Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 37

The Mound’s Villain – Episode 37 (37/285)

The Mound’s Villain Episode 37

A few days later.

As expected, Baek Jun-gi broke the story.

[Abuse of Power by a Famous Management Company?]

The provocative title, along with the detailed content, was enough to attract a lot of attention.

[According to the contract exclusively obtained by this paper, it has been discovered that excessive fees and unreasonable clauses were inserted when the management company signed an advertising agency contract.]

The content was substantial as well.

Baek Jun-gi attached a copy of the contract, obtained from an unknown source, to the article.

Thanks to this, the article’s credibility soared.

-This is practically a slave contract, isn’t it?

-Do contracts like this still exist these days?

-Is this real?

-But why is a sports reporter covering a management contract?

-Apparently, baseball players also signed management contracts.

-Wow… they signed with this?

-This seems to violate fair trade laws.

-I should report it to the Fair Trade Commission.

Netizens moved quickly.

And TJ Management also immediately became aware of this fact.

Naturally, Ha-sung received a call as well.

“Me handing over the contract? Didn’t Manager Kim take the contract back then?”

Since he only spoke the truth, TJ Management had nothing to say.

In the end, it became a fight between TJ Management and the media company Baek Jun-gi belonged to.

However, the public’s right to know, when used properly, was a tremendous power.

Despite threats of leaking internal and top-secret documents, Baek Jun-gi didn’t budge.

The public opinion had already turned, so TJ Management could only take the beating.

‘Whew, it’s only a matter of time before the company collapses.’

Since it was a large-scale management company, it wouldn’t collapse immediately.

However, with the public turning against them and people becoming aware, fewer would want to sign with them.

‘More than anything, management companies have no choice but to be cautious now.’

In this situation, places that would demand unreasonable contracts from him would disappear.

And the quickest to act was Kim Hye-ryung.

Buzzz-!!

Ha-sung checked the number on his ringing phone and answered the call.

“Yes, CEO Kim.”

* * *

The next day.

Ha-sung had a meeting with CEO Kim Hye-ryung.

“I will accept most of the conditions Mr. Ha-sung requested.”

“Thank you. Can I see the revised contract?”

“Here it is.”

The contract CEO Kim Hye-ryung presented contained numerous additional clauses.

These were the things Ha-sung had requested.

In fact, what he had requested wasn’t that difficult.

It was based on the fair trade guidelines that would come out in five years.

‘Knowing about this while being involved with management companies back then was a stroke of genius.’

Even five years later, Ha-sung was still playing in the major league.

As the best pitcher in the country, he was incredibly popular.

Naturally, he had contracts and activities in various fields such as advertising and modeling.

Of course, he had gone through several contracts and was connected with management companies.

Thanks to this, in his second life, he could understand their psychology, actions, and even the situation, allowing him to act accordingly.

“There are no major issues. Can I sign?”

“Yes. The places you need to sign are…”

“I roughly know.”

Ha-sung signed the contract with familiarity.

Watching this, Kim Hye-ryung had a somewhat puzzled expression.

‘He knows exactly where to sign. Is it because he’s already had a professional contract before? Anyway, both before and now, he seems quite knowledgeable about contracts.’

It didn’t feel like dealing with someone who had just become an adult.

He didn’t seem naive at all.

That’s why Kim Hye-ryung had to be even more cautious.

“I’ve finished filling it out.”

“Ah, let me check.”

Kim Hye-ryung nodded as she reviewed the documents.

“You did well. Then, would you like to check the model offers that have come in right away?”

“Right away?”

“There’s currently some demand for sports stars. I’ve already checked those places.”

She was a quick worker.

* * *

The meeting concluded.

Leaving the office, Ha-sung was certain that he had made the right choice.

‘She’s well-prepared and handles things quickly. Thanks to her, I’ll be able to earn some profit.’

The management contract wasn’t complicated.

Most of his requested conditions were accepted.

The clause he thought was somewhat unreasonable was removed.

The contract period was three years.

The main content of the management contract was to secure at least two contracts each year.

‘The number of contracts will be zero if I’m demoted to the minor league, though.’

Ha-sung’s market value came from being a major leaguer.

In other words, Ha-sung, as a minor leaguer, had no market value.

It was a harsh reality, but that’s how the market worked.

‘I don’t plan on being demoted, though.’

Ha-sung smiled and got into a taxi.

It was time to prepare for next year.

* * *

A week had quickly passed since he came to Korea.

During that time, Ha-sung dedicated himself to resting.

He focused on eating and sleeping to relieve the fatigue that had accumulated in his body.

Thanks to this, he gained weight and his stamina was recovering.

‘I’ll do weight training a little later, and maybe start doing some cardio now.’

Cardio training was training to improve physical fitness.

It improves the function of the heart and lungs, facilitating the supply of blood and oxygen to the whole body.

Typically, interval training was a program that helped improve cardio.

‘Next year, there’s a high chance I’ll be called up with the expanded roster, not just in September.’

If not, there’s a high chance they’ll call him up in June.

In Major League Baseball, it was common to call up prospects in May to maximize the player’s service time.

Major League service time was based on the registration date on the roster.

If they called him up in May, he wouldn’t be able to complete one year of service time, even if he remained on the roster afterward.

It was a kind of trick, but most Major League teams were using it.

‘I’ve already completed 30 days of service time. If they call me up in May, I’ll end up completing one year anyway.’

That was the basis for thinking they would call him up in June.

If not, they would call him up at the start of the season and use him to the fullest.

‘I’ll soon know which method the executives will use.’

The hot stove league [the period of player trades and free agent signings after the World Series] will begin in earnest after the World Series.

From then on, player trades will become active.

‘If they’re thinking of calling me up from the start of the season, they’ll send Houston away during this hot stove league.’

Chris was famous for not trusting the bullpen.

That’s why he doesn’t invest much in bullpen pitchers.

He often moved pitchers who performed well in the bullpen to starting positions.

With that tendency, he wouldn’t keep two closers on one team.

‘If you’re not prepared, you can’t seize the opportunity even if it comes.’

It was time to build his body while waiting for the opportunity to come.

* * *

Like Korea, the United States was also in the midst of the postseason.

However, teams that failed to advance to the postseason were preparing for next season.

That was the case for Oakland as well.

Chris decided to rebuild the team and was in the process of reorganizing.

In the meantime, he received a call from the president.

Knock knock-!

“Come in.”

Opening the door, a middle-aged man in a neat suit greeted Chris.

He was Donald, the president of Oakland.

“Sorry for calling you in when you’re busy.”

“It’s alright. But what brings you here?”

Donald offered him a seat, and Chris sat down.

He sat in the seat of honor and opened his mouth with a somewhat heavy face.

“The team owner called me today.”

He had an uneasy feeling.

“He said he’s cutting next season’s operating expenses by 10 percent.”

“10 percent? Our current operating expenses are already woefully inadequate compared to other teams. And now he’s cutting another 10 percent from that.”

Oakland was a typical small-market team.

Naturally, its operating expenses were bound to be low.

But to cut operating expenses further?

From the perspective of the general manager, who had to actually run the team, a backlash was inevitable.

“It can’t be helped. Revenue from spectator admissions has decreased too much. In addition, the loss of revenue from failing to advance to the postseason this year is also too great.”

“Isn’t the decrease in admission revenue because the team’s relocation has not been finalized?”

“I know. But what can we do? The team owner has already notified us of the cuts.”

“I’ll meet him directly.”

“It’s no use. He’s already out of the country. He said he’ll be in Europe until next year.”

“Crazy!!”

Chris showed an agitated reaction.

The season was over, but the team owner was leaving his position during the hot stove league, the busiest time for the team?

He wondered if he was in his right mind.

“Does he even have any sense?”

“Hoo, I have nothing to say. We’re in a position where we have to do what we’re told anyway, right?”

“Haa…”

Donald’s words were not wrong.

“I understand.”

In the end, he had to do it.

One way or another.

* * *

After signing the management contract, Ha-sung’s first modeling gig was for sportswear.

“The contract period is set for one year as you requested. Photos taken during that period can be used for promotional purposes.”

“Does that mean everything will be taken down after one year?”

“Yes. And there will be another model coming to the shoot today.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Her name is Eun-ha, a rookie singer. Do you know her?”

“Well, I don’t know. I don’t really follow [know much about] singers.”

“Well, she debuted this year, so you might not know her. She’s a young friend, but they must have double-cast her because her image matches the brand well.”

That could be the case.

Sportswear doesn’t necessarily cast only athletes.

Rather, it was common to use idols that young people liked as models.

“Ah, she’s arrived.”

Photo shoots weren’t a time-consuming task.

Most of them were finished in a day, so he immediately moved with Kim Hye-ryung while discussing the contract.

The filming location was a studio located in Paju.

The contracting company must have spent quite a bit of money, as it was a private studio and the interior was clean and nice.

As they entered, a brand representative approached them as if they had been waiting.

“Ah, Jung Ha-sung. Nice to meet you. I’m Park Sung-jin, manager of Art Sports.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Thank you for being our model like this.”

“I’m the one who should be thanking you for choosing me.”

“Haha, you’re really handsome. And your body is amazing. Ah, CEO Kim. We have prepared a separate waiting room, so you can rest there. The friend who will be shooting with you is said to be a little late.”

“Yes, thank you.”

A private waiting room for the first shoot.

It wasn’t a bad treatment.

‘Is it because of CEO Kim Hye-ryung’s power?’

Ha-sung had a brief connection with the advertising industry in his previous life.

Fortunately, he had a advertising contract when he was a promising player.

At the time, he didn’t have much recognition, so he didn’t even get a proper waiting room or treatment.

But after becoming a superstar, it was different.

Everything changed, from the waiting room to the way the staff treated him.

It was a matter of people’s treatment changing depending on their recognition.

‘The fact that they’re giving me a waiting room even though I just debuted means that CEO Kim Hye-ryung’s abilities are better than I thought.’

He thought he had made a good choice.

Arriving at the waiting room, the two spent their time leisurely while drinking tea.

About 30 minutes passed.

A staff member came to the waiting room.

“We’ll start shooting in an hour.”

“Yes.”

Kim Hye-ryung nodded.

Shortly after.

The coordinator came in and started Ha-sung’s makeup.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve received this [had professional makeup done].’

After retirement, he didn’t even have the chance to take pictures, let alone advertisements.

Naturally, all he used for makeup was lotion.

So there was some awkwardness.

It didn’t really affect him since someone else was doing it.

As soon as the makeup was finished, he could definitely feel the difference.

“Oh my, is it because you’re young? The makeup suits you well, Ha-sung.”

“Haha, is that so?”

“Yes. Your skin tone is alive, and your features are so clear that you could be an actor.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

While he was listening to Kim Hye-ryung’s compliment.

A staff member came in again.

“We’ll start shooting when you’re ready.”

“Yes.”

The first advertisement shoot began.