Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Operation Super Staffers (3)
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"Come on, everyone, over here!"
Marketing Director Daniel Chai flashed an innocent smile as he pointed in one direction.
At that,
"Wow!"
"What's this?"
"Whoa! Amazing! This is awesome!"
The kids, who barely reached his waist, came running over with eyes sparkling.
Daniel Chai kept smiling as he spoke.
"This is the place where Bolton Wanderers' history lives and breathes!"
Just as he said, the area resembled a museum, with trophies Bolton had won in the past lined up neatly in glass cases.
"Here's the one from the 1909-1910 season when we were still in the EFL Championship! This one's from 1977-1978! And that shiny golden one over there is the championship cup we claimed after beating Oxford in the 1996-1997 season!"
Shai continued his curator-like explanations.
Trophies from long ago in the third division.
The FA Cup winners' trophy, and more.
He even described the incredible journeys behind them.
Bolton's acknowledged legends had their jerseys and boots on display too.
"Okay, this is the jersey of Bolton legend Albert Shepherd! Our fearsome hero who claimed the top scorer title in the 1905-1906 season!"
"And right next to it is Nat Lofthouse's jersey—he took the top scorer crown in the 1955-1956 season too!"
"Whoaaa!"
The kids gaped at the old photos of the legends displayed alongside the jerseys.
After some time had passed like that.
Seizing the moment, Shai spoke up.
"Alright, now you've got ten minutes for free exploration. But no touching, got it? And don't leave the club exhibit area. Stay within this space, in my line of sight."
"Yesss!"
The kids scattered in groups of twos and threes, as if they'd been waiting for this very instant.
"Whew—!"
The moment they dispersed, Shai let out a short sigh.
That was when.
"You okay?"
The exhibits manager offered him a cup of coffee.
"Oh, thank you."
Shai accepted it with a shy smile.
He glanced up, and his cheeks flushed red.
Camilla Emily, the exhibits manager, was looking straight at him with her pretty eyes.
"You didn't have to... I could've done it."
Emily's face was full of apology.
Shai scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"No, no. It wasn't busy today anyway, and this project's fully under our marketing department. Heh."
It wasn't fully theirs, and he had been busy, but he made excuses anyway.
That eased Emily's guilt a bit.
Instead, she narrowed her eyes with sudden intensity, glaring at someone specific.
"A staff experience for kids... It's a unique idea, but do we really need to do this? Unlike adults, it doesn't really help much."
"Still, we're keeping it simple, focusing on easy stuff. The kids love it... and the regular staff aren't finding it too burdensome."
Most of these kids were slated for ticket sales counters.
Their main job would be providing cuteness alongside the existing staff.
Some as ball boys.
Others handling player jersey laundry.
And this was all on Jeong-woo's orders.
Two days ago at the convenience store—more precisely, seeing parents dragged along by their kids—Jeong-woo had shouted like he'd discovered something wondrous.
'Let's do a staff experience program for kids!'
And teach them about the club's history too.
At first, it sounded like nonsense.
But his follow-up made Shai realize this guy was a true merchant.
'They learn the club's history and build affection through the staff experience! We turn them into Wanderers step by step, starting from childhood.'
'And for the kids who join, we give out free match tickets as a limited gift—a bait disguised as a present.'
It started the very next day.
That afternoon, at that same convenience store, Jeong-woo added with a sly grin.
'Next bait: photos.'
One wall was now plastered with solo shots of kids during their staff experience.
Plenty of empty space left, suggesting more to come.
'Kids want to brag about what they did. Parents feel proud seeing their kid's photo displayed publicly. The tickets get them to come back to see the pictures. So the kids are bait to hook the adults.'
'An investment in future supporters and bait for adults. In our language, it's like having your cake and eating it too.'
How he gleefully plotted to slaughter both the pheasant and its eggs was beyond Shai.
But Shai had to admit it.
And one more thing.
'You seem to have more love for the club than I thought.'
Better attendance was the goal, but it was rare for an owner to plan and scheme so much to revive the club.
Maybe that's why.
Shai and many staff were starting to see hope in Bolton.
Above all, escaping relegation zone brought the biggest psychological relief.
Unlike the previous owner, the current one showed deep affection for the club—tangible, skin-deep.
Even Charlotte Emma, the aloof and detached strategic planning director, had said it.
The owner has staked his life on the club.
It made a bit more sense now.
* * *
"Club owner uncle! What are you doing here?"
"Huh, I'm planning tactics here, eating, even sleeping."
"Wow! I wanna sleep here like you, uncle!"
"The tent's one-person only. And I toss and turn a lot."
"Wow! I still wanna!"
"Then I'll pick three of you for a one-day club owner office camping experience! I'll put another tent next to this one."
"Wow! Really?"
"Of course."
"Owner bro is the best!"
Park Hee-won, sitting on the sofa, narrowed his eyes.
A kid perched on the desk, swinging her legs, eyes sparkling.
Beyond the blinds, under the pouring sunlight, Jeong-woo sat in the executive chair with a stern expression.
The kid looked at him with eyes full of admiration.
Hee-won thought to himself.
'No. Don't admire him. That guy's... a devil.'
After a while, the kids exploring the owner's office all left.
Hee-won, still on the sofa, looked at Jeong-woo glued to the tactics board and let out an exclamation.
"Man... you're relentless. How do you think so sharply on this stuff?"
"Heh. Guess my brain's specialized for it."
It was a project worth marveling at.
Staff experiences were ongoing, but including kids? He hadn't seen that coming.
Publicly, it was for boosting attendance and turning kids into Wanderers.
True enough... but there was a deeper plan.
Hee-won recalled Jeong-woo's plan from earlier and made an impressed face again.
"Adults have their own jobs, so experiences are limited... but kids don't, huh. Brilliant...!"
They partnered with kindergartens to let kids do experiential learning for adults who couldn't in the mornings.
And that wasn't all.
Jeong-woo, eyes still on the tactics board, said.
"Attendance boosting has to be ongoing."
"Why? Crowds have been pretty good lately."
"That's now. After a loss or against lower teams, it fluctuates a lot. We need to reduce that gap."
In that sense, Jeong-woo wanted true Wanderers unbound by wins or losses.
Supporters who lived Bolton, died shouting Bolton.
There'd be short-term effects.
If kids wanted it, most Wanderer parents would follow.
Sweet bait of tickets too—adults didn't get them.
No immediate sure results, of course.
Jeong-woo knew that.
"It's a long-term project."
But he wasn't planning to watch those kids grow into Wanderers.
It was all for one thing.
"Raising club value."
Post-survival, more fans during sale process was a plus.
"Ultimately, one stone, three or four birds. Heh heh."
Jeong-woo chuckled, shaking with glee.
Hee-won stared at him blankly, then muttered indifferently.
"Are you... that Wilford, final boss of the Snowpiercer we've only heard about?"
* * *
Wearing a cap pulled low, Sensuous Ruff visited Bolton's home ground, University Stadium.
For league round 42, against Lincoln City.
The opponents lined up in a 4-4-2.
Lincoln's front two, Morris and David, were having a fantasy season as a combo.
20 joint goals already.
Lincoln sat 12th.
Meanwhile, Bolton's star striker Ace was sidelined by a minor injury.
Media and public favored Lincoln.
Yet,
[Bolton Wanderers! Shutting down Lincoln City's side counters completely!]
Sensuous Ruff stared at the pitch.
His eyes widened in surprise.
Even as the second half hit 14 minutes, Lincoln hadn't scored.
Not just that.
[Lincoln City! Zero shots on target so far!]
[What is this?]
From League Two roots, Ruff's tactical acumen was low.
Still better than average fans.
He could see it a bit.
'Through passes, dribble breakthroughs... short crosses—all blocked.'
Lincoln passes from midfield were cut off by Bolton mids waiting in position.
Powerful dribbles neutralized by zonal defense.
Short crosses repeatedly foiled by 2m tall center-back Dominic Shield.
'Nine-back...!'
As he thought, Jeong-woo ran a nine-back today, dropping mids and even forwards deep.
Tall striker Slow Bulky, subbing for Ace, played like a center-back.
He blanked the air like Dominic Shield.
They seemed to predict every Lincoln attack route.
Then, one successful cut.
Thwump—!
Owen's lob from deep soared into enemy territory.
Slower than Ace but Aaron Lepid raced in from midfield right then.
Lincoln's manager had placed defenders back for counter threats.
Ruff figured it'd be blocked.
'Defense is great... but too defense-heavy.'
Lincoln's backline had numbers prepped for counters.
But an unexpected twist.
Splat—!
As Lepid burst right, Bolton's left-back overlapped left.
Vision split.
"Block that guy too...!"
A Lincoln defender, fixated on penetrating Lepid, yelled in panic.
Naturally, the opposite full-back pressed to screen him off the side.
Lincoln's line split in two.
Almost simultaneously, Delicate, who'd dropped to his own arc, charged full tilt.
Thwump—!
Lepid slotted a side pass before defenders closed.
Delicate, reaching the arc's edge, smashed a right-footed direct shot.
Clang—!
* * *
Bolton edged Lincoln 1-0.
Post-match presser, Jeong-woo fielded questions amid flashes.
Sensuous Ruff watched the screen at the club building.
Jeong-woo was live in interview.
Many Wanderers stopped on the street to watch.
In the footage, Jeong-woo's eyes were sharper than their first meeting.
[Lincoln's manager loves sitting deep. Prioritizes strict organization over autonomy in defense zones. Even with possession... he rarely pushes the line up. So, we drilled sequential counters to break it.]
[Sequential counter...? Can you explain?]
[Just like you saw—sequential counter-attacks. Striker Aaron Lepid penetrates first, tilting the defense balance. Left-back Mason overlaps to split focus. Finally, Delicate's straight central run exploits the gap for the decisive counter.]
Onlookers murmured in admiration.
Sensuous Ruff felt a strange emotion watching Jeong-woo.
His heart pounded.
The interview went on.
And it grew more astonishing.
Every one of those 90 minutes seemed planned to perfection.
Could sound arrogant, but it didn't.
The match had been full of surprises.
Bolton moved as one.
Jeong-woo from the technical area conducted like a maestro.
'The vibe's totally different from our first meeting...'
The erratic firefly was gone.
Now, flawlessly logical.
Eyes sharp as a raptor.
"..."
Ruff knew why his heart raced.
A master he'd never met was on that screen.
Decision made. Done.