The Transfer Offer

William Foster, the general manager of London City FC, sat across from me and took a sip of his warm black tea.

His blue eyes sparkled with keen insight beneath a gentle smile.

"It's been a while, Cha Kang-min. I never imagined we'd be sitting down like this again."

I smiled and greeted him back in his fluent Korean.

His face was a familiar one.

Back when I was a promising young talent, he'd been the chief scout for a Premier League powerhouse. He'd flown all the way to Korea to persuade me relentlessly to join them.

"Your Korean has improved a lot since then."

"Haha. I learned it just to sign you, Kang-min. And I've kept at it since, scouting plenty of great players along the way."

"All thanks to me, then."

William burst into a hearty laugh.

"You turned down every single one of my offers back then. I still remember it well—even when I promised you the best treatment ever given to a prospect in club history."

I gave an awkward smile at his words.

At the time, my eyes had been fixed solely on the dream I shared with Han Ye-jin; his groundbreaking proposal hadn't even registered.

"Those offers... I had to convince no end of higher-ups to get them approved. I took so much flak for it—'What the hell are you doing with an 18-year-old Asian kid?' In the end, my plan fell through. You went off to some fourth-division team with your girlfriend instead."

Seeing my troubled expression, William chuckled good-naturedly.

"But that's all right. It was a long detour, but here I am now, ready to sign you at last."

I asked him cautiously.

"Mr. Foster, be honest with me. Isn't it really my boots you're after? I'm just an injured player these days. Do you really need to bring me along too?"

He set down his teacup and fixed me with a serious gaze.

"Cha, you're undervaluing yourself far too much. You demolished the fourth division, then conquered the third when no one thought you could. You dragged your team up two straight divisions straight into the Championship—that was all you."

William had earned his GM position through sheer scouting prowess; the man had an eye like no other.

"To me, the greatest player is one who can make the team win single-handedly. But you? You didn't just win games—you engineered promotions. Players like that don't come around often."

His words left me speechless for a moment. It felt strange, yet warming, to hear someone value me so highly.

"But... that's all in the past. I'm injured now."

William smiled again.

"Of course we've factored that in. It won't be as lavish a deal as it could have been back then. But one thing I can promise you for certain."

He pulled a thick binder from his briefcase and set it on the table.

"Class is permanent."

Coming from him, it was downright embarrassing.

"Is that so?"

"Yes. We want you, Cha Kang-min. Your boots are just an enticing bonus from our club's perspective."

And with that, our conversation wrapped up.

As we stepped out of the teahouse and prepared to part ways, William gazed at London's skyline.

"London City FC will be promoted to the Premier League this year."

"Pardon?"

"And I'm going to turn this club into a Premier League powerhouse—not just a team with good results, but one with the prestige and history to match. That's exactly why I'm offering to sign both you and your boots."

His eyes burned with conviction for the future.

After parting with London City's GM William, I set off.

My destination: Son Tae-young's place.

I'd sold my old house and would crash with him until I found a new one.

Just then, my phone buzzed insistently in my pocket.

The caller: 'GM Daniel Henderson'.

I hesitated a moment before picking up.

"Hello."

Daniel's voice was sharp as a blade, all traces of his earlier smugness gone.

"What's the problem?"

He was laying down threats, his voice laced with anxiety.

"I told you I need time."

I frowned at his aggressive tone.

"Mr. Henderson."

My voice turned icy.

"If you don't need me that badly, we can just scrap the deal."

"Goodbye."

I hung up unilaterally.

I had no desire to waste more words on him.

Pocketing my phone, I pulled out the documents William had given me.

The first thing that caught my eye was the boot rental contract.

The terms were excellent. I could earn a steady fortune without selling them. Smiling in satisfaction, I flipped to the next page.

"...This much?"

I couldn't help but be stunned. It dwarfed the insulting pittance Ashbery Town had offered last. This was a deal that respected my stature, on par with mid-to-lower table teams' averages.

"Ha...."

A deep sigh brought a wave of relief. I wasn't some discarded player anymore.

Before I knew it, I'd arrived at Son Tae-young's door.

He flung it open, waiting in the entryway like an eager puppy, and his eyes widened at the documents in my hand.

"Hyung! What's this? Did you get an offer?"

"Yeah."

Tae-young snatched them up like he'd been dying for it.

"Boots? London Football Museum? What the hell is all this?"

I calmly explained everything, starting with the story of Pelé's boots. When I mentioned their value—at least 25 billion won—his eyes nearly bugged out.

"Tw-twenty-five billion?!"

He froze for a second, then grabbed my shoulders and shook them.

"Hyung! You're buying dinner then, right? No—full course at London's top restaurant, on you!"

"...Is food all you ever think about?"

"Rice is Korean power, hyung!"

I nodded with a laugh.

"Fine, I'll treat you."

Ecstatic, Tae-young flipped to the next page. His face hardened again at the sight of London City FC's player contract.

"Eleven grand a week... 600 million a year... Hyung, you have to take this!"

"You think I should go that badly?"

I teased, and he waved his hands wildly, jumping up.

"Not like that—it's just a killer offer! Our club's was insane! Makes me mad all over again thinking about that GM asshole!"

Tae-young vented his fury at Ashbery Town, then snapped his fingers with an "Ah!"

"Right! Hyeon-seong hyung! Yu Hyeon-seong's on that team!"

The next afternoon.

I headed to a café with Son Tae-young.

...Figures, the land of soccer.

The place was decked out with artificial turf inside, soccer balls and goalposts adorning the walls.

"Who schedules a meetup here? We're not kids."

Tae-young protested innocently at my jab.

"It wasn't me—Hyeon-seong hyung picked it! I wanted a classy four-quid steak!"

How do you eat a one-kilo steak classily?

I swallowed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the urge to retort. Just then, the café door opened, and a hulking guy strode in.

I knew who it was without seeing his face—his sturdy build gave it away.

Midfielders have to be built like that.

Yu Hyeon-seong spotted our table and rushed over, bowing at a perfect ninety degrees.

"I've been dying to see you, Sunbae-nim! Sorry I couldn't visit after your transfer!"

"Nah. If anything, I should've looked after you more."

Yu Hyeon-seong.

My high school junior, one of Korea's hottest prospects ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠right now.

And for some reason, he completely lost his cool around me.

"How could you apologize, Sunbae-nim? I wanted to transfer to Ashbery to play with you, but no offer came."

I managed a wry smile at his words.

Han Ye-jin had her type when it came to players.

Ah.

Leo Silva's face flashed in my mind, dealing me an unnecessary self-inflicted wound. I shook my head to banish the unwelcome image.

Right on cue, oblivious Tae-young waved the menu and hollered.

"The priciest afternoon tea set, and every dessert on the menu!"

"Ease up, Yoon Tae-young. You a pig? Always whining about being broke."

Hyeon-seong's tone with Tae-young was worlds apart from how he spoke to me.

"Order what you want. I'm buying today."

His eyes lit up at my words.

"S-Sunbae-nim's treating? Th-then, can I get a lot?"

"Go ahead. As much as you like."

"Make it chocolate cake and strawberry smoothie too!"

Soon the table overflowed with dazzling desserts.

I picked up a fork, then paused.

Is this diet-friendly?

Screw it.

Today, I eat.

As I reached for the fork, Hyeon-seong asked.

"By the way, Sunbae-nim, is it true you're considering London City?"

"Yeah. The GM made me an offer."

"Whoa!"

"Actually, I wanted to ask you about the club today."

He set down his cake, face turning deadly serious as he declared.

"If Cha Kang-min Sunbae-nim joins, London City FC will go straight up!"