Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Chapter 25: The Real One Appears!
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This is a work of fiction and has no relation to any real names, events, organizations, places, or persons.
Jiing! Jiing!
Woo Ji-hyun, deep into writing the sequel to *Maestro on the Field*, stared holes through his monitor as he hammered away at the keyboard. Then he turned his head.
His smartphone was vibrating wildly on the desk, as if demanding his attention.
"What's going on?"
He checked the three letters glowing on the screen and pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.
Then he tapped the green phone icon.
-Oppa!
"Whoa, my ears! Why are you yelling out of the blue?"
-How could you do this without even telling me?!
"Aren't you at the office right now?"
Min A-rang's voice came screaming through the speaker without warning. Woo Ji-hyun glanced at his monitor.
The clock hadn't even hit noon yet.
Which meant it was prime time for morning work.
-How could you not say a word to me...!
"Stop cutting things off and just tell me straight. I have no idea what you're talking about."
-Deputy Manager Jo handed in his resignation today!
"Oh, was it today?"
Min A-rang's high-pitched shriek threatened to burst his eardrums again. Woo Ji-hyun pulled the phone slightly away from his ear.
He glanced at the desk calendar off to one side.
-Oppa, you signed a contract with him, right? How could you not say a word to me?
"It was hard to bring up. If I told you, the other staff might find out. Of course, you'd let Deputy Manager—no, President Jo now—handle the wrap-up himself."
-You could've at least given me a heads-up!
"Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry about that. But I had my position to consider. Sure, you're my editor, so I get why you'd feel left out. Still, it would've been awkward for me to say it first."
Woo Ji-hyun calmly explained his side to the unusually agitated Min A-rang.
His words seemed to work; her voice gradually calmed, coming through the speaker softer now.
-Still, that was too much. I'm not the type to blab.
"It might sound like an excuse, but I figured President Jo would tell you first. Sure, he'd tell the president of Linus Publishing before that."
-I'm really upset. It feels like you left me out on purpose. After all the time we've spent together?
"It's not that bad."
Woo Ji-hyun chuckled and corrected her.
They were close, sure, but not inseparably tight.
Still, she was a reliable and comfortable little sister figure.
-Wow, look at this oppa. Cold as a Siberian tundra. One gust of wind and my limbs would freeze off.
"Sorry. I didn't have a choice. But I'll make it up to you—steak, your favorite."
-Add pasta.
"Keep eating like that and you'll turn into a pig. You've already put on a little weight lately..."
-It's the clothes! I'm wearing thicker ones!
Min A-rang cut him off with a yell.
She was fiercely denying it.
Woo Ji-hyun could only let out a soft laugh.
"The weather's getting too hot for that excuse, but sure, whatever you say."
-You're really too much, oppa. You're so sweet to your friends.
"I think I'm playing the caring oppa role just fine here. Besides, we're business partners at the end of the day."
-Hmph!
Min A-rang snorted.
But she didn't deny his words.
Their relationship had started as author and editor, after all.
"Aren't you supposed to head back to the office soon? You've been in the bathroom too long."
-I'm on the stairs. And don't think this is over.
"Huh?"
-I'm hanging up! I'm not picking up today, so don't call!
Click!
The call ended just as she finished speaking.
But Woo Ji-hyun stayed frozen for a moment.
Her parting words felt oddly loaded with meaning.
"No way. Nah."
He set down his phone and tilted his head.
But thoughts of Min A-rang didn't linger long.
He needed to stockpile chapters for his next work, *God of Martial Arts, Return*.
"Time to aim for a place in Seoul myself. Didn't make it to a Seoul uni, but I can at least get a house there, right?"
Muttering to himself, Woo Ji-hyun unleashed terrifying focus.
He did nothing else—just glared at the monitor and pounded the keys with ferocious speed.
Tap tap tap!
In the quiet room, only the clacking of the keyboard echoed.
* * *
A swarm of reporters gathered at the arrivals hall on the first floor of Incheon International Airport.
Onlookers waiting for passengers craned their necks curiously.
Who could be coming that all these journalists showed up?
Rustle rustle!
People finally started emerging from the gate.
But no celebrities in sight.
Everyone wore sunglasses as standard, and no one carried that celebrity swagger. The welcomers tilted their heads.
Then, a man who looked every bit the pro athlete appeared, flanked by someone who screamed bodyguard.
Flash flash!
Cameras exploded in a frenzy.
Reporters surged toward the man.
"How does it feel to transfer to Borussia Dortmund?"
"What's your schedule in Korea?"
"Incheon Sports! Just a quick interview, please!"
The journalists mobbed him like bees.
The companion tried desperately to push them back, but it was hopeless.
He was a solidly built Westerner, but even he couldn't handle the horde alone.
"We'll only do pre-scheduled interviews. Sorry."
"Just one word!"
"Tell us your aspirations going forward...!"
The reporters wouldn't let up despite his words.
But they got nothing.
He kept his mouth shut the whole way to the waiting car and hopped in.
Some journalists grumbled.
"He thinks he's made it, huh?"
"Acting all arrogant now."
"Forgot where he came from."
"Lips sealed tight. What's so hard about a quick chat?"
Most reporters vented frustration at the man vanishing in the car.
They'd waited for nothing worthwhile.
But the grumblers were the rookies.
The sharp ones had ditched the hall the moment he left.
"Phew. Feels like I can breathe now."
"First time with a crowd this big?"
"Yeah. Even in Ligue 1, it wasn't like this. Reporters waited, but not this many."
"You'll have to get used to it. This is the new normal."
Lee Woo-hyung nodded at his agent's words.
He already knew; no need to spell it out.
Plus, he'd seen the sports star life up close since childhood.
'And it's what I've always wanted.'
Compared to his prospect days with zero spotlight, this attention was a blessing.
Uncomfortable and burdensome, yes—but he loved it.
Way better than indifference.
"But you're really going to meet that guy?"
"Of course. He kept me going through my overseas stint. David knows that."
"I do. Still, do you need to meet him in person? Your break's short as it is."
David replied in remarkably fluent Korean for a white guy.
He eyed Lee Woo-hyung cautiously.
Personally, he saw no need for the player to go himself.
"Mental rest matters as much as physical. And he gave me hope. That's why I want to meet him. If he says no, fine, but..."
"I'll reach out, then."
"You don't even have his number yet?"
Lee Woo-hyung took off his sunglasses, eyes wide at David.
He hadn't expected that.
"Procedure's a hassle. Thought Kakao Page could hook us up, but they sent me to the publisher. Said it's management on that end."
"Eh, I don't know that side either. Just hurry, okay? Schedules need to align."
"If it's impossible..."
"It won't be. I'll meet him even if it's the middle of the night."
Lee Woo-hyung saw through David's subtle attempt to skip it under "busy schedule" and spoke firmly.
Unless the guy refused, he was meeting him.
Plus, the novel suggested he was a soccer fan.
No doubt about it.
"Sigh. Fine. I'll set it up ASAP."
"It's one of the things I'm looking forward to most in Korea. Make it happen."
"Got it."
"And no schedule today, right?"
Lee Woo-hyung leaned back in his seat, reiterating firmly.
He knew from yesterday, but double-checking.
Just in case.
"Was gonna tell you—a meeting got scheduled. CF shoot."
"Another one?"
"Yeah, great terms."
David gauged his reaction.
His schedule was killer already; this ad piled on.
But Lee Woo-hyung's eyes lit up.
"If the deal's good, we do it. Strike while the iron's hot. Med advances push retirement later, but mid-thirties is the limit. Earn big while we can."
"Understood."
David nodded at Lee Woo-hyung's willingness to take any gig that didn't wreck his health.
More income for the player meant more for him—no reason to refuse.
But he wouldn't overwork him.
The body was the asset.
* * *
Woo Ji-hyun, visiting Hongdae after ages, scanned the area uncertainly.
He alternated between his phone's map and the surroundings.
Not a regular spot—knew the main drags, but alleys were a maze.
"Feels like I'm going in circles."
The map said he was close, directionally right, but the meeting spot eluded him.
He tilted his head.
It had to be nearby; just couldn't spot it.
"Hm?"
At least no skyscrapers.
High-rises would've made it worse. Thinking that, he walked slowly.
After ten minutes of wandering, he found it.
"Tucked away in the boonies. Business good here?"
Muttering as he entered the slightly weathered building.
Inside, though, surprise—an antique cafe oozing old-world charm.
"Welcome."
"H-hi?"
Not Itaewon, but a foreigner greets him first? Woo Ji-hyun smiled awkwardly.
He'd finished school fine, but English wasn't his strong suit.
Basic chat okay, but foreigners speaking made him freeze.
"Feel free to speak Korean. You're Woo Ji-hyun, the author, right?"
"That's me. Wait—you're the agent who called?"
"Haha. Yes. This way, please."