A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 12

The New Recruit of the Baseball Team is Too Good – Episode 12

Chapter 4: Not Even Afraid of the Russian President (4)

Kim Ji-seop sent a signal.

‘Now is the time.’

A signal showing both fists clenched tightly.

‘You must not miss this ball. Full swing, no matter what, smash it!’

Park Hong-ju, the vice president, checked Ji-seop’s signal, grabbed the brim of his helmet, pressed down ‘firmly,’ and nodded.

[Okay.]

As Vice President Park, having received the signal, returned to the plate, the atmosphere in the stadium grew even more heated.

Boom! Boom! Park! Hong! Ju!

Boom! Boom! Park! Hong! Ju!

At this moment, the main character of KH Cannons Field was none other than Vice President Park Hong-ju.

The players from both teams sitting in the dugout, the employees of KH Group sitting in the stands.

Even the executives of KH Group gathered in the skybox were swallowing hard, focusing their attention on Vice President Park.

“……”

Feeling those numerous gazes on his body, the seventy-two-year-old ‘gambler’ of yesteryear gripped the bat handle tightly.

With the same look in his eyes as when he charged at the Russian president single-handedly, Vice President Park Hong-ju stared at the pitcher on the mound.

‘……Here I go.’

The pitcher was in a set position.

The pitcher, with both cheeks puffed out, took a long ‘hoo’ breath, and as he entered his pitching motion, Vice President Park’s eyes shone even more fiercely.

‘Hey, Ju Tae-san!’

Vice President Park bit his lower lip tightly, raising the bat handle to his ear.

‘Your friend…… is not dead yet.’

The ball began to fly, leaving the pitcher’s fingertips with a ‘wheeooo’ sound.

‘That proof…… that proof…….’

Vice President Park firmly fixed his slightly raised left leg on the ground and began to swing the bat with all his might.

‘I’ll show you right now!!!’

Vice President Park, with his eyes wide open, took a truly refreshing full swing.
The very moment his aluminum bat and the pitcher’s ‘Arirang ball’ [a slow, looping pitch] met right above home plate-

Taeng-

The ‘impact sound’ that Vice President Park heard in his ear was slightly different from what he had expected.

‘Tae, taeng?!’

Disappointment appeared on Vice President Park’s face as he turned his head towards the sound.

Rolling, rolling, rolling…….

The ball, which Vice President Park had hit with all his might, became an ambiguous ground ball, rolling along the ground.

‘Wh…… what is this…….’

Vice President Park’s body froze for a moment.

It wasn’t just Vice President Park.

The employees in the stands, the executives in the skybox, and even the players on the field were all frozen for a moment.

It was Ji-seop who broke that brief silence, watching from the dugout.

“What are you staring at like idiots!!!”

Ji-seop shouted at Vice President Park.

“Run! To first base! Quickly!!!”

“Oh, oh…… ye, yes!!!”

Vice President Park, regaining his senses at Ji-seop’s cry, threw down his bat and began to run towards first base.

The opposing team’s fielders, who had regained their senses at exactly the same time, also hurriedly chased after the ball.

“Run! Run! Run! Run, you damn old man!”

“Tsingtao, you bastard, I’ll get you after this is over!”

Vice President Park ran as hard as he could, cursing at Ji-seop.

His heart was pounding like crazy, he could hear the sound of the opposing team’s players throwing the ball in his ears, and first base seemed so far away.

‘Damn it, ah, this won’t do……!!!’

With the thought of doing everything he could.

Vice President Park threw himself towards first base with the feeling of ‘Oh, well, whatever.’

Swoosh!

Vice President Park’s large body slid onto first base.

Almost simultaneously, the opposing team’s shortstop’s throw was sucked into the first baseman’s mitt.

Vice President Park, holding the first base firmly with both hands, looked up at the umpire.

“Th…… the call?”

The first base umpire hesitated slightly, perhaps feeling sorry for the old man looking at him, covered in dirt.

Vice President Park was anxious.

“Hey, what’s the call!”

The first base umpire, who had been hesitant, raised his right hand high into the sky as if he had made up his mind, and it was the very next moment.

“Out! Ooooout!”

It was a ground ball in front of the shortstop.

Three outs, game over.

* * *

“It was an erroneous call.”

After the game, on the way out of the dugout to the place Secretary Yang had promised in advance.

While following Ji-seop closely behind, Vice President Park Hong-ju complained about the umpire’s decision.

“It was an erroneous call, I’m telling you? Anyone could see I was faster! It was safe! Damn it, we need to introduce video replay starting next year……”

Muttering, muttering, muttering.

It was hard to believe that such a person was a founding contributor to the great KH Group, grumbling so much.

But it seemed to be a ‘defensive mechanism’ entirely to avoid Ji-seop’s nagging.

“……”

As Ji-seop, who had been walking silently, placed his equipment bag on a bench near the baseball field, Vice President Park spoke up as if he had been waiting for it.

“Hey, Tsingtao.”

“Yes, Vice President.”

“What’s with you.”

Vice President Park opened his mouth again, watching Ji-seop’s expression.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? I thought you’d start yelling at me like I was your parents’ enemy?”

“When did I ever yell like that……”

If there was such a thing as ‘fire burning inside.’

To be honest, Ji-seop felt exactly like that at first.

‘Now I know why the coaches were such pains in the ass back in my playing days.’

He had gone through so much trouble.

From the beginning of the lessons to the moment he stepped into the batter’s box today.

Without a single moment of smooth sailing, he had come this far, causing all sorts of chaos.

And the result was a ground ball rolling to the shortstop.

As Vice President Park said, he had even thought about nagging him like he was his parents’ enemy.

But the moment he saw the old man’s eyes as he returned to the dugout after the game, that feeling disappeared.

“……That’s just how baseball is. It doesn’t go the way you want it to.”

Because he had read all of Vice President Park’s inner thoughts at that time, there wasn’t much Ji-seop could say at this point.

“The only thing I regret is……”

Ji-seop looked up at Vice President Park, plopping down on the bench.

“You showed such great concentration during practice, but I’m a little disappointed that your head got so complicated in such a crucial situation……”

“My head was…… complicated?”

Vice President Park asked back.

Ji-seop nodded.

“Yes, that’s how I saw it.”

“So, you could see that?”

It’s an erroneous call. Absolutely an erroneous call.

Vice President Park Hong-ju, who had been raising his voice for nearly 30 minutes.

It was at this moment that he looked at the setting sun in the western sky and sighed ‘Hoo.’

“……You’re like a ghost.”

“Yes?”

“Move over a bit, you rascal.”

Vice President Park grumbled, hitting Ji-seop’s knee.

“You’re young, hogging the whole bench…… watching an old man standing there.”

Vice President Park sat down next to Ji-seop like that.

Finding a bottle of lukewarm water in his equipment bag, he opened the lid with a ‘crack’ and opened his mouth.

“For a moment…… I was too happy.”

Vice President Park’s unique way of speaking.

It was a sudden, unexpected remark, but Ji-seop nodded slowly.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, as you said, the Arirang ball was coming right down the middle…… damn it, I suddenly felt so good that my hair stood on end.”

An opportunity had come.

An opportunity to give those executives a hard time.

An opportunity to give Chairman Ju-young a hard time.

And although it felt a bit sentimental…… an opportunity to show his friend, who had left on a long journey, that he was still alive and well.

“I was so happy…… I was so happy…… that I think I put too much strength into my whole body for a moment.”

Vice President Park drank a bottle of lukewarm water ‘gulp, gulp.’

Putting the half-empty water bottle down next to him with a ‘thud,’ Vice President Park came to his own conclusion.

“I’m an old man.”

“Yes?”

“I’m…… getting old.”

Vice President Park had a calm expression.

“I wasn’t like this before. I was thorough. Even if a deal went through, I didn’t let my guard down until the results were in my hands. That’s why I didn’t make mistakes.”

“……”

“But now, I’m so excited about a single ball that’s flying towards me that I’m flustered…… Hehe, even the great Sakhalin Park is getting old. I really thought I wouldn’t get old…….”

“Hey, come on.”

It was at this moment that Ji-seop interrupted Vice President Park.

“So what? Are you going to start crying because you can’t achieve the dream of being ranked 10th in the business world that you promised Chairman Ju Tae-san, sob, sob, sob…… are you going to start shedding tears like that?”

“What?”

Vice President Park, who had been leaning against the bench, raised his head ‘pat.’

“No, isn’t that right? Why are you making such a fuss over just one failed at-bat?”

Ji-seop snorted.

“You hit one ground ball and you’re saying you’re old, and what not…… well, if that’s the case, should I just die since I’ve been hit for over 30 home runs in a season? How can I even hold my head up in shame.”

“Hehe, are you comforting me now?”

Vice President Park made a ‘tsk’ sound.

“I know roughly what you’re trying to say…… but it’s not very convincing when you say it.”

And then, one more word.

“You were terrible at baseball.”

“……”

Ji-seop glared at Vice President Park as if he were going to kill him, but soon blew air through his nose with a ‘hmph’ and continued.

“Anyway.”

“What.”

“It’s true that you didn’t get a hit, but I still think you achieved your intended purpose.”

Vice President Park’s eyebrows ‘twitched.’

“You wanted to send a message that Sakhalin Park isn’t dead, that he can still play as an active player…… wasn’t that it? To the people of KH Group.”

“Was that achieved?”

“I think it was completely achieved.”

This wasn’t just a rough fabrication to comfort Vice President Park.

Because Ji-seop could read other people’s minds.

Because it was the result he had obtained by staring intently into people’s eyes while Vice President Park was at the plate.

“You may not have realized it, Vice President…… but everyone was very surprised.”

[Amazing, Sakhalin Park.]

[Sakhalin Park is alive.]

Ji-seop opened his mouth again, recalling the inner thoughts of the people he had heard.

“It was also good that you did a headfirst slide at the end. I felt like your approval rating jumped at that time.”

“……What does that feel like?”

Vice President Park kept tilting his head, but a strange certainty seemed to appear on Ji-seop’s face.

“That’s how it was in the baseball world. No matter how all-powerful a manager was…… they couldn’t easily fire a coach who was respected and supported by the players.”

Wouldn’t it be similar?

Ji-seop lowered his voice.

“Even if Chairman Ju-young hates you, Vice President…… I don’t think he’ll be able to fire you right now.”

“……”

“To write a little more fiction…… after watching today’s game, he might feel something and give you something new to do, Vice President.”

“Oh, you. Now that I see it, your head is full of flowers. Do you think the world works the way you want it to?”

Even as he said that, a pleased smile was already blooming on Vice President Park’s face.

Whatever happens in the future, he was enjoying the conversation with this cheeky guy right now.

“I’m hungry!”

Vice President Park got up from the bench.

“Let’s stop talking nonsense and go eat as soon as Secretary Yang gets here. I know a great hangover soup place around here.”

“Are you paying for the meal today?”

At Ji-seop’s question, Vice President Park shook his head firmly.

“No.”

“Why?”

“You spoke informally to me earlier. Did you call me a damn old man?”

“Ah, no, that was just because I was in a hurry…….”

Vice President Park burst out laughing as he watched Ji-seop stammer.

And just then, Vice President Park’s cell phone, which he had put in his pocket, vibrated ‘brrr.’

“Vice President, aren’t you being too harsh? I still worked hard for those ten days…….”

“Be quiet, you rascal. Secretary Yang is calling.”

After waving his hand at Ji-seop like that, Vice President Park put the phone to his ear, ‘Oh, yeah.’

As he listened to Secretary Yang’s story, nodding slowly, he suddenly raised his voice.

“Secretary Yang, what did you just say? Who…… who wants to see me?”

Vice President Park looked at Ji-seop with a haunted expression.