Still, the turnout was embarrassingly sparse. There was nobody from the Legal Team, and Jin from the Strategy Support Office hadn’t come, either. Today’s meeting, of course, was mostly a briefing on the agency’s vision and what they could offer Gwon Jaekyung. A lawyer didn’t have to be present. Jiheon had to admit the decision made some sense. After all, what mattered to Mrs. Shim was probably how big the signing bonus was.
Well, whatever. The CEO had said the meeting would be fruitful as long as they simply told her what kind of agency they were, and nothing more.
The CEO and the head of the Management Team would handle the rest. Jiheon sighed and leaned into the sofa. That’s when he inadvertently overheard someone speaking on the phone in a hushed voice.
“No, he’s not doing the Olympics. He flat-out refused. I told him to think about it, but he wouldn’t budge. He says he’s retiring after the upcoming championship. He won’t sign anything unless we acknowledge that and promise not to interfere with whatever he decides to do next.”
Jiheon froze where he sat. He hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but that wasn’t what confused him. The Olympics? Retirement? The upcoming championship? A contract? The words coming from behind him sounded far too familiar. Whoever it was, it was obvious they worked in the same industry.
Someone from a sports agency—here, now, in this very hotel? The man was apparently in talks with a national-level athlete—someone good enough to decide for himself whether to go to the Olympics.
This can’t be a coincidence. A moment later, the man confirmed it himself.
“The mother’s on board, of course. But she says she can’t change his mind. She believes that simply getting him to agree to sign on with an agency was already more than enough. The rest, she says, is on us.”
So it really is about Jaekyung.
Jiheon was certain now. From everything he’d just heard, the man had to be talking about Jaekyung.
That meant he was working for Kavva’s. From the sound of it, the talks with Jaekyung were not going well after all. Wait—does this mean the contract really hasn’t been finalized yet? Is that why Mrs. Shim wanted to talk to us? Or does she just want to take Kavva down a notch while she wrangles out the terms she wants?
More importantly, why isn’t Jaekyung going to the Olympics next year? Jiheon wondered, frowning as he stayed slouched on the sofa. Winning four events in a single year was great and all—but in the advertising world, winning medals at two separate Olympics meant a lot more. Or maybe that whole story was just a bluff to squeeze a better offer out of Kavva.
Still trying to process everything, Jiheon froze when his phone rang.
“Mr. Jung, where are you?”
It was Lee Yujeong, the team lead from the Management Team.
“I’m at the lobby,” Jiheon said, quickly getting to his feet. He lowered his voice, covering his mouth with one hand.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to come here right now. Where are you? I’ll come to you.”
“Oh, is that so? Then come on up. We’re meeting Gwon Jaekyung in his room.”
Yujeong told him the room number and hung up. Jiheon rushed to the elevators immediately, but all three central elevators had already headed up, and there was a huge crowd waiting to get on as well. He’d heard that a large symposium and an exposition were being held today at the hotel.
Which meant the elevators at either end of the building would be packed too.
Jiheon paused to think. The room was on the twenty-first floor. He stared down at the tips of his shoes, trying to calculate the number of stairs he would have to climb. Then set off to find the emergency stairs.
He arrived on the twenty-first floor not long after, and by then, he was sure he had made the right call. If he had waited for the elevator, he would have been stuck for at least ten minutes. The stairs had taken him under five. Still, it had taken a lot out of him.
He tried to catch his breath while walking down the corridor. By the time he reached the right door, he had mostly caught his breath. But he couldn’t stop the sweat from beading on his forehead and neck.
“Oh, there you are, Mr. Jung.”
Yujeong, who’d been standing in front of the door, recognized him and waved. The CEO also turned around and looked somewhat taken aback.
“You’re sweating. Is it that hot out there?” he asked.
“I took the stairs,” Jiheon said.
Now it was Yujeong’s turn to look surprised.
“All the way up here? This is the twenty-first floor!”
“Don’t underestimate the stamina of a former national athlete. It’s just some stairs,” said Taejin Kang, a former national volleyball player, with a proud smile. It hadn’t been easy, to be honest, but Jiheon knew better than to bring it up.
“Wipe some of that sweat off,” Yujeong said, taking out a handkerchief from her bag and offering it to Jiheon.
“Thank you. I’ll wash it and give it back,” he said, wiping his face. Yujeong waved her hand at him.
“No need. You can just throw it out. I’ve been using it for too long, and I need a new one.”
“Then I’ll buy you a new one,” Jiheon said with a smile. He folded the handkerchief and tucked it in his shirt pocket.
“Shall we head in?”
Taejin said. He then knocked on the door. A middle-aged woman opened it moments later.
“You’re from ProEdge, right? We’ve been waiting. Come on in,” said Mrs. Shim, Jaekyung’s mother, with a gracious smile. She let Taejin and Yujeong in first. Then spotting Jiheon, she threw her arms around him.
“It’s been so long, Jiheon!”
“Hello, it’s really good to see you again,” Jiheon said.
“Seriously! It’s been, what, ten years?”
“Yes, but you look better than you did ten years ago.”
“Oh, come on. You’re just saying that!”