A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 188

49. Just Perfect (2)

The next day, morning.

KH Cannons Field.

Jiseop was wandering around the outfield stands with two iced coffees in his hands.

Director Seo Chang-gi had called Jiseop to this place.

“Oh, Special Assistant Kim! Over here, over here!”

A voice came from somewhere.

When Jiseop raised his head, Director Seo’s figure came into view in the distance.

The director of KH Cannons was sitting in the highest part of the outfield stands, waving his hand at Jiseop.

‘He’s still energetic,’ Jiseop muttered inwardly, starting to climb the narrow stairs of the outfield stands.

“Special Assistant Kim, congratulations.”

When Jiseop handed over the coffee with a greeting of ‘Hello,’ after climbing the stairs, Director Seo said this.

“I heard your name came up in this All-Star voting? How do you feel? How does it feel to stand shoulder to shoulder with the best pitchers in Korea?”

“I’m sorry, Director.”

Jiseop scratched the back of his head.

“I’ve told the players firmly. I’ll make sure they don’t play pranks like this in the future…….”

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”

Director Seo waved his hand.

“Isn’t it proof that our players feel close to Special Assistant Kim? I’d be surprised if you were proud, but why would you be sorry?”

Then, Director Seo Chang-gi tapped the seat next to him with his palm.

Jiseop bowed slightly, saying, ‘Thank you,’ and went to sit in that seat.

And for a while, the two of them sat quietly, drinking iced coffee.

“Special Assistant Kim.”

How many minutes had passed?

Director Seo called Jiseop.

“Yes, Director.”

“The reason I called you here is…… because there’s something special I want to entrust to you.”

‘Ah, here comes the main topic for today.’

Jiseop straightened his back out of habit.

“When you say something you want to entrust…….”

“Special Assistant Kim, do you happen to know?”

Director Seo threw a question instead of an answer.

“Which is the most popular seat in this KH Cannons Field?”

“Well…… isn’t it the central table seats?”

Jiseop knew that much.

“It’s good to see the whole game because it’s in the center, and it’s good to eat food because there’s a table……. I heard that it’s the first place to sell out when the reservation site opens.”

“That’s right, then what’s next?”

“Next…….”

Jiseop began to answer, dredging up vague memories.

After the central table seats, it’s the infield reserved seats on the first base side, then the outfield reserved seats on the first base side, and so on.

“Okay, you know it well.”

Director Seo Chang-gi nodded slowly, listening to Jiseop’s answer.

He put down his finished iced coffee cup next to him and asked Jiseop.

“Then do you know which is the least popular seat in KH Cannons Field?”

“If it’s the least popular seat…….”

Jiseop hesitated a little here.

Certainly, the outfield stands seemed less popular than the infield.

But whether it’s the outfield on the first base side, the outfield on the third base side, or the central outfield seats near the electronic display board.

When he couldn’t easily make a decision and was just tilting his head, an answer came from Director Seo Chang-gi.

“It’s right here.”

Director Seo tapped the seat in front.

“This place where we’re sitting now, KH Cannons Field central outfield upper designated seat D block……. About 20 seats near here are the least sold.”

“Ah.”

When I heard it, I thought it was worth it.

The place farthest from home plate. So the most uncomfortable place to watch the game.

It’s ambiguous to cheer, and the possibility of expecting a home run ball is too low.

When Jiseop’s thoughts reached this point, Director Seo opened his mouth again.

“It seems to have been a long-standing concern for our Cannons marketing team. How can we sell these unpopular seats to the audience?”

And the next moment, Jiseop was able to grasp why Director Seo had brought him here.

“Would Special Assistant Kim like to think about it?”

Director Seo continued.

“I’ll give you plenty of time.”

* * *

About 30 minutes later.

Jiseop had returned to his room.

A small room located in the hallway leading from the club secretariat to the locker room.

He rarely used it because he often worked in the director’s office, but it seemed necessary to use his own space on this day.

‘Outfield upper designated seat D block…….’

Jiseop felt a little overwhelmed.

This was almost the first marketing task he had taken on since joining KH Cannons.

Of course, he had been dispatched to the marketing team during the All-Star voting a while ago, but as a result, all he did at that time was persuade ‘Sakhalin Park’ Vice Chairman Park Hong-joo.

“Hmm.”

Jiseop kept tilting his head and pacing around the room.

His gaze turned to a few books on the desk.

‘Should I read that first?’

Marketing work that I’m in charge of for the first time.

Director Seo Chang-gi seemed to know this, and he gave me a few ‘manuals’ just before we broke up.

Director Seo Chang-gi’s advice was to read this manual carefully first, and then come up with a suitable idea based on it.

Jiseop recalled Director Seo’s advice and sat down at his desk.

‘Okay, when you don’t know something, it’s best to do as you’re told.’

Jiseop was about to go straight into ‘manual reading’, but he soon put down the book he was holding.

‘No, but…… why is the room so messy? I can’t concentrate on reading a book like this.’

I guess there’s no choice.

Jiseop sighed deeply and got up to ‘simply’ clean the room.

He swept the trash left by the players into a bag, and gathered the scattered power analysis data and [꽂았다 – kkoteutta] it in the bookshelf.

I thought it was roughly organized, so I came back and sat down at my desk, but something else caught Jiseop’s attention again.

‘I should wipe the desk while I’m at it. There’s too much dust on it?’

At first, I was just going to wipe off the accumulated dust with a tissue.

But how could the dust that had been [쌓여 – ssahyeo] for several months be solved with a tissue?

In the end, Jiseop went to the bathroom to wash a rag, and then wiped the desk carefully.

After washing the rag, I cleaned the bookshelf and drawers, and I could feel the room getting brighter.

“Hmm, it’s a little better now. After all, you need this kind of environment to study.”

Jiseop nodded in satisfaction.

In the clean room, Jiseop finished preparing for ‘marketing work acquisition’ by brewing a cup of mixed coffee to improve concentration.

“Okay.”

Sitting at his desk, Jiseop took a sip of sweet coffee.

As the scent of coffee spread in his mouth, Jiseop felt as if his vision was [확 트이는 – hwak teuneun].

‘Okay, now that I’ve really finished all the preparations…… from now on, I’m really going to concentrate on reading the book!’

With such a determined expression, Jiseop [펼쳐 들었다 – pyeolchyeo deureotta] the work manual given by Director Seo, [KH Cannons Marketing Strategy Report]-

“……Coo.”

Sleep,

Fell into.

* * *

Jiseop, who had fallen into ‘deep sleep’ mode about 2 minutes and 30 seconds after [펼쳐 들었다 – pyeolchyeo deureotta] the book.

It was the Cannons players who woke him up from his sleep.

The players who were trying to order [짜장면 – Jajangmyeon] (black bean noodles) without the coaching staff’s knowledge discovered the Cannons’ ‘Director’s Special Assistant’ who had collapsed with his nose in the manual.

“Oh, Jiseop! I really thought something big had happened?”

The person who picked up a [단무지 – Danmuji] (yellow pickled radish) while laughing [껄껄 – kkeol kkeol] (heartily) was ‘Cannons’ former major leaguer’ Jang Dae-woo.

He, who is in charge of Cannons’ [마무리 – mamuri] (closer) pitcher this season, was also the first person to discover Jiseop a little while ago.

“I came in with [짜장면 – Jajangmyeon], and……. There was a person collapsed in front of the desk! Wow, I almost dropped my [애 – ae] (stuff)!”

“I’m, I’m sorry.”

Jiseop had an embarrassed expression.

“The saying that a three-year-old habit goes to eighty is just right. Damn it, I thought it was a little better now, but as soon as I [펼쳐 들었다 – pyeolchyeo deureotta] a book, I was so sleepy…….”

“But I like it, Special Assistant!”

Kyung Seon-woo, ‘Cannons’ Hyena’, was showing Jiseop the warmest smile in the world.

“I thought you were a very [똑 부러지는 – ttok bureojineun] (sharp/efficient) person usually……. You fall asleep as soon as you [펼쳐 들었다 – pyeolchyeo deureotta] a book, so anyone can see that you’re a [선출 – seonchul] (athlete-turned-administrator), right?”

“Hey, don’t [엮지 – yeokji] (lump/group) like that. Do you think all [선출 – seonchul] don’t read books? There are people who [생활화 독서 – saenghwalhwa dokseo] (make reading a part of their life) like me, you know?”

“Hey, at least Senior Jang shouldn’t say that. Haven’t you seen a single line of a book since you came to Cannons?”

“Huh, look at this [자식 – jasik] (punk)?!”

Is it only [줄글 – julgeul] (prose) that are books?

Manga are also excellent [독서 – dokseo] (reading) resources.

The moment the players started [티격태격 – tigeoktaegeok] (bickering) fighting with a repertoire that they seemed to have heard a lot from somewhere.

While [스윽 – seugeuk] (sliding) pulling the [탕수육 – tangsuyuk] (sweet and sour pork) in front of Lee Soo-bin towards him, Ahn Young-chan asked Jiseop.

“But…… Jiseop, what kind of book were you looking at so much?”

“Ah, it’s nothing special.”

While picking up a piece of [탕수육 – tangsuyuk] dipped in plenty of sauce, Jiseop talked about the new mission he had received.

“Ah, the outfield stands? There’s definitely no one there.”

Ahn Young-chan nodded and started coming up with his own ideas.

“How about this? Give coupons to the people who sit there!”

Like this.

Ahn Young-chan said, pointing to the Chinese restaurant [탕수육 – tangsuyuk] coupon.

“Give them a stamp every time they sit there, and if they collect 10, exchange them for a central table seat ticket! Then won’t people come a little more?”

“Hey, Senior. Then isn’t it a loss for the club? How expensive are the table seats!”

Lee Soo-bin said, reaching out to the [탕수육 – tangsuyuk] plate that had fallen far away.

“Wouldn’t it be better to provide unlimited beer to the people who sit there? It’s a seat where it’s difficult to watch baseball properly anyway, so let them drink as much beer as they want!”

“Still…… is it okay? What if someone gets [꽐라 – kkwalla] (completely drunk) and tries to [난입 – nanip] (storm) onto the ground?”

“Is that so?”

While watching the players exchanging opinions with each other, Jiseop was thinking, ‘Ah, I should have done this sooner.’

The players who spend more than half of the 365 days a year seemed to know quite a bit about the baseball field.

I thought it was better to talk to the players than to look at the manuals that didn’t even catch my eye.

In the meantime, there was one person who caught Jiseop’s attention.

“That’s right, beer is not allowed.”

It was Jang Dae-woo.

“In Major League Baseball, they don’t sell alcohol after the 7th inning. It’s really tiring if even people who are drunk come out when the game is at its peak.”

Jang Dae-woo said about his experience.

He suddenly [딱 – ttak] (snapping sound) flicked his finger.

“Ah, that’s right! Speaking of Major League Baseball, there’s one thing I remember.”

Jiseop.

Jang Dae-woo looked back at Jiseop.

“Have you ever heard of Judge’s chamber?”

“Judge’s chamber?”

Jiseop tilted his head to one side.

“What…… is that?”