Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 155

Villain on the Mound – Episode 155

The assault on Jung Ha-sung garnered immense attention from fans.

– What’s this about an attack on Jung Ha-sung?

– Huh?

– Why are the perpetrators turning themselves in?

– Were they caught?

– What happened?

– Anyone know the details?

Korean netizens scoured the internet for related information.

However, since the incident occurred in the United States, the full story remained unclear until news articles surfaced.

Reporters also moved swiftly.

[Suspects who attempted to attack Jung Ha-sung have turned themselves in to the police.]

[Thankfully, Jung Ha-sung was unharmed!]

[Contact with the Oakland Athletics confirms that Jung Ha-sung is resting at the hotel without any injuries!]

Reporters contacted the team and local police and media to check on Ha-sung’s condition.

Upon learning that he was unharmed, public curiosity shifted to the attack itself.

– Why did they try to attack him?

– According to local news, they were hired to do it?

– A hit?

– Wow… who in their right mind would do that?

– That’s insane.

– Does this kind of thing really happen?

Questions mounted.

Who on earth? And why? Who ordered the attack on Ha-sung?

No one could immediately answer these questions.

Watching the online reaction, Rodrigo bit his lip.

“These crazy bastards… !”

It was entirely unexpected.

Even if the attack failed, he never imagined the perpetrators would turn themselves in.

“Well, at least it won’t trace back to me.”

The request this time was made through a gang leader he had known for years.

It was his first time commissioning a hit, but they had handled dirty work for him before.

Moreover, he had concealed his identity, so there was no way they could trace it back to him.

“I don’t need to worry too much.”

At least, that’s what Rodrigo thought at the time.

But it didn’t take long for his opinion to change.

* * *

Ha-sung had a meeting with General Manager Chris.

“What is this news? An attack?”

“Exactly as it sounds. I was almost attacked, and the suspects have been handed over to the police.”

“What were the suspects after? And how’s your condition? Are you okay?”

“The suspects were hired to attack me. You might want to look into the stadium’s security.”

“So, the suspects targeted you inside the stadium?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm…”

General Manager Chris made a noise of contemplation.

Outsiders shouldn’t be able to freely access areas where players move.

For an outsider to get that far meant there was a problem with the stadium’s security.

“We’ll pay more attention to the stadium’s security.”

“Yes, you should.”

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m fine. I was a bit surprised, but there are no major issues.”

“If it affects your next start, you can skip it.”

“I’ll let you know by tomorrow.”

From Oakland’s perspective, Ha-sung was their best asset.

While immediate victories were important, protecting him was the priority.

“Do you happen to know who ordered this?”

Chris was genuinely curious.

Who instructed the attack on Ha-sung?

If they knew the culprit, the team could take action.

Knowing Chris’s thoughts, Ha-sung smiled.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know either.”

He said he didn’t know, but the faint smile on his lips made General Manager Chris feel suspicious.

However, he didn’t press further.

He didn’t want to upset Ha-sung any more than necessary.

“Understood. Please let me know immediately if you have any new information.”

“Yes.”

The conversation ended there.

* * *

The attack on Ha-sung was a major incident.

Attempting to attack a current major leaguer during the season, and in the stadium, was a significant problem.

[Oakland Athletics General Manager Chris issued an apology regarding the incident and stated that they would focus more on the stadium’s security.]

[Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf released a statement vowing to catch the culprit who attempted to attack Jung Ha-sung, the region’s top star!]

[The Governor of California also expressed concern about the attack on Jung Ha-sung and stated that the culprit must be caught!]

The incident grew larger and larger.

With the involvement of American politicians, they expressed their determination to find the mastermind behind the incident.

As the situation unfolded, Rodrigo felt uneasy.

‘Damn it… will I be okay?’

Surely, it was nearly impossible for it to trace back to him.

But knowing that nothing is ever truly impossible, he couldn’t help but feel anxious.

He was pacing back and forth in the living room, feeling uneasy, when it happened.

Buzzzzz-!!

“Shit!”

His smartphone rang loudly.

Startled, he picked up his smartphone and checked the number.

Seeing Robert’s number, the representative of the new legal team, he breathed a sigh of relief and answered the phone.

“Hey, Robert. What’s up?”

[We’ve scheduled a meeting with the Mayor of New York next week.]

“Oh, really?”

The Mayor of New York was as powerful as a governor.

In particular, the current Mayor of New York and Bud Selig [former Commissioner of Baseball] were known to be close.

In other words, he was meeting him to get in line with Bud Selig.

[Oh, did you hear about that?]

“Hear about what?”

[It’s a story from the Oakland police, but the perpetrators of this attack have information about the client, right?]

“What? What are you talking about?”

[They know the client, but the problem is that their sentences aren’t that high, so the deal doesn’t seem to be working.]

Rodrigo felt his heart sink.

He couldn’t understand how information about him had leaked.

And they’re not engaging in the deal?

“Wh… what are they up to?”

[Who knows? Maybe they’re thinking of extorting money from the client? Since this case is getting bigger, they could get a lot of money by threatening the client.]

That was highly likely.

Rodrigo frowned and hung up the phone.

“These bastards…!”

He was furious.

They were showing signs of trying to threaten him.

He could never allow it.

But now was not the time.

‘If I move any more, the problem could get bigger.’

The incident was being watched even by the political world.

If he committed any more illegal acts, his tail would get longer, and he would be more likely to get caught.

‘I need to shut them up at the gang leader level first.’

If they wanted money, he would give it to them.

It was a waste, but it was better than losing everything he had.

Rodrigo was about to pick up the phone.

His smartphone started ringing like crazy.

[Rodrigo! Is this true?!]

[What on earth have you done?!]

[Rodrigo, I’m really disappointed in you.]

[You son of a bitch! How could you do this?]

A barrage of insults and confirmation messages poured in.

That wasn’t all.

Buzzzzz-!!

Buzzz!!

Buzzzzz-!

The phone started ringing like crazy.

The first call was from Robert, who had just hung up.

With a puzzled look, he answered the phone.

[Hey! You crazy bastard!!]

A torrent of abuse poured out.

“Wh… what’s going on?”

[What’s going on?! You were the one who tried to attack Jung Ha-sung!]

“Wh… what are you talking about!”

[F*X! Tell me the truth! Is it true or not?!]

“No! It’s not!”

[Then are you saying that everything Jung Ha-sung is saying on YouTube is a lie?!]

“YouTube?”

[I’ll send you a link, go check it out! And if this is true, we’re going to stop defending you!]

That was the end of the call.

How did they know?

Puzzlement dominated his mind.

When a text message arrived from Robert.

Rodrigo checked it with trembling hands and clicked on the link to access the site.

The site, which was linked to YouTube, soon played a video with a bit of buffering.

[Hello, subscribers? This is Jung Ha-sung.]

Ha-sung was dressed neatly, unlike usual.

He bowed his head and began to speak.

[I think I need to stand in front of the camera like this to make an official statement regarding this attack.]

An official statement?

Ha-sung talked about the incident and soon got to the point.

[The suspect in this case is surprisingly the same major leaguer, and even more surprisingly, he was one of the legend players.]

His heart sank.

His hands and feet trembled, and he broke out in a cold sweat.

[He was none other than Alex Rodrigo.]

And his name flowed out.

Rodrigo’s face turned pale.

* * *

Ha-sung’s public sniping caused a huge stir.

Rodrigo’s legal team immediately discussed how to respond, but there was no need.

[Oakland police have identified Alex Rodrigo as a suspect in this case and have confirmed with the gang leader that he gave money to the gang.]

With decisive evidence, the police quickly secured many witnesses.

As a result, the legal team had to issue a statement other than defending Rodrigo.

[Our legal team is officially giving up defending Alex Rodrigo…]

The legal team left again.

And no other lawyers came forward to defend him.

There was another problem.

[Lawsuits for damages from the advertising industry against Alex Rodrigo!]

[Companies that had sponsorship agreements are reportedly preparing to sue!]

All the companies that had contracts with Alex Rodrigo turned their guns at him.

Their actions were natural, as Rodrigo’s downfall had severely damaged their image.

The players’ union also did not miss this moment.

[Major League Baseball Players Association is considering expelling Alex Rodrigo from the association!]

[Major League Baseball Secretariat is discussing the level of punishment for Alex Rodrigo!]

The Secretariat and the Players Association began discussing his punishment at the same time.

And one more place.

[New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner apologized to Jung Ha-sung and Major League Baseball fans through an agent and promised to release Alex Rodrigo.]

The New York Yankees also no longer protected Rodrigo.

Rodrigo’s release was shocking news, but the fans’ reaction was different from before.

– Well done!

– We can’t keep a criminal.

– Wow… what kind of gang do you hire?

– This bastard is complete trash.

– We’ve been calling this guy a legend, so ㅅㅂ…… [Korean slang for ‘damn’]

– He’s a legend. A trash legend.

– There’s no such trash in Major League history.

Fans’ anger was at its peak.

That’s how shocking Alex Rodrigo’s actions were.

And the Secretariat began preparing to impose proper sanctions on Rodrigo.

That wasn’t the end.

[The fall of Major League Baseball’s top star!]

[Alex Rodrigo, from the world’s best sports star to a criminal!]

[The American Baseball Writers Association announced that it would not vote for Alex Rodrigo in the Hall of Fame through a statement!]

[Major League Baseball Secretariat is preparing to delete his records!]

Rodrigo’s name was being deleted one by one from Major League Baseball.

And in the midst of all this, Ha-sung’s start day arrived.

Fans were curious as to whether Ha-sung would be able to start in the first start in September.

– Will he start after being involved in this incident?

– He’ll rest.

– But if you rest in the current situation, isn’t it a bit not? [Awkward phrasing, meaning ‘isn’t it bad to rest now?’]

– ㄹㅇ [Korean abbreviation for ‘real’] It’s a season of all time.

– Rodrigo is shitting until the end. [Crude expression, meaning Rodrigo is making things worse until the end.]

There was only one reason why fans wanted him to start.

It was because of the all-time records that Ha-sung was setting.

His season record was so overwhelming that the record of each game was important.

In that situation, it was a great pity to be absent.

However, given the situation, his start was uncertain.

However, on the day of the start.

[Jung Ha-sung starts normally!]

Ha-sung’s start news was reported.

At the same time, Alex Rodrigo’s news came up together.

[(Breaking news) Alex Rodrigo arrested by NYPD at his home!]

On the same day.

Alex Rodrigo was arrested.