Field Commander - Chapter 7

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 7.

Chapter 7.

Chapter 7.

“Good work!”

“Well done.”

The match ended in a 2-2 draw as our team managed to score one goal to tie it up.

After the match ended and we finished our closing greetings, Jo Jung-sik called me over.

“Sang-hyuk! Come here!”

When I went over there, the player named Seo Dong-myung who had played earlier and another man were standing next to him.

“You don’t know these two people, right?”

“No.”

“Let me introduce them. This is Park Chang-yeol, the director of Uicheongju FC from the 3rd Division League. He studied abroad and was a coach for Beige Youth Soccer Club when he came back.”

“Nice to meet you.”

3rd Division League.

It was by no means a low-level league.

It’s where the cream of the crop in Korea gather.

In Germany, it would be like the 4th division?

“Nice to meet you. You’re Kim Sang-hyuk from Maedong High School, right?”

I quickly extended my hand in rhythm.

“Yes. Director.”

“This is our team’s ace, player Seo Dong-myung.”

He had glared at me like he wanted to devour me on the field, but now he had completely relaxed his expression. He smiled with a very warm face and extended his hand.

“You played well, didn’t you? Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you. But what brings you here?”

“I heard you were playing soccer again, so I came to take a look.”

“Ah… I’m still in the process of getting my body in shape.”

“It seemed that way. Seeing how tired you looked after playing at that tempo. But can you get your body in shape by yourself? In a place like this? Even if you do get your body in shape, it might take even longer to improve your match sense, you know?”

Well, he wasn’t wrong.

Match sense was a problem of a different dimension.

I couldn’t understand their intention, so I just listened quietly.

“So, would you like to come take an admission test for our club? The regular season starts from early March, so we’re still recruiting personnel. Dong-myung.”

“Yes.”

Seo Dong-myung handed over the document envelope he was holding.

“If you’re interested, fill this out by next Wednesday and come to Cheongju Sports Complex at 9 AM. That’s our stadium.”

* * *

“But isn’t this too hasty?”

While Kim Sang-hyuk left first in a team member’s car, Jo Jung-sik had a conversation with Park Chang-yeol.

“That kid is Kim Sang-hyuk from Maedong High School.”

Park Chang-yeol took a sip of water and quietly looked at the soccer field.

“On the surface, he looks like a guy who plays soccer with physicality, but…”

Park Chang-yeol pointed to his forehead.

“In high school tournaments… he achieved a perfect record with this. Didn’t you see it earlier? How he toyed with player Seo Dong-myung.”

“Was Seo Dong-myung really playing seriously?”

“Yes. The name 【Kim Sang-hyuk of Maedong High School】… has that kind of meaning. Once rumors start spreading that this kid is playing soccer, clubs from here and there will start making moves. We need to snatch him up before that happens.”

“Haha…”

“It’s about time for us to move up to the Second Division League too.”

“Surely you’re not talking about such an unrealistic goal just because you recruited one player?”

“This is the guy who single-handedly led the new team Maedong High School to victory in every tournament for two years. I think it’s a possible goal.”

Park Chang-yeol was quite serious, and Jo Jung-sik sighed.

“…It looks like I’m going to lose such an excellent member.”

“It’s good news for Cheongju FC, where you’re a major shareholder. The problem depends on what choice that kid makes.”

* * *

“Good work.”

“Yes, get home safely.”

I got off near my house and walked aimlessly for a while.

‘Suddenly asking me to come for an admission test?’

I was a bit bewildered.

This feels like being scouted?

‘Should I go?’

But my body hasn’t fully recovered yet, and there’s no way I have match sense.

But suddenly I let out a chuckle.

There was a time when I worried about which K-League club to choose from.

Scouts from overseas had visited showing interest too.

There was talk that once the military service issue was resolved, advancing to Europe would be good.

But now I’m so restless that my mouth is dry over a 3rd Division League admission test offer.

“Ah, a 3rd Division League club.”

At least up to the 3rd division, it’s still technically a professional club.

A full-time professional soccer player.

I want to go. I want to go. I want to go.

I want to play matches… I want to play soccer.

Ah, I want to go!

– Buzz buzz buzz…

Just then, my mobile phone in my pocket vibrated.

It was a number I’d never seen before.

– Hello?

– Ah, hello. Is this Kim Sang-hyuk by any chance?

– Yes, that’s me. Who is this?

– Ah, this is Jung Seung-jin from FS Agent, whom you sent your profile to.

I had sent my profile but hadn’t heard back for a while, so I wondered if they weren’t interested.

– Yes.

– I’ve reviewed your profile. Very interesting. You’re the captain Kim Sang-hyuk who led Maedong High School to victory in every tournament for two years, right?

– That’s just past glory.

– Hahaha. I see. It’s an honor to meet you! This is quite an unusual case, so I had some discussions about player Kim Sang-hyuk with directors from Bundesliga clubs.

‘With Bundesliga club directors?’

– Three years ago, several clubs in the Bundesliga had already written scouting reports. That means if you hadn’t gotten injured, you would already be playing in the Bundesliga. Even faster than player Jang Jin-woo.

The conversation started quite positively, and I stopped to focus on this conversation.

– However, everyone cited the three-year gap as a problem. They said there’s no verification of how much your injury has recovered or what level of matches you can play.

‘As expected?’

– But there’s exactly one club that showed serious interest.

– Which one?

– SC Freiburg. It’s the team that finished 9th in the Bundesliga last season.

At those words, my heart started pounding faster and faster.

– This team is a citizen club run by fans. Since they have almost no sponsors, they mainly develop youth players to build their team, and operate with the money earned from selling them to big clubs. That’s why they put tremendous effort into discovering promising young players.

I leaned against the wall and focused on the conversation.

– However, they presented a few conditions.

– What kind of conditions?

– If you succeed in joining after passing the entrance test, you’ll start with the Freiburg II team. The II team is currently in Germany’s Fourth Division League. What you shouldn’t be disappointed about is that most of Freiburg’s resources are players who came up through the II team. If you show your class there, you can be called up to the first team at any time. Due to this club’s nature, if you show good performance in the first team, you can easily transfer to a big club.

– What about the other conditions?

– They said verification is needed to see if your injury has sufficiently recovered, and whether you have the stamina and sense to play matches.

– How?

– They said experience in the Korean professional league is necessary. It would be a club in the National League (Third Division) or higher. If player Kim Sang-hyuk plays in official matches, Freiburg will likely send a scout to Korea. They’re very interested to that extent.

‘SC Freiburg.’

Though it was a team I didn’t know at all, it was still a team in the Bundesliga.

Considering what had been happening around me lately, it felt like everything was falling into place perfectly.

– So you think it would be good for me to connect with Freiburg?

– If you’re thinking of coming to Germany to play soccer and considering your future, it can be seen as the best choice.

It was an answer filled with conviction.

And the fact that he was paying this much attention when we hadn’t even signed a contract yet.

That deep feeling of trust I felt initially quietly arose in my heart again.

– Germany is a place where players from countless countries come to chase their dreams. The most important thing is the player’s skill and talent. What I can do is choose the best options according to the player’s abilities, and provide all necessary services so you can focus solely on soccer. Whatever path player Kim Sang-hyuk chooses, I’ll do my best to make it the best choice…

It was a very passionate response.

He took a deep breath for a moment as his emotions seemed to rise.

But…

Was it my imagination that this person’s heart seemed to be pounding more than mine?

– Player Kim Sang-hyuk’s life story related to soccer is perfect. If you regain your skills and succeed as a soccer player, you’ll give inspiration and influence to many people. You have sufficient potential to become a superstar.

He was silent for a moment.

– So… I really want to become player Kim Sang-hyuk’s agent.

How many people could refuse after hearing such words?

I wasn’t sure.

“Yes.”

* * *

“Then I’ll go to Korea next Tuesday.”

Jung Seung-jin couldn’t suppress his overwhelming emotions and jumped up, then got stuck in a corner and squealed.

While he would still do his best to support the various soccer exchange students he was affiliated with, he had been working as a solo agent for all those long years.

With earnings that barely put food on the table, expanding his company or hiring more employees was impossible.

The only way to solve such a difficult situation at once was to manage a player who received enormous signing fees and salaries… but that was impossible for an unknown small-scale agent.

In the end, there was no other way than finding a promising player and pouring everything into making them successful.

Now…

He had come to the point of signing a contract with such a player.

After a moment, he blew his nose, wiped his tears, sat at his desk, and composed his emotions.

He immediately booked a flight ticket to Korea.

“Cheongju FC.”

He immediately started searching for related data on his computer.

“Seeing that their coach personally brought the documents and told him to take the entrance test, there’s a high possibility of joining…”

K3 League.

It was a place for players who couldn’t sign with First or Second Division clubs after college graduation, players who came down after getting injured while playing in higher leagues, and players who came instead of military service because they couldn’t go to the military team.

Since it was a place where players who could transfer to higher leagues at any time competed, it was a really fierce league.

“However…”

If it were after high school graduation, it would be good to build 1-2 years of experience in Korea like Jang Jin-woo before joining the Bundesliga, but Kim Sang-hyuk had already lost 3 years.

“I need to find a way for Cheongju FC, player Kim Sang-hyuk’s thoughts, and Freiburg to all benefit. First, I need to gauge the player’s exact skills…”

But there was too little time.

Once he went to Korea, he had to start negotiations with Cheongju FC immediately.

Jung Seung-jin thought for a moment and then picked up his mobile phone.

– Oh, Seung-jin.

– Have you been well? Ui-cheol?

– Of course. I’m doing well since there’s nothing special going on. How about you?

– I haven’t had any big issues either. Actually, now I do.

– What is it? Did someone pass away?

– No. It’s not that. It’s about agent work.

– Did you cause some trouble?

Shin Ui-cheol was a childhood friend who had played soccer with Jung Seung-jin since elementary school.

When Jung Seung-jin went to England, Shin Ui-cheol steadily went through the elite player stages domestically.

He was a quite successful striker who played 231 games in the K-League for 12 years with 23 goals and 18 assists.

After retirement, he became a high school coach and was currently preparing for his UEFA A License.

– It’s trouble alright. You know, right? Kim Sang-hyuk from Maedong High School.

– Of course. There’s no way I wouldn’t know…

– I’m going to be that player’s agent.

– What? That guy is playing soccer?

– I heard he’s rebuilding his body and developing his game sense.

– Crazy! Is that guy really playing soccer again?

Shin Ui-cheol was shouting with excitement just as much as he himself had been excited when seeing the profile.

– So I’m sorry, but I have a favor to ask.

– What?

– Could you check what level that guy’s skills are at? I don’t have much time.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————