Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 280

Team Korea (1)

The day before the national team players were to be called up had arrived.

Since they had to leave early in the morning, the players who would be joining gathered at the agency’s accommodation.

Oh Seok-hoon, Park Seong-ju, So Young-joon, Go Ji-hoon, Na Jun-ho, Seo Seong-min, Han Gyo-jin, Choi Jeong-hwan, Jang Su-young, who were selected for the final roster, and even Choi Woo-jin, who wanted to support his seniors, were all together.

Michael Scott had already left for the United States a while ago to join their national team.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve all been together like this. Is this the first time?”

Just seeing all the players gathered together brought a smile to my face.

“It feels really reassuring to think of us as one team like this.”

So Young-joon looked around at the gathered players and exclaimed in admiration.

“Our agency’s players alone are no joke. Don’t you think we’re really solid?”

Park Seong-ju, who was next to him, chimed in.

“No joke, we really have the power to win.”

I could feel the strength in So Young-joon’s voice.

“We can definitely do it. If we can’t do it with so many of our players participating, when can we ever do it?”

My voice held the same conviction.

“But this time, might we meet Scott and Watson?”

Park Seong-ju tilted his head and asked.

“Since the United States is also a contender for the championship this time, won’t we eventually meet and compete in the tournament?”

“Watson is one thing, but Scott is the problem. It was really difficult to face him when we met this season, too.”

Park Seong-ju shook his head.

“Don’t worry too much. I can beat Scott easily.”

So Young-joon crossed his legs with a confident expression.

“Senior, please tell me how to *gong략* [conquer/strategize against] Scott.”

Park Seong-ju leaned closer to So Young-joon and asked.

“*Gong략*? Isn’t it obvious when Scott is about to throw? What he’s going to throw?”

“It’s obvious before he throws? Does his posture change?”

“Look closely. There’s a subtle feeling that’s different.”

“No… Where can I feel that?”

Park Seong-ju couldn’t hide his frustration and asked.

So Young-joon got up to try to explain, but then sat back down.

“How should I explain this…? I’ll just explain it when we meet the United States.”

“But looking at the U.S. national team, it’s almost like the Major League.”

Oh Seok-hoon swallowed hard and said.

“Many famous players have participated this time. It definitely won’t be an easy opponent.”

Just hearing the names of the players participating was enough to feel that it was a strong team.

“We have to give it a try. Baseball isn’t just about name value. Especially you, Seok-hoon, you’ll have to face these guys when you go to the Major League anyway.”

So Young-joon put his hand on Oh Seok-hoon’s shoulder and said.

“I have to show them properly this time. And I’m also curious to see if I can compete.”

Oh Seok-hoon replied with sparkling eyes.

“Okay, then I’ll go train for a bit.”

Na Jun-ho quietly got up from his seat and said.

“I’ll go with you.”

Following Na Jun-ho, the players got up from their seats one by one.

“I want to go too!”

Choi Woo-jin raised his hand and stood up.

“Let’s all train together for the first time in a while.”

So Young-joon stretched his arms above his head and said.

The players all went down to the training ground together.

Then, a high-intensity training session lasting nearly two hours followed.

After finishing training, they each returned to their rooms to rest.

To be in good condition for tomorrow, the lights in all the rooms were turned off before 12 o’clock.

The next day finally arrived, and the players were busy from early in the morning preparing to join the national team.

When the players finished preparing and gathered together, So Young-joon clapped his hands and began to speak.

“Okay, let’s do a fighting cheer and go out.”

So Young-joon stretched out his hand, and one by one, they placed their hands on top of it.

“Let’s do our best this time without any regrets. We can do it, *fighting*! [Korean expression of encouragement]”

“Aja aja, *fighting*! [Let’s go, let’s go, fighting!]”

They shouted at the top of their lungs, reaffirming their firm will.

As the time to depart drew near, our players packed their bags and began to leave the accommodation one by one.

“Senior, I’ll definitely win the championship and come back.”

Park Seong-ju clenched his fist and said.

“Don’t feel too pressured, just do your best and come back. Everything will be fine.”

I shook hands with each of the players who were leaving the accommodation with their luggage, giving them encouragement.

The players took the bus prepared by our agency and headed to the national team training center.

While the national team players were undergoing intensive training for the international competition, I visited MBS broadcasting station.

It was to practice with the caster [play-by-play announcer] and commentator who would be working with me.

To get used to it as quickly as possible, I practiced simulating the same conditions as a live broadcast.

Unlike the first time when I was nervous and stuttered, I felt a little more relaxed in the second and third practices.

My work wasn’t finished just by practicing at the broadcasting station.

When I returned, I had to prepare not only data on our players but also on the teams and players participating in this competition.

As many countries participated in this competition, there were quite a few unfamiliar players as well as players I already knew well.

From negotiating the salaries of affiliated players to negotiating with Major League clubs and preparing for commentary, I had to spend my days in a whirlwind of busyness.

* * *

As the international competition approached, the interest of baseball fans who had been bored by the absence of baseball began to heat up again.

└Oh, So Young-joon is the captain? He’s made it big.

└His personality and recent performance are good, so he’s definitely captain material.

└He was originally considered a candidate for captain in the Pelicans. But at that time, he couldn’t because his ups and downs were so severe that he often went back and forth to the minor leagues.

└But even though coach Kim Sang-moon won a gold medal at the Olympics in the past, he wouldn’t say that just because he thinks we can win this time, right?

└Of course, it’s just lip service [insincere praise]. If the coach says in a public interview that he just hopes we don’t get eliminated in the preliminary round, what would the players think?

└Forget about winning, I sincerely hope we don’t get eliminated in the preliminary round.

└If we get eliminated in the preliminary round again this time, I’m really not going to watch Korean baseball anymore. There’s no reason to watch low-level baseball.

└Can we at least beat China?

└If we lose to China, even by chance, the baseball national team should be disbanded. The level of Chinese baseball right now is not an exaggeration to say it’s amateur.

└The United States and Japan are really no joke this time. I hope we can meet them as late as possible.

└I don’t know how we won in the past.

└Just relax and let go of your greed. To be honest, just passing the preliminary round is enough to achieve our goal.

As the training of the national team players ahead of the competition began, every move was reported in articles.

Among them, the players who received the most attention were Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-ju, who won the batting title and home run title and were preparing to advance to the Major League.

It seemed that not only Korean media but also overseas media were watching with interest.

└Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-ju are in great condition. Look at how they’re sending the balls flying. It looks like they’re just touching it, but it just goes over the fence.

└They’re the batting king and home run king this season, do I need to explain more? It’s just a matter of how well they adjust their condition.

└I’m curious to see if they can hit home runs against monsters who throw 150km/h [~93 mph] lightly.

└If they win the batting title and home run title in this competition, will their value change completely?

└If they do that, they’ll just pick the team they want to go to. It’s over if they just prove that they’re not just for domestic use. It would be foolish not to take a player who has already proven his class.

└Do well again this time and disappear to the United States as soon as possible.

└Wow, with Jang Su-young and Choi Jeong-hwan, the second half of the game will be solid.

└Their styles are completely different, which is good. Jang Su-young puts the ball in every corner with his left hand to make their heads complicated, and then Choi Jeong-hwan presses down with his right hand, they won’t be able to come to their senses.

└If we can hold on until the 7th inning, we have a good chance of winning?

└The problem is whether they can defend well even in situations where the batting order is familiar after two or three rounds.

└They’ll send Go Ji-hoon up for important games, right? With Go Ji-hoon, Jang Su-young, and Choi Jeong-hwan, it’ll be taken care of.

└Of course, they have to. He’s the most reliable starting pitcher on the national team right now. Besides, he’s an underhand pitcher, so foreign players are often unfamiliar with him.

└This is practically the last international competition for Go Ji-hoon, so show us the best performance ever and finish it off!

Korean sports media wasn’t just interested in Korean players.

Content related to the two players who joined the U.S. national team was also being uploaded in near real-time.

└Agh! No ㅠ Scott is pitching, this is too much.

└If you meet a pitcher who had a perfect game against the 2nd place team in the league and recorded an ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of pitching performance] in the low 2s during the season, you should just consider the game deleted.

└Scott, please go easy on us in the game against Korea. If we get eliminated from the tournament because of Scott, how should we react?

└Scott also wants to show a solid performance this time to get a good contract and go to the Major League. It’ll be tiring for each other if we meet.

└Let’s not meet on a narrow bridge [avoid each other]. I’m seriously dizzy.

└But it’s okay. We have Scott killer So Young-joon. If we deploy him forward and aim for a hit, we can change the situation.

└I wonder if So Young-joon can do well alone. There aren’t any other hitters who are strong against Scott among the remaining hitters ㅠ

└That’s right. Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-ju don’t have good records against Scott either ㅠ

└Han Gyo-jin might do well. He’s been working with him all season, so he knows Scott better than anyone else, right?

└It feels like there’s a high possibility, but it’s frustrating because there’s no head-to-head record.

└But it’s a lottery ticket with a high probability, so we have to believe and scratch it [take a chance].

As the first game of the competition approached, the expectations and support of baseball fans were rising.

Now, the time for the Republic of Korea national team’s game is finally approaching.

The countries we will face in the preliminary round are Australia, Czech Republic, and China.

As coach Kim Sang-moon had already announced, the first starting pitcher was Go Ji-hoon.