God of Tennis

It was neither Han Woo-jin nor Shin Se-yeon who responded to Cho's request with sincerity. Like a lie, the director was the fastest before the twin lights up. He stoops out and spits out his harsh voice.

“Chairman, are you serious? ”

“... Do I look like I'm playing a game? ”

Similarly, it was a harsh answer. But my voice didn't stand still. Chairman Cho himself was well aware of how heavy the burden he had just handed over to Han Woo-jin. Winning the ATP500, that was something even the top rankers in the top 10 world rankings couldn't guarantee.

And it wasn't just that. I honestly couldn't understand Joe's decision right now.

Of course, it was not that he did not understand the point of what he said. National sporting hero. The rise of the domestic tennis industry based on it. Just as Park Chan-ho used to stir up an uproar in the past, Chairman Jo must be trying to put Han Woo-jin in such a heroic position.

But no matter how many times I weighed it, it wasn't like this.

“If I had 250 leagues, I'd swallow a horse. But 500 doesn't matter how much I think about it. Just look at Tokyo Open. It's 500 leagues with top-tier players like Roger Pedro smiling like regular customers. It's not a level that Woojin can guarantee to win.

Go! ”

Speaking for myself, I felt fever rising, and the director's face turned red almost like a tomato. I felt like I had a few bottles of alcohol during the day. It was also the doctor's statement that he could not convince Chairman Jo that much.

In fact, he was right. ATP250 was still a level for lower-ranked rankers to win, with the exception of a few competitions. So did Han Woo-jin, who won the ATP League championship for the first time. But there was only one step up, and the ATP500 was also a deep car.

The circle changes.

“You want me to let a kid who's only two years into his debut do what he hasn't done in his life? Isn't this really too much? ”

As the former director said, even Giant Kim, a tennis player in Korea, has never rated the league above the ATP500. Maybe that's why he chose Tokyo Open for the last stage of his professional life. The place where Kim Hyeong-myung sacrificed his youth and was untouchable even though he ran out.

It was ATP500.

No matter how fast Han Woo-jin grows and buds, it is too much to remove this burden. I took on the director's rightful protest, and Chairman Cho accepted it with a stiff face. However, he also had a few reasons not to back off.

“I knew what you were thinking. Maybe you wouldn't have listened to me. ”

Chairman Cho said he knew it would be so, and pulled some documents out of his desk drawer. I didn't see a single letter from the beginning to the end, even if it was shipped from a foreign country. Only the alphabet was written in subtext.

Chairman Jo, who was about to hand it over to the former director, remembered that he couldn't speak English well and held back his hand. Then he began to read the contents of the document himself.

“I'll skip the small talk and just get to the point.... Dear Chairman of the Korean Tennis Association. It is truly an honor to host the ATP500 League in Seoul, South Korea. It would have been difficult without your help.... Hmm, they're all four-legged. Just let me summarize.

May I? ”

There's no one here who doesn't notice enough to shake his head. The chairman swiped the documents on his desk and broke his knuckles.

“Let's be honest. Korea still lacks a lot to attract ATP500 leagues. Insufficient infrastructure, low level of athletes, and low public interest... There's a lot of problems. So is this tournament. If it wasn't for what I did when I invested in Savvy,

It must have been hard 250 years without silver. ”

Three heads nod and shake at the same time. He didn't even expect an answer in the first place, but he didn't stop.

“So we needed to prove it. Korea deserves to attract the ATP League. ”

“Did you ask Woojin to do that for proof? ”

“Yes, I can convince the hard-headed society to take the cup from the host country! ”

Apparently, they didn't know. Chairman Cho's eyes were like they were on fire. Maybe he's been through something at the ATP? I can't exactly say that I'm not the three people who know the tennis culture at the heart of the Western world.

It was.

However, Chairman Joe did not say that gradually.

“Kim Hyung is retired, and Choi Yeon-Hyuk is nursing because of his injuries. You're the only one I can trust. ”

He just gave Han Woo-jin his last hope with his hot eyes.

“I promise you all the support I can get. Please win this tournament. ”

After leaving the chairman's office, the three of them remained silent for a few minutes. It was because I never imagined this would happen. Han Woo-jin, who was silent all the time, turned his gaze toward Shin Se-yeon until he got in the car going to NK Shipyard.

“Se-yeon, did you get the list of candidates from Chairman earlier? ”

“Oh, yes. I put it in my bag. Do you want me to get you out?”

“Please.”

She looks for a moment to rummage through her bag. She pulls out a thin stack of paper and hands it to him. Although it has not been translated into Korean, what other translation would be necessary for a marquee with only a person's name written on it? Han Woo-jin reads the blob of paper he received from her from the top.

A name I don't know, a name I know, and a name I don't know... I pause occasionally whenever I see a name I am familiar with, and I remember a moment when I encounter something in front of me. There were things that came to mind, things that didn't come to mind while they were sinking.

About 10 minutes later, however, Han Woo-jin had to make a serious face with two names. These were definitely the biggest obstacles to the Seoul Open.

Anzy Roddick.

Rovak? okovi?

Either way, it was a good name to bet against Han Woo-jin. Angie Roddick, the world's fastest sub, and Rovak Jokovich, who will grow up to be a monster who will later succeed Pedro. It was the only consolation that Roger Pedro, the most powerful man in the modern era, did not participate.

'If Roger, Radar and Murray were to join us here, they would believe any Grand Slam. ’

It was a sight only Han Woo-jin could remember the future. Zokovich is still just one of the top 10 rankers in the World Ranking Group, and Roddick has long since been crowned by Pedro. It's a long way from home when either of you heard it was the best in the world.

It meant.

However, I didn't know that Han Woo-jin's face would turn solid. Even though Jokovich wasn't finished, even though Roddick was through his prime, they were rich or strong.

‘After all, it's hard to sell. ’

I never thought ATP500 would flow so easily in the first place. Big 4 in the future, world's strongest in the past. I felt like it was going to be a difficult competition. It may not be a wave that will survive the break... but after this competition, Han Woo-jin will be able to overcome a few steps

I will be able to make more progress.

Queek!

The car stops horribly as he shorts his thoughts. I think I've arrived at my destination. Before Han Woo-jin could even get a new angle on the NK Vehicle building, the former driver turned around and looked at them.

“Then the chairman said that he had sent a special gift to the ship. ”

“A special gift? ”

“Come on, I don't know what it is, so don't ask. ”

The director stepped out of the car with a blunt look on his face. Perhaps he reasonably understood Joe's request, but emotionally he did not seem to have convinced. The remaining two face each other curiously, and then followed him inside the vehicle.

‘It's been a long time. ’

Two months later, the rush of time, like the storm, made the boathouse building that had been staying longer than home since it became a professional. A field coat that had been practicing with other athletes, a track that had been turned around for a few rounds to gain strength... It was only after seeing it again that the memory came back to life.

I did.

But that was the end of the unfamiliar scene. Three people entered the lobby and encountered things they had never seen before in the vehicle. To be precise, it was people.

“… Who are you people? ”

The director stepped up first and approached them. They rumble until Hanwoojin's group approaches, and then I see the director's face and crowd in bright colors. The momentum was such that the former director stepped back.

The narrative of the crowded lobby was outlined about 30 minutes later.

* * *

“So... you mean the president sent you? For you?”

Hanwoojin opens his mouth as he sits in the lobby chair and looks at the people lined up in front of him. Then the man on the far right stepped forward and reached out his hand.

“Yes, Han Woo-jin. I'm Hyo-myung Kim, who was hired as a racquet stringer by Han Woo-jin. Please take good care of it."

“Ah… yes, nice to meet you. ”

Black hornrims, short curly hair and eyebrows were impressive men. However, the hand he held was stronger than he thought, and the stiffness he had learned all over proved his career.

Racket Stringer is a technician who puts tennis players' rackets in optimal condition, and it was very difficult to find high quality teeth in Korea. It was necessary because there were fewer tennis players in the first place.

However, the qualification of the man who introduced himself as Hyo-myung Kim was about to remain after proving his level.

“As an international first-rate stringer, you're also an accomplished Grand Slam Symposium participant. It's amazing.”

“Han Woo-jin is amazing. To be honest, Chairman Joe was a Grand Slam, so I didn't really believe him when I said that. Korea still thought it was a long way to go to the world stage for tennis...”

Hyo-myung Kim touched Han Woo-jin with an impressive face a few times. There were rumors that the best racket stringers could predict their skills or styles even by looking at the racket's damage or by the hand of the player. Maybe he just shook Han Woo-jin's hand.

I didn't know I was capable.

The next time he shook hands with her was a woman who appeared to be in her mid-30s. She was dressed in a white robe as if she was in the medical community, and after shaking her hand, she couldn't help but stutter her fingers, palms and elbows a few times.

“I am Lee Su-yeon, elected to be Han Woo-jin's doctor. Orthopedics, sports medicine. … Amazing, by the way! I've never seen a man with this kind of arm move so flexibly even though his joints are so thick. ”

“Thank you, Miss Lee Su-yeon. ”

Apparently, the system's ability caused Hanwoojin to deviate from normal human specifications.

Lee Su-yeon glanced at him with gleaming eyes as if she wanted to dissect him at his age. Even Hanwoojin, who was hard-hearted, was getting goosebumps on his spine.

And she also had a glamorous career with Hyo-myung Kim. I graduated from Johns Hopkins, and I've had almost 20 different lines of experience.

And they weren't the only ones. The people who were standing constantly stepped forward and reached out their hands. After being introduced to two people, a nutritionist, a massage parlor, and a coordinator, Han Woo-jin became half frozen. I never thought I'd be able to offer the most support.

Just as Roger Pedro and other top rankers accompanied them in all sorts of roles at the Tokyo Open, so did Hanwoojin. These were the members of Han Woo-jin's team selected by strict criteria from Cho.

It was six hours before returning to Korea.

It was the moment when Hanwoojin's team was formed, ranked 54th in the world ranking.

End

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