A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 2

2. Coach from Qingdao (1)

The next day, in the afternoon.

Kim Ji-seop headed to the social baseball training center his brother recommended.

[Superstar Baseball], located in the basement of a building in Gangnam, Seoul.

He’d heard that the owner of this training center, Mr. Oh Su-man, was his brother’s army buddy.

“Hmm.”

The interview took place in the ‘consultation room’ of [Superstar Baseball].

A space where the musty smell, typical of building basements, was subdued with a heavy dose of Febreze.

Just as Ji-seop’s head began to throb from the strong Febreze scent in the consultation room, CEO Oh Su-man began to speak.

“Oh, Mr. Kim Ji-seop… You’ve had quite the journey, haven’t you? A real baseball odyssey?”

After looking over Ji-seop’s resume, those were the first words CEO Oh Su-man uttered.

“Japan and the US, I can understand… but, Qingdao Elephants?”

CEO Oh tilted his head.

“Wait, there’s baseball in China?”

“Yes, it’s not quite professional yet… but there’s a semi-pro league.”

In fact, Ji-seop had prepared an explanation for this question.

He planned to explain that while the league level was low, each team had one or two players who had studied baseball in the United States, or that some players well-known in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] were playing as player-coaches in the Chinese league.

But as it turned out, there was no need for such preparations.

“Well, whatever… as long as you played baseball. Does it matter where you played?”

And then, he added.

“The past doesn’t matter, does it? What matters is that we met like this, and the time we’ll spend together in the future.”

At that moment, Ji-seop was convinced that the owner of this training center was indeed close friends with his brother, Kim Ji-chang.

‘That recklessly positive personality… a spitting image of someone I know.’

When he lost about 30 million won in a cryptocurrency investment, Ji-seop’s brother, Kim Ji-chang, had said something similar.

Then, he was promptly beaten with a broom by Mr. Kim, a police inspector who was the head of Violent Crimes Team 2 at the Geumcheon Police Station in Seoul at the time.

‘Like attracts like,’ he thought, as CEO Oh spoke again.

“I should hire Ji-chang’s brother no matter what… but there are regulations.”

The fact that this training center had ‘regulations’ was a bit surprising, but Ji-seop nodded.

“I’ll ask you a simple question. I’ll decide whether to hire you based on your answer.”

“Yes, please ask.”

“First, I have to say this. You made a great choice in pursuing a career in social baseball training centers after deciding to retire as an active player.”

There are many opportunities.

CEO Oh continued.

“In the past, rich people would all play golf, but these days, many of them play baseball.”

“Ah.”

Ji-seop had heard about it.

“If you work steadily in this field, you can get personal PT [Personal Training] sessions… and if you’re lucky, you can play as a ringer in baseball games between rich people.”

“Ringer?”

“Yes, a ringer. Positions like shortstop or catcher, sometimes pitcher. If a smart guy doesn’t play those positions, the game itself won’t work. So, former players get paid to fill those spots. It’s quite lucrative.”

“Ah, I see.”

This was something Ji-seop didn’t know.

“The problem starts here.”

CEO Oh’s expression became serious.

“Because this field is lucrative… the competition is getting fiercer day by day, you know?”

“I suppose so.”

“There are more than one or two training centers around here. Recently, even someone called a legend in the KBO opened a training center… so people like me, who aren’t former players but jumped in with money, are having a harder and harder time…”

Here’s the question.

CEO Oh’s eyes sparkled.

“In this situation where the social baseball training center industry is becoming more and more of a red ocean [a market where competition is fierce and profits are low], what kind of management strategy do you think [Superstar Baseball] should use?”

“Ma, management strategy?”

At this time, Ji-seop was honestly a bit taken aback.

Management and strategy.

Words that Ji-seop had never even considered in his 32 years of life.

“…”

However, he couldn’t sustain that embarrassing feeling for long.

Ji-seop had a special ability that others couldn’t even imagine.

The ability to read the other person’s mind by staring into their eyes.

“Hmm.”

Ji-seop stared intently into CEO Oh’s eyes.

And he began to recite the thoughts he heard in his mind, one by one.

“There are several ways, but in this training center, lowering the tuition fee would be effective first.”

“Oh?”

CEO Oh was slightly surprised.

“Why?”

“There are many companies around here. Most of the customers who come to this training center are office workers in their 30s and 40s… They’re attending training centers with the meager allowance they get from their wives, so they’re bound to be sensitive to price, aren’t they?”

“Good, good. Very good.”

CEO Oh raised his thumb.

But it wasn’t enough, so he asked an additional question.

“But wouldn’t that be cutting our own throats? We can’t lower the tuition fee indefinitely, can we?”

“Well… there’s a way.”

Because you’re telling me now.

A slight smile was already forming on Ji-seop’s lips.

“The loss from lowering the tuition fee is… right.”

Ji-seop turned his gaze to the wall of the [Superstar Baseball] consultation room.

Baseball equipment was displayed as much as in any sports store.

“We can make up for it by selling the baseball equipment there to the members. Of course, among them, the item we should focus on is the one that can generate the highest margin…”

Ji-seop continued.

“How about gloves?”

“Heo… Heoheo, Heoheoheot!”

At this time, CEO Oh’s expression was, to put it slightly exaggeratedly, like that of Liu Bei meeting Zhuge Liang [a historical analogy for recognizing exceptional talent] for the first time.

He clapped his hands, gave double thumbs up, and leaned back, looking very happy.

After being happy for a while, CEO Oh opened his mouth.

“Mr. Kim Ji-seop… are you really Ji-chang’s brother? Are you real brothers?”

It doesn’t make sense?

CEO Oh tilted his head.

“That dim-witted Ji-chang… has such a smart brother?!”

“Hahaha.”

I hear that a lot.

* * *

As CEO Oh Su-man’s pleasant laughter subsided, Ji-seop finished writing the contract.

‘A coach at the social baseball academy [Superstar Baseball].’

The salary itself was slightly above the minimum wage.

Still, it was guaranteed with four major insurances, transportation and meal expenses were covered, and baseball equipment needed for coaching was also supported.

Above all, the fact that he could take 50% of the margin when selling gloves at the training center was good.

‘Not more, not less, just one year… yeah, if I work hard for just one year, I can start as a poker player without having to ask my father for money, right?’

After writing the contract, he greeted the coaches working at [Superstar Baseball].

After greeting them, he stood by as an ‘apprentice coach’ and observed them guiding the members.

After spending such a long day, he returned home and had a late dinner of cup noodles and a triangular kimbap [a Korean convenience store staple, a rice triangle wrapped in seaweed, filled with various ingredients], when,

“Hey, Kim Ji-seop, are you home?”

Kim Ji-chang, who had returned from work at the store with his parents, suddenly poked his head into his brother’s room.

“Yeah, a little while ago.”

Slurping.

Ji-seop answered while pulling up the ramen noodles.

“Did you meet Su-man hyung [an honorific term for older brother or male friend]?”

“Yeah.”

“What did hyung say? Did he hire you? Didn’t he tell you to get lost because you’re from Qingdao?”

“Ah, what are you talking about, really.”

Normally, Ji-seop would have thrown a baseball at that hateful face, but he decided to put up with it today.

After all, it was true that he had gotten a job through his brother’s introduction.

“I’m starting work tomorrow. From 2 PM to 11 PM. It could be later.”

“What, that’s tough?”

“What can I do? I have to do it even if it’s tough. To raise money quickly and run away to America.”

“You have to. That’s right.”

Anyway, you worked hard, you little punk.

Kim Ji-chang patted his brother’s shoulder and was about to leave the room.

But he stopped when he saw something on his brother’s bed.

“Hey, Kim Ji-seop.”

His brother’s voice was slightly trembling.

“Wh, what is this?”

“Hmm?”

Ji-seop took a bite of the triangular kimbap and turned his head.

He checked the object his brother was pointing at and said as if it were nothing.

“Can’t you tell by looking? It’s a glove.”

“Do you think I’m asking because I don’t know that? This… it’s not a normal glove, is it?”

He had never played baseball himself, but thanks to his baseball player brother, Ji-chang knew as much about baseball equipment as an expert.

To him, who had been exposed to baseball equipment for a long time, the glove lying alone on his brother’s bed at this time was…

“Is that a Tabota Slugger? And a Nakamura Hideo 2023 limited edition at that?!

W, I’m seeing it in person for the first time?”

Kim Ji-chang’s eyes widened and he rushed over.

Ji-seop lifted one leg to stop his brother.

“Ah, don’t touch it. I’m still breaking it in.”

“Breaking it in? This? You?”

His brother rolled his eyes, trying to understand the situation.

And after thinking about something, he suddenly raised his palm and slapped his brother’s back.

“Are you crazy, are you crazy? This guy is really out of his mind?”

“Ah, are you the one who’s crazy? Why are you hitting people and causing a fuss!”

His mother shouted from outside, ‘Are you guys fighting again?!’ but Kim Ji-chang didn’t lower his voice.

“Hey, you’re not an active player anymore! You’re a social baseball coach! What social baseball coach in the world uses a 1 million won [approximately $750 USD] limited edition glove?!

Hey, where did you buy this?”

Tell me quickly. Let’s get a refund right away.

Kim Ji-chang was making a fuss, but Ji-seop’s reaction was calm.

“What am I going to do with my brother?”

“What?”

“Think a little before you act, hyung. I used a 300,000 won B2000 even when I was an active player. Are you saying I’m going to use a Tabota now? Does that make sense?”

“…Uh?”

T, that’s right.

Kim Ji-chang blinked.

“Then what is it? Why do you have this Tabota? Did you get a request from a junior player or something?”

“What are you talking about? Pros don’t use these kinds of gloves. Gloves are consumables anyway, who’s crazy enough to spend money on consumables? This is…”

Ji-seop picked up the ‘Tabota’ glove.

He stared blankly at the glove, which still smelled of new leather, and then continued.

“It’s for sale.”

“Hmm?”

“To the suckers who come to the training center… I’m thinking of selling it for about 1.5 million won [approximately $1125 USD].”

“O… One and a half million?”

Did you eat something wrong?

Kim Ji-chang scoffed.

“No matter how limited edition the Tabota is, it’s not that much. If you use coupons online, you can buy it for around 950,000 won… Who would buy this for 1.5 million won?”

“Hyung, wanna bet?”

Smirk.

Ji-seop raised one corner of his mouth.

“Whether I can sell this for 1.5 million won or not?”