I rejected the school bully’s confession because of soccer.

Kang Tan, who had been listening silently, raised his head from the contract.

The face of the young boy who had been silent until now was filled with a seriousness uncharacteristic of a child.

It wasn’t just an emotional reaction, but a thoroughly calculated look.

“This contract has many problems.”

The club officials exchanged glances, avoiding eye contact.

Among them, it was already judged that this contract was good enough.

The terms offered by Barcelona were clearly groundbreaking.

But Kang Tan thought differently.

“3 million euros? This is the total amount to be received during the contract period, right? Is this given as a lump sum?”

The officials had faces that didn’t understand why this was a problem.

“Compared to receiving it in installments as an annual salary, the tax difference is close to 30,000 euros. I can’t apply the ‘Beckham Law’ because I’m a youth player.”
“…If that’s the reason, it’s quite possible to pay in installments even now.”

Kang Tan shook his head.

“No. Please give it as a lump sum. I meant it would be good if you give more to cover the tax. More importantly…”

A finger firmly placed on the contract.

“There’s no buyout clause?”

At Kang Tan’s words, the Barcelona representative slightly furrowed his brow.

He was used to talking with young players, but this kind of response was a first for him.

‘Didn’t they say he’s 7 years old…? What kind of kid talks about taxes, Beckham Law, buyout clauses….’

He felt he needed to pull himself together.

“If you want to say that according to La Liga regulations, a buyout is mandatory in professional contracts… it’s not mandatory in youth contracts.”

He explained calmly.

According to Spanish regulations, players under 16 cannot sign formal professional contracts.

Also, youth contracts are registered as part of academy contracts which are legally less binding, so a buyout clause is not mandatory here.

“In special cases like Kang Tan, professional contracts can be signed at an even younger age regardless of regulations, but it’s true that you’re still too young for that.”

Kang Tan nodded as if he had expected this.

“Yes, I know that. But since it’s optional, couldn’t you include it?”

His voice was calm yet firm.

“To tie me down for a 5-year contract without a buyout, honestly, is hard to accept. What if I make even greater progress in the future? Such a contract could hold me back then, couldn’t it?”

The officials were at a loss for words.

It was true that they hadn’t included a buyout clause to hold him back.

“This means I can’t do anything if I want to go to another club. If conditions offered by another team are good, I should have the right to consider that offer.”

Everyone held their breath at those words.

Kang Tan didn’t stop.

“The incentives are not guaranteed either, you’re just saying you ‘might’ give them.”

The representative shook his head with a forced smile.

“It’s really amazing insight, but the contract we proposed is designed to minimize such situations you’re worried about.”

Another official added.

“That’s right. This is just an academy contract. We’re also considering the flexibility of the contract as much as possible.”

Cold sweat broke out on their backs as the persuasion became harder than expected.

“If your skills really grow more, couldn’t we negotiate again then? We’re also willing to actively review incentives.”

Kang Tan smiled.

“Then I’d like you to clearly specify that part. We can’t keep going on just believing in possibilities. And youth contracts are usually short-term, right?”

The representative sighed.

He couldn’t believe this conversation was with a child.

The boy sitting across the table seemed like a veteran negotiating agent, not Kang Tan.

“Kang Tan… As we said, we’re asking for a contract extension with a professional contract in mind. Isn’t the title of youngest first team player at 15 tempting?”
“Yes.”

Kang Tan’s answer was quick and firm.

“I’m not as young as when I came over at 5 years old, dazzled by just one title of being the youngest.”

The representative gulped.

Kang Tan didn’t say anything more.
In fact, Kang Tan was more tempted than anyone.
Youngest, world stage.
However, he had no intention of showing it.
Because that’s what negotiations are all about.

Meanwhile, the club officials were keenly feeling.

The conviction that extension would be difficult if they didn’t properly reflect the demands of the child in front of them.

In a quiet room.

Kang Tan spread the contract on the desk.

Numbers and clauses engraved on white paper.

It was the most important promise in his 8-year-old life.

3 years + 1 year option contract.

Signing bonus of 3.3 million euros.

Buyout clause of 50 million euros.

It was an enormous condition, exceptional for a young player.

But Kang Tan knew this amount was more than just numbers.

‘Everything’s good, but the 1-year option… that’s the catch.’

He likes the ‘clause for new signing bonus negotiation upon option activation’ written in the contract.

It means they have to negotiate again when activating the 1-year option contract after the 3-year contract ends.

It clearly guarantees conditions where he can be treated accordingly when his value increases.

But that’s why it’s a problem.

‘If rumors spread in the market that I gave up the option without even negotiating… my value would drop.’

Kang Tan soon shook his head.

He just needs to do well enough that they can’t make such a decision.
Because he’s confident he can make them not want to let him go at all.

‘3.3 million euros isn’t bad either.’

Kang Tan recalled the signing bonus with a satisfied expression.

It was a slightly increased amount compared to the 3 million euros initially proposed by Barcelona.

It’s only 10%, but the contract period was reduced by 2 years excluding the option, so the gain is much bigger.

The buyout amount was also satisfactory.

50 million euros.

It was an unbelievable amount even to himself.

But Kang Tan knew.

‘It means they don’t want to let me go that much.’

It wasn’t particularly bad for him either.

It’s also a public declaration that they’re valuing him this highly.

At the same time, if there’s a club willing to pay this amount to take him?

That place would surely treat him better.

‘No matter what, there won’t be a club that would give Barcelona nearly 65 billion won for an 8-year-old.’

Barcelona could feel at ease too.

He also checked the detailed clauses tucked in a corner of the contract again.

Bonus option for playing a certain number of games.

Bonus option for scoring a certain number of goals.

Bonus option for a certain number of assists.

Of course, all of these excluded unofficial games like practice matches and friendly matches.

That’s why it was reassuring that they included such clauses as guarantees, even if it wouldn’t amount to much.

Kang Tan closed the contract with a small smile.

‘This much is fine.’

A relaxed satisfaction bloomed on the face of the 8-year-old boy.

‘This is a fair, right investment for both sides.’

His eyes were already looking beyond the extension.

And before that.

There was something that couldn’t be postponed.

‘I remember it was around 2009…’

It was the year Bitcoin was born.

For Kang Tan, who had been steadily saving his pocket money to buy it anyway, a large sum of money came in.

‘Should I buy just half?’

The reason was that he couldn’t guarantee how the future would change if he bought it.

He shouldn’t go all in and end up with nothing due to the butterfly effect.

That’s why he asked for the signing bonus as a lump sum.
‘I don’t have time to receive it over 3 years.’

It wasn’t difficult to receive half of the signing bonus like that.

Kang Tan’s parents had seen him rambling on.

Since it was money their child had earned with his own ability in the first place, they trusted Kang Tan without much worry.

However, the problem arose elsewhere.

‘Where on earth do I buy it?’

English, Spanish, Korean.

Even mobilizing all the languages he could use, it wasn’t easy to find information.

Nevertheless, Kang Tan didn’t give up.
He delved into clues about Bitcoin trading methods circulating on internet forums.
‘Wasn’t it 2009? It seems right seeing that there is something.’

He visited some overseas Bitcoin exchange websites.

Sites only available for trading in the US and Japan.

However, complicated procedures and incomplete payment systems put him in difficulty.
He couldn’t even tell if actual trades were taking place.
Also, connecting to overseas bank accounts was needed for trading.

‘Hah… Should I wait until convenient exchanges appear?’

In 1-2 years, it would be easier than now.

However, human greed to catch the lowest point made him unstoppable.

‘P2P method for direct trading?’

This was a method of trading directly with Bitcoin users.

However, this was also a great difficulty.

Most were adults, and it was even considered illegal or impossible for a child to attempt trading.

‘I can’t ask dad or mom either.’

His parents could do it trusting Kang Tan, but if parents who didn’t know well stepped in, the risk of being scammed was too high.

Kang Tan tried several times, but it didn’t happen as easily as he wanted.

In the end, Kang Tan gave up buying due to his understanding of the Bitcoin market and technical barriers.

Instead.

‘Mining… They said it was easy to mine at this time.’

He decided to start mining directly.

Kang Tan created a Bitcoin wallet on the site he had found while searching for information.

Wallet creation could be done simply using an email address.

He then installed the mining program and ran it.

He adjusted the settings one by one to avoid mistakes in the process of connecting to the Bitcoin network using CPU.

But mining wasn’t a way to make money as quickly as expected.

But he had time.

And he had no intention of missing this opportunity.

Eventually, his patience was rewarded.

A few hours later, the first Bitcoin finally appeared on Kang Tan’s computer screen.

‘Did it work? Is this really the end?’

He felt as if he had crossed a huge wall of the world.

The first mined Bitcoin was about 50 BTC.