A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 65

The Baseball Team’s New Recruit Is Too Good – Episode 65

Chapter 18: Not Easy (5)

National Team Catcher, Chun Jin-woo.

The news of his joining the KH Cannons was announced at 1:30 PM that same day.

[Chun Jin-woo Returns to His Old Team… KH-Yuseong, Trade ‘Suddenly Agreed’]

[One-on-One Trade Including 4th Round Draft Pick… Is KH the Winner?]

[KH General Manager Seo Chang-ki: “Chun Jin-woo Was a Player Our Team Desperately Needed”]

[KH Gives Up Promising Player for Veteran… Aiming for the Playoffs?]

A trade where they gave up a right-handed, right-hitting outfielder prospect in exchange for catcher Chun Jin-woo and a 4th round draft pick in the upcoming draft.

Anyone could see that the trade heavily favored the Cannons, so the baseball-related communities on the internet were in an uproar.

-Seriously, did the Warriors’ general manager lose his mind? How could he give up Chun Jin-woo under these conditions?

-I know, right! If they wanted to acquire prospects by selling Chun Jin-woo, they could have negotiated with other teams!

-This needs to be investigated. If General Manager Hong didn’t take some kickbacks, this trade makes no sense!

Chun Jin-woo had a ‘no-trade clause,’ so the Warriors couldn’t find any negotiating partners other than the Cannons.

The Warriors fans, unaware of these internal circumstances, were in a complete uproar at the shocking news.

Of course, the Cannons fans had no reason to listen to the Warriors fans’ complaints.

-He’s here!!!!!!!! Jin-woo hyung [older brother/respected male figure] is coming back!!!!!!!

-Crazy, is this real? They got Chun Jin-woo and a draft pick?

-I can’t believe that Chang-ki actually did his job more than the news that Chun Jin-woo is coming.

-Chang-ki? Our Chang-ki? Is the great KH Cannons’ General Manager Seo Chang-ki your friend? How dare you casually mention his name?

-Okay, let’s start the afternoon service. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the grace of giving us General Manager Seo Chang-ki today…

The dramatic return of the national team catcher, once called the ‘Heart of the Cannons.’

The change in the Cannons’ front office, which had always been ‘fleeced’ whenever they made a trade.

And all of this combined to create the feeling among fans that ‘the Cannons are not the same as before’ at that very moment.

“…I’m Chun Jin-woo.”

The catcher in question, Chun Jin-woo, had arrived at the KH Cannons field and was having a meet-and-greet with the team.

“Thanks to this trade, I can wear the Cannons uniform and play in games for the first time in almost 5 years. I’m really happy, glad, and… well, yeah, that’s it.”

He didn’t seem to be a very eloquent speaker.

It took him quite a while to say even this one sentence.

“I hope to play great games with the manager, the coaches, and… all the seniors and juniors here. Thank you.”

Chun Jin-woo bowed his head after finishing his greeting.

The Cannons players surrounding him seemed to have been waiting for this moment.

“Jin-woo ya!!! [term of endearment]”

“Jin-woo hyung!!! [older brother/respected male figure]”

“Sunbaenim!!! [senior/respected elder]”

They called Chun Jin-woo by their respective titles, hitting him on the back, putting him in headlocks, and kicking his butt… making a scene.

“Ah, these guys, seriously!!!”

After that, he greeted the coaching staff and shook hands firmly with Manager Arthur Freeman.

It was around the time when the ‘welcome ceremony’ within the Cannons team was roughly coming to an end.

“Ah, excuse me…”

Chun Jin-woo approached Ji-seop, who was conveying the manager’s instructions to the first-team manager, and spoke to him.

“You’re Kim Ji-seop… right?”

“Yes? Ah, yes, that’s right.”

Ji-seop had translated for Freeman when he greeted him, but this was the first time Ji-seop had spoken directly with Chun Jin-woo.

“I’m Kim Ji-seop, the translator for Manager Arthur Freeman. I look forward to working with you.”

The answer Ji-seop expected at this moment was something like, ‘I look forward to working with you too.’

However, the man known as the ‘Heart of the Cannons’ gave Ji-seop a slightly more weighty word.

“Thank you, Kim Ji-seop.”

Then, Chun Jin-woo ‘suddenly’ reached out his hand, which was as big as a pot lid.

“…Yes?”

Ji-seop tilted his head while shaking his hand.

Chun Jin-woo smiled at Ji-seop, revealing his white teeth.

“Actually, I came to Yeongsan this morning in General Manager Seo Chang-ki’s car.”

“Ah, I see.”

Ji-seop nodded.

Chun Jin-woo is one of the top three catchers in Korea.

Perhaps that level of respect is only natural.

“I heard from the general manager on the way here. He said that Kim Ji-seop’s contribution was very significant in this trade.”

“…”

“Only Ji-seop noticed that I had a no-trade clause… or so I heard?”

Chun Jin-woo’s eyes narrowed like crescent moons.

“Actually, I wanted to hint to General Manager Seo that there was such a contract condition… but as you know, that could cause a tampering controversy.”

“That’s right.”

“So, I had no choice but to stay silent… Hehe, thanks to Ji-seop, I was able to return to my old team under good conditions.”

Then, he said one more thing.

“I want to express my gratitude to Ji-seop in some way… Is there anything you need?”

“Anything I need…”

At this moment, Ji-seop habitually stared ‘intently’ into Chun Jin-woo’s eyes.

Joy at returning to his old team, determination to finish his career in a splendid way, and gratitude to Ji-seop for providing this opportunity.

Ji-seop would have taken something from him under normal circumstances, but at this moment, he felt that it was enough to see his heart.

“What do you mean by repaying me? I was just doing my job.”

“No, still…”

“Just keep working hard with the same mindset. If we make it to the playoffs this time, won’t I get a bonus too?”

The word ‘playoffs’ seems to give baseball players mysterious power.

“Playoffs… I understand.”

Chun Jin-woo’s eyes ‘sparkled.’

“I’ll do my best so that Ji-seop can get a generous bonus at the end of this season… I promise you.”

Then, Chun Jin-woo picked up his equipment bag with a ‘clatter.’

But at that moment, something caught Ji-seop’s attention.

“You have… a lot of bats?”

It wasn’t just the number of bats.

Judging by the colors and shapes, he seemed to have bats from many different brands.

“Yes, I’m a bit picky about bats…”

Chun Jin-woo tilted his shoulder slightly and showed the inside of his equipment bag.

“I have bats from various brands so that I can respond in various ways depending on my condition and the game situation.”

At this moment, Ji-seop recalled when he first heard the rumors about Chun Jin-woo.

‘The rumor was that Chun Jin-woo started using lighter bats.’

Bat craftsmen are known for being tight-lipped, so how could such a rumor spread?

Ji-seop had been curious about that, but the moment he saw Chun Jin-woo’s bat bag, his question seemed to be answered.

‘He was using so many different brands of bats… it wouldn’t be unreasonable for one of them to leak the rumor.’

Chun Jin-woo already has bats from various brands.

Then, adding one more here wouldn’t be too much, would it?

When that thought occurred to him, an idea flashed through Ji-seop’s mind.

“Excuse me, Chun Jin-woo.”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry to change the subject so suddenly… but can I ask you a favor?”

“A favor?”

The ‘Heart of the Cannons’ blinked, seemingly not understanding at first.

But soon, he smiled brightly and gestured as if to say, ‘Tell me.’

“What is it?”

“Yes, it’s not a big deal…”

The name that came to Ji-seop’s mind was bat manufacturer ‘Perfect Swing.’

It was the very place where Ji-seop’s college senior, Gong Hyun-baek, was the sales manager.

* * *

-Ji-seop, thank you! Thank you so much!

About 10 hours later.

Ji-seop could hear the excited voice of his college senior, Gong Hyun-baek.

-Hey, our company is in complete chaos right now! Everyone is stuck on the phone, unable to leave work?!

There was a good reason for that.

A few hours earlier, Chun Jin-woo had held a ‘Perfect Swing’ bat in his hand during a photo shoot for a media interview.

Originally, reporters’ photos are taken once and used simultaneously in multiple articles.

Thanks to this, you could see ‘Perfect Swing’ bats in all the articles related to Chun Jin-woo that day.

-Ji-seop, you asked Chun Jin-woo to do that, right? Right? You asked him to go to the interview with our company’s bat!

Gong Hyun-baek, the sales manager of ‘Perfect Swing,’ had a confident voice, but Ji-seop’s face was full of bitter smiles as he heard this.

“No, all I asked him to do was try using it once during practice.”

The story was that it was entirely Chun Jin-woo’s personal choice to bring it to the interview with the reporters.

However, from Gong Hyun-baek’s point of view, he couldn’t ignore the connection with Ji-seop.

-Hey, still, man! It’s something we couldn’t have dreamed of without you, Ji-seop! My heart was pounding so hard when I saw the article on the internet…

Gong Hyun-baek couldn’t hide his excitement.

-People who saw the article are calling us a lot right now!

There are people who are simply asking what brand it is.

It seems like a bit of a hasty action, but there are also people who are placing orders.

Anyway, it seemed that the attention of baseball players was focused on the point of ‘the bat held by Korea’s best catcher.’

-Our president is making a fuss about giving you something… Is there anything you need?

Why are so many people asking ‘Is there anything you need?’ today?

Ji-seop had a strange feeling.

“I don’t want anything from the president of Perfect Swing. If I receive something like that, it could really be a problem then.”

-We, well, of course, that’s true, but…

It was at this moment that a subtle nuance was contained in Ji-seop’s voice.

“It’s enough for me if I can just… talk on the phone with my senior from time to time like now.”

-Phone… call?

A giggling sound was heard over the phone’s speaker.

The other person is also the sales manager of a company.

He knew exactly what Ji-seop was talking about.

-Don’t worry about that. Whatever the circumstances, you’re the junior who put our bat in Chun Jin-woo’s hands… How can I treat you carelessly?

Gong Hyun-baek also lowered his voice.

-I’ll pass on all the information coming to us to you in the future. Exclusively, excluding others!

“Hehe, thank you.”

Is this how you create an ‘information network’?

As Ji-seop was smiling inwardly, Gong Hyun-baek continued.

-Ah, it’s a good thing. Actually, there’s a story I heard from the Warriors people after Chun Jin-woo’s trade ended?

“Really?”

Is it another good piece of information?

Ji-seop perked up his ears.

-It’s a word from an employee who participated in this trade discussion… Ah, well, it seems that there’s a rumor that there’s a formidable front office employee in your Cannons?

“Formidable?”

-Yes, they said that the reason the Warriors were dragged along in this trade was all because of that employee…

There was a slight smile in Gong Hyun-baek’s voice.

-Somehow, I think I know who that ‘formidable’ employee is?

“Is that so?”

Ji-seop chuckled.

“I don’t know.”