A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 75

The New Recruit of the Baseball Team is Too Good – Episode 75

Chapter 21: You Can Tell at a Glance (4)

“Did the team leader really say that?”

Deputy Manager Cha Jong-min asked.

“He said I need to bring the reasons why our team should nominate Shim Sung-joon… the basis for it.”

Oh, geez.

Deputy Manager Cha scratched the back of his head vigorously.

“So I asked him. What kind of basis does the team leader want? What information do I need to bring for you to believe me?”

“…….”

“And do you know what the team leader said? He said I should at least get interviews from people around him. Like the manager, coaches, or teammates…”

Is that even reasonable?

Deputy Manager Cha snorted.

“Are those people better at evaluating players than me? Do they have better instincts than me? If that’s the case, why not just hire them as scouts? Why are they paying me a salary? Does the team have money to burn?”

Mutter mutter mutter.

Deputy Manager Cha didn’t stop grumbling.

At this, Ji-seop suppressed a burst of laughter and quietly listened to what Deputy Manager Cha was saying.

‘Having extraordinary talent… isn’t always a good thing.’

Our car enthusiast seemed completely unable to understand.

The fact that not everyone has the same ability as Deputy Manager Cha.

The fact that they can’t pick out good players ‘right away!’ like Deputy Manager Cha.

So, most scouts have to run around frantically to scrape up even the smallest piece of information.

‘Hehe, this isn’t going to be easy to convince, is it?’

It was like explaining the difficulty of memorizing English words to a friend who had been known as a genius since childhood.

It was like explaining to a friend who is well over 6’3″ why you shouldn’t stack glass bowls on a high shelf.

It didn’t seem like uttering a few plausible words would provide a clue to a solution.

It was at that moment.

“Deputy Manager, Deputy Manager Cha!”

Go Chang-deok, who was walking a few steps ahead of Ji-seop, turned his head.

“Isn’t this the used car dealership you were talking about…? It looks similar to the photos I saw on the blog back then?”

“Ah, yes! That’s right!”

It was a dramatic change of attitude.

Just a few seconds ago, Deputy Manager Cha Jong-min was complaining about the team leader with a deeply furrowed brow.

However, as soon as he spotted the used car dealership he had been eyeing, a smile as bright as a spring day bloomed on his face.

“The name is right too. Mugunghwa Motors!”

Deputy Manager Cha poked Ji-seop in the side with a sly expression.

“Ji-seop, this place is a well-known treasure trove in this used car complex.”

“A treasure trove?”

“Yes, it is!”

Deputy Manager Cha nodded vigorously.

“To be honest, the dealers here are a bit shady. They’re crazy guys who are still doing things that were done 30 years ago in other places.”

“Crazy…?”

I know one of those guys.

Ji-seop thought to himself.

“But the owner here is really passionate about cars… If you pick well, you can find amazing stuff here.”

“Ah, is that so?”

A used car dealership teeming with shady characters that are rare to see these days.

And Cha Jong-min, the car enthusiast, fearlessly began to walk into such a place.

“Hmm.”

The corners of Ji-seop’s lips quirked up slightly as he stared at his back.

‘Okay, I could do that.’

Ji-seop slowly nodded his head.

‘Should I let our Deputy Manager experience what the scout team leader is so desperately feeling?’

A method,

came to mind.

* * *

The legendary 1990s, when only the strong could survive.

‘Mugunghwa Motors,’ which still uses the same sales methods that were common back then.

The idiom that came to Ji-seop’s mind when he stepped into that infamous used car dealership was:

名不虛傳 (Myeongbulheojeon) [A reputation is not made in vain; fame is deserved].

Fame is not spread in vain.

“Welcome!”

First of all, the ‘aura’ that the dealers exuded was extraordinary.

When Ji-seop’s group, led by Go Chang-deok, entered the store, they hurriedly put out the cigarettes they were puffing on and rushed over.

“What are you looking for?”

“Ah, yes, well…”

Go Chang-deok showed his phone screen hesitantly.

After checking it, the employees of ‘Mugunghwa Motors’ clicked their tongues as if they felt sorry for him.

“Oh dear, what should we do? This was a rare bargain, but…”

“Someone else took it just 30 minutes ago. Oh, you were one step too late! One step too late!”

Ji-seop looked at the clock on the wall.

The current time was 10:15 AM.

If the employee’s words were true, the ‘bargain’ in question was sold 15 minutes before the store opened.

‘Hehe, looks like a very proactive and diligent customer came.’

It was obviously a fake listing.

They put up plausible items on the internet, and when people came to buy them, they would say ‘it’s already sold’ and induce them to buy other items.

However, our Deputy Manager Cha seemed to take this shallow trick as a ‘self-introduction.’

“Ah, really? Well, nothing can be done.”

Deputy Manager Cha had a nonchalant expression.

“Then can you show me something else? Preferably something with low mileage and no accident history.”

“Of course! Since I made you come all the way here for nothing, I’ll introduce you to a really good item as an apology.”

This way! Come this way!

The ‘Mugunghwa Motors’ employees guided the group with strange smiles.

And what they presented as a ‘recommended item’ was a foreign mid-size car parked in the middle of the parking lot.

“I did hear the conditions you wanted, but… I still wanted to show you this item before you looked at anything else.”

The employee continued.

“I’ll be honest with you. It does have a lot of mileage. Accident history? It has a little bit! But what’s the core of a car? It’s that it goes fast when you step on it!”

His speaking skills were like watching a top-tier instructor for the college entrance exam.

“The model year is a bit old, but the pride of a German luxury car hasn’t disappeared. Step on it and it goes 100km, 200km! How about trying something like this? The price is 1,100 right now, but if you do it today, I can give it to you for 1,000!”

The reactions of the group at this time were, of course, obvious.

“Hehe.”

Deputy Manager Cha was smiling, thinking, ‘These shady guys are starting again.’

“Even if it’s a good car, it seems like it has too much mileage… Don’t you think?”

Go Chang-deok scratched the back of his head, looking troubled.

“……Not really. Let’s look at something else.”

Even Ryu Jang-ho, who had been silent with an indifferent expression until now, shook his head, saying, ‘This isn’t it.’

At that moment,

Ji-seop,

opened his mouth.

“Isn’t this… 괜찮지 않습니까 [gwaenchanhji anseumnikka – Isn’t this… alright]?”

The group was startled by Ji-seop’s words and turned their heads.

However, Ji-seop continued to speak with a straight face.

“The dealers here know more about cars than we do, right? If they recommend this item first… I think it wouldn’t be bad to just trust them and buy it.”

“Wh-what did you say?!”

Deputy Manager Cha looked at Ji-seop with a dumbfounded expression.

“Are you… serious?”

Would I be serious?

I’m saying this for you to hear, you idiot.

* * *

It was exactly from that moment.

Ji-seop began to turn Deputy Manager Cha inside out with his ‘fool’ act.

“This car… actually had a pretty big accident in the past. But you know what? The skills of today’s technicians are beyond imagination!”

“Ah, that’s right! The skills of Korean technicians are recognized around the world!”

When the ‘Mugunghwa Motors’ employees showed a car with an accident history, he nodded his head.

“It’s a bit difficult to recommend this car. If you add about 2 million more, you can go up one class.”

“That’s true too. It wouldn’t be bad to buy a bigger car for safety, 형님 (hyungnim) [older brother/male friend].”

When the employees tried to induce them to sell a more expensive car, he chimed in from the side, saying, ‘That makes sense.’

“…….”

How long had it been since he had been acting like he was being fooled by the sweet talk of the ‘Mugunghwa Motors’ employees?

“That’s right, 형님 (hyungnim)! Listening to the dealer now, this car only got its feet slightly wet in the flood last summer! Then there’s nothing to worry about, right?”

“I-is that so?”

When Ji-seop was clapping like a seal, saying ‘good, good’ even in front of a car that had been submerged in the flood last summer-

“Stop! Stop, stop, stoooop!”

Had he finally reached the limit of his patience?

Deputy Manager Cha shouted ‘Stop!’ with a face that was flushed red.

Then, he grabbed Ji-seop’s arm and dragged him somewhere.

“Ji-seop, why are you doing this?”

Deputy Manager Cha, who arrived at the most secluded place in the ‘Mugunghwa Motors’ parking lot, questioned Ji-seop as if he was scolding him.

“Have you already forgotten what I told you? The dealers here are known as shady characters in this neighborhood!”

“Hey.”

Even at this time, Ji-seop continued to play dumb.

“Don’t talk like that. Deputy Manager Cha was also very upset that the team leader didn’t believe him.”

“Th-that’s…”

Deputy Manager Cha clicked his tongue.

Of course, it didn’t seem like he had any intention of backing down.

“Okay, let’s say the dealers here aren’t shady! No, let’s say they’re doing business very conscientiously, unlike what’s known.”

But isn’t this common sense?

Deputy Manager Cha raised his voice.

“Who in the world buys a car just by believing the dealer’s words? Whether those words are true, and if so, what’s the basis! You have to touch it, ride it… You have to check everything carefully before buying a car!”

“Ah, is that so?”

Ji-seop looked at Deputy Manager Cha with a strange expression.

There was definitely a bone in his words, but Deputy Manager Cha didn’t seem to realize it yet.

“Oh, of course! How much money is this! Used cars cost at least 5 million won, and often up to tens of millions… How can you buy that carelessly?!”

“Ah, now that I hear it, that’s true too?”

Ji-seop, who was slowly nodding his head, opened his mouth as if he suddenly remembered something.

“But Deputy Manager Cha.”

“Yes?”

“Doesn’t something seem a bit… strange?”

Deputy Manager Cha tilted his head.

Ji-seop smiled faintly and continued.

“Earlier, you said this to me.”

The scout team leader is being too picky with me.

I’m annoyed that he doesn’t believe me and asks for detailed evidence.

“Used cars are worth at most tens of millions of won… but doesn’t it cost at least hundreds of millions of won to recruit a rookie player in professional baseball?”

“……Yes?!”

Deputy Manager Cha’s eyes widened.

“You’re so picky about a used car transaction worth ten million won… but why are you being so sloppy when it comes to recruiting a rookie player worth hundreds of millions of won…”

Isn’t that strange?

A sharp gaze, like a well-honed blade, was directed at Deputy Manager Cha.