Starting Butterfly Effect
Scritch-scratch.
I wrote three characters fluidly across the white whiteboard.
Seol Yeonjin
I circled it generously, then snapped my wrist to add a neat star beside it.
Tearing off a yellow sticky note from the stack on my desk, I pressed the pen tip down hard.
Make her establish herself as a corporate ace faster than in the past life.
Thwack.
I stuck the note neatly beside Seol Yeonjin's name.
Stepping back from the whiteboard, I crossed my arms and studied the finished layout.
"Satisfying."
The corners of my mouth curled upward of their own accord.
In my past life, Seol Yeonjin had been a maverick who'd ground her own bones to dust to become a top ace in a conglomerate's HR department, despite her young age.
This life's Yeonjin would change quite a bit, I figured.
If I made her my number-one exclusive slave, she'd naturally establish herself in the industry faster and more solidly than in my past life.
Best of both worlds.
From now on, I'd be raising her, practically speaking.
I swiped lightly across my smartphone screen.
I snorted in disbelief.
What era is this?
These days, overseas local agents, credible first-tier journalists, and club-specific reporters all break news in real time on social media.
So any overseas transfer article from domestic news outlets with an "exclusive" tag is basically a couch-potato's fantasy piece.
Of course, there's some truth mixed in.
It's true that Tottenham in England, Atletico Madrid in Spain, and Juventus in Italy have seriously reached out with offers.
But Barca? Real?
They haven't even brushed shoulders with my agent, let alone made contact.
Reading these articles, you'd think I was already playing in El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu.
"I don't know what the difference is between these reporter bastards and couch-potato Cyber Wreckers. They're all just baiting for views."
I clicked my tongue and flipped past the sports section.
It's better to look at something else than waste time on useless gossip.
As I mindlessly scrolled through the entertainment tab, my eyes stopped on one article thumbnail.
Yoon Chaewon's photo, beaming under dazzling stage lights, dominated the entertainment page.
"World tour, huh."
I studied the article on screen.
Maybe I should read that football book Yoon Chaewon mentioned in my past life.
After safely completing the weekend K-League schedule, I pulled a black cap low over my head and yanked my mask up to the tip of my nose.
Thanks to all the transfer rumors and viral highlight reels, people were starting to recognize me as a rising star.
Originally, only K-League fans cared, but the national team's popularity was huge.
Especially after beating Japan.
Leaving home, I headed to a large bookstore downtown.
The store was bustling with crowds browsing books.
Smelling the distinctive scent of paper, I walked carefully between the shelves.
The reason I'd ventured into this crowd.
Yoon Chaewon, who'd dominated the entertainment page a few days ago announcing her world tour.
I wanted to find out what football novel that girl from my past life had casually mentioned.
"What kind of content made her say that?"
Though the timing was different now, I doubted football books would be all that different.
I wandered through the bestseller section and general fiction aisles for a while.
Where is it?
BL romances and thrillers were stacked like mountains, but the sports genre seemed buried in a corner, completely out of sight.
Resigned, I decided to ask a staff member.
"Excuse me. Do you have any football novels here?"
The employee organizing books on the shelf paused and tilted their head slightly at my voice.
"Ah, football novels? Do you have a specific title or author in mind?"
"No, not really. Just wondering if there's a section where football-themed novels are grouped together."
The employee gave an awkward smile.
"Oh, I see. Just a moment."
Instead of answering directly, they shuffled over to a nearby computer for book searches.
Apparently, even large bookstore staff couldn't immediately classify whether football novels belonged in the literature or genre fiction section.
Then again, I'd found it unfamiliar when that girl mentioned it, so ordinary people would be even more confused.
Tap-tap-tap.
The sound of rapid keyboard typing rang out a few times as the employee scanned the monitor.
I kept my cap pulled low and waited quietly behind them.
"Um, customer. We don't have a separate sports novel section here. Are you looking for a web novel published as a fantasy series? Or general contemporary literature?"
The employee's friendly question made my eyebrows furrow slightly.
Web novels? Fantasy?
I blinked the eyes visible above my mask and asked casually.
"Web novels... Are those read on computers?"
The employee smiled brightly and added an explanation.
"These days, people read novels on smartphone apps or internet platforms rather than paper books. They read one chapter a day on their phones, and that's called web novels. Sports genres like football are much more common on those web novel platforms than in paper books."
"Oh, so they're read on phones or computers."
I felt a bit embarrassed, realizing I'd approached this too analogously for the times.
"I understand. Thank you."
I gave the employee a quick bow and left the bookstore.
As soon as I got home, I tossed off the cumbersome cap and mask and sank deep into the sofa.
Turning on the computer, I found a novel platform site and typed "football" simply into the magnifying glass-shaped search bar. Dozens, hundreds of novels poured out.
I picked a few with the highest rankings and view counts and started reading from the first chapter.
And ten minutes later.
"..."
I glared at the screen, my brow furrowed.
The content was roughly like this:
A cheerful mechanical chime rings out before the protagonist's eyes, and a transparent holographic screen appears.
A status window, where completing quests makes stats skyrocket—a miraculous system where the protagonist moralizes about "cowardly drug users" while facing opponents who've juiced up.
I checked a few more works to see if they'd be different.
But eventually, I powered off the computer.
Maybe this football trend was evolving and developing while reflecting the era's mindset.
Then how would the butterfly effect I'd set in motion be reflected?
Exciting.
I stretched lightly while staring at the ceiling.
In my past life, the time when Yoon Chaewon, that girl, had read football novels was after I'd retired and become KFA Chairman.
"Well, I'll check again when that time comes."
I was just about to close my eyes and sleep.
Bzzzt— bzzzt—!
The phone I'd tossed beside my head vibrated wildly, shattering the silence.
[Phone ringing]