The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 204

204. The Greatest Thing (4)

In the end, it worked out well.

The team became incredibly united, and their determination to win was palpable.

But does that mean everything is resolved?

Of course not.

In life, every action has its consequences. The general manager might have thought he could get away with it. So, it’s my duty to inform him that he was wrong.

But I’ve always been just a baseball guy, and I don’t have the knack for subtly pressuring someone, pretending to worry about their well-being after a single word to the manager. Or, more accurately, I never had a reason to develop such a skill.

The reason I pay an agency a cut of my earnings is for them to handle these annoying tasks for me.

So, the first thing I needed to do was call my agent.

“That guy isn’t stupid. It seems like he was pressured from above. He created a big escape route and moved very passively, so it probably wasn’t a group-level decision. It seems like President Park was acting on his own.”

“Will there be any further moves?”

“Haha, of course not. I already scheduled a meeting with him right after you mentioned it. Far from making any further moves, he’ll pay dearly for his foolish actions.”

“Yes, thank you. I appreciate it.”

“No, I should have been more attentive. It’s my fault for not anticipating such a foolish attempt in the current situation.”

“No, it’s okay. You’re not a fortune teller who can foresee the future. Anyway, please take care of it. I want the team, the front office, and the coaching staff to work together as one for the sake of winning the championship.”

“Yes, I understand.”

***

“Lawyer Kim. I received your call. But what brings you here?”

“Haha, what do you mean? It’s just been a while since I saw the general manager’s face, so I thought I’d pay a visit. Besides, I heard you’re taking special care of our Choi Su-won. I thought I should treat you to a meal. Hahaha.”

“Oh, I should be the one buying. Choi Su-won’s performance is boosting the team’s *seongjeok* [performance record] significantly. Well, I expected him to do well, but I never imagined he’d be this explosive… I never thought one player could carry a team to a championship, but seeing it happen is truly amazing. The president has been *teukbyeolhage* [specially] instructing me to pay close attention to him.”

“Haha, I see. So, it was all thanks to the president’s consideration. But without the general manager’s meticulousness, how could the president have been so aware?”

The conversation was clearly amicable.

But the atmosphere was not. Both Kim Tae-geun, Choi Su-won’s agent, and Jeon Sang-ik, the Marines’ general manager, knew that the underlying meaning of their words was not what it seemed on the surface.

-Why are you here?

-I know everything you’ve done. Why did you do it?

-I didn’t know he would single-handedly drag us to the championship. I persuaded the president to give him 2 billion won in contract money, saying he’d play for at least two years, but now it’s a disaster. If this continues, President Park might lose his job. I had no choice.

-Do you think you can get away with blaming President Park?

General Manager Jeon Sang-ik replied.

“You’re giving me too much credit. I feel like I need to work even harder to live up to that praise.”

-So, what do you want?

Kim Tae-geun smiled brightly.

“Haha, if the general manager’s sincerity could be understood by the team, they would unite and work even harder for the championship. But… it’s not easy to convey such feelings. Don’t you think?”

“Indeed. It’s very difficult. It would be great if there were an easy way to convey our feelings.”

“Ah, speaking of which, the former owner of the Elitz expressed his determination to win by awarding an 80 million won Rolex to the Korean Series MVP 30 years ago. I heard that was the price of an apartment in Jamsil [a wealthy district in Seoul] back then, so it would be like 2 billion won now. It’s hard to express feelings, but when there’s a specific number like that, it really shows the will to win, don’t you think? I also realize how much the company values me during *yeonbong* [annual salary] negotiations.”

-Give me money.

“The timing is perfect. I was already thinking of suggesting to the group that we need to have a more concrete discussion about the championship bonus. There’s talk of giving out a record-breaking championship bonus, but there’s a difference between just saying ‘record-breaking’ and having a specific number.”

“Isn’t the biggest chunk of the championship bonus the *baedanggeum* [dividend]? We won’t know that until the postseason results are out.”

“Of course. But there’s a set amount depending on the teams that advance. I’ll make sure to fill the KBO’s 50% requirement and try to adjust the *baedangnyul* [dividend rate] so that the Korean Series MVP gets a little extra.”

Kim Tae-geun smirked.

Even in this situation, he’s trying to pull a fast one. Since he can’t control Su-won and weaken the drive to win, he’s trying to mess with the bonus. Giving an extra bonus to the MVP when the total amount is fixed means cutting the bonuses of others. If the MVP competition were close, it might motivate the players, but the Marines’ current structure is so dominant that it’s perfect for demotivating them.

“But wouldn’t that weaken the motivation of the other players who won’t receive it? I know some teams can’t even fill the group’s 50% bonus requirement, but the Marines should be taking that for granted.”

“Oh, of course, we have to consider that. I’ll suggest creating a special bonus point for next year’s performance reviews. After all, winning the championship would be our first in 34 years. When Korea reached the World Cup semi-finals for the first time, they created a law to exempt them from military service, so we should definitely do something like that.”

“I’m grateful that the general manager is so considerate.”

The two men shook hands and smiled.

One sincerely.

And the other with a sense of helplessness, wondering how to handle this.

***

“Jackpot!! Wow, jackpot news!!”

“Lee Jung-hoon, why are you suddenly making such a fuss again? What is it? Did a new club open in Seomyeon [a popular entertainment district in Busan] or something?”

“Oh, come on, Senior Kyung-joon. It’s been months since I quit clubbing. They’re even giving me extra service these days, wondering if something’s wrong. Anyway, that’s not important right now. I have some seriously amazing news.”

“What is it?”

“I got this information while having coffee with Min-sun. They’ve been instructed to consider giving extra points for performance reviews if we win the championship.”

“Huh? What are you talking about? Who’s Mi-sun? We should get a bonus if we win, why are they giving extra points for performance reviews?”

“It’s Min-sun, not Mi-sun. You know, the new manager who joined the HR team as a *gyeongnyeokjik* [experienced hire].”

“The tall, fair-skinned one?”

“Yes.”

“Why are you having coffee with her, Jung-hoon?”

“Well, we had lunch together, so we had coffee too. Anyway, the important thing is the extra points for performance reviews. We’ll definitely get the full 50% bonus. The team is going to give out even more money on top of that.”

Seo Kyung-joon frowned.

“Hey, but that has nothing to do with the players who signed FA [Free Agent] contracts.”

“Come on, senior. You’re getting 2.7 billion won over three years, why are you being so greedy? After taxes, you’d only get a little over half of that extra money. It’s good for the guys who have a long way to go before FA to get more money.”

“Yeah, but… Hey, Lee Jung-hoon, you’re young and single, so it’s okay for you, but I have two kids. It’s tight.”

“Then you should work hard and get the championship bonus. I heard they’re not dividing the championship bonus into three grades, but into about five grades.”

“Huh? Where did you hear that? Does the HR team do that too?”

“No, I heard it from Seon-young in the operations team.”

“Seon-young in the operations team? You mean Manager Park?”

“Oh, you know Seon-young. Well, you’ve been working together for years.”

“Yeah. She was really clueless when she was a rookie, but she’s doing a great job these days. Very sharp. But wait a minute. How did you hear that from Manager Park in the operations team?”

The locker room buzzed with the news brought by Jung-hoon.

Especially happy were the younger, lower-paid players who still had a long way to go before FA.

“So, based on last year, it’s almost 150 million won, plus the extra points for performance reviews…”

“Jjoyu, stop drinking the *gimchiguk* [literally kimchi soup, figuratively counting your chickens before they hatch] and go swing your bat.”

“*Gimchiguk*?”

“It’s all just a story if we win the championship. And even that’s only possible for A-level players. Do you think you can get A-level? You know that only seven players in the Dolphins were A-level last year, right?”

“You’re so cruel. Do you have to ruin such a happy dream right now? This is all motivation. Motivation.”

Jjoyu grumbled with his lips sticking out and picked up his bat.

“If you’re going to motivate, do it properly. Huh? If you have a hard time getting A-level because you didn’t play many games at the beginning of the season, you can get A-level by playing great in the postseason.”

“What? You give me poison and then give me medicine. You ruined everything and now you’re coddling me?”

“I’m not coddling you, I’m telling you to come and swing your bat. If you get a good feeling. Who knows, you might hit multiple home runs in a crucial game in the Korean Series? You might even win the Series MVP? You know there’s a separate bonus for that, right? I think you can definitely get A-level if you do that.”

“If I get A-level and the Series MVP bonus…”

The scorching heat of summer was slowly starting to subside.

Jjoyu’s body was full of energy as he swung his bat. Of course, Jjoyu wasn’t the only one full of energy. Money is definitely the strongest driving force for professionals.

Some for the goal of winning a championship, which they may never achieve in their careers.

Others for the bonus that will moisten their dry wallets.

Still others thinking about their future careers.

With the season past the halfway point.

The team Marines finally started to roll properly towards the single goal of ‘championship’.

***

2 wins 1 loss.

1 win 2 losses.

2 wins 1 loss.

2 wins 0 losses.

2 wins 0 losses.

1 win 1 loss.

2 wins 1 loss.

2 wins 1 loss.

And so, when the hot summer ended and a pleasantly cool autumn arrived.

“Mom!! My jumper!!”

“What jumper?”

“My Marines autumn jumper!! I definitely put it on one side of the closet!!”

“Oh, that? I threw it away a long time ago.”

“Ah!! Mom!! Why did you throw away my clothes without asking!! I’ve only worn it twice, it’s almost new!!”

“What? You told me to throw it away when I was cleaning out the closet two years ago. You said you didn’t need it because you hadn’t worn it in eight years.”

The Marines fans began to prepare for *gaeul yagu* [autumn baseball, i.e., the playoffs] for the first time in 10 years.