Chapter 7

# Sajik Idol -4-

#

Two couples in their forties.

They were ordinary people.

The two men were office workers, one woman was a nutritionist, and the other was a housewife.

It was hard to see them as people who would attract media attention, but as soon as they came out of the apartment, a reporter followed them.

"Hello. I'm Lee Yong-gil, a reporter at BBS. I have a few questions about Kang Geon-woo. Would you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"Oh, Geon-woo is insisting that we go for a health checkup. What's the matter?"

Lee Yong-gil, a die-hard Oceans fan, immediately thought of a new headline upon hearing this: 'Baseball genius Kang Geon-woo, first thing he did with his 1.5 billion won signing bonus was to get his parents a health checkup.'

"Oceans fans are very curious about Kang Geon-woo. I came here hoping to write a good story."

"Please take care of our Geon-woo."

"Excuse me, but may I ask about your relationship with him?"

"I'm a Geon-woo fan who lives in the apartment below him. I prayed so hard for him to catch a baseball at his first birthday party. I even have the ball from his first win in elementary school."

Another headline flashed through Lee Yong-gil's mind: 'Asking Kang Geon-woo about his non-blood-related uncle fan.'

"Oh! Then, by any chance, about Kang Geon-woo's girlfriend..."

"Do you know my daughter?"

"There's a rumor among Oceans fans."

"What kind of rumor?"

"That he decided to join the Oceans because of his girlfriend."

This time, Kang Geon-woo's mother chimed in.

"It might be true. They've been spending so much time together lately. Yooli really likes our Geon-woo, and Geon-woo follows her a lot. I saw them teaching the Oceans cheer song the other day."

The reporter took notes. This could be a good source if Kang Geon-woo does well with the Oceans. 'The Oceans' lucky goddess who led Kang Geon-woo to the Oceans.'

"Mr. Reporter, are you an Oceans fan?"

"Uh? Yes. Well, I'm an Oceans fan before I'm a reporter."

"Please take care of our Geon-woo."

"I'm looking forward to it."

Kang Geon-woo's father, who had been watching silently, finally spoke.

"He's my son, so why are you asking me to take care of him?"

"Then, are you going to ask me to take care of him?"

"Mr. Reporter, please take care of him."

"Of course. I'll take even better care of him."

#

"Hey! Kang Geon-woo!"

Yooli burst into the office where the SMC was placed, her face flushed, and opened the door with a bang.

What's going on?

I don't think I did anything wrong.

"Sis, you're here?"

I called her 'sis' even though I didn't do anything wrong. Maybe it would make her less angry.

But Yooli didn't seem to care whether I called her 'sis' or anything else.

"What's this?"

What is it? Is it something serious?

"What is this?"

"You, you...!"

Yooli, who doesn't cry easily, looked like she was about to burst into tears. I threw the bat and approached her.

"Why, why?"

"When did you do this?"

Looking at the paper Yooli brought, it was...

A health checkup result.

"I got it done when I made the reservation for our parents. Why?"

I pretended not to know. Luckily, there's a 99% chance she's not angry with me.

"...You didn't even tell me."

"Are you crying?"

"Who said I'm crying?"

"How was the health checkup?"

"...They said there's something in my colon."

"What? Is it serious?"

"They said it can be removed easily if caught early..."

"That's a relief."

"They said it could have been serious if it was a few years later."

Just then, the phone rang.

"Wait a moment. Hello?"

I heard my mother's voice.

-Geon-woo.

"Yes."

-Dad...

"What's wrong with Father?"

-He has early-stage hemorrhoids. Oh, Yooli's dad was teased so much for getting hemorrhoids from doing the team laundry.

It's a relief it's early-stage. After hanging up, I saw Yooli standing awkwardly with a pout.

"Are you worried?"

"...Thank you."

She finally managed to say it, and I couldn't help but smile. Then Yooli burst out in anger.

"Why! Why are you smiling!"

"Because you're cute."

"Ah, really. Kang Geon-woo, you're so annoying..."

"Why? Can't I think you're cute?"

What can I do about being cute? Yooli, having nothing to say, huffed and sat down, wrinkling her nose.

"You seem to have a lot of colds."

"...Do you want to die?"

"I want to play baseball, not soccer."

She quickly covered her face with both hands, but I saw her laughing.

"Oh, you have this kind of sense of humor? You really were laughing, right?"

"I was just covering my face because I was annoyed."

"Crying and then laughing..."

"I didn't cry or laugh!"

I want to tease her more.

"Did you cry and then laugh?"

"..."

...That expression is a serious one.

I picked up the bat as if nothing had happened.

"Hmm. Shall we start?"

"..."

"Why?"

"Hey, Kang Geon-woo."

"Yeah?"

"Illu."

"What for?"

"...Just come to Illu."

Yooli spread her arms. If it's this, I'll do it without a word.

#

After the baseball season and the postseason end, the baseball world becomes noisy with talk about the championship team.

Once that dies down, other stories start to emerge.

[25 players have obtained free agent status from the KBO.]

19 out of the 25 declared free agency. Three players from the Oceans became free agents, and Yooli is a fan of one of them, the national team third baseman Park Jeong-shin.

"What are you doing?"

"Park Jeong-shin might go to another team..."

She looks incredibly down.

I don't have a lot of memories about the KBO, but I know that Park Jeong-shin went to the Irons.

The Oceans, having lost all three of their internal free agents, desperately went on a panic buying spree, and the two players they brought in turned out to be duds.

Yooli's dream is for the Oceans to win the championship.

Thinking about it, the team seems to be in a mess.

Not just the free agency, but also the appointment of a new manager. The Oceans' manager resigned, and the Irons' manager's contract ended.

[Is Kim Hyung-yong, the championship-winning manager, a possibility for the Oceans?]

-If Kim Hyung-yong comes, the Oceans players will all lie down.

-Before that, Kim Hyung-yong will die from stress.

-It's a showdown: Kim Hyung-yong's hypertension vs. the Oceans' players' demise. Who will be faster? Haha.

[The Gwangju Irons, unable to re-sign Lee Kyung-beom, are considering between a club legend and a foreign manager.]

-What about Kim Yong-hwa?

-If we're going to get Kim Yong-hwa, we might as well keep Lee Kyung-beom.

-Who would hire a manager who has led the team to the bottom for two consecutive years?

Anyway, time is passing. I was told to rest and not participate in the final training because I threw a lot in high school. It's said that only about half of the newly drafted players are participating in the final training.

The Oceans' quality control coach sometimes visited me.

At first, he taught me training methods, but after seeing me train with Yooli and the SMC a few times, he left it to my autonomous training.

"You're definitely different. The other guys are busy playing around... Do you train like this every day?"

"Yes. Here's my schedule. Would you like to see it?"

"Hmm. Okay. You're doing well. Still, it will be different once you join the pros."

"I'll prepare hard and participate in the spring training."

Yooli's family discussed who would become the Oceans' new manager every day, and I didn't say anything.

If my joining the Oceans doesn't change the future, I think I'll get along with the new manager.

But it might not be the case.

The Gwangju Irons appointed Oh Dae-seo, a club legend, as their new manager. Not long after, news broke that Park Jeong-shin signed with the Irons.

[(Breaking) Park Jeong-shin signs a 4-year, 70 billion won contract with the Irons.]

-Is the front office crazy? They had to sign Park Jeong-shin.

-The Irons' manager went to see Park Jeong-shin right after signing.

-It's well-known that Oh Dae-seo has been taking care of Park Jeong-shin since middle school.

That's what free agency is like.

Outfielder Yang Jae-hyun went to the Daegu Engines, and another outfielder, Kim Sung-ho, went to the Suwon Diamonds.

The Oceans fans were in an uproar, but after Kim Sung-ho signed with the Diamonds, news that a new manager had been signed made the situation a bit calmer than when Park Jeong-shin signed.

[Oceans appoints Hugh Breadman as new manager.]

[Former Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas manager Hugh Breadman accepts Oceans' offer.]

Well...

At least it's someone I know.

We might be able to communicate better.

#

Hugh Breadman was the defensive coach when I played for the Oakland Athletics. I know he spent a few seasons with the Oceans before returning to the majors.

The Oceans fans are happy that a foreign manager has been appointed, even though they don't know much about Hugh Breadman.

"Since he's a foreigner, he might use rookies more boldly. Maybe Geon-woo will debut right away?"

It might be... No, even though my game sense has declined, I think I can still be a starter if I get back into form.

Especially considering the Oceans' situation.

Anyway, Hugh Breadman is quite a hot-tempered person. I don't know much about his time in the KBO, but he's knowledgeable about baseball.

I want to get some game experience, but I can't. Players signed with professional teams can't even play in amateur leagues.

I spent my time doing personal training, going on dates with Yooli occasionally, and playing catch with my father.

[Oceans signs free agent reliever Kim Jeong-hyuk from the Vikings!]

[Former Bulldozers outfielder Bae Young-han signs a 4-year, 78 billion won contract with the Oceans!]

Yooli's family was very happy, saying these were the exact players they needed, but knowing that both would become duds, it was a bit...

Well.

It's not something I can change. If the Oceans are to win the championship as Yooli wishes, these two need to perform well. From what I know, Yooli's father used to curse Bae Young-han a lot.

Time continued to pass, and the two families spent Christmas together.

"..."

"Merry Christmas."

"Ah, I'm so annoyed."

Christmas with family. The date didn't happen, and Yooli's mouth was wide open.

Still, I had a pretty good Christmas.

They say you don't know what you have until it's gone.

I'm glad to experience this harmonious relationship again.

A few days later.

I became an adult again, and time passed quickly.

[Busan Oceans. Spring training roster announced, including rookie Kang Geon-woo and No Kyung-woo.]

"Our Geon-woo. Don't cry because your sis isn't there?"

I was selected as one of the two rookies to participate in the spring training. Maybe because we've been together almost every day for half a year after the regression, Yooli seemed quite upset about being apart for a while. She still acts tough, but her eyes are full of regret.

"I'll do well. Don't worry and take care of yourself. Thanks to you, I've trained well, so I'll go and make a big impact. Let's go on a date when I come back."