A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 503

The Too-Good Rookie of the Baseball Team Chapter 504

106. An Unexpected Guest (4)

Two days later.

A heavy silence hung in the office of the General Manager at Tropicana Field.

“…….”

It wasn’t because of Brian Span, who had returned from Korea that morning.

His expression was calm. A faint smile even played on his lips as he picked up his coffee cup.

Therefore, the heavy atmosphere at this moment was entirely due to Ji-seop.

Ji-seop’s eyes were subtly shaking at a single envelope that the General Manager had handed him, saying it was a ‘souvenir from Korea.’

“T, this is…….”

Ji-seop stared at the documents inside the envelope for a long time with an expression of disbelief.

Just as he put the envelope down with a short sigh, the General Manager also set down his coffee cup and opened his mouth.

“As you might have guessed, these are documents that KH Group’s Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju asked me to deliver.”

The General Manager glanced at the KH Group logo on the envelope.

“Application to withdraw from the mathematics dispatch program, a guide to returning the group scholarship, and then documents related to insurance and mutual aid. And the last thing clipped together is…….”

“……a letter of resignation.”

Ji-seop narrowed his brow slightly.

“A letter of resignation with my name on it.”

“That’s right.”

The General Manager nodded.

“I heard that all the details are filled in. If Kim signs it and sends it back to Korea, all the procedures will be completed within three or four days.”

“…….”

“Of course, this is a procedure to liquidate all contractual relationships between Kim and the KH Cannons. However, Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju asked that you consider this as support from the Cannons.”

Support from the Cannons.

The General Manager emphasized this.

“As proof, he said that there is no need to return the scholarship that has been paid to Kim so far. Vice Chairman Park has promised to handle that part directly…….”

“Sir, what…… what did you do?”

Ji-seop had never interrupted General Manager Brian Span before.

But this time, he couldn’t help it. He didn’t understand. A letter of resignation, terminating all contracts with the Cannons.

How could Park Hong-ju, the ‘Sakhalin Park’ [a nickname implying shrewdness and resourcefulness], make such a decision?

“What conditions did the Tampa Bay Rays offer? The Vice Chairman I know wouldn’t send such a document…….”

“Ah, is that so? I think I get a sense of what you mean. I also had a feeling that it would be a difficult negotiation from the beginning.”

The General Manager seemed to be recalling his first meeting with Sakhalin Park.

“So, I think I presented the maximum conditions from the beginning of the negotiation. Aspects of information exchange, inter-league games, and so on. But to give you the conclusion…….”

He raised his head.

“Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju did not attach any conditions to terminating your contract with the KH Cannons.”

“No conditions at all?”

“That’s right. He readily agreed. I don’t think it took even 30 minutes from the first time I met him to get his permission.”

He added that they had a pleasant time sharing stories about Ji-seop.

Of course, there was also discussion about promoting a Major League opening game to coincide with the opening of the Cannons’ new stadium, and about having Cannons’ promising players participate in Tampa Bay’s development league.

However, he said that those were only measures to promote exchange between Major League Baseball and Korean professional baseball, and were discussed separately from Ji-seop’s contract termination.

“Kim, what’s wrong?”

The General Manager, who had been talking about the results of his trip to Korea, looked at Ji-seop and asked.

“You don’t look good. Are you perplexed by Vice Chairman Park’s decision?”

“Yes, a little…….”

As Ji-seop trailed off, the General Manager slowly nodded.

“I see.”

He seemed to be smiling slightly.

“Originally, I was planning to use Vice Chairman Park’s words as leverage to pressure Kim to make a decision today…… but it seems that will be difficult.”

He continued.

“Then how about this? I’ll give you a few days off, so you can meet Vice Chairman Park and talk to him.”

“Meet the Vice Chairman?”

“Yes, it’s a good opportunity.”

The General Manager took a pamphlet out of his drawer and handed it to Ji-seop as if he had been waiting for this.

“This is…….”

“That’s right. The U-18 Baseball World Cup, it’s currently being held in Bradenton.”

It was the very tournament that Ji-seop had recommended Dr. Goldberg to attend.

A world-class youth baseball tournament held near St. Petersburg.

As a baseball team’s front office, it was an event they couldn’t be unaware of, but it seemed there was a point that Ji-seop had missed.

“Vice Chairman Park is the head of the Republic of Korea U-18 team at this tournament. He arrived in the United States last night and joined them in Bradenton.”

“R, really?”

No wonder his phone was turned off.

Ji-seop clicked his tongue.

“Bradenton is less than a 30-minute drive from St. Petersburg. A person you can call the teacher of your life has come to such a nearby place, so shouldn’t you visit him at least once?”

The General Manager seemed to know very well about the relationship between Ji-seop and Sakhalin Park.

“I’ll give you three days off. Put aside your work worries for the first time in a while and have a leisurely conversation with Vice Chairman Park. Kim is facing a very important decision right now.”

“…….”

“I’ll listen to Kim’s final answer regarding his future career after you return from Bradenton. That will probably be the last day of the ten days we initially promised…….”

Wouldn’t that be perfect in many ways?

The General Manager was sending a very meaningful look.

* * *

I’ll give you three days off.

Go meet Sakhalin Park.

When Ji-seop received the proposal from General Manager Brian Span, he could immediately sense it.

That this was a kind of plan. That Brian Span and Sakhalin Park had agreed on this a long time ago.

There was no other reason. Ji-seop could hear the General Manager’s inner thoughts in his ear.

[Hmm, good. That was natural.]

[Now, I can leave the rest to Mr. Sakhalin.]

Although he didn’t say it outright to Ji-seop, it seemed that there was a kind of division of roles between the two.

Brian Span was in charge of setting the stage appropriately, and Sakhalin Park was in charge of the full-scale persuasion.

Of course, he didn’t feel too bad. Sakhalin Park and Brian Span were both called legends in the industry.

That such people were trying to persuade him was, in some ways, an honor that would never come again.

‘Yeah, I’m a little grateful…….’

There was also something bothering him.

The change of heart of Sakhalin Park.

Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju, as Ji-seop remembered him, was a person who cared terribly about the KH Cannons.

He sent Ji-seop to the United States in the first place for the sake of the Cannons. To raise the Cannons to a prestigious team.

But now, he was letting Ji-seop go so easily, which he couldn’t readily understand.

“…….”

No, the expression ‘couldn’t understand’ wouldn’t be quite appropriate.

That afternoon, as he drove his car towards Bradenton.

Ji-seop was sincerely worried about Sakhalin Park.

‘Is something wrong again……?’

Wasn’t he an old man with a terrible personality?

It was true that he was a legend in the industry, but it was also true that he had enemies everywhere.

He might have clashed with the chairman of the KH Group again, or he might have butted heads with the commissioner of Korean professional baseball.

In fact, such types of trouble might have been fortunate. The part that Ji-seop was secretly worried about was this.

‘Could his health have deteriorated?’

He had heard that people’s personalities change when they get a serious illness.

He had also heard that a boisterous person suddenly becomes generous.

As his thoughts reached this point, he suddenly felt his fingertips getting cold.

His heart was pounding, and his mouth was dry. Ji-seop unknowingly began to press down on the accelerator pedal of the car-

But who said that?

90% of the worries that people have are unnecessary worries.

“Ah, are you talking about the Vice Chairman?”

Ji-seop, who had arrived at the Korean national team’s accommodation, was hearing this testimony from an official of the baseball association.

“Vice Chairman Park left this morning. He said he was going on a fishing trip with local acquaintances in the United States.”

“A fishing trip?”

“Yes, they say you can catch incredibly big fish in the Caribbean…….”

“Ah, is that so?”

For a moment, he was relieved.

There was nothing wrong with his health. If he had a serious illness, he wouldn’t have gone looking for a big catch.

But as he let out a sigh of relief, Ji-seop realized something strange.

“Wait a minute, a Caribbean fishing trip? Isn’t that something you can’t do as a day trip?”

Tampa Bay manager Mike Klemblas was a fishing trip enthusiast.

So Ji-seop had heard related stories from him.

“Right? He said it would take about three days. It might take a little longer…….”

“No, is that okay?”

Ji-seop was dumbfounded.

“Wasn’t Vice Chairman Park here as the head of the national team? Even if the head of the national team is close to an honorary position, the tournament is in full swing right now…….”

In fact, strictly speaking, Ji-seop, who belonged to Tampa Bay, didn’t need to say anything about the operation of the national team.

The part that Ji-seop was flustered at this time was the fact that Sakhalin Park would be absent for three days.

Then when would they talk? When could he get advice? Wasn’t there no reason to come all the way here in the first place?

‘Damn it, if I had known this would happen, I should have called Secretary Yang…….’

Looking back, he was an old man who was impossible to grasp from the first time they met.

Just as Ji-seop was scratching the back of his head and taking out his cell phone.

The baseball association official who had been dealing with Ji-seop until now asked in a very cautious voice.

“By the way…… didn’t you say you were Deputy Director Kim Ji-seop a little while ago? From the Tampa Bay Rays.”

“Yes, but…… Ah, a business card? Did I not give you my business card?”

To contact the national team at an international tournament, it was customary to submit a business card first.

A matter commonly applied by each national team to prevent any possible accidents.

Ji-seop hurriedly reached into the inside of his jacket pocket, wondering if he had forgotten to submit his business card.

But the baseball association official quickly waved his hands and opened his mouth.

“No, you gave me your business card. I have it here. However…… Deputy Director’s reaction is a bit strange.”

“Yes?”

As Ji-seop looked down at the other person with a blank expression, the baseball association official tilted his head and asked.

“Perhaps…… didn’t you hear anything from Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju?”

The next moment, Ji-seop couldn’t help but feel as if he had been hit in the back of the head with a hammer.

“Vice Chairman Park said he would entrust the acting role to Kim Ji-seop?”

“Acting? Acting for what?”

“Well, of course…… the acting role of the head of the Korean national baseball team?”

He continued.

“I heard that it was already agreed upon with the Tampa Bay Rays…… am I mistaken?”