A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 8

The New Recruit of the Baseball Team is Too Good – Episode 8 (8/512)

Chapter 3: No Retreat (4)

“Yes, you said his name is Joo Young-eun.”

Kim Ji-seop continued,

“The Vice Chairman described him as a very ‘rude fellow’.”

“Ru, rude fellow?”

Secretary Yang was visibly surprised.

Ji-seop sensed that something was up and turned to Secretary Yang.

“Who is Joo Young-eun? Who is he that the Vice Chairman wants to make an example of him? And in the company baseball tournament of all places?”

“Ah, that… that is…”

Secretary Yang was initially very agitated.

But, as expected of ‘Sakhalin Park’s’ personal secretary.

He quickly returned to his usual gentle smile and opened his mouth.

“Chairwoman Joo Young-eun is…”

Ji-seop perked up his ears at the word ‘Chairwoman’.

“Chairwoman?”

“Yes.”

Secretary Yang nodded.

“Chairwoman Joo Young-eun is the only daughter of the late Chairman Joo Tae-san… and she is currently leading our KH Group.”

The only daughter of the late Chairman Joo Tae-san.

The current Chairwoman of KH Group.

Ji-seop had lived his whole life playing baseball, but at this point, he could grasp the situation to some extent.

‘There seems to be some trouble between that old man Sakhalin Park and the late Chairman’s daughter.’

In fact, Ji-seop wasn’t particularly interested in their conflict itself.

It was a story of a large corporation’s owner family, who handled billions, if not trillions, of won [Korean currency].

Of course, there would be troubles, conflicts, and sometimes even grabbing each other by the collar while yelling ‘You bastard, you bastard.’

However, there was one thing.

‘Why… baseball?’

Ji-seop was curious about this.

Why baseball?

He had a conflict with the current Chairwoman of the group, but why was ‘Sakhalin Park’ trying to play baseball?

Why was he trying to play baseball, even leading his 70-year-old body and pushing himself to the point of collapsing while eating?

“Secretary Yang, excuse me…”

Ji-seop called Secretary Yang to get a little hint, but he only wore a gentle smile.

“I’m sorry, Coach Kim.”

“…”

“I don’t think I can tell you anything more about the two of them.”

As expected of a secretary of a large corporation, Secretary Yang quickly cut off the conversation.

However, it seemed that he had developed some affection for Ji-seop after seeing him for the past week.

“What I can tell you is… that our KH Group’s company baseball tournament is a very meaningful event.”

Secretary Yang looked at Ji-seop.

“The late Chairman always attended the company baseball tournament. Of course, the Vice Chairman was with him too.”

“Ah, I see.”

Ji-seop spoke again.

“I understand. I won’t ask anything more. I don’t want to make things difficult for you, Secretary Yang.”

He stared ‘intently’, very intently, into Secretary Yang’s eyes before saying that.

* * *

Brrr- Brrr- Brrr-

4 a.m. the next day.

‘Sakhalin Park’ Vice Chairman Park Hong-joo called Ji-seop’s phone.

It was a voice that was hard to believe came from someone who had collapsed and fallen asleep during dinner.

“Hey, Qingdao!”

The moment Ji-seop got into the car, a lion’s roar burst out.

“I told you to be out here by 4 a.m.! Do I have to call you every time, someone of my stature?”

“I was late because I was taking a dump, taking a dump!”

In fact, Ji-seop was deliberately late because he disliked Vice Chairman Park’s behavior, but he made this excuse.

“No matter how important baseball is, I can’t hold back my poop to do it, can I?”

“You impudent fellow, you don’t even bother to make up plausible excuses anymore! Ugh, that’s how these days kids are…”

At this time, Vice Chairman Park Hong-joo was freely expressing his dissatisfaction with Ji-seop.

However, as time went on, Ji-seop could feel that Vice Chairman Park was watching him carefully.

“Let’s play catch.”

“Alright.”

Catching practice after warm-up.

Vice Chairman Park, who usually found fault with everything, saying things like ‘Your ball is too slow,’ ‘That’s why you got kicked out of China,’ was quietly focused on throwing and catching the ball that day.

“Alright, here I go!”

Whoosh- Thwack!

Whoosh- Thwack!

Batting practice, which had been taking up the most time in the later part of the lesson.

Vice Chairman Park, who usually protested when Ji-seop threw ‘Arirang balls’ [slow, looping pitches], saying ‘How can I train with that?’, was silently swinging his bat that day.

“…”

Vice Chairman Park Hong-joo was subtly watching Ji-seop throughout the training session.

However, his patience seemed to have reached its limit, and he suddenly shouted in the middle of batting practice.

“Hey, Qingdao!”

“Yes, Vice Chairman.”

Ji-seop, who knew Vice Chairman Park’s inner thoughts, had the same calm expression as usual.

Vice Chairman Park didn’t seem to like that expression.

“You, you… why aren’t you asking me anything?”

“Excuse me?”

“I heard from Secretary Yang. He said I was talking nonsense to you yesterday?”

About having to do well in the baseball tournament.

About having to show the late Chairman’s daughter who’s boss.

Vice Chairman Park seemed to know that he had said those things.

“If it were your usual personality… you would have grilled me as soon as you saw me today, asking what that was all about!”

But why are you staying quiet?

What are you up to?

Vice Chairman Park Hong-joo glared menacingly, but Ji-seop simply raised the corners of his lips with a smile.

“Why would I stay quiet? I’m staying quiet because I roughly guessed what the situation is.”

“What?”

Ji-seop put the baseballs he was holding into the box with a ‘clatter’ and continued.

“Vice Chairman, aren’t you hearing stories within the group that it’s about time for you to step down… ?”

Pressure to resign.

Vice Chairman Park Hong-joo’s eyes shook slightly.

“Was it Secretary Yang?”

He asked.

“Did that Secretary Yang say that?”

“Why are you doing this? You know best that Secretary Yang is tight-lipped, don’t you?”

“Then how?”

In fact, he had figured out about 90% of it by reading Secretary Yang’s mind.

However, there was also about 10% that he had sensed before meeting Secretary Yang.

“As you know, Vice Chairman… I used to play baseball in China, didn’t I?”

“What?”

Vice Chairman Park’s thick eyebrows twitched.

He had an expression that said, ‘What nonsense are you suddenly talking about?’

“But think about it. Did I go to China because I wanted to? Did I want to play on the Chinese stage from the beginning?”

“That’s… probably not.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Ji-seop nodded.

“After failing to go pro, I went to Japan first. After being kicked out of there, I went to America. After being kicked out of America, I went to Korea. Since there was no place in Korea that would take me, I went back to China.”

Ji-seop smiled bitterly.

“Of course… I got kicked out of there too, though.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I’m younger than the Chairwoman, but I’ve had a lot of experience being kicked out of organizations… that’s what I’m saying.”

So I know well.

Ji-seop continued.

“People who are on the verge of being kicked out, people who are on the edge of a cliff, people who have been labeled as useless by the organization, and people who have to be incredibly careful about what they say…”

Ji-seop looked at Vice Chairman Park.

“I roughly know what kind of expressions they make.”

* * *

At this moment, Ji-seop expected Vice Chairman Park Hong-joo to unleash another ‘lion’s roar’.

I’m on the verge of being kicked out?

I’m on the edge of a cliff?

What, I have to be careful about what I say?!!

Ji-seop thought that ‘Sakhalin Park’ would definitely react that way,

“…”

Surprisingly, Vice Chairman Park Hong-joo showed a calm reaction.

He silently stared into Ji-seop’s eyes with an aluminum bat on his shoulder.

Then, he said a word as if throwing it away.

“A guy who’s been kicked out of Japan, kicked out of America, and kicked out of China… understands my heart?”

A strange smile appeared on Vice Chairman Park Hong-joo’s wrinkled face.

“Hey, Qingdao.”

“Yes?”

“You, why did you play baseball?”

It was a sudden question.

“I think you could have done many other things well besides baseball.”

“No, surprisingly, baseball was the thing I was best at.”

When Ji-seop replied with a blank face, Vice Chairman Park snorted as if it wasn’t even funny.

Then, he brought up something else.

“It was the day after the company baseball tournament regulations were announced… someone sent me a suit.”

This was also a word that popped out without context, but Ji-seop was now adapting to ‘Sakhalin Park’s’ unique way of speaking.

“Who?”

“Joo Young-eun… no, should I call her the Chairwoman of KH Group now?”

Vice Chairman Park continued, using the aluminum bat as a cane.

“The secretary who brought the suit told me. Chairwoman Joo Young-eun is very worried about me.”

She said that I’m old and my stamina isn’t what it used to be, so how could I participate in the company baseball tournament.

The weather is getting chilly, so she hoped that I would wear this suit on the day of the tournament and come as an observer, not a player.

She said that unlike my father, I don’t know much about baseball, so it would be nice if I could sit next to her and tell her about the rules of baseball.

“At first, I just thought, ‘Okay, whatever’… but it turned out that all the old-timers who had served the late Chairman Joo Tae-san had received similar messages, you know?”

Ji-seop had only slept during school classes, but he could read between the lines to this extent.

‘Is it some kind of final warning?’

The KH Group’s company baseball tournament was three days away.

If he went to this tournament wearing a suit, it would mean that he was accepting Chairwoman Joo Young-eun’s wishes and stepping down from the management front.

Conversely, if he went wearing a uniform and participated in the game, it would mean that he would not follow Chairwoman Joo Young-eun’s wishes.

‘As expected… it wasn’t just a company baseball tournament for the purpose of promoting friendship.’

Ji-seop felt like he finally understood everything.

Why was Vice Chairman Park Hong-joo so desperately looking for a baseball coach?

Why was Vice Chairman Park Hong-joo so desperately swinging his baseball bat?

‘Hehe, so that’s the reason.’

Ji-seop nodded slowly as if he understood everything.

However, at this time, Vice Chairman Park Hong-joo was looking at Ji-seop with a dissatisfied expression.

“Hey, Qingdao!”

“Yes?”

“You, don’t you even know the word ‘human nature’?”

“Yes?”

Why is this old man making a fuss again?

Ji-seop tilted his head.

“What are you talking about?”

“If an old man like me is opening up and talking like this, shouldn’t you ask me some questions on your own!”

“What questions?”

“Like, why are you working so hard at baseball! What’s the reason you don’t want to step down from the management front! Things like that!”

“Ah, that’s…”

What a handful of an old man.

Thinking that to himself, Ji-seop slowly opened his mouth.

“There’s no need to ask you what I already know, is there? It’s a waste of time.”

“You… know everything?”

“Last night, I was watching it pretty diligently, one way or another.”

-KH Group Special Documentary

-Innovation of KH, 40 Years of Turmoil

When Ji-seop mentioned the documentary he had seen at the hotel restaurant the day before, Vice Chairman Park laughed in disbelief.

“Hehe… that guy…”

He tapped the aluminum bat on the ground and said, ‘That guy, that guy’.

Vice Chairman Park looked at the still dark dawn sky.

He gestured to Secretary Yang, who was waiting at the entrance of the stadium, to come over.

“Secretary Yang, this Qingdao guy… we only had a personal lesson contract with him, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“And we were going to use another guy as a mercenary [hired player] on the day of the tournament?”

“Yes, we had prepared someone who was a former KBO League [Korean Baseball Organization] batting champion, but…”

“Is that so? Then cancel that guy.”

Vice Chairman Park turned to Ji-seop and continued.

“I’m going to take this guy to this company baseball tournament.”