Persuade Your Brothers
What kind of situation even was this? I tried turning it over in my head, but nothing was clicking.
“Um… Grandfather?”
“What is it, Do-a?”
“I was sure I only called for you and Father…”
Right. I had definitely only summoned Grandfather and Father.
So why were every last one of my older brothers sitting here?
While I thrashed around with that question inside my head, Grandfather’s booming laugh rolled over me.
“Even so, this old man is just a retired geezer kicked back to the rear rooms, isn’t he? Your father and your brothers know far more than I do.”
Absolutely not. No chance.
It might sound a little rude, but in our entire family the only person who loved soccer with genuine mania—besides me—was Grandfather. Everyone else enjoyed it at a perfectly ordinary level.
So how could anyone possibly know more than he did?
He had clearly dragged them here just so I would get roasted. That had to be it.
“Do-a, you said you had a major announcement, didn’t you? That’s why I raced over the second today’s meeting ended.”
“Yeah, yeah—our precious little Midas Hand of Yeouido~”
“Do-yun Oppa… could you please not call me that…?”
“Why? It’s cool! The Midas Hand of Yeouido!”
“Haaaa…”
I just sighed.
How on earth had the financial papers stuck me with a nickname like that?
Honestly, I was grateful. Happy, even. It was a title that acknowledged my results, so of course I was.
But that was that and this was this. Why did they have to slap me with nicknames like those?
“Ugh… seriously, I should sue that financial paper.”
“And get tabloid headlines about Hanul family tyranny?”
“Do-min Oppa, quiet.”
I fired a warning at my youngest brother for openly teasing me; he only snickered harder.
Honestly, how was it that the only person on my side in this entire household was Yu-gyeong Unnie?
I was thinking that—only to notice that even Yu-gyeong Unnie had somehow drifted over to the opposite camp.
I felt betrayed. I was sulking. I was going to sulk for real.
“So, Do-a—when’s the presentation?”
My youngest brother prodded me provocatively, and only then did I let out a long sigh and open my mouth.
“I’ll do it now. Right now.”
I launched straight into the presentation with the PPT I had prepared myself.
The topic: Why the Hanul Family Must Acquire a Soccer Club Again.
Grandfather and Father already knew my true intentions—at least the part where I wanted to become president of the Korea Football Association someday.
So why was a presentation necessary?
No matter how much I was doing what I wanted, if the project lacked business viability or a proper justification, pushback would come from inside the group.
Even if I had already abandoned any claim to succession—essentially declaring myself a rich idle rich kid—I was still the youngest daughter of the Hanul family.
As long as I carried the Hanul name, I could not do anything that shamed the Hanul family.
“Well then, I’ll begin the presentation.”
The content flowed quickly.
Why we needed to acquire this particular club, what benefits the Hanul family would gain from the acquisition, what benefits Hanul Invest itself would reap…
A great many points passed by, and my brothers, Father, and Grandfather listened carefully through every one of them.
The moment the last slide finished and my presentation ended, every single person looked at me with amused eyes. More precisely—
You’re in for it today.
That was the expression.
Youngest brother Han Do-min struck first.
“Excuse me~ Our pretty, kind Miss Han Do-a~”
“…Yes, Mr. Han Do-min?”
“Every single benefit you just listed is something the Hanul family already has. Isn’t there any special benefit~?”
Watching him jab straight at the most painful point, I was reminded that this guy was plenty annoying in his own right. Seriously annoying.
Fortunately, I already had an answer prepared.
“Yes. There is.”
“What is it?”
I answered that question with something that still burned with residual fury.
“……Recently, our Korean soccer didn’t just achieve one really big thing, did it?”
“Right?”
“Thanks to that, paradoxically, Korean soccer is drawing a huge—huuuge—amount of attention right now.”
In reality, even people who had sworn they would never watch because of Myeong Jae-ho’s coaching staff had still turned on their TVs, phones, or computers for this World Cup.
And they had been forced to watch the utterly wretched spectacle of the Republic of Korea failing even to reach the top thirty-two out of forty-eight nations and getting eliminated.
“In a situation like that, what kind of reaction do you think there would be if the Hanul Group entered the K League?”
“…Explosive, I bet.”
“There will be people hoping the Hanul Group completely remakes the Korean soccer ecosystem. Especially since everyone who knows anything knows that former Chairman Han Tae-seong—sitting right here—is a famous soccer fan.”
“So you’re saying you’ll try to ride that reaction once.”
“Something like that. I never planned on investing in an ordinary way to begin with. I intend to go all-in and do this properly.”
My youngest brother seemed to turn something over in his head for a moment, then gave the impression he was convinced enough to let it pass. How very kind of him…
“Alright. My turn next.”
The next question came from second brother Han Do-jun.
“You say you’ll go all-in and do it properly—yet do you actually know anything about soccer?”
The second I heard that, I smiled brightly and opened my mouth.
“I know it extremely well. Shall I start by explaining exactly why this World Cup was a disaster? I can go all night.”
“Go ahead.”
I had been waiting for those words. I immediately launched into every problem with Myeong Jae-ho’s squad that floated up in my head.
The unfinished three-back system—especially that outdated three-back. Tactical choices that ran completely opposite to the match situation. The absurd absence of a true best eleven. And the ridiculous player selection of begging the team to “just do it” while benching or never using the very players who needed to do it.
I rattled them off so relentlessly that Do-jun Oppa was the one who finally said, “Hey, stop it,” first.
What? You’re the one who started this conversation, Do-jun Oppa. I hadn’t even gotten halfway through.
I asked with a cheerful smile.
“Well? Do I still look like I know nothing at all?”
“…At least there’s no one here who knows more than you.”
“Okay. Next~”
Just as I thought I had taken care of another one, the eldest brother raised his hand.
Eldest brother Han Do-hyeok.
The next-generation leader of the Hanul Group who already oversaw the core affiliates, displayed mature capability and multiple tangible results, and was widely called the number-one successor candidate.
Having someone like that raise his hand was a little terrifying. What kind of question was he about to ask?
I was trembling inside yet tried to stay as composed as possible—and Do-hyeok Oppa drove straight into the most critical core.
“So. What kind of soccer team does the Hanul Group you want actually look like?”
“Huh…?”
“You’re going to acquire and operate a soccer club. Are you simply going to buy it, throw money at it, and call it done?”
……To be honest, I believed the best owner was the one who entrusted full authority to a capable manager and simply provided the money.
If an owner or sponsor started interfering in club operations over finances, friction was inevitable.
But that was not the answer Do-hyeok Oppa wanted. The answer he wanted was—
“A mid-table selling club. A development powerhouse.”
It was about the direction in which I intended to run the club.
“A selling club?”
“Yes. A selling club. Raise players with high potential and outstanding ability, then sell them for top dollar. Player trading. That’s the direction I want for the club Hanul acquires.”
“Selling clubs have a hard time winning fan support. Wouldn’t it be better to spend heavily and take the top spot instead?”
There was that aspect, true—but to become a selling club there was one absolute prerequisite that had to be met.
“To become a selling club, you have to make a prospect explode at least once. That prospect has to show ability at the upper ranks of the league—or beyond.”
“So you’re saying you can reach the upper ranks with just prospects.”
“I’m confident.”
“Hmmmm…”
Do-hyeok Oppa tapped the table with his fingers for a moment, then finally laid out one condition.
“Promotion to the K League this season. Asian Champions League qualification next season. Possible?”
“Uh… uh?”
“The season is already underway. And Seongjin Maseong FC, which you’re acquiring—ah, it’s Seongjin Hanul FC now—is sitting in tenth place. If you’re that confident, you can do it, right?”
I had planned to coast through this season and begin the real rebuild next year. Rebuild and promote the following season, then reach the ACL the season after that. That had been my timeline.
But he wanted me to accelerate the entire plan by a full year?
“…Fine. Let’s try it.”
“You need at least that much confidence to be Hanul.”
Smiling faintly, Do-hyeok Oppa nodded and rose from his seat.
“Well then, thanks for the meal. Since I’m at the main house, I’ll take it easy today.”
As if there was nothing more worth hearing, he stood, looked at me, and waved.
The other brothers all rose as well. The only one left was third brother Do-yun, still grinning.
“Do-yun Oppa.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“…Do you have any questions?”
“I just think it sounds fun.”
For reference, Do-yun Oppa handled overseas business and new ventures. The story of him throwing a tantrum to be assigned there because he thought it would be more interesting was already a famous family anecdote.
If a brother like that said it looked fun…
…If I played it right, I might gain a solid ally. Probably.
As an aside, Grandfather was laughing heartily as if to say, “If you’ve convinced your brothers, then okay!”, while Father simply radiated a “Do whatever you want~” vibe.
I had every permission I needed, and the contract had already arrived…
Time to start the acquisition process.