On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 8

“Don’t you ever hang out?”

“I’m studying hard these days. I’m busier than you guys.”

“Studying? Studying what?”

“Japanese. I’m planning to go to Japan next year and try out for their independent league.”

“Japan? Wow, are you really going to Japan?”

“Of course, I’m really going. Why would I joke about that?”

Kim Na-young stopped cutting her pork cutlet and put down her fork and knife. Then, she picked up her drink and gulped down the cola.

“Hoo.”

Kim Na-young didn’t say anything.

Kim Young-suk also put down his fork and knife.

“Let’s see each other often until then. I don’t know when I’ll have time again once I go to Japan.”

Song Seok-hyun said with a smile, but the atmosphere was tense.

Kim Na-young crossed her arms.

“Instead of sitting here like this, how about we grab a drink to celebrate finishing the college entrance exam?”

Kim Young-suk was startled and replied.

“Drink? Hey, the crackdown is strict around here. We can’t drink.”

“Today’s the day of the college entrance exam. A lot of places are more lenient on days like today.”

“How do you know that?”

“I have ears, too. I heard it all. Get up. Let’s go. Let’s have a drink.”

“We have to finish eating this.”

“It’s okay, I don’t have an appetite anyway. Get up. Let’s go.”

Contrary to Kim Na-young’s bold words, the stores were strict about checking IDs.

The four people wandered around several places before giving up and heading to a karaoke [a place where people sing along to recorded music].

The first person to grab the microphone was Kim Na-young.

From the start, she belted out ‘Tears’ by So Chan-hwi.

“Don’t you dare blame me for being a cruel woman!”

Kim Na-young’s singing was impressive.

She effortlessly handled songs that went back and forth between high notes.

Song Seok-hyun went outside to buy drinks.

Kim Young-suk followed behind.

“Why did you come out?”

“I’m going to buy something to eat. I didn’t get to eat the pork cutlet earlier.”

“Are you hungry?”

“A little?”

“What are you going to eat? Is there anything good to eat around here?”

Kim Young-suk asked while looking at the snacks.

“When are you thinking of going to Japan?”

“Around next year, I guess? I’m thinking of going after learning some basic Japanese.”

“Is your Japanese coming along?”

“I’m working on it.”

“It would be nice if you played baseball in Korea.”

“I wish. I wish I could.”

As the two were paying and about to head back to the karaoke room, Song Seok-hyun’s phone rang.

It was his younger sibling.

“Wait a minute. Hold this. I’ll take this call and come back.”

“Okay, I got it.”

Song Seok-hyun left the store to answer the phone.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

-Hyung [older brother, used by males], are you going to be late tonight?

“Not really. I came to karaoke. I’m going to hang out for a little bit.”

-Ah, okay. Mom told me to ask when you’re coming home.

“I’ll be home by 10 at the latest. I might come earlier.”

-Okay.

After hanging up, Song Seok-hyun looked out the glass window of the building.

The streets were full of people coming and going.

Song Seok-hyun rubbed his face with his hands.

“Hoo.”

As Song Seok-hyun was about to go back into the karaoke, someone roughly yanked the karaoke door open with a bang.

Song Seok-hyun hit his head and stumbled back.

“Ah, damn it…….”

“Hey! Seok-hyun!”

The person who opened the door was Jung Mi-nam.

“Ah, what is it? Open the door gently. I thought my head was going to break.”

“Seok-hyun, look at this. This.”

“Ah, what is it?”

Song Seok-hyun rubbed his forehead.

Jung Mi-nam held out a text message.

“Look at this.”

Song Seok-hyun took Jung Mi-nam’s phone and read the text message.

-I asked for your number at the store and I’m texting you here. We met briefly the other day, right? I’m Coach Lee Ki-sung from Ilshin Middle School. I was concerned after hearing about your situation. Are you still thinking about trying out as a player? An acquaintance of mine works in the baseball team’s front office. There happens to be an open spot, so if you’re still interested, ask your friend and text me.

“What is this?”

Song Seok-hyun was dazed even after reading the text message.

“What do you mean, ‘What is this,’ you idiot? He’s a customer who came to our store the other day. He showed interest after I told him about you. What do you think? Should we contact him? It’s okay if it doesn’t work out, and it’s great if it does.”

“I think this person talked to me the other day.”

“He talked to you too?”

“Yeah, briefly. He said he was a middle school coach.”

“Hey, let’s text him first. Let’s text him.”

“Isn’t this some kind of scam? Asking for money or something.”

“Let’s worry about that when he asks for money. Let’s just do it first. What do you say?”

Song Seok-hyun hesitated for a moment.

“Okay, send a text. Include my number, too.”

While Jung Mi-nam was texting, Song Seok-hyun bit his lip.

Jung Mi-nam put his phone in his pocket.

“I sent it. Let’s wait for a reply.”

Catcher’s Success Story

Adult

“Hello. I’m Song Seok-hyun.”

Song Seok-hyun bowed as soon as he saw Lee Ki-sung.

Lee Ki-sung got up from his seat and extended his hand.

“Yes, nice to meet you. We greeted each other back then, right?”

“Yes, please speak casually, Coach.”

“Shall I? Is that really okay?”

“Yes, of course.”

The two met at Ilshin Middle School, where Lee Ki-sung coached.

The two sat side by side on a bench on one side of the Ilshin Middle School playground.

“I heard the details from your friend. I heard the situation wasn’t good.”

“Yes, that’s how it turned out.”

“So I looked into it. I heard you were a well-known pitcher until your first year of high school. Is that right?”

“……I was pretty confident back then.”

“If you were throwing 150km/h [approximately 93 mph] in your first year of high school, that says it all. Then you switched to catcher due to an injury and couldn’t play many games, so you were effectively cut from the team. Is that right?”

“Yes.”

“I watched some game footage. There were only two games recorded, so I didn’t see much, but you were good. Catcher is a position that requires a lot of experience, but your fundamentals were solid.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“There’s a reason why you were the starting catcher at Woojin High School. But did that incident really prevent you from playing any games after that?”

“……Yes.”

“Tsk. Were there many catchers there?”

“No. Besides me and my friend, there was one guy who was backing us up, but he was only at the level of catching the ball…….”

“Who’s your friend? That friend from back then?”

“Yes, that friend was also a catcher at Woojin High School with me.”

Lee Ki-sung laughed heartily.

“That’s funny. Catchers being friends. So Woojin High School didn’t use you two at all? Only until the first half of the weekend league?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of guts did they have to do that? That’s why Woojin High School never won despite having such good potential. The coach was too short-sighted.”

“……It wasn’t the coach’s decision. The coach couldn’t do anything about it either.”

“I guess you can’t help it if you want to keep your job……. Still, if the coach doesn’t protect the players, who will? You haven’t been able to play any games since then, have you?”

“No.”

“But you don’t resent the coach?”

“I know the coach was against it at first. I’m just grateful.”

Lee Ki-sung raised his hand and patted Song Seok-hyun’s shoulder.

“You’re young, but you’re admirable. Your mindset is better than a professional catcher. If a catcher starts blaming others, the team goes to hell.”

Lee Ki-sung got up from his seat.

“My senior works in the front office of a professional baseball team. He’s a senior I’m close to, and I asked him if there were any tryout player spots available. He said that his team already had all the tryout player spots filled and wasn’t planning on hiring any more, so I gave up. But the day before yesterday, I suddenly got a call saying that there was a spot at GOAT and asking if it was okay.”

“GOAT?”

Seoul GOAT.

It was a Seoul franchise team that was among the top three most popular professional baseball teams.

It was one of the teams that spent the most on operating expenses among professional baseball teams and had a wealth of star players.

Seoul GOAT was a team that could get FA [Free Agent] players to accept hundreds of millions less in salary because of the Seoul premium [the added value of playing in Seoul].

Although they didn’t make it to the playoffs this year due to the Blue Phoenix…….

“Yes, GOAT. I guess they suddenly need a catcher there. So I called to see if you were interested. Since there’s a sudden vacancy, the conditions are probably not very good, but I thought of you.”

“Ah…… Yes.”

Song Seok-hyun bit his lip.

When Song Seok-hyun didn’t react much, Lee Ki-sung looked at Song Seok-hyun’s face.

“Why? Do you not like GOAT?”

“No. It’s nothing like that at all.”

“Or do you not want to apply for a tryout player? Do you have somewhere else to go?”

“No. I’m very grateful.”

“But your reaction is lukewarm?”

“Ah…… That’s…… Um…….”

Song Seok-hyun clenched and unclenched his fist, looking at Lee Ki-sung.

“I’m too grateful. I’m actually stunned that you’re helping me so much when you have no connection to me. No one has ever helped me like this before. I don’t know how I could ever repay you…….”

Lee Ki-sung crossed his arms and sighed.

“You’re already thinking like this as a kid. Hoo, do you know why I’m helping you? I’m embarrassed, actually.”

“You are?”

“Yes, you idiot. I’m ashamed to look you in the face.”

Song Seok-hyun blinked.

“Why are you?”

“Why? As a senior and an adult in the baseball world, I’m ashamed. Anyone can make mistakes. Passed ball [a pitch that the catcher fails to catch]? That happens dozens of times in a season for one team. Even a high schooler can have a passed ball. No, it’s strange if they don’t. But just because you had one, adults all came together and ruined a kid’s life? That’s not something a person should do. What are you supposed to do if you take away the only thing a kid knows and loves? That’s not right. You shouldn’t do that. I’m angry and my face is burning, so I can’t stand it.”

Lee Ki-sung looked at Song Seok-hyun and said.

“I’m doing this because I want to do something as a senior in the baseball world and an adult who’s a little older than you. I’m not doing this because I want something from you, you idiot. I’m not going to take the flea’s liver [an idiom meaning to exploit someone for something insignificant], what am I going to get from a kid?”

Song Seok-hyun looked at Lee Ki-sung with a bewildered face.

While playing baseball, Song Seok-hyun had witnessed the dark side of the baseball world.

Friends who were overwhelmingly good at baseball like Song Seok-hyun were exceptions, but other friends were different. Baseball team membership fees ranged from tens to hundreds of dollars, and friends who were a little less skilled often spent twice as much as others to get playing time.

Even if it was money spent only for baseball, it was a jaw-dropping amount, but baseball team coaches often demanded extra money.

Taking tens of dollars here and there wasn’t even worth mentioning.

He heard rumors that the coach had even received a car as a bribe.

To Song Seok-hyun, adults, especially seniors in the baseball world, were strict and greedy beings.

But Lee Ki-sung, who had no connection to him, said he would help him because he couldn’t overcome his shame, so it was as if he had been hit in the head with a hammer.

“Seok-hyun.”

“Yes?”

“You saw the Phoenix win this year, right?”

“Yes, I saw it. I’m a Phoenix fan, so I watched every game.”

“Then you’ll know. It was a season defined by Kim Young-hoon, by Kim Young-hoon, and for Kim Young-hoon. Right?”

“Yes, it was incredible. Kim Young-hoon is really…….”

“It’s inspiring. Even if it was overuse, he single-handedly carried the team with unbelievable power. He dragged the last-place team by the collar to make it to the playoffs, and he won by appearing in more than 10 games by himself. He’s not human, that guy. I faced him once this season.”

“You did?”

“Yes, I retired this year.”

“Ah…… I’m sorry. I’m really sorry for not recognizing you.”

Song Seok-hyun bowed.

Lee Ki-sung chuckled.

“Hey, how would you know me? I spent overwhelmingly more time in the minor leagues than in the major leagues. It’s okay. It’s natural not to know.”

“…….”

“Anyway, I saw his ball, and wow…… he’s not human. He should have gone straight to the majors. I couldn’t hit it. I couldn’t even think of hitting it, and even if I did, would the ball even fly? I only had doubts. He’s a monster. A real monster.”

“Is he really that great?”

“Yes, he’s a killer. He’s the best. He’s really the best…….”

Lee Ki-sung shook his head.

“But do you know why such a monster debuted at the age of 28?”

“Ah…… I saw it in an article, but I heard he quit baseball in middle school.”

“He got screwed over by the coach because he couldn’t pay the money. That’s why he quit. Kim Young-hoon was really good back then, but the coach was being stubborn. How ridiculous is that? The potential national treasure pitcher of Korea spent more than 10 years in vain because he couldn’t put money in the coach’s pocket. Wow, isn’t that crazy?”

Song Seok-hyun clenched his fist.

“He would have gone to the majors already if he had debuted at the age of twenty.”

“That’s right. Kim Young-hoon is so pitiful. His life got twisted because he met a terrible person. I was frustrated and angry. But when I saw you, Kim Young-hoon came to mind. I don’t know how good you are. But you don’t even have a chance. That’s not right. That’s not right. You have to give him a chance. Are you a criminal? What did you do wrong? It’s not right to throw away a kid’s life because of a mistake that happens while playing baseball. That’s definitely not right. I’m not particularly kind or righteous, but I felt a lot while watching Kim Young-hoon. Kim Young-hoon succeeded late because he was so good, but on the other hand, it means that kids who are less skilled than Kim Young-hoon had no way to start again even if they quit baseball unfairly. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes, yes.”

“Kim Young-hoon, who dominated the league, spent his prime in vain, but what about other kids? At least everyone should have a fair chance so they don’t feel as unfairly treated, right? I’m not upset because I’m not good enough, so I’ve been going back and forth between the first and second teams for over 10 years, but how unfair would it be for kids like you to have to give up without even trying anything? Isn’t that right?”