Chapter 33

Genius Coach - Chapter 4

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Jung Yoo-ri and her brother Jung Hyun-su were watching a baseball game with their father, Jung Jong-seok, while eating galbi.

"Ah, why is the umpire doing that?"

"Ha, it's hilarious to see Pukdong getting kicked out."

"Do you find that funny?"

The siblings always bickered. Jung Hyun-su couldn't understand why Kang Geun-woo liked his sister, who always picked fights no matter what he said.

Their father took a long sip of beer and said,

"He did well. It's better than being a pushover."

The former coach was too gentlemanly.

He would just laugh even if the team suffered a loss, and he never showed a fighting spirit.

Even when Hugh Breadman waved his finger in front of the opposing coach during a bench-clearing incident, his mouth movements became a popular meme among Ocean's fans.

As the siblings continued to argue, their father intervened.

"Stop fighting. Watching you two...? Oh? Isn't that your mom?"

It made sense why the galbi was so big but not visible. When he asked the kids, they said they didn't know.

"Huh? Mom?"

"Mom?"

"You didn't tell them you were going?"

There was Oh So-hee on the TV screen.

Wearing sunglasses, her hair tied up, and with a determined look, she was shouting and waving two flags like a general.

"Wow... Mom... Betrayal..."

"Even Dad didn't know?"

Jung Jong-seok swallowed hard.

Yeah. The past when he fell for that look came to mind.

But there was a familiar face next to Oh So-hee.

"Isn't that Geun-woo's mom?"

"Really?"

At that moment, Jung Jong-seok's smartphone rang.

- Neighbor Traitor: Hey, did your wife go to Jamsil too?

- Neighbor Traitor: I thought she didn't come home today, but I didn't know she went to Seoul...

- Neighbor Traitor: (Photo)

- Neighbor Traitor: They're having a blast

- Neighbor Traitor: I ordered chicken. Want to have chicken and beer while watching the game?

"Seems like Geun-woo's dad didn't know the women went to Jamsil together."

"Hey, why did you go without me if you were going with the girls?"

"You have school tomorrow."

"It's a holiday tomorrow!"

"Then, do you want to go to Seoul with Dad now?"

"Your dad's work?"

"Should I say my daughter needs surgery?"

"Dad, what about me?"

"Where do high school students get holidays?"

"Should I say Dad needs surgery?"

"These guys are really something."

"You take after your mom and dad."

"True, but..."

A little while later.

The TV screen focused on Oh So-hee again, and Jung Jong-seok stretched out his arms to cover the children's eyes.

"You've already seen it, right?"

"Mom is baking bread!"

"Kids shouldn't see that."

Jung Hyun-su took out his smartphone and started typing.

[My mom is baking bread on TV and answering questions]

- What? Is your mom a quad?

- Yeah, I just saw your sister baking bread

- Yeah, she ordered galbi and went to Seoul to watch the game alone

- So, is your sister a goddess of the KOL?

- Yeah, I got hit by a galbi chop from my sister yesterday

- No way, she wouldn't do that

- You must have done something to deserve it

- Geun-woo's gift got ripped and he got hit

- You bastard

- Don't mess with the goddess, you'll die

- Why are you guys taking her side when you don't even know her?

- Don't you know what happens when you mess with the KOL?

- If it's true, prove it

- I'll send a signed ball to the first five people who comment below

- Sir

- I respect you

- Really? I don't believe it

- Me

- I'll send a signed ball to the first five people who comment below

- Okay, I'll stop

- Bastards, you're just happy to comment

- This guy is mad because he didn't make the top five

- Hurry up and be mad, it might be better for you to lose your wrist

Jung Yoo-ri, who was peeking at Jung Hyun-su's smartphone while eating galbi, suddenly stood up.

"Dad, I'm going out."

"Where to?"

"Jamsil."

"What?"

Jung Yoo-ri went to her room, grabbed her bag, and rushed out. The two men left just blinked and turned back to the TV.

"Son."

"Yeah."

"Don't meet baseball fans."

"Is Dad unhappy?"

The inning ended, and a highlight of Oh So-hee waving a flag was shown. Jung Jong-seok sighed and said,

"No, it's not that... I wish she had taken me with her..."

#

In the first inning, when the Oceans scored a run, the fans said,

- This is the strongest Oceans, lol

In the fifth inning, when the Bulldozers scored two runs to take the lead, the Oceans fans screamed,

- Damn, they can't play baseball at all

In the sixth inning, when Lee Si-wook hit a three-run homer, the fans who had criticized him started looking for the traitors.

- Bash the heads of those who insulted King Noru

- Wow! Noru!

- Don't insult him for eating a chocolate pie now

In the seventh inning, when the Oceans bullpen blew up,

- H A

- Shouldn't the manager be beheaded at this point?

- What the hell is Jotae-yong teaching the pitchers?

- The entire coaching staff should be executed

Then, in the eighth inning, when Kang Geun-woo's two-run double broke the tie,

- Everyone except the hitting coach should be fired

- But isn't Geun-woo good at baseball?

- Then, he should be a great hitter

- What are you killing him for, you murderers? Is not being good at baseball a capital offense?

- Then, life imprisonment (no parole)

However, in the eighth inning, the bullpen blew up again.

- Let's start a boycott of Daeyang Life

- The starter should pitch the whole game, no matter what

- Why is the score 14-9?

- Today's runs allowed: Lee Hoon 4.2 innings, 5 runs; Jung Min-ho 0.1 innings, 4 runs; Song Hyung-wan 0.2 innings, 2 runs; Park Eun-soo 1 inning, 3 runs. It's a complete mess

- Haven't they retired yet?

- Why didn't Kim Jeong-hyuk play today?

- Yeah, Kim Jeong-hyuk is the best in the bullpen

- It will be better when Jo Hyung-oh returns

- Jo Hyung-oh is better as a setup man, not a closer

- Then, who will be our closer?

- Can't Geun-woo be the closer? He throws 160

Anyway, the 7-2 record was still good, so the reaction wasn't too severe.

Moreover, fans were still happy to see Kang Geun-woo positioning himself wider than usual to cover for the limited range of third baseman No Kyung-woo.

[Our God Geun-woo is a power-hitting shortstop and a great defender]

- Yeah, he's usually stable, but his defense today was amazing

- He almost covered the whole third base

- If his defense is so good, why did we give up 14 runs?

- Hahaha, if he's that good, he should have stopped all the hits

- You idiots, how can a shortstop stop walks and home runs?

#

Jung Yoo-ri took a taxi to the airport and boarded a plane. Fortunately, there was a flight she could board without much waiting.

She was worried that the game might end before she arrived, but the Oceans were getting hit so much that the game was unusually long.

'Maybe I overdid it?'

Or, since she was coming anyway, she should have come earlier to watch the game.

Actually, she knew her mom was going.

She just pretended not to know.

What kept bothering her was the letter Kang Geun-woo had written.

Her boyfriend wasn't a great writer, and the content was nothing special. If she had to summarize, it was something like, "I wrote this because I wanted to see you and like you."

For some reason, it made her heart ache. It kept bothering her. Even though the letter didn't contain any deep thoughts, it felt like it conveyed a deep emotion.

The game was lost, but she didn't care. She just had this strange feeling of wanting to see Kang Geun-woo's face. She never thought she would fly to see the guy from the apartment above.

She waited outside the Jamsil Baseball Stadium. She wasn't sure if she would be able to see him this way, but she couldn't think of a better plan.

After the game, the players would come out after some time, and fans would wait to see them.

"Oh, the winning streak is over."

"If they had put in a pinch runner when Park Yihyun got a hit, it would have been fine, right?"

"The pinch runner was caught stealing, and the defensive replacement, Jo Yong-su, dropped the ball while blocking. It was a complete mess."

"Really, it was hopeless. But at least the two home runs by the air conditioners and Kang Geun-woo's defense were worth watching."

"Not just worth watching, but major league level."

The "air conditioners" referred to the team's designated hitters, Wolfpack and Lee Si-wook, who were called "fans" and "air conditioners" when they hit home runs.

Jung Yoo-ri smiled contentedly. None of the fans waiting to see the players, or even those just passing by, were criticizing Kang Geun-woo.

Even the Bulldozers fans were impressed.

"Did you see Kang Geun-woo? If he joins, the Pirates and Vikings will be crushed."

"He's a waste for the Oceans."

"Frankly, I thought the Oceans fans were exaggerating, but he's really good."

"Where are we going to find a rookie like Kang Geun-woo?"

"Our rookies are good too. He's just that good."

'If he joined our team, it would be great.'

One of the highest compliments a fan of another team can give.

The Oceans fans calling Kim Gwon-jong and Park Yong-jae "Ocean-jong" and "Ocean-jae" was in the same vein.

Of course, the fans of those players would react by saying, "Is he crazy? Join the Oceans?"

The first to appear after the game was Yang Daegun. He bowed to the fans, apologizing.

"I'm sorry... We should have won..."

He might have had a trauma from chicken legs. But with the team's recent good performance and the bullpen's blowup, the fans' reaction was much better than Yang Daegun expected.

"It's okay! Captain! Stand tall!"

"Yang Daegun! Yang Daegun!"

"We'll win tomorrow!"

Yang Daegun was a bit surprised by the fans' attitude but passed by with a happy face.

"King Si-wook!"

"Oh, King Si-wook? That's ridiculous. Oh, what a joke. I'll eat well. Yes, thank you."

Lee Si-wook was quite popular despite the criticism.

When a fan handed him a chocolate pie, he smiled and took it, making a V sign.

A few more players passed by. Occasionally, some fans would shout, "Go for extra batting practice!" but overall, the atmosphere was warm.

When Kang Geun-woo appeared, the crowd got noisy.

"Geun-woo!"

"Kang Geun-woo!"

"Go! Geun-woo!"

Yoo-ri stood up, happy to see him. But Kang Geun-woo was surrounded by fans, signing autographs.

She felt a bit hurt for some reason. Even though Kang Geun-woo hadn't done anything wrong, just...

"Yes, yes. We need to do better tomorrow. Thank you for your support."

Maybe it was strange to see her boyfriend smiling and answering a female fan he didn't know, or maybe it was strange to see him so adept at handling fans.

Jung Yoo-ri stood there. She knew he was popular and felt proud of it.

But somehow, he seemed distant. Not like the childhood friend and boyfriend from the apartment above, but like a star.

She thought about not telling him that she had come back and forth.

Suddenly, Kang Geun-woo lifted his head and found Jung Yoo-ri.

"Just a moment. I'm sorry. Just a moment."

She wasn't sure if he was looking at her in that noisy, crowded place, but somehow he found her.

Kang Geun-woo, who had been smiling and signing autographs for fans, jumped over the safety barrier and stood in front of Jung Yoo-ri before the security could stop him.

"Yoo-ri?"

"Uh...?"

She was a bit surprised. She had come to surprise him, but why was she more surprised?

Still, she felt relieved. Kang Geun-woo was standing there with a bright smile, a smile he showed only to her, not to others.

"Hey, how did you find me?"

She wasn't in some remote place; she was among the crowd.

Regardless of the murmurs from the crowd, Kang Geun-woo answered.

"I don't know. I just thought it would be nice if you were here, and you were."

What could she say to that?

Jung Yoo-ri just blinked and looked at Kang Geun-woo. Then, a thought came to her.

"But don't you have to go?"

"Well, did you come alone?"

"No, Mom and your mom are here too."

"Really?"

"Go in then. Don't worry. Call me!"

Kang Geun-woo thought for a moment and said in a slightly dejected voice,

"Okay. I'll call you later."

As he turned to leave, he whispered,

"I really missed you. Thanks for coming to see me. I feel much better. I'll see if I can find some time and call you."

Kang Geun-woo left, and the crowd's attention turned to Jung Yoo-ri.

Thanks to Kang Geun-woo's words, she felt a bit better and quickly left to call her mom.

"Mom, where are you? I'm at Jamsil."

- What? Jamsil? What are you talking about?

"Mom, I saw you on TV and wanted to watch the game too, but I came too late and it was over! Let's watch the next game together!"

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Wednesday, April 12, 2028, Jamsil Baseball Stadium.

The second game of the season between the Busan Oceans and the Seoul Bulldozers.

- Yes, the Oceans' first inning offense. Leadoff hitter Hwang Seok-gyu walked, and Bae Young-han's single to center put runners on first and second with no outs! Up to bat is Kang Geun-woo!

- With the fifth starters facing off, we might see a hitting battle today. It might not be good for the manager's heart, but the fans will enjoy it.

Kang Geun-woo felt good after meeting Jung Yoo-ri in the morning.

For some reason, he felt a bit more relaxed.

His condition felt much better, and he didn't even care about the argument between the manager and the chief coach.

'Whoever does what.'

He just wanted to show Yoo-ri, who came to see him from afar, a winning performance.

- The pitcher