Chapter 10: Unyielding Resolve

Coach's Office.

Coach Seong was watching the video.

[Thud—!!]

The video captured Jung-woo's pitching.

"It's an impressive pitch every time I see it. Not only is the velocity impressive, but the spin rate and vertical movement are art."

"Why complicate it? Just say the pitch has a good finish."

Coach Choi Hyung-tae awkwardly smiled.

After a long time of working together, he had forgotten Coach Seong's style.

"That's right. The pitch has a great finish."

At that moment, hitting coach Lee Beom-su chimed in.

Coach Seong then smiled satisfactorily.

"But there are still many areas that need improvement. Why is his leg so bent during the kicking phase? It should be straight for a proper pitch."

"That's right. It should be straight for a better look. Historically, pitchers used to pitch that way, didn't they?"

"Exactly. Correcting those small details is necessary to throw a great fastball."

The words were a source of concern.

'Every pitcher has a different pitching mechanism. Why try to standardize everything...'

He couldn't voice his thoughts..

Another scolding was sure to come.

"There's more than a few things to teach."

Coach Choi Hyung-tae was most uneasy about that statement.

'What could you possibly teach such a good pitcher...'

He sighed at the thought of the promising young pitcher possibly being sacrificed.

"So, you and Kim Jung-ho were acquainted before?"

Jung-woo asked, and Baek Seung-jin nodded.

"Yeah. We met at a wedding. He was really into fishing."

He knew that.

How persistent he was about going fishing on days off.

"Do you also enjoy fishing?"

"Yeah. It started when I was with the Angels, going out on a yacht for sea fishing. Have you ever been on a yacht? The breeze when you head north from LA is something else.

Especially, there's a Korean restaurant in LA."

The rumors were true.

The nickname "Too-Much-Talker" for Baek Seung-jin came to mind.

"Oh, I digress. Anyway, Jung-ho contacted me saying to take good care of you."

"Really?"

"Yes. I was a bit surprised because he rarely asks for favors. But seeing your pitch, I understand why. How could they let someone like you go from the Fires?"

"I increased my velocity after joining Jung-ho's academy. I wasn't pitching that well when I was with the Fires."

It was clear now.

He was not good enough to make the first team during his time with the Fires.

He didn't hold any grudges against the Fires for keeping him for six years.

"I see. Jung-ho is one of the pioneers in applying biomechanics to pitching engineering in our country."

Jung-woo nodded.

Jung-ho's help was crucial in increasing his velocity by 5 km/h in a short period.

'By the way, it seems like Jung-ho personally contacted Seung-jin. He must have been disappointed to see me leave.'

Jung-woo realized how much Jung-ho cared for him.

"Congratulations on joining the Baseball Gods. I hope everything goes well."

"Yes! Thank you!"

"Oh, have you ever been to the U.S.? I mostly stayed in LA, but I came to Florida often. There's a taco place just five minutes away..."

His rambling did not stop.

______________________________________

The next day.

Team Yashin's training began.

A camera crew followed them at all times.

Maybe because of that, there were no harsh words.

"Your speed is slowing down! Faster!"

"You need to run quickly from side to side!"

"Don't take your eyes off the ball! Have you forgotten everything from your playing days?!"

It was familiar to hear the intense coaching during training.

Adjusting to the atmosphere was quite challenging.

During this time, Coach Seong Sang-pil called Jung-woo.

"Jung-woo Han!"

"Yes."

"Go up on the mound."

"Yes!"

As Jun-woo took the mound, PD Yang took action.

"Camera 3, focus on Jung-woo Han.

"Understood."

The training of Team Yashin was all captured on camera.

There was a basic script, but there were no scripts for training or game content, so they had to capture everything as much as possible.

"Senior really takes good care of Jung-woo Han."

"Of course. He's going to be a key player in Season 2. When the broadcast airs, the public will only talk about him."

"Actually, the talk has already started. On community sites, people are speculating whether it's parachuting because a player no one knew suddenly joined."

Baseball Gods was a popular program.

It had many devoted fans, who were busy discussing Season 2 on various community sites.

The most mentioned name recently was Jung-woo Han.

"Tsk, where is this information coming from?"

"It's impossible to block everything completely. No matter how much we try to stop it, we can't shut everyone up."

"Well, immediate dissatisfaction can't be helped. But once Jun-woo's impressive moments air in Episode 1, all the opinions will change."

PD Yang was not too worried about the current opinions.

However, Im Ri-yu had a different perspective.

"The pitch seems good. But isn't the character too weak?"

"Hmm…"

"It feels too FM. I think Lee Seung-hyun will create more buzz in Season 2."

Lee Seung-hyun, the main closer for Suwon Wonderland, had a good mask and was also known for his speaking skills.

Lim Ri-yu had a reason for liking him.

"But if a retired player becomes the focus of the program, it might feel too similar to Season 1."

The biggest issue with season-based programs was that viewers became accustomed to them.

Since the format didn't change much, changes had to be made in other ways.

One of them was changing the cast.

If the cast of Baseball Gods was the same as Season 1, there was a high possibility that viewership and buzz would drop significantly.

"In a way, jung-woo Han is also a retired player, right…"

At that moment.

"Speak up again!!"

The shouting of Coach Seong, who was standing next to the mound, erupted.

The two people who were having a conversation immediately approached the mound.

The conversation they were having was interrupted by Jungwoo's response..

"My current pitching form is somewhat complete. I don't want to change it forcibly."

"Damn it…!!

CoachSeong's face turned bright red, and lim Ri-yu hurried to step in.

However, PD Yang blocked lim Ri-yu.

"Hold on!"

"Wait. Director Kim, are you recording this?"

"Yes, but is it okay not to intervene?"

"Why intervene? This looks like it will be an interesting scene."

PD Yang's smile widened, while lim Ri-yu shook his head.

'Is he defying the veteran CoachSeong? I must have misjudged Jung-woo. I thought he was just a FM, but it seems he's not.'

PD Yang, who had only seen Jung-woo's skills, was now seeing him as a good luck charm.

_______________________________________

Five minutes earlier.

Jung-woo had started his practice pitching.

Boom—!!

"Nice pitch!!"

Once again, every pitch was in the high 140s in speed.

The quality of the pitches was excellent.

Just when everything seemed perfect.

"Hey. Try straightening your legs a bit more during your kick."

Coach Seong, who was watching from the side, gave a piece of advice.

"Legs?"

"Yes. Why are you bending your legs like that? Your pivot foot should always be straight."

These were the words Jung-woo had heard repeatedly during his middle school days.

The pitching form he had developed was fixed through high school and professional experiences.

Coaches and directors had consistently said this to him.

It's a textbook pitching form.

The form is very clean.

Very good.

So, he thought it was the right answer.

But once he started teaching himself based on that knowledge, he realized it wasn't so.

With this knowledge, he had developed a pitching form that suited him perfectly.

When asked to change it, he clearly stated.

"I don't want to change my current pitching form."

Coach Seong was momentarily stunned, thinking he must have misheard.

Even seasoned players became mild sheep in front of him.

But a mid-twenties rookie defying him?

It wasn't just Coach Seong who was shocked.

'Unbelievable…! What is this kid saying to the Coach?'

Pitching Coach Choi Hyung-tae was also astonished.

And there was another person who wasn't missing this moment.

"What kind of manners is that toward the Director?!"

Coach Lee Beom-soo, who had arrived unnoticed, snapped at Jung-woo.

But Jung-woo didn't back down.

"If I seemed disrespectful, I apologize. But pitching form is a sensitive issue, so I thought I should speak clearly."

"Speak again!!"

From then on, Coach Seong's tone grew louder.

With the clash between the two, players began to gather around.

As more staff members gathered, Coach Choi Hyung-tae eventually stepped in.

"Director, please calm down for now. And let's end Jung-woo's pitching for today."

"Yes."

"Are you not letting go?! How dare you defy the Coach?!"

Ignoring the unyielding Coach Seong, Jung-woo descended from the mound.

As Jung-woo stood by, Baek Seung-jin approached him.

"You've got guts, kid."

_____________________________________

After the commotion.

Coach Seong raised his voice during a meeting with PD Yang.

"Get that kid out immediately!!"

"Oh my.... Director, don't be so harsh. He's still young, isn't he?"

"A grown adult being young?! How dare he speak to an adult like that!!"

PD Yang could only tire himself out trying to calm him down.

"At least let's see how he performs in a real game before making a decision."

"A real game? Fine. We'll see if he's wrong or if I'm wrong in the first game. We'll see how disastrous he can be."

With that, Coach Seong stormed out.

After he left, lim Ri-yu, who had been listening to the discussion, comforted PD Yang.

"Good job, Senior."

"Hah.... The stubbornness of that old man is something else."

"But are you sure it'll be okay? The conflict between the two is quite intense."

"Considering the program, this might actually be good. Who has ever caused conflict with Coach Seong in our show before?"

"No one. He was like a god."

"That's right. But a mid-twenties player clashing with Coach Seong? If we edit this well, it could instantly match the highest ratings of Season 1."

PD Yang was already envisioning a positive outcome.

Lim Ri-yu understood what he meant, but she was concerned about a different issue.

"But what if Coach Seong keeps demanding that the player be expelled?"

Given Director Seong's personality, it was entirely possible.

If it really came to that.

"Then we'll have to make a decision."

It was unclear who would be chosen.

The one who was more beneficial to the program.

That's who they would pick.

However, if he didn't make his stance clear from the start, it seemed likely that problems would arise.

'I'd better make it clear from the beginning, or there's a high chance of issues. I hope this won't lead to his expulsion.'

Even if it did happen, he thought it couldn't be helped.

The pitching form was that important.

Knock, knock!

"Jung-woo, it's Coach Choi. Can I come in for a moment?"

"Oh, yes!"

Jung-woo hurriedly stood up and opened the door for the unexpected visitor.

Coach Choi Hyung-tae was standing there.

"Sorry to disturb you while you're resting. I have something to pass along."

"It's fine. Please, come in."

"Okay."

Facing Coach Choi in the room, Jung-woo felt a bit nervous.

He worried that he might get scolded due to the incident with Coach Seong.

But it was just a false alarm.

"This is a message from the Coach. It looks like you'll be the starting pitcher for tomorrow's game against Stewart University."

"Me?"

This was unexpected.

Given what had happened, being the starting pitcher was surprising.

"I think the Coach believes that you'll be able to recognize any deficiencies through actual play. That's my guess, but I could be wrong."

"Oh…"

Understanding the explanation made sense.

The idea was that if he felt any

shortcomings, he might take the advice to heart.

"Anyway, that's all I needed to convey. And…"

Was he going to scold him?

Jubg-woo tensed at Coach Choi's words.

"I think you're right."

This was another surprising statement.

"I believe that pitching forms shouldn't be altered recklessly. And I think your current pitching form is excellent."

"Th… Thank you."

"The coach might have been angry in the moment, but his advice was given for your benefit."

"Yes. I understand. If he wasn't interested, he wouldn't have given advice."

"That's right."

"I'm not holding any grudges. Thank you for letting me know."

"W… Well then. Rest up.".

"Yes."

Coach Choi Hyung-tae, after leaving the room, looked back at the closed door and smiled.

"Hmm, he seems to have a strong personality, but also not. He's quite unpredictable."

With that thought, he walked away.

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