A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 101

The Baseball Team’s New Recruit Is Too Good – Episode 101

Chapter 28: Can’t Buy It Even with Money (2)

My father asked me to get two tickets for the KH Cannons’ home game.

Ji-seop readily nodded.

– Okay, Father.

He didn’t think it would be a difficult request.

It was much easier than what his mother, Jin Young-hwa, often asked him to do.

Rather than sitting awkwardly with a woman he’d never met before and having a cup of coffee, it was much better to go around trying to get Cannons tickets.

Besides, Ji-seop had recently been interacting a lot with the marketing team staff due to the ‘Celebrating 600,000 Spectators Event.’

He thought that if he asked, he could easily get one or two tickets, but-

“Ah, the game next Tuesday?”

“Yes, my father’s acquaintance said it’s their wedding anniversary that day. If possible, they’d like to come and watch the game together with his wife…….”

“Oh, what should I do? If it’s Ji-seop’s request, I should do my best to grant it…….”

The marketing team employee who received Ji-seop’s request scratched his head with the back of his pen, looking troubled.

“I’m sorry, Ji-seop. I don’t think I can get the tickets either.”

“……Is that so?”

This was a situation Ji-seop hadn’t anticipated.

“It’s a Tuesday game…… Is it difficult? I heard that Tuesdays have the fewest spectators.”

“Our team’s performance has been so good recently, hasn’t it.”

The marketing team employee shrugged.

“These days, there’s no distinction between weekdays and weekends. We have to strike while the iron is hot, so we have a fully booked ceremonial first pitch event every day until the home game the week after next…….”

Not to mention the small number of tickets allocated to club employees, even the tickets that players can purchase are already sold out.

“If it’s for next month’s tickets, I can secure them in advance……. Should I get those ready for you?”

“No, you don’t have to go that far.”

He vaguely heard that his father’s acquaintance had a fairly major surgery scheduled for next month.

He would have to be hospitalized by the end of this month, so even if he got the tickets, it would be difficult for him to come to the baseball stadium.

‘Damn it, if I had known this would happen, I should have secured a few in advance……. I can’t believe it’s so hard to get regular season tickets, not even postseason games.’

I should contact my father.

It seems like it will be difficult to get tickets within this month.

That’s what Ji-seop was thinking.

“Hmm? You need tickets?”

A lifeline came to Ji-seop on the afternoon of the same day.

It was right before he went into the pre-game scouting meeting.

“Hey, if you had something like that, you should have told me first! What power do marketing team employees have?”

The person who said that while clicking his tongue was Ji-seop’s colleague, Go Chang-deok.

Of course, since it was him saying it, Ji-seop couldn’t help but ask.

“……What do you mean, what power do they have?”

Ji-seop smirked.

“What power do you have, *hyung* [older brother/male friend]?”

* * *

Look at this kid?

He’s subtly looking down on me?

Go Chang-deok heard Ji-seop’s joke.

Without hesitation, he wrapped his arm around his colleague’s neck and put him in a ‘headlock.’

“You little punk! You always try to get on top of me whenever you get the chance…….”

“I’m sorry, *hyung*! I’m sorry!”

Thump, thump, thump.

Ji-seop hit the desk with his palm.

Go Chang-deok, who received his colleague’s ‘declaration of surrender,’ snorted, ‘This kid, really,’ and returned to his original seat.

And then he said,

“Well……. Strictly speaking, it’s not like I have any power, but.”

“…….”

“Still, you know, if you’re trying to get tickets, isn’t the basic common sense to poke around the players first?”

“The players……?”

Ji-seop blinked.

“The marketing team said that all the tickets allocated to the players are sold out too, though?”

“Well, yeah, that’s probably true. But the players have connections, right?”

Connections with season ticket holders.

Go Chang-deok continued, with a ‘You didn’t know this, did you?’ expression.

“We have season ticket holders in our Cannons team. People who pay a lot of money at the beginning of the year and buy the right to watch games throughout the season.”

For regular fans, buying just one or two seats can be quite a burden.

But among the so-called ‘big spenders,’ some have as few as 4-5 seats, and some have as many as 20.

“Ah, so you’re saying the players have connections with these ‘big spenders’?”

“They can’t *not* know them. When they buy season tickets, the team’s key players call them to express their gratitude.”

They’ve gone to the trouble of calling, so it’s unlikely that they’ll just say ‘Thank you,’ ‘You’re welcome,’ and end the call.

At the very least, they’ll have conversations like ‘When are you free?’ or ‘Let’s have dinner together sometime if you have time.’

If these conversations continue for about 3-4 years, connections will naturally form between the players and the ‘big spenders.’

“It seems like the club is encouraging this kind of culture to some extent.”

Go Chang-deok continued.

“Actually, isn’t that right? Even if the team’s performance isn’t good, and they’re thinking of not buying season tickets the following year……. If a close player calls and says, ‘Please help us out,’ they can’t help but waver.”

“I guess so.”

Ji-seop nodded slowly with an interested expression.

He thought that the only ways to increase ticket sales were occasional ceremonial first pitches or discount events.

To increase season ticket sales by encouraging the formation of connections with players.

As someone who had only played baseball his whole life, he realized that he couldn’t keep up with the ideas of people in marketing.

Of course, what’s important now isn’t how to increase ticket sales, but…….

“So if you talk to the players, getting one or two tickets should be a piece of cake.”

Go Chang-deok confidently declared.

“No matter how much the ‘big spenders’ like baseball, is it even possible for them to bring nearly twenty acquaintances to every game? I wouldn’t be surprised if they have one or two left over.”

The idea was to use the players’ connections to get the remaining tickets from those ‘big spenders.’

Go Chang-deok cleared his throat and took out his phone.

“You just watch quietly, Ji-seop. I’m a respected *hyung* among the players, you know.”

Go Chang-deok opened the ‘group chat room’ used by the players and the scouting team staff.

He diligently moved his thick thumb to start typing a message.

“The tickets you need are for……. Next Tuesday, you said?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Next Tuesday……. Can anyone get us some tickets for our team……. Done.”

Just wait a bit.

Go Chang-deok grinned.

“These are players who have received a lot of help from me in the past. They’ll probably be scrambling to give me tickets soon, right?”

“Oh, really?”

Ji-seop watched Go Chang-deok’s phone screen with a faint smile.

Perhaps because it was before training had started, the number next to Go Chang-deok’s message was decreasing rapidly.

It meant that the players had seen his message.

“…….”

“…….”

But what do you know.

Even after waiting for a long time, not a single player appeared to say they would get him tickets.

“Huh, that’s weird? These guys……. Why isn’t anyone replying?”

Go Chang-deok was flustered.

“D, did they already start training? No, if they started training, they wouldn’t have been able to check the message.”

J, just wait a minute.

I’ll try sending them a personal message.

Go Chang-deok started touching his phone.

Ji-seop patted Go Chang-deok’s back.

“It’s okay, just leave it.”

Then he got up.

“The players already have a headache because of the ranking competition……. It’s not right to send them personal messages asking for tickets, is it?”

“B, but…….”

“If it’s not specifically KH Cannons Field, getting baseball stadium tickets isn’t that difficult.”

I’ll be going now.

It’s almost time for the meeting.

He left those words and headed towards the conference room.

“……Ah.”

Go Chang-deok, left alone, could only smack his lips.

“I was trying to act like a *hyung* for once……. It’s not easy, is it?”

Out of regret, he kept scratching the back of his head.

It was right after that that Go Chang-deok heard a ‘ding-‘ sound, indicating a message had arrived.

[Who needs the tickets? Is it for you, *hyung*?]

A message sent by one of the players.

Go Chang-deok immediately wrote back.

[No, it’s not for me…… It’s for Ji-seop. Ji-seop’s father is looking for tickets?]

And then, in the next moment.

A strange smile spread across Go Chang-deok’s face.

“Oh, look at these guys?”

A smile that didn’t seem entirely unpleasant.

“They were quiet all this time……. But as soon as Ji-seop’s name comes up, they react right away?!”

* * *

The next morning.

As usual, Ji-seop was on his way to work when he found an envelope stuck in the door of the manager’s office.

“What’s this?”

As soon as he opened the manager’s office door, an envelope fell to the floor.

He picked it up and looked at the contents, and it turned out to be KH Cannons’ home game tickets.

For the game next Tuesday. Exactly two tickets.

The very thing Ji-seop was looking for.

‘Who would do this…….’

He turned the envelope over to look at it, and the answer was right there.

A handwriting so crooked that it was hard to believe it belonged to a young man in his mid-20s.

‘……It’s Jang-ho.’

KH Cannons’ best hitter, Ryu Jang-ho.

Ji-seop immediately called him.

“Hey, Jang-ho?”

As he entered the office, Ji-seop thanked Ryu Jang-ho for getting the tickets.

“I just saw the tickets. Thanks a lot. I heard it’s impossible to get Cannons tickets these days, even with money…….”

-Ah, you’re welcome.

Perhaps because it was still early, Ryu Jang-ho replied with a sleepy voice.

-Wouldn’t I be able to get *hyung* a ticket? I’m Ryu Jang-ho. If I make one phone call, there’ll be a line of uncles offering to give me tickets.

“Hehe, as expected, the national team outfielder is different. It’s worth knowing you.”

-Of course. I’ll be much more helpful than Chang-deok *hyung*, you know?

“Is that so?”

Hahahahaha.

Ji-seop sat down, making trivial jokes.

“Anyway, thanks a lot. I’ll buy you something delicious on my next day off.”

-Really? Then I’ll be looking forward to that day.

“Yeah, yeah.”

Ji-seop ended the call with Ryu Jang-ho.

Now that he had the tickets, all that was left was to contact his father.

He had given a good gift to a senior who had been kind to him, so even his gruff father would be quite pleased.

Thinking that, Ji-seop opened the laptop on his desk.

“……Hmm?”

It must have been at that moment.

Several unidentified white envelopes came into Ji-seop’s view.

“What are these……?”

The envelopes were stuck between the laptop.

Ji-seop picked up one of them and checked the contents, and he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Huh.”

“Wait, are these all…… tickets?”

They were KH Cannons home game tickets.

The ones that were hard to get these days, even with money.