A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 212

54. Synesthetic Imagery World (4)

“Just a moment, Jae-rim hyung.”

Lee Soo-bin stepped forward.

“Protein supplements, do they vary a lot in taste from company to company? If it’s the same strawberry flavor, isn’t it all the same?”

“Hey, sunbae-nim [term of address for a senior], there’s a huge difference! You’ll get a feel for it if you try it yourself, right, hyung?”

As Shim Sung-joon sought agreement, the Cannons’ trainer nodded lightly.

“You can’t say there’s no difference. People who work out often have serious discussions about the taste of supplements, right?”

Saying that, the trainer examined the cupboard in one corner.

“If you’re curious, do you want to compare them yourself? It doesn’t cost money to taste them.”

“Yes, please.”

Lee Soo-bin brought over a rolling chair and plopped down on it.

Then, he carefully tasted the two types of protein shakes the trainer made.

“Hmm…….”

“How is it, sunbae-nim?”

Shim Sung-joon approached and asked.

“It’s definitely different, right? ‘Muscle Macho’ is very sweet and refreshing, but ‘Super Muscle’ feels like you’re downing a whole raw egg!”

“Umm, it is.”

The ingredients might be different, or the company’s know-how might be different.

But what did it matter?

At that moment, Lee Soo-bin felt like a light bulb had turned on in his head.

‘That’s it, this is it.’

Shim Sung-joon kept swinging at bad pitches.

An effective way to fix his bad habit.

Having made up his mind, Lee Soo-bin turned to his one-year junior and said.

“There’s definitely a difference. I think I know why you hate Super Muscle supplements.”

“Right? Super Muscle, they really crossed the line. They say the ingredients are better than others, but if it tastes this bad, it takes away the fun of working out.”

Was he glad to meet someone who agreed with him?

Or was he just enjoying talking about something other than baseball for the first time in a while?

Shim Sung-joon began to chatter like a sparrow on a wire, but it didn’t last long.

“But you know…….”

Lee Soo-bin changed his expression and stared intently at his junior’s face.

“Sung-joon, you’re more meticulous than I thought?”

“Yes?”

“I thought you were the type to just take whatever they gave you.”

“Hey, how could I do that? Supplements are so important when building muscle. I look at the ingredients, the taste, and how easy it is to eat… It’s right to find the optimal balance.”

“Ah, is that so?”

And then, Lee Soo-bin brought up what could be called the main point of the day.

“You’re so picky about protein supplements… why are you so lenient in front of the pitcher’s ball?”

“Pi, pitcher’s ball?”

Shim Sung-joon flinched.

Lee Soo-bin chuckled and continued.

“You’re a complete yes-man at the plate. A slider comes in, yes, a splitter comes in, yes, and then even a ball that’s completely out of the strike zone, you’re like, yes, thank you very much!!”

“Ah, sunbae [term of address for a senior], th, that’s…….”

Shim Sung-joon seemed to be trying to make an excuse, but Lee Soo-bin raised his hand and stopped him.

“Hey, let’s do this.”

Lee Soo-bin pointed to the two types of protein supplements on the desk.

“For the time being, I’ll pick the protein supplements you eat.”

“Sunbae-nim will?”

“Yeah, if you swing at a ball that comes into the ‘hot zone’ at the plate? Then 5 grams of your favorite supplement.”

The ‘hot zone’ referred to the courses that individual hitters preferred.

In Shim Sung-joon’s case, a course slightly off-center towards his body.

“And if you swing at a ball that comes into the ‘cold zone’? Then 5 grams of this damn tasteless supplement.”

The ‘cold zone’ meant the opposite, courses that hitters couldn’t properly attack.

In Shim Sung-joon’s case, courses outside or low in the strike zone.

“We’ll combine them like that to make the protein shake you’ll eat that day. How about it?”

It’ll be fun, right?

Lee Soo-bin was smiling slightly as he looked at Shim Sung-joon.

* * *

Although there were several complicated conditions attached, Lee Soo-bin’s proposal could be roughly summarized as follows.

If you attack a good ball, you eat a delicious shake.

If you touch a bad ball, you eat a bad shake.

And when Shim Sung-joon received Lee Soo-bin’s proposal, his true, honest feeling was this.

‘Ugh, how annoying…….’

That’s right. Frankly, it was annoying.

He already had a headache from not getting hits, and now he couldn’t even eat a protein shake the way he wanted.

He knew it was all his sunbae’s concern and affection, but he just wanted to be left alone right now.

But at this time, Shim Sung-joon had no choice but to nod quietly.

“I understand, sunbae-nim.”

It seemed that it was difficult to reject his sunbae’s proposal to his face.

Originally, a sunbae who was far above you was less intimidating than a sunbae who was only one class ahead.

But in this case, there seemed to be one more point added to that.

‘Well, it’s Lee Soo-bin sunbae, right? He’s not the type to be that strict.’

Lee Soo-bin was known as the most laid-back person in the Cannons team.

Since it was Lee Soo-bin doing it, there was no need to worry too much, right?

He might pretend to care for a day or two and then quit, or he might even forget that he had made these conditions in the first place.

Therefore, Shim Sung-joon was able to nod with a light heart, but.

But,

What he witnessed from the next day was a sunbae-nim who was more thorough than ever before.

When it was time to finish weight training, Lee Soo-bin would bring a tablet PC and appear like a ghost.

“Okay, shall we start the verification?”

Jjaran, jjaran, jjaran, jjan-jja [onomatopoeia for a musical flourish].

Hmming a verse from classical music, Lee Soo-bin pressed the ‘play’ button.

And then, he began to analyze Shim Sung-joon’s at-bats from the previous game, one ball at a time.

“Now, you clearly swung at a ball that was out, right? So what kind of protein supplement should we put in?”

“Su…… Super Muscle.”

Shim Sung-joon scooped up the tasteless supplement with a spoon, looking like he was eating bugs.

“Wow, you must have been really impatient at this time? Your shoulders were twitching even before the ball came, right?”

“…….”

“What are you doing?”

“Yes?”

“Put it in, Super Muscle.”

One spoonful for each ball he watched, and then another spoonful.

After watching all four at-bats of a game in this way, Shim Sung-joon had a water bottle in front of him containing exactly 65g of supplements.

Of course, it contained 100% ‘Super Muscle’ protein supplement.

“…….”

Lee Soo-bin said with a nonchalant face to Shim Sung-joon, who was staring at the water bottle with a half-dazed expression.

“Should I add water? Or milk?”

“……Milk.”

“Okay, milk in!”

Chak chak chak, chak chak chak, chak chak chak [onomatopoeia for pouring liquid].

A glass of protein shake made with the demonstration of a skilled assistant.

“Okay, drink it all up!”

“……Yes.”

Gulp, gulp, gulp, keueueueuk [onomatopoeia for gagging].

Shim Sung-joon shuddered at the fishy smell of protein filling his mouth.

Lee Soo-bin patted his junior on the back and gave him the kindest expression in the world.

“Good job, Sung-joon.”

And then, the next word.

“Then let’s meet again at this time tomorrow!”

* * *

Lee Soo-bin heading to the training room with a tablet PC at 2 p.m.

And after a little time, Shim Sung-joon drinking a protein shake with an expression as if he were drinking poison.

The strange movements of these two players soon became a hot topic in the club.

“Ah, so Soo-bin is now intensively caring for Sung-joon?”

“Soo-bin has grown up a lot? He already knows how to take care of his juniors.”

“But is that protein supplement that bad?”

“I know, right? Sung-joon, he’s completely dying? Hahaha.”

The Cannons employees invariably talked about the two players whenever a few of them gathered.

It was almost a week later that this rumor reached the ears of general manager Seo Chang-ki.

“Hmm, association method, is it?”

General manager Seo Chang-ki, who received a detailed explanation from Ji-seop, nodded while fixing his gaze on the TV broadcast screen.

“Connect the fishy taste of the protein shake with the absurd swing? So that’s Kim’s special advisor’s idea?”

“No, that’s not it.”

Ji-seop shook his head.

“He gave some hints, but the idea itself is Soo-bin’s work. I didn’t even know there was such a bad-tasting supplement.”

“Heo [exclamation of surprise], this is truly amazing. That immature guy had such a brilliant idea.”

General manager Seo Chang-ki with a pleased expression.

However, it seemed that there were some parts that he was inwardly disappointed with.

“If Soo-bin is working so hard, it would be nice if the results of his efforts would start to come out soon.”

General manager Seo Chang-ki licked his lips.

“Shim Sung-joon, that friend, still seems to be unable to find his way at the plate?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Ji-seop was just as disappointed.

“Fortunately, he got a hit in the game the day before yesterday, but it was also a mis-hit… There hasn’t been a ball that can be called a solid hit yet.”

“That’s really frustrating. If you only look at his physique, he’s a guy who could easily hit 40 home runs a year… um?”

General manager Seo’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

“Hehe, speak of the devil.”

The image of Shim Sung-joon was appearing largely on the TV broadcast screen.

The game was in the top of the 2nd inning, Shim Sung-joon’s first at-bat as a left fielder and 7th batter.

With Shim’s slightly intimidated expression, general manager Seo seemed to be quite anxious.

“Sung-joon, just one… huh? Just pick one properly.”

General manager Seo tapped his knees.

“Boldly discard the courses that will become ground balls if you touch them! Wait for the course that you can really hit well!”

Was it just one general manager?

Perhaps most of the Cannons people who were watching the game at this time would have had similar thoughts.

Director Arthur Freeman, who was sitting in the dugout, the employees in the club’s office, and even the 4th batter Lee Soo-bin, who was now on first base.

“Play on!”

Amidst the attention of everyone, the umpire’s declaration to resume the game was bursting out.

The starting pitcher of the opposing team, who received the catcher’s signal, carefully entered the set-up motion.

“…….”

The starting pitcher, after turning his head to check the movement of the runner on first base, quickly transitioned to the pitching motion.

Shuuuuuu-

The ball that left the pitcher’s fingertips began to rotate towards home plate.

At first, it seemed to be advancing normally, but soon the ball seemed to curl horizontally.

‘Slider!’

To be exact, a slider that flowed outward from the center.

It was the very ball that Shim Sung-joon had swung at so disgustingly.

What would happen this time? Ji-seop, who was watching, also swallowed hard, right at that moment.

Twitch.

What came into his view was Shim Sung-joon’s figure, who was about to swing the bat but slightly ‘twitched’ and stopped.

“Strike!!!”

Although the pitcher’s ball narrowly passed through the strike zone, and the ball count became 0-1.

“???”

“??!”

“?!!”

The eyes of the Cannons people watching the game could not help but widen.

“Gi, Mr. Kim!”

General manager Seo tapping Ji-seop.

“That guy… that guy just held back?! Huh? He was about to swing the bat but he held back, right?!”

“Yes, I think so.”

In the general manager’s office, general manager Seo’s cheers of ‘Okay, that’s it!’ were bursting out.

“Co, coach! Just now Sung-joon…….”

“Yeah, it looks like he held back, right?”

A slight commotion began to occur in the Cannons dugout as well.

“Good job, Sung-joon! You did really well just now! Wow, this guy finally seems to be seeing something!”

Lee Soo-bin, who was standing on first base, even put his hands together and shouted loudly.

“Haha, ha, hahaha…….”

Shim Sung-joon, who was at the plate, was also smiling awkwardly at the praise pouring in from the surroundings-

‘……What?’

The opposing team’s starting pitcher was tilting his head.

‘No, a strike came in… why are they so happy?’

Perhaps it was a natural reaction.

The starting pitcher of the day wouldn’t know yet.

The Cannons’ ‘Muscle Man’ Shim Sung-joon.

What happens when he starts picking the ball properly?