On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 5

“Even if it’s a waste of time, it’s only about a year. You can try again next year, right?”

“If that’s the case, just go to university. If you go to a junior college, you can graduate in two years.”

“Hey, I can only go if I get scouted. You know my situation, so why are you saying that? And don’t you know it’s even tougher to get into junior colleges these days? Average kids go to four-year universities, and those who barely miss the draft go to junior colleges. How can I get into a junior college now?”

“Just grease someone’s palm.”

“Bribe? You mean give money?”

“Yeah, wouldn’t there be a place that would take you if you paid them? I know at least two places that would take me if I paid. What about you? You’re much better than me.”

“Ha.”

Song Seok-hyun shook his head.

“Are you kidding me? First of all, my family doesn’t have any money, and don’t you think I’d know if I had even received such an offer? Paying to get players is done quietly, behind the scenes. If I went, what would happen? ‘Oh? Is there something there? They’re taking him? That idiot? They must have paid.’ That’s what everyone would say. I’d be completely tainted. Who would take me then?”

“Then why the hell are you trying to be an undrafted free agent? Why go through all that hardship?”

Jeong Mi-nam gulped down his caramel macchiato.

“You like sweet stuff so much, you’ll get diabetes. Stop eating so much, especially since you’re not even working out anymore.”

“It’s because you’re frustrating me, frustrating me.”

“There’s a lot to be frustrated about. It’s simple. You want to play baseball, so you do it. What’s the big deal?”

“Ha, why did you suddenly change your mind? You said you hated baseball? That you were sick of it?”

Song Seok-hyun crossed his arms. The cafe’s music changed to a gloomy jazz tune.

“Well… I guess I don’t want to give up just yet. I need to make a decent living with baseball, even if I don’t hit the jackpot.”

“Make a decent living? What’s that?”

“It’s… something. Let’s just say I still have regrets. I worked my butt off, and it would be a waste to quit like this. If I wasn’t picked because I lacked skill or made mistakes, I wouldn’t have any regrets, but it wasn’t my fault, and it’s not like I don’t have the skill. It’s frustrating. Even thinking about it again, it’s too damn frustrating.”

“Huh.”

Jeong Mi-nam scratched his head.

“I’m really disappointed. I asked you to work with me, but you want to be an undrafted free agent?”

“Damn, I have some pride. How long am I going to keep relying on you? And if I’m not an undrafted free agent, I was just going to join the army. If I work with you, would your parents look at me favorably? They’d think I’m a burden to you.”

“Hey, my mom and dad like you a lot. Why are you saying such disappointing things?”

“No matter what, their own child is the best. I know your parents like me, but if I keep being a burden to you, would they still see it that way? Then the relationship between you and me would become more awkward. It wasn’t easy for you to quit baseball either, was it?”

“No, it was super easy.”

“Bullshit. I heard everything about how Young-seok beat you up and you got kicked out.”

Jeong Mi-nam gritted his teeth.

“Ah, that Kim Young-seok. He’s such a blabbermouth, seriously.”

“Working together can wait. It’s not like we’re just going to see each other for a day or two and then say goodbye, right?”

“……Ha, then should I apply too? As an undrafted free agent?”

“Don’t talk nonsense. You admitted yourself that being an undrafted free agent sucks, so why would you apply?”

“Hey, why only you? I can do it with you.”

“You’re supposed to inherit the store. What are you talking about? You’ll only make things more difficult for me. And you’ve been resting from exercise. Why suddenly become an undrafted free agent?”

“Didn’t you rest too?”

“But I was training until a month or two ago. I’ve stopped completely these days.”

“Ha, damn… So you’re really not going to work with me?”

“Later. Let’s do it later. Not now. I want to focus on baseball right now.”

Jeong Mi-nam pointed to Song Seok-hyun’s coffee with his eyes.

When Song Seok-hyun nodded, Jeong Mi-nam finished Song Seok-hyun’s coffee in one gulp.

“Hoo. I’m so frustrated, seriously. Did you tell Young-seok and Na-young?”

“No. Why would I tell them? You’re the first to know.”

“Young-seok is one thing, but Na-young is going to make a fuss again. You know how she is these days. Ugh, it’s no joke.”

“That’s true. She’s fierce, very. Scary. Ugh.”

“So why would you deliberately choose such a difficult path? Tsk, tsk. I don’t understand, I don’t understand.”

* * *

When the four friends gathered, Song Seok-hyun brought up the topic of becoming an undrafted free agent.

Kim Na-young, who had been bickering until then, was surprisingly calm.

“Really? So where are you hoping to go? Seoul? Or somewhere else in the provinces?”

“Well, I’ll have to get accepted first, but there are three clubs in the Seoul metropolitan area, so there’s a good chance it’ll be there.”

“Oh, really? Not bad?”

Kim Young-seok and Jeong Mi-nam looked flustered at Kim Na-young’s calm reaction.

Kim Young-seok shook his head, listing all the reasons why you shouldn’t become a high school graduate undrafted free agent.

“The trend these days is college graduate undrafted free agents. They do draft high school graduates, but they prefer undrafted free agents from college graduates. Players drafted are picked for their potential, but undrafted free agents are picked for their immediate impact. Back in the day, up to the 2000s, there was still the myth of trainees, but that was very, very rare. And now they’re almost extinct. The few high school graduate undrafted free agents that come out every few years are all picked through connections. They take ambiguous players, like those around the 13th or 14th round level, who have connections with the staff or front office.”

“……”

Song Seok-hyun crossed his arms and nodded.

“Did you say everything? Is there anything else?”

“Should I tell you about the future prospects of high school graduate undrafted free agents?”

“No, no. I’m the baseball player, not you. How do you know more about how the pros work than the baseball players?”

Kim Young-seok pushed up his glasses.

“How many online communities do you think I’m active in? There are front office staff and former players there. I know everything inside and out.”

“Anyway, you play baseball with your keyboard, right?”

“What are you talking about, noob? I always beat you.”

“That’s just a game.”

“Hmph, that’s great. A baseball player getting destroyed by a regular person in a baseball game.”

“Damn it. Hey, want to go again?”

“Yeah, 21 losses out of 21 games.”

“Are you seriously keeping count of that?”

Kim Na-young crossed her legs and sipped her drink. Jeong Mi-nam seemed frustrated and nudged Kim Na-young’s foot.

“Don’t you have anything to say?”

“Me? About what?”

“Well, don’t you know how hard it is to become an undrafted free agent? It’s complete slavery.”

“Ah, I do have something to say. Just don’t go outside the Seoul metropolitan area. You want to stay in the Seoul metropolitan area anyway, right?”

“Well, it’s close to home.”

“Then that’s it. I’m done.”

“Wow.”

Jeong Mi-nam and Kim Young-seok looked at Kim Na-young as if they had been betrayed.

Kim Na-young didn’t care about their gazes.

“Okay, okay. Is the fuss over? Now you guys just cheer me on. I’ve sent out all the applications, so I’ll be hearing back soon. I’m going back to training tomorrow. Mi-nam, help me out a bit. Young-seok and Na-young have to prepare for the college entrance exam anyway, so you guys just do your own thing.”

“Okay, good luck.”

“Ah… I don’t think this is right.”

“Alright, alright. Well, if he’s going to do it no matter what, then do it. I’ll help you.”

“Thank you. Thank you very much!”

Kim Na-young wiggled her legs and looked at Song Seok-hyun.

“Hey, did you tell your mother? That you’re going to be an undrafted free agent?”

“Not yet. I’m going to tell her after I get in.”

“Why? Tell her now. Your mother must be worried.”

“I think it’s better than telling her beforehand and dampening her spirits.”

“Hmm… really? Okay. Well, you know best.”

Kim Young-seok clicked his tongue.

“But there’s one thing you guys are missing… Even if it’s an undrafted free agent, it’s not something anyone can do. It’s surprisingly hard to get in.”

Jeong Mi-nam grinned.

“Still, I can confidently say that Seok-hyun is at least in the top ten among high school catchers. His skills are the real deal. Even if he took a break, there are few undrafted free agent applicants who are better at catching than him.”

Song Seok-hyun said,

“Hey, if it’s me, I’m honestly pretty good, right? Even though it wasn’t many games, I had a 100% stolen base prevention rate and a .700 batting average?”

“At least play 10 games before you say that. How can you say that when you haven’t even played 10 official games?”

“Still, my batting average is .700. I even hit three home runs.”

“Honestly, we had really good luck with our matchups. Aren’t you thinking about that?”

“……Anyway. Wouldn’t this be a bonus?”

Kim Young-seok interrupted Jeong Mi-nam and Song Seok-hyun.

“That’s not it. You guys are mistaken about something else.”

Jeong Mi-nam and Song Seok-hyun said at the same time.

“What?”

Kim Young-seok looked at Jeong Mi-nam and Song Seok-hyun with a pathetic expression.

“You really don’t know? Do you think anyone can take the test? You have to pass the application first. Do you think it’ll be easy to pass the application with Seok-hyun’s poor game record and bad image?”

Song Seok-hyun asked with a blank face.

“……Huh? Doesn’t everyone get in if they submit an application?”

To Rise as a Catcher

If you draw your sword, you should at least cut a radish [idiom meaning to make a minimal accomplishment].

“……Is this real?”

Song Seok-hyun lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.

Rejected by all clubs.

Most of the clubs didn’t even bother to contact him to say he was rejected.

Reality was even more of a shithole than he thought.

Because his expectations for being an undrafted free agent were so low, he thought he would get in as long as he applied.

It was already October.

He hadn’t done anything, and time had just passed.

While others were preparing for the college entrance exam and burning with passion to advance to professional or college teams, he was enjoying the unemployed life.

“I’m screwed… Ha.”

Contrary to the ambitions he had revealed to his friends, not a single application had passed.

It was just as Kim Young-seok had said.

His short official game record as a catcher and his reputation as a bonehead player were immediately cut off in the application process.

He was so confident that he would naturally get into an undrafted free agent team that it was even more absurd.

All that was left was an independent club, but even these were few in Korea, and they said they had already picked all the players and had no spots left.

Song Seok-hyun got up and took a cold shower.

In the bathroom mirror, he could faintly see the king character [王, a reference to his well-defined abs] on his abs.

“Am I just working out so the Ministry of National Defense can benefit [a self-deprecating joke about his mandatory military service]?”

* * *

That evening.

Song Seok-hyun and Kim Na-young sat on a park bench, sharing a can of drink each.

Song Seok-hyun accurately threw the empty can into the trash can.

“Wow. You still got it, Song Seok-hyun.”

“This is basic. Even though I *was* a national player.”

“Then throw mine away too.”

“Okay!”

Song Seok-hyun also landed Kim Na-young’s empty can in the trash can.

“The college entrance exam is coming up soon. Are you nervous?”

“The college entrance exam? I don’t have to be nervous. I’m just taking it.”

“Well, you’re just deciding whether to go to Seoul National University or not. Don’t go to another university to get a scholarship. Just go to Seoul National University first. Our school foundation will support you.”

“Worry about yourself. Don’t worry about me.”

Song Seok-hyun licked his lips.

“Well, it’s funny for *me* to worry about you.”

“How did your undrafted free agent application go? Did it go well?”

Song Seok-hyun laughed hollowly.

“Go well? What do you mean? I’m screwed. I haven’t heard from anyone. It’s just as Young-seok said. Who would have known that I wouldn’t even pass the application process? I’m doomed. That’s why I met you first. If Mi-nam or Young-seok heard this, they’d make fun of me so much. I put on such a show, but if I didn’t make it, they’d make fun of me for at least 10 years.”

“I won’t make fun of you? I’ll make fun of you too? I’ll make fun of you for about 10 years too?”

“Hey, honestly, you didn’t care whether I became an undrafted free agent this time or not. You were indifferent before. That’s why I’m telling you first, well…”

“So? So what are you going to do? Go to the army again?”

“Hoo, well, I’m going to think about all the ways I can play baseball. There are no spots in the independent baseball league right now, so I’m thinking about it. I’m thinking about going to Japan since the independent league is active there.”

“Japan? You’re going there?”

Song Seok-hyun flinched.

“Jeez. Speak softly. I can hear everything. Why are you raising your voice?”

“Why are you going to Japan, leaving Korea behind? You’re not going to debut in Japan, are you?”

“Still, if I’m going to play baseball again, I should do it properly. I can’t just rest like this. I’m going to try for another year or two, and if it doesn’t work out, I’ll go to the army.”

“……So you’re going to go to Japan and then go to the army?”

“If it doesn’t work out, that’s what will happen.”

Kim Na-young pursed her lips.

Kim Na-young’s eyes were fierce, but Song Seok-hyun couldn’t see it and didn’t know.

“Anyway, I’m only telling you first, so don’t tell the others. I have to prepare myself mentally before I tell them. Otherwise, my mental state will collapse.”

“……”

“Got it?”

“……”

Song Seok-hyun looked at Kim Na-young.

“Hey, are you ignoring me? Why aren’t you answering?”

“Okay.”

Kim Na-young got up from her seat right away.

“Are you leaving right away?”

“What? Do you have anything else to say?”

“No, not really…….”

“Then I’ll go.”

“Hey! Let’s go together. I’ll walk you home.”

“It’s okay. I can go alone.”

“You’re so prickly. Let’s go together!”

Kim Na-young was silent all the way home. A gloomy look hung over Kim Na-young’s face.

Song Seok-hyun walked with his hands in his pockets, looking at the ground.

It was when they arrived at Kim Na-young’s house.

Kim Na-young turned around and punched Song Seok-hyun’s chest with her fist.

“Ah!”

No matter how hard she hit, Kim Na-young’s fist was unlikely to cause much damage to Song Seok-hyun’s chest.

Song Seok-hyun looked at Kim Na-young with a bewildered face.

Kim Na-young pursed her lips and glared at Song Seok-hyun.

“Ah, why again!”

Kim Na-young opened the gate and disappeared without a word.