A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 141

The Newbie in the Baseball Team is Too Good – Episode 141

The Newbie in the Baseball Team, Episode 141

Chapter 36: He’s Only Good at Baseball (5)

As Ji-seop gazed intently into Ryu Jang-ho’s eyes, he heard Ryu say:

[I wasn’t sure.]

That was the conclusion Ryu had reached.

‘Ah, this guy is feeling the pressure of advancing to the Major League,’ Ji-seop thought.

He wasn’t confident he could perform well, even in the Major League.

That must be why he couldn’t tell his girlfriend, ‘Let’s go to America together.’

But, lo and behold.

The player who hadn’t relinquished the top spot since his debut was different for a reason.

No sooner had Ji-seop finished speaking than Ryu Jang-ho lightly shook his head.

“No, I’m not worried about that.”

Ryu Jang-ho said very firmly.

“Of course, I’m not confident that I’ll do well from my first year in America. But after about three or four years of adaptation, shouldn’t I be able to reach All-Star level? However…….”

“However, what?”

To Ji-seop’s question, Ryu Jang-ho sighed briefly and replied:

“I just wasn’t sure if I could keep my girlfriend from going through hardship during that time.”

“……Hardship?”

“Yes.”

Ryu Jang-ho’s expression was calm.

“I thought I was the only one who would have to suffer: adapting to a new league, analyzing new opponents, researching new pitches.”

But after meeting with an American agent and hearing the story, that wasn’t the case.

“The players’ wives also go through a lot of hardship……. They said you have to come over with a very firm resolve.”

There was the issue of adapting to a strange environment, but Ryu Jang-ho’s concerns seemed to go a little beyond that level.

“The club asks a lot of things from the players’ wives. They have to attend meetings hosted by the wives of the manager or general manager, go to volunteer activities, and show their faces at club events.”

“…….”

“If you stick to the Major League, it’ll end with just this much, but the agent said that if you fall into the Minor League, you’ll face more realistic burdens.”

‘I didn’t want to make her do that kind of stuff,’ Ryu thought.

Ryu Jang-ho looked at Ji-seop.

“She’s living well in Korea, building a career at a pretty good university……. How can I suddenly tell her to go to America and go through that kind of hardship?”

“So you broke up?”

Ji-seop was a little dumbfounded.

“What are you going to do in the future? You’ve been together for over 10 years……. You’re not just thinking of ending it like this, are you?”

“Hey, I’ve thought about that part too.”

At this timing, Ryu Jang-ho gave a slightly smug look.

“I heard from the agent that in America, the guy who’s good at baseball is king, right?”

“What are you talking about?”

“If you’re at the level of going to the All-Star Game every year, if you become one of the top five highest-paid players in the team…… you can easily ignore the club’s demands. They said no one would dare say anything even if you just ignored them.”

Here, Ji-seop roughly got the gist.

“So you’re going to win her back then?”

Ji-seop scratched his cheek.

“Instead of breaking up now, you’re going to become a superstar later and then pick up your girlfriend again……. Is that roughly the plan?”

“Yes, you’re the best, hyung [older brother or respected male friend].”

Ryu Jang-ho readily nodded.

“I don’t have money now, but I’ll have a lot more then, right? So I’ll wear luxury clothes, drive a nice car…….”

‘I’ll say it,’ Ryu thought.

‘Let’s go to America.’

Ryu Jang-ho’s eyes lit up.

“There won’t be any hardship then. No need to be mindful of anyone. If she comes with me, she can do whatever she wants……. Wouldn’t she like that?”

The moment Ji-seop saw Ryu Jang-ho smiling cheekily, all sorts of thoughts flashed through his mind.

“…….”

‘For Ryu Jang-ho to make such a dazed expression, had he had too much to drink today?’

‘Just what kind of person is that girlfriend that he’s so out of his mind over?’

But at this moment, the most solid thought in Ji-seop’s mind was this.

‘Ah, he won’t have anyone else.’

No matter how the situation changes, no matter who says what next to him, he’s the type to only look at one person and go straight ahead.

When his thoughts reached this point, there was only one thing Ji-seop could say.

“Jang-ho.”

“Yes?”

“Get a grip…….”

Ji-seop raised his voice slightly.

“Get a grip, you idiot.”

* * *

Ryu Jang-ho looked quite aggrieved after hearing Ji-seop’s words.

“Hyung, what do you mean? What do you mean get a grip? Are you saying I said something nonsensical?”

“No, I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s nonsense. The plan itself is excellent, though.”

‘It’s almost movie-level, isn’t it?’

Ji-seop continued.

“I like those movies too. A man who breaks up with his lover succeeds through tremendous effort and finally meets the person he loved again……. Good, good.”

“…….”

“I wouldn’t object if it could be achieved in reality, but in my opinion, Jang-ho, you…….”

‘It won’t work,’ Ji-seop thought.

Ji-seop said firmly.

“I don’t think it’ll work at all.”

“Why? Why won’t it work?”

Ryu Jang-ho stared at Ji-seop with wide eyes.

But Ji-seop simply retorted with a relaxed expression.

“Jang-ho, you……. You’re not like the super macho protagonist in the movies.”

“Yes?”

“The protagonists in the movies have amazing mental strength. They can overcome most difficulties on their own. But have you been that kind of person, Jang-ho?”

And then, one more word.

“In my opinion, you…… I think you’ve been relying on your girlfriend a lot?”

“M-, me?”

“It was a routine, wasn’t it? Calling your girlfriend. You can’t not know what routine means to a baseball player.”

Assigning meaning to a specific action and relying on it.

Believing that you can’t properly play the upcoming game if you don’t do that specific action.

Ji-seop reminded him of the meaning of routine for baseball players.

“Actually, you don’t even have to go that far. Weren’t you out of your mind because you broke up with your girlfriend, and that’s why you failed this physical test too?”

“Th-, that’s…….”

“Jang-ho, it was just a physical test. Running 10 laps around a 400m track in 20 minutes……. Honestly, it was a level that even ordinary people could pass with a little preparation.”

Ji-seop took a short breath.

“Can you overcome the fierce competition in the Major League when you had difficulty with just that level of test…… without your girlfriend’s help? I think it’ll be a very difficult path.”

“…….”

“Well, you might be able to wiggle your way through it if you adapt. But what if……. Your girlfriend can’t wait for your success and goes to another guy? Are you confident that you’ll be okay at that time?”

The second one seemed to be a bit decisive.

‘Was he thinking about that too?’

Ryu Jang-ho, who had been strongly denying ‘No, absolutely not,’ sighed deeply for the first time.

“……So?”

Ryu Jang-ho had a sullen expression.

“What are you telling me to do, hyung? It’s already been three months.”

It’s been three months since they had a big fight and broke up.

A story of what can be done now.

Of course, Ji-seop had prepared an answer to this question.

“What else is there?”

You have to contact her.

Ji-seop continued.

“You have to contact her and talk. Tell her that you want to go to America together, and that you seem to rely on her a lot.”

Ryu Jang-ho muttered in a small voice, ‘Haa, how can I do that,’ but Ji-seop ignored him and continued.

“And if possible……. It would be good to discuss it with your girlfriend.”

“Discuss?”

“You said it yourself. If you go to the Major League, there are mountains of things to worry about besides baseball, right?”

Ji-seop picked up the now-cold side dish with his chopsticks.

“Seeing as she said she’d follow you to America, your girlfriend probably has a rough idea, but……. Still, you have to discuss it together.”

“…….”

“Some of them may be things your girlfriend can do, and some may be things you have to cut off from the club’s demands. Shouldn’t you be coordinating those things from now on?”

Having said this, Ji-seop put a piece of boiled pork that he was holding with his chopsticks into his mouth.

And he smiled at Ryu Jang-ho, who was deep in thought with his mouth firmly shut.

“But wouldn’t it be a little…… embarrassing?”

“Yeesh?!”

Ryu Jang-ho had an expression as if he had been stabbed in the heart.

Ji-seop nodded as if he knew it.

“To put it bluntly, it wouldn’t be cool. You always want to show your girlfriend a plausible appearance, but having to discuss these trivial issues one by one.”

“It’s a bit……. It is.”

Ryu Jang-ho smiled bitterly.

“It would be nice if I could just shout ‘Leave it to me!’ But I’m not at that level yet…….”

“But you know, Jang-ho.”

Perhaps it’s because of the alcohol.

At this time, Ji-seop began to talk about things he wouldn’t normally talk about.

“Sometimes……. I think you need the courage to show a less cool side.”

“Yes?!”

“I should say it when I’m a little cooler, I should go when I’m a little better……. There are quite a few guys who miss the timing and regret it.”

‘Looking back, it seems like I should have just closed my eyes and gone out.’

‘Looking back, I think that person would have accepted that side of me too.’

Ji-seop, who was chewing on the boiled pork and making a strange expression, raised his glass and handed it to Ryu Jang-ho.

“So you……. Don’t miss the timing this time, got it?”

“I understand, hyung.”

Clink.

In the room where only the sound of middle-aged men snoring was loud, the sound of glasses lightly clinking could be heard.

* * *

Two days later.

Ji-seop was at the Yeongsan Civic Stadium, checking the condition of the track.

“Special Assistant Kim, how is it?”

The one who spoke with a nervous expression was Seo Chang-gi, the general manager of KH Cannons.

It was a fairly warm day with the sun shining down, but he was constantly stamping his feet.

“Is the track condition okay? It’s not slippery, is it?”

“It’s okay, General Manager.”

Ji-seop nodded.

“The facilities team must have paid a lot of attention. There doesn’t seem to be any problem with running.”

“It can’t be just at a level where there are no problems. It has to be in a state where the player’s condition can be brought up to 100%.”

General Manager Seo was making unnecessary nagging.

Of course, there was a good reason for that.

“I persuaded Director Hong together for three days straight. It’s an opportunity I barely got by trying so hard.”

It was the story of Ryu Jang-ho’s retest.

Director Arthur Freeman was adamant that ‘Once you fail, it’s over!’ But General Manager Seo persistently stuck to him and finally got a second chance.

“The conditions have become a little more difficult.”

It was Ji-seop’s words.

“20 laps on a 400m track……. That means you have to complete it in 35 minutes, right?”

“I couldn’t help it. I told the director that Jang-ho’s condition wasn’t good that day.”

‘If it was simply that his condition wasn’t good, then shouldn’t he be able to clear even more difficult conditions without difficulty?’

Director Arthur Freeman said that while saying that, he conveyed the retest conditions to General Manager Seo.

“Special Assistant Kim, can I trust Special Assistant Kim?”

General Manager Seo asked Ji-seop.

“If Jang-ho fails this time too, then it’s really going to be a disaster. The director might not even want to see Jang-ho’s face at all…… Oh oh!”

General Manager Seo’s expression, which had been pouring out worries, brightened a little.

Ryu Jang-ho had appeared at the entrance of the stadium.

“Oh oh, he’s coming over there! Ugh, that kid! Why is he so relaxed? Why isn’t he running over here…….”

“General Manager.”

It was at this moment that Ji-seop showed a soft smile to General Manager Seo, who was dying of anxiety.

“I don’t think you need to worry too much.”

“Hmm? Why?”

“He’s wearing a ring. Jang-ho. On his right hand.”

“R-, ring?”

General Manager Seo was looking at Ji-seop with an expression of not knowing what was going on.