Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Let's Secure the Real Gains (5)
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Sizzle—!
The pork belly hit the grill with a bubbling hiss.
“I must’ve flipped this thing 100,000 times by now.”
Ma Jeong-woo muttered proudly as he watched the honeycomb-patterned strips sear.
It had sold way better than expected.
The kids had gone nuts for his five-and-a-half-spin midair flip skill.
Park Hee-won fiddled with his aching arm beside hiMad Dog flipped the meat.
Even he puffed up a bit as he added,
“Hey, I’m basically a tteokbokki master now. I can nail the sauce ratio just by feel—no scale needed.”
And now, the two of them were grilling for the afterparty.
At one of the newly designed dining tables in the food corner, no less.
The spacious building felt just like a Korean rest stop, with tables scattered everywhere inside.
“C-Club owner. Let me help...!”
“Nah, sit, sit.”
When marketing manager Daniel Shai approached, Jeong-woo waved him off.
He stood there awkwardly for a moment before office manager Donald Victor’s shout pulled him back to the table.
“The club owner’s cooking for us himself! Let’s respect that. Ahem!”
Right.
Come to think of it, this was probably the first time he’d cooked for the people here.
‘This’ll be memorable! A chance to build even stronger trust...!’
Suddenly, Jeong-woo furrowed his brow.
“Donald Victor?”
“Yes?”
Victor turned with innocent eyes, as if wondering what was up at the sudden outburst.
‘What the hell’s this guy on about.’
Jeong-woo narrowed his eyes.
Donald Victor hadn’t even joined the event today.
Victor caught on late to Jeong-woo’s gaze and scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
“Oh, yeah. As you know, I live nearby, so I figured I’d swing by and check it out. Perfect timing—right at closing. So here I am, joining the family for the wrap-up. Heh heh heh.”
“Sure thing. F-Family... like coworkers. I love it.”
He’d let it slide for now.
Everyone looked starving.
Charlotte Emma was especially concerning.
She’d been frying hot dogs nonstop, with no break in the line.
Only a handful remained at the table.
The kitchen staff had headed out for their own afterparty.
‘The hot dog lady was the boss.’
The rest of the aunties had moved like a well-oiled machine at her word.
No wonder the counterattacks kept punching through wide-open spaces behind the defense.
‘Damn, she had some real skill.’
Sensuous Rough had rushed home the moment evening hit—his wife was pregnant.
Hee-won’s wife had left early too, for the kid.
So the ones left at the food corner table were Jeong-woo and Hee-won, plus some club staff and a few players.
“Alright, eat up as it’s ready.”
Jeong-woo scooped the finished pork belly onto plates from the grill at the table’s corner and passed them around.
There were pizzas and spaghetti on the table too.
“Whoa, this is seriously good.”
Daniel Shai tried the pork belly with ssamjang and mild kimchi, his eyes going wide.
Donald Victor wrapped his in veggies and went, “Mmm, mmm~! Mmm!”
His face screamed delight.
Jeong-woo’s gaze shifted to Charlotte Emma.
She looked as neat as she had that morning.
‘Not a single hair out of place.’
She sat ramrod straight, holding a lettuce leaf open in one hand, layering bean sprouts, kimchi, pork belly, and a scoop of rice inside.
Then he saw it.
A tiny smile curve her lips as she swallowed it down in one go.
Jeong-woo grinned without realizing it. Heh.
In those few seconds, he’d imagined three kids in his head.
He’d even named them.
Ho-sik, Doo-sik, Man-sik.
Jeong-woo served the staff some low-alcohol beer too.
Soon, everyone was chatting and enjoying a rare break.
Donald Victor was already tipsy, raising his voice as he roped Shai into conversation.
“So Daniel! It’s been... when was it? Anyway! I started my Nutuber channel, and next thing you know, Bolton’s channel laps me! You have no idea how I felt. Huh?”
“Ah, yeah, haha.”
Next to them, performance analyst Neil Rose quietly sipped the soju and let out a small gasp of approval.
He followed it with a bite of meat and a satisfied smile.
Jeong-woo watched their reactions closely.
‘This bastard...!’
Hee-won clocked Jeong-woo’s sharpening gaze and probing expression, instantly reading the scheme brewing.
Sure enough, Jeong-woo was pondering K-food potential and pork belly’s history.
‘I hear the UK and US prefer hind leg over belly. Better texture, they say? Plus, in the UK, belly usually gets processed into bacon.’
But August this year had kicked off the K-food era.
Even the Korean street food joint that just opened in the UK had shot to hotspot status.
‘Looks like the taste is winning them over.’
He’d confirmed it on the Nutuber channel too.
Korean BBQ pork belly suited foreign palates.
‘Though I figured it might be staged.’
Just watching everyone reach for the pork belly over spaghetti or whatever else showed real promise.
‘No risk, no reward.’
Charlotte Emma had polished off twenty wraps already, still in her prim posture.
She was even double-wrapping with sesame leaves now, no instruction needed.
‘Yeah, this’ll definitely work.’
This plan was for local economic growth too.
Bolton’s economy booms, the club’s value rises naturally.
Plus, profit structure-wise, it’d pay off.
Then Hee-won narrowed his eyes from the side.
“You’re not thinking of adding pork belly to the food corner, are you?”
Jeong-woo flinched.
But still...
‘Stone pot pork belly could work...?’
* * *
Days had flown by since Bolton’s event.
The Man United upset plus Jeong-woo’s YouTube channel had Koreans buzzing more than ever about Bolton.
Hype for today’s opener against Bradford City was off the charts.
- <UijeongbuDdookbaegi>: Predicting Bolton 3:0 clean win.
- <LifeIs90Miles>: They grabbed two City loanees and that League Two left-back Morten Pedersen. With Ma’s tactics that wrecked Sol’s squad... Bradford’s toast. Total blowout!
- <LeftHandSleepAnesthesia>: You guys see Owen? Why’s he so damn cool? That free-kick arc... better than most specialists!
- <TackleProdigy>: I’m digging the golden boy. Speed’s legit N’Golo level.
<OxygenTankJisongPpak>: As a fellow Ppak, 100% agree.
Players were gaining fans too, not just the club.
Simple reason.
Jeong-woo had introduced them individually on YouTube, even done POV streams from their angles a few times.
Fans naturally grew attached.
Sure, the nationalistic haters still trashed it as “nationalism high.”
- <SteelFatInsideMe>: Buncha clueless noobs. Bradford’s way stronger. Lmao.
<NationalismZero>: Yeah, stuck in 10-year-old Bolton memories.
- <GodBani>: Park the bus, guaranteed. Bolton’s only shot at survival.
- <FootballIsEPL>: Wait, since when do we hype League Two teams here? That’s what weirds me out. Lmao. Name five League Two sides off the top?
* * *
August 20th.
Bradford City VS Bolton Wanderers.
Press and public alike tipped Bradford for a 1- or 2-goal win.
Even with Bolton’s preseason sweep, the gap was clear.
Squad values alone doubled for Bradford.
The Man U win? Downplayed now.
No first-teamers from United.
Bradford boss Smith Yedlin brimmed with confidence.
‘No way we lose!’
Like Bolton, they’d gone unbeaten in preseason.
And more.
‘Simmons! Walker! Alvarez!’
New signings for the season.
Simmons alone: £2M (₩32B).
Walker: £2.5M (₩40B). Striker Alvarez: hot prospect from Serie B, £3M (₩48B).
The new owner had gone all-in for Championship promotion push.
Bolton? No transfer budget. Just two loanees via City deal.
‘Plus a left-back from a near-relegated second-division side.’
Yedlin stood in the tech area with a smug grin.
He watched his players enter, beaming.
Home fans felt the same.
They rose as one for each name called, roaring thunderously.
Placards dotted the stands.
[Yedlin! Take us to the Championship-!]
[Master Yedlin! Soar Bradford to glory-!]
Bradford supporters backed him solid.
Yedlin felt it skin-crawlingly real.
Victory fire blazed.
‘A dream team-!’
And they chanted with fervent faces.
Sacrifice-! Sacrifice-! Sacrifice-!
Calling Bolton the sacrifice.
No way they’d lose.
Splash-!
Rooooar!
“......”
Bradford City’s manager stared blankly at the rippling net.
[Bolton! Dominating the match! Total control! 4-0! 4-0! Shattering all predictions!]
[Oh, Bradford! What’s happening?! Can’t match Bolton’s tempo at all!]
A fan near the fence screamed in rage.
“Fuck! Smith! I’ll kill you!”
“.....”
Looked like the guy with the “Master Yedlin” placard pre-game.
* * *
Man U win, preseason sweep.
Opener rout.
Maybe that’s why.
Executive Director Richard Geers smiled brightly at Jeong-woo in the exec chair.
“A Korean conglomerate—000 Corp—wants to propose a sponsorship deal.”
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