Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 177

177. More Important Than Baseball (4)

I knocked on the door of the Suchun High School coach’s office.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Come in.”

I carefully opened the door, and the Suchun High School coach, who met my eyes, greeted me with a bright smile.

“CEO Kang, welcome.”

“Hello.”

“Please, have a seat over here.”

I shook hands with Park Han-seok, the Suchun High School coach, and sat facing him.

My gaze naturally drifted to his information window.

-Proud to have increased recognition thanks to Ahn Bum-seok.

-Planning to do everything possible to win the championship again this year.

The reason he had been overworking ace players in the past was now clear.

Just like players who have to go through professional tryouts or entrance exams, high school baseball coaches naturally have to think about ways to get recruitment offers from better teams.

The most surefire way to increase recognition and be recognized for their skills was to win the championship.

Winning the championship would give other players an advantage in college entrance exams, and for the coaches and coaching staff, it would be another good career achievement.

If it wasn’t for excessive overwork, it might be a good method for everyone.

Fortunately, although Suchun High School relied on Ahn Bum-seok, they didn’t overwork him excessively.

“It’s an honor to meet you like this.”

Park Han-seok looked at me and smiled brightly.

“Don’t mention it.”

“You’re here about Bum-seok, right?”

“Yes, I wanted to talk to Ahn Bum-seok directly and ask the coach a few questions.”

“I’ve been a high school coach for almost 10 years now, and I’ve never seen a player like him. He’s a player who has everything a pitcher needs.”

Park Han-seok seemed excited as soon as he heard the name Ahn Bum-seok.

“Yes… It’s clear that he’s incredibly talented.”

However, after seeing the unfavorable content in the information windows of other players, I couldn’t manage a bright face.

On the other hand, Park Han-seok’s face was all smiles.

“After talking to Bum-seok’s parents this time, they’re considering staying in Korea. They’re thinking of gaining enough professional experience before advancing overseas.”

“I talked to them a while ago.”

“You’ve already visited them. So, is Bum-seok going to sign with Dream Agency?”

“It hasn’t been decided yet. Ahn Bum-seok hasn’t made a final decision, and neither have we…”

Until this morning, I was planning to sign a contract if Ahn Bum-seok agreed, but not anymore.

“Well, deciding whether to go to the United States or stay in Korea isn’t an easy decision. What choice do you think is best, CEO Kang?”

“Well… If one side was definitely better, we wouldn’t be *gominhago* [worrying/agonizing] like this.”

“That’s right. It’s really difficult. It’s lucky to be able to *gominhago* about this, though.”

I needed to ask about Ahn Bum-seok rather than these pleasantries.

“Is Ahn Bum-seok doing well in school?”

“Of course. He gets along well with his fellow players.”

Park Han-seok answered without hesitation.

“That’s a relief then…”

“Is there any problem?”

Park Han-seok asked cautiously, as if my reaction bothered him.

“Judging whether a player disrupts team chemistry is also an important factor.”

“Ah! That’s really important in team sports. But you don’t have to worry about Bum-seok. He works very well with other players on the field.”

“I see…”

Actually, there was more I wanted to say.

However, knowing that Park Han-seok wouldn’t be able to answer honestly, I immediately changed the subject.

“Then, what do you think is Ahn Bum-seok’s weakness?”

“Bum-seok’s weakness?”

“Not just as a pitcher, but as a baseball player.”

“Well… I don’t see any particular weaknesses. If he had clear weaknesses, Major League scouts wouldn’t have come to see him.”

“I see, I understand.”

It didn’t seem like I could get anything more from the conversation with Park Han-seok.

“And there’s something I’d like to ask you, CEO… I don’t know if I should be asking this.”

Park Han-seok looked at me and carefully broached the subject.

“Feel free to speak comfortably.”

“I heard that Woo-jin is training at Dream Agency. Did he really sign a formal contract?”

“Yes, of course. He’s now one of our agency’s official players.”

“Ah… I see.”

Park Han-seok nodded but still tilted his head.

“Is there a problem?”

“I’m just curious about the reason.”

“…?”

“Dream Agency is now one of the top agencies in the country, and I’m wondering how Woo-jin got in. He’s a growing player, but it’s not certain whether he’ll be able to go pro.”

“Then, how good do you think Woo-jin’s skills are?”

“Well, since he’s a rare left-handed pitcher, he might be lucky enough to get drafted in the later rounds, but if not, shouldn’t he go to college and spend a few more years refining his skills?”

Park Han-seok answered cautiously.

I looked into Park Han-seok’s eyes and said.

“You should erase everything Woo-jin has shown you so far. He’ll be much better this year than last year, and he’ll be even better next year. You can look forward to it.”

That was all I could say for now.

The rest would be sorted out by what Choi Woo-jin showed on the field.

* * *

I set out to meet Ahn Bum-seok directly.

At the same time, I looked around Suchun High School.

The Suchun High School baseball team had a long history and was a prestigious baseball high school that had won several championships.

As a school well-known for baseball nationwide, it had well-equipped facilities for baseball players.

From the neat and spacious indoor training facility to the team bus that looked comfortable at a glance.

They were exercising in an environment no different from that of professional players.

Having a professional player among the alumni had more advantages than I thought.

Not only the support money that the alumni received from the professional team after being drafted, but also the strong support from the baseball alumni.

The reputation of being a prestigious baseball high school, as well as the relaxed financial situation, made it a school that players wanted to attend.

As I slowly looked around the facilities,

I overheard someone’s conversation in the corner.

“Damn it, seriously!”

Judging that the conversation was unusual, I quietly approached, peeked out slightly, and listened to their conversation.

“What are you going to do if you can’t block something like that?”

Three players were standing in front of Ahn Bum-seok.

One of them was standing with his hands behind his back and his head bowed.

He was the player who played third base in the game earlier.

I quietly listened to their story.

“I’m sorry.”

“You should have just made a clear error! Because you did it ambiguously, I didn’t even get an error call. My earned run average went up because of that!”

Ahn Bum-seok pushed one of the players’ heads with the bat he was holding.

“I’ll do better next time.”

“When exactly is that next time going to be? Are you going to do that after I graduate?”

“I’m sorry.”

“You can’t even catch properly at third base, and your throw to first base is *buanhaeseo* [unreliable/shaky], so you even let them get on base. Are you on a different team than me? Or are you trying to ruin me?”

Ahn Bum-seok pushed the third baseman’s shoulder even harder than before.

“No.”

The junior third baseman was just taking it with his head bowed.

“How can you not throw a ball properly after playing baseball for years! If you don’t think you can do it even if you do that, learn a skill now!”

“…”

“If it wasn’t for the error you made today, I would have gotten a few more outs. Do you know that?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Major League scouts are here, and you didn’t let me show my skills properly because of you! Damn it!”

Ahn Bum-seok couldn’t hold back his anger and raised his hand, but struggled to lower it again.

Now, he turned his angry face toward the center fielder.

“And you still don’t know how outfielders do fence plays?”

“Hey, I was trying to catch it right away too.”

Judging by the fact that he was speaking *banmal* [informal/casual speech], the center fielder wasn’t a junior.

“If you didn’t think you could catch it, you should have made a quick decision and switched! If it wasn’t for that earlier, we wouldn’t have given up a run!”

It seemed like they were talking about the center fielder’s fence play in the situation where the score went from 2:0 to 2:2.

Although it led to a run, it was a situation that the outfielder could have challenged.

“It was close, but I could have caught it.”

The center fielder raised his voice and retorted.

Then, Ahn Bum-seok shook his head and replied.

“Ha… Do you know what’s most important in baseball? Knowing your place. You don’t know that you can’t catch that ball with your skills, so you don’t improve. You’re in this shape because you can’t do that.”

“…”

The center fielder’s face turned red at Ahn Bum-seok’s words, but he couldn’t retort.

And this time, he turned his head to the player who looked like a catcher and continued to speak.

“And you can’t lead any better than that? Don’t you analyze the opposing players?”

“What are you talking about? How hard do you think I prepare before the game?”

“Why do you give signs like that?”

“The coach sent that from the bench.”

“If you’re just doing what the bench tells you to do, then what are you even here for? Are you just here to catch balls?”

“I can’t ignore the signs the coach sends.”

The catcher raised his voice to Ahn Bum-seok in anger.

“Even if the coach says that, you should still think about it. Are you just carrying this head around as a decoration? You should be playing while thinking for yourself!”

Ahn Bum-seok pushed the catcher’s head with his finger.

“Damn it, seriously!”

Then, the catcher pushed Ahn Bum-seok and *balgeun* [got angry/riled up].

“Why, are you going to hit me? Do you know how much my value is right now? Do you know how much they’re offering me as a signing bonus in the Major League right now?”

At Ahn Bum-seok’s words, the catcher couldn’t do anything and suppressed his anger.

Ahn Bum-seok, who had struggled to catch his breath, looked at the three players in front of him and opened his mouth.

“I made you win the championship last year, right? I’ll make you win the championship again this year. If you win the championship for two years in a row, you’ll be able to get into any college even if you’re a mess like this. Instead, you guys do your roles properly. I’m not asking you to do anything great, I’m just asking you not to ruin what you’re doing well! Got it?”

Ahn Bum-seok, unable to bear the rising anger while speaking, ended up throwing the glove next to him.

“…”

The atmosphere froze even more coldly.

“Now go and train. Don’t do the same thing in the next game. I don’t want to see your faces, so disappear quickly.”

As soon as Ahn Bum-seok finished speaking, the three players slowly moved their feet.

The junior players did not forget to bow to Ahn Bum-seok.

Toward those players, Ahn Bum-seok gestured for them to leave as if he didn’t want to deal with them.

The three players who had been facing Ahn Bum-seok quietly left the scene.

“Hoo-”

Seeing this, I couldn’t help but sigh.

I could now understand what Choi Woo-jin and his fellow players’ information windows meant.

After a while, Ahn Bum-seok, who still hadn’t calmed his anger, was moving his feet.

I quietly followed him and called his name from behind.

“Excuse me, player Ahn Bum-seok.”

“Huh?”

Ahn Bum-seok seemed to recognize me right away, but he didn’t greet me, just tilted his head once.

“Can I talk to you for a moment?”

I tried to smile at Ahn Bum-seok.