Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 56

Spring Camp (3)

“Please take care of me.”

“Uh… You too.”

I mustered my courage to speak, but Go Ji-hoon’s reaction was the same as before.

Fortunately, Kim Min-hwan didn’t receive a much warmer response either.

“Do you guys know each other well?”

“No.”

Go Ji-hoon’s answer to Kim Min-hwan was equally curt.

“Try to get along in the future.”

“Yes.”

Go Ji-hoon, unable to hide his discomfort, continued, “I’m up next, so I’ll head over.”

“Okay, go ahead. Good luck today, too.”

Go Ji-hoon slightly bowed to Kim Min-hwan, put his glove on his left hand, and quickly walked away.

I had heard about Go Ji-hoon’s personality, but…

Experiencing it firsthand was something else.

It seemed like it would take a while to become close enough to have a comfortable conversation.

“He’s always like that. But he’s not a bad guy, so don’t take it to heart,” Kim Min-hwan said to me, as if offering comfort.

“He’s especially like that on days when he’s starting pitcher.”

For pitchers, even slight changes can greatly affect their performance. That’s why, especially among starting pitchers, it’s often difficult to even talk to them before a game because they’re so sensitive.

It was clear that Go Ji-hoon was the type who needed to be handled with care.

Reassuring myself, I moved to where Go Ji-hoon was doing his pitching training.

Today, the Doubles weren’t having a practice game but were training separately as pitchers and hitters.

It was hard to feel the tension of an actual game, but it was enough to gauge their condition.

Thwack!

“Oh, that’s great!”

Thwack!

“Perfect!”

The catcher, who was receiving Go Ji-hoon’s pitches, added exaggerated interjections, boosting his morale.

It might seem like nothing, but the bullpen catcher was also an important presence on the team.

Thanks to the catcher’s shouts, Go Ji-hoon seemed to be gradually relaxing.

The more he threw, the more power I could feel in his pitches.

Thwack!

“Who on earth can hit that?”

Thwack!

“Wow!”

The catcher’s comments were always enthusiastic.

However, the thought that Go Ji-hoon’s pace might be too fast was nagging at me.

At this time of year, speed guns weren’t often used to prevent pitchers from overdoing it.

So, I couldn’t check the exact speed, but it looked like the kind of speed you’d only see in the early to mid-season.

“Team Leader, isn’t Go Ji-hoon pushing himself too hard?”

“Is he? I thought he was always around that level?” Kim Min-hwan tilted his head, looking confused.

“It’s only February, but if he’s at this pace, it’ll be too much of a strain.”

“But the thing is, he doesn’t listen to us at all.”

“What does that mean?”

“I don’t know? He knows his own body best. As far as I know, even the Doubles’ training coaches can’t influence him much.”

“He’s a really difficult personality.”

“What can you do? You just have to accept it.”

Then, something suddenly occurred to me.

“Then why did he sign a management contract with our company?”

“Well… it’s for things like salary negotiations and simple tasks, like making hospital appointments or buying equipment he needs.”

Those are important, but…

I didn’t understand his reasoning.

“With that kind of personality, you just have to leave him alone and not worry about him. If you just take care of what he asks for, there won’t be any major problems.”

It wasn’t the answer I wanted, but I nodded anyway.

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Okay. I think I should get going now.”

“Is it already that late?”

I looked at my watch, and it was already approaching 12 PM.

“Joo-hyuk knows me well because he’s worked with me for several years, so he’ll probably be a big help.”

I turned my gaze and met Lee Joo-hyuk’s brightly smiling eyes.

“I’ll do my best.”

“Okay, then I’ll see you in Korea. Joo-hyuk, good luck to you too.”

Kim Min-hwan exchanged greetings, turned around, and then suddenly came back with a startled expression.

“What’s wrong?”

“The luggage. You have to take out my luggage.”

That’s right. There was luggage in the car.

Lee Joo-hyuk, with a surprised expression, rummaged through his pockets for the car keys.

“Hyun-woo, I’ll go get the luggage from the car.”

“Yes. Take your time.”

Kim Min-hwan and Lee Joo-hyuk quickly left.

After they left, I wandered around the training field alone.

“He’s definitely around here somewhere.”

As I continued to look around, I finally heard a familiar voice.

“Sunbae-nim [senior colleague]!”

“Jeong-hwan!”

I ran towards Choi Jeong-hwan, who was running towards me, feeling happy.

“Sunbae, I see you here too. What brings you here?”

“Go Ji-hoon is with our agency.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

“Are you preparing well this time too?”

I touched Choi Jeong-hwan’s forearm, and it seemed thicker than last year.

Thanks to that, the information window was naturally updated.

-Became confident in his strengths after seeing Kang Hyun-woo’s data.

Oh!

That was welcome news.

No matter what anyone said, Choi Jeong-hwan’s strength was his fastball, with an average speed of over 150km/h [93 mph].

His spin was also good, so on days when his condition was good, it was a ball that couldn’t even be touched.

If he just believed in his strengths and threw the ball, he could grow much more than he is now.

“I did more running and weight training than last year. How is it? Does it look different?”

“Seriously. How much did you work out?”

His chest and lower body were definitely more solid.

“I thought if I prepared a little more in the winter, my speed might increase.”

“Faster than now? Then how are the hitters supposed to hit it?”

“I’d be grateful if they couldn’t hit it.”

Choi Jeong-hwan smiled shyly.

Seeing him smile made me feel good too.

“Are you pitching today?”

“I already pitched. I’m going to do running and weights in the afternoon.”

“That’s a shame. I’ll have to come see you pitch next time.”

“If Sunbae-nim is coming to see me, I’ll have to prepare a lot more.”

“No, don’t feel pressured. It’ll be tiring if you overdo it now before the season starts.”

I patted Choi Jeong-hwan’s shoulder, encouraging him.

“If you just keep doing what you’re doing now, you’ll definitely be better than last year.”

“I’ll work hard.”

Choi Jeong-hwan answered energetically.

“Train hard today too. I’ll be staying nearby for a few days, so I’ll stop by again when I have time.”

“Yes.”

Choi Jeong-hwan bowed his head with a bright smile and ran back to the training field.

It seemed like it was the first time I had seen him smile so brightly.

* * *

I was on my way back to the accommodation after finishing my schedule at the Doubles camp.

Because Kim Min-hwan was gone, Lee Joo-hyuk and I were in the car alone.

It was only one person less, but because he had such a strong presence, the car felt empty.

“Joo-hyuk, are you a pitcher?”

“Huh? Yes, that’s right.”

Lee Joo-hyuk looked surprised.

“How did you know?”

“I can tell just by looking. But if your speed is up to 140km/h [87 mph], it doesn’t seem like just a hobby?”

I asked, recalling the information window that said he wanted to be evaluated as a pitcher.

“It’s just a hobby. 140km/h isn’t my average speed either. It’s just sometimes when I do well…”

“Have you ever received systematic training?”

“I haven’t learned properly. There’s a baseball team at my university. I’m also friends with those guys, so I asked them indirectly. And at times like this, I go around the pro team’s spring camp training grounds and watch what the players are doing.”

If he only followed the training of the surrounding players and achieved that level, it was definitely a great achievement.

To be exact, I’d have to see him throw the ball myself.

“Why don’t you try challenging yourself to go pro?”

“Oh… What kind of pro am I?”

Lee Joo-hyuk’s eyes widened, and he waved his hands vigorously.

“The hitters here just easily hit the balls I threw. I wanted to tell them to pay me a dollar each if they were going to hit batting practice like that.”

Lee Joo-hyuk burst into laughter and continued.

“I’m just going to study hard.”

“You’re graduating this time, right?”

“Yes. I didn’t think time would pass so quickly. I haven’t even prepared properly yet…”

“Have you thought about what you’re going to do after you graduate?”

“Well, I’m actually still thinking about it.”

I shouldn’t have brought up this story.

Just as it was about to become awkward, wondering what to talk about next…

“Huh?”

Someone was waving on the side of the road.

It was a foreigner I met on an unfamiliar road, but I knew who it was right away thanks to the information window above his head.

-Wants to play as a starting pitcher, not a bullpen pitcher.

-Worried because his speed isn’t increasing.

It was that guy I bumped into at the taco place yesterday.

“Where are you going?”

All I could hear was Lee Joo-hyuk’s initial words.

I could only imagine what Lee Joo-hyuk and that foreigner were talking about. I thought I heard the name of the area and the name of the hotel we were staying at.

“It seems like he’s going near our accommodation. Is it okay if we give him a ride?”

“Of course.”

“Get in.”

With Lee Joo-hyuk’s invitation, Michael Scott smiled brightly and got into the back seat.

I experienced hitchhiking for the first time.

I’m doing all sorts of things since coming to America.

The car started to speed up again.

“What’s up, bro!”

As soon as he got in, he was expressing his emotions to the fullest with his expressions and gestures.

Unfortunately, after Michael Scott’s initial “Thank you so much,” I couldn’t understand anything he was saying.

However, thanks to Lee Joo-hyuk’s occasional translations, I was barely able to follow the conversation.

“This guy says he’s a baseball player?”

Of course, I already knew that.

But I have to pretend I don’t know right now.

“Really? Can you ask him what team he’s on?”

I had no memory of seeing him on TV at all, so he didn’t seem to be a major leaguer.

Then is he a minor leaguer?

Even if he’s a minor leaguer, if he’s affiliated with the highest level, Triple-A, he’d have considerable skill.

Lee Joo-hyuk asked Scott my question in English.

As soon as Scott finished speaking, Lee Joo-hyuk looked surprised.

“He’s with the Sun Devils, the team that’s playing against the Buffaloes tomorrow.”

From bumping into him at the taco place to hitchhiking and even being a player on the opposing team tomorrow…

It’s too interesting of a coincidence to just pass it off as a simple coincidence.