Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 14

The problem with the current situation was that it forced Oh Seok-hoon to play as a third baseman.

Oh Seok-hoon’s throwing ability was good, but his fielding skills weren’t outstanding, making him more suitable for an outfielder than an infielder.

What if Park Seong-ju, whose main position was third base, could improve his performance?

Then, wouldn’t Oh Seok-hoon have more opportunities in the outfield?

It was something that required luck, but I thought I should try it anyway.

It was still early, so other players and coaches weren’t around.

I felt like I could help Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-ju train without worrying about being observed for a while.

As soon as I arrived at the training field, Oh Seok-hoon was already placing balls one by one on the batting tee for Park Seong-ju.

Clack.

When Park Seong-ju swung, the ball was slightly mis-hit and floated awkwardly.

I leveled the bat Park Seong-ju was holding and said,

“Swing as if you’re keeping it parallel to the ground.”

“Even more than this?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded confidently.

As soon as Park Seong-ju changed his stance and swung,

Bang.

The batted ball made a pleasant sound and shot out like a clothesline [a very straight, fast line drive].

“Oh. Feels good?”

Oh Seok-hoon exclaimed in admiration.

Bang.

He swung once more, and the ball shot out sharply again this time.

“Good, good.”

I clapped my hands in satisfaction.

“But wouldn’t this lower the launch angle more than now?”

Park Seong-ju asked me, looking puzzled.

“I think it’s better to hit the ball more accurately with a level swing than to force an uppercut right now.”

“Accuracy is important too, but…”

Park Seong-ju trailed off, seemingly disappointed.

-He has a longing to be a home run hitter.

-If you increase accuracy with a level swing instead of an uppercut, you can hit more home runs.

Home runs are so attractive that they are called the flower of baseball.

No player dislikes the thrill of slowly rounding the bases after hitting a home run that soars over the fence, while hearing the applause and cheers of the crowd.

It was a joy that only the home run hitter could feel.

“Why? Is it because it’ll be difficult to become a home run hitter if you do this?”

“Well… that’s part of it.”

“Wow. How did you know that, hyung [older brother or close male friend]?”

Oh Seok-hoon, who was next to him, looked at me with a surprised expression.

“I can tell just by looking.”

“Really? He really likes home runs. He always tries to hit only home runs when playing games too.”

Even while Oh Seok-hoon was excitedly talking, the light of disappointment didn’t disappear from Park Seong-ju’s face.

“Accuracy is important, but don’t I need to increase my home runs more than now to survive in my position?”

Park Seong-ju’s main position was third base, but he was a player who alternated between first base depending on the situation.

It was also true that there were many home run hitters among his competitors in the same position, and the team was expecting him to play the role of a cleanup hitter [the hitter who bats after the first two, typically known for power hitting].

“With the ball speed coming out of your current swing speed, you can hit enough home runs even without an uppercut.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Just trust me once. You can definitely get better.”

It was also something that could be proven with actual data, and the information window was saying the same thing.

Thanks to that, I was able to speak with confidence.

I put the ball back on the batting tee.

Perhaps because I spoke with such confidence, Park Seong-ju’s expression looked a little more relaxed than before, when he seemed full of disappointment.

Bang. Bang.

As Park Seong-ju confidently swung the bat, the sound of the ball being hit cleanly echoed throughout the training field.

I could feel that the ball speed was getting faster and faster as the accuracy of the swing increased.

“Now, let’s have Seok-hoon do it.”

After finishing Park Seong-ju’s training, I adjusted Oh Seok-hoon’s batting stance and continued training.

Bang. Bang.

There was nothing more to ask for as I watched the batted balls fly out confidently.

I could feel that Oh Seok-hoon’s batting stance was becoming more stable as he swung.

I was worried that Oh Seok-hoon hadn’t been playing properly in recent games, so his sense of the game had deteriorated. Except for that one thing, he was close to perfect.

After finishing Oh Seok-hoon’s training, the game time was approaching.

* * *

Back in the stands, I found the seat I had sat in yesterday again.

When I checked the lineup, only Park Seong-ju’s name was listed at third base, and Oh Seok-hoon’s name couldn’t be found.

Since the conversation we had this morning wasn’t very pleasant, he probably wanted to leave him out even more.

A sigh escaped me as I recalled the situation from earlier.

I was comforted by the fact that I could at least see Park Seong-ju’s performance.

Just before the game started, I could see manager Lee Jin-won sitting in the dugout.

He sat solemnly in his seat, writing something with a blank expression. It wasn’t much different from usual.

The game started as scheduled.

It was the turn of the 5th batter, Park Seong-ju.

The situation was 2 outs with runners on 1st and 3rd.

It had only been a few hours since I helped him train, but I was curious to see what kind of changes had occurred in the meantime.

Park Seong-ju confidently swung at the opposing pitcher’s first pitch.

The timing was slightly off, resulting in a foul, but he made a level swing as I had advised.

He confidently swung at the second pitch as well.

Thwack!

“Huh?”

The timing was a bit early, but he hit the ball squarely.

It had enough power, so it looked like it would go over the fence.

However, the key was whether it would go inside the foul pole, which was the standard for a home run.

“Ah…”

Unfortunately, it slightly missed the foul pole.

If it had come inside and become a home run, it would have been a golden opportunity for Park Seong-ju to gain confidence.

I could clearly see Park Seong-ju’s disappointed expression as he confirmed it was a foul.

On the other hand, the opposing pitcher let out a sigh of relief as soon as he confirmed it was a foul.

Then, he took several deep breaths as if he was more nervous than before and carefully threw the ball.

Crack!

“Oh… Oh!”

As soon as the ball hit the bat Park Seong-ju swung, I could tell just from the sound that it was hit properly.

There was no need to worry about whether it was a foul this time.

The ball was flying at a high speed towards the center scoreboard, which was the farthest from the batter’s box.

Park Seong-ju was watching the flying ball and running slowly.

“Home run!”

The umpire at second base signaled a home run, twirling his index finger.

It was a perfect 3-run home run.

Moreover, it wasn’t just a home run, but an out-of-the-park home run.

Park Seong-ju’s power was more tremendous than I had thought.

“Wow!”

The Buffaloes’ dugout erupted with exclamations from his teammates.

Park Seong-ju, with a grin from ear to ear, rounded the bases.

He even high-fived the third base coach, who was holding up his thumb, with great energy.

After that, the game seemed to proceed without any major problems.

However,

“Ah!”

A short scream echoed through the stadium.

The Buffaloes’ right fielder sprained his ankle while running to field a ball.

The medical staff rushed to the player.

After checking a few things and talking to the player, they signaled to the dugout with an X, indicating that it was difficult to continue the game.

The injured player was helped off the field by the medical staff.

“Oh. Could it be?”

A thought crossed my mind.

Sure enough.

Manager Lee Jin-won, with a rapidly darkening expression, called a coach and instructed him to do something.

And a moment later, Oh Seok-hoon was seen running onto the field with his glove.

“Yes!”

As soon as I saw Oh Seok-hoon, I clenched my fist, but then quickly lowered my hand as I remembered the injured player.

It was a long time and a sudden appearance in the game, but Oh Seok-hoon finished the inning with a smooth defense.

Then, the inning changed and it was Oh Seok-hoon’s turn to bat.

The bases were loaded.

“Just do what you practiced. Just do what you practiced.”

I sat in the stands and muttered as if praying.

My heart was pounding as if I was at the plate.

Thwack!

From the first pitch the pitcher threw, Oh Seok-hoon swung his bat coolly.

He didn’t hesitate at all, as if he had been aiming for the ball from the moment he stepped into the batter’s box.

“Waaaaa-”

“Run, run!”

As soon as the ball hit the bat, cheers erupted from the Buffaloes’ dugout.

The well-hit ball flew out at a high speed and stopped only after hitting the outfield fence.

The runners on 2nd and 3rd bases, as well as the runner on 1st base, ran to home with all their might.

Meanwhile, Oh Seok-hoon sprinted past 2nd base and all the way to 3rd base.

Safe!

The ball thrown by the right fielder flew accurately to 3rd base, but the 3rd base umpire declared safe.

It was a 3-RBI triple [a hit that allows the batter to reach third base, scoring three runs].

It was a perfect timely hit that brought in all the runners and sealed the victory today.

It was the first time I had seen Oh Seok-hoon smile so brightly.

Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-ju both proved their abilities on the field.

The first button was buttoned well [a Korean idiom meaning the first step was successful].

I naturally turned my gaze to manager Lee Jin-won in the dugout.

It was a moment when victory was virtually certain due to the large score, but he was managing his expression as if it was nothing special, writing something.

He can’t even imagine it now, but he will soon feel deeply that he shouldn’t ignore my words.

I will continue to prove it in my own way.

* * *

As soon as the game ended, I moved to meet Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-ju.

“Sunbae [senior/mentor]! Thank you so much.”

As soon as the game ended, Park Seong-ju bowed to me as if his waist would break.

“I didn’t do anything, you worked hard.”

“No. After changing my swing according to sunbae’s advice, it became much smoother.”

“Thank you. You’ll do better.”

I patted Park Seong-ju on the shoulder and looked at Oh Seok-hoon.

“Seok-hoon, congratulations too. Is this your first triple this season?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

Oh Seok-hoon was smiling brightly with an excited expression.

“When I saw you running earlier, your legs were completely invisible.”

Park Seong-ju also tapped Oh Seok-hoon on the shoulder and enjoyed himself.

From their bright expressions, I could easily feel how happy they were at this moment.

“Oh. Manager, you worked hard.”

Suddenly, Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-ju took off their hats and bowed to someone.

Naturally, my head turned in the direction they were bowing.

It was manager Lee Jin-won.

Lee Jin-won’s gaze, which met my eyes, was as cold as ever, with the lingering resentment from earlier.