089. The Investor
As the business session of The Hunters Day's second part kicked off, the atmosphere shifted dramatically. The businessmen who had been lounging in their seats, sipping wine during the awards ceremony, were now buzzing around like bees, darting from one spot to another.
Business card exchanges were a given, but there were also team scouts and managers making direct contact with players from rival teams. Pitches ranged from "We'll assemble the lineup you want, so join us" to promises of "the best terms guaranteed."
Hoo... I'm not really used to this kind of thing.
Before his regression, he rarely attended the second part, always slipping out to the outskirts. Top players naturally had agencies handling this for them. But things were different now. Securing sponsors for the team and recruiting other members—it was all on him.
Just as he was wondering who to approach and what to say, someone mercifully came over. A neatly dressed man in a sharp suit with a tidy, professional look. He seemed to recognize Lee Chang-hyun and had sought him out specifically.
"You're Player Lee Chang-hyun, right? Nice to meet you. We're in the business of handling these sorts of things."
Judging by the business card handed over, he was from an agency.
An agency? I'm not shopping for a new team, so why...?
Before the question could form fully, the man continued.
"Ah, we're an agency, but you can think of us as a company that also dabbles in investments."
"You mean..."
"Yes. We're interested in investing in the team that Owner Lee Chang-hyun belongs to—PER."
With that, he slid over a contract.
Just like that...?
Honestly, not a single line of the contract registered. He hadn't touched the alcohol, but this was unfamiliar territory anyway. In this chaotic vibe, scrutinizing a dense wall of text was no easy feat.
"No need to worry. Would we dare offer bad terms to someone backed by Chairman Lee Geun-taek himself?"
The man chuckled as if it were amusing.
Yeah, that makes sense.
No one in the hunter world would cross that old powerhouse easily. Of course, that didn't guarantee it wasn't a scam.
"Roughly speaking, the terms are like this: We invest 500 million in cash upfront, and we handle recruiting any 2nd division players you want. Things like that."
"And what's in it for you?"
"Well... as sponsors, we'd get some ad space on the uniforms or a share of the team operating profits—'a little' something like that. Haha."
Recruit whatever players he wanted. He didn't buy it wholesale, but it meant they'd at least make an effort. Hunting down others sounded like a hassle anyway—might as well hear more.
But then:
"This contract is a mess."
A man had appeared out of nowhere, glanced it over, and ripped it to shreds.
"What the—!"
"It's obvious—they toss a few hundred million your way, then when the team grows, they squeeze you like slaves. The profit split, contract duration... Scrutinize it, and it's not outright illegal, but packed with poison clauses."
The suited man's face flushed crimson. As he opened his mouth to retort:
"Player Lee Chang-hyun. Mr. Leman is waiting. It's not a bad offer. Unlike that side, we're the real deal."
Leman...?
Lee Chang-hyun recalled the card Lee Min-seok had given him earlier. Apparently a big name here.
That made it easy to agree.
"Sure."
He hadn't planned to sign anyway, but filtering out the scammers made the guy seem decent enough.
***
Leman. A quick phone search en route revealed he was a well-known entrepreneur abroad, dominating the telecom industry back home.
Anyway, guy's loaded.
But with that much money, why invest in a small club like this? A massive team with star players might make sense out of fandom, but...
Lost in such thoughts, they exited the party hall into a corridor and entered a private room.
"Right this way."
A private lounge off to the side for business dealings. Inside sat a distinguished man with a well-groomed beard. He didn't speak Korean, so his secretary translated.
Came the standard greetings: light pleasantries, compliments on the match.
But soon, fresh conversation flowed.
"What’s your dream?"
Interesting guy.
It didn't feel like he was after some business angle.
Dream, huh... Nothing he couldn't answer.
"Winning the International League."
Ultimately, the Olympics too, once it became official. But it wasn't yet.
And the reason for asking was obvious: Dream big. Achieve it. I'm the top businessman, investing only in those who reach the top. I see value in such people. Something like that, right? Big-shot entrepreneurs loved that spiel.
"Pfft."
Leman's reaction was unexpected.
"Do you know the scale of the American Hunters League?"
"No clue."
He wasn't exactly sitting around memorizing league economies.
"It's a whopping 7 trillion won. Korea's Hunters League? Around 900 billion... Korea's isn't small in absolute terms, but the gap is clear. Dreaming of the top in a league orders of magnitude smaller—doesn't that strike you as fanciful?"
Fanciful dream, huh... He'd misjudged the man.
He got it, sure. But...
International League victory—he'd done it before regression.
"You're a businessman, but surprisingly naive. Must've been smooth sailing for you. Cold logic and reason alone won't yield miracles."
Suddenly, pre-regression memories surfaced. Teams and members that fizzled out. Those who stagnated, sneered cynically, lamented their talents rationally without pushing further.
Hunters League laid bare talent gaps, superpower disparities. But some overcame, staring upward, proving themselves.
"Miracles, eh..."
"Do you know why I became owner?"
Leman met his gaze, urging him on.
"To craft those miracles myself. To mold and find players one by one. To seek those who don't cynically settle."
Leman just wore a faint smile, saying nothing.
That was him toning it down to reality. He'd already won the International League once. What he wanted: a flawless team. To etch new history at the very end, uniquely.
As that thought lingered, Leman spoke abruptly.
"A grand challenge."
Smiling faintly, he continued.
"I like it."
"?"
"Having a dream is good. Youth is wonderful. Truth be told, I asked without deeper meaning. Just curious about your thoughts. How's Chairman Lee Geun-taek?"
Just probing, huh.
All that pondering for nothing. And he knew Lee Geun-taek, apparently. The relic around his neck felt heavier.
"Let me correct that."
"Feels like yesterday he saved me... Do you know what I thought, rescued from the Tower by him that day? You'll never understand. Staring at that sturdy back."
Was that why he sponsored hunters, their team?
"Of course, the meaning's shifted now... Hunters have become sports figures over Tower climbers. But I like that too. Not saving lives directly, but supporting those who live gazing at hunters indirectly."
Like a grandfather's ramble. Recounting a past unknown to him, spilling his life story.
"Anyway, probably not what you wanted to hear. I'll invest in you. And that dream."
"?"
"Prove it. Even with my ties to Lee Geun-taek, businessmen don't start failing ventures."
That was Leman's piece.
Not earned by his own power, but unlike pre-regression, a legend from another field guiding him stirred something odd.
***
Korea was once a hunter powerhouse, but not anymore. America, with its booming hunter market, nurtured talent at individual and national levels. And it wasn't just them—plenty of powerhouses.
David vs. Goliath.
International League victory, though.
Arrogant brat. But it didn't grate.
Maybe because hazy memories of his own startup days echoed it.
Cold logic and reason alone won't yield miracles...
True. And if it had been Lee Geun-taek back then, Leman would've died in the Tower 24 years ago.
The scene flashed: surging monsters, desperation. That day he'd shaken off the guy behind to flee for survival.
Yet some chased dreams and ideals even then. Leman had been saved by one.
Fanciful, but that's what draws people.
Lee Chang-hyun and Lee Geun-taek—maybe they overlapped faintly.
"So, what'd you find? Impressions?"
"Seen as a super rookie in the industry. But not top-tier absolutely."
Super rookie... Yeah. Even world-dominating corps started in garages with a laptop.
"In detail... Won a Korean hunter audition show, topped 3rd division regular season, led a team to 2nd division promotion after five years."
"Not a team with prior potential?"
"Far from it. Last season, zero wins in 3rd division."
Zero wins. Not just bluster, then.
But still not enough.
To reach his goal? Miles off. A mountain too high to see the peak—even with Leman's max funding and best recruits.
"Think he'll pull it off?"
"If I had to say... doesn't seem faint-hearted."
The night deepened enjoyably. Top champagne, dinner. A night evoking old friends. Introducing a successor reminiscent of that friend.
For the first time in ages, Leman felt an inexplicable thrill and joy.