Chapter 6

# Sa-Jik Idol -3-

#

After receiving a massage and having his hair styled at a hair salon, the Oceans’ general manager completed his makeup and confidently appeared before the reporters, clenching his fists and shouting:

"Reporters! Kang Geon-woo will be wearing the Oceans uniform next year!"

At least from what was visible, it seemed that the general manager had stayed near Kang Geon-woo’s house for over a month, persuading him.

"He signed the contract with a record-breaking signing bonus of 1.5 billion won! Of course, a Major League team offered a signing bonus of over 2 million dollars, but I worked day and night to persuade Kang Geon-woo...!"

Of course, not everyone believed it right away.

"General Manager! There are rumors that this was a strategy to confuse the other teams. What do you think about that?"

"There are rumors that Kang Geon-woo’s signing bonus is actually 2 billion won!"

Since these were questions he had anticipated, the general manager handled them calmly.

Soon after, sports news channels were flooded with articles about Kang Geon-woo joining the Oceans.

[Kang Geon-woo Confirmed to Join Oceans with Record-Breaking 1.5 Billion Won Signing Bonus!]

[Oceans’ Sincerity Paid Off.]

[Smokescreen? Or Oceans’ Bold Move with the First Overall Pick.]

- Wow, you know Geon-woo!

- Koolshins, you bastards!

- What’s the problem? Oceans had the first pick and they picked the best player, working hard to get him.

- Is it a crime that the general manager stayed at a hotel near Kang Geon-woo’s house for over a month, visiting him frequently to get him to sign?

- Then why didn’t you just pick Kang Geon-woo from the start? Why cause trouble for other teams?

- Did you tell other teams who you were going to pick in advance? You’re a bunch of BS.

- Was this just a show to make it look like you had a pre-arranged contract with Kang Geon-woo?

- No, that’s not true. Get lost. Our general manager isn’t that stupid.

- Are you crazy?? Are you criticizing General Manager Park?

- This is Oceans’ ‘sincere’ baseball.

- But, does bringing in a high school rookie mean Oceans will be in the championship? You’re full of it.

- That’s true. Oceans = the graveyard of rookies, right?

- Right. Oceans had a Rookie of the Year 36 years ago, and that was the only one in 47 years.

- They bring in promising players, ruin them, and then trade them away, only for them to succeed on other teams. That’s the rule.

- Geon-woo, I’m disappointed. I really supported you going to the Majors.

In fact, the Oceans had also exaggerated the news and created a lot of hype to cover up the ongoing brutal history of managers and the fans' strong criticism of their long-term failure to reach the postseason.

Kang Geon-woo thought it was really fortunate that he didn’t choose the Oceans in his first life before the regression.

‘Are these guys really crazy?’

Which team would put this much pressure on a newly signed rookie? If he hadn’t regressed, he would have felt the immense pressure to live up to the high expectations. Fortunately, Kang Geon-woo had the mental fortitude from his experiences to not be swayed by such things.

Anyway.

The day before meeting the reporters with the general manager, Jung Yoo-ri handed Kang Geon-woo a pair of gold-rimmed glasses without lenses.

"Geon-woo, wear these for the interview."

"Why the glasses?"

"Right-handed aces wear glasses."

Although he planned to make a living as a hitter, he thought it was no big deal to wear the glasses once and accepted them without complaint.

"But I have a question."

"What is it?"

"Isn’t it a tradition for right-handed aces wearing glasses to lead their team to victory and go all the way? Isn’t your wish to have a long career without getting injured?"

After a brief silence, Jung Yoo-ri smiled and turned around, changing the subject.

"Yesterday, I noticed that your right elbow was too close to your body when you swung, putting strain on your 8th and 9th ribs. Let’s try to correct your form to maintain your posture and use less force."

It took her 3 seconds to transform from a die-hard Oceans fan into a competent sports scientist.

Kang Geon-woo looked at Jung Yoo-ri’s back with a smile and asked:

"Should I swing with the glasses on?"

"Want to try it?"

Seeing Jung Yoo-ri’s excited expression, he put on the glasses, attached the sensors, and swung. Although he didn’t fully understand her enthusiasm, he thought it was fine as long as she was happy.

#

"Hello, I’m Kang Geon-woo, the Oceans’ rookie. Please take care of me."

The general manager was sitting next to him, and the reporters were in front.

To be honest, I wasn’t an Oceans fan.

I was a baseball fan, but it was hard to say I was a fan of any specific team.

However, after receiving mental training from Yoo-ri, I was confident that I could appear as the biggest Oceans fan.

When I was younger, I used to act tough in interviews out of pride.

But now?

My body is that of a high school senior, but my mind is that of a man in his forties.

"How do you feel about signing with the Oceans?"

Before the press conference, I kissed the emblem on the uniform I had put on, which I received from the general manager, and answered:

"It’s the fulfillment of a lifelong dream."

A reporter with a skeptical look raised his hand and asked:

"Didn’t you say before that you were only interested in the Major Leagues?"

Was that true?

How can you remember something from almost 20 years ago?

"The Oceans are a more valuable team than any Major League team."

After all, as a baseball player, you’re bound to get criticized no matter what you do.

It’s inevitable that fans of other teams will criticize you. So, I should at least try to minimize the criticism from Oceans fans to make Yoo-ri feel better.

"According to some rumors, your girlfriend is a huge Oceans fan..."

"That was a very important factor in my decision. I want to show my girlfriend an Oceans championship, something she has never seen."

"Have you never even seen the Oceans play in the Korean Series?"

"Don’t insult the Oceans."

The atmosphere suddenly became a bit tense. Hmm. Did I overdo it?

"Do you have any goals as a player?"

"I had three, and I’ve achieved one."

"What are they?"

"Joining the Oceans was my first goal, the second is to win a championship with the Oceans, and the last is to have a healthy career with the Oceans."

#

[Did you see Kang Geon-woo’s interview? When did he become such a die-hard Oceans fan???]

- When asked to say something to the fans, he started talking about seagulls in Busan. Haha.

- They really picked well.

- Praise General Manager Park.

- Geon-woo, I’m so proud of you.

- What a fundamentalist.

- Did he join the Oceans because of his girlfriend?

- Kang Geon-woo seems like a typical middle schooler.

- If he breaks up with his girlfriend, will he go to another team? Haha, that’s funny.

- My sister is Kang Geon-woo’s girlfriend.

- What a load of BS.

- Really? Haha.

- It sounds like a PR stunt, but if it’s true, don’t let them break up.

- Did he originally wear glasses?

- No, his sister gave him the glasses and told him to wear them, and he said he liked them and wore them.

- Was he always the type to listen to his girlfriend?

- He wasn’t originally, but lately he listens to her a lot. It’s like he’s a different person.

- He’s like a Jindo dog now, not a Chihuahwa.

- Don’t treat our ace like that.

- Haha.

- But he said he’s only going to be a hitter, not a pitcher.

- ???

- Why???

- No way. A guy who can throw 160 km/h shouldn’t be a hitter.

- He’s just trying to get attention.

- He’s a pathological liar.

- Did you believe that? He’s clearly just trying to stir things up.

#

Judging from the public reaction, it seems the Oceans’ plan worked quite well.

Even though they failed to make the playoffs again and fired the manager (though it appeared to be a resignation), the negative perception of the team was significantly reduced thanks to the draft show and my signing.

It’s funny to think that just signing a high school rookie would make people think we’ll win the championship next year.

Of course, I’m not just any high school rookie.

I got a hint from Hyun-soo’s self-deprecating comment:

"Oceans fans are the type who will find any small reason not to give up on this team."

It’s definitely a unique team.

While focusing on individual training, the 2027 season came to an end.

The Oceans finished in 10th place for the third consecutive year, slipping from 6th to 10th place with a losing streak at the end of the season.

The Thunderbirds, who finished 8th last season, advanced to the Wild Card game in 5th place and faced the Angels, who won and advanced to the semifinals against the 3rd-place Bulldozers.

The Bulldozers, who finished 2nd in the regular season and were the previous year’s Korean Series champions, showed their resilience by defeating the Angels and the Vikings, but lost to the Changwon Pirates in the Korean Series.

"Geon-woo."

"Yes, Father."

"Go out for a bit, Dad."

"Where are you going?"

"To scratch the car of the neighbor downstairs."

Although he said that, he didn’t seem as excited as when the Pirates won the championship.

Mother said that he was considering whether to switch teams again because I joined the Oceans.

"Yoo-ri’s dad is teasing him, calling him a migratory bird, which is making him even more conflicted."

Hmm. Is that important?

"Would you prefer if I didn’t go to America?"

On a different note, I was curious about what my parents thought.

Mother laughed and answered:

"To be honest, I was a bit disappointed when you said you were going. But your father was even more disappointed. Still, he supported you when you said you were determined to go. Be nice to your father. He’s a bit down because you haven’t been playing catch with him lately."

Did I used to play catch with my father a lot?

I don’t think so.

"Is that so?"

"You haven’t been playing catch with him lately."

Ah, we used to play catch a lot.

I heard two uncles shouting from the apartment stairs.

"Do you remember when we last won? It was when we were in elementary school!"

"Your team is finished!"

"We just won a few minutes ago, so what do you mean by finished?"

"You’re dead next year!"

Mother and I laughed at their argument.

"They still act like kids, don’t they?"

Still, it’s nice to see.

After the divorce, I got into a lot of trouble with my father. I used to argue with him about what I did wrong, and we had big fights and drifted apart.

I’m glad I can fix everything now.

- Yoo-ri: Uncle suddenly knocked on the door and teased us.

- Yoo-ri: Dad is so angry, he’s drinking soju. Haha.

As soon as the message arrived, my father came home. I said to him with a strange expression:

"Father, do you want to go play catch?"

He was very happy.

"Oh, catch. Sure. I haven’t played in a while. I’ll teach you how to throw the ball properly."

I should have played with him earlier.

But now I can play with him a lot more.

#

"Just become an Oceans fan again."

"Ugh, no."

"Why not?"

"Do I need a reason to dislike it?"

"I’m an Oceans player now."

"You’re going to play, but you won’t cheer for the Oceans?"

"Because of Uncle Jong-seok?"

"Cheering for the Oceans almost gave me high blood pressure. Do you want me to do that again?"

"But you still like the Oceans, don’t you?"

"Who said that?"

"I can tell just by looking at you."

"Tell what? Ouch!"

"Are you okay?"

"Ouch, my back. I must have twisted it a bit while throwing."

"You should exercise more."

"Wait until you’re my age."

"Father."

"Ah, okay."

"I’m sorry."

"What? Did you break your promise to go to the Majors?"

"Not just that, but I have a lot to apologize for. I’ll help you up."

"Geon-woo. Sigh."

"Yes."

"You don’t have to suddenly act like an adult."

"Huh?"

"I mean, you seem to have grown up a bit lately."

"Have I?"

"Well, suddenly giving up your dream... I thought maybe you were doing it for us."

"Hehe. Don’t worry."

"There are things you can only do when you’re young, and things you should enjoy at that time. You’re still a kid to us, so it’s okay to talk to us about your decisions."

"Um, I understand."

"I thought you were all grown up, but you’re still a kid in some ways."

"I’ll make a promise if you make one too, Father."

"What is it?"

"To go to the hospital regularly with Mother."

"What? I’m as healthy as a horse."

"You twisted your back after throwing 10 balls."

"...Tell Mother I threw 100."

"Then I’ll make the appointment."

"You brat."

"Yes."

"You’ve become a good son."

"Don’t be silly."