178 — The German Proposition II

Director Lee's POV:

"You mean the U-17 World Cup in Japan."

Lee didn't even bother to phrase it as a question. He'd been anticipating this for a while.

"Exactly." Weber said. "Right now, Jae-il is known mostly to the inner circles. To the scouts who actually do the work. But the moment he steps onto that pitch in Japan? When the world is watching? He will no longer be a Korean player. He will be a global phenomenon. On top of that, this World Cup will be special. There is a storm coming from South America."

Lee frowned. "South America?" Oh, right. He'd heard the news.

"Brazil." Weber said, and he was using the word as if it was meant to hold a significant weight. And when it came from Brazil, it always did. "Have you seen the scouting reports from Rio? They are calling it the Geração dos Deuses. The Generation of Gods. Can you believe how ridiculous it is for an entire team to be packed to the brim with legendary-tier players? In one team? Like clockwork! Like divine intervention! As if an ancient deity had woken up and decided that he didn't have anything better to do than to curse all of South America with brilliant talent." Weber's voice had gone up an octave, but he was clearly on a roll, and Lee chose to let him continue, albeit with some amusement. "I could not believe my own eyes at first, so I went there myself, traveled there to watch them play... and can you guess what I discovered?" Weber asked, looking at Lee like a teacher waiting for the answer he already knew.

"... I suppose you discovered they truly were the Generation of the Gods."

"Oh, absolutely." The man answered with a wide grin. "They are the finest crop of players this continent has produced since, well, decades! An unchallenged generation of champions. We don't really compare. These monsters are... unparalleled. The absolute best that their entire continent has to offer."

"Brazil has always been known to produce their share of elite talent." Lee stated.

"Yes, that is true. But nothing quite as consistently high quality or of this magnitude as these youngsters." Weber replied, his expression slowly shifting to one of worry. "They have a striker, Da Silva, who is already starting for Flamengo's first team and is scoring, regularly. They have a winger, Rico, who has a buyout clause of eighty million euros. Eighty million, Director. This Brazilian team is a monster. They are coming to Japan to destroy everyone and beyond."

Weber tapped the table for emphasis.

"Now, back to our boy. If Jae-il goes to Japan without a contract, and he plays against that Brazil team... if he stands toe-to-toe with Da Silva and Rico and holds his own? His price won't just double. It will become astronomical. And then the sharks will come."

"The sharks." Lee repeated dryly.

"Manchester City. Paris Saint-Germain. Real Madrid." Weber listed them off like diseases. "They will arrive with their oil money and their state-backed funds. They'll sign him like an asset, just to hawk jerseys in Asia. They'll bury him in their reserves until he rots. Or they'll loan him out to a middling Belgian or Portugal club where he will get ripped to pieces by thirty-year-old journeymen who are jealous of his paycheck."

He pointed a finger at the tablet again.

"They buy assets. We build players. That is the Dortmund way. Look at our history. We took the American boy when he was a child and made him a star. We took the Norwegian kid from the windswept fjords, built him a legacy and made him the most sought-out superstar in his homeland. In terms of financial stability and player development, there is no better alternative. We don't care about passports. We don't care about age. We care about quality. If he goes to Manchester, he is a number on a spreadsheet. If he comes to Dortmund, he is the entire Project. We're ready to turn him into the next greatest thing."

Lee looked down at the tablet, at the freeze-frame of Jae-il. He thought about the boy he'd seen grow. The boy was too big for the K-League. He was a whale in a pond. Staying here would only stunt his growth. It would breed complacency. He needed iron to sharpen iron.

He needed to be thrown into the fire pits of the Bundesliga and further beyond.

And Borussia Dortmund... was perhaps the best opportunity Jae-il had to stretch his wings. To fight more challenging opponents. To expand his horizon beyond Korea.

"And Kim Jun-hwan?" Lee asked, looking up again.

"He's a cut from the same cloth as Jae-il." Weber declared. "Obviously, he's less 'complete', so to speak... but he has the potential to become a world-class playmaker. The kind that makes a team connect like clogs of a beautiful, unstoppable machine. Ah, a bit like Javi, but with a little more... bite in him. He's a very, very important component to our plan, Director. He's essential."

"You seem very sure of this investment." Lee observed. It was the first time in his history as the Director that someone had made such an outrageous offer. "Two teenagers from Korea."

"I am risking my career on it." Weber said without hesitation. "I have already convinced Watzke to authorize the funds. I told the board that if we miss this kid, we will regret it for the next fifteen years. We are ready to sign a pre-contract agreement effective immediately, securing their transfer rights the moment the window opens and the FIFA pilot clears."

Lee drummed his fingers on the table. This was it. The moment every academy director dreams of and dreads. The moment the bird leaves the nest.

"The parents will need to be convinced." Lee said. "Especially Jae-il's. His father is... enthusiastic about his son's fame, but his mother is protective. Very traditional. Sending her fifteen-year-old son to Germany will not be an easy sell."

"We will fly them out." Weber said instantly. "Private jet. Tour of the Signal Iduna Park. Stand in the Yellow Wall. Meet the staff. See the schools. We will show them that we are not just taking their sons; we are adopting them into the BVB family. We will provide housing for the mothers if they wish to accompany the boys for the first year. Whatever it takes."

He reached into his briefcase and pulled out a thick, heavy document folder. He slid it across the table.

"This is the proposal. The transfer fee for FC Seoul is structured with sell-on clauses. If Jae-il becomes what I think he will become... that 20% sell-on clause will be worth more than the initial fee."

Lee opened the folder. His eyes widened slightly at the initial figure. It was high. Absurdly high for a fifteen-year-old. It was the kind of money that could fund the academy for five years.

"We need to move fast, Director." Weber said, his voice tight with urgency. "I saw a scout from Chelsea at the airport in Bangkok. A snakey bastard, that one. And I know for a fact that a representative from Ajax is flying to Seoul tomorrow morning. They are smelling blood in the water. We are here now. And we are ready to nurture this boy, polish this diamond until the rest of the world learns his name, until he breaks records, until he revolutionizes the league. He'll become South Korea's most famous export. He'll put Asian names back on the lips of the best players in the game.

They stared at each other, Weber's ice-chip eyes filled with a dark fire, a fervent belief that had Lee's heart quickening with excitement.

Director Lee closed the folder. He looked at the German scout, at the exhausted, determined look in his eyes. He saw a snake. But he also saw a man who genuinely believed.

And so did he.

Lee closed the folder. He looked out the window at the busy streets of Seoul. The boy had outgrown this city. He belonged to the world now. To the history books.

He turned back to Weber.

"I will speak to the families." Lee said calmly. "I cannot promise their agreement. But I will present the offer. If they agree, and if the boys agree... then we can talk numbers."

Weber let out a breath he seemed to have been holding since he walked into the room. His shoulders dropped an inch. He nodded, taking a long sip of his water.

"Good." The German said. "Make it happen, Director. Because a talent like that? He doesn't come around once in a generation. He comes around once in a lifetime. And if we let him slip... God help us all when we have to play against him, or worse, if he never lives up to his full potential."

Lee stood up, tucking the folder under his arm.

"I know." Lee said with grim resolution; he wasn't one of those that'd gladly tear a fifteen year old boy from his family, but Jae-il's talent would never fully flourish in the K League. "That's why I'm not going to let him go to waste."

He shook Weber's hand again. The deal wasn't done, but the wheels were turning.

The comet was about to leave orbit.

"I'll be in touch, Mr. Weber."

"I will be waiting by the phone."

As Lee walked away, leaving the intense German scout looking at his tablet like it was a holy scripture, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness mixed with the excitement. They were losing him. But if they played this right, they would be giving him to the only place that could truly handle him.

South Korea was too small for Cha Jae-il.

It was time for the Bundesliga.

It was time for a bigger stage, bigger names, and bigger challenges.

All of this would hinge on his parents' decision, and that of the boy himself.