Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 175

175. More Important Than Baseball (2)

How should I ask?

The use of special characters suggested he wanted to hide it from me.

It also seemed like he wouldn’t answer if I asked him directly.

“How’s training at school these days?”

“I think I’ve gotten a little better since I’m a sophomore now.”

“Because the seniors who were juniors graduated?”

I asked, a smirk playing on my lips.

“That’s part of it.”

His smile was awkward, as if he was embarrassed that I had read his mind.

Should I be a little more direct now?

“Since you’re at the same school, you must be close with Bumseok, right?”

I asked, carefully watching Choi Woojin’s expression.

“Um… To be honest, it’s hard to say we’re close. He’s a year older than me.”

Throughout his answer, Choi Woojin’s eyes were even more shifty than before.

“You guys train together in the pitching group, so it seems like you’d learn a lot from training with a good player next to you.”

“Honestly, we’re not that close. We just exchange greetings when we pass each other. And that senior hardly ever does team training.”

“Hardly ever does team training? What does that mean?”

It was hard to imagine, thinking back to the high school baseball team I knew.

“I don’t know exactly, but I think he trains at private training facilities.”

“Really? But usually, high schools do a lot of team training, right? That alone should take up a lot of time.”

When I was a high school student, I spent almost all my time training at school, except for weekends during vacation, so I don’t think I had time to go anywhere else.

“The coach gives him special treatment. Because he’s the ace pitcher.”

“Still. It’s a team sport, so is it okay to do that? You need to train together to coordinate, right?”

“Not just the coach, but the other players can’t say anything either. If the ace does well and the school wins, it’s not bad for the rest of the players either. So, they just make an exception and let it go.”

Well, he’s a player that not only domestic professional teams but also Major League teams are paying attention to, so it would be difficult for those around him to easily express their dissatisfaction.

“So, you’re saying you’re not close? You don’t see each other often?”

“Yes, we’re not close at all. I only see him during games, and I hardly ever see him at school normally. I haven’t even talked to him much.”

Choi Woojin frowned deeply throughout his answer.

It seemed like he didn’t want to talk about Ahn Bumseok anymore.

Judging from Choi Woojin’s reaction, there’s definitely something going on.

But there’s nothing I can find out right now, so there’s no need to create an uncomfortable situation.

What on earth is going on?

Whether it’s a problem with Choi Woojin or a problem with Ahn Bumseok himself, I needed to find out for sure.

The only way to know the details is to check it out myself.

* * *

Several days after talking with Ahn Bumseok’s parents, I went to the high school tournament stadium to watch Sucheon High’s game.

Today was also the day Ahn Bumseok was starting pitcher for Sucheon High.

As expected, many scouts attended Sucheon High’s game.

Ahn Bumseok was now a senior, so he could participate in the professional draft in a few months.

However, there was a variable because he had not yet decided whether to choose the Korean or American stage.

Even if he participated in the domestic draft, it was clear that the Pelicans, who could pick first, would choose him.

Therefore, it was virtually out of reach for other clubs, but the scouts were busy holding up speed guns and observing his game.

Turning my head, I saw Choi Woojin watching the game from the dugout.

He had definitely improved since last year, but he still hadn’t had a chance to start.

He’s working hard and growing every day, so he’ll probably be able to prove his ability for sure in the second half of this year or next year.

From the moment Ahn Bumseok started warming up before the game, the cameras of the photojournalists moved busily.

They didn’t stop clicking the shutter even when he was doing a simple run.

I could feel their determination not to miss a single moment.

And then the toss.

Even as he increased the distance, Ahn Bumseok’s ball flew accurately.

The ball thrown from a distance of nearly 100m also flew accurately and powerfully.

He was definitely a player with good physical attributes.

Not long after Ahn Bumseok finished warming up, it was time for the game to start.

Ahn Bumseok’s expression on the mound was full of confidence.

He checked his condition by throwing practice pitches with a smooth pitching form.

Even though he seemed to be throwing lightly, he showed an extraordinary speed.

Pop!

150km/h!

Pop!

151km/h!

As expected, in terms of fastball power alone, he was good enough to be taken to the professional stage right away.

Everyone knew that he had excellent skills.

Now, I was planning to take a closer look not only at his speed but also at his pitching form and his ability to manage the game.

Because he was a player who might really become a member of our agency.

“Play ball!”

The game started with the umpire’s call.

Pop!

Pop!

Ahn Bumseok easily threw fastballs exceeding 150km/h into the strike zone.

Tick!

The opposing batter barely managed to hit the ball with his bat, but it seemed difficult to overcome the power of the fastball.

Eventually,

Whoosh-

“Strike out!”

He cleanly struck out the first batter.

And the subsequent match against the next two batters was also easily concluded.

“Strike out!”

-Ahn Bumseok has cleanly finished the first inning as expected.

-It seems like his ball has gotten even better than last year since he became a junior?

-If he continues to evolve like this, there will be fierce competition among Major League clubs.

-It’s good that Korean players are doing well, but it’s a shame that we won’t be able to see such a player on the domestic stage.

Not only domestic professional club scouts but also Major League club scouts were busy recording something.

Meanwhile, when my face was shown on the broadcast screen, the comment section suddenly became busy.

└Oh! Kang Hyunwoo has appeared!

└He came to see today’s game, so he must be here to see Ahn Bumseok.

└I’m curious about which club Ahn Bumseok will go to next year, but I’m also curious about which agency he will sign with.

└Can’t you sign with an agency even before the draft?

└Isn’t he going to sign a contract as soon as the game ends? Will this also be announced as official?

└It would be foolish not to sign a contract after seeing Ahn Bumseok pitch.

└But if Ahn Bumseok wants to go to the Major League, he might not sign a contract.

└Well, it would be difficult for Kang Hyunwoo to help him advance to the Major League. I heard that American agencies have also contacted him, so it would be much better to sign with them.

└But doesn’t Dream Agency have someone else from Sucheon High besides Ahn Bumseok?

└Choi Woojin? I think so? But why did they sign with him?

└He’s far from being a promising player. Even if he’s a left-handed pitcher.

└If Kang Hyunwoo picked him, there must be something. He’s shown us the results so far. Let’s wait and see.

Ahn Bumseok’s pitching was unwavering in the second inning as well.

He didn’t allow a single runner to get on base.

Meanwhile, the Sucheon High batters succeeded in scoring the first run, taking a 2-0 lead.

And then the third inning.

Ahn Bumseok threw a powerful ball as usual,

Tick!

The batter’s bat was pushed back by Ahn Bumseok’s power, but he succeeded in making it enter the fair zone.

The batter ran towards first base with all his might.

He was running so desperately that he couldn’t let go of his bat until he almost reached first base.

-The batter succeeded in sending the ball to the ground, but it seems difficult to make it leave the infield. Ahn Bumseok’s power is too good to overcome the force.

-Oh? But the third baseman didn’t catch the ball in one go. If this happens, the situation might change.

The fast-flying ball did not enter the third baseman’s glove properly.

The third baseman hurriedly grabbed the ball that had flowed to the side again and threw it to first base, but

“Safe!”

The runner’s foot barely arrived at the base first.

If this batter had been a right-handed batter who had to start one step further away than a left-handed batter, it would have been out.

-Safe! Safe! A safe is declared really narrowly. Even if you watch it again on the broadcast screen, it was really a hair’s breadth difference.

-This is how the first runner is made.

-It’s not a scoring position, but it’s not easy to get on base against Ahn Bumseok. We need to take advantage of this opportunity.

Ahn Bumseok tilted his head and couldn’t hide his disappointment.

In addition, the recorder recorded it as a hit by the batter, not an error by the third baseman.

In the recorder’s view, the ball speed was very fast, making it difficult for the defender to catch it immediately, and the runner’s speed was good, so it seemed like it could be a hit.

Ahn Bumseok’s expression darkened rapidly after checking the scoreboard.

Pop!

“Ball!”

Pop!

“Ball!”

Unlike before, when he was pitching stably, he couldn’t easily throw a strike.

Pop!

“Strike!”

He barely succeeded in throwing one strike, but

Pop!

“Walk!”

In the end, he couldn’t control his control and allowed a runner to get on base.

Ahn Bumseok frowned and expressed his dissatisfaction.

At the same time, darkness fell deeply on the third baseman’s expression as well.

-Following an infield hit, a runner gets on base with a walk. For the first time in today’s game, a runner is on base in scoring position.

-He showed a good performance against the top of the lineup in the 1st and 2nd innings, but unexpectedly, the first opportunity was created in the bottom of the lineup.

-Ahn Bumseok definitely seems to be shaken in tight situations. Watching whether he can overcome this crisis will also be an important point to watch.

No outs, runners on first and second.

The 9th batter came to the plate.

Pop!

Pop!

Ahn Bumseok succeeded in getting two strikes without difficulty, but

Tick!

Tick!

The batter stubbornly continued the match, and the number of pitches began to increase.

At the same time, the time spent exchanging signs with the catcher was getting longer and longer.

-Ahn Bumseok keeps shaking his head. It seems like he definitely has the ball he wants.

-Could it be that the signs don’t match well with the catcher?

-Ahn Bumseok’s capabilities are enough to overcome the crisis. It would be better to trust the catcher’s sign. The catcher is the one who has analyzed the opponent batter the most diligently.

Eventually, after several sign exchanges, Ahn Bumseok nodded.

Pop!

“Strike out!”

-He strikes out all three batters and overcomes the crisis.

-Following an infield hit, he gave up a walk and faced a scoring opportunity crisis. He overcame the crisis with a powerful ball.

Even though he overcame the crisis, Ahn Bumseok’s expression as he returned to the dugout clearly showed that he was not satisfied with his play.

The third baseman, who made a mistake, also did not have a bright expression.