Pitcher’S End, Batter’S Start [EN]: Chapter 216

With his fourth at-bat concluded, Lee Jung-woo was substituted out, accompanied by the cheers of countless people, a new All-Star Game record, and a virtually guaranteed MVP award. He also gained a strong conviction that he had confirmed for himself.

‘I worried that the Braves might have changed because of a variable like me. I was also concerned that the Red Sox might have become stronger. They actually did get stronger, as Adam Straight grew faster.’

However, this level of growth was manageable enough. Gomez’s splitter still didn’t work against him. Neither did Adam Straight’s powerful pitches. Of course, it’s difficult to lead the game to victory alone, and everyone must unite in the end. But this was enough.

‘At least it’s not comparable to the Braves’ rise. It’s similar, very similar. The Boston Dynasty and the current Braves. The difference is Lee Jung-woo, me. It’s embarrassing to say, but with that much, we can win. As long as I don’t stumble like I did last year.’

In other words, in terms of skill, the Braves had a power equal to or greater than ‘that’ Boston Red Sox that Lee Jung-woo knew. This was enough to be worth trying.

If they could fix the mistake of allowing the Dodgers to win four straight games last year, intoxicated by the long-awaited postseason and the days of easy victories.

‘And that, too, is somewhat established. The roster has changed a bit, but most of the players still share the same humiliation. So there won’t be a repeat.’

Lee Jung-woo nodded. Of course, even with all of this, the World Series is a difficult task. Even the most powerful team cannot reach it if the heavens do not allow it.

That’s why Lee Jung-woo simply believed that the heavens, which had sent him back to the moment of choice and paved the way for glory, would choose him, the Braves.

‘All that’s left is to finish the second half well.’

[Strikeout! Stevenson gets his second strikeout! One out left!]

“Finally, the All-Star Game is over. Does it start with the Braves and end with the Braves? Good job, Lee. Are you going to take all the MVP awards this year? I’m just saying. It’s starting to feel serious.”

“Captain.”

“What?”

“Let’s do well in the second half, too. Like we have been.”

At Lee Jung-woo’s sudden words, Derek kept watching the ground. Some American League players seemed to be regretting the inevitable defeat, and some NL players were preparing to celebrate the victory in advance.

“Out of the blue. Did you have some kind of feeling?”

“Yes, I think it’s possible. It really feels like we can do it this time, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, that’s right. It’s about time.”

The thought alone made him feel good. Derek, recalling the stage he had missed so closely last year, wore a deep smile. Yes, it was really time. It was worth trying.

And if the young guy sitting next to him, Lee Jung-woo, was so sure, he wouldn’t regret lending a hand.

“Joey told you he’d fill your left hand with rings. Can I join in?”

“I’ll give you one on your index finger at least. Within this year.”

“That’s… just thinking about it makes me happy.”

As if to signal the end of the All-Star Game, Kauffman Stadium was elated, just like Derek’s face. When the umpire called a strike on the clean fastball that went to the last batter, the National League players all ran out, and Derek and Lee Jung-woo also walked out of the dugout.

[Stevenson! Ends the 9th inning with a KKK! Really powerful pitching! As the game ends – the National League takes the victory in the All-Star Game!]

“Ah, the MVP prize looks pretty good? How about it? Since there are two, can I have one?”

“You make so much money… Buy it with your All-Star bonus. I’m taking one, and I’m giving the other one to my father.”

“Oh… that’s a bit disappointing. Congratulations on the MVP. Just a little bit. I’ll only congratulate you a little.”

Lee Jung-woo chuckled at Derek’s joke and soon joined the cheering players to celebrate the All-Star Game that started and ended with the Braves, just like Derek said.

####

[Jung-woo Lee Sweeps the All-Star Game, from Home Run Derby to All-Star MVP!]

[Home Run Power Even in the All-Star Game! 4 Hits in 4 At-Bats, 2 Home Runs. A Top-Notch Performance!]

[Jung-woo Lee, 12 TB (Total Bases) in the All-Star Game, Most TB (Total Bases) Ever Recorded]

[Jung-woo Lee Sweeps All the Prize Money, Plus a Car!]

The All-Star Game ended with results that satisfied everyone. First of all, like the Home Run Derby, the game itself was exciting. New records were set, the star players who received attention performed well, and the most popular player took home the MVP.

It was truly the result that fans and the league office wanted, so everyone was satisfied except for the extreme fans of the American League, who were brutally defeated, and the Red Sox, whose expected aces and prospects were all crushed.

[‘Finally Passed 10M’ 11 Million Viewers Across the US, an Increase of Over 3 Million Compared to Last Year!]

[‘Box Office Hit’ The All-Star Game Ends in Success. Will the Era of Baseball Return?]

As a result, the viewership and ratings reached record numbers, similar to those before baseball’s popularity declined in the past.

The company that sponsored the new car as the MVP prize also smiled happily as the exact player they wanted took it, and they began the final preparations.

After the All-Star Game, Lee Jung-woo returned to his beloved home sweet home with his teammates and was about to relax when a phone call pulled him back into the world of business.

-Lee, great job. Congratulations on the MVP. I should have gone to the All-Star Game with you this year…

“It’s okay, all the other teammates came alone or with their families. It would be funny if I was the only one with an agent.”

-Oh, have you grown up already? I’m a little sad. I would have been happier if you had just said you were disappointed.

It was Mark. Having checked the time, he called as soon as Lee arrived home, offering an apology for not being able to come with him and throwing in a joke. Soon, he got to the point.

-It’s not that, but a new offer came in.

A new offer. Lee Jung-woo sighed as if he had expected it. It was a familiar occurrence, with new offers coming in almost every series.

That meant that Lee Jung-woo’s popularity was rising rapidly, enough to make companies that only follow capital eager.

However, Lee Jung-woo, who had cleared his All-Star break schedule for rest, opened his mouth with a nonchalant expression, though it wouldn’t be visible.

“A contract? I said I was going to rest. Nike and the others mostly postponed it until after the season.”

-Yeah, that’s right. This isn’t like that. It’s a bit different, a kind of sponsorship.

“Sponsorship? Like equipment? I’m already signing with Nike from next season, right?”

-Not equipment, it’s about you and the car. The new one that came out, it’s their main product.

“And?”

-They want a three-year contract with the condition that you drive one of the two cars, for $2 million each year. Replacement and free repairs are a given. And if there’s another model from their brand that you like, they’ll switch it out for you. What do you think?

Lee Jung-woo shook his head. No matter how much he tried to get used to it, he always felt awkward when he received such absurd offers. He was also pleased.

“The world has gotten so much better. I don’t promote, I don’t film commercials, and they’re giving me $2 million just for driving a car. I’m not even a race car driver.”

-That’s the world you live in. It’s the world I’m sitting on the edge of, thanks to you.

“Yeah, it’s a great world. I was going to drive it anyway. I like it quite a bit.”

-Okay, I’ll proceed right away. Just rest. I’ll bring the contract with me before the second half starts.

“You seem very excited these days?”

-You’d understand if you were in my shoes. A lovely client does 30-30 in the first half [30 home runs and 30 stolen bases], wins the All-Star MVP. He’s doing his own PR so diligently. How happy am I? I’m gaining weight these days. I don’t even need to go out and hustle, they’re bringing the contracts themselves.

Lee Jung-woo shook his head at Mark’s glib words and, after the call ended, looked at the picture of the car he was going to receive as a prize. It was a free new car. He already liked it quite a bit. But thinking of it as a bag of money worth $2 million a year, $6 million over three years, it seemed a little prettier.

‘I was going to drive it anyway, but now that I see it, the trunk is big, so it can hold a lot of equipment. It’s heavy, so it looks safe, and the self-driving system is supposed to be good, so I don’t have to worry about accidents. I really like it.’

It’s definitely not because of the money. He just purely liked the car quite a bit. At least, Lee Jung-woo tried to think that way.

####

What do major leaguers usually do when they get a few days off? They usually spend time with their families. Because of the nature of their profession, it’s hard to be faithful to their families, so they make sure to spend time with them when they have time off. Whether it’s their wife and children, or their parents and siblings. Or they spend a cozy time with their lovers.

And all three of those things didn’t apply to Lee Jung-woo. His family was all across the Pacific in Korea. It was awkward to go back and forth because of the flight time. And he didn’t have a lover to spend time with.

‘I’m bored. So damn bored.’

Before the regression, he was always busy trying to survive, so he always practiced when he had time off, grinding his coal-like body even harder. To stay attached for even a little longer. After the regression, he trained and rested thoroughly to avoid wasting his newfound talent. But suddenly, with three days of rest before the second half opener, he had no hobbies, so he had nothing to do.

‘During the season, a day off is just a day, so I just spaced out. But with three days off, it’s kind of boring. Even during the offseason, I mostly train and get in shape. Can’t we just skip the rest after the All-Star Game and play right away?’

Lee Jung-woo, who had thoughts that most players would spit on, was just about to laze around as usual when he soon changed his mind. It was practically his last vacation of the season, so it was too wasteful to spend it like this.

‘Should I watch a new movie or something?’

Lee Jung-woo, wanting to do something even a little productive rather than just lying around at home, searched through the TV, which he occasionally watched, but there wasn’t a movie or program that he liked. He also searched the internet, but it was the same.

Just as Lee Jung-woo was getting more and more tired of boredom, a phone call came.

“Hello?”

-Lee, it’s me, Ian. You don’t have anything to do, right?

“How does Ian know that? My schedule might be full.”

-You don’t have a lover, and you don’t have a family here, right? And you don’t have the will to make a lover. I can tell just by seeing you come to the training ground from dawn. I know you’re probably just lazing around every holiday.

Ian Field. Lee Jung-woo frowned slightly at the teammate who suddenly called and made a barrage of factual assaults. But the reason he didn’t hang up was because it was true. It seemed like he had brought something to spend time on.

-Anyway, do you want to go somewhere with me?

“Where are we going?”

-You’ll see. It’s a place that will bring a happy smile to your face.

Lee Jung-woo thought of Ian Field that he knew. He didn’t really know him that well in terms of his private life. He was a shortstop who was damn good at defense, so he was receiving one-sided love, but he felt more like a business partner who he mostly met at the clubhouse. In fact, most of the players were like that. So the image of Ian Field that came to mind was that of an unmarried single player who enjoyed playing as much as he was solid, unlike Mason, who he got along with quite well.

“I’m not going to a club. I don’t like that kind of thing. There’s no happy smile there, even if I go.”

-Yeah, I know well enough what kind of person you think I am. It’s not that. I don’t like those unnecessarily noisy places either.

“Then what is it?”

-Just come out. It’s something that can instill dreams and hopes in children.

Then Ian Field hung up. Lee Jung-woo, dumbfounded, shook his head. But he was interested, so he got dressed. And then he realized.

‘Where am I supposed to go? He needs to tell me the place so I can decide whether to go or not.’

####

Ian Field drove to his house, even though he definitely didn’t remember telling him where he lived. Lee Jung-woo got into the car without knowing how he knew.

“So, what’s going on?”

“You like using your body, right?”

“Yes.”

“And you like kids, too.”

“Oh, yes. Ah, if you’re asking if that using my body and liking kids is a question about pedophilia, no. Absolutely not.”

“You’re quite the comedian, aren’t you? You always have a face like a plaster statue.”

Ian Field, finding something so funny, laughed and gave the same answer.

“I told you on the phone, it’s about instilling dreams and hopes in children, right?”

“Are you going to be Santa in July?”

“Well, it’s kind of similar.”

It was a vague answer, but Lee Jung-woo could roughly guess where they were going.

‘Volunteering, I did it a few times before the regression. The team pushed for it. Because I wasn’t popular, I was almost a handyman.’

It’s a common occurrence. Whether it’s for image making or because they’re genuinely good people, it’s quite common for sports stars to do volunteer work in the community.

Like the few experiences Lee Jung-woo had before the regression, the team directly promoted it as a kind of garden management.

‘Volunteering… it’s far from me. I’m too busy trying to survive, so it’s hard to take the time to help someone. Well, it’s all an excuse.’

He didn’t feel too bad. If he could instill dreams and hopes in children, as Ian Field said, it would be much more constructive than just lazing around.

“Ian just joined this year, and he’s already volunteering?”

“You have a good sense, as expected. You’re not the best hitter for nothing. Is that why you’re good at defense, too? It’s nothing special. I often did it in Phoenix, too. It reminds me of when I was a kid. I was happy for a month just seeing a player once when I was young. If I got an autograph and kept it as proof, I’d be smiling all year. That’s how I came to love baseball and got here.”

“That’s true.”

Lee Jung-woo also sympathized with his words because he was a pure baseball boy who was happy when he went to the baseball field with his father and got an autograph from a player.

For similar reasons, he tried to give autographs to young children as much as possible, even if he was a little short on time.

“There’s something in the back seat, it looks like a uniform. Should I sign it in advance?”

“Nope! It only has meaning if you receive it directly in front of you. The emotion drops if you give it like a mass-produced product.”

Lee Jung-woo, nodding at Ian Field, who seemed to have a clear philosophy, silently got in the car to instill dreams and hopes. The place they arrived at was an orphanage that looked quite nice.

“Madam, I’m here again. I brought a worker with me, too.”

“Oh my, Mr. Field, how- huh-”

The woman in the orphanage yard greeted Ian Field, who was getting out of the car, with a familiar face, but after checking the face of Lee Jung-woo, who was getting out of the passenger seat, she froze.

The children around her also stopped as if they were frozen, fixing their gaze on Lee Jung-woo.

“Wow… the effect is certain, isn’t it? I expected it, but I’m a little sad. It wasn’t this much when I first came.”

“Well, I’m practically a savior in this city. The Braves’ franchise star.”

“Oh, you’re more shameless than I thought. I’m learning a lot of new things today.”

Lee Jung-woo, joking slightly at Ian Field, who was grumbling as if he was sad, acted in a textbook manner. Since his call-up and success, there were quite a few people in Atlanta who froze when they saw him, so he had a lot of experience. Going first, that is.

“Hello, I came with Mr. Field’s introduction.”

“Ah… ah, yes. It’s, it’s really an honor. Mr. Lee. The children will really like it.”

The woman, who had thawed at the kind words, forced a bright smile with a very excited face. When Lee Jung-woo waved his hand slightly, the children also thawed.

“Wow!”

“Lee! It’s Lee! Lee came!”

“What are you doing! Hurry up and come out! It’s Lee, Lee!”

At the sight of the children rushing in with a cheer much louder than the furry Viking home fans who often appear at Truist Park, Ian Field felt a little sad but had a proud smile on his face.

“I’m glad I brought you. My hunch is always right.”

It seemed like the guest invitation was a success.

####

Volunteering didn’t really involve much work. At most, it was just carrying a few things, and even that was the sponsored goods that Ian Field had brought.

Therefore, most of the work was mainly playing with the children and instilling dreams and hopes in them, as Ian Field said.

“Lee, what does it feel like to hit a home run?”

“Lee! Can the Braves win the championship? Stupid Tommy said he hasn’t done it for 30 years, so he’ll never do it. He’s an idiot, right?”

“Lee, can you hit 100 home runs next year? You can do it, right?”

Lee Jung-woo, answering the questions of the children who were sending him admiring glances, felt that he had done well to come, seeing the children happy just because he had come. When he glanced at Ian Field, he nodded as if he had seen through his heart, saying that was exactly it.

“Okay, okay, not that. You have to get the most out of it. He makes less money than me, but he’s very expensive. Get a lot of autographs. Take everything you can to show off to your friends. Mine have already been spread all over the school, right?”

“Yes, all the kids in my class have Ian’s. I gave them all out.”

“That’s right, that’s exactly it. If you do that again this time, you’ll be the number one there. Not Ian Field, it’s Lee, Lee Jung-woo.”

Lee Jung-woo, shaking his head at Ian Field, who was appropriately inciting the children, diligently gave out autographs. He quickly used up all the uniforms and autograph papers that he had brought in several boxes.

“Okay, you’re the last one. Dustin, Dustin, right?”

“Yes! Lee is smart. He remembers my name right away. Is that why you’re good at baseball?”

“To some extent?”

“Then can I be a baseball player, too? I’m good at studying.”

Lee Jung-woo was about to think for a moment at the pure question, but he soon put in dreams and hopes, like the purpose of his visit here. Because you never know what will happen.

“Of course. If you wear this uniform, practice hard, and study well, you can definitely do it.”

“Then I want to become a major leaguer later and play with Lee. Can you wait until then?”

Lee Jung-woo chuckled at the question. He’s only ten years old at most. No, he’s nine years old. It will probably take about 15 years for him to grow up and come to the majors. Even if I take the minimum. If I can hold out until then. That’s what Lee Jung-woo wants most.

“Of course.”

“Oh… if the guys from other teams heard that, they’d probably foam at the mouth and faint. Or they’d grab the general manager’s pants and ask to be traded to the Braves. It’s scary to even imagine you playing for 20 more years. I’m going to bury my bones here anyway.”

After finishing the volunteer work, when it was time to leave, one of the children grabbed Lee Jung-woo’s hand.

“Lee, can I ask you for one thing?”

“Ask for something very expensive. He can probably do most things.”

“Be quiet, Ian. What do you want to ask?”

“I bet with my friend. Later, when the se-second half? Anyway, when you start playing baseball again, Lee will definitely hit a home run, or not. I say he will, but he keeps whining that it’s hard. You can do it, right?”

“You’re too precocious. You’re even betting at that age. Then you can’t use it. You’ll become a bad adult.”

Lee Jung-woo, ignoring Ian, who was muttering next to him, made a confident expression.

“Tell that friend later.”

“What should I tell him?”

“Tell him he bet on the wrong thing. He should have bet on how many home runs I’ll hit, not whether I’ll hit a home run or not. You’ll definitely win, so look forward to it.”

“Yes! I’ll teach him thoroughly!”

Lee Jung-woo chuckled at the sight of the child puffing out his cheeks, as if confidence had been transferred from him, but Ian Field, who was listening next to him, shook his head as if he was dumbfounded.

“Our second half opener is against the Cardinals, right?”

“Yes.”

“They probably have no idea. They have no idea that the reason they’re going to get crushed as soon as the second half starts is because of a bet between young children.”