A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 11

## A Rookie in the Baseball Team is Too Good – Episode 11

Chapter 4: Not Even the Russian President Was Scary (3)

Sim Woo-hyun, the manager of the KH Duty-Free in-house baseball club, was a department head.

Just 30 minutes ago, he was making very cold-headed decisions.

‘Right, we absolutely cannot let Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju play in the game.’

Sim Woo-hyun prided himself on being savvy about internal politics.

He was well aware of what had happened in the skybox that afternoon.

‘All the executives who used to follow Chairman Ju Tae-san have now sided with Chairman Ju Young-eun, huh?’

Sim knew the atmosphere within the group perfectly well.

The KH Group bulletin board on the anonymous employee community was buzzing with talk of the upcoming regular executive reshuffle.

Although everyone had slightly different opinions, they all seemed to agree that Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju would be stepping down from the management front.

‘If I let Vice Chairman Park play in this situation… I’ll definitely be seen as clueless later on.’

There was a part of him that was slightly bothered.

‘A few of our key players are missing due to business trips, so our roster is a bit tight….’

Sim Woo-hyun glanced at Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju, who was sitting in the corner of the dugout.

And at the face of the ‘mercenary’ sitting next to him, fiddling with his phone.

‘In the worst-case scenario, I can just send out that guy from China.’

It was at this moment that a snort of laughter escaped Sim Woo-hyun’s lips.

‘An old man who’s become a useless burden and a mercenary who was kicked out of the Chinese league… Haha, what a ridiculous combination.’

Sim Woo-hyun shook his head and turned his gaze toward the field, but-

‘…Huh?’

‘…Eek?’

‘Wait a minute, what’s going on?’

The game between KH Duty-Free and KH Networks that day unfolded much more fiercely than Manager Sim had expected.

Ball!

Ball!

Ball!

Ball! Base on balls!

The starting pitcher, whom he had trusted, collapsed in the first inning, and the few relief pitchers they had were taking the mound one after another from the beginning of the game.

“Oops!”

“The ball’s loose! The ball’s loose!”

“Backup! Backup! Outfielder backup!!!”

Just when he was about to give up on the game, thinking, ‘Ah, we’re doomed,’ the opposing team’s fielders would miraculously commit a series of errors, creating opportunities.

He couldn’t ignore the opportunity that was right in front of him, so Sim Woo-hyun had no choice but to use his pinch-hitter cards from the start.

‘T, this… I have a bad feeling about this?’

That’s how it went in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd innings… and then the momentous 9th inning.

The KH Duty-Free team’s final attack, with the score at 14-13.

They managed to seize a chance with runners on first and second with two outs, but then the next batter on deck suddenly raised his hand.

“Manager… no, Coach!”

“Why, what’s wrong?”

“I… I don’t think I can make it to the plate this time. I think I sprained my wrist while fielding a little while ago.”

“What? Can’t you be more careful….”

While the players were making a fuss, bringing ‘cooling spray’ and looking for ‘MenthoXatum,’ Sim Woo-hyun turned his gaze to the whiteboard on the dugout wall.

‘Damn it, we’ve used up all the players we can use….’

I guess there’s no choice.

Sim Woo-hyun clicked his tongue.

He turned his gaze to the corner of the dugout.

“Hey, uh… Kim Ji-seop, was it? I think you’ll have to come out for a pinch-hit.”

He was a little concerned that he was someone Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju had brought, but this shouldn’t be a problem.

Thinking that, Sim Woo-hyun gave a ‘hurry up’ signal, but-

“Oh, what should I do, Coach?”

The ‘mercenary’ that Vice Chairman Park had brought just smiled bashfully and didn’t seem to want to move.

“Why, what’s the problem?”

“I’m a little embarrassed to say this, but I have a chronic illness.”

“A chronic illness? What chronic illness?”

“Hemorrhoids.”

“……”

Sim Woo-hyun’s face showed an expression of ‘you’ve got to be kidding me,’ but Vice Chairman Park’s ‘mercenary’ continued to speak nonchalantly.

“I was fine until a little while ago, but suddenly my condition has worsened… I’m sorry, but you’ll have to send someone else out as a pinch hitter.”

“Are you kidding me right now?”

Sim Woo-hyun’s anger surged.

“We were going to put you in as a pinch hitter because we don’t have any players left. What are we supposed to do if you do this?”

“I’m sorry. But isn’t it a good thing? There’s one other player left besides me.”

“A, another… player?”

Sim Woo-hyun turned his gaze to where the ‘mercenary’ was pointing.

A drop of cold sweat was trickling down his wrinkled forehead.

* * *

“Hey, Qingdao. Are you okay?”

Immediately after receiving the order to play from Sim Woo-hyun, Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju asked with a rather serious expression.

“Yes? About what?”

Ji-seop tilted his head.

“The reason you were always late for lessons… was it because of that chronic illness?”

“Yes?”

Ji-seop chuckled.

“I don’t have any such illness.”

That was obvious.

“Can’t you tell? I was pretending so that you could play, Vice Chairman.”

“Really? That’s what it looked like to me too… but I was just wondering.”

For some reason, Vice Chairman Park looked a little disappointed.

“I know a really good doctor in that field… I was going to introduce you.”

“…….”

‘Sakhalin Park’ suddenly started acting friendly as soon as the story about the chronic illness came out.

Ji-seop vaguely grasped the reason for this, but he didn’t bother to say it out loud.

Because he had something much more important to do right now.

“Listen carefully, Vice Chairman.”

Ji-seop opened his mouth, placing his hand on Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju’s shoulder.

“The opposing pitcher will 100% walk you on purpose.”

“What?”

Vice Chairman Park glanced at the pitcher on the mound.

“No, why would that guy…?”

“Hey, there’s no time to explain everything, so just listen.”

Because it was taking so long to designate a pinch hitter, the umpire kept looking at his watch.

He was being patient because the other person was a vice chairman, but if that weren’t the case, he would have already said something.

In any case, he needed to finish giving instructions quickly.

“The choice is yours, Vice Chairman.”

Ji-seop continued, pointing his finger.

“If you think it’s okay to get on base with a walk, just stand still in the batter’s box. Then you’ll be able to go to first base.”

“And if not?”

Vice Chairman Park asked, as if demanding an answer.

His expression suggested that he hadn’t even considered a walk as an option.

“If not… you have to grip the bat short and hit every ball that comes in.”

“Even if it’s a ball?”

“Even if it’s clearly a ball.”

Ji-seop nodded.

“While you’re holding out like that, check my signals from time to time. If I have my hand open, then it’s the same as the holding-out strategy. But if I clench both fists like this….”

Vice Chairman Park’s eyebrows twitched.

“Does that mean I should swing with all my might?”

“You’re quick to catch on.”

Ji-seop smiled slightly.

“Of course, it won’t be easy. At your age, it’ll be difficult to even touch the ball that’s coming at you. But if you can just hold out until the end….”

At that very moment,

Ji-seop’s eyes gleamed sharply.

“I’ll make you the star of today’s game.”

* * *

-Everyone, please welcome him with a big round of applause! It’s KH Global’s CEO, Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju!

‘Sakhalin Park’ Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju stepped into the batter’s box, listening to the announcer’s voice.

He wasn’t showing it on the outside, but in reality, he was chuckling bitterly to himself.

‘Haha, this is really something….’

The situation itself felt so ironic.

He had made as much money as he needed to, and he had gained as much social status as he could.

The fact that he had made such a fuss just to stand in this one at-bat.

“…….”

He wondered what his friend, who had suddenly passed away two years ago, would say if he saw him now.

What would that friend say?

Would he nag him, ‘Act your age, you rascal,’ or would he give him a thumbs up, saying, ‘That’s Sakhalin for you’?

“Hoo.”

But at that moment, the most decisive reason why Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju was chuckling bitterly was different.

“Hoo! Hoo-hoo-hoo…….”

He was nervous.

The very fact that he was standing in the batter’s box.

‘Haha, this is driving me crazy….’

Park was flustered by this.

He was 72 years old.

He thought there was nothing to be afraid of anymore.

But what do you know.

As soon as he stepped into the batter’s box, his heart was pounding, cold sweat was pouring down, and his legs were shaking like crazy.

‘Seriously, it’s just the annual company baseball tournament….’

And what made his embarrassment even deeper was the voice he heard from the dugout.

“Vice Chairman, I can see you’re spacing out! Focus, focus! Fooocuuus!”

The ‘mercenary’ and social baseball coach that Park had hired.

The moment he heard his cocky voice, Park felt strangely relieved.

This fact was also very embarrassing for ‘Sakhalin Park’.

‘How did he notice that I was spacing out… He really has some strange talent.’

Park Hong-ju shook his head inwardly and adjusted his batting stance.

However, it was from the very next moment that Park truly experienced Ji-seop’s ‘strange talent’.

Whoosh- Paang!

The opposing team KH Networks pitcher’s first pitch.

It was a completely powerless ‘Arirang ball’ [a very slow, looping pitch, like a softball pitch] that bounced once and went into the catcher’s mitt.

“Ball!”

The umpire declared a ball as if there was nothing else to think about, and the opposing pitcher nodded as if he couldn’t help it.

At this point, Park sensed that everything was going according to Ji-seop’s predictions.

‘So that’s how it is.’

Park stepped back from the batter’s box for a moment and nodded.

‘The pitcher has no intention of competing with me at all. If he accidentally hits me with the ball… the situation will become complicated in many ways.’

Park also recalled the fact that the ‘Qingdao’ guy had been throwing nothing but Arirang balls for the past ten days.

No matter how much he nagged, that guy stubbornly kept throwing ‘whoosh’ Arirang balls.

‘From the start, he thought there’s no way I’d throw a fast ball to an old man like me….’

It would be a lie to say that his pride wasn’t hurt at all.

However, it was clear that this was good news for Park.

‘Right, I don’t know about other pitches, but… if it’s the Arirang ball that I’ve been hitting like crazy for the past ten days!’

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th pitches.

The sound of the bat hitting the ball every time Park swung his aluminum bat.

Although the batted balls repeatedly went outside the foul lines, Park’s swing was enough to surprise everyone who came to the stadium that day.

“Wow, Vice Chairman is no joke!”

“I know, how can he hit like that at his age?”

Of course, some of those who were well-versed in so-called ‘company politics’ also glared like this,

“Tsk, don’t say useless things! I told you all about the atmosphere among the higher-ups!”

Clang!

Clang!

Claaang!

The 5th, 6th, and 7th pitches.

As Park’s struggle grew longer, even those great ‘company politicians’ could no longer stop their subordinates from cheering.

Park Hong-ju! Hey!

Park Hong-ju! Hey!

Park Hong-ju! Hey!

It was impossible to know who started it.

At some point, the three syllables of ‘Park Hong-ju’ began to echo throughout KH Cannons Field.

As the atmosphere heated up, the clueless announcer also raised his voice.

-Wow, this is amazing! A tenacious battle that no one expected! Vice Chairman Park will now face his eighth pitch!

Park Hong-ju! Hey!

Park Hong-ju! Hey!

Park Hong-ju! Hey!

Of course, the most troubled person in this situation was still the pitcher on the mound.

Clang!

When Park cut off his eighth pitch with another foul ball, the pitcher took off his hat and let out a long sigh.

Then, he put his hat back on and gave a signal to the catcher sitting behind home plate.

“……It’s here.”

It was at this moment that Ji-seop, who was watching the game from the dugout, clenched both fists.