A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 5

The Rookie of the Baseball Team is Too Good – Episode 5

#The Rookie of the Baseball Team is Too Good Episode 5

Chapter 3: No Turning Back (1)

Time passed.

It had already been a month since Kim Ji-seop started working at [Superstar Baseball].

Kim Ji-seop was heading to work with his ‘mentor,’ Coach Han Min-wook.

It turned out that they lived in the same direction.

“Did you eat something delicious yesterday?”

Coach Han Min-wook asked as they exited the subway station and headed towards the training center.

“Excuse me?”

“Yesterday was payday.”

Coach Han adjusted his backpack.

“You must have received a generous bonus from the boss too….”

There was a hint of envy in his voice.

A junior who sold all the gloves piled up in the consultation room within a month of joining the company.

For Coach Han, who had only sold three or four batting gloves in the past few months, Ji-seop was simply amazing.

“If I were you, I would have grilled 1++ grade Korean beef right away.”

“I wanted to, but….”

Ji-seop gave a somewhat wistful smile.

“I just bought two chickens for the family and called it even.”

“What? Chicken? Just chicken?”

“Yes.”

Ji-seop nodded.

“I definitely received a lot of money… but there were so many places to spend it.”

Credit card bills, living expenses, housing savings account.

On top of that, Ji-seop had accumulated a considerable amount of debt while working abroad for the past 10 years.

As he started to handle the expenses that his parents had been supporting him with, the large salary slipped through his fingers like sand.

Of course, he didn’t reveal these specific circumstances, but Coach Han seemed to understand.

“Well, it’s something that every retired baseball player experiences at least once.”

“Is that so?”

“Wouldn’t everyone? When they’re active, they leave money matters to their parents or wives….”

Coach Han clicked his tongue.

“It’s only after retirement that they realize, ‘Oh, so much money was spent on me,’ and they have to tighten their belts.”

Coach Han, reminded of the time he decided to retire, quickened his pace in silence for a while.

Just as the [Superstar Baseball] sign came into view in the distance, he turned to Ji-seop and said.

“Don’t be too disheartened that your first paycheck was wiped out. It’s almost October.”

“Yes?”

“October, autumn, the perfect season for baseball.”

Coach Han continued.

“The Social Baseball League finals are held, there are short-term leagues, and company baseball tournaments too….”

“Ah, I see.”

It’s only natural that the number of training center members increases when there are more tournaments.

When there are more training center members, some of them apply for private lessons, and some suggest mercenary games [pickup games for pay].

Private lessons and mercenary games are good sources of income for social baseball coaches.

“October is the last peak season of the year for the social baseball industry. Fewer people play baseball in the winter anyway.”

So, let’s make some money while we can.

Coach Han grinned.

“Let’s make enough to chew on some Korean beef together at the end of the month.”

“Hehe, you really like Korean beef, Coach.”

“What are you talking about? Is there anyone in the world who doesn’t like Korean beef?”

They were having such trivial conversations when they creaked open the old glass door of the training center.

“…….Huh?”

[Superstar Baseball] was usually noisy with the sound of throwing, catching, and hitting balls.

Today was Wednesday.

It was ‘Training Center Open Day’ once a week, so members could come and practice freely before the lesson started.

But for some reason, a heavy silence had fallen inside the training center.

“…….”

It wasn’t that there were no members.

As usual, dozens of middle-aged men were milling around.

But all those men were standing in a circle around the consultation room, whispering among themselves.

Among them was a man familiar to Ji-seop.

“Mr. Choi.”

Choi Kyung-min, the president who bought the ‘Tabota Limited Edition’ glove from Ji-seop.

“Oh, Coach Kim! Coach Han is here too?”

President Choi greeted him happily.

Ji-seop asked President Choi.

“Did something happen at the training center? Why aren’t you all practicing and just standing here….”

“Oh, is baseball important now?”

There, over there.

President Choi pointed inside the consultation room.

“Over there?”

The first thing that caught his eye was Oh Su-man, the CEO of [Superstar Baseball].

He was wiping sweat with a handkerchief, bowing repeatedly, seemingly at a loss.

Sitting across from CEO Oh was-

‘……An old man?’

An old man with white hair.

The old man, with his hair neatly combed back with pomade and wearing a three-piece suit, was glaring at CEO Oh with a fierce gaze.

There seemed to be another middle-aged man next to him, who appeared to be the old man’s secretary, but he wasn’t clearly visible from here.

Ji-seop asked President Choi.

“Who is that man?”

“Huh?!”

At that moment, Ji-seop felt all eyes on him.

“Doesn’t Coach Kim know that man?”

“He’s been a bit quiet lately… but he used to be in the newspapers a lot.”

“Hey, not just in the newspapers! There was even a drama about him in the past.”

“No, not the main character… I think he was the villain who tormented the main character? So there was a lot of talk about him suing the writer or something.”

The men were excitedly chattering.

Ji-seop tilted his head.

“A dra……ma? So, is he an actor?”

“Wow, you really don’t know him. I suddenly feel a generation gap with Coach Kim.”

President Choi, who was looking at Ji-seop as if he were a curious creature, finally opened his mouth.

“He’s Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju of KH Group.”

He continued.

“But he’s always been more famous for his nickname than his name.”

“What’s his nickname?”

“Sakhalin.”

President Choi said.

“Sakhalin Park, Park Hong-ju.”

* * *

Ji-seop had never heard the name before, but he seemed to be quite a celebrity among the training center members.

“Was it in the early 90s? There was a time when KH Group was on the verge of collapse. Their Russian business partners kept delaying payments.”

That was President Choi’s testimony.

“The stock price was plummeting, and there were rumors that the company was selling its buildings and the chairman was selling his house… it was a gloomy situation in many ways… but that Park Hong-ju guy solved the problem all at once.”

“How?”

“He flew to Sakhalin and….”

President Choi had the expression of someone telling a tale of a martial arts master.

“He happened to meet the Russian president who was touring the area.”

“Hey, no way.”

“It’s true! It was in the newspapers.”

Park Hong-ju, then a managing director, who met with the Russian president, reportedly shouted this:

-Russia claims to be a great power, but now I see that it is no better than a small country.

-If you abandon your faith for a few pennies, who will value the relationship with Russia?

-Our KH will not forget this. Whether it takes a hundred years or a thousand years, we will show you the bitter taste.

To put it nicely, it was a spirited outburst, and to put it badly, it was like throwing oneself into the fire with firewood [a self-destructive act].

However, this bold approach surprisingly moved the Russian president.

That night, the Russian president, after a private meeting with Park Hong-ju, immediately ordered a solution to the problem, and as a result, KH Group was able to overcome the biggest crisis since its founding… or so the story goes.

“KH Group’s professional baseball team is [KH Cannons], right? In fact, that name came about because of that man. At that time, they received a lot of state-of-the-art weapons from Russia instead of payment for goods.”

“So, that’s why his nickname is Sakhalin Park?”

“That’s right.”

President Choi had an expression that said, ‘Now you get it, right?’ but Ji-seop seemed to be even more confused.

“No, such a great man….”

Ji-seop scratched his chin with his finger.

“What brings him to our training center?”

“Well, that’s… ?”

President Choi didn’t seem to know that far.

However, before long, everyone, including Ji-seop, learned the reason for ‘Sakhalin Park’s’ visit to [Superstar Baseball].

“So, what’s the conclusion?!”

The very voice that had deeply impressed the Russian president echoed loudly outside the consultation room.

“You can’t teach me baseball… is that what you’re trying to say now?!”

* * *

At that moment.

Numerous question marks floated above the heads of the men standing outside the consultation room.

“Baseball???”

“Did he just say baseball??”

“Sakhalin Park is going to play baseball? An old man over seventy?”

“No, even if he plays baseball, why here? If it’s Sakhalin Park, he could learn from an active professional player?”

It was a situation where nothing was clearly understood.

The men began to move towards the consultation room without anyone saying anything.

It seemed they wanted to hear the details, even if they had to put their ears to the wall of the consultation room.

However, their attempts were in vain.

Bang!

Just as the men put their ears to the wall, Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju, ‘Sakhalin Park,’ burst out of the consultation room.

“Damn it, I just wasted my time!”

“I-I’m sorry, Vice Chairman!”

Following behind Vice Chairman Park was Oh Su-man, the CEO of [Superstar Baseball].

“It’s my mistake. If I had told you more accurately, you wouldn’t have made a wasted trip like this.”

CEO Oh was flustered.

“It may sound like an excuse, but I thought you were at most in your mid-60s. I didn’t know you were already over seventy….”

CEO Oh did his best to make excuses, but the more he spoke, the more Park Hong-ju’s face hardened.

“No, what the heck!”

In the end, Park Hong-ju unleashed another roar.

“My age is all over the internet! Is it even possible that a businessman wouldn’t know that much information and would just blabber on!”

CEO Oh shrank his neck like a turtle.

“And you can accept people in their 60s but not in their 70s? Who made such a trashy rule? Do you have to treat people like useless old men in every little thing to feel good? Is that it?”

Park Hong-ju’s anger spread to the men standing around him.

“Hey, you over there! You tell me! Do I look like someone who shouldn’t play baseball? Am I a weakling who’s going to die as soon as I stand at the plate!”

The rumor that Park Hong-ju had negotiated with the Russian president in his youth seemed to be true after all.

When he raised his voice, even the men who had done nothing wrong lowered their heads in fear.

No one dared to step forward, and they were just waiting for ‘Sakhalin Park’s’ anger to subside.

“…….”

However, there was one person.

Only Ji-seop had a calm expression as usual.

Perhaps it was only natural.

Because Ji-seop was reading ‘Sakhalin Park’ Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju’s mind.

‘If it turns out like this… it’s going to be difficult.’

Even in the midst of shouting loudly, the thought that came to Ji-seop’s mind.

[Even if I mobilize all the connections I know, even if I search every training center in Seoul, I can’t find a single coach to teach me baseball…. ]

[This training center was practically the last one, but if I can’t find a coach here either… Damn it, what do I do now?]