Chapter 43: Europe (1)

The day before the Pungwol Elementary coach was arrested.

After showing her client, Tae-woo, all the teams that had requested his transfer, Eun Gayoung immediately began her investigation into the Jinsun Foundation.

“Have you found anything?”

Eun Gayoung asked her employee.

“Yes, our investigation revealed that Chairman Jin Ki-cheol was born as an illegitimate son of the Jinsun Group’s founder.

He was pushed out of the direct line of succession and inherited the foundation instead.”

Eun Gayoung listened intently to her employee’s report.

This was a request from her very first client.

Moreover, Tae-woo had mentioned that the boy named Yoo Seungmin possessed immense talent.

“He is trying to solidify his own position through the foundation.

While he projects a carefree image on the outside, he is fiercely working behind the scenes to expand the foundation’s influence.”

“In that case, he would strongly dislike any unsavory incidents happening right now.”

“Yes, that’s correct. Even if he were told the truth, there’s a high probability he would just cover it up.”

‘Trying to solidify his position as an illegitimate son, is he…’

“Very well. Look into it a bit more and call me if you find anything unusual.”

Finishing her words, Eun Gayoung rose from her seat.

“Ma’am, where are you going?”

“I need to go to the Jinsun Foundation.”

“But he’ll never admit to the truth even if you tell him.”

“I have a plan. You may leave.”

“Ah… Yes, I’ll see myself out.”

As soon as the employee left the room, Eun Gayoung moved quickly.

In an instant, she was in her car, heading for the Jinsun Foundation.

As she drove, a meticulous strategy was already forming in her mind.

“How may I help you?”

As she entered the Jinsun Foundation, a female employee at the front desk asked her.

“Hello. I am Eun Gayoung, the CEO of APEX Agency. I’m here because I have an urgent matter to discuss with Chairman Jin Ki-cheol.”

The front desk employee seemed momentarily flustered, but quickly adopted a professional demeanor.

“Do you have an appointment, by any chance?”

“No, I came in a hurry as it’s an urgent matter. I have important information that I must deliver to the Chairman.”

“I’m sorry, but without an appointment, you cannot see him.”

‘Hah~ I guess there’s no other way.’

“Then please tell him someone from the SC Group is here.”

“What? The SC Group?”

The receptionist’s expression changed in a flash.

While the Jinsun Group was large enough to be called a major corporation, compared to the SC Group, it was nothing more than a neighbourhood store.

“Do you have a business card or something to verify that?”

Eun Gayoung calmly took out her wallet and showed an old business card she used to use.

The card was concise.

[SC Pharmaceuticals, Director Eun Gayoung]

The front desk employee’s eyes widened.

Seeing a business card from the SC Group, and for a director-level position at that, her attitude changed instantly.

“My apologies, Director Eun. Would you please wait just a moment? I will contact him immediately.”

The receptionist hurriedly picked up the phone.

Not even three minutes later, Eun Gayoung was escorted to the chairman’s office.

“What brings the SC Group all the way here?”

The man she met in person, Jin Ki-cheol, looked too ordinary to be the head of a conglomerate.

“My apologies.”

Eun Gayoung first bowed her head and spoke politely.

“I am Eun Gayoung of the SC Group.

To be precise, I have since left the SC Group and am running my own company.

I used my old business card out of necessity because I have something important I must tell you, Chairman.”

Jin Ki-cheol’s eyes widened.

“If you’re Eun Gayoung, could you be… the youngest daughter of the SC Group?”

“Yes, I am that Eun Gayoung.”

Jin Ki-cheol paused in thought for a moment, then asked with a curious voice.

“Hmm… Then if it’s not related to the SC Group, what business brings you here?”

“You’re aware that the Pungwol Elementary coach is taking bribes, aren’t you.”

At these words, Jin Ki-cheol’s expression subtly shifted.

There was no way a man in the chairman’s position would be ignorant of such matters.

He was just pretending not to know.

Jin Ki-cheol stared at Eun Gayoung for a moment, then answered calmly.

“Yes, I am aware. But is that something worth you coming to see me about, Ms. Eun?”

“Then are you also aware that the coach is involved in gambling and drugs?”

At her words, Jin Ki-cheol’s expression changed drastically.

“Ha, that piece of trash… I let him be, and he doesn’t even know his place.”

Jin Ki-cheol said, suppressing his anger.

“What is it you’re trying to say?”

“I work as an agent, and my first client is player Jeong Tae-woo.”

“And?”

“And I was planning to sign Pungwol Elementary’s Yoo Seungmin as my second client.

So I looked into it and found that the coach refuses to let players compete unless he receives bribes, and even resorts to assault. On top of that, he’s involved in gambling, and even drugs.”

Jin Ki-cheol’s face hardened.

“Hah~ Stop dragging this out and get to the point. You didn’t just come here to inform me.”

He said in an annoyed tone.

“No, I did come to inform you. I want you, Mr. Chairman, to report this fact to the police yourself.”

“You want me to personally report that such a crime occurred at our elementary school?!”
Jin Ki-cheol shouted in anger.

But his rage faltered the moment he met Eun Gayoung’s cold eyes.

Her eyes were as cold and sharp as shards of ice, her gaze alone feeling as if it could freeze the air around them.

“Hoo… I got carried away. My apologies.”

“You may have inherited the foundation as an illegitimate son of the Jinsun Group, but I’m aware that you’re aiming for higher places.”

At these words, Jin Ki-cheol’s expression froze for a moment.

Eun Gayoung’s words were not mere speculation; she had precisely pierced through his hidden ambitions.

“Rather, use this incident to your advantage. Report it yourself and highlight your integrity.

Making a name for yourself this way will be of considerable help to you, Mr. Chairman.”

Eun Gayoung paused for a moment and looked directly into Jin Ki-cheol’s eyes.

“However, if you leave this as it is and it’s suddenly revealed, it could cause significant disruptions to your current endeavors.

What do you think?”

“………”

“Hoo… Understood. I’ll do as you say.”

“Thank you. If player Yoo Seungmin goes abroad, the name Pungwol will become even greater than it is now.

It will be a great help to your work as well, Mr. Chairman.”

She stood up from her seat, finishing her words.

“Then, I will leave this matter in your hands and take my leave.”

After Eun Gayoung left, Jin Ki-cheol, the chairman of the Jinsun Foundation, let out a deep breath, now alone.

‘I’m breaking out in a cold sweat.

The rumors said the SC Group’s youngest daughter was incompetent, but how is that incompetent?’

The pressure he felt from her was similar to what he felt when meeting the chairman of a major conglomerate.

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Jin Ki-cheol reached for the phone on his desk.

“There’s something you need to do.”

***

With Seungmin’s issue resolved, the only thing left for me to do was to choose where I wanted to go from the transfer offers Gayoung-nuna had shown me.

‘She said she’d sign a contract with Seungmin too.’

Narrowing down the list of offers Gayoung-nuna had shown me, there were five teams.

From the Bundesliga, there were Dortmund and Schalke. From Ligue 1, Lyon.

And from the Premier League, Manchester City and Bournemouth.

I began to carefully consider each of these teams.

The Bundesliga is a very good league for European players to play in.

That’s why promising Korean players often go through the Bundesliga when they first advance to Europe.

As for Ligue 1, I’m sorry, but it’s just out of the question.

‘It’s much less competitive than the top four leagues, and besides, Paris Saint-Germain pretty much dominates everything there.’

The Bundesliga has its own absolute powerhouse in Bayern Munich, but Ligue 1 was on another level.

‘Didn’t PSG just win the league three times in a row?’

To be honest, since the offer from Manchester City came, I desperately wanted to go there, but…

‘Among the offers, the best one was from Dortmund.’

It was something like this.

Dortmund: 10,000 Euros per week (approx. 14 million Won)

Bournemouth: 8,000 Euros per week (approx. 11.2 million Won)

Manchester City: 7,000 Euros per week (approx. 9.8 million Won)

Schalke: 6,000 Euros per week (approx. 8.4 million Won)

Lyon: 5,000 Euros per week (approx. 7 million Won)

Of course, these amounts could quickly go up with a new contract if I played well.

But the initial weekly wage offered is an important indicator of how much expectation a team has for me.

‘Still, would it be better to go to Dortmund first?’

Since they were offering the highest wage, if I showed my skills, I could quickly be guaranteed a spot in the starting lineup.

And if I performed well in Germany and then transferred to the Premier League,

I could easily get the three letters of recommendation for a work permit without Gayoung-nuna’s help.

Just then, my phone rang.

Looking at the screen, I saw a phone number starting with +44.

‘Isn’t 44 the country code for the UK?’

A call from the UK… Could it be from Manchester City or Bournemouth?

It was a common occurrence.

A coach calling a player to explain his vision of how he would utilize him in his tactics.

This kind of direct communication was also an important way to show the player the team’s interest and plans.

I slowly reached out my hand and answered the phone.

“Hello.”

“…”

After the call ended, I hung up and sat in silence for a moment.

Mulling over what I had just heard, I felt something stir deep within my heart.

In that moment, everything became clear.

The path I had to take, the team I had to choose, became vividly apparent.

Without hesitation, I immediately called Gayoung-nuna.

“Oh, Tae-woo.”

“Nuna, I’ve decided which team I’m transferring to.”