Hawaiian Training Camp
Mid-November. Yoo Min-hoo, who had been spending his time on personal training, boarded a plane as the real cold set in. His destination was none other than Hawaii.
Upon arriving at Honolulu International Airport, Yoo Min-hoo grabbed his simple luggage and pulled out his phone to make a call.
“Hello?”
“Oh, hello there.” A quite cheerful voice came through the receiver.
“Where are you?”
“At the airport M Burger, just grabbing a quick lunch.”
“Wait there, I’ll come find you right away.”
Ending the call, Yoo Min-hoo pocketed his phone, picked up his bag, and headed to the M Burger. It didn’t take long to spot the place, and there, at one end of the shop, he saw two East Asian men chowing down on hamburgers.
Yoo Min-hoo approached them and said, “Did I keep you waiting long?”
“Oh, you’re here!”
Lee Ho-seok, who had been sipping his cola through a straw, spotted Yoo Min-hoo and waved happily.
“Man, it’s been forever since we last saw each other!”
Lee Ho-seok grinned at Yoo Min-hoo as he sat down beside him and playfully punched his shoulder. Yoo Min-hoo burst out laughing at the sight and asked, “How’s the first team? Settling in okay?”
Last season, Lee Ho-seok had put up impressive numbers in the Korean pro baseball Futures League and made it to the first team in the second half: .302 batting average, 11 home runs, OPS 0.894 (OBP .388 + SLG .506). As a catcher, his signature instincts and cannon arm shone even in the majors.
“I knew it’d be tough, but damn, it really was.”
Of course, his first-team stats weren’t smooth sailing: .245 average, 3 home runs, OPS 0.794 (OBP .309 + SLG .485). For a rookie catcher joining midseason, it was decent hitting, but not satisfying for Lee Ho-seok.
“The level’s just different, you know? Even fastballs whip around like crazy. Changeups have insane angles—even when you read them, you can’t hit ’em. And the fastballs? Velocity and command off the charts.”
Yoo Min-hoo nodded as Lee Ho-seok shook his head in frustration.
“Obviously. Still, stepping onto the first-team stage in your debut year is huge.”
In American terms, it was like making the major league roster. Sure, the leagues weren’t equal, but impressive was impressive.
“Yeah, but if I stay like this, I won’t snag the starting spot. Gotta prep hard.”
In November, right in the thick of personal training, it was Lee Ho-seok who first reached out to Yoo Min-hoo. He’d suggested training together for a month somewhere warm, and Yoo Min-hoo had agreed. After scouting spots, they settled on Hawaii.
Among many options, Hawaii was chosen largely due to someone’s strong influence.
The other man, Kim Yong-soo, who’d been listening while eating his burger, chimed in. “We’re not gonna talk baseball all gloomy like that, right?”
Lee Ho-seok and Kim Yong-soo were pretty tight. Rivals from high school powerhouses, they’d played practice games often over three years and naturally bonded.
“We came to train—what else we gonna talk about?” Lee Ho-seok shot back at Kim Yong-soo.
“It’s the beach. Let’s people-watch, maybe hit on some girls.”
“Language barrier, dude. Hunting what?”
At Lee Ho-seok’s retort, Kim Yong-soo’s gaze naturally shifted to Yoo Min-hoo.
“Like I said before, I’m not your interpreter. Anyway, you still haven’t gotten a girlfriend?”
“Language barrier.”
A prospect like Kim Yong-soo could snag a girlfriend easy. Plenty of girls approached him. The issues? Language and being hopeless at romance.
Lee Ho-seok gave him a pitiful look. Kim Yong-soo scowled back.
“You got one?”
“Yeah.”
“Bullshit.”
At that, Lee Ho-seok pulled out his phone and handed it over. Kim Yong-soo’s face twisted at the photo on the screen.
She’s pretty, Yoo Min-hoo thought, peeking curiously. Then, surprised, he muttered, “Soo-yeon?”
“You know her?”
“Classmate. You’re dating Soo-yeon?”
“Kinda happened.” Lee Ho-seok scratched his cheek.
They do vibe well. Yoo Min-hoo nodded, recalling how they’d gotten along.
“Alright, let’s head to the lodging then?”
The trio settled into a lodging not far from the beach. The boxy, dorm-like building had a wide open field attached.
One corner had a prefab structure equipped with weight training gear. The field itself had setups for basic batting and pitching practice. Perfect for a small group to build their bodies.
“How’d you score a place like this?” Lee Ho-seok asked, impressed.
“Dad trained here during his playing days in Hawaii. I’ve been a few times too. Told the owner I wanted to train, and he lent it no problem.”
“No kidding?”
Knowing a major league slugger had trained here added a fresh layer of awe.
After unpacking, they rested. Long flight had everyone beat physically. They chatted about the month’s schedule while unwinding, wrapping up day one.
Wake at 6 a.m. Run for an hour, breakfast, rest till 9 for weights. Lunch at noon, rest till 2. Personal training after, rest for dinner.
“Feels like camp,” Lee Ho-seok muttered at the packed schedule.
“Nah, this is camp,” Kim Yong-soo said.
Coming for personal overseas training but ending up with a rigid itinerary—it felt no different from the grueling camps from school days. The two felt a twinge of disappointment.
“You’ll change your mind in a week,” Yoo Min-hoo said.
They eyed him curiously, but he just shrugged.
Their training ran from November 13 to December 11—four weeks. Lee Ho-seok and Kim Yong-soo, mildly bummed by the school-camp vibe, would realize a week later, with a visitor’s arrival, that this was on another level.
November 20. As morning training wrapped, a visitor arrived.
Kim Yong-soo, resting in the living room, gaped at the blond American entering with Yoo Min-hoo. 196 cm tall. Even post-prime, his sturdy build and forearm muscles were undeniable.
“Jack Brown?”
Jack scanned the interior. He’d come often as a player but never since retiring.
“Hasn’t changed.”
His eyes swept the room nostalgically, landing on Kim Yong-soo scrambling up awkwardly. Approaching, Jack greeted in halting Korean, “Nice to meet you. I’m Jack, Roy’s dad.”
“Kim Yong-soo!”
Kim Yong-soo introduced himself sharply. Jack chuckled.
Noise drew Lee Ho-seok from his room. Spotting Jack chatting with Kim Yong-soo, he froze in shock.
They sat on the living room sofa after greetings. Kim Yong-soo and Lee Ho-seok stared at Jack with extra intensity— a major league power hitter legend right there, tension inevitable.
“Think of me as just a friend’s dad. You’re so stiff, it’s making me uncomfortable,” Jack said.
Yoo Min-hoo translated, and their postures eased a bit.
“You’ve probably guessed, but he’s here to help with our training,” Yoo Min-hoo explained.
Before leaving, Yoo Min-hoo had asked Jack for coaching. Decades of pro know-how couldn’t be ignored. For power-hitting prospects Kim Yong-soo and Lee Ho-seok, tips from an ex-homer king were gold.
Retired player—or unemployed, harshly put—Jack happily agreed to his son’s request. Massive luck for the other two.
“You gonna be okay?” Jack asked Yoo Min-hoo.
Confident coaching hitters, but pitchers? Not so much.
“I’ll handle mine solo.” Yoo Min-hoo shrugged.
His schedule was detailed: weak points identified, fixes planned. He just needed to execute—no extra coach required.
Afternoon training began. Yoo Min-hoo fetched a box of baseballs from the bullpen area.
Most urgent for me now: command.
Great stuff, but command lacked precision.
Problem is, command doesn’t improve overnight.
Refining it takes study and grind. Usually built through season experience and coaching.
He wouldn’t neglect it off-season, but Yoo Min-hoo deprioritized command training.
This winter, focus: breaking balls.
No new ones. Triple-A doesn’t forgive mediocre stuff. Better perfect existing pitches to conquer it.
Especially the changeup—gotta max it out.
Triple-A success hinged on that. Gripping a ball from the box, he dove into bullpen work.
“Hawaii’s hot as ever.”
The man arriving at Honolulu International Airport fanned himself. The stark contrast to Korea’s chill furrowed Lee Young-gon’s brow.
“Let’s see, where’s the address for my subjects?”
Pulling his phone, he checked and headed to the taxi stand.
Then he spotted a tall guy at the airport side and tilted his head.
Suzuki Toji?
The tall, handsome man was familiar even to baseball reporter Lee Young-gon.
Big names show up this time of year. Girlfriend with him?
Briefly intrigued, he shrugged it off and walked to the taxis.