Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 35

Mound Villain – Episode 35

It’s been a while since I’ve been home.

“Eat up.”

“Thank you for the meal!”

Eating my mother’s food completely relieved the fatigue from traveling home.

“But Haseong, the media has been making such a fuss every day. Are you going to be okay?”

“Honey, he’s eating.”

“I’m fine. Even if the media is making a fuss, there’s nothing they can really do to me, right? And public opinion isn’t even that bad.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

It was natural for my father to react with doubt.

Currently, public opinion was sharply divided between offline and online.

‘Back in 2008, the internet was developed, but not as ubiquitous as it will be with smartphones in the future.’

‘Even in 2020, people who read newspapers were practically extinct. If I had blown this up back then, public opinion would have been completely on my side.’

It was a shame, but there was nothing I could do.

That was just the way things were in that era.

After finishing breakfast, Haseong chose to rest.

He sat on the sofa in the living room and watched TV comfortably.

“The Major League postseason has started.”

My father sat next to me and said.

“Who do you think will win?”

I answered my father’s question while watching TV.

“The Red Sox will win. They were the ones I had the most trouble with when I faced them directly.”

“The guy you had trouble with achieved a flawless inning?”

“That’s how focused I was. Although my performance this season isn’t as good as my reputation, they are still likely to show a strong performance in the short term.”

In fact, the Red Sox were leading the game.

My father nodded as he watched.

That’s when it happened.

Ding-dong!

The doorbell rang.

“Who is it at this hour?”

My father got up and answered the intercom.

“Who is it?”

[This is Lee Eunhyuk from the KBO (Korean Baseball Organization) National Team Technical Committee.]

“Technical Committee?”

[Yes. I’m sorry for coming so early in the morning. I came to talk to Jeong Haseong.]

My father’s gaze turned to Haseong.

Haseong shook his head at the unspoken look that asked if he knew something.

Because he had no appointment.

“Okay. Come on in.”

He pressed the button on the intercom.

It would take some time to come up in the elevator from the main entrance.

In the meantime, my father asked Haseong.

“If it’s the National Team Technical Committee, it’s about the WBC (World Baseball Classic), right?”

“Probably?”

“Are they just showing up without an appointment?”

“I know, right? They have no manners.”

The two fathers frowned.

To have someone visit early in the morning without an appointment.

It was rude.

A little later.

The doorbell rang, and my father opened the door.

There stood a man in his early 40s, neatly dressed in a suit.

“I’m sorry for coming so early in the morning. I’m Lee Eunhyuk, from the Technical Committee.”

“Hmm.”

My father took the business card and examined it carefully before opening his mouth.

“It doesn’t seem right to visit early in the morning without an appointment.”

“I’m sorry. It was a bit urgent……”

“Let’s hear what’s so urgent.”

The three family members and Lee Eunhyuk took their seats in the living room.

“So, can we hear why you came so early in the morning?”

“Ah, I came to recommend Jeong Haseong to join the national team.”

“Join the national team?”

“Yes. Actually, I talked to Jeong Haseong yesterday, but he refused……”

My father’s gaze wavered slightly.

Then, he glanced at Haseong and opened his mouth.

“Hmm, I heard about that.”

It’s a lie.

“Yes? You heard?”

“Yes. Haseong has his reasons for refusing, so I don’t think you should keep recommending him.”

Haseong applauded his father’s acting in his mind.

How could he continue the conversation without changing his expression?

He might be more suited to being an actor.

But Lee Eunhyuk did not back down easily.

“Can I ask why?”

“It would be better to hear it directly.”

My father naturally passed the answer to Haseong.

Was this the experience that came from his father, who had been in trade for a long time?

I thought he was amazing.

Haseong put that thought aside for a moment at Lee Eunhyuk’s gaze and answered.

“My shoulder hurts.”

“Yes?”

My father’s hand, which was holding a glass of juice, flinched.

My mother tried to get up and check on Haseong’s condition, but my father grabbed her hand under the table to stop her.

My father’s experience shone once again.

‘If my mother reacts like she’s hearing this for the first time, they’ll catch our weakness. Because everything we say here will be reported upstairs [to the KBO officials].’

My father must be keeping that in mind as he acts.

In fact, Lee Eunhyuk would have noticed if he had been in his usual state.

However, he did not notice the unnatural movements of his parents due to the seating arrangement and the shocking statement that came from Haseong’s mouth.

“What do you mean? Your shoulder hurts?”

“I think I put too much strain on it because it was my first Major League season. I refused the call-up because I thought I should get a thorough diagnosis and treatment.”

“Hmm……”

Lee Eunhyuk’s face hardened.

“Well, this isn’t something I can decide here. I understand. Do you have a hospital in mind? There are quite a few famous hospitals connected to the association. I can introduce you if you want.”

“Thank you. But my father’s friend is at a university hospital, so I’ll get treatment through him.”

“I understand. I apologize again for the discourtesy.”

“Yes. Please contact me in advance next time.”

Lee Eunhyuk apologized again and left the house.

As soon as the door closed and the door lock was locked, my father turned to Haseong like lightning.

“Son!! Are you hurt?!”

It was my mother who asked before my father.

Haseong smiled at her worried face and said.

“No. I’m fine.”

“Huh?”

“I faked it to get out of this national team.”

My father’s eyes widened.

“You faked it?”

“Yes. If I dropped out of the national team for no reason, I would be at odds with the association. There’s no need to do that, so I made up a reason.”

So far, the KBO has done nothing wrong to him.

Things would be different if they were coercive about joining this national team, but he had also organized his thoughts on how to deal with that.

Then my father said.

“This WBC is likely to have military service exemption benefits. That’s what happened in the first one. Wouldn’t it be better to get on the national team if possible?”

In the 2006 inaugural WBC, Korea finished the tournament in 4th place.

And all the national team players who participated in this tournament received the benefit of military service exemption.

The problem is that this only applies to the first tournament.

“The revision was already made in 2007, so there’s a high possibility that it won’t change.”

“But the congressmen are moving. The Players Association and the KBO are also in contact with the political world, so there is a possibility if positive public opinion is created.”

Currently, public opinion was half and half.

But Haseong had already experienced the future.

The Ministry of National Defense eventually refuses military service exemptions.

Although they achieved the feat of runner-up in the 2nd WBC, the national team did not receive military service exemption benefits.

‘There’s no reason to go to a tournament where I can’t get anything. Even if I get on their bad side because of this, there’s also a way to get U.S. citizenship.’

Haseong shook his head.

“There’s also the Asian Games in the future, so I want to focus on the Major League right now. Just because I did well this year doesn’t guarantee that I’ll be able to maintain my spot next year.”

At Haseong’s firm words, his father pondered for a moment and nodded.

“Okay. If that’s what you want, I understand. I’ll tell my friend to set up your appointment for you.”

“Thank you.”

“What thanks? We’re always on your side.”

* * *

[Super Rookie Jeong Haseong! Injured?!]

Haseong chuckled at the article.

‘Where did they get the information?’

The article came out in less than a day.

Starting with that, articles poured out one after another.

[Did the injury he sustained in high school recur?!]

[Jeong Haseong Undergoes Thorough Diagnosis at Seoul National University Hospital!]

[Major League Super Rookie Couldn’t Avoid the Nightmare of Injury!]

[Is Jeong Haseong’s National Team Selection Going Down the Drain?]

The KBO was as busy as the reporters.

“Are you sure he’s injured?”

At the words of Technical Committee Chairman Park Taegeon, Lee Eunhyuk nodded.

“I confirmed that he received a thorough diagnosis at Seoul National University Hospital yesterday. I have an acquaintance there, and I heard that the atmosphere was quite serious, although I can’t know the exact details.”

“Hmm, so that means he’s almost certainly injured. He was diagnosed with Tommy John related issues there before, right?”

“To be exact, inflammation was found, and if it had continued, he would have had to undergo Tommy John surgery.”

“If he went there again, it must be serious.”

Park Taegeon checked the national team roster.

In fact, the national team was already confirmed.

‘The more pitchers, the better, so I was going to try to squeeze him in even if I had to…….’

There was no need to do that.

He roughly tore off Jeong Haseong’s picture that was attached to the whiteboard and said.

“Let’s go with the existing roster. Exclude Jeong Haseong when requesting cooperation from the Major League Secretariat.”

“Yes.”

That’s how Haseong’s first national team selection went down the drain.

As Haseong wished.

* * *

Around the time the semi-playoffs ended and the playoffs were in full swing.

Only then did Haseong gain freedom.

“Haa-! The reporters who were camping out are finally gone.”

With the news of Haseong’s failed national team selection, the reporters who had been camping out in the apartment complex disappeared.

The residents’ complaints were also a big help.

“Shall we start moving?”

He sat in front of his desk and turned on the computer.

Since returning home, Haseong had not been just playing around.

He spent time gathering all the contract offers that had come through his parents.

‘Agency and management. A total of 32 places contacted me. If I cut out the unnecessary ones from these…….’

Not all of the companies that contacted him were large corporations.

There were also small and medium-sized companies, but there was no need to sign a contract with these places.

‘12 places. I need to find out more information about these places.’

Haseong used the internet to find information about the companies.

It was not difficult to find information because there were quite a few places that had plausible websites.

As Haseong was looking for a few places, his eyes lit up.

“This person is……”

One picture on the main page of the website.

A beautiful woman in a suit stood with her arms crossed.

Her long, straight hair was impressive, and he knew her.

Not now, but in the distant future.

“Isn’t that Midas’s Hand, CEO Kim Hyeryeong?”

* * *

2020 was an era when K-culture was globalized.

The popular boy group G.T.S was dominating the Billboard charts, and various dramas and movies were spreading around the world through Netflix.

They not only advanced overseas, but also achieved tremendous results by taking first place on the world’s best stage.

‘And CEO Kim Hyeryeong was there.’

CEO Kim Hyeryeong was the woman who stood at the forefront of distributing content to the world and making actors known to the world.

She gained fame not only in Korea but also around the world because she achieved such results solely with her own abilities.

‘This woman is going to achieve tremendous success in the future. Wouldn’t it be beneficial for me to go in and preempt it [secure her services early]?’

A sports player’s income varies greatly depending on how they are marketed.

In fact, star players among sports players earned huge profits from advertisements.

The role of management was that important.

‘I think it would be good to draw a line first [establish contact]. But does this also belong to the profits earned from future information……?’

Haseong glanced out the window.

At the same time, he pressed Kim Hyeryeong’s number with his finger.

If it goes against the rules set by God, there will be some kind of change.

But there was no such thing, and he was able to press the call button.

Then, a woman’s voice was heard from the other side of the phone.

[Yes, this is Kim Hyeryeong.]

“Hello? This is Jeong Haseong.”