Sudden Nonsense?
Michael brought the phone back to his ear and asked, utterly baffled, "What the hell kind of sudden nonsense is this?" Boston GM Vance replied from the other end.
-I heard Oakland made contact with Roy Yoo?
Where the hell did he hear that?
"That's true."
Michael grumbled inwardly but confirmed it anyway. Vance pressed on.
-How much did you offer?
"We did make contact, but we haven't made a specific offer yet. We heard Tampa Bay reached out first, and by the time we were about to propose a number, news about Roy Yoo broke, so we backed off early."
Michael laid out the facts plainly, without a hint of deception, but Vance wasn't buying it. Boston had crunched the numbers and offered Yoo Min-hoo their absolute maximum. For him to turn it down meant Oakland must have come close—at the very least.
Vance would never have dreamed that Yoo Min-hoo might prefer Oakland's cozy minor league setup. In a serious tone, he said,
-Michael, let's be straight with each other.
"About what?"
-Does Oakland really have a reason to obsess over Roy Yoo with something pushing two million dollars? You don't even like high school pitchers that much, do you?
"No, we don't."
Michael answered matter-of-factly. Vance continued,
-So Oakland offered two million?
"We didn't."
Irritation was starting to creep into Michael's voice. If Oakland had the funds to drop two million on Yoo Min-hoo, running the team would be a hell of a lot easier than it was now. When Michael first considered signing him, he'd budgeted a million. But the moment news hit, he shelved it clean. Boston nagging like this was naturally pissing him off.
Finally losing patience, Michael snapped,
"Vance, listen to me. Unless our owner loses his mind, we can't magically cough up two million. We got wind of Roy Yoo early by chance and took interest, but the second news broke, we dropped it. If I could sign whoever I wanted whenever I wanted, I wouldn't be busting my ass like this running the damn team. No more wasting time—I'm hanging up."
With that, Michael cut the call without waiting for a response and chucked the phone onto the sofa. Propping his feet on the desk, he muttered irritably,
"I'm swamped as it is, and now this bullshit call."
Ring ring—
Vance pulled the phone from his ear after the abrupt hang-up, furrowing his brow.
From the vibe, it seems Oakland really didn't make contact.
When he'd first heard Yoo Min-hoo rejected offers because of Oakland, it sounded fishy enough to call Michael right away. But after the conversation, his thinking shifted a bit. Vance's initial annoyance stemmed from knowing Oakland's finances inside out. They were no team to shell out two million for Yoo Min-hoo. It wasn't just lack of cash—it flat-out violated their ironclad operating philosophy. Oakland maintained their current standing precisely through that rigid system. No way they'd break their own rules.
Still, he couldn't ignore Yoo Min-hoo's claim that Oakland reached out and he was interested. Vance figured they were bluffing to sabotage other teams' pursuits—something that happened now and then in this business. But the call proved it wasn't even that.
Then what the hell is going on?
Vance tapped the desk thoughtfully, then shook his head.
I need to talk to Jack Brown first.
As Yoo Min-hoo's guardian and Boston's retired legend with a retired number, Jack could surely convince him to join. That's what Vance thought.
***
September 29th, Thursday. Korean High School Baseball Federation Championship final.
North Myeong High faced Chungju High. Both teams started their aces, but North Myeong had stuck to a two-man rotation throughout the tournament, while Chungju relied on a single ace. Naturally, North Myeong's ace Kim Ji-seok held the stamina edge.
Kim Ji-seok shut out Chungju through seven innings before handing off. North Myeong's bats tallied five runs by the ninth. But after he left the mound, Chungju clawed back stubbornly, scoring four by the end of the inning. Now it was the top of the ninth, one out, runners on first and second.
But stepping up in the crisis was none other than tournament dark horse Yoo Min-hoo.
The batter was their third-hole righty. After a full-count battle, Yoo Min-hoo induced a grounder on a two-seamer for a game-ending double play.
-North Myeong High! Federation Championship winners! A team never tipped as contenders claims the final high school title of the year!
Players from the dugout erupted in cheers, charging the mound. Watching from the dugout, pitching coach Han Myeong-hwan murmured,
"They did it. Champions."
"Yeah. Who would've thought."
Director Park Sung-tae chuckled at Han's words.
"Back in March, I figured winning was a pipe dream."
"Same here."
The coaches in the dugout burst into laughter.
"We were praying for a pitcher to drop from the sky, and boom—one shows up, and we win it all."
Park Sung-tae recalled his half-joking gripe from earlier in the year. Han Myeong-hwan asked,
"So, has Min-hoo decided on his future yet?"
"Well... Tampa Bay, Oakland, and Boston have reached out, but..."
Hearing those MLB team names from Park Sung-tae, Han Myeong-hwan clicked his tongue inwardly. As a lifelong minor leaguer, those were pipe-dream clubs. Every baseball player dreams of the majors at least once. But only a tiny fraction make it reality. Most dreams fizzle out.
"We don't need to worry much about Yoo Min-hoo's path."
Just three teams so far, but more would come calling.
***
Tournament MVP went to Kim Ji-seok. He'd shown steady growth all year. High schoolers improving in leaps isn't rare. But on the bus back to Busan, Kim Ji-seok said,
"Surprisingly, I think Min-hoo hyung influenced me a lot."
"Hm?"
Amid the excited chatter, Kim Ji-seok spoke from the seat behind Yoo Min-hoo. Puzzled, Yoo Min-hoo turned.
Kim Ji-seok explained,
"Watching hyung pitch... there's just so much to learn, you know?"
The other pitchers nodded in agreement. Yoo Min-hoo had claimed the rotation spot even with the weakest stuff on North Myeong. The pitchers who once dismissed him gradually grew thoughtful watching him work. A player like Yoo Min-hoo influenced those around him just by existing. Diligent, always studying the game.
"Good to hear."
Yoo Min-hoo smirked.
"So, hyung, what're you doing next?"
Kang Jae-seong, who'd been listening quietly, looked curious. Any pro team would kill for a pitcher like him. But Kang hadn't heard specifics, and drafts were already done.
"Well, some MLB teams made offers, but..."
"MLB teams?"
The bus erupted at Yoo Min-hoo's words.
"Hyung, MLB offers?"
"I did play over there before."
Kang Jae-seong whistled in awe.
"Which teams?"
"Tampa Bay, Oakland, Boston."
"All three?"
"Kinda happened that way."
Yoo Min-hoo nodded with a wry smile. Kang Jae-seong blinked.
"So, you pick one yet?"
"Yeah. I've made up my mind."
Yoo Min-hoo nodded firmly. His future was set.
***
October 3rd. Monday.
The season was winding down. Oakland was locked in a fierce late-race battle with second-place Texas. One slip, and the standings flipped. Oakland desperately wanted first for the playoffs.
Yet even amid the stretch run, Michael fretted over next year's lineup. Two franchise stars were hitting free agency post-season. Oakland rarely retained big free agents. They wanted to, but couldn't afford it.
Michael sifted through the free agent list, hunting for value adds. Then another call came—San Francisco GM Maven.
"Hello, Maven? What's up? What? Roy Yoo? Boston called with bullshit earlier, now you? We didn't offer shit, so if it's nonsense, I'm hanging up."
Michael cut the line irritably. Another query about offers to Roy Yoo. No wonder he was pissed.
Back to the player files. Moments later—LA Robins.
"Hello, Steven. What's going on?"
-Heard Oakland contacted Roy Yoo. How much?
"No, where the hell did you hear that crap—"
Michael's instinctive snap trailed off. Boston, then San Francisco. Now LA Robins. All deep-pocketed teams that could drop big money on Roy Yoo. Their GMs calling one after another.
One or two, fine. But three?
"Where'd you hear that?"
Michael asked seriously. LA Robins GM Steven replied,
-Roy Yoo himself. Said he wants to go to Oakland.
Michael's face twisted in disbelief.
What the actual fuck is going on?