Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 161

Winter League (3)

Donald Watson greeted Lee Ju-hyuk as well and took his seat.

Meanwhile, my gaze was fixed on the information window above Watson.

-Experiencing extreme stress from failing to find a new team.

-Believes he is in top condition right now.

Donald Watson was absent from Major League Baseball last season.

This was due to an incident where Watson assaulted a civilian.

It wasn’t uncommon for unpleasant incidents to occur between players and fans.

However, the incident at the time was beyond the pale.

The assaulted fan suffered serious injuries, leading to Watson’s indictment.

Moreover, it was even more critical because Watson was coincidentally a free agent at the time.

Ultimately, no Major League teams sought to acquire Watson last winter, and he was forced to play baseball in the Dominican Republic.

As it was a league with relatively less attention, Watson was temporarily forgotten in many people’s memories.

I hadn’t checked Watson’s performance last season, but seeing the information that he still hadn’t found a new team, I could assume it wasn’t satisfactory.

“Since we’ve met like this, shall we have dinner together?”

“Sure.”

At Alex Thomas’s suggestion, we got up to have dinner.

Thomas, considerate of us, moved the location to a Korean restaurant.

“Watson, sit here.”

Alex Thomas seated Watson next to him.

Lee Ju-hyuk and I sat facing the two of them.

Thomas looked back and forth between Watson and me, continuing the conversation.

“These are baseball agents from Korea, and this is baseball player Donald Watson.”

“Kang, are you working as an agent in the United States?”

As soon as he finished greeting, Watson asked me.

“I travel back and forth between the United States, but I’m currently working in Korea.”

“Then your agency mainly consists of Korean players?”

Watson looked at me intently, showing interest.

“Korean players are the majority, of course. We’re gradually preparing to work with foreign players as well.”

“So, do you have any foreign players in your company now?”

Watson asked with a surprised expression.

“There’s a player who debuted in Korea last season. Michael Scott.”

“Ah, I see. That’s quite interesting.”

Judging from Watson’s reaction, he didn’t seem to know about Michael Scott.

Well, Scott wasn’t a famous player here.

While we were talking, Korean dishes were placed on the table one by one.

“Thomas and Watson, have you ever had Korean food before?”

“This is my first time. What about you, Watson?”

Thomas shook his head in response to my question.

“It’s my first time too.”

Watson was looking at the unfamiliar dishes with a curious expression, as if they were fascinating.

Bibimbap [mixed rice with meat and vegetables], bulgogi [marinated beef barbecue], japchae [glass noodles with stir-fried vegetables and meat], as well as kimchi stew and various other dishes were served.

Lee Ju-hyuk and I explained each dish in detail to Thomas and Watson.

The two listened to our explanations seriously and ate.

The taste was different from the food I ate in Korea, perhaps because it was adjusted to suit the tastes of the locals.

But it was enough to enjoy the food deliciously.

Moreover, Watson’s appetite was enormous, as if showing off his huge physique and muscles.

Even though we ordered a considerable amount, the plates were emptying one by one.

Once the hunger was somewhat relieved, the conversation naturally shifted to personal stories.

Thomas looked at Watson and asked.

“Watson, how is your child growing up?”

“Yes, it’s amazing to see him grow day by day.”

A smile spread across Watson’s face.

“Congratulations. I think I saw an article that you got married, but I didn’t know you had a child.”

I often look at overseas baseball news, but I hadn’t seen any articles about Watson recently, so I had no idea.

“It hasn’t been long. He’s only two years old now.”

Watson took out his smartphone and showed us pictures and videos of his wife and child, one by one.

Seeing him smiling brightly while looking at the photos, he looked definitely different from the violent and hot-tempered person I often saw on TV.

As he seemed to have shown all the photos and videos, Thomas naturally brought up baseball.

“I saw you playing recently, and you seemed to be in good condition?”

“I don’t have any pain these days, and my hitting feel is very good.”

Thomas nodded and carefully brought up the next topic.

“Have you received any offers from teams this time?”

“…No. Not yet.”

Watson took a deep breath and answered.

“It’s okay. If you work hard, you’ll definitely get a good opportunity.”

Thomas patted Watson on the shoulder.

Should I ask this?

I carefully asked what I was curious about.

“Is there a reason why you haven’t received any offers right now?”

“……”

“…It’s probably because of that incident last year.”

Thomas answered instead of Watson, who had suddenly become silent.

“Ah… I see.”

I carefully nodded, watching Watson’s expression.

But suddenly, Watson slammed the table with his fist and said.

“But that incident that day was really unfair.”

“Unfair…?”

“Of course, it’s true that I’ve lost my temper and caused a lot of trouble in the past. If I could go back, I’m confident that I would live completely differently now. But that day was completely different.”

“Different? What happened that day?”

“Do you know what that bastard I hit that day said to my mother?”

I could feel the boiling anger in Watson’s blazing eyes.

I flinched the moment I made eye contact with him.

“What did that person say to your mother?”

“He called her a garbage-cleaning bitch.”

“……”

Who in this world could maintain composure after hearing someone insult their parents in such a way?

“My father passed away early. It was before I even started school. So, my mother worked as a cleaner for a long time to raise me and my sibling.”

Watson trembled and continued to speak with difficulty.

“After I advanced to the Major League, I told her that she didn’t have to earn money anymore, so she should quit her job, but my mother wanted to continue doing it. She said she enjoyed cleaning.”

Lee Ju-hyuk, Thomas, and I nodded lightly, focusing on what he was saying.

“I respected my mother’s thoughts too. Even though it must have been physically difficult and the surrounding gazes weren’t very friendly, my mother seemed really happy doing that job. But that bastard didn’t know anything about my mother and spat out those words. How could I just stand there and do nothing after hearing that directly?”

Watson’s eyes became fierce again.

“That’s what happened…”

I could now understand what he meant by unfair.

“Of course, I know that it was wrong of me to use violence. But even if I think about that situation again, I couldn’t stand it.”

Watson slammed the table once more, as if his anger was rising again.

“Of course. If I had experienced something like that, my reaction would have been the same.”

I, as well as Lee Ju-hyuk and Thomas, offered words of comfort.

It took quite a long time for Watson to finally calm down.

* * *

As soon as I entered the hotel, I started searching the internet.

The search term was Donald Watson.

I knew about him to some extent because he was such a famous player, but I didn’t know everything accurately.

I used a translator, but the first page was full of only negative articles.

As expected, the article that came up at the top was the assault incident from last year.

└Isn’t it just one or two times that Watson has fought? It’s not even new anymore.

└It seems like you can just upload the article with the date and location changed.

└Still, isn’t it serious that he was even indicted?

└I heard the other person got 12 weeks of treatment.

└12 weeks??? That’s crazy. That means the victim was seriously injured.

└Goodbye. Don’t go far.

└Expulsion is the answer for players like that. What will the kids learn from watching?

└Even if he’s a free agent, a team that acquires Watson should be seen as thinking that the incident of beating a fan to death is no big deal, right?

As I slowly scrolled down, there were videos and articles that I had seen before.

It was the moment when Watson couldn’t control his anger at the opposing player’s threatening pitch and clashed, causing a fierce bench-clearing brawl.

Even though teammates with considerable physiques rushed to stop Watson, who was charging at the opposing pitcher like a bison, he was like an unstoppable runaway train.

It was a game where a total of 10 people, including players and coaching staff, were ejected due to heightened emotions.

It was always the first scene that came up when searching for Major League bench-clearing brawls.

└At that level, it seems like he came to fight, not to play baseball.

└What’s the point of being good at baseball? He’s not a good person.

└Watching Watson, it’s like he’s always eager to fight every day.

└Just switch to mixed martial arts now. It seems like he’d be better off going to the ring right away.

It was true that there were many bad news stories about Watson, but that wasn’t always the case.

The way he presented himself on the baseball field with his baseball skills was enough to attract attention even among the world’s top Major Leaguers.

He was a player who not only had stats that were revealed through indicators but also created many memorable moments.

I even studied Watson’s center field defense when I was a player.

└He did everything by himself in today’s game.

└How many center fielders can throw home like this?

└Just keep doing this in the future, Watson!

└Let’s go to the All-Star Game again this season! Donald Watson fighting!

I stopped searching and turned my gaze out the window.

Even while looking at the night view outside the window, the image of Watson I met earlier was not erased from my mind.

Donald Watson.

He debuted as a starter in the Major League from his rookie days as soon as he turned pro, so there’s no need to worry about his baseball skills anymore.

Throughout his career, he caused numerous controversies both on and off the field.

Until now, it was at a level that negatively affected the player’s reputation.

But the last assault incident was so serious that he was even kicked out of the American stage.

No matter how unfair the situation was that day, violence was difficult to justify in any case.

Then, what would be the reaction if I brought such a player to Korea…

Even if he got married and had children and claimed that he was completely different from his previous self, it would be right to assume that the probability of getting a favorable response is slim, right?

It’s true that he’s a player who’s too good to end his career like this, but is there no other way…?