Chapter 83: Yoo Hee-sung

February 2038 arrived, and South Korea was gearing up for the Nigeria World Cup.

Coach Cheon Mu-seok, who had been leading South Korea since 2038, was agonizing over the final roster.

“What should I do…”

If he brought the players who understood his tactics well, they were all young.

The backlash would surely be incomparably greater than during the Olympics.

But if he used the established World Cup regulars, they didn’t fit his tactics.

They were stable, but a far cry from the fast-paced, attack-focused football he pursued.

‘Still, it’s a relief that there are some definitive picks in my mind.’

Midfielder Park Seo-joon and goalkeeper Jeong Tae-woo.

Park Seo-joon was a player who had already led the team well as captain in the World Cup, and Jeong Tae-woo was the core and key point of his tactics.

Moreover, the Jeong Tae-woo of today wasn’t the amateur player from the Olympics, but a player recognized as world-class by the entire globe.

Rather, if he didn’t pick him, he would be showered with all sorts of curses he didn’t even know existed.

His remaining hair would probably be torn out by the roots.

‘Maybe I should have just been content with the Olympic coach position… I’ve lost all my hair from the stress.’

He had won the Olympics and sat in the World Cup coach’s seat, but he was getting beaten down by the association and the public…

‘Sob, my grandfather was bald, so I’ve been managing my hair with anti-hair loss shampoo since I was a kid…’

The top of his grieving head shone brilliantly under the fluorescent lights.

***

“Stop him!”

As soon as one man got the ball, the training ground fell silent.

The first defender rushed in, but the man, as if bored, lightly lifted the ball and passed it through the defender’s legs.

Before the defender could even turn around, the man was already sprinting forward.

The second and third defenders attempted a pincer attack from both sides.

But the man, as if he had sticky glue on his feet, handled the ball with complete freedom and slipped through the two players.

Small gasps of admiration escaped from the people watching from one side of the training ground.

The fourth defender attempted a tackle from behind, but the man, as if levitating, lightly jumped up and dodged the tackle with a sneer.

The final defender already looked intimidated.

The man looked at the defender and smiled faintly, then faked to the left before breaking to the right.

The defender fell, landing on his butt.

This was the training ground prepared by the ‘APEX Agency.’

The defenders the man had just toyed with were all former professional players.

They were once skilled players who had made names for themselves in their respective leagues.

But now, they looked like amateurs.

“CEO, he is showing incredible growth compared to before.”

A coach said, checking the data on a tablet.

“Compared to two years ago, his burst speed has improved by over 15%, and especially the deceleration during directional changes has been reduced to 30% of its previous level.

The stability in ball control has also significantly improved as a result of strength training.”

The coach flipped the screen and continued to explain.

“What’s most impressive is his decision-making speed. In one-on-one situations, the time it takes for him to read the opponent’s movement and react has dropped to an average of 0.2 seconds or less.

This is the level of the top players in the Premier League. His movement and inertia control abilities are particularly noteworthy. His instantaneous acceleration during a one-on-one breakthrough is probably at least 7 meters per second.”

Eun Gayoung, who was listening, called over the player who had just shown an unbelievable performance.

“Yoo Hee-sung, could you come here for a moment?”

That’s right. The person training at the APEX Agency training ground was Yoo Hee-sung.

With his transfer to Manchester United confirmed for the next season, he was undergoing special training with the best coaching staff and state-of-the-art equipment prepared by the agency.

It cost an astronomical amount, but the name ‘APEX Agency’ explained everything.

APEX Agency, which made its name starting with Jeong Tae-woo, was now established as South Korea’s top sports management company.

It had grown into an industry giant by signing promising young talents and star players not only in football but also in baseball, basketball, and all other sports.

“Yes.”

Yoo Hee-sung ran over at Eun Gayoung’s call.

His features, more mature than two years ago, were reminiscent of a pictorial.

His sweat-soaked bangs clung to his forehead, but that only harmonized with his soft eyes, creating a mature charm.

“How are you feeling today?”

At Eun Gayoung’s question, Yoo Hee-sung smiled and said.

“Great. Thanks to you, CEO, even I can see I’ve grown incomparably from two years ago.”

“You have about six months until you join Manchester United. If you prepare like you did today, you’ll be able to put on a sensational performance in the Premier League.”

“Better than Tae-woo?”

At Yoo Hee-sung’s question, Eun Gayoung paused for a moment in thought.

The moment that name brushed past a corner of her heart, a subtle emotion stirred.

In truth, she hadn’t done much for Tae-woo besides financial support.

Most agencies would have considered that sufficient, but it fell far short of her standards.

‘Finding him a house and helping with the contract… that was really all.’

The agency Eun Gayoung dreamed of was a place that breathed with the player, that grew together with them.

But Tae-woo was different.

He was like an ore that already contained a finished gem.

Even without her help, he was already illuminating the world with his own light.

“To do that, you’ll have to score a goal in about 16 consecutive matches from your debut, just like Tae-woo.”

“Haha, that’s not easy. I guess that’s Tae-woo for you…”

Yoo Hee-sung was a player who, at the age of 19, could perform as a top-class striker in the Premier League right now.

But for some reason, in front of the name Jeong Tae-woo, he always felt small.

‘And I’m also envious.’

He briefly looked at her.

Eun Gayoung’s face seemed cold at first glance, but a warm heart coexisted within it.

Like the morning sun in winter.

She always spoke formally to other players, never losing her respectful tone.

But when it came to Tae-woo, she was different.

There was no formality, no sense of distance; it was natural.

As if treating an old friend, or calling a younger brother, completely at ease.

Even after two years, he still called her ‘CEO,’ but Tae-woo comfortably called her ‘nuna.’

And in front of Tae-woo, she too would cast off her cold CEO mask.

That special relationship, for some reason, he envied.

“CEO, you only speak informally to Tae-woo. It’s been almost two years for me, and I’m still ‘Yoo Hee-sung-seonsu’.”

She was slightly flustered, but she didn’t notice the hint of disappointment in Yoo Hee-sung’s words.

“Tae-woo was my first client.”

“Haha, right. The first is always special. But when I go to Manchester United, I’ll be rivals with City’s Tae-woo… who are you going to cheer for, CEO?”

He knew it too.

She would definitely cheer for Tae-woo.

But still, just in case…

He couldn’t hide the hope that his name would come from her lips.

“…Tae-woo and you, Yoo Hee-sung, are both our players. I’m neutral.”

“Is that so?”

He gave a bitter smile.

The nicknames themselves were different. And she called it neutral.

“I’ll have to work harder. Coach, let’s go again.”

Watching him, she had no idea why he was suddenly acting like that.

She had zero dating experience, making her incapable of reading a man’s subtle emotional shifts.

Contrary to her beautiful face, she was a typical ‘motaesolo’ who had lived her life immersed only in work.

***

The training session concluded at 8 PM.

“Let’s wrap it up for today. You’ve worked hard.”

“CEO.”

“Yes?”

“…Never mind. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Get home safe.”

Eun Gayoung, still oblivious, saw him off.

“Hey, Yoo Hee-sung, what were you trying to say?”

Next to him was Lee Tae-yang, who had been training with him.

“Hah… I don’t know either.”

“Ah, I get it. You like the CEO, don’t you? Our CEO is certainly capable and pretty.”

“N-No, I don’t!”

“Puhahaha! I was just kidding, but it seems to be true? Your face is all red.”

Lee Tae-yang cackled.

“So our Hee-sung likes girls. I was worried you might be gay. You build such a wall against all those female fans who like you.”

Although they were from different schools, they had become close through the friendship forged at the Olympics and training together, so they could comfortably exchange such jokes.

“But I don’t think the CEO sees us as men. We’re still minors, you know.”

“Hah…”

That was right.

He was still 19, an age not even recognized as an adult by the country.

The CEO was twenty-five, six years older than him.

Yoo Hee-sung felt that number weigh heavily on a corner of his heart.

“Don’t you dare say ‘age is just a number in love’… because it’s absolutely not.”

“But Tae-yang, why does the CEO use ‘seonsu-nim’ with us but speaks informally only to Tae-woo?”

“Hey, are you jealous of Tae-woo?”

Lee Tae-yang said with a giggle.

“It’s because he was the first client of her company. Be jealous of things worth being jealous of. Besides, Tae-woo already has a girlfriend.”

“Huh? Really?”

He and Tae-woo were close, but if you asked if they were that close, the answer was no… it was a somewhat ambiguous relationship, so this was news to him.

“But there’s nothing on his profile picture?”

“Well, of course. Tae-woo’s girlfriend is his childhood friend, and she’s in a girl group.”

Just the fact that Tae-woo had a girlfriend made him feel significantly better.

Even though nothing had improved between him and the CEO.

“Tae-yang, want to get some tteokbokki? My treat.”

“Why am I surrounded by handsome guys who don’t act their part? If you’re not gonna use that face, give it to me.”

“Huh? What did you say, Tae-yang?”

“Ugh~ This is so annoying.”