A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 63

The Newbie in the Baseball Team is Too Good – Episode 63

Chapter 18: Not Easy (3)

“Has it been determined who that dimwit was who leaked internal information to the outside…? Has that been figured out?”

In response to ‘Sakhalin Park’ Park Hong-ju’s question, General Manager Seo Chang-gi couldn’t give a clear answer.

“That, that is…”

General Manager Seo Chang-gi wore a truly troubled expression.

Ji-seop stared intently into his eyes, and he could sense the reason why he couldn’t open his mouth easily.

‘……Aha.’

A story that’s difficult for the baseball team’s general manager to reveal openly.

Especially a story that’s difficult to explain to someone from outside the baseball team like ‘Sakhalin Park’.

Ji-seop, who had read Seo Chang-gi’s mind, sensed that it was his time to step in.

This time, it was as if he had become General Manager Seo Chang-gi’s personal interpreter, not Arthur Freeman’s interpreter.

“Vice Chairman.”

“Hmm?”

“In fact, it’s not easy for our baseball team to identify the identities of those so-called ‘rumor-mongers’.”

A story he had been keeping in his heart.

General Manager Seo Chang-gi wore a surprised expression, but Ji-seop continued speaking without turning his gaze towards him.

“It’s not a technical issue. We could catch them if we wanted to. But from the baseball team’s perspective, this is a very sensitive issue…”

“A sensitive issue?”

Sakhalin Park crossed his arms.

“What does that mean? Stop beating around the bush and just tell me the main point.”

“From what I’ve heard while being with the baseball team…”

To be exact, he had read Seo Chang-gi’s mind, but Ji-seop glossed over it like this for now.

“The identities of the people who are known as ‘rumor-mongers’ on the internet… are mostly employees affiliated with the parent company, I heard.”

“You mean people from our KH Group?”

“Yes, the information discussed within the baseball team… especially regarding player recruitment, isn’t it reported through the internal network in written form?”

Ji-seop now knew this process inside and out.

“From the parent company’s perspective, the baseball team is just an entity that receives subsidies from its affiliates… Since it’s information coming from such a place, it’s obvious that they wouldn’t have taken high-level security measures.”

“Aha.”

Sakhalin Park nodded.

“If someone with a certain level of authority wanted to, it wouldn’t be difficult to access the information coming from the baseball team… Is that roughly what you mean?”

“That’s right.”

Ji-seop continued.

“If the baseball team decided to take action, they could find the person who leaked the information. They could complain to the department that person belongs to. But if they did that, what kind of reaction do you think the head office would show?”

“…….”

“We don’t have to go far. Just looking at Executive Director Choi from the construction company’s attitude a little while ago, isn’t it easy enough to predict what kind of reaction would come out?”

What’s the big deal about posting baseball team stories on the internet?

You can relieve the stress you’ve accumulated while working by hanging out on internet forums.

Why is the baseball team blowing up small things and putting pressure on the head office employees?

From the baseball team’s perspective, which has to bow down to secure club operating funds every year, it was best to avoid hearing these kinds of words if possible.

“The group is ‘Gap’ [superior party in a business relationship], and the baseball team is ‘Eul’ [inferior party in a business relationship]… Because of that relationship, you can’t touch the person who leaked the information?”

Hmm.

Sakhalin Park stroked his chin quietly.

He raised his head and looked back at General Manager Seo Chang-gi.

“General Manager Seo, is what this guy is saying true?”

“……Ah, yes.”

At this time, General Manager Seo Chang-gi’s expression was truly strange.

He seemed a little dumbfounded as to what a newbie who hadn’t been with the baseball team for long was daring to say.

On the other hand, he also seemed a little relieved that the newbie was venting the complaints he had been harboring for a long time.

But anyway, now that the story had come out like this, General Manager Seo seemed to have decided to support Ji-seop’s words.

“Since the baseball team desperately needs the group’s help… There’s no denying that there’s such a problem.”

“In the end, it’s a matter of money, and in the end, it means the baseball team’s independence.”

Sakhalin Park seemed to be deep in thought.

“I can’t do anything about the fundamental part for the time being. Money is the best thing in the world, and how can you live without pleasing the guys who hold the purse strings?”

Even as he said that, Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju was shining sharply with his eyes.

“But in the same vein, information is also money. Someone is leaking information that could be money… I can’t just sit back and watch that.”

Toc toc.

Sakhalin Park tapped the table with the wooden chopsticks he was holding.

This seemed to be a kind of signal.

“Hey, Secretary Yang.”

“Yes, Vice Chairman.”

Vice Chairman Park didn’t say much to Secretary Yang, who was slightly bowing his head.

“You… you’re still close with the friends in the head office’s audit department, right?”

* * *

Should I call him Sakhalin Park?

Or should I call him Secretary Yang?

Anyway, it didn’t take long for the two gentlemen who were flying around at KH Group headquarters to solve this problem.

“…….”

Exactly three days, no more, no less.

It was the time it took to find the person who posted the ‘Cheon Jin-woo trade rumor’ on the internet bulletin board, and, according to Secretary Yang’s expression, to have enough of a ‘sincere conversation’ with that rumor-monger.

“It was as General Manager predicted.”

The next day, in the morning.

Secretary Yang, who visited the KH Cannons manager’s office, reported the results of his investigation to General Manager Seo Chang-gi and Arthur Freeman.

With the same expressionless face as usual, and – Ji-seop’s 착각인지 [chakgak인지: is it my imagination?] – his voice was slightly higher than usual.

“The person who posted the article on the bulletin board was a section chief-level employee working in the secretary’s office of KH Duty Free.”

Secretary Yang briefly mentioned the rumor-monger’s personal details.

“He said that he was a person who frequently used the site even on weekdays. Every time he posted an article, he received a lot of comments, and he also received requests for additional information via 쪽지 [jjokji: 쪽지 refers to 쪽지 기능, a 쪽지 function is a private messaging feature on Korean websites and online forums]… So he did such a thing because he liked being treated as a so-called ‘named user’.”

In fact, from Ji-seop’s point of view, he wasn’t very curious about the rumor-monger’s motives.

No matter what the reason, he was only curious about what kind of punishment the person who harmed the club would receive.

“KH Duty Free has requested that the matter be handled as quietly as possible… But you know Vice Chairman’s personality well, don’t you.”

As he said that, Secretary Yang smiled faintly.

That one smile felt a little eerier than hearing the specific disciplinary measures.

“However, Vice Chairman’s message was that it would be better to postpone the announcement of the disciplinary action against the employee a little.”

“Postpone the announcement of the disciplinary action?”

Arthur Freeman, who heard Ji-seop’s interpretation, tilted his head slightly.

“Is there a reason to do that? It seems natural for the person who did wrong to be punished quickly…”

“Yes, Vice Chairman also had the same thought about that…”

Secretary Yang’s eyes narrowed.

“During the process of receiving the employee’s statement, a slightly unexpected fact was discovered. The Vice Chairman said that, depending on the case, it might become a big weapon for the baseball team.”

Weapon.

And a big weapon.

People in the manager’s office, including Ji-seop, exchanged glances that seemed to say, ‘Tell me quickly.’

“The employee was affiliated with the secretary’s office, so I naturally thought that he had obtained information through our KH Group’s internal network… But unexpectedly, a testimony came out that he had heard about Cheon Jin-woo’s trade from a person outside the group.”

A person outside the group.

Even before Secretary Yang revealed who it was, Ji-seop felt like he could vaguely know the identity.

And it seemed that Seo Chang-gi, the general manager of the Cannons, felt the same.

“Perhaps… is it the Warriors?”

General Manager Seo Chang-gi asked.

“Did the Yuseong Warriors leak the trade information?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Secretary Yang nodded.

“One of the special assistants to the general manager of the Yuseong Warriors was said to be a high school classmate of the employee.”

* * *

The club that had sounded out the intention to trade national representative catcher Cheon Jin-woo, the Yuseong Warriors.

The information that they were behind this ‘rumor-monger commotion’.

As Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju said, this was something that could act as a powerful weapon for KH Cannons.

“I don’t know what the manager thinks… But in my opinion, about half of the trade negotiations are about momentum.”

It was General Manager Seo Chang-gi’s words.

“We have secured the recording file of the employee’s testimony, so the Warriors won’t be able to deny it. If this happens, the initiative in the negotiations will come to our side.”

The Yuseong Warriors’ original proposal was to ask for one pitcher and one promising outfielder in exchange for receiving catcher Cheon Jin-woo.

However, the negotiations were bound to be sluggish because the outfielder was being talked about among the coaching staff as ‘could become the second Ryu Jang-ho in the future’.

But now that they had secured a clear weakness with this incident, there was a possibility that a way to take Cheon Jin-woo without handing over the promising player would arise.

“I fully agree with what the general manager said…”

Arthur Freeman opened his mouth.

“However, one thing that bothers me is… why did the Warriors do such a thing?”

Even though he had only been in the minor league with the theme of ‘nurturing’, Manager Freeman was also a person with thick bones in the baseball world [experienced and knowledgeable].

He didn’t miss the fact that the Warriors’ actions were a bit excessive.

“Mr. Cheon is a good catcher. Even if it wasn’t the Cannons, they could have set up a negotiation table with other clubs…”

Manager Freeman made a ‘tss’ sound.

“I don’t know why they were trying to trade with us even while leaking internal information.”

“Actually… I was also thinking similarly.”

General Manager Seo Chang-gi paced around the manager’s office and continued speaking.

“There’s definitely something inside the Warriors, and if we can be sure of what that is, we can use it as an even more powerful blow… But I can’t get a feel for it.”

Why are the Warriors acting this way?

Why are they making such unreasonable moves?

Just when the manager and general manager were busy mobilizing their respective imaginations, Ji-seop, who had been diligently translating until now, opened his mouth.

“General Manager, may I offer my opinion?”

“Ji-seop 씨 [Mr./Ms.]?”

At this time, Ji-seop could feel that General Manager Seo Chang-gi’s trust in him had become quite strong.

Because as soon as Ji-seop started speaking, his face was filled with anticipation.

“Um, tell me. Anything is fine.”

In fact, Ji-seop couldn’t have the same confidence as usual at this time.

Because it wasn’t something he had figured out by staring ‘intently’ into someone’s eyes.

He was just watching the situation unfold, and then retracing the information he had gathered one by one.

Then, suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.

“I heard that the Warriors’ General Manager Hong Yu-il is an advocate of so-called major league-style club management.”

Ji-seop opened his mouth in a calm voice.

“So I heard that he often inserts major league-style contract clauses when signing contracts with players.”

“Um, that’s right. Isn’t the fact that he’s dragging around special assistants also major league-style?”

General Manager Seo Chang-gi smiled slightly, as if he thought he was a different type from him in many ways.

Looking at the general manager’s face, Ji-seop continued speaking.

“And I also heard rumors that the Cheon Jin-woo player in question still has affection for our Cannons, his former team. I still heard that he takes care of the Cannons juniors when it’s the off-season…”

“That’s also true. After all, it’s his hometown team, and he spent his prime here…”

General Manager Seo Chang-gi tilted his head.

“But why is that?”

“I don’t have any solid evidence or anything like that yet, but if you combine these two pieces of information…”

The Warriors’ major league-style contract.

And Cheon Jin-woo’s love for his former team.

“Isn’t there a possibility that Cheon Jin-woo inserted a special clause when he signed a FA [Free Agent] contract with the Warriors?”

“A special clause?”

It was Arthur Freeman who reacted first to Ji-seop’s words.

“Are you perhaps… trying to talk about a trade veto right now?”

Manager Freeman showed interest.

“Mr. Cheon is refusing to transfer to any team other than the Cannons?”