NOVEL NEXT Chapter 11 - Not Even the Russian President Was Feared (3)
Chapter 11: Not Even the Russian President Was Feared (3)
Shim Woo-hyun, the manager of KH Duty-Free Shop’s company baseball club.
Just 30 minutes ago, he had been making a very rational decision.
‘Yes, there should be no reason to send Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju out to play.’
Shim Woo-hyun prided himself on being well-versed in company politics.
He was well aware of what had happened in the Skybox earlier that afternoon.
‘All the executives who were loyal to the late Chairman Joo Tae-san have switched sides to support Chairman Joo Yeong-eun, right?’
Manager Shim had already grasped the atmosphere within the group.
The KH Group bulletin board on the anonymous employee community was buzzing with discussions about the upcoming executive reshuffle.
Although opinions varied slightly, there was a consensus that Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju would step back from the frontlines of management.
‘If I let Vice Chairman Park play in this situation… I’ll just come across as completely clueless later on.’
There was something nagging at the back of his mind.
‘With a few of our key players away on business trips, the roster is a bit tight…’
Shim Woo-hyun glanced at Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju, who was sitting in a corner of the dugout.
And then at the “mercenary” sitting beside him, fiddling with his phone.
‘In the worst case, I can just send out that guy from China.’
It was at this moment that a chuckle escaped from Shim Woo-hyun.
‘An old man who’s as useful as a sack of barley and a mercenary kicked out of the Chinese league… What a hilarious combination.’
Shaking his head, Shim Woo-hyun turned his attention back to the field—
‘…Hm?’
‘…What?’
‘Wait a minute, what’s going on?’
The game between KH Duty-Free and KH Networks was unfolding much more intensely than Manager Shim had anticipated.
Ball!
Ball!
Ball!
Ball! Four balls, take your base!
When the starting pitcher, who Shim Woo-hyun had trusted, crumbled in the first inning, the few remaining relief pitchers were forced to take the mound one after another from the early stages of the game.
“Whoa!”
“The ball slipped! It slipped!”
“Backup! Backup! Outfielders, back him up!!!”
Just when he was about to give up on the game, thinking ‘Ah, we’re done for,’ the opposing team’s fielders, as if possessed by ghosts, started committing errors in succession, giving them chances.
And since they couldn’t just ignore these opportunities, Shim Woo-hyun had no choice but to use pinch hitters from the early innings.
‘This… This doesn’t feel right.’
And so, the 1st inning, the 2nd inning, the 3rd inning… and finally the 9th inning.
With the score at 14-13, it was KH Duty-Free’s last chance to bat.
It was great that they had a chance with two outs and runners on first and second, but then the next batter in the on-deck circle suddenly raised his hand.
“Manager… no, Coach!”
“What? What’s wrong?”
“Well… I think it’s going to be tough for me to bat. I think I sprained my wrist during the last defensive play.”
“What? Why weren’t you more careful…”
While the players were frantically looking for a cool spray or something to relieve the pain, Shim Woo-hyun turned his attention to the whiteboard on the dugout wall.
‘Damn it, I’ve already used all the players I could…’
There was no other choice.
Clicking his tongue in frustration, Shim Woo-hyun turned his gaze to the corner of the dugout.
“You there, uh… Kim Ji-seop, right? It looks like you’ll have to pinch hit.”
He was slightly concerned that this was someone Vice Chairman Park had brought along, but it shouldn’t be a big deal.
With that thought, Shim Woo-hyun signaled for him to quickly step out—
“But, Coach…”
The “mercenary” that Vice Chairman Park had brought along just smiled bashfully and didn’t seem to move.
“What? Is there a problem?”
“I’m a bit embarrassed to say this, but I have a chronic illness.”
“A chronic illness? What kind?”
“Hemorrhoids.”
“…”
The expression on Shim Woo-hyun’s face clearly showed his disbelief, but the “mercenary” continued nonchalantly.
“I was fine just a little while ago, but suddenly it’s gotten worse… I’m sorry, but you’ll have to send someone else to pinch hit.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Shim Woo-hyun’s annoyance was reaching its peak.
“I’m putting you in as a pinch hitter because we don’t have any other players. What do you expect me to do now?”
“I’m sorry. But it’s fortunate, isn’t it? There’s still another player left besides me.”
“An-another… player?”
Shim Woo-hyun turned his gaze to where the “mercenary” was pointing.
A single bead of sweat rolled down his furrowed brow.
—
“Hey, Qingdao. Are you okay?”
Right after being instructed to go in, Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju asked with a rather serious expression.
“Yes? What do you mean?”
Ji-seop tilted his head in confusion.
“The reason you were always late for lessons… was it because of that illness?”
“What?”
Ji-seop chuckled softly.
“I don’t have any such illness.”
Of course not.
“Isn’t it obvious? I was just acting to get you into the game, Vice Chairman.”
“Really? I thought so too, but… just in case.”
For some reason, Vice Chairman Park looked a bit disappointed.
“I know a really good doctor… I was going to introduce you.”
“…”
As soon as the topic of chronic illness came up, “Sakhalin Park” suddenly started acting all chummy.
Ji-seop had a vague idea of why, but he didn’t bother to voice it.
There were more important things at hand.
“Listen carefully, Vice Chairman.”
Ji-seop placed a hand on Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju’s shoulder and began speaking.
“The opposing pitcher will 100% try to walk you.”
“What?”
Vice Chairman Park glanced at the pitcher on the mound.
“Why would he do that?”
“Come on, I don’t have time to explain everything. Just listen.”
The umpire kept checking his watch, signaling that the substitution was taking too long.
If it wasn’t for the fact that it was someone of Vice Chairman’s stature, he would’ve already been reprimanded.
In any case, the strategy had to be explained quickly.
“The choice is yours, Vice Chairman.”
Ji-seop spoke as he gestured with his fingers.
“If you’re okay with getting on base with a walk, just stand still in the batter’s box. Then you can just walk to first base.”
“And if that’s not what I want?”
Vice Chairman Park’s face showed that he didn’t even consider a walk as an option.
“If that’s not what you want… then choke up on the bat and make sure to make contact with every pitch.”
“Even if it’s a ball?”
“Even if it’s clearly a ball.”
Ji-seop nodded.
“While you’re hanging in there, keep an eye out for my signal. If I open my hand, keep going with the endurance strategy. But if I clench my fists…”
Vice Chairman Park’s eyebrows twitched.
“Does that mean to go for a full swing?”
“Exactly.”
Ji-seop flashed a small smile.
“Of course, it won’t be easy. At your age, even just making contact with the ball will be challenging. But if you can just hang in there until the end…”
At that very moment,
Ji-seop’s eyes gleamed sharply.
“I’ll make you the hero of this game, Vice Chairman.”
—
Ladies and gentlemen, please give a big round of applause! It’s KH Global’s Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju stepping up to bat!
As the stadium announcer’s voice echoed, “Sakhalin Park,” Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju, stepped into the batter’s box.
Although he didn’t show it outwardly, he was actually smiling wryly on the inside.
‘Heh, this is ridiculous…’
The situation itself seemed absurd to him.
He had made enough money, achieved a high social status.
And yet, here he was, causing a ruckus just to step into the batter’s box.
“…”
He wondered what his friend, who had passed away a couple of years ago, would say if he could see him now.
What would his friend have said?
Would he have scolded him, saying, ‘Act your age, you fool,’ or would he have given him a thumbs up, saying, ‘As expected of Sakhalin.’
‘Phew.’
But the real reason Vice Chairman Park Hong-ju was smiling wryly at that moment was something else.
‘Phew! Pheeeew…’
He was nervous.
The very act of stepping into the batter’s box.
‘Hah, this is crazy…’
Vice Chairman Park found this unnerving.
At the age of 72, he thought there was nothing left to fear.
But as soon as he stepped into the batter’s box, his heart started pounding, cold sweat trickled down his face, and his legs started trembling uncontrollably.
‘It’s just an annual company baseball tournament…’
And what deepened his confusion even more was the voice of someone from the dugout.
“Vice Chairman, I can see you’re distracted! Focus, focus! Foooocus!”
It was his “mercenary,” who also happened to be a social baseball coach.
The moment Vice Chairman Park heard his cocky voice, oddly enough, he felt a strange sense of calm.
This realization further perplexed “Sakhalin Park.”
‘How did he notice I was distracted…? What a strange talent he has.’
Vice Chairman Park inwardly clicked his tongue as he adjusted his batting stance.
But the moment Vice Chairman Park truly grasped the “strange talent” of Ji-seop was right after.
Whooosh—Smack!
The first pitch from the KH Networks pitcher.
It was a complete “Arirang ball,” weakly floating over and bouncing once into the catcher’s mitt.
“Ball!”
The umpire declared the pitch a ball without a second thought, and the pitcher nodded in reluctant agreement.
At that moment, Vice Chairman Park realized everything was unfolding just as Ji-seop had predicted.
‘I see.’
Vice Chairman Park nodded slightly as he stepped back from the batter’s box.
‘The pitcher has no intention of actually competing against me. If the ball accidentally hit me… it would cause all sorts of complications.’
Vice Chairman Park also recalled how “Qingdao” had only thrown Arirang balls for the past ten days.
No matter how much he nagged, the guy stubbornly kept throwing those whooosh Arirang balls.
‘He figured there was no way he’d throw a fastball against an old man like me…’
If he claimed that his pride wasn’t hurt at all, that would be a lie.
But there was no doubt that this was an advantage for Vice Chairman Park.
‘Yes, if it were any other pitch, I might worry… but if it’s that Arirang ball that I’ve been hitting over and over for the past ten days!’
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The second, third, and fourth pitches.
Each time Vice Chairman Park swung his aluminum bat, the sound of contact echoed.
Although each ball veered off as a foul, Vice Chairman Park’s swings were enough to astonish everyone who had come to watch the game that day.
“Wow, the Vice Chairman is no joke!”
“Right? How is he hitting like that at his age?”
Of course, some of the so-called “company politicians” glared disapprovingly.
“Tsk, don’t say unnecessary things! I already told you how the higher-ups feel!”
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The fifth, sixth, and seventh pitches.
As Vice Chairman Park’s struggle dragged on, even the most seasoned “company politicians” couldn’t stop their subordinates from cheering any longer.
Park Hong-ju! Hey!
Park Hong-ju! Hey!
Park Hong-ju! Hey!
It was unclear who started it.
But at some point, the name “Park Hong-ju” began to echo throughout KH Cannons Field.
As the excitement grew, the usually timid stadium announcer raised his voice as well.
—Wow, this is amazing! No one expected this kind of relentless showdown! Vice Chairman Park is now facing his eighth pitch!
Park Hong-ju! Hey!
Park Hong-ju! Hey!
Park Hong-ju! Hey!
Of course, the person who was most troubled by this situation was the pitcher on the mound.
Clang!
When Vice Chairman Park fouled off the eighth pitch as well, the pitcher took off his cap and let out a long sigh.
Then, pulling his cap down low again, he sent a signal to the catcher behind home plate.
“…Here it comes.”
It was at this moment that Ji-seop, who had been watching the game from the dugout, clenched his fists.