Traded to the Eagles
He pressed the call button, and after a single ringtone, a song he'd never heard before poured into Manager Kim Jin-woong's ear.
"Give it to you! Ma! Eyes eyes eyes nu nu nu light! Pouring ma! Touch touch touch touch touch touch! One and only ma! Love love love love ma lover! From my head, puff puff! To my toes, puff puff! Puff puff!"
Is this the song that's trending among the young players these days? He's not even drunk, so why's he slurring his words like that? I can't make heads or tails of it.
"Give it to youuu ma! Eyes eyes eyes nu nu nu light! Pouring ma! From my head, puff puff! To my toes, puff puff! Puff puff!"
The same melody repeated two or three more times in the interim, but for whatever reason, Tae-woong didn't pick up. The kid who answered instantly even in the bathroom—what's up with him? Guess I'll try again in about five minutes. Can't leave something this important on KakaoTalk...
Just as Manager Kim Jin-woong was about to give up and hit end call, the repeating melody cut off, replaced by a strange noise.
"To my toes, puff puff! Puff puff... Buuuurp..."
Huh? Buuurp?
Strange noises during a call happened all the time. He figured it was just some other sound mistaken for a burp and dismissed it. But when the exact same noise hit his ear again, Manager Kim realized precisely what that first sound had been.
"Manager, it's Seo Tae-woong, buuuuurp, ah, sorry, buuuuurp, da, buuuuuurp! Really sor, buuuurp! ry, buuurp!"
The relentless burps carried not just sound but the phantom stench of Tae-woong's breath through the smartphone. Without thinking, Manager Kim Jin-woong pulled the phone away from his ear.
Should've just hung up. No point waiting...
Normally, he'd end the call and ring back later, but what he had to say could be the biggest turning point in Seo Tae-woong's baseball career. So Manager Kim held on, and it took another two minutes for Tae-woong's burps to subside.
"Manager, sorry about that. I was eating lunch, buuurp! Ate too fast and my throat got, buuuuurp! clogged, so the burps just... buuuuuurp! Sorry. Can I call you back later, buuuuuurp!?"
The burps showed no sign of stopping even then.
"No, it's my fault for calling during your meal. Really, it's fine."
"Thank you, ahem ahem. So, what brings you to call me out of the blue...?"
Manager Kim Jin-woong usually handled minor matters via KakaoTalk, so the question was fair. Only then could he finally get to the point. Since Tae-woong's trade was already set in stone, he cut straight to it without beating around the bush.
"Tae-woong, you've been traded, effective today. I'm really sorry it happened so suddenly."
"Pardon? Me, tra, buuuuurp! ded?"
"Yeah. No helping it."
"So, which buuurp! team am I going to?"
Rookies who suddenly heard they were traded to another team often panicked, feeling unwanted or like they were being pushed out. The more sensitive ones even teared up or sobbed. But Tae-woong's voice stayed calm and unfazed, as if it were no big deal.
Before his regression, Tae-woong had been a classic journeyman pitcher—swapping teams against his will was routine.
It's not like it was my first or second time switching teams. If I'd hung on five more years, I'd probably have cycled through all ten KBO clubs.
After a brief pause, Manager Kim Jin-woong spoke up.
"Eagles. Tae-woong, you're a Hana Eagles player starting today."
"Pardon? Eagles?"
The moment he heard it, surprise hit Tae-woong—and so did a message floating before his eyes.
'Trade' Achievement Accomplished.
Pitcher Seo Tae-woong experiences a trade.
Achievements can only be unlocked once, on the first occurrence.
Affiliation changed.
AT Wiz → Hana Eagles
First-time achievement reward granted.
Skill Go All the Way acquired.
A skill as the reward!
Tae-woong ended the call after Manager Kim Jin-woong's final apologetic farewell, since he couldn't explain it himself.
"Should I be happy about this or not..."
Ace: "Hey, you got a free skill—obviously be happy!"
Tae-woong gave a wry smile at that.
"Yeah, figured as much?"
The team that had released him at thirty-five now wanted the twenty-year-old version of him. Of course, only Tae-woong and Ace knew that, so it wasn't like they were aware.
"No time anyway—I'll check the skill later. Gotta pack first. Won't be coming back here."
Ace: "You never know. They might demand a refund back to Wiz if you suck that bad. Or get released like before and boomerang back."
"You even categorize your jinxes. Thanks. Keeps me from getting complacent, you little shit."
Ace crossed his arms smugly.
Ace: "Good, glad you're finally appreciating this body."
"Gotta greet the new manager, coaches, teammates... Better arrive by five at the latest. About an hour and a half from here to Daejeon... Kinda tight on time."
The Hana Eagles were kicking off a three-game midweek series against the Heroes at their home, Daejeon Hana Life Eagles Park, starting today. Tae-woong had to make it before game time. Luckily, the second-team support staff manager was driving him in a team car, so he quickly packed at the dorm and headed out.
In the car, Tae-woong pulled out his smartphone to check the news. Trade announcements always drew baseball fans' attention, regardless of team popularity. And it was prime time for that uniquely Korean nosy sentimentality.
Wonder if I'm on real-time trends? Gotta be number one, right? Me, at least...
These days, whenever something happened to him, Tae-woong instinctively searched his name in the green window.
As expected, there was his name—at eighth place, right below "Squid Ink Jjambbong Chicken."
Damn it. What the hell? Why's everyone above me, stuck at eight? Am I less popular than some squid chicken hybrid abomination?
Tae-woong had lost out in recognition to a chicken brand with a nightmarish ring to it.
Tae-woong, ignore it! Best to brush this stuff off.
He closed the trends and searched for articles right away.
A shocking 1:3 trade went down. Wiz lefty starter Seo Tae-woong swapped places with Eagles utility infielder Oh Seon-jun, power-hitting lefty LF Choi Jin-hyung, and lefty reliever Park Jun-hong.
Eagles GM Park called it "a trade beneficial for the players," expressing hope that Seo Tae-woong would bolster their somewhat shaky rotation. A Wiz official noted the three incoming players were exactly what they needed, wished Seo well in his future endeavors, and prayed for his success.
Nothing special in the content. The article was fresh, so comments were sparse. Of course, he could guess what they'd say.
Gazing out the window, Tae-woong drifted into old memories.
Major League trades often stemmed from free agency or rebuilds and such complexities. But in the KBO, they usually aimed for win-win swaps of needed positions. Still, not every deal was a neat 1:1, 2:2, or 3:3 like this Wiz-Eagles 1:3—players' skills and potential varied too much.
Before regression, Tae-woong had been through several trades. The first team to regret acquiring him was the NG Twins.
Back then, the Twins manager and GM had high hopes for the overseas returnee Seo Tae-woong, expecting KBO success akin to Kim Sun-woo, Seo Jae-woong, or Ryu Je-guk. After over twenty trophyless years since 1994, they desperately wanted to restore the Twins to glory—and traded big to ease that championship itch.
At least back then, the club gave me a heads-up before the news dropped...
Tae-woong was in his late twenties for his first trade from Wiz to Twins. As a former high school ace phenom and overseas returnee with military service squared away, his value was high. The Twins sent over a starting corner outfielder and a promising early-twenties righty pitcher to Wiz in exchange, bringing Tae-woong to Jamsil Stadium—the KBO's largest, pitcher-friendly park where they figured his talents would bloom.
A month before the trade, minor elbow inflammation had sidelined Tae-woong for rehab. It took four months post-trade before he could finally take the Jamsil mound.
And the results... Hoo, don't even wanna think about it.
Hyped as a rotation pillar, without command to back it up, his 199cm frame, "KBO Clayton Kershaw" hype, 150km/h heat, and pitcher-friendly park meant squat. Home runs dropped from his Wiz days, but his skills didn't improve.
In four starts, he never lasted four innings, going 0-4 with an 8.62 ERA. The day after his last outing, he was scratched from the active roster.
Months in the minors tweaking Pitching Balance and mental training later, he returned midseason. A decent 6 IP, 4 ER debut, but that was it—another flop.
A year on, relegated to spot bullpen duty even in the minors, Tae-woong learned of his next trade via a green-window article.
[Official: Twins-Giants Massive 3:4 Trade Executed]
Looking back now, it was obvious. I was just roster filler...
More team hops followed, culminating in the secondary draft that sent him to the Hana Eagles—his final pro stop. Where he flopped and got released, naturally.
And now those same Eagles want me... as immediate impact, no less. Life really is unpredictable.
To Tae-woong, this trade wasn't just for vibes.
Seo Tae-woong: "Giving up a bullpen prospect, infield backup, and outfield backup just to get me... They're not investing in potential—they want instant rotation help."
Ace: "Experience is the best teacher, huh? Trade expert now, are we? Tone down the excitement a notch?"
He ignored it, not wanting to yap in front of the driving staffer.
This time, I'll make sure I help the team...
He owed the Eagles big. Any other club would've cut a skill-less vet like him ages ago, but they'd given him time and chances.
The Eagles waited as long as they could and did all they could. I just couldn't seize it...
Right after release, he'd resented them a bit. But now? Grateful they'd stuck with him that long.