A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 58

Let’s Do Business and Make a Living (2)

“The bat is good, right? Really good, right?”

A man with a voice as light as a feather.

Ji-seop’s thick eyebrows twitched slightly the moment he saw the man rubbing his hands together like a fly.

‘Wait a minute, that person is definitely…’

It was a face Ji-seop knew.

And had known for quite a while.

However, the other party, engrossed in sales, didn’t seem to notice Ji-seop’s presence.

“Everyone, when it comes to bats, you shouldn’t be swayed by brand names. Why? Because the artisans who make pro-grade bats are all pretty much the same!”

The man’s words flowed smoothly.

As if he had oiled his tongue.

“You all know that NaiX makes bats, and RollX also makes bats, but in the end, the artisan who completes those bats is the same person… That’s right!”

The truth of that was unknown.

However, the Cannon’s rookie players seemed to be falling for the man’s words.

“Our Perfect Swing has a direct contract with those artisans. Thanks to that, we’ve ‘whacked’ away the price bubble and ‘boosted’ the quality to bring you these bats!”

Now, opportunities like this are rare.

The man held up the bat in both hands and continued.

“If you sign with us now, you can use the highest-grade bats at a price that’s more than 30% cheaper than other brands! Of course, we accept cards, and interest-free installments are available too!”

The players, as if bewitched by the man’s amazing eloquence, began to pick up the bats.

Still, there must have been some clever guys among them.

One of the players turned to Ji-seop and asked.

“Senior, what do you think?”

The player held up the bat.

“Does it look good to you, Senior?”

What great help could a pitcher like Ji-seop be in choosing a bat?

However, the fact that he was the ‘manager’s translator’ for the Cannons and someone whom Ryu Jang-ho, the team’s best hitter, treated with great respect as ‘Senior’ seemed to have played a significant role.

At some point, the players’ gazes began to focus on Ji-seop.

“Well…”

After a moment of thought, Ji-seop decided to tell them what he knew about the bat manufacturer ‘Perfect Swing’.

“It’s true that it’s a good brand for the price… but you should know that you need a bit of ‘luck of the draw’.”

“Luck of the draw?”

“I remember that if you bought ten, three or four would be defective.”

Ji-seop continued.

“It’s not that the company’s quality is poor, but I heard that they deliberately include defective products to match the unit price. They say that young players can’t really tell if a bat is defective or if they just hit the ball wrong anyway…”

“H, hey!!!”

Before Ji-seop could finish speaking, the ‘Perfect Swing’ salesman shouted in surprise.

“W, what are you saying? Our Perfect Swing deliberately includes defective products! Where did you hear such an old sales se… I mean, a rumor, huh?”

Ji-seop smiled inwardly.

This man still doesn’t realize who I am.

Thinking that, he said one word.

“It’s probably not a rumor. I heard it from a senior at the same school when I was in college.”

“No, is that senior even related to Perfect Swing? Do you think that’s a valid basis?”

“Yes, it’s valid.”

Ji-seop nodded.

“Because that senior was a salesman for ‘Perfect Swing’.”

“A salesman for Perfect Swing?”

At that moment, the man’s expression changed strangely.

At first, with a slightly haunted look.

And then, with an expression that seemed to scrutinize Ji-seop’s face closely.

“S, surely you… could it be…”

Then, trembling his fingers, he barely managed to say one word.

“Ji-seop? Kim Ji-seop, the pitcher from Gongmun University?”

“Yes.”

Only then did Ji-seop raise the corners of his mouth in a smirk.

“It’s been a while, Senior.”

* * *

The man’s name was Gong Hyeon-baek.

He was three years senior to Ji-seop in college.

His position was catcher, but he had hardly ever caught Ji-seop’s pitches.

Because when Ji-seop entered the school, he was already working as a salesman for the bat manufacturer ‘Perfect Swing’.

A person who was envied by the baseball team’s juniors for getting a job before graduating from college.

“So… you’re saying that you’re the manager’s translator for the Cannons now, Ji-seop?”

It was after the game that day that Ji-seop faced Gong Hyeon-baek again.

Gong Hyeon-baek, after hearing Ji-seop’s story, laughed ‘hehe’ while gulping down beer.

“Wow, a great person has come out of our Gongmun University baseball team! We should put an article in the next alumni newsletter, shouldn’t we?”

“Why are you making such a fuss again?”

Ji-seop’s expression was indifferent.

“I think I heard that some of my classmates went pro?”

“None of them were formally drafted. They were all developmental player contracts.”

Gong Hyeon-baek continued.

“Even then, they were all released within a year or two… I think you’re the only guy from our school who’s still in the pros, Ji-seop.”

Not surprising.

Gong Hyeon-baek looked at Ji-seop and smiled ‘hehe’.

“You’ve always had a different side to you, Ji-seop.”

“Did I?”

“Why are you pretending you don’t know? You were the only one who noticed our company’s ‘trade secret’.”

The method of signing a bat sales contract at a low price and then deliberately including defective bats to match the overall unit price.

In his college days, Ji-seop had noticed this method and given Gong Hyeon-baek a good blow.

“You were picking out the defective bats one by one in front of the manager… Ugh, I still get chills when I think about it.”

Gong Hyeon-baek shuddered, as if reminded of the old days.

However, Ji-seop only smiled and brought the beer glass to his lips.

“You should have done business with a conscience. Selling defective bats to your juniors… Is that something a senior should do?”

“Stop nagging, you brat. I gave you proper bats after that, didn’t I? Almost for free, too.”

And also.

Gong Hyeon-baek suddenly put on a serious expression the next moment.

“Just know this.”

“What?”

“Our Perfect Swing… is not the cheap bat company you used to know.”

Gong Hyeon-baek thumped his chest with his fist.

“Do you think I have no pride? No self-esteem? I was humiliated in front of my junior, do you think I could just go to work like nothing happened?”

“…”

“After you gave me a good blow, I made up my mind. No matter what, I would make our Perfect Swing a proper bat company.”

When he was a new employee, he had no choice but to do what he was told, but after he had gained some experience, things were different.

“This is a small business, so my promotion was fast, and the president happened to change… Thanks to that, the bat quality has improved tremendously.”

“Really?”

“Ah, this guy doesn’t believe what I say?”

Gong Hyeon-baek had a dumbfounded expression.

“The guy on your team who uses the most difficult bat to make is Ryu Jang-ho. You know that, right?”

I don’t know.

How would I know that?

But Ji-seop nodded as if he knew.

“Ryu Jang-ho only uses bats with a center of gravity exactly 4.5 inches from the end. It’s very difficult to match that technology, you know?”

If it’s a metal bat like aluminum, the story might be a little simpler.

However, professional players use bats made by simply carving wood.

Whether to use the bottom of the tree, the middle part, or the top part.

Whether to dry it naturally, dry it with high frequency, or bake it in an oven.

Or whether to make the handle thick or thin.

He added that such fine adjustments had to be made.

“It’s something you can’t even dream of without considerable experience and skill… But our Perfect Swing has now reached that level!”

“Hmm.”

“That’s why I’m saying…”

Gong Hyeon-baek looked at Ji-seop with a very cautious expression.

“Could you… build a bridge for the Cannons players?”

* * *

Gong Hyeon-baek scratched the tip of his nose.

“It’s not just today that this has happened.”

Gong Hyeon-baek smacked his lips.

“You were the only one who accurately guessed our old ‘trade secret’, but the image of being cheap is so widespread in the baseball world…”

They made bats that were incomparable to the past, but they had not yet secured a significant sales outlet.

“I saw earlier that you seem to have gained quite a bit of trust from the players. How about it… wouldn’t it work?”

“Well.”

If it were the old Ji-seop, he would have flatly refused.

He didn’t like the idea of gossip, and he didn’t like the idea of putting pressure on young players because he was the manager’s translator.

But at that moment, Arthur Freeman’s words came to Ji-seop’s mind.

‘To establish my area in this club… I need to have my own information network.’

Information network.

With his eyes narrowed, Ji-seop turned his gaze to his college senior.

“It’s not impossible.”

“R, really?”

“It’ll be difficult to arrange a meeting with the players, but if you give me a sample, I can recommend them to try it.”

“E, even that much would be a great help to me! Yes, of course!”

Gong Hyeon-baek reached out his hand, beaming.

However, Ji-seop did not take his hand and said firmly.

“But in return… there’s something I’d like you to do for me, Senior.”

“M, me?”

Gong Hyeon-baek laughed, saying, “Ah, right!”

“Ah, th, that’s right! Yes! If it’s a referral fee, I’ll make sure you’re never disappointed! Of course, I have to do that…”

“No, not that.”

He didn’t want money in the first place.

Ji-seop leaned forward and continued.

“Instead of me recommending ‘Perfect Swing’ bats to our players… I’d like you to pass on information about players from other teams.”

“Wh, what?”

Would it have been easier to solve it with money?

Gong Hyeon-baek looked slightly embarrassed.

“W, information? I don’t know if I have any information I can pass on to you…”

“Hehe, why are you being like this?”

Ji-seop chuckled.

“Didn’t you say earlier that the artisans who make pro-grade bats are limited anyway?”

Even though the companies are different, similar artisans end up making the bats.

“Then there must be stories circulating in that industry, right? I’m just asking you to give me a little hint.”

“Ah, in that direction?”

Gong Hyeon-baek hesitated a little.

“Th, that’s going to be a little difficult? It’s an unspoken rule not to leak information from inside the industry to the outside…”

“Isn’t that unspoken rule already broken in reality?”

Ji-seop continued.

“A little while ago, you knew exactly the specifications of the bat used by our Ryu Jang-ho, didn’t you?”

He didn’t just know the length and weight.

He also knew exactly where to put the center of gravity.

This would not be possible unless someone leaked information about Ryu Jang-ho and Gong Hyeon-baek overheard it.

“I’m not curious about who leaked the information. It could be the company that makes Jang-ho’s bat, or it could be a bat artisan who has a cooperative relationship with that company.”

“…”

“The important thing is that someone already knows and is using the information… but our Cannons didn’t know.”

So please help me.

Ji-seop pressured Gong Hyeon-baek with a soft voice, but with eyes that were not soft at all.

“If you provide good information, I’m willing to do my best to help your company.”

“Wow, this is…”

Gong Hyeon-baek, who was blinking with a look as if he had been hit, drank a glass of water in front of him and opened his mouth, sweating.

“Ji-seop, you… you’ve changed a lot since I last saw you.”

“Yes?”

“In the past, you occasionally showed a sharp side, but basically, you were a bit of a fool…”

Gong Hyeon-baek clicked his tongue.

“Looking at you today, you’re a completely different person. You look like you’ve been rolling around in the baseball world for 20 years.”