A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 15

5. Let’s Work Together (3)

‘Sakhalin Park,’ Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju.

His declaration to elevate the team to the top of the Korean Series within the next three years seemed to be more than just empty words.

Just days after officially taking office as CEO and acting owner of the KH Cannons, he began taking drastic steps to overhaul the team.

-Autumn baseball? Advancing to the postseason? I can’t understand people who set such things as goals.

-Seriously, how can anyone call aiming to be in the top 5 out of 10 teams a goal?

-My goal is, without a doubt, the KH Cannons winning the Korean Series. I’ll do it within my term. There can be no other goal.

Sakhalin Park began his term with such ambitious interviews.

He appointed a foreign manager for the first time in the history of the KH Cannons and carried out an unprecedented personnel reshuffle in the team’s history.

Following that, he was seen busily renovating the KH Cannons Field facilities and improving the 2nd-team training grounds and player dormitories.

Of course, the Cannons fans watching these moves weren’t very welcoming.

-Looks like winter’s coming. Seeing all the KH articles popping up.

-Damn it, this team is only noisy in the winter. It’s different this time, it’ll be different next year. It’s not like this is the first or second time…

-Still, wouldn’t it be a bit different since the acting owner is directly involved this time?

-That’s even more of a problem. Does the acting owner even know baseball? It would help if he just kept his mouth shut since he doesn’t know anything about baseball…

While Sakhalin Park’s aggressive moves filled the internet news feeds, Ji-seop was steadily preparing to join the baseball team.

Submitting an application as instructed by Secretary Yang, and going for an interview in a suit after a long time.

As the year changed and approached mid-January, Ji-seop, who had been coaching the older men at [Superstar Baseball], received a text message on his phone.

[Congratulations, Mr. Kim Ji-seop!]

[We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected as a final candidate in this year’s KH Cannons Spring Training assistant recruitment!]

* * *

The evening after receiving the acceptance text message from KH Cannons, a congratulatory party was held at Ji-seop’s house.

The party attendees were Ji-seop’s father, mother, brother, and Oh Su-man, the representative of [Superstar Baseball] and a military buddy of his brother.

“Father, I’ve been recognizing it for a while now! Coach Kim, this friend, is no ordinary person!”

In front of the table laden with food, CEO Oh Su-man didn’t stop praising Ji-seop.

“Thanks to Coach Kim’s ‘custom glove,’ our training center’s situation has flourished? It’s really good, but… this uneasiness doesn’t go away from one corner of my heart!”

“What were you uneasy about?”

When Ji-seop’s mother chimed in, CEO Oh Su-man took a sip of the half-remaining soju [Korean distilled rice liquor] in his glass and continued.

“Can a mere human like me keep such an outstanding talent? When I think about the future of Korean baseball, is this really the right path!”

Ji-seop’s mother clapped and cheered at CEO Oh Su-man’s fuss, and his father nodded with a pleased expression.

Only Ji-seop, who was stuck in between, felt embarrassed and tried to stop CEO Oh Su-man.

“No, CEO. Why is the future of Korean baseball coming out again there.”

“Oh, Ji-seop! You’re talking while the CEO is talking…”

Wanting to hear more of CEO Oh Su-man’s praise, Ji-seop’s mother slapped Ji-seop’s back.

“Don’t ruin the mood with unnecessary talk, go to the refrigerator and bring out some more soju. And bring some more lettuce wraps while you’re at it.”

“…Yes.”

Although he was clearly the protagonist of the day, Ji-seop was kicked out for ‘not matching the mood.’

As he clicked his tongue and entered the kitchen, Ji-seop’s brother, Kim Ji-chang, who was grilling meat in front of the gas stove, spoke to him.

“What is it?”

“Soju and lettuce wrap refills.”

“The soju will be in the refrigerator, and the lettuce wraps are over there on the table.”

His brother pointed to the location of the lettuce wraps with his chin.

Ji-seop took out a bunch of lettuce and sesame leaves and stood in front of the sink.

As he was roughly rinsing the lettuce wraps under the ‘swash’ of running water, Kim Ji-chang, who was quietly watching the scene from the side, said one thing.

“What wind blew into you?”

“Wind?”

“When did you become so desperate to become a professional poker player…?”

Kim Ji-chang put a piece of meat on the frying pan and continued.

“And when I suggested you join the baseball team, didn’t you say you wouldn’t go unless it was a 100 million won salary?”

“……”

“The Kim Ji-seop I know wouldn’t change his mind so easily? You’ve always been so stubborn since you were young?”

“Well, that’s…”

Chwak chwak.

While shaking off the water from the lettuce wraps, Ji-seop replied in a calm tone.

“Becoming a professional poker player isn’t easy either? They say you have to achieve a platinum rating or higher on some internet site… no matter how hard I try, I can’t get out of the bronze rating or higher.”

“So you changed your mind?”

Kim Ji-chang snorted.

“Hey, Kim Ji-seop.”

“What.”

“You want me to believe that?”

Kim Ji-chang pointed at his younger brother with the meat tongs.

“I’ve been telling you to quit baseball… I’ve been doing it since you entered high school. Was it just me? Father did too, and so did Mother… but you didn’t listen to us before you went to China.”

That stubborn guy.

That persistent guy.

“You gave up because it was hard to raise your rating on an internet site? Do you think that’s convincing right now?”

Kim Ji-chang’s words hit the nail on the head.

Still, thinking he was his only brother, Ji-seop decided to tell him only the tip of his heart.

“…It was the first time.”

“The first time? What?”

But he didn’t say anything more.

“Uh, hyung [older brother]! The meat’s burning, it’s burning!”

“What? Oh, damn it…”

While Kim Ji-chang was paying attention to the 1++ grade Korean beef sirloin, Ji-seop opened the refrigerator and opened his mouth.

“Oh, we’re out of soju. I’ll go to the supermarket in front.”

Of course, Kim Ji-chang knew Ji-seop’s intentions.

“Hey, Kim Ji-seop!!! Are you planning to run away like this without properly explaining?!!”

* * *

Ji-seop, who had left the house under the pretext of ‘buying soju.’

A faint smile was blooming on his face as he came down to the entrance of the apartment in his slippers.

‘Hehe, Kim Ji-chang is quick-witted.’

His brother’s point was accurate.

The rating of the internet poker game site was not what made Ji-seop change his mind.

What made Ji-seop decide to join KH Cannons was ‘Sakhalin Park’ Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju.

To be exact, it was his inner thoughts that Ji-seop heard that day when he met Sakhalin Park in the KH Cannons Field CEO’s office.

[That Qingdao guy… he’s capable enough to be a general manager or even a manager.]

The sudden inner thoughts.

In fact, when he heard these words, Ji-seop just thought, ‘Why is this old man doing this?’

Manager? General manager? Ji-seop had never even thought of such positions in his life.

However, the moment he heard Sakhalin Park’s subsequent inner thoughts, Ji-seop’s heart wavered strangely.

[He has an eye for baseball, a talent for taking care of people’s hearts, and most of all, he doesn’t waver even when he fails.]

And then one word.

[Cannons needs this guy.]

Cannons needs.

This guy.

Needs.

It wasn’t that Ji-seop hadn’t received ‘love calls’ [recruitment offers] before.

Please join our team, there is a place for you on our team.

He was able to continue his active career even after the age of thirty because he received recruitment offers from time to time.

However, when he received such recruitment offers and joined the team, he had never felt that he was truly needed.

[Hoo, anyway, we’ve been able to fill all the player slots.]

[Honestly, he’s not very useful… but we can’t ignore the relationship with the agent.]

[Our team is short on batting ball pitchers, so if we leave it to this friend, we don’t have to worry about batting practice.]

In other words, that was the first time.

The very moment Sakhalin Park said ‘Join KH Cannons.’

Ji-seop had received a ‘love call’ in the truest sense for the first time in his life.

Not for any other trivial reason, but an offer made purely because Ji-seop’s abilities were needed.

‘I’m… needed?’

The power of the first love call he had ever received was beyond Ji-seop’s expectations.

Even his thoughts on becoming a professional poker player, which he had been quite firm about, scattered like exhaled cigarette smoke.

The thought of making a lot of money since he had given up on baseball also disappeared like cotton candy in water.

In place of all those thoughts came just one resolution.

‘Okay, let’s do it.’

Not that I’m confident I’ll do well.

I’m not sure if I really have the ability.

‘Whether it turns out good or bad… if it doesn’t work out, I can always play poker again, right?’

Of course, whether it’s because people have inertia, worries began to raise their heads one by one as time passed.

If I go in as a parachute [someone appointed due to connections], I’ll probably get a lot of hate from people, which seems a bit tiring.

KH Cannons is always at the bottom of the rankings, so I wonder if there will be any big changes if I go alone.

‘Hehe, but… what’s done is done.’

While recalling the only lesson he had learned while dreaming of becoming a professional poker player for a short time, Ji-seop was moving his steps to the supermarket attached to the apartment complex.

The lights of the supermarket, which could be seen far away, felt strangely bright on a certain winter night.

* * *

Three days later, at dawn.

Ji-seop was on a bus heading to Yeongsan, Gyeonggi Province.

“……”

It was the long-awaited first day of work.

Strictly speaking, there was a ‘first day of work’ at [Superstar Baseball], but this was the first time he was greeted with a suit and tie.

Ji-seop felt a strange feeling as he looked at the bus filled with people dressed similarly to him.

‘Am I now a member of society?’

The hard touch of the shoes on his feet felt strange, and the feeling of the tie around his neck felt a bit awkward.

Perhaps it was because he thought that his full-fledged work life was starting today, but he felt like his palms were getting wet.

However, that tension didn’t last very long.

Brrr-

Brrrrr-

Not long after Ji-seop got on the bus, messages from the Kim family members flooded in.

-Ji-seop, is it true that you won’t be coming home until the month after next when you go to work today? No, why don’t you tell your mom about that?

Mrs. Jin Young-hwa, Ji-seop’s mother, sent a lot of angry duck emoticons.

-Ji-seop ? The sun rising in the eastern sky this morning was especially beautiful ? I think the sky is also blessing your new beginning ? People say that working life has no reward except for salary and promotion, but…

Mr. Kim Bong-seok, Ji-seop’s father, sent a message that was too long to even read, unlike his usual self.

-KH’s second team is going to Jeju Island?

-Bring tangerine chocolate when you come.

Kim Ji-chang, Ji-seop’s brother, sent a message that he probably didn’t need to check.

“……”

Ji-seop raised his finger and swiped through his family’s messages.

For some reason, Ji-seop felt a bit of energy rising from deep inside his stomach.

A determination to do well, a determination that this time must be different.

‘Okay, this time… I have to do well.’

Ji-seop clenched his teeth.

The outline of the stadium was faintly visible in his sight.

That was KH Cannons Field, the place that would be Ji-seop’s new workplace from today.