Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 261

261. Dream Agency Tryouts (5)

Not long after the tryouts were completed, a video showcasing the process was released on our agency’s social media.

└Wow, there are so many players. How many applied?

└The support conditions are really good, and it’s being run by Dream Agency. I think almost all aspiring players would have applied.

└Even joining a local baseball club costs a lot. Preparing to become a professional player must cost even more, right?

└And if you add lessons, it’s staggering. Considering that, getting into Dream Agency is like receiving a multi-million-dollar program.

└I wonder if getting lessons with a program that trains professional players really improves performance.

└Having Oh Seok-hoon teach hitting would be amazing.

└I wonder if you can really play against So Young-joon if you go there?

└That’s just a figure of speech, haha. There’s no way a professional player would actually go there to play. The skill difference is too big, so it wouldn’t be fun.

Then came the day for interviews with the players who passed the second test.

The players were scheduled to visit the agency’s accommodation at different times.

Before that, a player who hadn’t passed the test visited the agency.

It was Kim Hyun-seung.

He seemed happy just to be here, turning his head this way and that.

I brought him a warm cup of tea.

“Hyun-seung, have a cup.”

“Oh, thank you. It feels even more delicious since the CEO is giving it to me.”

Kim Hyun-seung took a sip of tea with a bright smile.

“I wanted you to meet So Young-joon today, but he’s away on a road trip right now.”

“It’s a shame, but there’s nothing I can do. I can still see him if I go to the stadium.”

Kim Hyun-seung’s face was still full of smiles.

Now it was my turn to say what I really wanted to say.

“Hyun-seung, you said you’re going to get a job after you graduate, right?”

“Yes, I have to.”

“Then how about working at our Dream Agency?”

“Yes, yes…? Dream Agency?”

Kim Hyun-seung’s eyes widened so much they looked like they would pop out, and he even stuttered.

“Our agency is expanding, so we need more people, and we need someone like you, Hyun-seung. If you’re okay with it, I’d like to offer you a position. Would you be interested?”

Kim Hyun-seung just stood there with his mouth open for a moment,

Then suddenly jumped up.

“Of course, I’ll do it! Can I start today?”

“I’d really appreciate that. Shall we start right away then?”

I shook hands with Kim Hyun-seung, who couldn’t contain his joy, and smiled.

* * *

Now, we began the player interviews in earnest.

Since we had already confirmed their basic baseball skills, we focused on aspects other than their performance in this meeting.

“What do you want to achieve through baseball?”

“What do you think you need to do to achieve your goals as a baseball player?”

“What are your plans if you can no longer play baseball?”

The reason for asking these questions was clear.

Even if they trained at our agency, we couldn’t guarantee that they would step onto the professional stage and achieve great success.

So, we wanted to help them build a life where they wouldn’t fail even if they didn’t succeed as baseball players or with baseball.

Of course, we also asked about their attitude towards baseball and teamwork, which are basic to playing baseball.

It took a lot of time to conduct the interviews because we wanted to get to know each player in depth.

I wanted to accept all the players if I could, but I focused on helping them make the best choice for themselves.

I also had to consider the immediate physical limitations that would arise when training with all the players.

After several days of interviews, we decided on the players who would train with our agency.

Out of the 50 players who passed the second test, we finally selected 30 through interviews.

After all the processes were completed, the agency began preparing for a new start with the newly joined players.

From preparing the training field to uniforms and training equipment.

Thanks to Jung In-gyu, Lee Joo-hyuk, and the newly joined Kim Hyun-seung, who prepared everything meticulously, we were able to proceed smoothly.

* * *

Finally, today was the first day of training with those players.

Thirty players with heavy bags appeared at the training field one by one.

Their faces showed both excitement and tension.

When the appointed time came, all the players gathered.

I stood in front of the players and began to speak.

“Welcome, everyone. From today, we will be training and playing games together. Now that we are teammates, let’s get along well.”

The players took turns introducing themselves.

And I explained how the training would proceed and the rules to be followed while living together.

The players focused on my words with sparkling eyes.

Soon after, we handed out the Dream Agency uniforms that had been prepared in advance.

The players, as well as our agency staff, wore the uniforms together.

Standing together in one uniform made us feel like a team.

And we provided baseball equipment provided by sponsors to suit each player’s style.

We had bats of various weights ready to be provided at any time because hitters could break their bats during training.

The players were busy adjusting to the gloves they received.

Seeing the players enjoying themselves with the neat uniforms and new equipment naturally brought a smile to my face.

Our training started without exception from the first day.

It began with the intense physical training and weight training program created by Jung In-gyu.

Until now, they had been training with the knowledge they had gained on their own, but the training they would be doing from now on would be completely different from before.

We proceeded with a training program that was no different from the level of professional players.

“Agh!”

“Huff. Huff. Huff.”

“Huh. Huh. Huh.”

It was natural to see them sprawled on the floor every time a break was given.

Jung In-gyu, who was watching them with a hawk’s eye, analyzed each player’s characteristics and upgraded the program accordingly.

Although the training to strengthen the lacking parts was difficult, the players’ satisfaction increased day by day.

But what the players really cheered for was something else.

“Oh? He really came!”

“Wow! It’s So Young-joon!”

“Crazy! Is it real that he said he would come and play with us?”

“He’s going to play with us? No way.”

It was the appearance of So Young-joon, who visited the training field on his day off.

So Young-joon, hearing the players’ cheers, couldn’t hide his excitement even more.

As soon as he heard the buzzing, he stretched both hands to the sky and shouted.

“Everyone scream!”

“Waaaa!”

It was the moment when the atmosphere of the training field, which had been filled with rough breathing until just now, changed in an instant.

Every gesture and word from So Young-joon brought an enthusiastic response from all the players.

It was like being in a club, except there was no music.

As promised in the recruitment video, So Young-joon also participated in the players’ mini-games.

However, he excluded batting due to the risk of injury and only participated in fielding.

He caught deep hits that were thought to be difficult to catch, and even connected to an out count with an accurate throw.

“Wow!”

“Professionals are really different.”

He played not only his main position, shortstop, but also second baseman, third baseman, and even center fielder depending on the situation.

Thwack!

“Out!”

Even well-hit balls flew to where So Young-joon was and were invariably connected to an out count.

The batter, who thought it would be a hit, couldn’t hide his embarrassment.

“Hoo, nice!”

So Young-joon clenched his fist and shared his joy with his teammates.

Before long, So Young-joon’s uniform was covered in dirt.

“He’s really good at every position. How can you get to that level?”

The players’ exclamations didn’t stop with every play So Young-joon showed.

For the training players, just seeing the play of a professional player right in front of them was bound to be a learning experience.

After fielding for 3 innings, So Young-joon’s game appearance was over.

“CEO, I think I can run a little more?”

“Now you need to rest too. You have a game tomorrow, so you shouldn’t overdo it.”

Because he had to play a regular season game the very next day, I had to prevent him from consuming any more energy.

There was also the reason that So Young-joon was too excited, and he could get injured if he made a mistake.

“It’s a shame. It’s really fun playing with our players. Is it okay to come and train together again next time?”

“Of course, you’re always welcome.”

But So Young-joon became even busier after being substituted from the game.

He even gave one-point lessons to the players who came to ask questions.

“To set the strike zone according to the situation, you need to know about the opposing pitcher, and you also need to consider the current ball count and who the runners are.”

The players’ barrage of questions didn’t stop.

“Aren’t you scared when you see balls over 150km/h [93 mph] in person? How are you so strong against Michael Scott?”

“The details are trade secrets. But you see a lot when you get close to the pitcher.”

So Young-joon’s coaching ended only after the training was over.

The mini-game that was held today was also filmed and uploaded as a video.

Thanks to So Young-joon’s appearance, the subscribers’ reactions were even hotter.

└So Young-joon is really * 넘사벽 [unreachable wall] * because he’s with amateur players, lol.

└He’s already overwhelming among professional players these days, so there’s no need to talk about amateurs.

└He’s really good at baseball. He doesn’t seem to have any problems covering the infield and outfield.

└Even if he loses his competitiveness at shortstop later, he doesn’t have to worry about changing positions.

└Shouldn’t he try pitching too? I’m curious how well he can do. If his speed exceeds 140km/h [87 mph], shouldn’t he just do both pitching and hitting?

└He has to be careful because it’s still the season. Kang Hyun-woo would probably stop him even if he wanted to do it, lol.

└Anyway, the Pelicans are out of the postseason, so it’s okay, right? Even if they win all the remaining games, it’s impossible to advance on their own. There’s no pressure to compete for the rankings, so how great is that?

└Ugh. You’re underestimating the Pelicans too much. There’s no answer when playing the remaining games without So Young-joon. Even if they can’t go to the postseason, they have to play the spoiler role properly.

└Even if it’s not the postseason, his salary will be cut if he gets injured from throwing the ball.

└And he has to go to the national team soon. He has to take care of his body for our country.