episode_0348

“Is it true that your profile lists your height and weight as 191cm/96kg?”

“Oh, does it say that? It’s probably from when I first joined. Actually, I’m quite tall, and I’ve gained some weight too. I think I was around 193cm and 113kg today when I weighed in.”

“113kg?”

“Yes, I gained quite a bit.”

“I see. Do you notice any differences?”

“Oh! Maybe it’s because of the muscle? I used to struggle lifting a friend before, but now it feels easier. I used to need both arms and a lot of focus, but nowadays, I feel like I could lift with just one hand. Having one hand free makes it easier to stimulate other areas.”

“Huh? What…?”

“My favorite position during sex is being on top. Everyone, make sure to exercise. It really makes a difference in quality. Oh, it’s YouTube, so I can say this, right?”

“Ha…”

“This guy is insane. He’s crazy about women.”

Choi Sung-cheol, who was conducting a Q&A session, sighed deeply. Since starting content with Ji Maeng-ho, all he talked about was women. It had been suspicious since checking which channel he subscribed to at first, but now it was clear.

Ji Maeng-ho was obsessed with women.

“Does he think this is an adult broadcast channel? Even if kids these days lack morals, isn’t this too much?”

Choi Sung-cheol’s mind was filled with confusion as Ji Maeng-ho continued to make remarks implying sexual harassment due to the absence of women in the Ettube management team. The content that Choi Sung-cheol had planned to last for about 10 minutes was at risk of not even reaching short video length. With courage, Choi Sung-cheol spoke up.

“Um, Maeng-ho player. Well, honesty is good, but instead of those kinds of stories, how about talking about baseball? It might not have a positive impact on your image.”

“Hmm… Is that so? But what’s the point of approaching fans in such a fabricated manner?”

In truth, there was a reason why Maeng-ho acted this way. He had been influenced quite a bit by Rosby, but Maeng-ho had lived in Korea for over 20 years. He knew that talking about such things was taboo. However, he had his reasons for speaking so freely…

“The reporter said that people already know I like women. Instead of waiting to be exposed, it’s better if I speak first.”

During salary negotiation interviews with reporters, Maeng-ho remembered the journalist’s warning to be careful, which led him to decide that it was better to reveal everything now rather than live in constant fear of exposure. With more responsibilities towards women and thinking about the future, he felt it was easier to start building the image of “Maeng-ho has always been like this.” Rosby had also made similar comments in the past.

Moreover, it was a gesture of respect towards his fans. Knowing oneself truly here was a way to not disappoint the fans who supported him, rather than having them find out through an exposé later.

“Even so, this isn’t an adult broadcast, and this is a bit…”

However, Korean society was not ready to accept Maeng-ho’s thoughts for a few more years.

“Ha… In the end, it’s all scripted. Understood.”

Maeng-ho nodded as if to say there was nothing he could do, while Choi Sung-cheol let out a sigh of relief.

“Phew, if he keeps talking about women like this, we might not even get enough content for shorts. Still, it’s a relief. At least the next question shouldn’t involve women.”

“Then, Player Maeng-ho, here is the sixth question. If you were to pick three most special memories from Jamsil Baseball Stadium?”

“Hmm… First of all, I remember Senior Kwanhyung’s 3000th hit game. The emotion from that time still lingers. It made me love AT a bit more, perhaps.”

“Oh, there’s even a video of that moment on YouTube. Have you seen it?”

“No, I haven’t. I’ll make sure to look it up.”

‘Phew, I knew this question wouldn’t lead to such stories. Ah, I should have asked only these kinds of questions from the beginning…’

Actually, even with questions about height and weight, there was no need for such an answer, but the already confused Choi Sung-chul couldn’t even consider such things.

“Well then, any other special memories?”

“Um…, in the locker room…”

“Just a moment. In the locker room?”

What special memory could there be in the locker room? Could it be…? With a hint of doubt, Choi Sung-chul asked Maeng-ho,

“Oh, I shouldn’t have brought this up. Let me edit this part and go back.”

His doubts turned out to be true.

‘If it’s this kind of story, could it be… Damn, did he hook up in the locker room too? Just a rookie who debuted a year ago? Wow, what kind of crazy person is this?’

At Maeng-ho’s absurd response, Choi Sung-chul repeated his dry washing. A rookie who had just passed his first year since debut, hooking up in the locker room? No, not just a rookie, even Woo Kwan-hyung, who has been in the league for over 20 years, wouldn’t do such a thing. Moreover, he only played two games this year, so it must have been last year. This crazy guy who hooked up in the locker room during his debut year.

‘I never expected this from Maeng-ho.’

He had never imagined it. Throughout the year, except for the times when he didn’t follow along the away games, Maeng-ho had always been a fun junior who livened up the dugout for Choi Sung-chul. Sometimes making strange jokes, making the seniors laugh, rebelling against those seniors.

But now, listening to his answers to the questions, Choi felt strongly that it wasn’t a joke meant to be funny. If this clueless crazy guy from the team content department was serious about his words, then there was a high possibility that all his previous statements were not jokes.

‘Damn, he’s just a lunatic.’

While playing baseball, Maeng-ho seemed cool on the outside, but in reality, he was this kind of person.

‘So that’s why he was causing trouble and opposing things at the club?’

Now he understood why the club president had stopped Maeng-ho’s external activities last year. This guy was a disaster. Each word he spoke could lead Korean baseball to ruin.

However, despite that, they couldn’t stop the content production. They couldn’t ruin their first content by reporting to the operations team.

‘Yes, if we edit it out, it might still be watchable. But how did such a guy end up appearing on live broadcast?’

Choi Sung-chul had also seen Maeng-ho’s videos on JiayouTube. He remembered feeling envious while checking the views on that video as the head of the YouTube operations team. To finish a broadcast without any major verbal slip-ups in such a show.

‘Could it be that he’s disrespecting us?’

He stared intently at Maeng-ho, but there was no sign of such intentions in his eyes. Innocent eyes that seemed unaware of what he had done wrong.

‘Yes, it doesn’t make sense for him to deliberately disrespect us. He’s just a stupid guy. I knew baseball players were ignorant, but to be this clueless. But, it’s a real mystery. How did such a guy manage to host a live broadcast until the end? Maybe because there was a woman next to him? Is he blabbering nonsense because there are only men here?’

But on that day, what Maeng-ho’s hands were exploring off-camera would remain a secret that Choi Sung-chul would never know in his lifetime.

As Choi Sung-cheol was wrapping his head, Ji Maeng-ho began reminiscing about the memories from Jamsil Baseball Stadium without any hesitation.

“Well, apart from that, hitting a home run or setting a record? These are the things that leave a mark in memory. Oh, the recent home steal was fun too.”

‘Phew, thankfully. Other memories seem normal. How can I bring them to life through editing? Let’s see where the next question is… Huh? Damn, this is…’

However, there was still one big mountain left. A very ordinary question about hobbies. But an ominous premonition lingered in Choi Sung-cheol’s mind.

“So, on days when you’re not playing baseball, what are your hobbies? Watching movies or dramas, maybe playing futsal or other sports, some players fish, others play golf. These kinds of hobbies. Oh, many also play games. Like League of Legends or mobile games. There are even baseball games.”

While Choi Sung-cheol meticulously filled out answer sheets for unforeseen situations,

“Sex…”

Ji Maeng-ho didn’t disappoint expectations and spat out that word.

“Stop.”

And Choi Sung-cheol made a quick judgment.

“Yes?”

“Let’s wrap up this content here.”

“Team leader…”

With just one word, Choi Sung-cheol swiftly decided to conclude the content, earning respectful glances from the other team members.

“Um… Maeng-ho, sorry, but could we shoot another content later?”

“Huh? Why? I just want to get closer to the fans a bit more…”

“It’s okay. Fans will love seeing Maeng-ho in action on the field.”

“Uh…”

“We’ll see you for another content later. Thank you for your time. Hey, grab the luggage!”

While Ji Maeng-ho was taken aback by the sudden end of the content declaration, Choi Sung-cheol quickly led the team members out of the meeting room where the content was being filmed.

“What’s this? Coming in suddenly and ending it as he pleases. Players aren’t their toys. Sigh. Ah… It’s a shame. Wanted to relax a bit and meet.”

Leaving behind his discontent, Ji Maeng-ho’s first YouTube content filming came to an end.

[Maeng-ho’s second home run of the game today! Maeng-ho turns the game around today! Score 6:3! Maeng-ho dominating today’s game!]

“Wow, that was truly a technical hit. Being able to push an outside pitch over Jamsil’s right fence requires both… technique and power. Without possessing both, such a hit wouldn’t happen, right? Indeed, it’s Maeng-ho. I’d like to say that.”

“If the game ends like this today, AT and Charlotte’s rankings will change, and Charlotte fans will resent Maeng-ho.”

“In reality, one can’t help but think that way. Why return in our game and hit a home run? But what can you do? That’s the power that Maeng-ho, the baseball player, possesses.”

“A two-run to tie the game in the bottom of the third, and a three-run to win the game in the bottom of the seventh. Today, once again, it’s Maeng-ho’s day!”

“Charlotte needs to quickly rally their pitchers to prevent further runs.”

“Nice one! Maeng-ho! Well done!”

“This is just basic stuff. Ouch! Stop hitting me!”

Maeng-ho, receiving cheers from his teammates as he enters the dugout after hitting a home run.

And there was a man watching him, the head of the YouTube operations team, Choi Sung-cheol.

“He’s impressive. Looks normal inside the baseball stadium… Why was it different earlier?”

Unlike the scene during the content filming earlier, Maeng-ho’s appearance on the baseball field was fantastic. A player who hits a tying home run when the team is losing and a decisive home run to turn the game around in a tied situation. The kind of batter every fan dreams of and hopes for.

The image of Ji Maeng-ho, who was obsessed with the woman earlier, was now that of a sports star. The cameraman seemed to share the same sentiment as he captured Ji Maeng-ho hitting a home run in a long take.

“Yeah, fans would love seeing this kind of image, right? From now on, let’s only film Ji Maeng-ho like this. What’s the incentive? Just do victory interviews and capture his likable moments in the dugout.”

Choi Sung-cheol was also a baseball fan. He didn’t want to see Korea’s leading star, Ji Maeng-ho, fall from grace like gossip fodder. While disappointed in Ji Maeng-ho as a person, as a baseball fan, he wanted to see where the journey of player Ji Maeng-ho would lead.

“It’s not like baseball players don’t like women. Hmm… Ji Maeng-ho takes it to another level though. Anyway, I should protect him too, right? Phew, there won’t be any more Ji Maeng-ho content from now on.”

Thus, Choi Sung-cheol, the manager of AT Thunder’s team YouTube, also known as “Etube,” firmly vowed not to produce content featuring Ji Maeng-ho as the protagonist to preserve fans’ fantasies and for the sake of himself and other baseball fans.