Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 46

New Goal (3)

“Was this player really part of this agency too? Is this even possible?”

I had intended to rest for a few days without thinking, but my curiosity got the better of me.

The more I searched about Sky Corporation, the more amazed I became.

The data Kim Sang-wook had given me also listed the players affiliated with the agency by sport.

At the time, I didn’t know any better and just skimmed over it.

But after searching them up myself, each and every one of them was a world-class athlete.

They were receiving enormous salaries that were hard to even fathom.

And it wasn’t just one or two players, but dozens of them were affiliated with Sky Corporation.

Moreover, the support that Sky Corporation was offering me was quite extraordinary.

They promised to provide a training program created by the best local staff, as well as introduce training equipment used by Major League players.

It seemed clear that if such a world-class agency entered the Korean baseball market and helped with management, it could bring about significant changes in our sports industry.

For me, being affiliated with a world-class agency would also provide many opportunities to learn.

However, the fact that they would become a competitor to YJ Agency didn’t sit well with me.

Come to think of it, if I were to join Sky Corporation, what would happen to Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-joo?

I had promised not to leave them behind, and even if that weren’t the case, I had already grown too attached to them to just leave them.

I need to bring it up when I talk to Kim Sang-wook again.

“Has it already gotten this late?”

Looking at the clock, it was already past midnight.

When did the time go by so fast?

I was so busy being amazed by Sky Corporation that I didn’t even realize how much time had passed.

I decided to look for more detailed information later and head out for now.

* * *

“Ugh! What is this!”

I couldn’t help but cover my mouth as soon as I saw the banner hanging on the wall next to the high school’s main gate.

The photo taken during the interview with Lee Soo-min was still hanging there.

The color had faded unattractively, as if it had been exposed to wind and rain many times.

I was lucky that no one was around, but if anyone recognized me, I would want to disappear into the ground immediately.

I need to ask the school to take down the photo.

I shook my head vigorously and walked away from the banner.

I walked for a long time across the wide field.

Our school’s field was famous for its size.

It was so big that the middle school and high school baseball teams could each use it as a baseball stadium.

At the same time, it had the disadvantage of being endless to walk across.

How did I walk here every day when I was in school?

“But where is he anyway?”

It was vacation time, so I couldn’t find any students walking around.

I took out my smartphone and searched for his name in the phonebook.

After a few rings, I could hear his voice.

-Are you here yet?

“Where are you? I can’t see you at all.”

-Wait a minute, I’ll come out. Where are you right now?

“I’m in the middle of the field right now.”

-Wait a minute, I’ll be right out.

“Hurry up. I think my mouth is going to freeze off.”

Standing in the middle of the field, I was exposed to the cold wind.

There was nowhere to hide while waiting after hanging up the phone, so I had no choice but to face it head-on.

After a while, I saw a friend waving his hand and running towards me.

The friend running towards me was Jung In-gyu, who I had attended elementary, middle, and high school with for 12 years.

We still met occasionally after graduating from high school, but we hardly met at all after I joined the pros [professional baseball league].

“Did you wait long?”

Jung In-gyu nudged my shoulder.

Thanks to that, the information window appeared above Jung In-gyu’s head as well.

-Worried about the students who have to graduate without being drafted.

The joy of seeing him was fleeting, replaced by a sentence that weighed heavily on my heart.

I had momentarily forgotten that the friend in front of me was the high school baseball coach.

And now, being in their third year [senior year of high school], it was also the time for them to graduate.

If they weren’t drafted, they had to go to college or take the tryout for undrafted players.

If even that didn’t work out…

They might have to quit baseball altogether.

The hardest thing at this time was the players themselves, but the coach, who had trained with them for the past three years, couldn’t feel comfortable either.

Both Jung In-gyu and I weren’t drafted when we graduated from high school.

That’s why I could understand their feelings better than anyone else.

“But I could see your legs when you came. I’m shivering from the cold here.”

“Hey. Stop talking nonsense and let’s go inside.”

Jung In-gyu put his arm around my shoulder and walked somewhere.

The wind was blowing even stronger than before, so I hunched my body.

“But how long has it been since we last saw each other?”

I couldn’t remember when I last saw him.

“Recently… I think it was the first time I saw you since I saw you in the hospital.”

“It hasn’t been that long.”

In fact, I had been living so busy every day for the past few months that I didn’t even know how time was passing.

“But you’re doing well these days. I hear news from you here and there.”

“What do you mean doing well? It just happened that way while I was working.”

“And is your body okay now?”

Jung In-gyu pointed to my head and asked.

I was so fine now that I had forgotten that I was hurt.

“There’s no problem at all now. I’m even forgetting that I was sick.”

“That’s a relief.”

But where are we going anyway?

It seemed like we had walked quite a bit, but he didn’t seem to want to stop.

“But aren’t the kids on vacation now? Why did you come to school?”

“I have to help the kids who are practicing.”

“There are kids who come out to practice even in this weather?”

It was so cold that my body would stiffen, and the dirt on the ground was frozen solid, so it wasn’t a condition where I could train at all.

“There’s a way.”

Jung In-gyu’s lips curled up as high as they could go.

“Hey, you’re a coach, but what kind of era is it now that you’re holding on to the kids like that? We didn’t train in this weather when we were in school, man.”

“Wait and see. You’ll be surprised.”

I was even more dumbfounded to see him enjoying himself.

After a while, a building I had never seen before came into view.

* * *

“Wow. What is all this?”

“Isn’t it amazing?”

As soon as I entered the indoor area, my mouth dropped open and an exclamation came out.

This was an indoor practice field.

To think that there was an indoor practice field in high school.

I couldn’t even imagine it when I was in school.

I was truly impressed.

There was even a space for hitters to practice hitting and fielding, and for pitchers to do bullpen pitching.

It wasn’t big enough to hold a practice game, but it seemed sufficient for basic training.

Even though it was a cold day outside, I could feel the warmth inside the indoor practice field.

Considering that it was a training facility used by the high school baseball team, it was a perfect place.

It was a really useful facility for young players who need to constantly hone their skills.

“This place is really awesome. When did it open?”

“Isn’t it great? Our school has been doing well recently. We barely got it thanks to that.”

“The school built this?”

“The principal ran around here and there, and there were quite a few donations from alumni. I can’t even count how many times this project was overturned in the middle. It barely happened. It hasn’t been long since it was completed.”

Jung In-gyu shook his head, as if recalling the difficult process that had taken place.

“With this kind of training facility, you don’t have to go on a long training trip in the winter, do you?”

“But that’s not the case. Now it’s vacation time, so there are few people, so we’re all doing it indoors. I can’t even dream of training the entire team here.”

Come to think of it, it seemed like there wasn’t enough space to train the entire baseball team at the same time.

“Then what about those friends who are out there today? Are they the aces [best players]?”

About ten players were lined up and running in the practice field.

“…That’s not it.”

Jung In-gyu took a deep breath and hesitated for a moment.

I carefully turned my head towards Jung In-gyu.

I could feel the bitterness in Jung In-gyu’s eyes.

“These days, baseball is also private education. It’s not enough to just have group training at school.”

Realistically, it was difficult for the coach to grab each player at school and spend enough time personally addressing their shortcomings.

As a result, there were many private educational institutions.

During vacations, many students paid expensive tuition fees and received one-on-one lessons at private educational institutions.

“Then these kids are…”

“As you know, how much does it cost to get a lesson there? Most families can’t afford to take lessons throughout the vacation.”

“That’s true.”

I tasted bitterness in my mouth.

“And among the kids who are graduating this time without being drafted, there will be kids who have nowhere to go if they don’t get into college or get accepted as undrafted players.”

“…”

Hearing that, I was reminded of the old days for a moment.

It was no different from what I had experienced more than 10 years ago.

“Fortunately, our school has been doing well in the competition for the past few years, and there are several kids with potential, so they will somehow get into college, but whether they can become professional players is another matter.”

“That’s right.”

Suddenly, I felt like a heavy stone was placed on my heart.

“Those kids said they would come out to practice, so how can the coach stretch his legs and rest? I have to help them even a little bit.”

Jung In-gyu picked up a bat from the corner.

“Are you giving batting practice too? You were a pitcher, weren’t you?”

Then he took a batting stance.

“If I only help with pitching training because I’m a pitcher, what are the hitters supposed to do?”

“You’re really amazing.”

I laughed in disbelief.

“Can you wait a minute? I’ll help with training for a bit.”

I nodded.

Jung In-gyu playfully tapped my shoulder, turned the bat, and walked towards the box full of baseballs.

“Okay! Let’s start training.”

His juniors bowed to him after seeing him and began to prepare for training.

I sat down in a place where I wouldn’t be in the way and watched the juniors train.

“Oh!”

Soon after, as soon as the full-scale training began, I couldn’t help but open my eyes wide and exclaim.