A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 132

Baseball Team Newbie Is Too Good – Episode 132

Baseball Team Newbie Is Too Good 132

Chapter 35: Thump Thump Thump Thump (1)

Arthur Freeman’s question.

“How is the selection of your replacement going?”

“Who will be in charge of interpreting for the KH Cannons’ manager next season?”

Ji-seop’s answer to this was as follows.

“I’m sorry, Manager.”

Ji-seop had an embarrassed expression.

“I’m currently working on it with the help of the operations team, but it’s…”

-It doesn’t seem easy?

Contrary to Ji-seop’s expectations, Arthur Freeman on the laptop screen was smiling gently.

-You’re getting help from the operations team… Then, by now, the operations team staff must have dark circles under their eyes? Chugging down strong coffee.

“No, how did you know…?”

Ji-seop looked as if he had met a famous fortune teller.

“Yes, it’s exactly as you said, Manager. It’s just selecting one interpreter, but nearly a thousand applicants have applied…”

-I had a vague idea.

And then he added.

-No, maybe it’s a natural situation. Ji-seop, it was about choosing your replacement, after all.

“Yes?”

As Ji-seop tilted his head, Arthur Freeman made a ‘pfft’ sound.

-Why do you have that expression? Last season, you were the most popular product produced by the Cannons front office, weren’t you?

“A popular product, you say?”

-Of course! You were already well-known because you were often caught on TV broadcasts, and then you got promoted to special assistant to the general manager in just one year. So what would people think?

The KH Cannons’ manager interpreter is a key position.

Becoming the KH Cannons’ manager interpreter can lead to rapid promotion.

Anyone who has even a little interest in the baseball team’s front office would be thinking that way right now.

That was Arthur Freeman’s explanation.

-So, wouldn’t people flock to it? People who want to work in a baseball team, people who want to show their abilities, and ambitious people who want to be promoted like you.

“…”

-Of course, I wonder how many of them will be able to do as well as you did last season…

It was at this moment that Arthur Freeman smacked his lips.

It had been almost a month since Ji-seop had moved to the general manager’s special assistant position, but he still seemed to have lingering feelings for him.

Feeling unnecessarily sorry, Ji-seop opened his mouth with a determined expression.

“I’m doing my best. The operations team says that they will be able to interview the applicants as early as the beginning of next week.”

“Ah.”

“Manager, do you have any points that you consider important? If you tell me, it would be a great help in selecting a replacement.”

“Hmm, an interpreter like Kim Ji-seop? I think that would be enough.”

A voice dripping with regret.

Ji-seop gave a bitter smile, feeling embarrassed, and Freeman laughed, saying, ‘I’m just kidding.’

“I’m not asking for much. How could I easily find an interpreter like you from last season?”

“You flatter me.”

“Your replacement… Well, I hope they are passionate.”

Freeman continued.

“Isn’t this the season we’re aiming for the championship in earnest? There will be many difficult things and many challenges. But if they are passionate… they will be able to overcome any problem.”

So, please find someone like that.

That was Freeman’s request.

* * *

The next day, in the morning.

Ji-seop was visiting the general manager’s office at KH Cannons Field.

It was to convey Arthur Freeman’s request to the club.

“Someone who is passionate… Oh my, our manager has given us another difficult mission.”

That was the first reaction Seo Chang-gi, the general manager, showed when Ji-seop finished his report.

“If only you could tell me clear conditions like a certain score on a language test or a certain number of years of relevant experience… Someone who is passionate? How are we supposed to pick someone like that?”

The lamentation that selecting new employees is like picking eggs followed.

Just as you can’t know what’s inside an egg until you crack it on a frying pan, you can’t even guess what kind of person a new employee is until you give them a job.

“It’s even harder these days. I don’t know if it’s because things like ‘interview tips’ are floating around on the internet… Everyone who comes into the interview room seems smart, diligent, and passionate.”

Even a veteran front office member with over 20 years of experience in the industry had a difficult mission.

It was ‘Black Curtain Cha Cha’ Deputy Director Cha Yun-jin who gave such General Manager Seo a piece of advice.

The very person who served as the acting deputy director of the International Affairs Team until last season and became the head of the KH Cannons’ operations team this season.

“Leave that to Special Assistant Kim.”

Her suggestion was very simple.

“You know it too, General Manager? Special Assistant Kim has a good sense. I think it’s best to entrust things that can’t be done with effort to someone with a good sense.”

Of course, it didn’t end there.

“If we’re unlucky, we might pick someone who is far from passionate. But our Special Assistant Kim… is also good at fixing people, isn’t he?”

Cha Yun-jin seemed to be recalling the Jimmy Morris incident from a long time ago.

The incident where he turned a foreign pitcher who was on the verge of being kicked out due to his insincere attitude into the team’s ace.

“Special Assistant Kim will be in charge of training the replacement interpreter, so I don’t think you need to worry too much about the manager’s request.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

Seo Chang-gi, who had been nodding quietly, suddenly tapped Ji-seop on the shoulder.

“Special Assistant Kim, we should have some meat for lunch today.”

“…Yes?”

What was he talking about all of a sudden?

As Ji-seop blinked, General Manager Seo stretched his lips and laughed, ‘Hehe.’

“The great ‘Black Curtain Cha Cha’ is showing this much trust in her subordinate… This is a precious thing, you know? Of course, we have to celebrate by eating meat!”

“What are you talking about, General Manager?”

At General Manager Seo’s playful reaction, Deputy Director Cha Yun-jin snorted lightly.

“I was the first to recognize that Special Assistant Kim does his job perfectly. No matter how many times I tell you, you keep doing that.”

“Hey, don’t you remember what I said? I’ve been watching Special Assistant Kim since he was throwing batting balls!”

Tick-tock. Arguing back and forth.

The two people were bickering.

‘They’re fighting over such strange things,’ Ji-seop thought to himself with a bitter smile, but at that moment.

“Ah, that’s right.”

Cha Yun-jin turned her gaze to Ji-seop as if she had remembered something.

“Special Assistant Kim, apart from the manager’s request, there is one thing I would like you to consider in this interpreter selection, can you take notes now?”

“Ah, yes, of course.”

Ji-seop took out his phone.

“Please tell me.”

“Um, it’s just that… I was wondering if we should give extra points to someone who has knowledge of Korean high school baseball.”

“…High school baseball?”

It was General Manager Seo who reacted.

“Why high school baseball?”

* * *

Around 10 p.m. that day.

Ji-seop, who had left work late that day as well, was rubbing his tired eyes as he entered the apartment entrance.

“…”

Click.

Ji-seop pressing the elevator button.

While waiting for the elevator, which was on the top floor of the apartment, to come down, Ji-seop was lost in thought for a moment.

‘Hmm, high school baseball…’

It was Deputy Director Cha Yun-jin’s suggestion.

In this manager interpreter selection, let’s make high school baseball experience one of the important evaluation criteria.

It wasn’t just a random story.

-I called the manager a few days ago? To report that I became the operations team leader and to say hello.

That’s what Deputy Director Cha said.

-At that time, the manager said that he could receive data related to Korean high school baseball.

-It seems like he was curious about the overall atmosphere, not just who is good and who is not…

What kind of environment do student-athletes play baseball in?

Do student-athletes study? If so, how much do they study?

What is the culture among student-athletes like? And how do they spend their leisure time, etc.

Ji-seop could easily guess why Arthur Freeman was interested in these things.

‘It must be to better understand the Cannons players.’

It could be seen as an effort to overcome cultural differences.

Most of the Cannons players were born and raised in Korea.

And Arthur Freeman was born and has been active in the United States.

Although they had the common denominator of baseball, misunderstandings and conflicts arising from cultural differences inevitably occurred.

‘Yes, if someone who knows a lot about high school baseball comes to the manager’s side at times like this… it would be helpful in many ways.’

He would be able to explain.

Why can’t Korean players clearly express their opinions to the coaching staff?

Why do Korean players feel burdened to overtake their seniors and take their place?

Ji-seop tried his best, but it had been too long since he graduated from high school, so he couldn’t explain those cultures properly.

If someone with high school baseball knowledge came, he would definitely be able to make a difference.

‘But I don’t know if I can find someone like that? I heard that most of the applicants are from studying abroad…’

What should I do?

As he was racking his brains, Ji-seop heard a ‘ding!’ sound in his ear.

The elevator seemed to have arrived on the first floor.

Ji-seop raised his head.

‘Okay, let’s rest for now. If I rest a little, I might come up with a good idea… Hmm?’

And,

It was at that moment.

Ziiiiing-

Through the elevator doors that were slowly opening, one diligently moving shadow came into view.

‘What is it?’

At first, I thought it was a cleaning lady from the apartment.

Red rubber gloves, baggy *mompe* [loose-fitting work pants], and even frizzy permed hair.

However, it was too late for the lady to be cleaning, and above all, she wasn’t wiping the elevator floor with a hand towel.

“Excuse me…”

Ji-seop couldn’t contain his curiosity.

He asked the unidentified ‘middle-aged woman.’

“Aren’t you getting off? It’s the first floor?”

The next moment, Ji-seop realized that the person he was talking to was a middle-aged man.

“Ah, yes, yes! It’s okay.”

A rough voice.

“Don’t worry about me, please go up! Hahahaha…”

The middle-aged man awkwardly smiled and waved his hand towel.

“Ah, yes…”

Was it because Ji-seop was looking at him with too suspicious eyes?

The middle-aged man in red rubber gloves hurriedly began to explain.

“Well, it’s not that… I was carrying food waste and spilled the soup on the floor, you know? I thought the smell would be too bad in the elevator if I just left it.”

The story was that he had no choice but to take out a hand towel and wipe the floor.

Only then did Ji-seop relieve his suspicion and slowly nod his head.

‘He looks like a *cow thief* [someone who looks suspicious or untrustworthy], but he’s quite conscientious? There are quite a few people who would just run away if something like this happened.’

Ji-seop stood in one corner of the elevator to avoid interfering with this conscientious man’s cleaning.

He was about to keep his mouth shut and just look at the numbers on the sign above his head changing, but, “Wait a minute, but why…”

The man who was diligently wiping the floor suddenly looked up at Ji-seop.

“You look very familiar?”

The man squinted his eyes and stared at Ji-seop’s face.

It was right after that that he suddenly widened his eyes and made an ‘Oops!’ sound.

“That’s right! That’s right! Isn’t it?”

“…Yes?”

“I’ve seen you a lot on TV baseball broadcasts! You were in charge of interpreting for KH Cannons manager Arthur Freeman… Mr. Kim Ji-seop!”

Up to this point, it was a fairly common conversation pattern.

However, the following remark was something Ji-seop had not anticipated.

“You’re in charge of selecting the replacement interpreter this time… right?!”

…Yes?