Chapter 367: One of Two Already

These days, it’s been hard to spot Yoon Chang-ho, the chairman.

While other members of the National Assembly are equally busy, Yoon Chang-ho has been even busier since he was designated as a presidential candidate.

He was traveling around the provincial party offices to meet people, engaging in gatherings with political and business figures, and even visiting universities to give lectures.

Thanks to all this, he had barely found the time to attend today’s meeting.

“Today’s shot… isn’t great.”

Seeing his own golf ball drop into the lake, Yoon Chang-ho furrowed his brow.

“Ha ha, Chairman! I’ve heard you’ve been playing golf, but there’s no difference from before. Now it’s my turn.”

Lee Myeong-su said with a broad smile, swinging his golf club with power.

His golf ball soared through the sky and landed perfectly on the green.

“Nice shot!”

The secretaries accompanying them cheered, clapping their hands; Yoon Chang-ho silently joined in applause.

“I’m counting on my shots today! Ha ha.”

As Lee Myeong-su smirked, Yoon Chang-ho’s expression darkened.

It was clear he wanted to hit him from behind.

After a while of regaining his composure, Yoon Chang-ho cleared his throat and chastised lightly.

“Hmm… Are you neglecting your legislative duties just to play golf? Or are you taking private lessons from a pro or something?”

“Chairman, come on. Who else works as hard in legislative matters as I do? I’m busier than you.”

Lee Myeong-su feigned innocence, looking wronged, but Yoon Chang-ho didn’t let up.

“Is that so? I’ve heard rumors that you’ve been frequently golfing with a pretty female pro lately.”

Yoon Chang-ho looked at Lee Myeong-su with a dubious glance.

“What? Myeong-su, are you dating someone?”

I turned my head away as I was about to swing. What on earth is this about?

Noticing the mischievous grin on my face, Lee Myeong-su’s eyes widened in surprise.

“No, no! It’s just that we’ve gotten familiar from playing a few rounds together. I mean…”

Lee Myeong-su waved his hands defensively, clearly flustered by my question, but I didn’t miss this opportunity.

“You’re not married, so why the serious face? If she’s a good person, it’s okay to see her.”

Taking my stance again, I swung the club with vigor toward the ball.

Striking it well, the golf ball rolled onto the green and kept moving toward the hole.

Seeing the golf ball roll right into the hole, Manager Ma clapped his hands and shouted with a stern face.

“Nice shot!”

I stifled a laugh at Manager Ma’s expression as I handed him the club.

His stone-like face trying to boost my spirits with a loud voice was amusing and somewhat endearing.

“Myeong-su, you need to learn more about golf. Then again, if you are dating, golf might catch your eye even more?”

“What nonsense! Dating? I told you, we’ve just played a few rounds together.”

“Let’s go with that. Just in case you plan to marry her, let me know in advance.”

“Ah, come on!”

Myeong-su, realizing he was being teased, kicked the ground in frustration.

I chuckled and turned to Yoon Chang-ho.

“Chairman, let’s take a walk.”

Yoon Chang-ho glanced at the cart and nodded.

“Sure.”

We walked side by side, chatting as we went.

“How’s the atmosphere in the party these days?”

“There hasn’t been any major movement.”

“Any news from former President Choi Seon-man? Have you met with him again?”

Yoon Chang-ho shook his head.

“No, I guess he realized he can’t do without me. That makes him even more uneasy, you know. Who knows when the members might suddenly defect en masse?”

“Do you have any idea about Choi Seon-man’s hidden power? Has he shown it to you or mentioned it?”

Yoon Chang-ho’s face grew serious as he murmured.

“He hasn’t shown it. But if even the senior members of the Moderate Party, whom I thought I had firmly grasped, start to rebel, I think he’s already shown enough strength. Do you disagree?”

“I recently met with Floor Leader Huh Tae-min to get his support for the arrest motion for Jeong Chan-seong. He warned me that Choi Seon-man is a scary guy and that what I know isn’t everything.”

“Huh really said that?”

Stopping in his tracks, Yoon Chang-ho asked, disbelief evident in his voice.

I also halted and nodded.

“Yes. So I’m planning to meet with former President Choi Seon-man. Could you help arrange that?”

“… I can set it up, but I want you to understand that I’m taking a risk. It could lead to complete separation from him.”

“It’s already one of two beings. Either you become his pawn, or you join me to become president. You’ve already made your choice, haven’t you, Chairman?”

Yoon Chang-ho’s grip on my hand tightened. No, it was as if he couldn’t let go.

With a stern face, he nodded and locked eyes with me.

“I’ve made my choice. But if you meet him, it won’t just slip by quietly, will it? From that point onward, it’ll be war. The party will split, and the Conservative and Progressive parties might even join hands…”

“I won’t let it come to that. Trust me and set up the meeting. The time to become the owner of the Blue House is just around the corner. If I fail this time, there won’t be another chance.”

Yoon Chang-ho nodded and resumed walking. I matched my pace with his.

“I’ll try to set up an appointment soon.”

“Thank you.”

Just then, Myeong-su passed us in the cart.

“I’ll go ahead. Take your time~.”

Yoon Chang-ho let out a sigh while watching Myeong-su wave as he passed.

“Can you really… change the country with this representative?”

“…”

I felt unbearably shy. I couldn’t confidently agree to that.

We arrived at Jeju Island airport, just days ahead of the World Cup, for the evaluation match against England.

In the airport lobby, football enthusiasts wearing red devil T-shirts were gathered in small groups.

I passed by them heading to the stadium.

The Jeju World Cup Stadium, built for the Korea-Japan World Cup, was quite a distance from the airport.

Upon arriving at the VIP section, I saw Member Song Chan-hyeok talking with officils from the Football Association.

He seemed oblivious even when I got closer.

“Mr. Song!”

When I called out, Song Chan-hyeok finally turned his ead.

“Ah, Mr. Kim! Welcome!”

“Thank you for inviting me.”

“Don’t mention it. Anyone who loves football is always welcome. Are you not a footballer?”

Upon learning that I owned a club in England, Song Chan-hyeok appeared to dismissany lingering unpleasant memories and treated me kindly.

Of course, I knew why. Maintaining good relations with the owner of a Premier League club would help his dream of becoming the FIFA president.

Song Chan-hyeok valued honor more tan money.

“You can only meet Director Hiddink briefly after the match. He hinted that he can’t spare much time since the World Cup is only a week away.”

That seemed like something Hiddink would say. I nodded calmly.

“I completely understand. Did he give you any advance notice?”

“Yes, but the response was negative. He said he wanted to return to his hometown.”

I had already anticipated that.

Having led the underdog Korean national team to the myth of reaching the semifinals, clubs from other nations wouldn’t just let Hiddink go.

Many clubs had expressed interest, but Hiddink chose a team from the Netherlands league.

“Even if I get rejected, I prefer meeting personally and getting turned down. I’ll try to persuade him, and if not, I’ll give up. I wouldn’t want to add pressure just before the World Cup.”

“I appreciate that attitude.”

“Then I’ll head back to my seat. I’ll come back after the match.”

I said my farewells and was about to turn away when I paused.

“Oh, Mr. Song. By the way, the owner of Chelsea is also coming to the World Cup opening ceremony. I’ll introduce you when he arrives.”

Even though Korea was set to play Russia in the group stage in Japan, Roman was visiting Korea to watch the opening ceremony at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.

I thought it would be a good opportunity to introduce him to Song Chan-hyeok, who sought to expad his influence in world football.

Song Chan-hyeok might hold a reputaion in Korea, but he wouldn’t be considered especially significant in other countries. Building connections was definitely beneficial.

“Really? I heard Roman took over Chelsea. He’s actually coming?”

“Yes, I’ll arrange a separate meeting for him.”

Song Chan-hyeok stood up from his sat, grasping my hand firmly.

“Thank you.”

“It’s no trouble. If any opportunity arises to connect you with other club owners, I’ll be glad to help. Your success would mean my success too. Now, I really must get back to my seat. The match will start soon.”

I glanced down. The 30,000 seats were already filled with a sea of red.

Turning, I made my way back to my seat.

Thanks to the national team’s 4-0 victory against Scotland in the previous friendly match, the stadium was buzzing with excitement even before the match began.

Up until that last friendly match, many fans had been doubtful about Hiddink.

However, after that decisive win over Scotland just a month before the World Cup, those concerns vanished, replaced by anticipation.

And thus, the friendly match against England commenced.

Aside from David Beckham, who was sidelined with an injury, all the key players from the England national team were present as the whistle finally blew for the match.

Given England’s FIFA ranking of 12 and their strong roster, no one expected Korea to win.

As expected, England quickly took the lead with Michael Owen scoring early on in the first half.

But then, a goal by the Korean national team in the early second half equalized the match, leaving the outcome uncertain.

Contrary to expectations, the Korean national team dominated the game throughout the second half, ultimately finishing the friendly with a 1-1 draw.

I already knew the result, but various expressions of shock appeared on the faces of everyone in the VIP section at this unforeseen outcome.

The officials from the Korean Football Association showed happiness, while those from England couldn’t hide their astonishment.

As Beckham gestured for his teammates to enter the field, the England players trudged off without even exchanging jerseys.

However, the Korean supporters were ecstatic.

The stadium erupted with cheers directed at the national team, singing songs of encouragement.

After the match, I stood up from my seat and approached Song Chan-hyeok.

“Mr. Song, can I congratulate you on the draw?”

I asked playfully, but Song Chan-hyeok greeted me with a bight smile.

“It’s a draw, but who doesn’t see it as a victory? We drew with England, the birthplace of football! And our players led the game throughout the second half!”

“I agree. It looks like our players have trained hard.”

Song Chan-hyeok was genuinely pleasd, nodding repeatedly with a smile.

“I plan to meet Coach Hiddink an hour from now. He’ll speak with the players first, then make time for us.”

I followed Song Chan-hyeok to the office locatd within the stadium.

Inside the office, I conversed on various topics with Song Chan-hyeok.

After asking a few questions about football, he became animated and shared a lot of insights.

About an hour later, the door opened and Coach Hiddink walked in.

I stood up from my seat and extended my hand first.

“Hello, I’m Kim Mu-hyeok. Coach Hiddink.”

“Nice to meet you.”

After exchanging obligatory greetings, we took our seats.

“I’ll go check on the players now. You two talk.”

Song Chan-hyeok discreetly vacated he room, leaving just Hiddink and me.

Hiddink immediately got to the point.

“I’ve heard some details, but I am still contracted with Korea. For now, I only want to focus on the World Cup. And I’m aware of how I was treated at my previous club. The reason I accepted the position of national team coach is because of my frustrations with the club management.”

I nodded understandingly at Hiddink’s words, aware of the conflicts with the obstinate leadership that had caused him much distress.

So, I planned to make him a bold offer.

“Of course I understand. Coach, I will give you full authority over the team.”