Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 110

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Starting the Real Work (5)

Director Yoo Seong-hwan approached me, shook my hand warmly, and patted me on the shoulder.

“Did you wait long?”

“Not at all. It was fun watching the juniors play for the first time in a while.”

“Thank you for coming all the way here when you must be very busy.”

Yoo Seong-hwan gestured for me to sit down.

I sat next to Director Yoo Seong-hwan, watching the game together.

“I heard you started an agency this time. Hyun-woo, congratulations.”

“Thank you. It’s all thanks to you, Director.”

“It’s not just because of me. It’s all because you worked hard.”

Yoo Seong-hwan patted me on the shoulder with a pleased smile.

“I also saw the interview you did a few days ago.”

“You’ve already seen it?”

“I’m very grateful that you haven’t forgotten the mindset you had when you first decided to become an agent.”

“If I haven’t forgotten how I got to this point, I definitely shouldn’t.”

“It wouldn’t have been as easy as you thought to not lose your initial intentions and put them into action. The road ahead will be much rougher and more difficult.”

That was true.

If I had recruited star players and run the business like a typical agency, I could have made a lot more money and gained fame in the industry.

“More players joined than I expected. I thought it would be more difficult.”

“That means you’ve been doing well. I believed you would become a great agent. You’ll be able to do well in the future too.”

“I’ll work hard.”

“Is there anything I can help with? I’m not sure if my skills are lacking and I’m just causing harm.”

“We would be very grateful if you could come and coach us from time to time when you have time.”

“Okay, I’ll make time for that no matter what.”

Yoo Seong-hwan looked at me and smiled contentedly.

* * *

As soon as I sat down facing Lee Joo-hyuk, I got straight to the point.

“Joo-hyuk, has Michael Scott’s recent game data been confirmed?”

“Yes, I’ve checked his season stats for the past few years and his recent data.”

Lee Joo-hyuk handed me the data he had compiled.

Various data were densely written.

Looking at the number of games played and the number of innings pitched, it seemed like he was playing the role of a long reliever, coming in after the starting pitcher and pitching about 2 or 3 innings.

“I don’t know if it’s fortunate or not, but it seems like he hasn’t established himself as a starting pitcher yet. His performance isn’t bad, but it’s not superior to other pitchers.”

I listened to Lee Joo-hyuk’s explanation and carefully examined the data.

“It looks like he’s been practicing the splitter [a type of fastball].”

“The rate of using it is gradually increasing, but it seems like he still needs more practice.”

Looking at the data, his batting average and slugging percentage against left-handed hitters were still high.

It was a weakness that was holding him back from becoming a starting pitcher.

“What level would you say the league Scott is currently playing in is?”

“He belongs to a Division 1 team. Even though it’s a college league, the level is quite high. Some of the players who do well there are good enough to go to the major leagues right away.”

“His skills are not easy to dismiss.”

I was able to see several players of considerable skill when I saw him directly in the spring camp practice game against the Buffaloes.

“Those players practice a lot even though they are studying their major.”

“Does Michael Scott have an agency contract right now?”

“Fortunately, he didn’t have one yet.”

The last remaining hurdle was also cleared smoothly.

“What do you think, Joo-hyuk? Should we make an offer?”

“Looking at his skills and game style, he definitely has potential, as long as he doesn’t have difficulty adapting to Korean culture.”

He didn’t seem to have a hard time with his personality when I saw him then.

“Then let’s meet in person and talk soon.”

* * *

Finally, the All-Star Game voting ended.

As expected, Oh Seok-hoon took first place in the overall fan vote.

It was an undeniable result even when evaluated solely on baseball performance.

Na Joon-ho, Park Seong-joo, So Young-joon, as well as Go Ji-hoon and Jang Su-young, were all easily named.

Go Ji-hoon, who is receiving treatment for his injury, was excluded.

Instead, Choi Jeong-hwan, who took second place in the fan vote, got the opportunity to participate.

All of our agency’s players achieved the feat of being invited to the All-Star Game.

And the players gathered in one place the day before the All-Star Game.

In the evening, we were planning to grill meat together in the yard.

Even though it was getting hot in July, there was no big problem after the sun went down.

As if they weren’t athletes, the players who arrived early were doing weight training in the training center as soon as they arrived.

I could also see them asking each other what they were curious about in the middle of training.

It was also fun to see players from different teams training together.

Perhaps because they were able to put down the weight of the season for a while, the players’ faces were full of relaxation.

In particular, Park Seong-joo couldn’t hide his excitement for several days, and today, the day before the game, he was in a state of super excitement.

Park Seong-joo grabbed Na Joon-ho, who had the most experience in the All-Star Game among the agency’s players, and was launching a barrage of questions.

“Senior, do I have to wear my team uniform when I go to the All-Star Game?”

“You have to. They give you an All-Star Game uniform, but you have to wear your team uniform when you play the game.”

“Senior, you’ve been selected as Mr. All-Star before, right?”

“I’ve never won it.”

“Really? That’s very unexpected!”

“You have to have as much impact as you do well that day, but I don’t have that kind of luck.”

Na Joon-ho was answering Park Seong-joo’s incessant questions kindly without changing his expression.

Elsewhere, Choi Jeong-hwan approached Jang Su-young and asked questions.

“Senior, aren’t you nervous when you pitch in the 9th inning?”

“How can I not be nervous? When I go up in a tight situation, it feels like my heart is going to explode.”

“Then how do you pitch in those situations?”

“It’s not a special method, but I just focus on the ball I have to throw and throw it.”

Choi Jeong-hwan’s eyes sparkled as he listened to Jang Su-young’s words.

“What do you do when a crisis comes? It wasn’t easy for me even in the beginning of the game.”

“There’s no need to imagine in advance that you’re going to get hit by a home run. You have to believe in yourself that the ball will go accurately where you want and strike out the batter.”

“That’s right.”

“But if you have a fastball that exceeds 155km/h [approximately 96 mph] like you, I don’t think you have anything to worry about. Who would be an easy hitter to hit your ball? Didn’t you have good results against Seok-hoon and Seong-joo? Then that’s all I have to say.”

“I’m not confident in my changeup yet, so I throw mainly fastballs. I’m nervous in crisis situations.”

“The club doesn’t let just anyone pitch as a starting pitcher.”

“That’s true…….”

“You are a pitcher that the manager or pitching coach has judged that they can trust and entrust a game to. So you can be confident enough.”

Jang Su-young’s one-point lesson continued after that.

Meanwhile, Lee Joo-hyuk and I were busy preparing meals.

Today’s main dish was beef, no matter what anyone said.

In order to digest training and games in the increasingly hot weather, it was essential to replenish strong physical strength.

As the players who finished exercising came out, we started grilling meat over charcoal.

As befits athletes, their eating speed and amount were also enormous.

As the meal was almost over, So Young-joon, who had gone out for a while to get something from the car, came in with a heavy-looking bag.

“What did you prepare so much for?”

“It’s the All-Star Game, so I have to prepare this much.”

I approached So Young-joon and helped him with the bag.

“What’s so heavy?”

“It got bigger because I put in this and that.”

So Young-joon put the bag on the table and opened the zipper.

“What is this?”

The bag contained props that I had never expected.

“Pelicans, oh oh oh, win!” [Likely a team cheer or slogan]

So Young-joon took out one of the Pelicans masks and started dancing.

“Wow, senior! You have a lot of fun stuff.”

Park Seong-joo appeared and was looking at the props in the bag.

“I have to play like this tomorrow. It’s not fun to play the game seriously there.”

“Senior, can I try one of these on?”

“As much as you want.”

“Where did you get all this stuff?”

Park Seong-joo was happy wearing the strange mask he took out of the bag.

“My goal tomorrow is the Performance Award. I don’t have big greed.”

At So Young-joon’s words, Park Seong-joo took off the mask and put it down as if he had remembered something he had forgotten.

Then he approached Oh Seok-hoon and raised his hand.

“Seok-hoon, go down and throw a few balls.”

“Are you going to do it again? We did a lot yesterday.”

Oh Seok-hoon’s face darkened.

“I might have lost my sense because I took a day off today.”

“You’re the number one home run hitter right now. Will you lose your sense in one day?”

“Seok-hoon, please. I really want to win.”

Park Seong-joo grabbed Oh Seok-hoon and begged.

“Seong-joo, can I help you?”

Jang Su-young, who was next to him, jumped up and approached Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-joo.

“Su-young, can you help me?”

Oh Seok-hoon showed a bright smile as if he had met a savior.

“Let’s go, I’ll throw it. I’m going to warm up my body by pitching lightly.”

“Okay, that’ll work. Su-young’s ball is much better than mine. Wouldn’t that work?”

Oh Seok-hoon, who seemed to have met a savior, looked at Park Seong-joo desperately.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s just batting practice. Seok-hoon has to throw it tomorrow…….”

Tears seemed to be pouring out of Park Seong-joo’s eyes at any moment.

“Come to think of it, it’s going to be difficult for me to help.”

As soon as Jang Su-young finished speaking, Park Seong-joo’s gaze turned back to Oh Seok-hoon.

“Seok-hoon, please help me just once.”

“Okay. Instead, you have to buy something delicious if you win the prize money.”

Oh Seok-hoon grabbed Park Seong-joo’s hand and got up from his chair as if he had given up.

“Of course! They say they’re giving away the new smartphone as a prize, so you can have that too.”

“Really? Really?”

“You can have it all. I’m not interested in cell phones.”

“Nice. Let’s go quickly.”

Unlike before, Oh Seok-hoon ran with light steps.

Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-joo went back to the training center to practice batting, and the other players took a break for the first time in a long time.

And finally, the morning of the All-Star Game dawned.

The players left for the stadium to enjoy the festival with baseball fans.