Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 112

The Villain on the Mound – Episode 112

The reporters couldn’t believe their ears.

“What did you just say?”

“Please say it again!”

So, they asked Ha-sung again.

It was such an unbelievable statement.

Ha-sung spoke to the reporters again.

“I said I don’t want to play in this Asian Games.”

“Really?”

“Are you avoiding the national team?”

“It’s a tournament representing the country! Does avoiding it mean you’re not fulfilling your duty as a citizen?”

The intensity of the questions increased.

The reporters didn’t seem to remember that they were talking to the most popular player in Korea.

That’s how impactful this statement was.

But Ha-sung didn’t stop talking.

“A team representing the country… Is it really?”

“Yes?”

“Is this Asian Games such a prestigious event that we need to call up even Major Leaguers to participate?”

The reporters fell silent.

The Asian Games.

A tournament established to promote friendship and peace among various countries in Asia.

It was a historic event, and with teams from all over Asia participating, national pride was at stake.

Although it was a competition where representatives from each country gathered, baseball was a bit of an exception.

“How many countries in Asia currently have professional baseball teams?”

Before the reporters could answer,

Ha-sung took the lead.

“At most, there are only Korea, Taiwan, China, and Japan. Among them, only Korea, Taiwan, and Japan are properly functioning.”

Baseball is considered one of the world’s top three sports.

But if you ask whether the whole world enjoys baseball, the answer is no.

That’s how baseball was only popular in a very limited number of countries.

“Among them, how many countries send professional players to the Asian Games?”

The reporters looked like they understood.

“Only one! That’s Korea. Japan forms its national team with corporate players or amateur players, not professional players, to send to the Asian Games.”

Unlike other tournaments, Korea has been winning gold medals in the Asian Games most of the time.

This is not simply because Korea is a baseball powerhouse.

It’s because other competing countries exclude professional players when selecting their national teams.

In other words, the level of competition is different from the start when forming the team.

As evidence, there are all sorts of noises coming from the future Asian Games national team.

There have been actions such as professional clubs influencing the selection of the national team for military service benefits.

Ha-sung brought that up early.

Of course, Ha-sung didn’t directly mention that part. But it was clear that he touched on a sensitive issue.

“So, you’re saying you’re refusing to participate in the tournament because the level of the tournament is low?”

“To be exact, it means that even if I don’t participate, the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] seniors’ skills are enough to win a gold medal.”

“Then why are you refusing to contact the KBO?”

“I’m not refusing. KBO’s Deputy Director Lee Jin-cheol sends me texts when I have a game. And he doesn’t consider my routine at all.”

The reporters began to murmur.

They were reporters covering Major League Baseball.

They knew very well how important a pitcher’s routine was.

“Isn’t Deputy Director Lee Jin-cheol a former professional player?”

“Yeah. He’s a former pitcher.”

“He wasn’t in the first team, but he was even a manager in the second team.”

The time was not shown in the text messages released by the media.

Because it was reconstructed and released, only the content was summarized, excluding the time.

But who would have thought there would be such a hidden story.

“I get checked by the trainers after the game and go back to the hotel to rest. Even my parents don’t contact me at this time.”

Bringing up his parents made Deputy Director Lee Jin-cheol’s actions seem even more wrong.

And in fact, Deputy Director Lee Jin-cheol’s actions were wrong.

“Deputy Director Lee did wrong.”

“I agree. He should know about a pitcher’s routine.”

“Why does he text during the game?”

“He can’t see it, but there’s a high possibility that the player will be stressed.”

“That’s too much.”

The reporters’ opinions began to flow in a direction that was increasingly favorable to Ha-sung.

Ha-sung drove a wedge into it.

“I will go if the country needs me. But I will not go to tournaments that do not need me.”

The reporters nodded.

Before they knew it, they were agreeing with Ha-sung’s speech.

* * *

Ha-sung’s remarks were reported and delivered to Korea.

[Jeong Ha-sung says, ‘I can win a gold medal even if I go to the Asian Games!’ ]

[The Asian Games is a tournament that doesn’t need Major Leaguers.]

[Japan forms its national team mainly with corporate players, so why should Major Leaguers participate?]

[KBO’s Deputy Director Lee Jin-cheol confirmed to have sent texts to Jeong Ha-sung while he was pitching, causing a stir!]

[Pitcher Lee Jin-cheol ignores pitcher’s routine and attempts to contact him.]

[I will come when the country calls me when it truly needs me!]

Ha-sung’s remarks were reported one by one and became known in Korea.

And this caused a huge stir.

-So, he’s not going to be on the national team after all?

-Yeah, that’s right.

-Isn’t Ha-sung right, though?

-We don’t need Major Leaguers for the Asian Games.

-It’s funny that professional team players are going.

-Is it true that Japan sends corporate teams?

-Yeah, it’s true.

-They don’t send pros lol [laughing out loud].

The public opinion of fans who learned facts they didn’t know before began to change little by little.

In particular, as Deputy Director Lee Jin-cheol’s behavior was exposed, public opinion leaned even more towards Ha-sung.

-KBO is too much.

-Do you text a player who’s starting in the Major League during a game?

-He can’t see it, but it’s too much.

-How sensitive is a pitcher? And he sends it then.

-Can’t he send it a day or two after the game?

-That’s right. And that Deputy Director Lee is a former pitcher, right?

-Anyway, the association guys are always the boss.

Because of the things KBO had done in the past, the public turned against them.

In addition, stories about military service benefits began to emerge.

-Honestly, shouldn’t we get rid of military service benefits for the Asian Games?

-At least we should get rid of it for baseball.

-It’s not like professional players are coming out; it’s a tournament for amateurs.

-Have you forgotten the Doha Tragedy? It’s not like they always win gold medals.

-Why is it called a tragedy? It’s called that because it’s unusual.

-It’s not for nothing that they say it’s a legal military service broker.

-Why do professional clubs try so hard to send their promising players?

-Looking at this, Ha-sung is better.

-I agree. It’s the perfect tournament to get an exemption. And he’s refusing it.

-He needs to adapt to the Major League more now.

As military service benefits became relevant, Ha-sung’s decision began to look even better to the public.

It was a case of interpreting the dream better than the dream itself. It was impossible to know exactly what Ha-sung was thinking when he refused, but the public made their own plausible answers.

The answer that was created in that way soon became a fact and spread on the Internet.

It was spreading in a good way for Ha-sung, but not all opinions were good.

-No, isn’t he avoiding the national team anyway?

-Didn’t he practically avoid the national team in last year’s WBC [World Baseball Classic] too?

-I agree.

-Isn’t he just prioritizing playing in the Major League?

-He’s blinded by money and abandoned the Taegeuk mark [Korean flag emblem, symbolizing national pride].

The haters’ logic was somewhat weak, but they tried to find fault with Ha-sung in any way they could.

But public opinion had already leaned towards Ha-sung.

-If you want to keep playing in the Major League, solving military service is the best.

-They don’t know that military service is the biggest problem.

-From Jeong Ha-sung’s point of view, it’s natural that he wants to wear the Taegeuk mark.

-But why doesn’t he wear it?

-It’s because, as Jeong Ha-sung said, the Asian Games doesn’t need the best pitcher in the Major League.

-Wow! Manly!

-Adapting to the Major League is more important than the national team right now.

-He just switched to starting, so he’s right.

Lee Jin-cheol frowned as he looked at the comments.

“Why is this happening like this?”

It was completely unexpected.

The scenario he had in mind was that public opinion of Ha-sung would worsen and he would be in trouble.

“I thought he would be intimidated and listen to us.”

This was completely unexpected.

The first button that was misbuttoned was the interview with the reporters.

“I didn’t expect him to openly say that he didn’t want to join the national team.”

At that time, Manager Kim came into the conference room.

“Hyungnim [older brother/term of respect]! Public opinion is getting too bad?”

“Are you even saying that?! I proceeded as you said, but why is it like this?”

“I didn’t know it would turn out like this either. I didn’t expect him to say in an interview that he didn’t want to join the national team. And I didn’t know the public would react like this to the words that came out later…”

Manager Kim also had a troubled expression.

Lee Jin-cheol sighed and sat down in his seat.

“So, what are you going to do?”

“There’s nothing we can do. If we touch Jeong Ha-sung again now, we’re going to be completely ruined.”

“Haa…”

There was no alternative.

The problem was if the higher-ups found out about this.

“Manager Kim.”

“Yes?”

“If the higher-ups ask, tell them you planned this.”

“No, why would I say I planned it? Hyungnim contacted him, didn’t you?”

“What? You were the one who instigated me from the side, so it turned out like this!”

“When did I do that? Above all, it was Hyungnim… No, Deputy Director Lee who contacted him, so you should take responsibility.”

It was a scene that could never happen in a normal company.

For a manager to pass the buck to a deputy director.

No, if he were a company employee in the first place, the deputy director would not have touched something he could be held responsible for.

From the beginning, he would have made Manager Kim act.

But the relationship between the two people from KBO, especially former athletes, created this strange scene.

“Hey, you! Have you forgotten that I used to buy you food and teach you sliders [type of baseball pitch]?”

“No, that’s a story from then. Besides, isn’t this company work now?”

The voices in the conference room rose.

* * *

Ha-sung smiled contentedly as he looked at the article.

“Perfect.”

It was according to his plan.

He made the arrows of criticism turn to KBO.

In addition, in Korea, stories about whether military service benefits were needed for the Asian Games began to emerge.

“Well, it doesn’t matter to me how this turns out.”

Ha-sung didn’t pay much attention to the discussion.

No matter which direction it flowed, it wasn’t a problem he had to solve.

What he needed to focus on right now was settling as a starter in the Major League, not the military service issue.

“I’m only 21 years old, so there’s no need to think about military service yet. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future, and if necessary, there are other ways.”

If he couldn’t solve the military service problem in a normal way, Ha-sung was thinking about other ways.

He didn’t have much intention of putting it into practice, but if military service was holding him back, there was no choice.

“It’s enough to solve the military service problem by the time I get FA [Free Agency] in 5 years.”

You get FA qualification after filling 6 seasons of service time in the Major League.

Even after getting FA qualification, if the military service problem is not solved, it becomes an obstacle to the contract.

Even if you sign a long-term contract, the club will not be able to actively pursue it because you have to serve in the military for 2 years.

In addition, you have to think about the decline in skills if you serve in the military.

“Anyway, this will solve this problem.”

Ha-sung, who solved one problem, looked out of the hotel.

“Now I just need to focus on the league.”

Planning and acting accordingly.

It was Ha-sung’s way of living a new life.