Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 252

The players were exhausted.

They had finished the long marathon that was the pennant race.

It was only natural that they were mentally and physically drained.

But there was no time to rest.

Because the next gateway, the postseason, awaited them.

In the midst of all that, a break came.

“It’s as sweet as honey.”

As someone said, the rest was as sweet as honey.

Of course, they weren’t resting completely.

They came to the stadium to train in order to not lose their conditioning.

They worked up a sweat, striving to maintain their condition.

But the stability that came from not playing games created a different feeling.

“Ha-sung, it’s all thanks to you.”

Josh, a teammate, said to Ha-sung, who was training.

As he said, they were able to rest well after winning three consecutive games thanks to Ha-sung.

But Ha-sung’s reaction was nonchalant.

“If you know that, then make sure you hit properly in the championship.”

“Haha, your harsh words are still the same. I got it, I got it. I’ll hit properly.”

“I’m not kidding. If you just pay a little attention to your swing, you can hit it well enough. Why are you trying to scoop it up like that?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“With your power, you can hit it far enough just by hitting the ball properly without trying to scoop it up on purpose.”

“Hmm… Do you think so?”

“Of course. You’ll know if you try it out at the batting cage today. Instead of an uppercut swing, try swinging with the feeling of turning the barrel of the bat.”

Josh started muttering Ha-sung’s words instead of answering, as if he had gained some enlightenment.

It was a short conversation and a small piece of advice.

And that’s all Ha-sung could do.

‘Going to the next step is something you have to do yourself.’

He wasn’t a babysitter.

He could give his teammate a little advice from a teammate’s perspective.

But that was it.

Ha-sung didn’t say anything more because he knew that if you didn’t get it yourself, it would eventually disappear.

After a light workout, Ha-sung arrived at the locker room and checked his smartphone.

“It’s Isabel.”

There were several texts and calls.

After becoming famous, many people contacted him.

Not only people he had given his number to, but also people he hadn’t.

Somehow, *sasaeng* fans [overly obsessive fans who stalk celebrities] found out his number and called him every day, giving him a headache.

Anyway, he checked the message from Isabel, one of the important people, and called her.

[Ah, Mr. Ha-sung.]

“I couldn’t answer because I was training.”

[I figured you would be. How’s your condition?]

“I’m good enough to go out and play right now.”

[That’s a very reliable answer. But rest is also important. You still have games left until the World Series, right?]

“Of course.”

[Oh, and also, a meeting has been scheduled with a KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] official.]

“Is that so?”

The KBO had dispatched officials to Major League Baseball.

Not just for a day or two, but they had stationed them there permanently.

Their sole purpose was to get Ha-sung to join the national team.

They used to try to fight for power, but this season, the landscape had completely changed.

‘They’ve finally lowered their tails.’

No matter how high their noses were, Ha-sung’s performance had become so great that it would go down in Major League history, beyond just Korea.

That’s why they had no choice but to back down.

“Has our side’s request been accepted?”

[Yes. When I told them the request, they said they would accept everything. The date is two days from now, and the location is the place you mentioned. And I heard that executives who can answer all questions on the spot will also be there.]

“That’s good. We won’t have to waste time.”

[The old KBO used to be quite frustrating, but it’s nice that we can communicate now, right?]

“I’m glad it’s changed to make it easier to work with. What are you planning to do, Isabel?”

[If you’re okay with it, I’ll accompany you in two days. I think it would be good to meet before the meeting and exchange opinions briefly.]

“Let’s do that. Then I’ll see you in two days.”

[Yes!]

Ha-sung, who hung up the phone, put his smartphone back in the locker.

“The national team…”

* * *

Jung Ha-sung is the best player in existence.

Of course, the KBO wanted him to join the national team.

But the relationship between the KBO and Ha-sung was not good.

“Why were you guys fighting for power in the first place?”

“The old farts tried to flex their muscles and failed.”

“Ugh… Would that even work on kids these days? Above all, he’s a player who has proven his skills in Major League Baseball…”

“What can you do? That’s Korea.”

“Tsk… If the first button was buttoned correctly, we wouldn’t be going through this trouble.”

“What trouble? Thanks to that, I lived comfortably in the United States, right? I watched my favorite Major League games every day.”

“Haha! That’s true.”

Jung-tae scoffed as he looked at his junior smiling brightly, as if he was dumbfounded.

The two were a dispatched team sent by the KBO as Ha-sung’s exclusive team.

They followed Ha-sung’s games and waited so that they could have a meeting whenever he wanted.

It could be said to be reckless, but considering the relationship between Ha-sung and the KBO, they had to make this effort.

On the other hand, it could be said that the relationship between the KBO and Ha-sung was not good.

This was due to the wrong actions of the executives who had tried to gain the upper hand on Ha-sung in the past.

Thanks to that, a perfect relationship of ‘gap’ [superior] and ‘eul’ [subordinate] was formed.

“Still, I’m glad he agreed to meet us.”

“I know, right? I thought we wouldn’t even be able to have a proper meeting until the end of the season.”

“Is it thanks to the Yankees going undefeated in the Division Series?”

“That’s thanks to that. Because he had time, he was able to come out and meet us.”

Ha-sung had time after the Division Series ended.

Thanks to that, he was able to proceed with the meeting with the KBO.

It was then.

Knock knock-!

The door opened with a knock.

And Ha-sung and Isabel came inside.

* * *

The four people, who exchanged simple greetings, took their seats.

“Thank you for taking the time today.”

The conversation began with Park Jung-tae’s greeting.

“Let’s get straight to the point.”

“I understand. The reason we’re here is simple. We’re here to request that Jung Ha-sung join the Olympics next year.”

“As you know, the Major League Baseball Secretariat is also actively cooperating with this Olympics. There will be no major problems with the call-up, and above all, military service benefits will also be included.”

Originally, the Major League Baseball Secretariat was reluctant to call up Major Leaguers for the Olympics.

The reason was simple.

Major Leaguers were all star players and had tremendous value.

If they went to the Olympics and got injured, that alone would be a huge loss to Major League Baseball.

They didn’t think it was an event worth sending them out even if they had to bear the loss.

But now things have changed.

“As you know, baseball has been excluded from the Olympics. The Beijing Olympics were the last. The Major League Baseball Secretariat didn’t care much about this.”

“But now things have changed!”

Han Jung-woo interrupted Park Jung-tae’s story.

He continued the story with his unique bright atmosphere.

“It’s because of Jung Ha-sung’s appearance! Jung Ha-sung’s appearance is bringing baseball into the spotlight all over the world!”

It wasn’t flattery.

Ha-sung is a player who is evaluated to have changed the paradigm of baseball.

He was very popular not only in the United States, Japan, Taiwan, and Korea, where baseball was originally popular, but also in Europe and India, which were barren lands.

In particular, his eloquence and actions have recently drawn great cheers from the younger generation.

Park Jung-tae continued the story.

“The Major League Baseball Secretariat has spent a long time, strength, and wealth on the globalization of baseball. But it has failed every time. In the meantime, an opportunity has come. We don’t want to miss this opportunity, so we are conducting close consultations with the Olympic Committee.”

“In a word, they said they would actively cooperate with the Olympics. That’s why Major Leaguers can be selected for the national team!”

“You know everything.”

The two coughed at Ha-sung’s accurate statement.

“You don’t have to gild the lily anymore. You said you want me to join the national team, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. The national team will try its best to accommodate Jung Ha-sung.”

“Can I trust those words? After joining the national team, the executives will just say that the executives promised it on their own, and then gloss over it?”

“No. This time, we received full authority from the association and came over. If there are any parts you want, please tell us. We can give you a definite answer in this place.”

The KBO didn’t intend to just let it go this time either.

They were thinking of making a final decision with Ha-sung no matter what.

The only thing they could do was to accept all of Ha-sung’s conditions and bring him to the national team.

That’s how much Ha-sung’s position had changed from a year ago.

Currently, he was the best player in baseball history.

Even the KBO couldn’t think of fighting for power with him.

“Good. I’ll join.”

“Re… Really?”

“Yes. However, if my conditions are rejected, I’ll cancel it.”

“O… Of course!”

Park Jung-tae answered in a trembling voice.

That’s how groundbreaking Ha-sung’s decision was.

He never dreamed that the decision would be made so quickly.

That’s because he thought that at least a few days of meetings would continue.

But that’s because Park Jung-tae doesn’t know Ha-sung properly.

‘It’s not bad to be on the national team.’

The biggest merit was military service benefits.

There was enough justification to play on the national team for that reason alone.

‘Above all, my value will increase even more.’

I wonder if there’s a place to go higher than now, but the national team is a different story in Korea, his home country.

In Korea, Ha-sung is a hero himself.

What would happen if he joined the national team in that state?

In a word, it will cause a sensation.

‘I’ll get honor in my hands.’

Ha-sung decided to join the national team, dreaming of a future where he could have both military service benefits and honor in his hands.

* * *

[(Exclusive!) Jung Ha-sung joins the London Olympics national team!]

The news of Ha-sung’s joining the national team was soon reported and spread to Korea.

Of course, the internet was in an uproar.

-Is he finally joining the national team?!

-Is he wearing the *Taegeuk* mark [South Korean flag emblem]?

-Is it a tabloid?

-Isn’t it official yet?

-The KBO is not showing any particular reaction.

-Officially, they say no comment?

-I heard that someone on Reddit saw Ha-sung meeting a Korean with his agent.

-Photos are also uploaded.

-Park Jung-tae and Han Jung-woo seem to have met with Ha-sung.

-Who are they?

-KBO executives.

The news spread quickly.

In particular, as photos of Park Jung-tae and Han Jung-woo meeting Ha-sung were uploaded through Reddit, joining the national team became a foregone conclusion.

And this news spread quickly beyond Korea to the world.

-I heard Ha-sung is joining the Korean national team?

-Wow… Isn’t this Korea winning the Olympic gold medal?

-You have to see it as a foregone conclusion.

-He’s bombing Major League Baseball. What about the Olympics?

-This is a balance collapse.

People began to think of the Olympic gold medal as a foregone conclusion.

In the meantime, the KBO released a statement.

[KBO Technical Committee, Jung Ha-sung’s joining the London Olympics officially announced!]

Ha-sung has joined the national team.