Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 260

260. Dream Agency Tryouts (4)

-My left ear is gradually losing hearing.

-I’m enjoying this moment of playing baseball more than ever.

Losing hearing…?

To be a good outfielder, several factors were necessary.

One of them was listening to the sound of the ball hitting the bat to judge the direction and landing point of the batted ball.

A good fielder should be able to predict how the ball will fly just by listening to the sound of impact.

Is this why he seemed so shaky on defense throughout today’s game?

I cautiously asked Kim Hyun-seung.

I could call him by name right away because his name was on his uniform.

“Hyun-seung, how are you feeling today?”

“I feel really great today. Thanks to this, I got to meet the CEO and a lot of people who play baseball, so it’s really fun.”

Kim Hyun-seung had a bright smile on his face.

“Were you nervous during the game?”

“I was a little nervous when I first got here. But once the tryout started, I wasn’t nervous at all. I noticed some really good players, but it wasn’t any different from how I usually play baseball.”

Looking at Kim Hyun-seung’s expression, it seemed like he was being sincere.

“Are you satisfied with how you did in today’s tryout?”

“I’m a little disappointed I didn’t get a hit. But I did my best, so I have no regrets. It was really fun.”

Seeing Kim Hyun-seung smiling and answering made me feel good too.

“How long have you been playing in the outfield?”

“I’ve played every position, but I think left field suits me best. This is a secret, but honestly, I think my agility is a little lacking. But left field is less demanding defensively, so I chose to focus on hitting rather than defense.”

Could it be that he doesn’t know there’s something wrong with his hearing?

“How do you judge batted balls when you’re playing defense?”

“Judge batted balls…?”

Kim Hyun-seung tilted his head and looked at me.

“To be a good outfielder, you have to judge batted balls quickly. You must have your own know-how?”

“Well… I move while watching the course it’s flying in? The CEO told me that I have to make decisions based on the pitcher’s type of pitch, but honestly, the pitchers on our team can’t throw that accurately. So, I figured out where it was going to land after it took off and then moved.”

It wasn’t wrong, but it was difficult to cover a wide range with that.

“Wasn’t it difficult to judge with just that? Even a few seconds late can make it hard to field.”

“It’s difficult sometimes. But I haven’t made any errors recently. I may not be good at defense, but I’ve never been told I’m bad.”

Come to think of it, he hadn’t missed any balls that a left fielder should catch.

That meant he had trained a lot.

“What team are you training with now?”

“There’s a baseball club in my neighborhood that I play with. I go out and play games every weekend.”

A club?

Since there were no eligibility requirements for this tryout, there were quite a few participants who didn’t belong to any amateur team.

It was amazing that he had the basic skills to make it to the second tryout without formal training.

“So, you don’t have a coach?”

“Ah! Of course, we do. Dream Agency!”

“Dream Agency…?”

When did we coach him?

“I train by watching the videos on SNS [Social Networking Services]. They tell you in detail how professional players train, so it’s been a huge help. I’ve been training hard by following that.”

“Even with videos, it wouldn’t have been easy without a coach helping you. It must have been tiring to do it alone. How did you overcome that?”

“Baseball itself is fun. I may not be great at baseball, but my performance is improving little by little. And it’s definitely been helpful to train every day while watching Dream Agency videos.”

“It’s rewarding to hear that the videos we worked hard to make were helpful.”

“By the way, watching Dream Agency players live is really fun. I don’t know if I’ll ever get the chance, but I’d really like to meet Soyoung-joon.”

“I should introduce you to him sometime. Young-joon likes hanging out with people who like baseball too.”

“Wow! I’m really looking forward to it.”

Kim Hyun-seung clapped his hands and expressed his joy.

“Hyun-seung, what are you planning to do if you don’t make it in this tryout? Will you still keep playing baseball?”

“Of course, I have to. Playing baseball is the most fun thing for me.”

Kim Hyun-seung answered without hesitation.

“Are you working while playing baseball now?”

“Until now, I’ve been working part-time while going to school. But I graduated this time. Now I’m going to get a job.”

“It’s amazing that you trained so hard while preparing for a job.”

“Actually, I have to start thinking about it now. I’ve only been playing baseball while going to school, so I haven’t prepared anything else.”

Even though it might be a serious topic, Kim Hyun-seung had a bright smile on his face.

“Then come to our agency after this tryout. Let’s talk for a bit.”

“Wow! Really? That’s awesome!”

Seeing the smile on Kim Hyun-seung’s face, the corners of my mouth naturally went up too.

* * *

Meanwhile, the heat of the second tryout was getting even hotter.

Although their skills were lower than those of professional players, their passion and fighting spirit for baseball were just as great.

Runners trying to advance even one more base, and fielders trying to get an out no matter what.

“Ugh!”

And even a batter who didn’t avoid the ball flying towards his body, trying to get on base.

You could see scenes of fighting spirit clashing on the field.

Perhaps it was because of the pressure to show everything they had prepared at today’s game, but there were quite a few nervous players.

Eventually, what I was worried about happened.

“Agh!”

A batter who was trying to step on the base first after hitting a ground ball lost his footing and twisted his ankle.

“Medical staff, please come!”

The game was immediately stopped, and the medical staff rushed over.

He must have twisted it badly, so it would be hard to even stand, but the injured player stood up as if nothing was wrong.

Then, he cautiously started running as if to show that he was okay.

He wanted to show that there was nothing wrong, but he couldn’t completely hide the awkward limp.

Confirming this, the medical staff raised both hands and drew an X towards the operations team.

Even if the injured player strongly appealed that he could do it, the medical staff’s judgment did not change.

Only after our staff approached and persuaded him did he accept the substitution.

Seeing him walking out with his head down, I felt a heaviness in my heart.

* * *

Before I knew it, the second tryout was over.

While the players were resting, I met separately with the professional team scouts in the indoor conference room.

“It’s finally over. Thank you for your hard work watching the game for so long today.”

Starting with my applause, everyone clapped for each other.

As the applause subsided a little, I made eye contact with the scouts and continued speaking.

“Did you find many players you wanted?”

“Yes, I’ve noticed a few good players.”

“That’s a relief. As I mentioned in advance, we plan to give priority to players that the team wants to sign.”

When I made eye contact with Jung In-gyu, he handed out the papers he was holding to the scouts.

“If you let us know which players you want to sign or interview, we will connect you right away.”

“Yes.”

“Thank you if you can fill it out and hand it over right now.”

As soon as I finished speaking, the scouts began to find and mark the names of the players they had recorded.

After a while, the professional team scouts handed over the lists of players they had been watching closely, one by one.

We collected and organized all the data received from the 10 teams.

Players selected by professional teams were automatically interviewed and signed with the corresponding team scouts.

Some players were selected by more than two professional teams.

Those players had to choose one team.

We planned to give them the opportunity to choose by having interviews with each team.

Now it was our agency’s turn to select the players we were interested in.

We conducted the evaluation using the analysis data created by the agency staff, who watched the game without missing a single moment.

We selected participants who seemed to have potential as players and, at the same time, wrote down areas for improvement for those who did not.

After completing the list of players to be selected by our agency, we were able to finish the meeting.

Before I knew it, the sun was setting.

I picked up the microphone and went up on the stage again.

“Everyone, thank you for your hard work from this morning until now. Shall we all give ourselves a round of applause?”

The players applauded and encouraged each other.

“Now, I will announce the results. First, I will announce the players selected by the professional teams.”

I called out the names written on the list I received from the professional teams one by one.

Each time a name was called, the other players applauded and congratulated them.

“These are the players that the professional teams are interested in. These players can go to the conference room now and talk to the team scouts.”

A total of 20 players moved to meet the scouts waiting in the conference room.

And now it was time to announce the players our agency would select.

As before, I called out the names of each player one by one.

It ended with the fiftieth player.

I paused for a moment and opened my mouth with difficulty.

“These are the players who will be joining us.”

“Ah…”

The players whose names were not called let out sighs of disappointment.

Some players hung their heads, and some were in tears.

“Just because you weren’t able to join us this time doesn’t mean your baseball life is over. We will give everyone the notes we took while watching you play today. I hope you have good results in next year’s tryout.”

The players who were unable to join us received the feedback provided by the agency and left the stadium with their equipment bags, feeling dejected.

“Thank you for your hard work today. See you next year.”

I stood at the exit and greeted each player, encouraging them one by one.

Meanwhile, in the indoor conference room, meetings between scouts and players were taking place.

That way, 20 players were able to sign contracts with professional teams.

Among them were a pitcher who had been to the Mexican League and a hitter who had returned from the United States.

The players who signed contracts with professional teams were given the opportunity to sign management contracts with our agency if they wished.

Simultaneously with the contracts with professional teams, management contracts with our agency were also carried out.

That’s how the first Dream Agency tryout came to an end.