Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 188

Mound Villain – Episode 188

Team Ha-seong.

The members who had worked together to prepare for the starting lineup were all gathered.

They held a meeting to discuss their plans for the future.

“Ha-seong’s stamina was incredible this season.”

“He completed everything he prepared for at last year’s camp, and his physical fitness has reached a really high level.”

“He’s surpassed the level of an elite athlete.”

“So, this plan will be successful too, right?”

The four looked at each other.

And they rechecked the schedules on their smartphones.

It included a training schedule that was three times more intense than last year.

“Sports science has advanced even more in the past year.”

“Thanks to that, we’ve been able to introduce things we were only preparing in theory into actual practice.”

“Ha-seong’s mentality and physical strength should be able to handle it.”

It was a schedule that would make even ordinary people, as well as athletes confident in their stamina, shake their heads.

Completing this wouldn’t be easy for Ha-seong either.

Nevertheless, there was only one reason why they created this schedule.

That was because what Ha-seong was planning for next season was that huge.

“To pull off the unprecedented event of being a two-way player, he has to do this much.”

“That’s right. If he can’t do this, we should assume it’s a failure from the start.”

“Even if he completes this schedule, there’s no guarantee he’ll succeed…”

The atmosphere among the four became heavy.

That’s how ambitious Ha-seong’s plan was.

Two-way player?

Even the four people who had been helping Ha-seong with his training couldn’t easily believe it.

But Ha-seong said he would do it.

And he was making a huge investment for it.

Just the four people’s pay alone had doubled compared to last year.

That alone was close to hundreds of millions of won [hundreds of thousands of US dollars].

On top of that, he completely rented out a resort in Hawaii where they could stay for a month.

The resort had various amenities, including a fitness center.

In other words, they could complete all their training inside the resort without having to move.

“I heard he asked each of you what equipment you needed?”

“That’s right. From the equipment needed for training to the diet and necessary personnel. He’s preparing everything.”

“It’s definitely gotten bigger in scale than last year.”

“His salary makes it possible.”

Ha-seong received an enormous amount of $20 million in his first salary adjustment.

It was a huge amount for the average person, but it was just pocket change for Ha-seong.

More than anything, it was an investment in himself.

There was no reason to save.

“Still, Ha-seong is really amazing.”

“I know, right? Most people get a little lazy when they get to that level.”

“Even if they don’t get lazy, they try to maintain their current position while finding some stability.”

“But he keeps looking ahead and running forward. Others said he’s already reached the top, but his eyes were on the next route.”

Some players in top positions fell into a rut.

That’s because they couldn’t see any higher from that position.

Since they were already the best, there were cases where they didn’t try harder because they were content with that.

This was especially common among younger players.

But Ha-seong was different.

He was looking even higher.

Others said there was nowhere else to go, but he was saying there were still places he hadn’t reached.

“He’s the kind of guy who says he can do it alone when others say it’s impossible.”

The four couldn’t help but think Ha-seong was amazing.

“Our help is essential.”

“That’s right. If he succeeds, he’ll decorate a page in history.”

“And we’ll be left as his assistants.”

“If he succeeds, our reputation will also rise.”

Everyone will say that being a two-way player is impossible.

It hasn’t been announced to the world yet, but if Ha-seong talks about it, a lot of criticism will pour out.

That’s because the world views those who challenge things that have never happened before negatively.

But for some reason, the four had expectations that Ha-seong could do it.

“He’ll be able to do it.”

“He will.”

“He’ll succeed this time too.”

“He’ll definitely do it.”

The four, who had been watching him from the side, started preparing for training with faith in Ha-seong.

* * *

As 2011 began, Ha-seong immediately started moving.

Preparing for training was a priority over celebrating the New Year.

After sending all the necessary luggage to Hawaii with Isabel’s help, Ha-seong took a car with her to the airport.

The car didn’t stop in front of the airport and went straight to the runway.

“It’s my first time riding a private jet.”

“You’ll be riding it often from now on. You better get used to it quickly,” Isabel said with a smile.

A private jet was prepared as a means of transportation for this camp.

It wasn’t a purchase, but a one-time rental, and the amount was beyond imagination.

But it wasn’t a big amount for Ha-seong.

“Some people might think of private jets as a luxury, but not for Ha-seong.”

“Is it because of taxes?”

“Exactly. Athletes can write off everything they train for as expenses. So, it’s good to prepare the best in all areas, such as the means of transportation for training, training equipment, and labor costs.”

Ha-seong was earning an another level of income, surpassing high-income earners.

Naturally, the taxes that came with it were also enormous.

In 2011 alone, he had to pay taxes on his income from 2010.

The cost alone was expected to easily exceed billions of won [millions of US dollars].

If he didn’t spend money and only saved it, Ha-seong’s taxes were likely to increase further.

It was better to use the best and process it as taxes.

“I hope you can handle these parts well. I hope there won’t be any problems with taxes later.”

“Of course. You don’t have to worry about that part.”

Korea is like that, but the United States was especially sensitive to taxes.

In the case of high-income earners, they had to be careful because they would be fined heavily if they evaded taxes recklessly.

While talking, the two arrived in front of a plane.

The captain and stewardess were waiting for them in front of the not-so-large plane.

When Ha-seong got out of the car, the captain approached and bowed to him.

“I’m Jason Carter, who will be in charge of today’s flight. I promise to fly safely to Hawaii for the VIP.”

“Thank you.”

Money was really good.

It wasn’t that he was adjusting to the plane’s time, but the plane was waiting for him.

It felt good that the captain and people were all waiting to take him.

Of course, there was a cost associated with it, but it was an amount that he didn’t have to worry about.

‘I’m glad I succeeded.’

Ha-seong once again felt his success and boarded the plane.

* * *

People were curious about Ha-seong.

That’s why his articles were always being updated, even in the off-season.

This camp was the same.

[Jeong Ha-seong sets up a solo camp in Hawaii for the 2011 season!]

[Team Ha-seong, who made the success of the 2010 season, is back together!]

[What is Jeong Ha-seong’s goal for the 2011 season after an amazing season?]

[Jeong Ha-seong invests a lot of money in the Hawaii camp! Will he be able to perform the same in the 2011 season?]

People nodded at Ha-seong’s establishment of the Hawaii camp.

-He did it in Hawaii last year, so it’s Hawaii again.

-Efficiency can drop if the environment changes.

-He managed to gather all the members from last year.

-They already know each other well, so they’ll be in sync.

-With these members, I can look forward to the 2011 season.

-I heard he invested hundreds of millions of won in this camp. He has a lot of money.

-He gets paid tens of billions [tens of millions of US dollars]. This much is natural.

-He’ll get as much as his salary just from sponsorships, lol [laughing out loud].

-It’s pocket change for Ha-seong.

-Different class.

News of the camp that Ha-seong set up spread quickly.

People were curious about how the camp was made.

And Ha-seong satisfied the needs of those people.

-A video has been uploaded to Jeong Ha-seong’s YouTube.

-What video?

-It’s a video called Camp Day 1. It reveals the internal facilities.

-I watched it, and it’s amazing.

-Wow… he rented out an entire resort.

-All the training equipment was equipped with the latest technology?

-I have to go see it too.

By uploading the internal facilities of the camp to YouTube, he focused people’s attention.

Naturally, as the influx increased, the number of subscribers to Ha-seong’s YouTube began to increase rapidly.

Since Ha-seong was gaining popularity not only in Korea but all over the world, the speed was beyond imagination.

But Ha-seong had no intention of being satisfied here.

“Are you really going to announce it here?”

“Yes.”

Ha-seong nodded at Isabel’s question.

Isabel made a dumbfounded expression at his calm answer.

“The world’s best media will run here if Ha-seong says a word. ESPN, NBC, etc. All the broadcasters will send a film crew.”

“Even if I upload it here, they will come to cover me. More than anything, my channel will grow tremendously through this announcement.”

“Ha…”

Ha-seong’s words were not much different.

The moment he uploads the announcement to the YouTube channel, all kinds of media will contact him.

But Isabel couldn’t accept it right away.

To make such a big announcement on a hobby like YouTube.

‘It’s because YouTube isn’t very active yet. It’s a natural thought.’

In the future, the number of households that do not watch TV will increase significantly because of YouTube.

But it was still an era where TV was the top priority.

Isabel was also caught up in that stereotype, so she just couldn’t accept Ha-seong’s words right away.

“Anyway, the official announcement will be the day before the camp opens.”

“…Okay. Then I’ll keep that in mind and prepare to respond to the media.”

“Thank you.”

There was no way Isabel could stop Ha-seong, who was a major client, from doing so.

Ha-seong smiled as he looked at her nodding.

* * *

Around the time the camp preparations were coming to an end.

Geier joined last.

“I’m Tony Geier.”

Ha-seong, who saw Geier with his huge physique, shook hands with him.

“I’m Jeong Ha-seong.”

“You definitely have a better physique than I saw on TV. Your physical is outstanding, so your power must be good too.”

“Thank you.”

“But being a two-way player is not easy.”

“That’s why I called Dr. Geier.”

“Hmm…”

Tony Geier touched his beard and nodded.

“The most important thing is that you must follow my training method. If you complain about the training method or raise questions, I will terminate the contract and return.”

“I understand.”

Ha-seong nodded obediently.

He already knew how successful Geier’s theory was.

Even more than the person involved.

That’s why he had no intention of complaining.

When the last puzzle joined the camp, Ha-seong stood in front of the YouTube shooting camera.

“Then let’s start.”

With the filming crew’s words, a red light came on in the camera.

With the signal from the progress team, Ha-seong opened his mouth.

“I’m Jeong Ha-seong. I’m here in front of the camera today to make a major announcement to you. I am going to challenge being a two-way player in the 2011 season.”

His calm words caused a huge ripple among baseball fans around the world.