A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 32

New Recruit of the Baseball Team is Too Good – Episode 32

#New Recruit of the Baseball Team is Too Good Episode 32

Act 10. Black Curtain Cha Cha (3)

Jo Sung-beom, the head of the International Business Team.

He was definitely a peculiar person.

“About our Mr. Kim Ji-seop… Do you think he could become a good boss later on? Huh?”

That was the first thing he said after the International Business Team employees left at Ji-seop’s request.

“What… do you mean?”

“No, isn’t it obvious?”

Head of International Business Team, Jo Sung-beom, smiled gently.

“Thanks to Mr. Kim Ji-seop, our International Business Team employees were able to leave work early for two days in a row.”

Jo Sung-beom seemed to know what had happened at the Hamburg steak restaurant the day before.

“What’s so special about being a good boss? If you let your subordinates leave work early, that’s a good boss!”

“Sir, I don’t think this is the time to be making leisurely jokes.”

Cha Yun-jin, the team leader of ‘Black Curtain Cha Cha,’ spoke in a cold voice.

As Jo Sung-beom backed away, saying, ‘Okay, okay,’ Cha Yun-jin looked at Ji-seop and opened her mouth.

“Mr. Kim Ji-seop, let’s talk now.”

Flick, tap.

Cha Yun-jin continued, twirling the pen she was holding.

“What was discussed at Amuro Sports Marketing? What did you hear that made you say you could only tell me and the head of the team?”

Was it because they faced unexpected difficulties in setting up the practice game?

Or was it because of the ridiculous jokes their superiors were making in the midst of such difficulties?

Cha Yun-jin’s voice was sharper than ever, but Ji-seop’s expression remained calm.

“It’s nothing much.”

And then, one word followed.

“Arizona.”

“Hmm?”

“Arizona, Arizona in the United States.”

Of course, this was the result of ‘intently’ looking into the eyes of a Japanese employee named ‘Aragaki,’ but he couldn’t reveal the source of the information as it was.

“Before leaving Amuro Corporation, I suddenly had a stomach ache and went to the restroom… and I overheard Japanese employees talking there.”

The important part was what followed.

“KH Cannons will be leaving Okinawa at the end of this season. From next season, they plan to set up their spring camp in Arizona, USA… or so I heard.”

The next moment, Ji-seop could sense that what he had heard was 100% true.

“…….”

“…….”

Jo Sung-beom and Cha Yun-jin.

The expressions on their faces had hardened like stone.

* * *

From next year, KH Cannons’ spring camp will be in Arizona, USA.

Without knowing the details, it seemed like this was an issue being discussed very quietly within the KH Cannons front office’s top management.

‘Kim Dong-hui didn’t seem to know anything about it.’

With that in mind, Jo Sung-beom should have sent Ji-seop out of the room first.

It didn’t make sense to let a training assistant who had just come up from the minor leagues hear about matters being discussed secretly by the front office’s top management.

But perhaps they were quite shocked that this fact had leaked to Amuro.

Jo Sung-beom and Cha Yun-jin seemed to have momentarily forgotten that Ji-seop was sitting right in front of them.

“Did the information… leak?”

“It seems so.”

The two people had gloomy expressions.

“Damn it, where did the information leak from? We haven’t even told the manager yet that we’re moving to Arizona?”

“Jonathan, who is in the United States, has been looking for a spring camp location for several weeks now… so there’s a possibility that the rumor spread from there.”

Cha Yun-jin continued.

“Anyway, the important thing now is how we’re going to set up the practice games going forward.”

“That’s right.”

Jo Sung-beom sighed.

“If it’s known that we’re going to Arizona next year… it won’t be easy to get cooperation from Amuro.”

Jo Sung-beom gathered the papers on his desk.

“Cha Cha, what do you think? Is it possible to create a practice game schedule without Amuro’s help?”

“Fortunately, the negotiations with the Giants and Hawks went well, so if we combine that with practice games with Korean teams in Okinawa, we can put together a decent schedule, but…”

Cha Yun-jin’s expression darkened slightly.

“I’m a little worried that the manager asked us to arrange as many practice games as possible.”

“Well, we can’t exactly tell him, who’s expecting practice games with strong teams, to just make do with intrasquad games…”

“Wouldn’t it be better to bribe some of the Amuro guys?”

“No, no. What if the story leaks to other teams? Then we’ll be completely humiliated.”

It was at this moment that the two people, who were talking with serious expressions, recognized Ji-seop’s presence.

“Ah, Kim Ji-seop. You’re still here?”

Jo Sung-beom laughed.

“Mr. Kim Ji-seop brought back important information… I haven’t even praised you yet.”

Thank you for your hard work.

Jo Sung-beom nodded.

“Honestly, this is big. If Mr. Ji-seop hadn’t grasped the atmosphere at Amuro… we would have been caught off guard without knowing anything.”

“It’s nothing.”

Ji-seop bowed slightly.

“From now on, we’ll have to talk to the team president about this. Ji-seop, go back to the dorm and rest. Oh, of course, I’ll be sure to tell the team president about what happened today…”

Jo Sung-beom waved his hand, as if telling him to leave.

However, Ji-seop sat as if he was nailed to the spot and didn’t move.

“Mr. Kim Ji-seop?”

Cha Yun-jin said.

“Didn’t you hear what the head of the team said? I said you can leave now.”

“Um…”

Ji-seop, who had been lost in thought for a long time while listening to the two people’s conversation.

Ji-seop carefully opened his mouth with an expression as if he had made up his mind about something.

“Um… would it be okay if I said one more thing about what happened today?”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“This is just my opinion… but I was wondering if it wouldn’t be better to approach it in a simpler way.”

“Simply?”

Cha Yun-jin asked back.

“Simply… what do you mean by approaching it simply?”

“To put it bluntly… didn’t our KH make the people at Amuro Sports Marketing feel left out this time?”

Ji-seop continued.

“So, I was wondering if it wouldn’t be better to simply apologize for ‘making them feel bad’ and ask for their cooperation by saying, ‘Please help us.’…”

“Apologize?”

Jo Sung-beom chuckled.

“Isn’t that too simple?”

* * *

The absurd claim of a new recruit.

However, since he was a guy who had made some contributions, Jo Sung-beom seemed to have chosen to reason with him nicely.

“Mr. Kim Ji-seop, this isn’t a problem like bickering with friends.”

It’s a business matter.

Jo Sung-beom continued.

“Are we trying to leave Okinawa because we have built up feelings against Amuro? That’s not it.”

It’s also because the climate in Okinawa is getting worse and worse, and Arizona has better facilities.

As a baseball team sensitive to public opinion, they can’t help but consider the unresolved relationship between Korea and Japan.

“It’s the same with Amuro. Since we’re not coming next year, they’ve probably assigned the personnel they were going to put into us to other teams that will be visiting Okinawa next year.”

The information leaked early, so it’s a bit ambiguous, but still, it’s a decision made from a business perspective.

However, Ji-seop shook his head.

“That makes sense, but… KH and Amuro Corporation have been working together for almost 20 years, haven’t they?”

“So?”

“Even if they were just simple business partners, if they’ve been together for such a long time… shouldn’t we approach it as a problem between ‘friends’ to some extent?”

There was a reason why Ji-seop could say this.

“Maybe it’s just my imagination, but the Japanese employee I met today seemed quite disappointed.”

“Disappointed?”

“Yes, that’s how I saw it.”

Ji-seop continued.

“Even if you go to a small kimbap [Korean seaweed rice roll] restaurant in the neighborhood for 2-3 years, you become close, right? The owner sometimes gives you extra things like fried eggs, and the customer sometimes just lets it go if they don’t have any change.”

“…….”

“Even if you go for just 2-3 years, that’s the kind of relationship you develop… but KH and Amuro have had a relationship for almost 20 years. How many fried eggs have been exchanged during that time, and how much change has been let go? If you say you’re leaving without saying anything, of course they’ll be disappointed.”

Ji-seop continued.

“I don’t know if other teams don’t make any special statements in this situation… but if that’s the case, I think we need to apologize first. If we take care of their feelings, wouldn’t they have some kind of reaction?”

“If we’ve been together for 20 years, we need to see them not as business partners but as friends…”

Heh, that’s something.

Jo Sung-beom, who was letting out a hollow laugh, turned his gaze to Cha Yun-jin.

“Cha Cha, what do you think?”

* * *

Around 2 p.m. the next day.

Ji-seop was entering the Amuro Sports Marketing Corporation building with Cha Yun-jin.

Jo Sung-beom had accepted Ji-seop’s suggestion that ‘it’s right to apologize to Amuro first.’

It goes without saying that ‘Black Curtain Cha Cha’ Cha Yun-jin’s agreement had an influence on Jo’s final decision.

“Actually, I don’t really know either.”

Cha Yun-jin said.

“Anyway, once it’s confirmed that we’re moving to Arizona, we would have expressed our regret to Amuro in some way… but well, I don’t know how much things will change if we apologize now.”

“But…”

Ji-seop looked at ‘Black Curtain Cha Cha.’

“But… why did you agree with my opinion?”

Cha Yun-jin’s answer was simple.

“You have good instincts.”

“Yes?”

“When things are a bit ambiguous… it’s best to just do what the guy with good instincts says. Then things sometimes work out in unexpected ways.”

“Ah.”

At least she was being recognized by Cha Yun-jin for having ‘good instincts.’

As he followed Cha Yun-jin and walked along the bleak hallway, an employee of Amuro Corporation appeared from the front.

“Ah, Cha-san! You’ve arrived.”

It was the Japanese employee named ‘Aragaki’ whom he had met the day before.

“The president and the head of the department are waiting. Please come this way.”

Perhaps because it was the second time he had seen him since the day before, Ji-seop could clearly feel the strange atmosphere flowing through Amuro Sports Marketing.

[Those KH guys? Why are they here again?]

[Are they here to protest about the practice game?]

[I don’t even want to see that person’s face anymore. We’ve suffered so much because of them…]

There was definitely a ‘sullen’ atmosphere.

Ji-seop felt that he had properly read the atmosphere, but he was slightly worried about how he could resolve this.

“Team Leader, have you roughly thought about what you’re going to say?”

“Rookie, you’re a bit cocky sometimes, aren’t you? Did you think I came here without even thinking about that?”

Cha Yun-jin, who said ‘cocky’ but shrugged her shoulders with a smiling face.

“What’s so difficult about it? If we’re in a situation where we need to apologize, we just apologize coolly.”

‘Follow me,’ ‘Black Curtain Cha Cha’ pointed to the president’s office with her chin, as if there was no need to say more.

“Oh, Cha-san! It’s been a long time.”

The main figures of Amuro Sports Marketing were gathered in the president’s office.

To Ji-seop, who could read their inner thoughts, they looked like a tangled skein of thread.

‘Heh, this is a headache.’

They had received help from KH, so they were grateful, and they had been troubled by complicated matters, so they were annoyed.

They were angry that the other party was leaving without saying anything, and they thought it couldn’t be helped because of the realistic situation.

All sorts of thoughts were intertwined and left as a tangled skein.

“Hello, President. Today, our KH Cannons have something to say to Amuro Sports Marketing, so we came to visit.”

However, ‘Black Curtain Cha Cha,’ who was moving through the tangled skein, was unstoppable.

“Actually, our KH Cannons will be moving our spring camp to Arizona, USA, starting next year.”

Cha Yun-jin, who was telling all the facts from the beginning.

“I’ll tell you the reasons slowly… but first of all, we sincerely apologize to Amuro for the delay in conveying this fact, which we have been together for the past 20 years!”

And the next moment, ‘Black Curtain Cha Cha’ slammed her head on the desk in front of the president.

“Huh?!!”

“Ugh!!!”

“Cha, Cha-san!!!”

The ‘skeins’ who had been wearing displeased expressions were startled and lowered their heads after that.