Chapter 5

Sajik Idol -2-

#

On the day of the draft, I was at Yurie's house with my family.

It seemed that Oceans was preparing to pull a fast one. They were planning to make a media play by showing their sincerity and negotiating after the nomination, if I attended the draft site, other teams would catch on.

"Those Oceans bastards."

Father grumbled. Being a Changwon Pirates fan, he didn't seem to like the Oceans GM's strategy.

"You shouldn't complain after getting to eat expensive beef."

Yurie's father scolded him. The two were the same age, and once both Oceans fans, but now...

"Those who can't play baseball are just scheming."

"This year is different."

"Didn't you say that about 40 years ago? And how many places is Oceans now at the end of this season?"

"The season isn't over yet. And you should speak properly. It's only been about 30 years."

"Let's see. It's been... since they last won the Korean Series."

"Do you have the right to say that? You were the one who tried to set fire to the trash can at Sajik Stadium after losing a baseball game and got hit by your sister-in-law."

"What? When did I?"

"2010 semifinals."

"Right. I remember that. It was shortly after Geon-woo's first birthday party."

"No, dear. When did I...?"

"Hey! It's starting!"

Die-hard fans are always childish, not just in Korea, but also in the U.S.

Hyeon-su, whose smartphone had been confiscated by Yurie, shouted, and the two uncles stopped their argument.

- Hello, KBO fans! We are now starting the professional baseball draft. First, it's the turn of the Busan Oceans, who have the first pick in the first round.

As the host finished speaking, the camera focused on the Busan Oceans' GM, Park Jun-ki.

The GM adjusted his tie, bowed to the people gathered at the draft site, and put on a determined expression.

Then he took the microphone.

- The Busan Oceans are nominating...

We all knew this person would call my name, but for some reason, everyone was holding their breath and watching the TV screen.

The GM bit his lip slightly and slowly opened his mouth. It seemed a bit forced, as if he was acting.

- The Busan Oceans nominate pitcher and hitter Geon-woo Kang from Kimhae High School.

"Oceans Geon-woo!"

"Congratulations, Geon-woo! And Geon-woo's mom!"

"Sis! Give me my smartphone now!"

The house got noisy, and so did the draft site.

From all over the draft site, voices like "What?", "Geon-woo Kang?", "What about Byung-sung?" could be heard.

[Name: Geon-woo Kang. Position: Pitcher/Hitter.]

[Date of Birth: September 17, 2009.]

[School: Kimhae High School.]

[Type: Right-handed pitcher and hitter.]

[Physical Condition: 188cm/84kg.]

The camera showed an empty chair, and my profile appeared on the screen.

The host seemed a bit flustered.

- Ah, yes. Defying everyone's expectations, the Busan Oceans have nominated Geon-woo Kang as the first overall pick. Geon-woo Kang, who declared his intention to enter the Major Leagues, did not attend this event... Yes. We will have to wait and see what the results of Oceans' choice will be. Next, it's the turn of the Daejeon Meteors! Daejeon Meteors, please make your nomination.

As the camera focused on the Meteors' table, everyone looked flustered.

Then the Meteors' GM urgently shouted.

-Time! I request a time-out!

The Oceans GM was trying to maintain his composure, and the GMs of other teams were looking at the Oceans GM with various expressions.

- Ah, a time-out request has been made right at the start. Yes, we will give 2 minutes to the Meteors.

"We should pick Byung-sung."

"Byung-sung? They don't have a pitcher."

"Your team doesn't have a pitcher either."

"Can't Geon-woo pitch and hit?"

"But our son doesn't want to pitch, right?"

"Our son-in-law throws 160?"

"Who's your son-in-law?"

"Father-in-law. I'll raise a glass."

Timing it perfectly, Yurie's father smiled and raised his glass, while my father looked at me in disbelief. Mother laughed, finding the scene amusing.

And Yurie shook her head.

"Ha...kimchi soup..."

I saw her lips curl up slightly when she turned away.

#

"Brother Geon-woo. Look at this."

Hyeon-su, my future brother-in-law, is an Oceans superfan and practically lives in the Oceans gallery.

[Damn, did the brainless GM go crazy and use the first overall pick like this?]

"They all think you won't go to Oceans."

"Why?"

"Well..."

Hyeon-su showed me comments on another post.

[They offered 2 million dollars in the majors, I wouldn't go either]

-If Geon-woo goes to Oceans, is it even possible to develop him?

-If I were you, would I want to join such a team?

-Haha, typical Oceans pick

-Oceans' specialty: not knowing when they're failing

-Even if they bring Geon-woo, they'll probably only use him as a pinch hitter, damn Oceans

"Nobody believes it?"

"It's kind of a 'Oceans being Oceans' vibe, but there are also comments like this."

-Is this a scam if Geon-woo goes to Oceans??

-If they planned this in advance, what can we do?

-Our GM is too timid to do something like that

-Really, he's an expert at making other teams happy through trades, but he's doing this?

-Even if he gets criticized, I hope he really brings him in...

-Other team fans, you've been had. Oceans has been grooming Geon-woo since he was a kid, so he won't betray them

-Really? But Geon-woo's dad is a Pirates fan?

-Yeah, but the Pirates are out, and your team's first-rounder had elbow surgery

"It's a complete mess right now."

"Did you write a post too?"

"I wrote one."

"What did you write?"

"This."

[Hello, I'm Oceans rookie Geon-woo Kang.]

The kid likes Oceans, but he's a bit of a troublemaker, though he hasn't caused any major issues. The content was nothing special.

Ah, he did write one, but that was before the regression.

Yurie's parents were attacking my father.

"Hey, traitor. You should return to Oceans now."

"Right. Your son is joining Oceans, so you should come back too."

"..."

But my father remained silent.

Mother was having a conversation with Yurie.

At the draft, all teams except Oceans requested a time-out in the first round.

-The Vikings nominate catcher Dong-seok Woo from Ulsan High School.

With the Vikings' nomination, the first round was over.

Dong-seok Woo.

It was familiar, but not quite.

Ah, I remember. A player my father really liked. He was supposed to be the Changwon Pirates' first-round pick.

"So, can we start spreading the word that Geon-woo is going to Oceans?"

Oceans will likely start their media play soon. But they asked us to keep it a secret until today.

"Yes. As long as it's not a media interview, it should be fine."

As soon as I said that, Hyeon-su started tapping away on his smartphone to write a post on the Oceans gallery. Yurie was already on the phone with an Oceans fan friend.

"Our Geon-woo? He said he wants to stay in Korea because he misses me, even though he could go to the Major Leagues. What do you think? It's true, right?"

She was beaming.

I didn't expect her to be this happy.

I thought she was just coolly supporting his decision to go to the Major Leagues, but it turned out she really believed it.

#

The Oceans GM booked a long-term stay at a hotel near our house.

And he's being followed by reporters.

[Oceans GM, 'I nominated Geon-woo Kang in the first round to show my sincerity. Nothing is finalized, but I will do my best.']

[Oceans' bold all-in? Or a waste of the first pick?]

[Oceans fans' expectations and concerns. Who is Geon-woo Kang? A 160km/h fastball pitcher and a .680 hitter in high school.]

[Kimhae High School coach, 'I have no information.']

[Oceans GM, 'I'm putting everything on the line to persuade Geon-woo Kang.']

[Despite the rookie draft issues, rumors of the Oceans manager's dismissal are smoldering.]

September came, but it seemed that this year's Oceans would not be part of the fall baseball.

"Next year will be different."

Yurie's father often said that.

Father always said the same thing.

"Shouldn't it be different, not just a little, but a lot?"

Mother, who is not particularly interested in baseball but speaks her mind, couldn't understand why the two of them always fought over baseball.

She reportedly told the reporters who chased her to the front of the house:

[Geon-woo's mother, 'I don't know much about baseball, but it seems to be what my son is best at.']

I gave Yurie's mother dozens of signed balls. I saw two Oceans flags in one corner of the living room. They seemed to be the famous twin flags.

The baseball coach and players often asked me if I was going to Oceans. I just said it was a possibility.

My routine was the same. Especially, the first-round picks of each team are often exposed to the media or receive attention on social media, but it had nothing to do with me.

Training, posture correction, exercise.

Ah, one more thing was added recently.

"Hmm. Passed."

Yurie nodded solemnly. It was nothing special. I learned the Oceans cheer song.

It seems she was worried because there are many die-hard Oceans fans.

She was concerned that I might be unfairly criticized or blamed for poor performance, given the attention and high expectations.

"Don't do anything to be criticized."

"I won't."

"If someone asks for a signature, do it well."

"Of course."

"Don't make a sour face after signing the contract."

"Smile?"

"Smile brightly."

"I will."

"If you have nothing to say, just sing the Oceans cheer song. They'll like it because you have class."

Yurie is quite a perfectionist. I didn't always understand her, but now I know she's doing this for me.

According to Hyeon-su, even if you prove your loyalty, you'll be harshly criticized if you don't perform.

But that's the same in the U.S. Baseball fans, regardless of time and place, seem to have similar tendencies.

By mid-September, I had developed a balanced batting stance. I plan to steadily upgrade my posture to match my physique as I increase my muscle mass.

I still need a bit more muscle, but with the help of my mother, a former nutritionist, I'm managing my diet well and building a good body.

The next day, Oceans' elimination from the fall baseball was confirmed.

"Aren't you watching baseball?"

Yurie, who always had Oceans games on and helped me with my posture correction through SMC, didn't turn on the TV. She answered my question like this.

"Baseball? Which team?"

"Oceans."

"Is there such a team? Oh, the new team being established next year?"

Is this what Oceans fans do to escape reality?

Two days later, a news article reported that the Oceans manager had resigned. The chief coach would lead the team as interim manager for the remainder of the season.

"Geon-woo."

"Uh-huh?"

"When you meet the GM, could you ask who the next manager will be...?"

This was the first time she looked so dejected since the regression.

The manager is an important factor. Regardless of my skills, I'm still a high school student who hasn't signed a professional contract.

The GM stamps in every day. We've agreed on the contract, but I haven't signed it yet, and he's fooling the reporters.

"The manager is not yet finalized. We are considering various options, including domestic and foreign managers."

Then I remembered.

After regressing to high school, I had been so focused on Yurie that I had forgotten this fact.

In the past, Oceans had also fired their manager and brought in a rather unconventional one.

"Well, the time has finally come."

The GM looked relieved.

Now it's time to end this media play.

"15 billion won signing bonus."

The GM extended the contract and said.

"I didn't cut a single penny. I strongly insisted on it..."

He seems to be trying to take credit again.