episode_0038

“Pant, pant.”

“14 minutes 46 seconds.”

“Pant, pant. How was that? Is this level okay?”

“I think you need to put in a little more effort. It’s decent for high school level, but…”

Pant, pant. Still, we were top tier at our school. But it wasn’t easy to speak up against her cold face. Are real pros on a different level?

When I first ran 4km, I had a good time of under 15 minutes.

“Well, since the warm-up is done, shall we move on to the next measurement?”

“There’s more?”

“I told you. It’s a stamina test. You weren’t thinking we’d just run and be done, right?”

“Can’t we take a short break?”

“These are tests conducted by actual teams. You shouldn’t collapse at this point.”

Damn.

“The next test is the side step shuttle run. The side step shuttle run, you know?”

I had tried it at school before. Was that an agility test?

“…How many more are left?”

“We’re considering finishing with a flexibility test and the shuttle run.”

“…Today wasn’t supposed to be a day for aerobic exercise…”

“It’s good to have a fitness test before joining a team, right?”

Damn, I got into this by mistake. I just came here thinking about swinging a bat a few times!

*

“His physicality is definitely monstrous.”

Although my flexibility was slightly lacking, overall, my records weren’t bad. The initial record for the 4km long run was 14 minutes 46 seconds, and there were hardly any players in the first team who ran like that.

For the shuttle run, it was 136 times, and for the side step shuttle run, 80 times in 2 minutes. In terms of athletic ability, I could be considered top-tier in all aspects. Although my flexibility was a bit lacking.

However, a strange discomfort lingered in Soyoung’s mind. While her stamina was good, what was it? Did her approach to the tests bother her?

“Is this really how pros train? It seems brutal…”

“We don’t do this every day, but fitness tests are conducted like this.”

It was true. Fitness tests conducted to join spring camp were done in this manner. Of course, after the tests, even the players panted like beasts.

“Pant, pant. Are you sure?”

“Yes. Players who fail the fitness test won’t be taken to spring camp by the team. Mr. Maengho. With this level, you should put in a bit more effort, right? It would be embarrassing if a first-round pick were to be eliminated from spring camp, wouldn’t it?”

The records were good, but if they were praised here, it was obvious that Maengho would be satisfied with that.

“Is today over then?”

“No. Tests are tests. Training is training. We also need to practice batting. The physical burden felt by the players is unimaginable for Mr. Maengho. The daily physical burden on players playing games is similar to what Mr. Maengho is feeling now.”

“Hah, are only monsters in the pros? You want me to swing a bat in this state?”

If Maengho could ask Rosbi a question, he would know that Soyoung was lying, but unfortunately, Rosbi was currently unavailable. After the players finished the fitness test, they rested for a day.

However, Soyoung wanted to see how Maengho, whose stamina was low, would perform. Professional baseball demands extreme stamina with 144 games a year. It was quite important to see what performance would be shown when stamina was low.

“If you can’t do it, there’s nothing you can do. But I have no choice but to inform you of this fact as the head of AT Thunders’ operations.”

At Soyoung’s words, the tiger that had been sprawled on the floor rose, placing its hand on the ground. No, it wasn’t Soyoung’s words that made the tiger get up. The real reason the tiger got up was the pitiful look in Soyoung’s eyes that seemed to be staring at him.

Soyoung’s expression was originally expressionless, so she hadn’t actually looked at him with that kind of gaze, but it seemed that way to the tiger.

“Damn, can’t act weak in front of a woman. Can’t keep going like this.”

The tiger calmed his trembling hand and found a baseball bat. Holding the bat seemed to bring him a sense of calm.

“Well, since you seem to have rested enough, shall we go to the batting practice field?”

“I guess recovery is quick when you’re young. Feeling like a first-round pick?”

At Soyoung’s words, a smile bloomed on the tiger’s face.

“It’s cute how he gets up even though he looks like he’s about to die. Wait a minute!”

At that moment, a thought flashed through Soyoung’s mind. Combining the man’s peculiar behavior of showing off and the indirect questioning through Instagram, she began to form a certain idea.

“Is he doing this because I’m here?”

Even as she caught her breath, seeing the tiger making what he thought was a cool expression, Soyoung’s thought turned into certainty.

“Shall we go then? Haha.”

“Yes.”

“He might be able to grow a bit more. Well, better than the employees who underestimate women. Still, he looks cute when he’s so obvious.”

Watching the tiger walk ahead with trembling legs, Soyoung inwardly chuckled. Despite his unreasonable demand to push his limits, his determination to see it through to the end didn’t seem bad.

“Maybe he’s a better player than I thought. I should send today’s results and have a tailored workout program for Jimangho based on his physical condition.”

*

“My stamina has hit rock bottom. I didn’t even smoke….”

His hand trembled as the bat flew towards the safety net.

“Why did I waste my time like that…?”

Memories of the fun times with Hyojin noona and Hyuna flashed through his mind…. Come to think of it, it wasn’t a waste of time, was it?

“Are you feeling very tired?”

Imitating a line from a cartoon character from his childhood and having frivolous thoughts, he was approached by Cheon Soyoung, who had been watching his batting.

“Oh, sorry. The bat slipped from my hand. Could you give me some spray?”

“No, I think it’s best to call it a day here.”

Do real pros go through tests like this swinging a bat? His hand was less shaky. But showing this in front of a woman felt embarrassing, so he hid his trembling hand and spoke up.

“I can do more.”

“It’s okay. I think I’ve seen enough for today.”

Cheon Soyoung’s gaze was cold.

“Are you disappointed…?”

Feeling slightly sorry for someone who had worked hard to pick him, he wondered if he had been a bit negligent in his training lately.

“No, I’m not disappointed. But, as you know, overdoing exercise isn’t good, right? That’s why I mentioned it.”

“Haha. I’m not usually this bad in terms of stamina, but today feels strange. Haha.”

His face turned red. Feeling exposed without makeup. If there were Rosbif, he would have joked around to lighten the mood, but it’s a pity there’s none now.

“She’s too difficult to handle.”

Saying this, most women have approached me with kindness. Except for Hyuna. Well, except for the first time I met Hyuna, she was friendly too.

Anyway, I thought I was quite good-looking and had a good physique, so I wasn’t used to receiving such cold looks from women. Moreover, while being in the baseball club, I didn’t have much contact with women, and it was only after meeting Rosby that I got to know women.

So, can we say that it’s a bit difficult to deal with women without Rosby?

“I don’t know if it’s because of Rosby, but when I stand in front of that woman, it feels like I’m going back to my old self….”

It felt like going back to the time when my self-esteem was crushed while being a batting pitcher. Meeting her cold gaze directly made me feel like my self-esteem was diminishing just like back then.

“Well then, I’ll stop here for today.”

I felt like I wouldn’t be able to focus even if I continued, and it seemed right to stop here as it felt a bit forced. I shouldn’t risk getting injured for no reason.

“Player Maeng-ho. Based on the medical test you did last time and today’s physical test, I’d like to help you with your diet. Is that okay?”

“Diet management? Aren’t you busy? Taking care of my meals…”

“What are you talking about? Of course, it will be provided by the team. I didn’t mean that I would personally manage Maeng-ho’s diet, did I?”

Ugh, her gaze became even colder than before, making the surrounding air feel like it was freezing. The words about managing my diet slipped out without passing through my brain.

“Uh, well. Because the team is busy….”

I awkwardly laughed again.

“First, I’ll ask the coach how the diet works at Hanche High School and provide lunch and dinner for you. I’m a bit concerned about losing weight. Also, I want to adjust the exercise routine in consultation with experts, although I don’t know about training, is that okay?”

“Oh, sure. I’m fine with that.”

“And.”

“And…?”

“Player Maeng-ho has overall good physical abilities, but the test results show that flexibility is a bit lacking.”

“Oh, flexibility.”

“How do you work on flexibility exercises?”

“Just, like stretching before training as they do at school…?”

“Hmm… Since Player Maeng-ho has a large build and a lot of muscle mass, it’s more important to work on flexibility exercises. Moreover, as an infielder who needs to throw a lot, it would be good to have separate flexibility training.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. Like Pilates.”

“I’ve never tried Pilates before?”

Pilates, isn’t that something women do?

“Your expression seems rather displeased.”

Did I make it that obvious?

“I understand. There’s still a perception that Pilates is an exercise for women to shape their bodies. However, many teams include Pilates in their essential exercise programs. Our AT is one of them.”

“Oh, I see.”

“In the future, it would be good for you to train here on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the morning and learn Pilates on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.”

“Got it. But where do I learn it? I don’t know any places.”

“You can learn it at a center run by the team instructor. I’ll let you know.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. You’re a first-round pick for the team. As I mentioned before, there are high expectations for Player Ji Maeng-ho, both from the team and personally.”

“So, those expectations weren’t shattered after seeing me today?”

“No.”

“But your expression was so cold that I actually got a little nervous.”

“Well, my expression is usually like this, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

She looked even prettier when she smiled or had a faint expression. As I remained silent while thinking about that, she spoke first.

“So let’s stick to that pattern until the end of the final camp. Except for competition days. I don’t want to push you to compete, but we can’t avoid it, can we?”

“Probably, the school might not agree, right?”

“As expected. I’m not a pitcher.”

“Understood. Then I will train as the team leader said. I’ll go wash up then.”

Pilates… It may seem like a bit of a waste, but it wasn’t so bad to receive care as a first-round pick. They take care of my diet, plan my exercise routine. I think I can see how much AT Thunders values me.

“Well, it would be better if they took care of this training schedule with money, wouldn’t it?”