Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 174

174. More Important Than Baseball (1)

Whoosh-

I must have floored the accelerator, because I arrived in less than 15 minutes, a distance that would normally take 30.

As soon as I parked in the hospital parking lot, I rushed inside, panting.

Since it was a large hospital, I couldn’t find my way right away.

“Excuse me…”

I asked the staff at the desk and finally arrived at my destination.

Huff. Huff. Huff.

As I ran, panting, I saw Seo Seong-min standing in the distance.

I could recognize him from afar because he was wearing his Jaguars uniform.

“Seong-min, Senior!”

As soon as I spotted Seo Seong-min, I ran straight to him.

“You came all the way here, Representative Kang?”

Seo Seong-min greeted me with a bright smile.

“Senior, how’s the baby?”

I asked Seo Seong-min, still catching my breath.

“Yes, my wife is healthy, and the baby came out healthy too.”

“Whew. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

I turned my head to where Seo Seong-min’s gaze was fixed, and I could see the baby sleeping soundly behind the glass window.

Seeing that, a smile spread across my face.

“Senior, now that I think about it, is it a daughter?”

“No. It’s a son.”

“You said you wanted a daughter, so aren’t you disappointed it’s a son?”

“I was a while ago. But not anymore. Just the fact that it’s my child is enough.”

Seo Seong-min couldn’t take his eyes off the baby.

“Senior, what would you do if your son wanted to become a baseball player later?”

“Hmm… Of course, I’d let him. And I’d tell him to visit Representative Kang no matter what.”

“I’ll be working hard until then.”

“Then I won’t have anything to worry about, will I?”

Seo Seong-min’s smile never left his face.

“Oh, right, and this.”

I handed Seo Seong-min the baseball I had brought.

“Huh? What’s this…?”

“It’s the home run ball you hit earlier. It’s not your debut home run, Senior, but today is still a meaningful day. It would be a shame to just forget about it.”

As soon as Seo Seong-min hit the home run, Lee Joo-hyuk ran straight to get it.

We promised to send the fan who caught the home run ball signed balls and uniforms from our agency’s players.

Seo Seong-min fiddled with the home run ball he received, lost in thought for a moment, then slowly opened his mouth.

“Representative… Thank you.”

“Congratulations. I wonder how many players have hit home runs with both their left and right hands.”

I said lightly, but Seo Seong-min’s expression was serious.

“If I hadn’t visited you when I received the notice of release a while ago… what would I be doing now?”

“This is all thanks to your hard work, Senior. Did I do anything special?”

You could easily find the answer by looking at Seo Seong-min’s hands now.

“I should show this to my wife later too. She couldn’t watch the game properly because of the labor pains.”

“Congratulations again, Senior.”

“Representative, thank you so much.”

It seemed like it was the first time in a while that I saw Seo Seong-min smiling so brightly.

Seo Seong-min seemed to have everything in the world.

While I was meeting with Seo Seong-min, the game between the Jaguars and the Pelicans ended with a score of 1:3, with the Jaguars winning.

The Jaguars’ Michael Scott pitched a perfect game, recording no runs allowed in 7 innings.

One of the key factors in today’s victory was that Scott showed a clear improvement in his ability to face left-handed batters compared to last season.

Thanks to that, Seo Seong-min’s home run could be the game-winning home run today.

Watson showed good defense, but he didn’t record a hit at the plate, so he had to look forward to his debut hit in the next game.

So Young-joon couldn’t hit a single hit while Scott was on the mound, but as soon as the pitcher was replaced, he started the season with a cool home run.

└I thought Watson would hit a home run from his first at-bat, but he didn’t get a single hit.

└His defense is no joke, though.

└We didn’t sign Watson just to strengthen the center fielder’s defense.

└He was a major leaguer, so he must be good at hitting too. It doesn’t make sense to judge him after just one game.

└I got goosebumps when Seo Seong-min hit that home run.

└The scene of him sliding into first base after hitting the home run is a classic, no matter how many times I watch it.

└But why was Seo Seong-min suddenly replaced?

└His wife went into labor. He went straight to the hospital.

└Wow! So that home run was a congratulatory home run for the birth of his child?

└Go, Seo Seong-min!

└I hope today is not the beginning of the end.

Meanwhile, our agency’s players’ games were also taking place in other stadiums.

The Dragons’ Na Jun-ho showed good hitting from the opening game, playing an important role in the team’s victory.

On the other hand, the Angels’ Jang Su-young didn’t get a chance to pitch because the team wasn’t in a leading situation.

Instead, when a save situation was created in the very next game, he cleanly blocked 1 inning and recorded a save.

As the opening games progressed, I was busy every day watching our players’ performances.

In the midst of all this, I had a visitor.

* * *

I wasn’t particularly close to the Suchun High School coach, but I had exchanged contact information with him after Choi Woo-jin became a member of our agency.

And I received a call from him for the first time.

It was a request to help one of his students.

Not many days after the call, the father of the player who was called the ace of high school baseball, surpassing Suchun High School’s ace, came to visit me in person.

“Hello. I’m Ahn Beom-seok’s father; my son plays for Suchun High School.”

“You’ve come a long way. Please, have a seat.”

I sat facing Ahn Beom-seok’s father.

“It’s an honor to meet someone I’ve seen on TV like this.”

“The honor is mine.”

“I was discussing Beom-seok’s career path with the coach, and he suggested that I visit Representative Kang.”

“I’ve heard a bit about it from the coach. But isn’t Ahn Beom-seok planning to go straight to the major leagues?”

If he was going to the major leagues next year, it wouldn’t make much sense for our company to manage him.

“That’s what we were originally planning. But after hearing about Representative Kang, I thought it might be good for him to gain enough experience on the domestic stage while being managed by you before challenging the major leagues.”

I’m grateful that he thinks so highly of me, but…

To postpone a major league debut that he could make right away for the sake of our agency’s management…

“Has Ahn Beom-seok agreed to this?”

“Actually, Beom-seok hasn’t made a definite decision yet. He’s in a situation where he has a lot to think about. He’s trying to listen to various conditions before making a decision.”

“I see.”

This must be the first time in his life that he’s stood at such an important crossroads.

“If Beom-seok agrees, would we be able to sign a contract with Dream Agency?”

“If I can help such a great player, there’s no reason to refuse.”

It was necessary to nurture such an ace pitcher well for the development of Korean baseball.

“Then, would it be possible for you to meet with Beom-seok and have a conversation with him? He’s worried about making a decision.”

“Of course. I’ll meet him.”

A deep smile spread across his face as he heard my answer.

* * *

I told Jung In-gyu about the news related to Ahn Beom-seok.

As soon as Jung In-gyu finished listening to me, he clenched his fist and said.

“Of course, we should! There’s no one who would argue that Ahn Beom-seok is the biggest prospect in this year’s draft. There’s no reason to stop such a player from wanting to come to our agency on his own, is there?”

“I guess not.”

“It’s our goal to help players who are having difficulties, but helping promising players to unleash their potential is also a meaningful thing to do.”

Jung In-gyu continued, unable to hide his excitement.

“Ahn Beom-seok is sure to become an important player on the national team right away. If we help such a player well and our country achieves good results on the international stage, it’s good for everyone, isn’t it?”

“Of course, it is.”

It was also important to help Korean professional baseball receive more support from fans by achieving good results on the international stage.

“But is it true that Ahn Beom-seok wants to come to our agency? Instead of going straight to the major leagues?”

“His parents and the coach seem to be thinking about gaining experience on the domestic stage before advancing to the major leagues.”

“Well, it’s one way to go to the United States when you’re younger, but it’s also a good option to gain enough experience in Korea before moving on.”

“That’s right. After all, high school amateurs and professionals are different.”

“I can’t believe it. When I saw Ahn Beom-seok pitching against our school, I couldn’t believe he was a high school player.”

Jung In-gyu’s voice rose as if he was excited just thinking about that day.

“What do you think Ahn Beom-seok needs to improve?”

“It seems like he tends to waver a bit in situations where the score difference is tightly leading. But that’s something that can happen to any young player. The rest is just perfect.”

Listening to Jung In-gyu’s confident words, I also started to get excited.

I finished my conversation with Jung In-gyu and went down to the training field.

Even before entering the training field, I could hear refreshing batting sounds.

Choi Woo-jin was training with Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-joo.

Choi Woo-jin was throwing the ball, and Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-joo were batting.

“Senior, you’re here?”

Oh Seok-hoon, who met my eyes, wiped his sweat and approached me.

“The training field is hot even on a day off.”

“Coach Jung’s schedule is no joke.”

Oh Seok-hoon shook his head.

I patted Oh Seok-hoon on the shoulder and turned my head to Choi Woo-jin.

I should tell him since he goes to the same school as Ahn Beom-seok.

“Woo-jin, Beom-seok might be coming to our agency soon.”

“Ah… Beom-seok, Senior?”

Suddenly, Choi Woo-jin’s eyes were shaking.

“He said he wants to come to our agency, so I’m going to talk to Beom-seok directly soon.”

“Then… will we be training together too?”

Choi Woo-jin’s expression darkened even more rapidly.

“Of course, we have to if he becomes a member of the agency.”

“Ah… I see.”

What’s wrong?

His reaction and expression weren’t very good throughout the story about Ahn Beom-seok.

I should check the information window.

I contacted Choi Woo-jin without making it obvious.

-He is not happy to have to face Ahn Beom-seok often.

-He is afraid of Ahn Beom-seok’s !@x$.

Huh?

What does that mean?

Is something going on with Ahn Beom-seok?