A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 410

90. The Great Showman (4)

What was the best way to describe him?

He looked like the kind of older gentleman you’d often see in a wealthy residential area on a Florida beach.

His brightly patterned short-sleeved shirt was unbuttoned just enough to reveal his chest, and his cotton shorts were deliberately tight-fitting.

To complete the look, he sported a gold, glittering wristwatch and necklace, along with sunglasses bearing a large designer logo.

The only difference was that instead of a thick Cuban cigar, he held a red ginseng stick in his hand.

Thanks to the health food product he had become familiar with since his Cannons [a former minor league baseball team] days, Ji-seop recognized him immediately.

He was the man Ji-seop was looking for.

The great showman of Nevada.

Charles Flex, the legendary marketing expert of the Tampa Bay Rays.

“Mr. Flex, how do you do?”

Ji-seop approached him.

“I was hoping to meet you someday, and this is a wonderful opportunity.”

“Hmm? Do you know me?”

Charles Flex tilted his head.

“Haha, I’m sorry. My memory hasn’t been the best lately… Excuse me, but who are you?”

Ji-seop didn’t feel it necessary to reveal his name or affiliation.

He simply gave a faint smile and gestured with his chin toward the item in Flex’s hand.

“You seem to enjoy the red ginseng extract quite a bit. You even brought it all the way here.”

“Red ginseng?”

Charles Flex looked blankly at the red ginseng stick in his hand and then back at Ji-seop.

It was the next moment that he seemed startled, lifting his sunglasses slightly on his face.

“Th-then are you Kim? The deputy general manager of the Tampa Bay Rays? The one who’s been contacting me?”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s the first time we’ve met in person like this.”

“What, you mean you followed me all the way to Dominica?!”

As Charles Flex stared at him with a dumbfounded expression, Ji-seop was mentally preparing himself.

‘Alright, here we go.’

Ji-seop had devised his own persuasion strategy on the plane to Dominica.

How to win over Charles Flex. How to extract all the know-how he possessed.

Charles Flex was someone he had met after a truly arduous process. Ji-seop was on high alert, determined not to miss this opportunity, but-

“Oh my, I’ve never seen such a persistent person… Wait a minute, no?!”

What was he thinking?

Charles Flex, who had been looking at Ji-seop with a look of disgust, suddenly turned his gaze to the group he had come with.

“Ladies? If you don’t mind, would it be alright if I stepped away for a moment? I promise it won’t take long.”

“Of course, of course! We can’t just let a guest who’s come all this way leave!”

“Oh, Lisa! Thank you. You are truly like an angel sent to me by God!”

Charles Flex made a fuss and kissed the back of the middle-aged woman’s hand, then gestured to his colleague.

“Then Peter, take the ladies and go ahead! I’ve already told the bartender.”

“Okay, I understand. You finish up quickly and join us!”

Hahahahaha.

Hohohoho.

As the group disappeared beyond the stairs in a lively atmosphere, Charles Flex turned his gaze to Ji-seop.

“Well then, shall we sit here for a moment and have a conversation?”

Unlike when he was with his group, Charles Flex wore a rather serious expression.

And with that serious expression, he asked Ji-seop this question.

“Kim, I’ll get straight to the point without beating around the bush.”

He continued.

“The fact that you’re here means… that the Tampa Bay Rays are still interested in me, right?”

* * *

When Charles Flex asked the question, Ji-seop, who was sitting on the cafe sofa, paused before answering.

The superficial reason was to wait for John Ramer, who had gone to order coffee, but the real reason was to gauge the other person’s true feelings.

‘What’s this old man up to?’

One moment he was telling them never to contact him again, and suddenly he was showing a completely different attitude.

Fluttering like a feather in the wind. It was hard to grasp Charles Flex’s true intentions.

Ji-seop didn’t intend to, but that brief silence seemed to have made Charles Flex anxious.

“I recall that the Tampa Bay Rays offered me a position as an advisor to the team… Is that correct?”

Charles Flex said as he accepted a cup of coffee from John Ramer.

“To come to work about once a week and check the Tampa Bay Rays’ marketing strategy.”

“Yes, that’s what we proposed.”

“Alright, good! I’ll consider that offer favorably. In a way that will be helpful to you, if possible.”

He took out his cell phone.

“I’ll visit Tropicana Field [the home stadium of the Tampa Bay Rays] around next weekend. I’d like to take a look at the stadium facilities then and discuss the specific terms of the contract… How does that sound?”

Charles Flex was showing a very forward-looking attitude, as he said, but at this point, Ji-seop simply raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

“Mr. Flex, what on earth has gotten into you?”

“Yes?”

“You said you had no interest in baseball, and now you’re suddenly in Dominica, and you flatly rejected our offer, but now you’re saying you’ll consider it positively…”

Ji-seop picked up his coffee cup and looked into Charles Flex’s eyes.

“The change in attitude is so sudden that I don’t know what to say.”

“Haha, is that so? Well, I feel a little silly saying this myself, but…”

“Is there another reason?”

Charles Flex spread his arms.

“The most amazing changes in this world always come from the same reason.”

“The same reason being…?”

“Love.”

Charles Flex brought his hands together over his chest and gently closed his eyes.

“Love, true love, that is.”

A stream of coffee leaked from John Ramer’s mouth, but fortunately, Charles Flex didn’t seem to notice.

“Over 60 long years, past countless relationships that left only scars… Kim, I have finally been able to face true love.”

“Are you talking about the woman who was standing with you earlier, Mr. Flex?”

“That’s right.”

Charles Flex nodded.

“Elizabeth, my Lisa! She single-handedly raised three wonderful children, one of whom is playing as an excellent baseball player. Here in Santo Domingo.”

Charles Flex’s visit to Dominica was to see that son’s game.

He had seen through his girlfriend’s desire to see her son’s game at a glance, or something like that.

“Haha, it’s been a dreamlike week. Maybe I’ve been waiting for the past 60 years just to enjoy this week.”

“Ah, yes, well… I see.”

If that’s what he says, then that’s what it is.

Ji-seop put down his coffee cup and looked at Charles Flex, who was still immersed in happiness.

“So, for that ‘true love’… what can I do to help you?”

“Yes?”

Charles Flex looked quite surprised, but Ji-seop continued in a calm tone.

“You didn’t just grab me to talk about your love life, and you’re trying to get something out of me, aren’t you? In exchange for accepting our offer from the Tampa Bay Rays.”

“Keuh, as expected! I heard you were promoted to deputy general manager within a year of joining the team, and your intuition is extraordinary.”

Charles Flex lowered his voice.

“It’s nothing much… It seems like the time is ripe.”

“Time?”

“For a proposal.”

He winked slightly.

“Originally, I was planning to proceed slowly, but Lisa’s been acting suspicious these past few days. It’s like she wants to finalize things here in Dominica, if possible.”

“Ah.”

“The truth is, she loves baseball very much. So, if possible, I’d like to propose at a baseball stadium, preferably at Estadio Quisqueya [a prominent baseball stadium in the Dominican Republic], the best baseball stadium in Dominica…”

The problem was that the Dominican Winter League doesn’t officially hold events like proposals.

In the end, he had to negotiate directly with Estadio Quisqueya, but Charles Flex didn’t have the right connections.

“Wouldn’t it be possible to ask her son? Or the friend who’s been guiding you around…?”

“Hey, that’s out of the question!”

Charles Flex jumped up.

“Then all the details about the event will leak into Lisa’s ears! These things should be done without the bride’s knowledge.”

“Ah, is that so?”

Ji-seop turned his gaze to John Ramer, but the main director of the future strategy planning division simply shrugged.

“Kim, aren’t you the deputy general manager of a Major League Baseball team? That’s why I’m asking you for this favor.”

Charles Flex had the expression of a warrior facing the battle of his life.

“Is there any way… you could put in a good word with Estadio Quisqueya?”

“Hmm.”

Ji-seop was lost in thought for a while.

When you think about it, it had only been a few hours since he arrived in the Dominican Republic.

He didn’t have any significant connections in this country’s baseball scene yet, and he knew even less about the operating entity of the stadium.

‘It would be easy to ask Douglas, but he said he was incredibly busy… Hmm?’

And just then, a few shadows flickered in Ji-seop’s vision.

Ji-seop, recalling the identity of those shadows, opened his mouth with a confident expression.

“Alright. Then would you mind waiting a moment? I’ll go find some connections with the baseball stadium.”

“Wait a moment?”

Charles Flex blinked.

“Will it… be that quick?”

“Of course.”

Ji-seop smiled brightly.

“Who do you think I am?”

* * *

The next morning.

After finishing breakfast at his local accommodation in Santo Domingo, Ji-seop was on the phone with Brian Spann, the general manager.

-Is that really true?

The general manager’s voice was full of surprise.

-Charles Flex agreed? Does that mean he’s joining our team as an advisor?

“Yes, I just received a confirmation call.”

-No, how?

The general manager asked.

-Last night, you said you needed to get cooperation from Estadio Quisqueya? I know they’re pretty strict because they’re public officials?

“Yes, but thanks to the business card you gave me, sir, I was able to get through it safely.”

-Business card? You mean the Major League Baseball deputy general manager’s business card worked on the public officials?

“No, that’s not it…”

Ji-seop smiled slightly and switched hands with the phone.

“I received help from a local agent who was waiting at the hotel.”

-Local agent?

“Yes, I told them I’d give them one of my business cards if they got me the contact information of a stadium official… and things worked out quickly.”

-Ah, is that how it was?

The general manager’s voice was filled with satisfaction.

-Usually, local agents are the ones you try to avoid… Haha, you thought of using them instead.

If he gave out his contact information for no reason, there would be people calling him saying they had a good player.

But Ji-seop had decided to take that risk. Getting Charles Flex on board was the priority.

‘And you never know… I might get lucky and find a good player.’

Ji-seop opened his notebook and continued.

“Anyway, Mr. Charles Flex is scheduled to officially start work next Saturday. First, he’ll take a tour of the team’s facilities, and then we’ll discuss the details later.”

-Hmm, good. Then we can hear about the new strategy for the future strategy planning division before the end of the year.

-Thank you for your hard work.

Brian Spann, the general manager, was full of praise.

But at the end of that long praise, a slightly worried voice was heard.

-This is a different story… but I’m a little worried.”

“Yes? What is it?”

-Charles Flex’s proposal plan. That plan to propose in a stadium full of spectators.

-Tsk.

The general manager clicked his tongue.

-That… was abolished quite a while ago at our Tropicana Field.

“Abolished?”

-Yes, unlike what we men think… it seems it wasn’t a very attractive event for the brides. It was a rather embarrassing event.