Do You Seriously Want to Die?
Even though he said that, Kim Tae-san couldn't easily lift his head.
"This won't do. Let's hit the restroom first."
"...Wait, are you seriously crying over that...?"
"Wait till you get to my age, punk. You'll cry at the drop of a hat, too."
Kim Tae-san grumbled as he walked away. Having visited the mansion frequently, he knew exactly where the restroom was.
Those two who arrived late seemed to go in first. Is it just my imagination?
The Association President frowned. He had arrived much earlier than the scheduled time and had been waiting for a while now. It was all to show off: Look at how diligent I am!
But when two random people suddenly breezed past him and headed straight inside, he couldn't help but feel a strange, lingering sense of discomfort.
They must be employees. Of course. I'm the one Chairman Yoo personally summoned. There's no way they'd let someone else in before me.
The Association President swelled with pride. Surely, Chairman Yoo had recognized his hidden talent and capability.
Those ST Group bastards. Treating a talent like me so poorly...
Though he had served as a president, it was only for a quiet subsidiary that was widely referred to within the conglomerate as "the exile." It was practically a forced retirement! Having received such treatment from the group before moving to the Association, the President was burning with ambition.
But that young guy from earlier... where have I seen him before?
The Association President was puzzled. Tae-hyun's face had felt strangely familiar, as if he had seen it many times.
Is he Chairman Yoo's son? No, he wouldn't have a son that young. A grandson? No, he doesn't have any grandsons either...
"I will guide you inside now. Please follow me."
"I've been waiting. Lead the way!"
At the employee's words, the Association President sprang to his feet. Finally, the historic moment had arrived! An outstanding talent buried in obscurity, and Chairman Yoo, who had recognized his abilities and boldly summoned him. He would absolutely show those ST Group bastards what he was capable of...
With a pounding heart full of anticipation, the President followed the employee inside.
A moment later, another employee arrived and looked flustered.
"Wait. Why did you let him in? The other guests arrived first!"
"The rookie saw it was the scheduled time and must have escorted him in..."
"You idiot...! You have to read the room! I told you the other guests went in first!"
Tae-hyun and Kim Tae-san had already gone inside, but the rookie employee, completely unaware, had ushered the Association President in.
"W-what should we do?"
"Nothing we can do now. Since they're already inside, he'll probably be turned back at the door. He might be a bit offended, but what can we do? Make sure you train the rookies properly."
"I'm sorry."
However, the Association President did not turn back. He walked straight into the study where Chairman Yoo was waiting. At that very moment, the other two were in the restroom.
Facing Chairman Yoo, the Association President grew tense. Though they both held the title of "President" or "Chairman," they were in completely different leagues. If one was a full moon, the other was a mere firefly. If one was a real chairman, the other was about on par with the president of a local early-morning soccer club.
Truly magnificent!
The Association President stared at Chairman Yoo with eyes full of awe. Even at his advanced age, his posture was perfectly straight, and his eyes flashed with sharp intelligence. Was this the aura of the man who had elevated the Yuseong Group into one of the world's top conglomerates?
"I-it is an absolute honor to meet you, Chairman! I am—"
"I already know who you are and what you do."
The Association President nodded at Chairman Yoo's cold interruption. He wasn't flustered by the icy reception; he had already prepared himself for this.
Heh. A pressure interview.
According to rumors, Chairman Yoo liked to push people to their limits to see their true colors. He couldn't afford to show weakness now. He had to stand strong and confident, screaming with his entire body: This is who I am!
"So you are the head of the Pan-On Association?"
"Yes. I am doing my humble best to lead it."
"You've certainly been busy with quite a few things."
"Thank you, sir."
"As the Association President... what was your philosophy in running the organization?"
The Association President's eyes sparkled at the question. Why else would he ask such a thing? There was only one answer. This was definitely a scouting interview! He clenched his fists and declared passionately:
"I have approached every single task with the mindset that it absolutely cannot be done without me!"
"Oh?"
"Look at me, Chairman. I may be older, but I keep up with the latest trends to a degree that would shock even the younger generation."
"Oh..."
Chairman Yoo's eyes flashed with utter pathetic disbelief, but the Association President failed to notice.
"While it is the youth who dive into Pan-On, things would never run properly if left entirely to them. They are inexperienced and immature, after all. I have run the Association by firmly whipping them into shape and keeping them under my thumb."
"Oh..."
"After all, things only run smoothly when a strict organizational culture is firmly established, wouldn't you agree?"
"You truly are a remarkably talented individual!"
Chairman Yoo was genuinely astonished. Why on earth did ST Group ever promote this man to president? Just looking at him, he's exactly the type to cause massive disasters because he's both stupid and diligent...
He's impressed.
The Association President felt a swell of pride when Chairman Yoo fell silent. Strong leadership! He must be admiring my strength. He's probably thinking of me as the perfect talent to bring order to a chaotic, undisciplined gaming team.
Chairman Yoo continued to ask various questions, gradually confirming his suspicions.
"All those affairs... hosting tournaments, managing donations, selecting the national team. Did you oversee all of that directly? Or did your subordinates handle it?"
"Of course I managed it all directly."
The Association President lied without batting an eye. In truth, that was how he genuinely rationalized it. Since he was the one who hired the subordinates, wasn't their work ultimately his work?
"Mhm. I see. I've heard everything I wanted to hear."
"...!"
"Now, let me tell you why I summoned you here."
"Yes, sir!"
"Who do you think I am?"
"Pardon?"
"I asked who you think I am."
"Uh... the Chairman..."
"Right. I must look like the Chairman to you. I don't look like a total pushover, do I?"
"H-how could I ever view you as a pushover, Chairman? I have absolutely never harbored such a disrespectful thought—"
"Then how dare you make such a ridiculous proposal to Yuseong Gaming?!"
"Ch-Chairman! Please, calm down..."
"I couldn't believe my ears when I heard that proposal! In all my life, I have never received a proposal that insulted me so thoroughly. Tell me. Did you make such a proposal thinking it would never reach my ears? Hmm?"
"N-no, that's... that is..."
The Association President stammered, feeling as though he had been cast straight from heaven into the depths of hell. What made it even more agonizing was that he had absolutely no idea what proposal Chairman Yoo was even talking about. Wait, what on earth did we propose?
"Speak! What were you thinking?!"
"I was only trying to make things work... Please, calm your anger, sir...! If there is anything you dislike, I will have it revised immediately!"
"And how exactly will you revise it?"
"...Directly to whatever you desire..."
"You don't even know what proposal you made, do you?"
"......"
"Utterly pathetic! How can someone who doesn't even know what his own organization is doing call himself a president! Resign immediately!"
The Association President hung his head in silence. Even if he had ten mouths, he wouldn't have a single excuse to offer.
"A proposal came from the Association. Demanding that we unconditionally agree to your player selections and unconditionally cooperate with all future schedules. I was absolutely flabbergasted when I heard it. It was a proposal that didn't show an ounce of consideration for the players. Am I wrong?"
"Y-you are entirely correct."
"I suppose you thought you could pull the same tricks on Yuseong Gaming because the other teams went along with it."
"Well, that's..."
"Think very carefully. If you lie to me even one more time, I will make sure this becomes a massive public scandal."
"...I-I am truly sorry. Since we were receiving donations..."
"It's precisely because of underhanded tricks like this that the other teams can't perform well...! How can the players give it their all when the Association is run with such corrupt intentions!"
"Your words are absolutely correct, sir...!"
Finally grasping the situation, the Association President cursed the Secretary General in his heart. That absolute bastard...! What the hell did he do?! The proposal itself was bad enough, but he had never imagined Chairman Yoo would personally summon him just to unleash this kind of fury.
"You look bewildered. I suppose you didn't expect me to pay attention to a small entity like Yuseong Gaming. I have personally overseen and supported its operations ever since its re-establishment. Do you understand now?"
"A-ah... If only I had known, I would have paid my respects much sooner..."
In the world of sports, the most powerful team was always the one beloved by its owner. They received overwhelming support regardless of profit margins! Now that he knew Chairman Yoo was personally looking after Yuseong Gaming, the team's absurd funding and stellar performance finally made perfect sense.
"Shut up. I don't want to hear it."
Chairman Yoo let out a deep sigh, forcing his anger to subside.
"I will give you a single chance to step down quietly from your position as Association President."
"S-step down, sir?"
"...Did you honestly think you could keep your seat after pulling a stunt like that?"
As Chairman Yoo's voice grew menacing once more, the Association President blurted out in a panic.
"I-I will step down!"
"Compile a list of every single person responsible for this and submit it to me. If you leave out even a single name, you'll be dealing with the Yuseong Group's legal team."
The Yuseong Group legal team was rumored to be more terrifying than the Grim Reaper itself. The Association President turned pale.
"List who gave the donations, what was done in exchange for them, and compile everything you've done. I'm going to dispatch an audit team to investigate anyway, but it would be wise to save us some trouble. Once everything is cleared up, the national team selection and schedule will be redone from scratch."
"The, the roster was already mostly finalized, though..."
The Association President desperately tried to salvage the roster. He had received massive donations in exchange for recommending certain players, and if this was completely wiped clean...
"Is Lee Se-yeon on that roster?"
"......"
"Is Kim Tae-hyun on it?"
"......"
"Then how is that a finalized roster! Do you seriously want to die?!"
Chairman Yoo hurled the documents in his hand. Just as the papers scattered in a chaotic flurry, Kim Tae-san pushed the door open.
"...Looks like we picked a bad time."
"What's going on?"
"No idea. It's a total mess in there. Probably an employee who caused a massive loss for the company."
"Yuseong Group is terrifying. Resorting to such primitive punishments..."
Chairman Yoo shouted in utter disbelief.
"Why are you here?!"
"I caught a real monster and wanted to bring it to you, Elder..."
"Oh... You shouldn't have. How many centimeters is it?"
Chairman Yoo's expression softened instantly. Seeing this, the Association President felt a wave of profound gratitude toward the unknown Kim Tae-san.
I don't know who you are, but I will never forget this debt of gratitude!
He had cursed him earlier for cutting in line, but now, the man was his absolute savior.
"...Wait, why are you here too?!"
Belatedly noticing Tae-hyun carrying the box, Chairman Yoo shouted in disbelief once more. Speak of the devil, but why was this kid here...?
"My dad asked me to help carry his stuff, so I tagged along."
"Did you hear what we were talking about?"
"I only heard the part about 'do you seriously want to die.'"
"......"
Of all things, he had to hear the very last part! Chairman Yoo clicked his tongue. Since things had turned out this way, he figured he should explain the situation to Tae-hyun. As the party involved, he deserved to know.
"Have a seat. I'll explain everything."
"Sure."
Kim Tae-san and Tae-hyun prepared to sit down. However, since the Association President was occupying the chair directly in front of Chairman Yoo, they had to look toward the chairs in the back.
"Get that fellow out of the way and sit down."
"Ch-Chairman! Please give me one more chance! I will do my absolute best to work for you—"
"He said get out of the way."
"He told you to move."
As the two hulking figures grabbed him by his shoulders and hoisted him up, the Association President floated effortlessly into the air.
W-were they bodyguards?
What kind of monstrous strength was this...?
Only after they had tossed the Association President out did Kim Tae-san realize who the man was.
"Oh!"
"?"
"I-I know who that guy is!"
"Who?"
"He's the Association President! You're a player, how do you not even recognize your own Association President, you punk?!"