec.
No test. Just thoughts on his future.
But he couldn’t argue.
Two men sat side by side on the sofa Defnit pointed to.
Jeong-woo, hood pulled low and sprawled on the sofa, felt the gaze and slyly curled his lips.
Then he turned, voice soft.
“Gary Todd. Watched your games. Let’s talk details. Bottom line: Bolton needs you.”