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Translator: uly
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: I Became the Club Owner (3)
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The day after receiving a cash asset transfer of 3.8 billion won.
The first thing Jeong-woo did was buy a car.
"Whoa, cars these days are like digital beasts. Check this out—the navigation inside... damn, it's like a full HD TV smack in the middle."
As soon as Park Hee-won stepped into the dealership with him, his eyes widened, and he let out one exclamation after another.
The salesperson standing nearby flashed a practiced sales smile and chimed in.
"The front windshield and all the doors have soundproof glass installed. We've also improved the door seams to reduce wind noise..."
Jeong-woo breezed right past it.
"Whoa."
He simply ran his fingertips over the texture of the premium leather seats and murmured in quiet awe.
Compared to the beat-up old clunker he'd bought for 200,000 won ages ago, the exterior and interior were on another level, and the corners of his mouth twitched upward involuntarily.
He turned the ignition, and just like Hee-won said, a massive monitor-sized screen lit up.
Jeong-woo let out another gasp of admiration.
"It's a computer. A straight-up computer."
Hee-won tossed out honeyed words like it was nothing.
"You're the boss now—no, our chairman. Gotta roll in something like this, right?"
Then he exaggeratedly furrowed his brow and stroked his chin.
"Hmm. Hold up. Tsk! Nah, nah. Honestly, Jeong-woo, for you... this car's grade feels a bit low, don't you think?"
"Why?"
"The chairmen on TV all drive imports. The basic ones start at over 100 million won. You're packing that kind of heat now, aren't you? And hey, it's me, your buddy Park Hee-won, saying this."
"Aw, come on. Cut it out."
Jeong-woo waved him off lightly.
But the grin tugging at his lips refused to fade.
His narrowed eyes sent a silent signal: *Keep going, more, more, more!*
Hee-won, his friend of over twenty years, picked up on it right away and added in all seriousness, more stern than ever.
"At your level now... you gotta go Maserati. Nah! Let's just grab an Aston Martin Vantage!"
"What's that?"
"No clue. Overheard it somewhere. Point is, it's pricey."
"Oh yeah? Hm. Still..."
Jeong-woo put some oomph into his eyes, gripped the steering wheel with both hands like a pro, and hammed it up.
"True Koreans love their Korean rides."
He even put some gravitas into his voice.
"Or maybe you're right—might snag a Maserati too. Better to have two or three and rotate 'em. Poor things work hard enough."
Hee-won was genuinely impressed by his friend's aura of effortless wealth.
"What, are cars the new shoes? Picking 'em like that? Anyway, your heart for the machines... damn! Gandhi's shedding tears."
"Gandhi? Nice. Call me 'Madi' from now on."
The salesperson nearby barely suppressed a smirk.
Oblivious, the two friends kept up the bravado for a good while longer.
After some time passed.
Having checked out several models, Jeong-woo finally picked one he liked.
"This one. Yeah, this is the one."
Hee-won hopped out of the driver's seat as Jeong-woo got out, muttering under his breath with a mix of feigned nonchalance and real envy in his eyes.
"Whoa~ Ride something like this, and even a crash wouldn't leave a scratch. Made of vibranium or what? Looks so damn solid. No way an accident wrecks the family peace."
"My daughter sees a big car and always whines, 'Daddy, I wanna ride in that one too.' Broke my heart every time... sigh."
"..."
It was getting blatant.
Jeong-woo stared him down, and Hee-won rolled his eyes dramatically to the right to dodge.
Still, his mouth kept running.
"The seats look softer than my bed at home. Bet you'd fall asleep driving. Not that I would, of course... you know me. Ten years accident-free...!"
Before he could finish, Jeong-woo cut in.
"This one's yours. My treat."
It was his first real flex.
* * *
After inheriting the estate, Jeong-woo toured a few real estate spots.
He then handed the reins to a decent agent.
The agent said that finding a buyer for a club valued in the hundreds of billions wouldn't be easy.
He mentioned checking with private equity funds as a solid approach for deals that size.
Ultimately, he planned to head to England himself and pitch directly to major buyers.
Jeong-woo shrugged it off.
As long as it sold, he didn't care how.
And so, the agent took off for England with the separate lawyer Jeong-woo had hired.
* * *
Four days flew by.
Jeong-woo was now house-hunting with another realtor.
"Isn't it just fantastic?"
The agent beamed out the window.
The wide-open view was nothing short of spectacular.
Jeong-woo beamed back.
*Whoa, the whole city at a glance!*
But his voice dripped with refined poise, nothing like his thoughts.
"Hmm. Very nice."
It was as if the view itself was whispering:
*You've made it, Jeong-woo!*
Yeah, someone once said it: Swap out everything but the wife and kids.
Of course you'd made it—so time to upgrade the house.
Just then, his battered old smartphone buzzed in his pocket.
Staring at the cracked screen, Jeong-woo thought:
*You toughed it out for five years, huh? Your turn for an upgrade.*
"Yes, go ahead."
They said a classy house changes the man.
His old gloomy tone had vanished without a trace.
Instead, he mustered his best sophisticated drawl.
[Uh, boss. Looks like the sale's not gonna happen.]
"Huh?"
The agent's voice carried a hint of irritation.
Jeong-woo blinked in confusion.
His low, refined tone cracked into a rasp.
He'd woken up in a great mood, come to check out houses, and now... no sale?
"What do you mean? No sale?"
[The club's got way too much bank debt tied to it as collateral. No one's biting. Word's already spread like wildfire in the industry these past few days.]
Thud! His heart plummeted.
Reeling from the sudden storm, Jeong-woo stammered.
"...W-what... did you say?"
[If they don't stay up in the league this time, it's bankruptcy for sure. Forget selling— you need to save the club first?]
"..."
[The bank's club debt is barely covered by ticket sales. Ah, bad phrasing. Just scraping by on interest.]
"..."
It felt like bombs were dropping in his mind.
* * *
The call ended.
Jeong-woo stared blankly at the view beyond the balcony.
Standing still, his legs suddenly buckled, and he staggered.
"..."
The agent's words echoed in his head.
[The club's debt is unpayable, and they're barely covering interest with ticket money.]
[Too much debt, team in the relegation zone, no star franchise player to lure buyers. No takers.]
At first, he thought it was a joke.
Or maybe a dream.
He pinched his cheek...
"Ow."
It hurt.
Too hard—tears welled up.
Still not convinced...
Slap!
He smacked his own face.
"Ah, shit. That hurts."
Even through the stinging pain, he mumbled blankly.
The pain confirmed reality, but his chest felt heavy and clogged.
Before hanging up, he'd asked the debt size.
*Fine. Okay.*
At first, Jeong-woo comforted himself: Big club in the hundreds of billions? Of course it has some debt.
Interest on debt even got tax breaks.
Even EPL giants borrowed from banks on purpose.
Manchester United—one of the world's top clubs—carried over 800 billion won in debt.
But the agent's next words shut down his happy delusions cold.
[Didn't check during probate? Ah, well. I was excited for my first club deal, rushed to England without digging deep. Let's see... 100 million pounds. About 150 billion won.]
"..."
Eeeee— a tinnitus ring pierced his ears, one he'd never heard before.
150 billion won.
He'd never even seen 10 billion with his own eyes, and now 150 billion in debt?
No amount of mental gymnastics could stop his mind from reeling.
Debt nearly five times the club's value.
Man U had 800 billion in debt, but their valuation was 4.5 trillion.
And their owner was mega-rich.
Holding a cool 5 trillion in assets.
Bolton? 30 billion valuation, 150 billion debt.
Owner's assets? A measly 3.8 billion.
"..."
A few weeks ago, he'd been seriously pondering personal bankruptcy over a few tens of millions inherited from his parents—and now 150 billion in debt?
Wham!
The ringing wouldn't quit, so Jeong-woo smacked his ear hard with his palm.
"Ah, fuck, that hurts."
The ringing only got louder.
That's when the oblivious realtor piped up.
"Boss, this place is killer, right? Han River view right there, and within a few hundred meters: gym, salon, department store, great eats! Everything you need. Perfect for kids later—elementary, middle, high schools all close by..."
The realtor didn't finish.
"What floor is this again?"
Jeong-woo's vacant eyes turned to him.
"Sixteenth floor."
Jeong-woo gazed beyond the balcony in a soulless murmur.
"Teacher, if I jump from here... would I die without feeling a thing?"
* * *
Blue skies.
Emerald seas.
Voluptuous beauties.
Park Sang-ho lounged diagonally on a sunbed, wrapping up a call.
"Tch. Making a fuss now."
"That the thing from last time?"
James Kim, peering at the beauties through his sunglasses from the next sunbed, asked.
Sang-ho flashed a bright smile as a tanned beauty handed him a mojito.
"Yeah, our heir hired a new lawyer. That one's acting as agent too, came to England hunting for me."
"W-what do we do? Any legal snags? Should've spelled out the debt, limited acceptance, renunciation stuff..."
Timid James Kim started babbling nervously.
Sang-ho clicked his tongue and cut him off.
"If we'd mentioned limited acceptance, you think our heir would've gone, 'Sounds good!' and stamped it?"
"Well..."
James Kim trailed off.
Sang-ho shook his head firmly.
"No way, I'd bet my whole fortune. Debt's not a few billion—it's over 100 billion. He'd straight-up renounce inheritance."
Renunciation complicates things further.
Debt cascades to relatives up to fourth cousins, sparking family legal wars.
That's why lawyer Park Sang-ho and James Kim stepped in.
More precisely, at the request of one from the late Great Ma's bloodline.
Sang-ho sipped his ice-filled mojito and added,
"Anyway, our client is ruthless. Club's on bankruptcy's doorstep, so to dodge responsibility, dumps the 10% stake right then. Then has us find an heir to kill any inheritance chance."
Classic hot potato.
"R-right?"
James Kim's face lit up.
Sang-ho stretched grandly.
"Ahhh! Finding me now? Pfft. Let's grab another mojito."
The Maldives sea was stunning.
* * *
The moment he learned of the debt, Jeong-woo's first move was to track down the address on the business card from Park Sang-ho's estate agent.
*You bastard...! Didn't say a word about the debt!*
He barely kept his mind from blanking out on the way there.
Heart pounding like mad without even running.
His usual stream of curses wouldn't come.
Just numbness.
Felt detached from the world, like he wasn't even alive.
At the office entrance, despair hit.
Desks, chairs— the place was stripped bare.
Only dust bunnies rolling around.
"What the...?"
A question finally burst from his lips.
His pupils shook like in an earthquake.
That's when he noticed.
Not just him—other victims slumped on the ground, venting their anguish.
"Didn't suspect a thing 'cause he was on TV..."
"My money! What about my money! The cash I bled for... wahhh!"
Face drained white, Jeong-woo whipped out his phone and searched Park Sang-ho.
Top hit: that same famous TV show clip, beaming his trademark affable smile.
But...
"Huh?"
A dumb noise slipped from his gaping mouth.
More searches...
[Park Sang-ho, famous lawyer, reps victim's opposing side after losing medical suit for bereaved family.]
[Park Sang-ho takes brutal criminal case. Money buys everything?]
[Park Sang-ho lawyer, client bribery suspicions.]
[Park Sang-ho indicted without detention for illegal legal advice. Banned from broadcasting...]
He stared again and again.
His hands and feet trembled finely.
Finally, it all clicked for Jeong-woo.
The club was a bomb.
And he'd been hit.
His eyes rolled back.
"Aaaaaah! You son of a bitch!"
In his rage, he dropped his phone.
The screen shattered into pieces.
Jeong-woo exploded.
"Uwaaaaaah!"
Have a great day~
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