One Shot, One Kill (2)
After receiving the report from Lucio, Borja Navas dug even deeper into information about Cha Tae-oh. At first, his interest wasn't so much in the player himself but in the fact that it was a guy his sister Niela had shown interest in. She'd never openly expressed liking for any man before.
It might not be romantic interest. Since the guy was a soccer player, there was a slim chance she'd just become a fan after watching his play. But Borja Navas dismissed that possibility outright from his mind. Become a pure fan of a player performing in La Liga 2—no, even the fourth division? 'No way.'
Besides, Niela had first learned about Cha Tae-oh after the season ended, so that hypothesis didn't hold water from the start. For these reasons, Borja Navas concluded that his half-sister harbored genuine romantic feelings for Cha Tae-oh.
Of course, asking her directly would be the fastest way, but he deliberately avoided it. 'If I bring it up... no matter how I phrase it, it'll sound like the agency CEO talking to her.'
Borja Navas had always tried to steer clear of business-like conversations with Niela as much as possible. That was largely due to his father's influence. Once he entered the industry, the warmth of their father-son bond faded, hardening into a cold business relationship. When his father passed away, that was Borja's biggest regret.
Maybe that's why he cherished Niela even more. She was the only blood relative he had left in this world.
'When the time comes, Niela will bring it up herself. If she comes to me first, it'll be because she wants advice from her brother, not the agency CEO.'
A still-unexplained anger bubbled up inside him, but he had no desire to crush whatever love-like sprout was budding in her heart prematurely. After all, this was the first man she'd shown interest in since debuting.
As her brother, there was only one thing to do: verify if this Cha Tae-oh guy was worthy of entrusting his sister to.
'Hmm... For an Asian, he's remarkably handsome.'
The moment he first saw Cha Tae-oh's photos, Borja Navas found himself nodding slightly without realizing it. Even through Western eyes, Cha Tae-oh's looks were outstanding. And with his impressive physique, he gave off more of a model wearing a soccer player's uniform than an actual player.
'So this is Niela's type.'
He could understand why Niela, who'd been active as a singer for over seven years now, hadn't shown interest in any other men. It also explained why she wanted Cha Tae-oh as the lead actor in her new music video.
If Cha Tae-oh weren't a soccer player but in another profession... Borja might have seriously recommended he enter the entertainment industry. And it was the first time such a thought had crossed his mind about an Asian.
'Not much info available.'
Having only been in Spain from Korea for about half a year, there wasn't much to go on. He'd assigned staff to do a background check over a few days, but no women were spotted meeting him privately.
"We pretended to be journalists and approached Alcorcon players about Theo Cha. They said he's just obsessed with soccer. Even in his downtime, he only watches soccer videos."
"Hmm..."
"Oh, and he doesn't have an agent right now."
"No agent?"
"Yeah. Turns out when he signed his pro contract with Alcorcon, he used Camilla Bravo as his proxy."
"Camilla? Is she planning to get into the agent business full-time now?"
Camilla Bravo was someone Borja Navas knew well. He even had her husband Jose Bravo's contact info—they weren't close personally, but they were acquainted.
"She's on a break right now."
"Makes sense. If she were serious about agents, she'd still be handling that kid."
The more he learned about Cha Tae-oh, the more mysterious the guy seemed. Borja was inwardly curious why a pro player hadn't hired an agent yet. For a Korean in Spain without one, life had to be tough.
"Here's the highlight reel of Theo Cha's plays you requested. Goals only."
"You've seen it too, right?"
"Yes, sir."
"So, what'd you think?"
"I'm no expert, but... honestly, I was shocked. Incredible stuff."
The staff member quickly added, "But highlight reels make any player look great, don't they?"
"True enough."
Borja Navas nodded slowly, plugged the small USB left by the staff into his computer, and leaned back in his chair. It contained all 75 goals from last season, plus preseason strikes—no great expectations, just watching the footage.
"......!"
At some point, his eyes glued to the monitor, unblinking. Ball control skills, physique, speed, pass quality, off-the-ball movement, shooting, headers—fourth-division level or not, Cha Tae-oh's performances were on another plane.
The peak of awe came from his recent hat-trick against Rayo Vallecano in a friendly. Facing pro-level players, he matched his fourth-division exploits. Borja couldn't close his gaping mouth.
'Why is a player like this at Alcorcon...?'
Like every soccer person who'd seen him, Borja now shared the same burning question. He wanted to witness it live—not just goals, but his full game play. Curiosity shifted there.
Now, he viewed Cha Tae-oh not as Niela's brother, but as BN Agency CEO.
Pang-!
And that hadn't changed today. Amid the clash between AD Alcorcon and FC Barcelona Atletic.
Around the 25-minute mark of the first half, the score stood at 1-0, home team AD Alcorcon leading. The game felt a bit chaotic overall. Flow tilted toward Alcorcon, but their cohesion wasn't fully formed yet. Barcelona Atletic's play and organization were even worse—whether complacency, poor prep, or bad player condition, they couldn't seize control.
Thud thud-!
At least Angel Vasquez was dominating the left flank, terrorizing Alcorcon's right side... but
'Hm. Too rushed. Shots are overpowered. Needs to ease off.'
Crucially, his scoring attempts kept failing. Despite being Borja's client—the "Hawk's Eye" renowned for spotting promising talents...
Thud-!
"Ooooooh!"
"Theo's on the move!"
"Whoa! Did you catch that La Croqueta?"
"Theo as always!"
In that instant, Borja's gaze locked solely on Cha Tae-oh. His purpose for attending—checking Angel Vasquez's form—had long shifted to observing Cha Tae-oh.
'...Unbelievable.'
Advantages invisible in goal compilations poured out on the pitch today: relentless work rate, impeccable pressing timing blocking pass lanes to disrupt build-up, near-perfect first touches escaping pressure, seamless links with teammates. Cha Tae-oh wasn't just a goal machine. He was the massive hexagon embodying every modern striker trait.
'That playstyle would thrive in the first division too...'
Borja's mind raced. Invisible hands punched calculator keys; an abstract figure popped up. Simple math: in modern soccer, such complete forwards were rare gems big clubs drooled over, throwing money wildly.
Even beyond modern soccer, complete forwards commanded premium prices.
'Hexagon attackers like that blend into any tactic seamlessly.'
Borja's eyes sparkled nonstop. To him, Cha Tae-oh on the pitch now looked like a masterless gem rolling elegantly. And that gem...
Pwaaaang-!
Clang-!
Curled a stunning right-footed shot from near the left penalty box, wrapping into the far post upper corner, making it 2-0.
"Waaaaaaah-!"
"Theo! Theo! Theo!"
"Cha! Cha! Cha! Cha! Cha!"
Borja glanced at the roaring home fans, then back to Cha Tae-oh. A new question hit him.
'Wait... Isn't this only his second shot today?'
Indeed, since the first goal, Cha Tae-oh hadn't shot once toward goal. Instead, he'd dropped deep for link-up play, passing to teammates when space opened—selfless soccer. Alcorcon's team play improved accordingly; Barcelona Atletic's possession plummeted.
'But that goal... wasn't even a real chance.'
His mind grew a tad confused. Hearing of 75 goals in 14 games initially suggested endless shots. Yet Cha Tae-oh showed no greed. Only on prime chances, when no space for teammates and angle/confidence aligned, did he unleash pent-up finishing.
'Most haven't realized this player's true value yet...'
Borja was certain: injury-free sustained performances like this, and big-club entry was inevitable.
Suddenly, fear struck. What if another agent was already contacting him?
'Can't let a masterless gem slip like an idiot.'
He hurriedly pulled out his phone to urgently message Lucio—but paused.
'Wait.'
A forgotten memory surfaced. He found another contact—not Lucio's—hesitated briefly, then typed a message. First contact since exchanging numbers, but awkwardness meant nothing now.
How long after sending? Ding!
Seeing the instant reply, a bright smile spread across Borja Navas's face.
'...Jackpot!'
He clenched his right fist, letting out a silent roar. For the first time in ages, Borja felt the gods were on his side.