A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 185

Chapter 48: Build the Pillars High (3)

A few days later.

In the outfield stands of KH Cannons Field, the [Nuclear Bombs and Guided Missiles] were present.

KH Cannons’ only named fans, who had dramatically resumed their activities after nearly a decade.

“…….”

“…….”

It was the time they would usually be bustling around.

Taking out their trademark ‘bomb hats’ from their large bags, taking pictures with Cannons fans who recognized them and approached.

Or handing out ice cream and snacks to create a lively atmosphere.

But today was a little different.

“Hey, so is it all done?”

“No, wait a minute…….”

While one of them was fiddling with a laptop computer screen, the others surrounded him, wearing serious expressions.

Their unusual atmosphere made the stadium security guards crane their necks, wondering, ‘What’s going on?’ Just then,

The man holding the laptop shouted, ‘Done!’ and raised his head.

“Sanghyuk, take a look. Wouldn’t it work if we did something like this?”

Kim Sanghyuk, the leader of [Nuclear Bombs and Guided Missiles].

When his college buddy turned the laptop screen, a post came into his view:

[ Pro Baseball All-Star Voting ☆ Came to Genius Gallery to prove streaming as repayment♥ (SeolX)]

It was a kind of ‘proof’ post.

A post certifying that Cannons fans were diligently listening to the new song of the idol group ‘Genius’.

“…….”

Kim Sanghyuk looked back at his college buddy with a blank face after reading the title.

“Why?”

The college buddy swept his bristly stubble with a hand like a pot lid.

“Is something a little strange?”

“Ah, no, it’s not that…….”

How could he type lines like ‘Came to Cannons♥’ with those thick fingers?

While shaking his head at his friend’s nonchalance, Kim Sanghyuk slowly read through the post in question.

“Well done, good. It’s all good, but…….”

He opened his mouth.

“It would be better to remove ‘Please leave many comments ㅎㅎ’ at the end of the post.”

“Ah, this?”

The college buddy smiled awkwardly.

“Does it make me look too much like an old man?”

“No, it’s not because of that…….”

Kim Sanghyuk pointed to the laptop screen.

“You wrote ‘SeolX’ in the title, right? That means ‘There’s no need to leave a comment’.”

“What, that’s what it meant? I just thought it was something I attached out of habit.”

“Yeah. I thought so too…… That’s what it all means.”

It would be awkward to say ‘Please leave many comments’ in the body when you’ve written ‘Comments are not needed’ in the title.

Kim Sanghyuk’s college buddy smiled bitterly and began to edit the post.

“Teaming up with idol fan clubs…… It’s more complicated than I thought? There’s a lot to learn.”

The college buddy scratched the back of his head and looked up at Kim Sanghyuk.

“But are we…… doing well?”

“What do you mean?”

“Genius, was it? This alliance with the idol group’s fan club. I feel like it’s a bit shaky.”

The college buddy continued.

“At first, the atmosphere was very welcoming, right? Because we were raising their streaming numbers. But these days, it seems…….”

“Is the reaction lukewarm?”

“Yes! That’s why I said to leave a lot of comments!”

“Ah, I see…….”

Kim Sanghyuk also knew.

That there were various stories circulating within the ‘Genius’ fan club.

‘Cannons fans are not very helpful. It’s meaningless. It would be better to join hands with the UB Guardians.’

News that such opinions were constantly being raised in the Genius fan club’s group chat.

Perhaps because of this, in the ‘interim results’ of the All-Star voting announced that afternoon, several Cannons players were shown to have fallen from 1st to 2nd place.

‘The gap isn’t that big yet, but…….’

It was obvious what the result would be if things continued like this.

If even the Genius fans turned their backs, the speed toward that result would be even faster.

Kim Sanghyuk, who had worked hard to establish an ‘alliance’ with the famous idol group’s fan club, couldn’t help but feel frustrated.

‘Damn it, I feel like asking the Genius fan club to help us a little more actively, but…… there’s no justification, no justification.’

He was upset that the situation wasn’t going as he had hoped.

In the meantime, when he looked at the players warming up on the ground, he thought, ‘I still have to get my guys to the All-Star Game.’

He felt ridiculous for even thinking that in this situation.

‘Hehe, geez…….’

This complex feeling that couldn’t be defined in a single word.

Just as a bitter smile was spreading across Kim Sanghyuk’s face.

“Huh?”

The college buddy who was editing the post raised his head and looked around.

“Sanghyuk, am I the only one who feels that way?”

“Hmm?”

“Have I been listening to Genius’s music too much lately? It seems like Genius’s music is playing often in the stadium?”

“Genius’s song?”

Kim Sanghyuk perked up his ears.

Come to think of it, Genius’s songs seemed to be playing more often today.

“Is this…… is the club giving us support? To give the Genius fan club some justification?”

“Eh, no way.”

Kim Sanghyuk chuckled.

“I admit that the Cannons front office isn’t as rigid as it used to be, but would they even care about the All-Star fan vote?”

Kim Sanghyuk shrugged.

“The lower-level employees might know that we’re doing fan voting in conjunction with an idol fan club, but I don’t think the higher-ups would even understand it?”

Based on his past experiences, Kim Sanghyuk was very confident.

But the next moment, Kim Sanghyuk heard something unbelievable.

“I don’t know what the Cannons front office is thinking, but…….”

“Sanghyuk, take a look at this.”

Another college buddy approached Kim Sanghyuk with his phone.

“It was just posted on the club’s SNS [Social Networking Service]. They’re doing a ‘Uniform Day’ for the next weekend’s 3-game series? The players are coming out to the game wearing their alternate uniforms.”

“Alternate uniform?”

The Cannons’ alternate uniform was the same color as the Genius fan club’s symbolic color.

Just when he thought he could use it as a ‘justification’, even stronger news came.

“And on the last day of the weekend 3-game series…… those Genius guys are coming to throw the first pitch.”

“The, the first pitch?!”

That’s it. This is big.

Kim Sanghyuk clenched his fist without realizing it.

* * *

Who said that?

That Koreans risk their lives for justification [finding a valid reason or excuse for their actions].

This proposition was accurately applied to the alliance between the professional baseball team KH Cannons and the idol group Genius.

Of course, it wasn’t like a hot reaction came back from the beginning.

[The most frequently heard song in Cannons Stadium these days]

-I didn’t know Genius well, but I heard their song at the baseball stadium and liked it so I came!

-Wow, they’re all handsome!

-Go sell somewhere else; it’s obvious;

-I’m stressed because there seem to be too many inflows from a few days ago

-What’s the fuss about Cannons?

-No, at least follow the tone ㅋㅋㅋㅋ It’s too obvious

However, as KH Cannons’ movements became known little by little, repercussions began to occur among Genius fans.

[I saw it because it came up in the algorithm]

-Ahn Youngchan? That player is listening to Genius’s 1st album

-He’s listening to that ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Juwon was so pretty at that timeㅠ

-Recently suddenly RT’d [Retweeted] Cannons Ahn Youngchan playlist.jpg

-It’s my work song, it’s amazing ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-I didn’t know that my playlist during my school days would be the same as a 40-year-old baseball player’s…….

-Looking it up, Ahn Youngchan is in his 30s…….

-Ah…….

Of course, this trend became full-fledged as ‘Genius’s first pitch approached.

[I’m going to see baseball for the first timeㅠ Is ticketing difficult?]

-I’m going to get serious in commemoration of failing the autograph session, so some tips

-Which seat should I take to see the first pitch the closest

[Cannons site ticketing honey tip [helpful advice]]

-Optimized seat for watching the first pitch.jpg

-I’ll explain 1st base and 3rd base for Genius fans

-Our Cannons Gallery welcomes Genius fans

-Guide to pre-game event sequence for those who don’t know baseball

[Genius and Cannons]

-I tried a name match and it came out over 80 points anyway

-What are you talking about ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Now that it’s come to this, Genius and Cannons are considered one body

Around the time when Cannons fans were slowly gaining the upper hand in the All-Star fan voting with the help of such a powerful ‘support group’.

Jiseop was meeting with Marketing Team Leader Lee Jayoung under the direction of General Manager Seo Changki.

“Ah, the General Manager?”

Team Leader Lee with a disheveled face.

“So the General Manager sent Special Assistant Kim here? To have Special Assistant Kim support our marketing team?”

“Yes. He said that it’s the timing when the marketing team will gradually run out of hands as we enter the second week of the All-Star fan voting…….”

According to General Manager Seo, more than 80% of the marketing team’s work was making phone calls.

Calling the company that designs the club’s products, calling the factory that will produce them, and calling the fan shop that will sell the finished products.

Jiseop doesn’t have experience in marketing, but he figured he could at least do the job of calling and urging.

However, all that came back from Team Leader Lee Jayoung was a strange smile.

“Oh my, our General Manager is a little late this time.”

“Late?”

“Yeah, All-Star commemorative goods…… are all ready. At the latest, they will be spread out in the fan shop and online starting next Thursday.”

“I heard that the number of products has increased a lot more than originally expected…… Are you saying that all those many are already prepared?”

Jiseop’s eyes widened at the much faster pace than expected.

Team Leader Lee Jayoung shrugged with an expression of ‘What’s the big deal’.

“Hey, I have experience too…… Would I have been waiting for the All-Star Game without any measures?”

“That’s true, but…….”

“Our marketing team employees seem to have been waiting for a day like this. When I asked if they had any useful product ideas, they made suggestions as if they had been waiting.”

Team Leader Lee Jayoung subtly praised her subordinates, as if hoping that the news would reach General Manager Seo.

She continued.

“Thanks to the support of the idol fan club, we didn’t fall behind in the early fight, and when the goods are released next week, the All-Star atmosphere will be created inside and outside the stadium. Now, all that remains is ‘one decisive blow’ to attract the participation of general baseball fans…….”

Team Leader Lee narrowed her brows.

“Something that will become a hot topic on the Internet, and that can easily inform general baseball fans how to participate in the All-Star fan voting…….”

Ah, that’s right!

It was the very next moment that Team Leader Lee snapped her fingers ‘exactly’.

“There is one thing that Special Assistant Kim can do!”

“Yes?”

“I don’t need anything else. If you can make this happen, Special Assistant Kim will be the one who has made the biggest contribution to this All-Star voting.”

“Me? No, what is it…….”

And exactly 30 minutes later.

Jiseop was doing what Team Leader Lee Jayoung said ‘only Special Assistant Kim can do’.

“I think this All-Star Game will play a very big role in boosting the morale of the players. So if you could help us just this once…….”

“I know what you’re saying, but isn’t this a bit too much?!

The person staring at Jiseop and raising his voice was ‘Sakhalin Park’ Vice Chairman Park Hongjoo.

“You’re telling me to film a video guiding how to vote in the All-Star fan vote? Hey, I’m a person with social face!!!”

“Oh, how could I not know that? But it’s a necessary thing for our players…….”

How about it, won’t you do it?

Jiseop looked at Sakhalin Park with his eyes shining brightly.