A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 45

#A Rookie in the Baseball Team is Too Good Episode 45

Chapter 13: One Step Forward (1)

One week later.

The KH Cannons’ spring training camp in Okinawa, Japan, came to an end.

The team returned to Korea via Incheon International Airport and began a short three-day break. However, for the Cannons’ front office, rest was an impossible dream.

With the season opener just around the corner, the Cannons’ front office’s first order of business was a meeting involving all team leaders.

“It feels like it’s been a long time since we’ve all gathered in one place like this. Everyone has worked hard, both in Korea and Japan.”

The person presiding over the meeting that day was Seo Chang-gi, the head of the Cannons’ front office.

“First of all, there’s someone I need to introduce to the team leaders here… Deputy Manager Cha Yoon-jin.”

“…Yes.”

Cha Yoon-jin stood up at Director Seo Chang-gi’s instruction.

“As you all know, Manager Jo Sung-beom, who was in charge of the international affairs team, has left our Cannons due to personal reasons.”

Although the expression was ‘personal reasons,’ every team leader knew what had actually happened.

A slight tension, anxiety, and regret for the departed manager rippled across the team leaders’ faces.

Sensing the slightly subdued atmosphere in the conference room, Director Seo Chang-gi continued.

“Considering Manager Jo Sung-beom’s personal request and the unique nature of the international affairs team… Deputy Manager Cha Yoon-jin will be taking over as the team leader of the international affairs team this season.”

“…This is Cha Yoon-jin.”

The undisputed ace of the international affairs team, known as ‘Black Curtain Cha Cha’ [a nickname implying she keeps things under wraps].

She was someone who wouldn’t bat an eye at most things, but at this moment, she wore a heavy expression.

Her direct superior had stepped down due to an unsavory incident, and she was taking his place.

Even for her, who had openly stated she would become the operations team leader within three years, it wouldn’t have been easy to accept with a bright face.

“First of all, I would like to apologize for causing concern to the team leaders due to the international team’s issues. We will do our best as a team to prevent this from happening again in the future.”

As Deputy Manager Cha Yoon-jin briefly stated her position and sat down, Director Seo Chang-gi clapped his hands, wanting to lighten the atmosphere.

“Alright, let’s move on to the matters to be discussed today. First of all, the issue that needs to be decided is…”

Director Seo Chang-gi turned over a document on the desk.
The word ‘damn’ almost escaped his lips involuntarily.

‘Who the hell decided on this meeting agenda?’

It was something that needed to be discussed at the meeting, but the timing felt awkward.

However, feeling that consciously skipping it would make the situation even more awkward, Director Seo Chang-gi opened his mouth, trying to look as nonchalant as possible.

“The first thing we need to discuss is the assignment of the training assistants who were newly hired in February…”

Director Seo Chang-gi clasped his hands together.

“Among the training assistants, the two who received the highest evaluations are Kim Ji-seop and Go Chang-deok, who are currently in the international team. The power analysis team has made a strong request to recruit Go Chang-deok…”

Director Seo Chang-gi looked around at the team leaders and continued.

“So that leaves us with Kim Ji-seop…”

Director Seo Chang-gi could feel the strange glances exchanged between the team leaders.

* * *

That evening.

The [CEO’s Office] located on the 3rd floor of KH Cannons Field, the home stadium of the KH Cannons.

A bleak place with nothing but a desk, a chair, and a few framed pictures on the wall.

It was a place where most people felt suffocated just by stepping inside, and Director Seo Chang-gi could feel cold sweat trickling down his back.

“So?”

A voice came from the head seat.

If there was anyone who could sit in the head seat at this time and place, it would be only one person throughout the KH Cannons.

“What’s your conclusion?”

‘Sakhalin Park,’ Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju.

He was impatiently drumming his fist on the armrest of the sofa, pressing for an answer.

“No team leader wants to take Kim Ji-seop… Are you saying that, in the end?”

“Y, yes, Vice Chairman.”

‘I’m sorry.’

Director Seo Chang-gi quickly added.

“It may not have been his intention, but as a result, it looks like Kim Ji-seop drove Manager Jo Sung-beom out. It seems the team leaders are reluctant to accept such a rookie.”

It was a story that Manager Jo Sung-beom, who had now left the team, had also mentioned.

Whether the team leaders themselves felt guilty or not was not important.

In any case, a rookie spoke out of turn, and a manager who had worked for nearly 20 years lost his job.

To the team leaders who lived as if walking on thin ice, Kim Ji-seop was inevitably seen as someone they didn’t want to be around.

From Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju’s perspective, it was laughable.

‘Why are people so petty? If it were me, I would have welcomed such a capable rookie with open arms.’

Of course, he couldn’t say such things out loud.

Vice Chairman Park crossed his arms and remained silent, and Director Seo Chang-gi seemed to take his silence as a sign of dissatisfaction.

“It’s true that his internal evaluation is good. If no team leader accepts him, I was wondering if it would be a good idea to keep him under me…”

“Under you… Are you suggesting assigning him as an aide to the director?”

Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju chuckled.

“From the beginning, I was going to bring Kim Ji-seop in as a full-time employee. But what did you say to me back then? You said that the people in the club have eyes, so we shouldn’t just parachute him in, right?”

“Th, that’s…”

“I thought you were right, so I brought him in as a training assistant… Now, how can I give him a grand title like ‘Director’s Aide’? That’s just a good way to make him disliked within the club.”

At that moment, Director Seo Chang-gi could sense that Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju was very invested in this rookie named Kim Ji-seop.

Perhaps ‘caring’ would be a more accurate description than ‘invested.’

It wasn’t just about giving him a title, but about creating an environment where he could fully demonstrate his abilities.

‘What… what kind of relationship do they have?’

Whatever the reason, if the acting owner of the club was going this far, the director had to rack his brains.

Where on earth should he place this rookie named Kim Ji-seop?

It was at that moment that Director Seo Chang-gi fell into deep thought.

“Hey, Mr. Seo! Can I say something to you?”

A voice came to Director Seo Chang-gi.

It was very fluent English.

* * *

At the very same time that the above conversation was taking place at KH Cannons Field.

Ji-seop, the ‘problematic figure’ who was making Director Seo Chang-gi’s head spin, was sweating profusely in an apartment in Yeongsan City, Gyeonggi Province.

“Right! Right! Right! No, too far… Left! To the left!”

“Damn it, is it right or left! Just pick one!”

“How long are you going to take with just one TV?”

The place where Ji-seop was sweating was the new home of KH Cannons’ foreign pitcher, Jimmy Morris.

Jimmy Morris, whose contract extension was naturally approved after the resignation of Manager Jo Sung-beom.

He was provided with an apartment by the club for the season, and Ji-seop and Go Chang-deok were helping him move in as part of their duties in the international team.

“Okay! Okay! You can put it down now!”

Jimmy Morris nodded with a satisfied expression.

To Ji-seop and Go Chang-deok, who were sitting down with dazed faces, he offered his apologies and gratitude.

“Ji-seop, Chang-deok! Thank you! I think the move was able to finish quickly thanks to you two!”

“If you had decided where to put things sooner, it could have ended much earlier…”

Ji-seop had gained a bit of a bad reputation within the club due to the Jo Sung-beom incident, but perhaps it was a trade-off.

His relationship with foreign pitcher Jimmy Morris had become even stronger.

As a result, Ji-seop had secured Jimmy Morris’s job for this season, and the two were also the same age.

“I’m sorry for making you work on your day off, friends! Here, let’s have a can of beer each.”

Jimmy Morris brought out beer from the refrigerator, which had just started humming, and handed it out.

Just as Ji-seop and Go Chang-deok made a ‘Kheuueu’ [onomatopoeia for a satisfied gulp] sound as if they had promised each other, Jimmy Morris looked at the two of them and asked.

“Hey, so what’s going to happen to you two?”

“Hmm?”

It was Go Chang-deok who answered.

“What?”

“Didn’t you say you were doing some kind of internship program? Now that it’s over… I’m asking what’s going to happen to you in the future.”

“Ah, that’s…”

Go Chang-deok, who was about to answer immediately, quietly closed his mouth.

His destination had been decided.

He had been confirmed as a full-time employee as a rookie in the power analysis team, and he had already greeted the team leader and team members.

However, the destination of the one person who had helped him the most in getting a full-time job had not yet been decided.

“Th, that’s…”

Go Chang-deok scratched his head and hesitated.

Ji-seop smiled faintly as he looked at Go Chang-deok.

“Hyung [older brother/friend], why are you so anxious? You’re making me nervous.”

“No, I’m not anxious, but…”

Go Chang-deok poured the remaining beer in the can into his mouth.

“Weren’t you supposed to be assigned to a department by today? But there’s still no news…”

Go Chang-deok couldn’t hide his frustration, but Ji-seop was rather at ease.

‘Yeah, is there any need to be impatient?’

It was also thanks to the reliable ‘backing’ of ‘Sakhalin Park’ Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju.

Even if he was disliked, he believed that that man would somehow take care of it.

But what made Ji-seop’s mind peaceful at this time was a kind of ‘confidence.’

‘It wasn’t… bad.’

In fact, it was a spring camp that he had participated in with an anxious heart.

Could he, who had no professional experience, play a proper role?

Could he show his skills as much as ‘Sakhalin Park’ had trusted him?

But when he thought about it, he felt that he had done much better than he had originally expected.

‘Yeah, it wasn’t bad.’

He was definitely still lacking in experience.

He prided himself on knowing more about baseball than others, but he still had a lot to learn about the inner workings of professional clubs and the minds of players.

However, if he could somehow fill that experience little by little, he was confident that he would soon be able to play his role anywhere.

‘To think I’m feeling this way… it’s the first time in my life.’

A strong sense of confidence that he was feeling for the first time at the age of thirty-three.

Perhaps it was thanks to that confidence.

Brrr- Brrr- Brrr-

A phone call came just in time.

“Hello?”

“Yes, this is Kim Ji-seop…”

Ji-seop was able to remain calm and not be greatly flustered even by the news that the person on the other end of the phone delivered.

“So, what you’re saying is…”

Blink.

Ji-seop blinked once.