Two couples in their 40s.
They were ordinary people.
The two men were office workers, one woman was a nutritionist, and the other was a full-time housewife.
It would be hard to say they were people worthy of media attention, but as soon as they left their apartment, a reporter followed them.
"Hello. I’m reporter Lee Yong-gil from BBS. I’d like to ask you a few questions about Kang Geon-woo. Do you have a moment?"
"Oh dear, we're actually on our way because Geon-woo insisted that we get a health check-up. What’s this about?"
As a hardcore Oceans fan, the moment Lee Yong-gil heard that, a new headline popped into his head: “Baseball Prodigy Kang Geon-woo’s First Move After Signing 1.5 Billion Won Contract: A Health Check-up for His Parents.”
"Oceans fans are very curious about Kang Geon-woo. That’s why I came to hear some good stories for an article."
“Please take good care of our Geon-woo.”
"Yes, but you don’t seem to be Kang Geon-woo’s father. If you don’t mind me asking, what is your relationship to him?"
“I’m a fan who lives in the apartment below Geon-woo’s. I prayed so hard for him to catch the baseball during his first birthday party. I even have the ball from his first victory back in elementary school.”
Another headline flashed through Lee Yong-gil’s mind: “Asking Kang Geon-woo’s Unrelated Uncle-Fan About Him.”
“Oh! In that case, by any chance, do you know about Kang Geon-woo’s girlfriend...?"
“Are you talking about my daughter?”
“There are rumors among Oceans fans.”
“What rumors?”
“That Kang Geon-woo chose the Oceans over the Major Leagues because of his girlfriend…”
This time, Kang Geon-woo’s mother chimed in.
“That could be true. They’ve been spending so much time together lately. Yuri is very fond of our Geon-woo, and Geon-woo really likes her too. Just recently, I saw them together and they were practicing the Oceans’ cheer song.”
The reporter took notes. This would be a great story if Kang Geon-woo did well with the Oceans. ‘The Goddess of Fortune Who Led Kang Geon-woo to the Oceans.’
"Are you an Oceans fan, journalist?"
"Pardon? Yes. Well, before being a journalist, I am an Oceans fan."
"Please take good care of our Geon-woo."
"I'm really looking forward to it as well."
Geon-woo's father, who had been quietly observing, finally spoke up.
"He's my son, so why are you asking him to take care of him?"
"Then why don't you ask him to take care of him as well?"
"Journalist, please take care of him."
"Oh, of course! I’ll make sure to take even better care of him."
* * *
"Hey! Kang Geon-woo!"
I was already in the office where I left the SMC, doing light swing training, when Yuri burst in through the door, her face flushed.
What’s this about?
I don't think I did anything wrong.
"Noona, you're here?"
I didn't do anything wrong, but I called her noona just in case. If she’s mad at me, maybe this will soften her up a bit.
But Yuri didn’t seem to care at all whether I called her noona or whatever else.
"What is this?"
What could it be? Am I in trouble?
"What’s ‘this’?"
"You, you…!"
Yuri, who usually doesn't cry, looked as if she might burst into tears. I threw the bat aside and approached her.
"Why, what's wrong?"
"When did you do this?"
When I looked at the paper Yuri was holding, ah.
It was a health check-up result.
"I booked it for them when I made the reservation for my parents' check-up. Why?"
I pretended not to know. Fortunately, there's a 99% chance she's not mad at me.
"...You didn’t even tell me."
"Are you crying?"
"Who's crying?"
"How's the check-up result?"
"...They said there's something in the colon."
"What? Is it serious?"
"They said since it was caught early, it can be removed easily..."
"Well, that's a relief."
"They said if it had been a few years later, it could have been serious."
And at that moment, the phone rang.
"Hold on. Hello?"
It was my mother's voice.
- Geon-woo...
"Yes."
- Your father...
"What about Dad?"
"It's the early stage of hemorrhoids, they say. Oh, gosh. Yuri’s dad teased him so much, saying he got hemorrhoids from doing all the laundry for the team."
Thank goodness it’s just the early stage. After hanging up the phone, I noticed Yuri standing awkwardly with a pouty face.
"Are you really worried?"
"...Thanks."
Since she was struggling to speak, I couldn’t help but laugh a little. That made Yuri suddenly snap.
"Why! Why are you laughing!"
"Because you're cute."
"Ugh, seriously. Kang Geon-woo, you’re so annoying..."
"Why? Can’t my noona be cute?"
What can I do if she's cute? Yuri, seemingly at a loss for words, made a sound like "hmpf" and sat down, scrunching her nose.
"It sounds like you’ve been sniffling a lot."
"...Do you want to die?"
"I think I’d rather play baseball than soccer right now."
She quickly covered her face with both hands, but I saw her laughing.
"Oh, so this is your kind of humor? You definitely laughed, didn’t you?"
"I covered my face because I’m annoyed."
"If you laugh after crying..."
"I wasn’t crying or laughing!"
I really wanted to tease her more.
"Did Ulleungdo or Oryukdo not laugh?" (T/N: The two are referring to islands in Korea. The phrase "Did Ulleungdo or Oryukdo not laugh?" is likely a figurative way of saying, "Wasn't this so funny or absurd that even something as still and unchanging as an island would laugh?" It emphasizes how something was so humorous or ridiculous that even the most unmoving, silent things (like islands) would react.)
"..."
...That expression is her seriously giving me the cold shoulder.
I gripped the bat as if nothing had happened.
“Hm. Shall we start?”
“...”
“What’s wrong?”
“Hey, Kang Geon-woo.”
“Yeah?”
“Come here.”
“For what?”
“... Just come over here.”
Yuri spread her arms wide. Well, if it's something like this, there's no reason to argue. I just had to do as I was told.
* * *
When the baseball season ends and the postseason concludes, the baseball world is abuzz with stories of the season’s champion team for a while.
Once that buzz dies down a bit, new stories start to pop up.
[25 players have qualified for free agency in the KBO.]
Of the 25, 19 declared for free agency. Three players from the Oceans team became free agents, and Yuri is a fan of one of their star players, Park Jung-shin, the national team’s third baseman, who just became a free agent.
“What are you doing?”
“It sounds like Park Jung-shin might be going to another team...”
She was incredibly downcast.
I don’t have a lot of memories about the KBO, but I do remember that Park Jung-shin went to the Irons.
I also recall that after losing all three of their internal free agents, the Oceans went into a panic and hastily engaged in some “panic buying,” only for both players they signed to turn out to be busts.
Yuri’s wish is for the Oceans to win the championship.
Upon reflection, it seems like this team is in worse shape than I initially thought.
It's not just about free agents, but also about the new head coach appointment. The positions of the Oceans' head coach, who voluntarily resigned, and the Irons' head coach, whose contract ended, are both vacant.
[Champion maker Kim Hyung-yong, a possible candidate for the Oceans' head coach?]
ã„´If Kim Hyung-yong comes, the whole Oceans team will be torn apart and collapse. LOL
ã„´Before that, Grandpa Hyung-yong will probably die from frustration.
ã„´Kim Hyung-yong’s hypertension vs. the complete annihilation of the Oceans’ roster—who do you think will win first? LOL
[Gwangju Irons, unable to re-sign coach Lee Kyung-beom, now weighing options between a club legend and a foreign coach.]
ã„´What about Kim Yong-hwa?
ã„´If they’re going to use Kim Yong-hwa, they might as well just stick with Lee Kyung-beom. Bye.
ã„´Who would hire Kim Yong-hwa, a coach who's been last place two years in a row?
Anyway, time is passing. Because I threw a lot during high school baseball, I was ordered to rest and not participate in the final training. Apparently, only about half of the newly drafted players are participating in the final training.
Occasionally, the Oceans' quality control coach would come to see me.
At first, he taught me some training methods. But after seeing me train a few times using Yuri and SMC, he seemed to leave me to my own autonomous training.
"You're definitely different. The other guys are all eager to go out and have fun, but... do you train like this every day?"
"Yes, here's my schedule. Would you like to see it?"
"Hmm, I see. You’re doing well. But things will be a bit different when you join the pros."
"I'll prepare diligently and make sure to participate in spring camp."
Yuri’s family would debate every day about who might become the next Oceans' head coach, but I just kept quiet.
As long as my joining the Oceans doesn’t somehow turn into a major factor that alters the future, I think I’ll manage fine with whoever the new coach ends up being.
Or maybe not.
Gwangju Irons brought in Oh Dae-seo, a club legend, as their new head coach. Not long after, news broke that Park Jung-shin had signed a contract with the Irons.
[(Breaking) Park Jung-shin signs a 4-year, 7 billion won contract with the Irons.]
ã„´ Is the general head coach crazy? We have to lock down Park Jung-shin!
ã„´ I heard that right after Oh Dae-seo became the head coach, he went straight to get Park Jung-shin.
ã„´ It's well-known that Oh Dae-seo has been looking after Park Jung-shin since middle school.
Well, that's how free agency works.
Outfielder Yang Jae-hyun left for the Daegu Engines, while another outfielder, Kim Sung-ho, went to the Suwon Diamonds.
Fans of the Oceans were in an uproar, but when the news broke the next day that they had signed a new head coach after Kim Sung-ho’s departure, things quieted down a bit compared to when Park Jung-shin left.
[Oceans appoint Hugh Bredman as new head coach.]
[Former El Paso Chihuahuas head coach Hugh Bredman accepts Oceans head coach role.]
Well...
At least he’s someone I know.
Maybe we’ll be able to communicate.
* * *
Hugh Bredman is someone I met when I was playing for the Oakland Athletics, where he had joined as the team’s defensive coach. As far as I know, he spent a few seasons with the Oceans before returning to the Major Leagues.
The Oceans fans are excited about the fact that a foreign head coach has arrived, even though they don’t know exactly what kind of person Hugh Bredman is.
"Since he's a foreigner, maybe he'll make some bold moves with the rookies? Do you think Geon-woo might debut right away?"
Maybe... no, even though my game sense has dropped significantly, if I pick it back up a bit, I think I could definitely become a starter.
Especially considering the current situation of the Oceans team.
Anyway, Hugh Bredman is quite a fiery person. I don’t know exactly how he was during his KBO days, but he does know his baseball well enough.
I’ve been thinking that I want to try out some real games, but there’s nothing I can do about it. Once a player signs with a professional baseball team, they can't even participate in amateur baseball leagues.
Aside from playing catch with my father or occasionally going on dates with Yuri, I spent my time just working out on my own.
[Oceans and Vikings sign bullpen pitcher Kim Jung-hyuk to FA contract!]
[Former Bulldozers outfielder Bae Young-han signs a 4-year, 7.8 billion won contract with the Oceans!]
Yuri’s family was ecstatic, saying that signing those two free agent players was exactly what the team needed. However, from my perspective, knowing that both of them would end up being busts…
Well.
It’s not something I can control. If I want to fulfill Yuri’s wish of helping the Oceans win a championship, those two will need to pull their weight. From what I know, Yuri’s father always used to complain about Bae Young-han.
Time continued to pass, and for Christmas, our two families spent it together.
“...”
“Merry Christmas.”
“Ugh, this is so annoying.”
Christmas was meant to be spent with family. Our date got canceled, and Yuri was pouting as much as her thumb stuck out.
Still, I had a pretty enjoyable Christmas.
There’s a saying: you don’t notice the presence, but you do notice the absence.
I’m glad I got to experience this warm family atmosphere again, the one I had destroyed before.
And a few days later…
I became an adult again, and time flew by.
[Busan Oceans announce their spring camp roster, including rookies Kang Geon-woo and Noh Kyung-woo.]
“Our Geon-woo. You won’t cry just because your noona’s not around, right?”
I was chosen as one of two rookies to participate in the spring camp. Maybe it’s because we’ve been practically inseparable every day since my regression for the past half year, but Yuri seemed really sad at the thought of being apart for a while. She’s still pretending to be tough, but I can see the disappointment in her eyes.
"I’ll do well. Don’t worry and take care while I’m gone. Thanks to you, I’ve trained well, so I’ll go and crush it. Let’s go on a date when I get back."
