A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 110

30. The First Postseason (2)

The Dongjin Generals, who finished 5th this season, were set to face the KH Cannons in the Wild Card Game.

When Ji-seop requested something of them, they hemmed and hawed, clearly reluctant.

“You mean… you want us to remake the cookies modeled after the Cannons players and bring them back? On the day of the Wild Card Game?”

Their reluctance wasn’t without reason.

“Wouldn’t the time be too short? The Wild Card Game roster alone has thirty players. Making cookies for that many in just two days…”

It was a tall order.

But what choice did they have?

The Dongjin Generals had provoked the Cannons in the first place, when they were just minding their own business.

The Generals were also the first to offer to do anything as an apology.

“…Understood.”

The Dongjin Generals front office had no choice but to agree to Ji-seop’s request.

“Alright, this way, this way!”

Two days later, on the day of the Wild Card Game, the Dongjin Generals delivered the cookies to the Cannons players’ cafeteria.

“Please hurry!”

“The players will be here soon! Let’s finish up quickly!”

Two large tables were set up at the entrance of the players’ cafeteria, and cookies modeled after the players’ faces were lined up on top.

A banner hung on the wall, courtesy of the Generals, reading: [Cannons players, we’re sorry!] and [We look forward to a great game!]

Jang Kyung-woo, the manager of the Cannons operations team, watched the preparations in the players’ cafeteria with a satisfied smile.

“Wow, these cookies smell amazing!”

Manager Jang picked up a cookie and took a big bite. *Crunch.*

“Mmm, the taste isn’t bad either… Looks like the Generals guys didn’t just throw these together as a penalty.”

“That’s a relief.”

Ji-seop nodded, examining the cookies displayed on the table.

“There seem to be enough cookies… I think we’re all set.”

“As expected, Ji-seop, you’ve got a good head on your shoulders, huh?”

Manager Jang said to Ji-seop, tossing the remaining cookie crumbs into his mouth.

“To think you’d ask the Dongjin Generals for something like this. Hehe, I was satisfied with just their official apology.”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

“So, how is it…? Do you think it’ll work out?”

Half expectation, half worry.

Manager Jang was looking at Ji-seop with those exact emotions in his eyes.

“I mean, do you think these cookies… will help ease the players’ tension?”

“Well, we’ll have to wait and see.”

Ji-seop tilted his ear slightly towards the entrance of the cafeteria and continued.

“It seems like the players are coming this way.”

* * *

To put it bluntly,

The moment he saw the players entering the cafeteria *en masse*, the thought that flashed through Ji-seop’s mind was:

‘*I’m glad I took some measures beforehand.*’

How he took those measures was another matter.

It wasn’t a question of whether the player face cookies would work or not.

It just felt reassuring that he had somehow prepared in advance.

There was a good reason for that.

“Did everyone understand what I said? The important thing is composure. It’s important to approach the game as usual.”

It was veteran catcher Chun Jin-woo, the ‘heart of the Cannons’, speaking.

As he entered the cafeteria, he was looking back at the young players and giving them this advice.

“Don’t try to do *better*. But you don’t have to try to do *worse* on purpose… Huh? Got it?”

Ji-seop knew Chun Jin-woo’s style well.

Normally, he wasn’t the type to nag the young players with this and that.

‘*He usually just leads by example.*’

But today, he was talking a lot, almost to the point of being fussy.

Saying things like composure is important, and just play as usual.

What did this mean?

‘*For Chun Jin-woo to be this fussy… our players must be nervous.*’

It wasn’t unreasonable.

The first fall baseball [postseason baseball] in 12 years.

For the Cannons players, it was the first postseason game of their careers.

The club had been consistently sending the message to ‘think comfortably’ and ‘just enjoy it’, but it seemed that it wasn’t easy for the players who had to perform on the field.

Ji-seop took a step forward to greet the players.

“Has everyone arrived?”

“Ah, Ji-seop!”

“Ji-seop *hyung* [older brother/male friend]!”

The players greeted Ji-seop in their own ways.

Ji-seop, who stared intently into their eyes, was able to grasp the players’ mentality more accurately.

[Damn it, I’m nervous.]

[We only need to win one game… but that’s not easy.]

[If I make a mistake on a day like this, I’ll become a traitor in an instant… Will I be okay?]

The players were very nervous about the game coming up in a few hours.

The opposing Dongjin Generals were a team with a lot of postseason experience.

They even had experience advancing to the Korean Series two seasons ago.

Even though the Wild Card Game is advantageous for the 4th place team, Ji-seop thought it might be a little dangerous with this atmosphere.

“Oh… what’s this?!”

One of the players discovered the cookies set up at the entrance of the cafeteria.

“Ji-seop *hyung*, is this that thing? The one the Dongjin guys made to diss us…”

“That’s right, that’s right! I saw it on the internet too! Our fans and Dongjin fans had a real fight because of this, right?”

“But why are they putting it here…? Ah, as an apology? Did Dongjin bring it?”

They turned the cookies wrapped in transparent plastic this way and that.

Watching the players show interest in the cookies, Ji-seop perked up his ears.

‘*What kind of reaction will they have?*’

Will they find it funny?

Will they show interest?

Will they be able to relieve their burden even for a moment while looking at the cookies?

Ji-seop was anxiously watching the players’ reactions when-

“Hehe.”

A laugh was heard from somewhere.

The source was Lee Soo-bin.

The fearless rookie of the Cannons, holding a cookie and looking back at senior Chun Jin-woo.

“Isn’t this… senior?”

“Hmm?”

“With the square face, and the straight line drawn for the mouth… it’s exactly like senior!”

“Ah, this is… me?”

Chun Jin-woo looked down at the cookie with an interesting gaze.

And the clueless Lee Soo-bin took out the cookie in question and bit into it. *Crunch.*

Chun Jin-woo looked at his junior with a dumbfounded expression.

“Hey, you… what are you doing eating that in front of me?”

“Yes? No, this is a cookie. I just ate it because it’s a cookie…”

“You didn’t just eat it? You were chewing it with emotion, *crunching* it?”

Any other player would have said, ‘Oops,’ here.

But Lee Soo-bin was a guy with a sly and cheeky side.

“Hey, senior! Why are you being like this over something like this? If I were to do it according to the emotions I have for senior…”

*Crunch, crunch, crunch.*

Lee Soo-bin completely smashed a cookie.

Chun Jin-woo, seeing the playful face of the guy, made a seemingly angry expression, ‘This guy’.

“You cheeky bastard, you’re chewing on the face of a senior like the sky in that way?”

Chun Jin-woo rolled up his sleeves.

“Hey, everyone, find it quickly! Where’s Lee Soo-bin’s! I’m going to crush all of that guy’s with my feet…”

Following the instructions of the senior, the Cannons players ‘woo-ah’ [with a whooping sound] ran to the table where the cookies were piled up.

That was the beginning.

* * *

On the day of the Wild Card Game, a special cookie was provided to the players before lunch.

The cookie had a much greater effect than Ji-seop had expected.

“Look at this! If you have eyes, take a look! Is this what your face looks like to people? Do you need to lose weight or not?”

“No, senior! It’s because they used too much cookie dough! Look here, if you look at this cookie, it’s not bad again, me!”

The cookies were piled up at the entrance of the cafeteria.

The players had a pleasant conversation for a while holding these cookies in their hands.

They used them to tease each other’s appearance, take pictures and upload them to their SNS [social media], and some split the cookies in half and played pranks.

“Look at this! It’s a Ryu Jang-bin cookie that combines Ryu Jang-ho and Lee Soo-bin in half!”

“Oh, is it half Ryu Jang-ho’s contact [ability to get on base] and half Lee Soo-bin’s power? Then it’s invincible?”

“No, it could be a combination of Ryu Jang-ho’s personality and Lee Soo-bin’s dirtiness? Then it’s the worst?”

“Ah, seniors! Are you really going to be like this? Where am I dirty…”

“Hey, Lee Soo-bin! Don’t pick up the snacks that fell on the floor while saying that! What if the kid gets a stomachache…”

The effect of the cookie did not end in the players’ cafeteria.

After lunch, during a team meeting, and even when the audience started entering and the game was about to begin, the players who brought one or two cookies in their pockets were chattering about it.

The tension and anxiety that filled the players’ faces had disappeared.

“Looks like the plan worked properly.”

Arthur Freeman, the coach, turned to Ji-seop as the players ran to the field for the first inning defense of the game.

“The players’ expressions are very bright. With this kind of atmosphere, there shouldn’t be any problem playing today’s game.”

“Yes, I think so too.”

“Raising the atmosphere of the team with a piece of cookie… If we win today’s game, Ji-seop’s contribution will be very great.”

“Oh, you’re welcome.”

When Ji-seop was scratching the back of his head with an awkward expression, Freeman tilted his head slightly and opened his mouth.

“That’s right…”

The place where the coach’s fingertips were pointing was the mound of KH Cannons Field.

“Jimmy, did something happen to that guy? His ball is at a terrifying level today?”

What the coach said was true.

Ace Jimmy Morris, who was scheduled to be the starting pitcher for KH Cannons that day, was throwing an amazing ball from the practice pitching on the mound.

*Swaeeeeee- Pow!*

With power that surprised main catcher Chun Jin-woo so much that he shook his hands.

It was at this moment that a strange smile appeared on Ji-seop’s lips.

“That friend… is a little sulky.”

“Sulky?”

“Yes, among the cookies sent by the Generals today… only the one modeled after Jimmy was missing.”

It was a mistake by the Generals staff.

There were only thirty kinds of cookies, and the staff must have been out of their minds because they made them in two days.

They got a call saying they would make a new one and bring it, but it wasn’t enough to reverse the feelings of a foreign pitcher who had been upset.

“The other guys are having fun talking and playing while looking at the cookies… He must be very upset because he’s the only one who doesn’t have one.”

“Heo [exclamation of surprise], so that’s why he’s throwing a fit of anger like that?”

“Heo, that guy. How old is he to be acting like this?”

Freeman smiled bitterly.

“It’s unfortunate for the Generals. It’s not easy to stop Jimmy Morris once he’s on fire.”

“Yes, I think so too.”

The corners of Ji-seop’s lips were rising.

“From our point of view… it’s a grateful thing.”