Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 68

#67. Park Jae-cheol’s True Colors

Many people have a preconceived notion about Park Jae-cheol, the general manager of the Warriors.

His publicly known image is that he made a lot of money as a former major leaguer, so he lacks nothing in the world. He became a general manager without any prior experience as a manager or coach, and he loves being in the spotlight.

Well, now that I mention it, the last part might not be entirely a misconception.

Anyway.

One of his hidden strengths is that he was once a national sports star who enjoyed widespread support, especially in his hometown of Daejeon, where his influence is comparable to that of a high-ranking politician.

Knock knock.

“Sir, I’m here.”

The owner of the Falcons, who was in Daejeon to watch the home game in person, greeted Park Jae-cheol upon his return from their meeting.

General Manager Park Jae-cheol, wearing an unusually determined expression, bowed slightly and sat down, eager to share the results of his trip.

Park Seong-hoon, seeing the general manager, smiled faintly and sat across from him.

“Welcome, General Manager. Did you have a good rest yesterday?”

“Hoo, yes, after visiting my hometown after a long time, I had so many people to meet that it felt busier than resting. Ah, I almost forgot this. Try it. I heard it’s a very famous bakery in Daejeon these days, so I stopped by, but the line was incredibly long. Oh, by the way, because of the bakery, the traffic around it was controlled, and eventually the nearby road became a pedestrian zone. Well, the story got long. Here are three flavors. First of all, let me explain this bread first…….”

“Haha, General Manager. Bread is just bread. I’ll enjoy it for lunch since you were kind enough to bring it. Thank you for taking the trouble.”

“No, but to truly appreciate bread, you must first understand the baker’s intention and philosophy…….”

“No, the matter we’re about to discuss is more pressing. I’ll listen to the story about bread later.”

Park Seong-hoon, who was gradually learning how to handle this talkative general manager, skillfully steered the conversation to the main point.

Park Jae-cheol, who clicked his tongue as if slightly disappointed, opened his mouth as if he couldn’t help it.

“Yes, then I suppose I have to. Ah, while I was away, you won two consecutive games against the Magicians.”

“It was thrilling. Um, I heard that the Magicians’ owner was furious and directly complained to the president.”

“Really? That guy is a bit impatient, but he’s a pretty decent person…….”

At the general manager’s words, Park Seong-hoon burst into laughter without realizing it.

Sometimes, he forgot that this talkative general manager was once a beloved national star and a big shot who could befriend the owners of various clubs.

‘He’s the type who ruins his reputation because of his mouth…….’

Park Seong-hoon quickly dismissed the thought that came to mind and continued.

“Let’s get to the point. What did the Falcons owner say?”

“He asked me to join his club.”

“Yes?”

“Haha, don’t worry. I have no intention of leaving until I lead the Warriors to victory. And the Falcons offered me the position of manager, not general manager.”

Park Seong-hoon breathed a sigh of relief.

Even so, the Falcons’ persistent pursuit of Park Jae-cheol, a Daejeon legend, had been ongoing for a long time. But he never expected the owner to personally extend an offer.

Fortunately, the current general manager of the Falcons is one of the owner’s trusted aides. Removing his own confidant without a valid reason would be difficult for him, as he values loyalty.

Park Seong-hoon, wishing the Falcons’ general manager a long life, asked the next question.

“Then… did you bring up the matter of Seo Hyeong-joo?”

“Yes, of course.”

This was the question he really wanted to ask.

The conclusion that Park Jae-cheol and he had discussed at length was this:

It was impossible to acquire Seo Hyeong-joo through normal channels.

Even if he was considered a bust, releasing a first-round rookie in less than a year would draw significant criticism from fans. Additionally, the president and general manager, directly appointed by the owner, were formidable figures.

In the end, there was only one option.

To persuade the owner directly.

He couldn’t simply sit down with the owner and negotiate a trade. Instead, he had to use persuasive language to convince him to release Seo Hyeong-joo first.

General Manager Park Jae-cheol, who received this special assignment, was the perfect person for the job. He traveled to Daejeon and successfully secured a one-on-one meeting with the Falcons’ owner.

Park Seong-hoon was dying to know what transpired during that meeting.

“What did he say?”

“Many things were discussed. Strangely enough, people in high positions don’t like long conversations. It was difficult to shorten the words and extract only the core.”

“I guess so.”

He wanted to point out that it wasn’t just high-ranking people who disliked long stories, but he refrained for now.

“To put it bluntly… I think it’s possible.”

“Really?”

“Yes, he seems to prioritize the Falcons finishing 5th this year above all else. He doesn’t care about the repercussions of releasing a first-round rookie or the 500 million won contract [approximately $400,000 USD] he gave to that player.”

Park Seong-hoon’s face lit up at the general manager’s words.

The conversation he had with Han Su-hyeok a while ago came to mind.

‘Su-hyeok, assuming we acquire Seo Hyeong-joo, even if it costs us, how much potential does he have?’

‘His offensive potential is at the level of Lee Chang-mo’s prime? His defensive skills as a center fielder are better than Choi Min-seok senior.’

‘Really?’

‘Maybe he’ll grow even more than that? Of course, not as good as me, but.’

Park Seong-hoon trusted Han Su-hyeok’s judgment implicitly, at least when it came to baseball.

If that guy could really develop that much, it would be a huge boost to the Warriors.

The problem was what to offer in return.

The Falcons, who finished 8th last season, were maintaining a winning rate close to 50% this year and dreaming of making it to the playoffs for the first time in 9 years.

Seo Hyeong-joo, a first-round rookie whom the Falcons had ambitiously recruited with a 500 million won contract.

What kind of offer could he make to get a nod from Daejeon?

Han Su-hyeok gave Park Seong-hoon a small tip who was worried.

‘Let’s try Jung Tae-ho senior first.’

‘Jung Tae-ho?’

At that moment, Park Seong-hoon also realized something.

Jung Tae-ho, the Warriors’ 5th starting pitcher, who was recording 1 win and 4 losses with an average ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of pitching performance] of 4.7 this season.

He mainly appeared as the 4th starter at the beginning of the season but was pushed back to the 5th starter with the emergence of Cheon Sang-jin. However, he consistently delivered ace-level performances against the Falcons.

The notion that Jung Tae-ho was strong against the Falcons was only partially true.

He wasn’t inherently strong against the Falcons. He simply performed better when pitching on the Daejeon mound.

There could be several factors at play here: his roots in Daejeon, the presence of his family and friends, and his long-time fandom of the Falcons.

Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter.

Daejeon, determined to make it to the playoffs this year, could eliminate one of their natural enemies by acquiring him and expect a tremendous boost if he was primarily used for home games.

On the other hand, even if the Warriors gave him up and received Seo Hyeong-joo, there wouldn’t be a significant impact. Aside from his strength against Daejeon, there were several 5th starter candidates who could pitch better than him.

It seemed like a sweet deal at first glance, despite some potential drawbacks.

‘But… if I suggest trading Jung Tae-ho for Seo Hyeong-joo, will they really agree? The newly appointed Falcons general manager is said to be different from the old, gullible ones…….’

‘Of course, they’ll refuse. I would do the same.’

‘Then how……?’

‘Send General Manager Park Jae-cheol. Tell him to meet the owner, bypassing the general manager and president.’

‘Oh… is that possible?’

‘Let’s make good use of his persuasive skills.’

That’s how Park Jae-cheol met the Falcons’ owner and was now returning with a positive response.

At the dinner with the owner, Park Jae-cheol never mentioned Seo Hyeong-joo.

He simply leaked information about how much synergy a pitcher like Jung Tae-ho would create if he was recruited to his hometown team, which was aiming for the playoffs for the first time in nearly 10 years, and how much that pitcher loved Daejeon.

As the Falcons’ owner listened intently throughout the meal, Park Jae-cheol only answered when asked who he should give up to acquire Jung Tae-ho.

‘Ah… it would be a huge blow for the Warriors to give up Jung Tae-ho… the lineup is already complete, but if I had to choose one, a rookie like Seo Hyeong-joo, who can be used as a defensive player, might be appropriate, Chairman.’

‘Seo Hyeong-joo? That underperforming guy?’

The game was over right there.

The owner said he would issue a trade order to the Falcons through his secretary, and Park Jae-cheol thanked him for the satisfactory meal and left.

“Haha, I’ll be getting a call from Daejeon soon. Of course, a straight one-for-one trade between Seo Hyeong-joo and Jung Tae-ho is impossible. I’ll have to add some things to it…….”

“You did a great job, General Manager. Well done.”

“Anyway, I’ll bring Seo Hyeong-joo. I’ll finalize the negotiations perfectly.”

Park Seong-hoon almost hugged this wonderful general manager tightly.

* * *

“Swing! Out!”

“…….”

Jamsil Baseball Stadium, where the Warriors and Magicians’ 3-game series was underway.

With the Warriors recording two consecutive wins until yesterday, Lee Man-sik, who took the mound as the starting pitcher for the third game, came down from the mound after striking out the opposing team’s leadoff hitter, Yang Seon-woo.

“Wow!”

“Man-sik Seong! He’s alive!”

“Lee Man-sik! Lee Man-sik!”

Lee Man-sik, originally from Busan, still had a few hometown fans who followed him and cheered him on in their dialect [a regional variety of a language].

Lee Man-sik, who lightly waved his hand to them, returned to the bench and collapsed.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Thanks. Su-hyeok.”

Seeing Han Su-hyeok handing over a drink made him smile.

Yang Seon-woo, the Magicians’ leadoff hitter whom he had just struck out, was an incredibly hot-tempered and talkative guy. He was like a time bomb who didn’t hesitate to criticize his seniors, even for minor issues.

In short, he was an enhanced version of Jung Ki-ho, who had switched his uniform from the Warriors to the Magicians.

He remembered being humiliated several times by a guy who was four years younger than him.

In terms of skill and momentum, Lee Man-sik, no, the Warriors, could not match Yang Seon-woo.

Seeing that guy going back to the dugout without making a sound even after getting struck out just now, he felt relieved.

He was intimidated. Intimidated by the team called the Warriors, which was gaining momentum with Han Su-hyeok at the center.

“Su-hyeok.”

“Yes, Man-sik hyung [an honorific term used to address an older brother or male friend].”

“Thank you for joining our team.”

“Yes?”

“Really.”

“……?”

Did Su-hyeok understand this inner feeling?

No, he didn’t need to know. It was right for old guys like him to take all those shameful past memories with them.

He wanted to pass on only good things to these fresh juniors who were just about to usher in a new era for the Warriors.

Ttaaak!

At that moment, Cho Seong-oh, the 4th hitter who was the first hitter, the only senior who was older than him, blasted the opposing pitcher’s first pitch out of the fence.

At that moment, Lee Man-sik jumped up from his seat without realizing it and shouted.

“Old soldiers never die!”

“……?”

“No, I’m just saying…….”

In the top of the 6th inning, during the Warriors’ attack, with the score at 1 to 0, Lee Man-sik was so busy paying attention to his other teammates that he didn’t realize that he hadn’t allowed a hit to any of the Magicians’ hitters.