episode_0415

– In the Olympic finals, South Korea defeats Japan and wins the gold medal!

…Meanwhile, the highly anticipated final unfolded as a Korea-Japan match, gathering the nation’s expectations. Japan announced their starter, the world’s best baseball player, Ohtani. Although Korea was seen as the underdog, … Following this, in a thrilling showdown, Ji Maeng-ho’s clever game-ending bunt secured victory.

On that day, Ji Maeng-ho recorded 2 hits in 4 at-bats, including 1 home run and 3 RBIs in the tie-breaker, leading Korea to victory…

┗Victory!!!!

┗Wow, how long has it been since we won an international competition? LOL

┗Amazing feat!

┗Who doubted Maeng-ho’s skills?? LOL In the end, Maeng-ho finished it, right?

┗This is insane LOL Shouldn’t they send him to the majors soon?

– South Korean baseball! Olympic champions after 16 years!

…The South Korean national baseball team claimed the gold medal on the Olympic stage after 16 years, concluding their golden journey. After finishing fourth at the Tokyo Olympics, the South Korean national team appointed Lee Geum-hyun as the head coach, known for his success as the “harbinger of victory” since the Beijing Olympics where he won the first Olympic gold medal in baseball…

Since Coach Lee Geum-hyun’s appointment, the South Korean national team consistently achieved good results. It began with the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC), where Lee Geum-hyun led the team to a runner-up finish, followed by victories at the Asian Games and the Olympics, proving why he is considered the “harbinger of victory.”

…Meanwhile, the standout player on the national team was none other than Ji Maeng-ho, the infielder from the AT Thunders. Despite controversies surrounding his personal life during the Olympics, Ji Maeng-ho silenced critics by achieving a batting average of .524, an on-base percentage of .615, and a slugging percentage of 1.810 over six games. In the final, facing off against the “world’s best player” Ohtani, he hit seven home runs, including one against Ohtani, and drove in 17 runs, solidifying his position as the MVP of the KBA league.

…

┗Cheers~! One more round of national pride, please~~!!!

┗South Korea champions!!!!

┗If Maeng-ho goes to the majors after beating Ohtani, isn’t the MVP title his already? LOL

┗Japanese fans are devastated~~~!!!!! Let’s shout~~~~!

┗Wow, witnessing another Olympic victory in my lifetime.

┗LOL LA rookies are going to be so intimidated now LOL

– I appreciate the support, but because of you guys, I had to deactivate my Instagram. Screw that. And the jerk who sent me a picture of his privates, I’ll find you and take you down. Thank you for your support, I’m always grateful, and I will continue to work harder. Look forward to the second half of the season. [Total comments: 30463]

┗Amazing feat!

┗Maeng-ho, your dedication saved Korea once again today. The eternal GOAT in baseball history, Ji Maeng-ho.

┗Maeng-spi surpasses 30,000~~!!!! Amazing feat!

┗The hero who saved Korea from Japan’s invasion, the GOAT in Korean history, Ji Maeng-ho.

┗Maeng-ho is incredible LOL

┗One cheer for memories, one cheer for love, and…

┗”Ji Maeng-ho. The light of my life, the flame of my existence. My sin, my soul.”

┗Damn, Maeng-ho, you were insane against Ohtani LOL

– KBA! Making significant changes to posting rules!

…Following this Olympic victory, Han Yeong-chan, the KBA chairman, announced plans to reduce the posting restriction to four years to encourage talented players to move to the U.S.

…According to the data, the existing eligibility criteria, which limited players with over 7 seasons in the first team to apply for free agency, will be significantly relaxed to players with over 4 seasons of free agency eligibility. However, upon returning from the MLB to the KBA, players will have rights within their original team for four seasons…

According to the new rules, after this season ends, the player most likely to enter the Major Leagues is Han Cheol Grizzlies’ Ju Seung-cheol. Ju Seung-cheol meets the qualifications for the 4-season requirement after this season ends. Furthermore, Ju Seung-cheol proved himself on the world stage by recording a batting average of 0.428 and hitting three home runs at this year’s Olympics.

…

┗Yeah, send those bastards to the majors quickly.

┗Get lost to the majors, please!

┗Wow, I almost threw up at the thought of watching Ji Maeng-ho for another 5 years, but it’s just 2 more years. Sweet deal~~!!

┗Ju Seung-cheol making it in the majors?

┗┗Seems like he will, they say major league teams have been closely watching him since his debut. Judging from the Olympics, he could hit around 7 to 8 times roughly.

┗Why not just let him go straight there? He’s a guy who can explode like Ohtani, how the hell are they going to stop that bastard with those shitty pitchers?

*

The taste of victory was sweet. Actually, winning didn’t feel all that great at the time due to the uncomfortable ending with Ohtani, but thinking about the women who subtly threw themselves at us after the game… it was indeed sweet.

Jia, Hyeon-a, and even players from other countries. Until boarding the return flight after the victory, indulging to the point of forgetting all worries.

“Well then, let’s have one last team dinner before we part ways!”

Returning to Korea, the remaining schedule was a celebratory team dinner for the victory. Even though the second half of the season would start in two days, it wouldn’t be fitting in Korean culture to leave without celebrating the Olympic gold medal, so we had to have the dinner.

Well, I also felt a bit sad to part ways like this.

The dinner held in Seoul ended at a quite decent Korean restaurant, where we drank expensive soju, whether it was paid for by the association fees, provided by the Players’ Association, or covered by the coach’s personal funds.

With the season approaching, we had a brief first round and on our way back home, Won-ho approached me.

“Hey, you’re going to high school tomorrow, right? Let’s go together.”

“Ugh, it’s such a hassle to go…”

“But still, if you say a word, it’ll help pass the time, won’t it?”

“I guess I have to go, then.”

With quite a few medalists emerging from this year’s Olympics, Korea Sports High School, my alma mater and a prestigious sports school, wanted medalists who were alumni to give a word of advice to the growing juniors.

Normally, I wouldn’t have participated in such a bothersome event, but from my position of needing to fulfill 544 hours of volunteer work for military service exemption, there was no reason to skip it. Besides, visiting the school was considered a kind of lecture.

One thing I learned from volunteering in baseball this winter was that filling volunteer hours through lectures was a big advantage.

“Okay, see you tomorrow. You know where to pick me up, right?”

“Got it.”

*

“Mang-ho, stick to the script and don’t improvise, just stick to the script. Got it?”

“Oh, teacher. When have you seen me improvise?”

“Well, yeah, but… it should’ve been portrayed strangely in the news. Our Mang-ho isn’t that kind of kid.”

“The news isn’t always accurate.”

“Is, is that so? Well, adults can be like that too. Still, you know the atmosphere in our school, right? We take relationships very seriously.”

“Oh, I’m not a kid anymore, and I came here to volunteer, why would I talk about that?”

“Alright, I believe you, Mang-ho.”

“Got it!”

Seeing the homeroom teacher after a long time, she didn’t seem to have changed much. In fact, we hadn’t seen each other enough to notice any significant changes. Except during break time or unless there was something important, there wasn’t much time to spare. Given the nature of the school, once the fourth period ended, it was off to practice, so having a homeroom teacher felt more like a formality.

The lecture script handed to me by the homeroom teacher was predictably boring. Annoyingly persistent in contacting me before returning home, the meticulously prepared script was tediously dull.

Today, four Olympic medalists gathered to give a lecture for junior athletes. Wonho and I won gold in baseball. Jihee, my former schoolmate, won a silver in women’s fencing. And Baek Chaewon won a bronze in judo.

“Damn, why are only the girls I’ve slept with here? Well, once they’ve tasted me, sports are nothing special to them.”

As I waited behind the hall for my turn, Jihee avoided my gaze, while Baek Chaewon looked at me uncomfortably. Amidst the awkward silence, after Wonho finished his speech and Jihee left for her speech, leaving just the two of us, Baek Chaewon approached me.

“Mangho, I’m pregnant.”

“What?!”

Damn, that’s a surprise! But pregnant already? It’s been only about two weeks since we were together. Though I can’t be sure, her expression made it seem like she wasn’t lying. But winning a medal in that state? Indeed, mothers are strong.

“Really?”

“Yeah, probably your child, timing-wise. Well, it could also be your husband’s.”

It’s definitely going to be my child between the two. My genes wouldn’t allow otherwise.

“Congratulations. Sister.”

I offered my congratulations first. Regardless of whose child it is, being pregnant is a blessing.

“I wonder whose child it is.”

“But you know you shouldn’t ask me to raise the kid, right?”

“Haha, that’s really funny. How about celebrating after today’s event?”

“Well… I have plans today. Plus, Eunsa called me.”

Celebrating pregnancy with sex is nice, but there was a more important prior commitment today. After finishing the lecture, I had agreed to have dinner at Yi Ki-chul’s house with Wonho.

“Okay, that’s a shame… When can we meet next…?”

“Oh, come on, sister, we made a promise. We’ll only see each other at the Athletes’ Village.”

I drew a clear line because I didn’t want things to get sticky. Although she seemed slightly hurt by my words, she wasn’t a woman worth pursuing frequently. She had a husband, after all.

“Well… I guess I should start preparing for the next Olympics after giving birth.”

“I wish you a healthy delivery.”

As we continued our conversation, Wonho entered.

“I’m so nervous I could die.”

“What did you do?”

“Just read the script and answered a few questions.”

Wonho had been out for about 10 minutes. Since the script was 5 minutes long, he must have spent the remaining 5 minutes answering questions. Investing 10 minutes saved him 4 hours of volunteer time. Indeed, coming was a good decision.

Applause echoed. It seemed Jihee had finished her turn. Now it was my turn. Holding the script, I headed towards the auditorium.

“Oh, it’s Mangho.”

“Wow, it’s Mangho.”

The students murmured. Perhaps it was a fan service after the game; as I waved once, cheers filled the hall. These brats received good education. Walking and scanning the faces of my juniors, I spotted familiar faces. The juniors from the baseball team who sat in the front row, having won gold with Wonho and me.

Among them, the third-year students were freshmen when I was a senior, but now they had quite mature faces. They looked up to me with admiration.

“But didn’t those bastards ignore you before signing with Losby? How about having a gathering after this is over?”

As Losby said, before signing with Losby, there were some guys who used to ignore me. At that time, it was stressful, but…

“Oh, Mr. Losby. They were just kids back then. I’m an adult. Should an Olympic gold medalist worry about such trivial matters?”

I didn’t care now. After all, I was the MVP of the KBA League and an Olympic gold medalist. Moreover, since I started playing, they’ve been winning, so some guys were now showing me respect.

“Your dick is so big, are you really a senior? Senior, back in my first year, you were a senior when I was in the third year.”

“Hey, I heard it on this street. Maengho hyung has really good hearing.”

Our eyes meet. I give a sly smile, which slightly surprises the guy, but soon his expression changes to one of joy. He seems overly happy, almost to the point of making me feel awkward. Well, it’s only natural that he entered this school after seeing me. It’s almost like meeting an idol. Am I his mentor?

Standing amidst the admiring gazes of cute juniors, I look around and see the juniors gathered in the auditorium. I had heard that successful seniors sometimes come back to give speeches here, and now that person is me. It felt like a new experience. Is this the taste of success?

Perhaps it’s because it’s my alma mater, but it feels even more heartwarming. Anyway, enough reminiscing. It was time to get to work.

“Ahem, let’s begin.”

I clear my throat and read the script. The script was filled with clichéd stories prepared by the school. Work hard in sports, effort pays off eventually, what you do in school sports stays with you for life, basics are important—such mundane content.

“Well then, in conclusion, I hope you all work hard in sports and get into good universities or go pro.”

Clap, clap, clap! The sound of applause fills the auditorium. Is it time for a Q&A session now?

“Is there anything you’re curious about?”

“Me! Me!”

“Senior! Me!”

Hands shoot up everywhere, sending eager looks hoping to be chosen. Let’s start with the baseball team juniors.

“Senior! Hello. I’m Kim Sanghyun from the baseball team. May I ask you a few questions I’ve been curious about?”

“Yes.”

The baseball junior’s question was about bulking up. After giving the textbook answer about balancing well, answering a few more questions from other juniors, my allotted time comes to an end. Some juniors looked disappointed, expecting more interesting answers since I answered too conventionally, but it couldn’t be helped.

If I said something strange and they didn’t count it as volunteer hours, it would be a big problem. The homeroom teacher had warned us about that.

Who should I choose last? Then, I noticed a junior who seemed visibly tense and troubled.

“Well then, lastly… Junior?”

As I pointed at him, he seemed taken aback, not expecting to be chosen.

“Uh, I… I… Um… Lately, I’ve been worried because my grades aren’t improving. I’ve been failing in recent competitions, so I’m worried about the future… I’m sorry. Um… I’ll just say it. Should I quit sports?”

The junior asking if he should quit sports… In fact, the fact that he even asked me almost went unnoticed until the very end. You need a reason to quit or a reason to continue.

If not, he wouldn’t have asked such an important question to me. That’s why I wanted to give him a proper answer.

…It felt like looking at myself before meeting Rosby.

Before meeting Rosby, I had similar worries. I was benched, waiting with uncertain anticipation in Kiyeol’s eyes. I had thought about quitting baseball, but I couldn’t.

Becoming a baseball player was my parents’ wish. Regrets about not going home the day before the entrance ceremony and waiting in the dormitory, and resentment towards the coach for granting leave. Such thoughts had lingered for days.

Then, after surgery and rehabilitation, I returned to find my spot gone. Still, I wanted to become a baseball player no matter what, clinging to the baseball team even as a batting pitcher.

“Damn, thinking about it pisses me off. Today, Hyojin noona really screwed up.”

I have to get back at her. Oh, she’s pregnant, so I should go easy.

“…Senior?”

As I remained silent, the junior called out to me.

“Hmm, I see. Are you thinking of quitting exercising? What kind of exercise are you doing?”

“Tennis. My performance isn’t improving… I feel sorry for my coach too.”

“Well, I’ve been through those times as well. Couldn’t even participate in matches and was benched. Teammates giving me looks wondering why I didn’t quit, coaches seeing me as a troublemaker. But I persevered.”

I had put in a lot of effort. It was me, Lee Ki-cheol, who disliked me, so the coaches didn’t favor me either, and there was no one to teach me properly. I was so bad that Rossby cursed at me when he saw me training. If I hadn’t met Rossby, I wouldn’t know how my life would have turned out.

But one thing I could be sure of was that if I had given up back then, the person I am today wouldn’t exist.

Meeting Rossby was lucky, but I learned change-up pitches to impress Lee Ki-cheol and threw balls, hoping he would notice me. I worked hard like that, and eventually, Lee Ki-cheol picked me as a national team pitcher.

Well, it seemed like he picked me to torment me. Anyway, if I hadn’t thrown those change-up pitches, I might not have met Rossby. So, in the end, meeting Rossby was also a result of my efforts.

“If you feel like no matter how much you try, nothing changes, you might want to give up. But looking back, aren’t those moments ultimately what make you stronger?

If those times hadn’t existed, where would I be now? Honestly, before meeting Rossby, I was emotionally weak. Crying all night was routine for me. So, I could have easily crumbled.

“And you’re still young. You like tennis, right?”

“Yes…”

“I like baseball. That’s why I kept pushing myself. I didn’t want to regret later. I kept pushing until the end. High school. You’re still young. Try pushing yourself during high school. Even after graduating high school, it’s never too late. Well, I’m still young too. Anyway, that’s how I did it. If I hadn’t pushed myself like that, I wouldn’t be who I am today. Isn’t it better to do something and regret it than to regret not doing it?”

My words are a bit scattered. They weren’t in the script; they were spontaneous.

It felt a bit cheesy. It was my first time saying such things. But I wanted to share my inner thoughts with my junior who was in a similar situation as I once was.

If I had quit baseball back then, I would definitely be regretting it now.

“And sometimes, pick up trash while you’re out and about. Who knows, maybe once in a lifetime luck might come your way. Anyway, keep fighting. I hope my words have been helpful.”