A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 116

31. Just One More Game (5)

Morning of the next day.

Jisub was at the baseball field.

Tap, tap, tap-tap-tap.

It was like any other day.

The first thing he did when he got to work was to organize the news articles that had been posted overnight.

He would collect articles from major sports media outlets and translate them into English for Director Freeman to read.

Given the day, most of what Jisub saw were articles about last night’s playoff Game 5.

[4 Hours and 48 Minutes of Bloody Battle… The Game Was Decided by a Single Home Run from the Eighth Batter]

[WC → Semi-PO → PO… The Cannon’s Unstoppable Run Ends Here]

[Director Arthur Freeman: “A Match with No Regrets… Deep Gratitude to the Players Who Gave Their Best”]

The Cannons were being praised.

Perhaps it was only natural.

A perennial bottom-ranked team. A club with pathetic results that had been floundering for years.

Such a team had finished fourth in the regular season and even made it to the doorstep of the Korean Series in the postseason.

The media was full of praise, saying things like ‘The Revival of the Cannon Corps’ and ‘Next Season is Even More Anticipated.’

Even the online community, which usually poured out all sorts of complaints even on days when they won, was overflowing with warm words like ‘It was fun,’ ‘I was happy,’ and ‘Everyone worked so hard’ on this day.

“…….”

As a director’s interpreter who had to check public opinion every day, it was a ‘comfortable morning’ that he had not experienced in a long time.

On days when public opinion was so favorable, there was no need to pay attention to every single expression in the articles.

He could finish his morning work by simply scraping any article and translating it into English.

“…….”

But for some reason, Jisub couldn’t concentrate on his work today.

It was something he could finish in just 10 minutes if he concentrated, but he was dawdling for almost an hour.

He would type a little, then suddenly let out a deep sigh, and then look at the articles for a while, then suddenly utter a curse word.

“Ah, I can’t do this.”

In the end, Jisub jumped up from his seat without even finishing half of what he had to do.

Then he strode to the window and raised the ‘creaking’ blinds.

What came into Jisub’s view was the blue ground of the KH Cannons Field.

“…….”

The Cannons’ facility team staff were moving busily on the ground.

The club flags that had been hung everywhere were being collected one by one, and the ‘Cannon Boy’ air doll, which had played a big role in creating the atmosphere throughout the postseason, was also being dismantled.

With each move of the facility team staff, the atmosphere of autumn baseball was gradually disappearing.

Jisub was suddenly struck by the reality.

‘……It’s really over.’

This year’s autumn.

The Cannons’ autumn.

With the Korean Series within reach, it had ended so futilely.

‘People’s minds… are so fickle.’

Looking back, Jisub had tried not to be too greedy from the beginning.

It was Jisub who had stubbornly stopped Sahalin Park, who was shouting, ‘Now that it’s come to this, the goal is to win!’

But now that the postseason was over, he felt a sense of emptiness in one corner of his heart.

“…….”

Looking down at the ground that was slowly returning to its original state, Jisub could only dwell on his regrets.

When would he be able to play a game like this again?

When would he be able to feel this blood-boiling feeling again?

When would he be able to run towards a higher place than this again?

Jisub stared at the ground for a while without saying a word.

How much time had passed?

Suddenly, the cell phone on his desk rang ‘brrr’.

“Yes, this is Kim Jisub.”

-Ah, Jisub?

The person who called was Kwon Daewoong, Deputy of the KH Cannons PR team.

-Jisub, where are you now? I think you need to come out to the parking lot…

“To the parking lot?”

Jisub tilted his head.

“Did something happen?”

-Ah, it’s not that…

The next moment, Jisub had an expression as if he had been hit in the back of the head.

-A coffee truck has arrived.

Kwon Dae-woong continued.

-In Jisub’s name.

* * *

A coffee truck.

A type of event vehicle that carries a lot of coffee, tea, or snacks in a small truck and goes on business trips.

In the baseball team, there were often cases where the player’s personal fan club would send one, but Jisub could only tilt his head at the news that it had arrived in his name.

“No, what is this…”

Who sent this?

And on the very next day after being eliminated from the playoffs.

It didn’t take long for Jisub to get the answer to that question.

“Oh, Jisub! You were out here!”

Just as the coffee truck was about to start its full-fledged ‘business’, a man got out of a taxi and rushed over in a hurry.

“…Senior?”

It was Department Head Gong Hyunbaek.

Jisub’s three-year senior at university and the sales manager of the baseball bat company [Perfect Swing].

He was approaching Jisub with an awkward smile.

“It’s been a while, huh?”

“Yes, Senior. I’m glad to see you too, but…”

Jisub pointed to the coffee truck and asked.

“Did you… send this?”

In fact, there was no need to ask.

The coffee truck owner was putting up a flag that read ‘Cannons Fighting!’ followed by a flag that read ‘Pride of Gongmun University, Kim Jisub Fighting!’

“No, that’s…

Department Head Gong Hyunbaek scratched the back of his head.

“I thought the Cannons would advance to the Korean Series.”

It seemed that he had ordered the coffee truck before the playoff Game 5 had even started.

After the result came out, he belatedly thought, ‘Oops,’ but he couldn’t cancel it because the owner told him that ‘everything was already prepared.’

“There’s nothing I can do. So I just asked him to come. Even though you were eliminated from the playoffs, I thought at least one of you would be at the baseball field…”

“…….”

“Hey, but how big of a celebration is this? From our Gongmun University baseball team, which didn’t have a single decent professional player… a person came out who brought a team to just before the Korean Series!”

You worked hard, Jisub!

I’m proud of you, Jisub!

Department Head Gong Hyunbaek slapped Jisub on the back so hard that it made a ‘thud’ sound.

Jisub knew what he meant, so he bowed his head slightly, saying, ‘Thank you.’

Of course, he didn’t forget to point out the point that had been bothering him a little while ago.

“Thank you, but… isn’t the message written in small letters at the bottom of that flag too blatant? ‘Please give Perfect Swing a lot of love.'”

“You heartless bastard. Where would it hurt you to just pretend you didn’t see something like this? I have to make a living too.”

With that, Department Head Gong Hyunbaek grabbed Jisub’s arm and pulled him.

“Let’s put aside such trivial matters… and have a drink! What do you want? Iced Americano? Caramel Macchiato?”

Jisub was led to the coffee truck by his university senior.

“I’ll have an iced Americano.”

“Okay! Mister, two iced Americanos here!”

The owner started making coffee in a hurry at Department Head Gong’s order.

A bitter smile spread across Jisub’s face as he watched the scene from the front.

“I thought there would only be coffee at the coffee truck… but there are a lot more kinds than I thought.”

“I spent a lot of money to call this, you know.”

Because I thought the players would come too.

That was what Department Head Gong Hyunbaek said.

“I’m also from university baseball… don’t I know the players’ appetites? There’s no way they’d be satisfied with just a cup of plain coffee, right? So I ordered sandwiches, cream bread, and…”

The story was that he had prepared a variety of menus so that the players who were training could have something to eat.

“I’m sad too.”

Department Head Gong Hyunbaek smacked his lips.

“If the Cannons had advanced to the Korean Series, almost all of the players would have been out here by now… then I could have given out all the snacks I prepared.”

“That’s right. What should we do? Should we take it all and eat it ourselves?”

“But there should be some staff out in the office, right? How about going and calling them?”

“Ah, should I?”

Jisub was about to take out his cell phone and contact the front office staff.

That was when it happened.

“Oh, it’s true? There’s a coffee truck here, Senior!”

“Damn it, who sent something like this without any sense? Are they congratulating us on being eliminated?”

“Hey, don’t be like that! It’s a sign of support, a sign of support! Don’t do that and let’s go get something to eat!”

A group of people rushed towards the coffee truck, chattering among themselves.

Jisub couldn’t help but widen his eyes when he recognized the face of one of them.

“…Jangho?”

“Ah, Hyungnim [older brother/friend]?”

You’re here.

The one who bowed to Jisub was none other than Ryu Jangho.

* * *

“I’ll enjoy the food, Jisub Hyung!”

“Thanks to Hyungnim, I don’t have to go far!”

“That’s right. All the restaurants around here are closed today, too?”

“I’ll take a sandwich first! Two… no, three, please!”

Noisy, chaotic.

It wasn’t just Ryu Jangho who was stuck to the coffee truck and pouring out a huge amount of orders.

Starting with the Cannons’ rookie slugger Lee Subin, veteran second baseman Ahn Youngchan, and the team’s starting catcher Chun Jinwoo.

Almost all of the players who wore the Cannons’ uniform and ran on the ground this season were gathered at the coffee truck.

“Ah, no, this is…”

Department Head Gong Hyunbaek blinked his eyes.

“Jisub, what’s going on? Did you guys already start your finishing camp [post-season training]?”

Jisub shook his head at Department Head Gong’s question.

“No. The finishing camp schedule hasn’t even come out yet…”

Until then, the players were supposed to be resting.

The club’s judgment was that they should focus on recovering their stamina first, as they had played 144 regular season games and then filled up the postseason with five games each.

But he didn’t know that so many players would be out at the baseball field like this.

Jisub approached Ryu Jangho, who was stuffing his cheeks full of sandwiches and chewing ‘munching’.

“Jangho, what’s going on?”

“Yes?”

Ryu Jangho was startled.

“Ah, this sandwich… was it one per person? They just gave it to me when I asked for it…”

“No, no, it’s not that…”

You can eat it. You can eat it.

Jisub waved his hand and continued.

“The team was supposed to be resting today, right? I heard that the manager wouldn’t be out until late in the afternoon, and the coaches wouldn’t be out at all, but you guys…”

“Ah, is that what you mean?”

Munching.

Ryu Jangho was chewing on the sandwich without saying a word for a while.

Was it because he was hungry? Or was it a story that he was a little embarrassed to say openly?

The KH Cannons’ best hitter ate two sandwiches like a flash.

The guy opened his mouth.

“I’m just a little… disappointed.”

“Disappointed? What?”

“…This season itself?”

Ryu Jangho had a slightly embarrassed expression.

He said that he remembered the games that he had missed by a narrow margin during the regular season.

Suddenly, he remembered the balls that he had failed to catch during the postseason.

He also remembered the one ball that he had failed to hit in the match against Ma Gangshik.

“But there’s nothing I can do even if I regret it. I can’t turn back time, and autumn baseball is already over…”

So I came out.

Ryu Jangho said calmly.

“I don’t want to feel this shitty feeling again… To do that, there are a lot of things I need to do from now on, right?”

“So the other players too?”

“Yes, I called everyone.”

Ryu Jangho nodded.

“I’m going to treat you to dinner, so I told anyone who has time to come out. Ah, but more people came out than I thought…”

Swoosh.

It was the very next moment that the guy approached Jisub.

“Hyungnim, do you have any business promotion expenses left…? It’s going to cost a lot of money to pay for all these players’ meals…”

“Hey, what business promotion expenses? You’re making hundreds of millions of won in annual salary every year…”

He was saying that, but a pleasant smile was already spreading across Jisub’s face.

‘Everyone… felt the same way as me.’

I’m disappointed, I’m really disappointed.

I’m so disappointed that I want to turn back time if I could.

However, unlike Jisub, who was swallowing his disappointment, the players were already starting to move towards the next season.

Then shouldn’t I not be standing still like this either?

Thinking that, Jisub ‘tapped’ Ryu Jangho on the shoulder.

“But I’ll try to talk to the manager once. The manager might lend me the corporate card.”

“Really?!”

Ryu Jangho was delighted.

Jisub put his arm around the guy’s shoulder.

“Yeah. But there’s still some time left before the manager comes…”

Jisub took the baseball that Ryu Jangho was holding and continued.

“Should I throw some batting balls until then?”

“Oh, good! Very good!”

Ryu Jangho gave Jisub a ‘thumbs up’.

If he was in this mood, wouldn’t he be able to throw 100 or 200 batting balls?

While slowly rotating his shoulder to warm up, Jisub was thinking that.