Chapter 139
Chapter 139
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 139
Chapter Title: Start (2)
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Black-Haired Tactical Genius
Chapter 139 Start (2)
“Whoa, whoa whoa!”
Nielsen Oakley, from the second-generation Wonderers family, jumped up from his computer desk in the corner of the living rooMad Dog threw his arms wide open.
“Whoa whoooo!”
“Honey, what’s got you yelling like that?”
His wife, who had been vacuuming in the corner of the living room, approached her husband—who was possessed by their second son on his day off—with a furrowed brow.
Oakley turned to her and shouted excitedly.
“I won! Honey, I won!”
“Won what?”
“This! The Wonderers event!”
Oakley pointed at the computer screen with a beaming face.
Sure enough, the screen displayed a congratulatory message:
[Congratulations! You’ve won the Wonderers event!]
The next day, Nielsen Oakley headed to University Stadium—a mere five minutes from his house—with a joyful heart.
The weather was clearer than ever.
The event venue was none other than a glamping site.
“Whoa...?”
As soon as Oakley entered the glamping site entrance, his mouth fell open in a perfect O.
A sizable crowd was lined up in front of a white tent that screamed “event venue.”
Excited voices from Wonderers who had come from all over buzzed in his ears.
“To think I’d get to see him this close...!”
“No other club treats us Wonderers like family the way Bolton does. Heh!”
There were quite a few East Asians in the mix.
Some of them—streamers, perhaps—were chatting with their viewers on their phones while waiting in line.
“Hey everyone, I’m here at University Stadium! The reason I’m here is, well...!”
Oakley joined the line with an expression brimming with anticipation.
How much time passed?
Step.
Oakley took a step forward.
His eyes widened instantly.
Under the tent shading him from the sun, there sat a man in a rumpled white shirt on a camping chair.
He had finally come face-to-face with him.
‘The club owner...!’
That’s right.
The event Nielsen Oakley had entered was a meet-and-greet with the club owner.
Club owner Jeong-woo spotted Oakley and flashed a warm smile, extending a rough, calloused hand.
“Nice to meet you. Hand over your shoes—I’ll polish ’em up for you.”
A long banner hung at the front of the tent.
[Join Bolton in shining some shoes!]
This was a recent Bolton event.
With the season opener approaching, it was a chance for Wonderers and club staff to bond.
Club staff would polish Wonderers’ shoes while chatting with them.
Naturally, tons of people entered the draw, and now they were all lined up.
Everyone was amazed to see the club owner or staff squatting down to polish shoes.
In the middle of it all, Jeong-woo had been at it for four straight hours.
Scrub, scrub.
Meanwhile, he muttered curses under his breath.
‘That Daniel Sha bastard...!’
He’d instructed marketing head Daniel Sha to run this event as a lottery.
Whenever his name came up for a winner, he’d personally polish that Wonderer’s shoes.
He’d told them to distribute it evenly...
‘Damn it, doesn’t my line look three times longer?’
Glance, glance. Even checking left and right, his line was the longest.
Next to him, office manager Donald Victor had propped up his phone for live filming and was buffing shoes with gusto.
He put real force into his eyes to show his enthusiasm.
“Subscribers and Wonderers! Watch me work some Korean Army magic to turn these shoes into mirrors!”
Of course, Jeong-woo kept up the bright smile he’d learned from Richard Geers.
Just then, the fan in front of him watched Jeong-woo polish his shoes with a touched expression.
“Club owner, why go to all this trouble?”
Jeong-woo paused his polishing and gave a cheeky grin.
“Because Wonderers are love, haha.”
They were the customers and family who’d carry Bolton forward.
Plus, he’d always wanted to host something like this.
Without their support, Bolton wouldn’t be where it was today.
This was his way of connecting with fans and giving back.
The two chatted briefly about Bolton and small talk, and in just a few minutes, the job was done.
“There you go, all set.”
“Whoa...! H-hey, I can see my face!”
The middle-aged man took his mirror-shined shoes, eyes bulging.
After a moment, he asked with a hint of reluctance.
“Can I get a handshake?”
“You can hug me if you want.”
At Jeong-woo’s reply, the man pulled him into a hug without hesitation.
“I’m looking forward to this season! Go Bolton!”
The thrilled middle-aged man pumped his fist and turned away.
“Hold on a sec.”
But before he could take a step, he turned back with a puzzled look at Jeong-woo’s call.
“You’ll want to take this.”
“Huh?”
“It’s a thank-you gift.”
The man’s gaze dropped.
Jeong-woo now wore an angelic smile incomparable to before as he held out a box of liquid shoe polish.
“This event’s in partnership with Malpo Group, so this is their giveaway. Forgot about it? Heh.”
* * *
[Bolton Wanderers agree to 3-year deal with Malpo Group!]
[Bolton Wanderers host Wonderers event with Malpo Group!]
[Korea’s Malpo Group inks sleeve sponsorship with Bolton—£600K annually (₩9B)!]
On event day, Bolton announced a new sponsorship deal.
Korean fans were especially thrilled.
- <BlueDragon>: First the Chicken President, now Malpo—Korean brands taking over England with Bolton lololol
- <GodofSoccerinMe>: Whoa, Bolton! Turning into a full-on national pride club!
- [Owen’sTwoFeet]: Yeah, sweep up all the Korean companies and snag those big players! Let’s go!
- <EveryDay>: But chicken then horse... what is this, a zoo?
Unlike main sponsors plastered on the front, sleeve sponsors went on the sleeve.
Compared to main sponsors, their fees were 20-30% of the cost.
“That’s the average, anyway.”
Jeong-woo lounged on the guest sofa, chatting casually.
“They’ll probably push for main sponsor status next season with a big offer, heh.”
He glanced at Charlotte Emma, sitting primly across from him.
In her white blouse and fitted black skirt suit, she’d been staring at him intently.
Jeong-woo continued.
“The event was a good way to get Malpo’s name out there too.”
It wasn’t just a one-off— it was streamed on the Nutuber channel.
Bolton community boards were buzzing about Malpo nonstop.
Local Wonderers were warming up to the brand especially.
Jeong-woo tilted his head smugly.
“Of course, my shoe-shining skills helped... but Malpo’s got that horse vibe like our Bolton.”
You could see it in the kits too.
Folks wanted the chicken head on the sleeve and Malpo’s bold horse logo up front.
“Anyway, this is just the start. In a year? Two? We’ll land a monster £90M+ (₩140B) sponsor deal like Chelsea or City.”
“I look forward to it.”
Emma blinked her teal eyes and replied softly.
Jeong-woo nodded slightly.
Then he opened his mouth.
His eyes darted around.
‘What the hell do I say?’
He’d called Charlotte Emma here just minutes ago, but he’d been monologuing for 20 minutes straight.
She’d been summoned out of the blue with no agenda, so she just listened.
The reports were long done anyway.
After about a minute of silence.
“Uh, so.”
Jeong-woo loosened his already slack tie and asked carefully.
“Actually, I called you to talk about renewal.”
Just like with players and coaches, front office renewals were essential.
Jeong-woo had mostly succeeded with them lately.
Some were let go, others newly hired.
Top front office talent got poached by bigger clubs, just like players.
And lately, he couldn’t block offers for his staff.
‘Not Wonderers, and they were offering double our salary.’
It stung, but that was the cold reality.
“Is that so?”
Emma rolled her teal eyes to the right and asked back.
Jeong-woo nodded firmly.
“You’re the last one standing, team leader. Everyone else signed or moved on.”
That’s right.
He’d offered Charlotte Emma the highest salary first, but she hadn’t responded yet.
Honestly, surprising.
As a fifth-generation Wonderers family, he’d expected her to jump first.
“I know you’ve had offers from everywhere.”
Straight up, Charlotte Emma was front office elite.
Word via Richard Geers: offers galore.
Five Championship teams, three EPL sides, plus Italy, Germany, Spain.
No doubt offers dwarfing his.
Above all, Jeong-woo wanted to keep her.
In countless meetings, she’d boosted attendance and value with smart ideas.
Tailored to the club’s vision, refining and detailing plans.
So he continued, face turning serious.
“I saw it with my own eyes. As strategy planning team leader, you elevated our club with strategic thinking, polished our blueprint, made it concrete.”
“Your bold feedback was gold. ‘This path leads to a bullet in the head’—you didn’t hold back. Who does that?”
“I suck at math, but you made budgets and ops lists crystal clear...!”
“How about dinner at my place?”
“And among colleagues, you’re called cold-blooded for that managerial ruthlessness—wait, what?”
Jeong-woo’s fluent tongue stalled.
“What’d you just say?”
Thinking he misheard, he asked again. Emma repeated clearly in her prim posture.
“Dinner at your place. That’s my renewal condition.”
“...”
“You don’t like it?”
Caught off guard, Jeong-woo blanked for a sec, then checked his outfit.
Then, far more serious—almost resolute—he stared hard and asked.
“Can I at least shower first?”
“...Your eyes are getting weird.”