Chapter 21
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Cheon So-young (1)
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Bottom of the 9th in a game that could seal their fate. AT Thunderbirds lead 7-6 as their closer Im Ji-hoon takes the mound.
Im Ji-hoon returned from MLB this season to lock down AT's bullpen like a fortress. Can he push this to a Game 7? The anticipation is killing us!
Oh, the camera catches AT Thunderbirds Chairman Cheon Sang-yeop. And is that his granddaughter next to him? Praying so hard!
Everyone knows Chairman Cheon's love for baseball. Will he get the result he's hoping for...?
Leadoff hitter and catcher Lee Ki-cheol steps up to the plate.
Lee Ki-cheol belted 37 homers this season, good for second in the league. He's a key piece of the Madcats' home run squad—a college grad in his third pro year with a bright future ahead.
Crack!
First pitch smoked! Madcats' Lee Ki-cheol rips a double, showing why he's a superstar in the bottom of the ninth! Unbelievable contact from a third-year guy!
Lee Ki-cheol has fantastic swing mechanics. He proved his worth with that hit! He fell just short of the HR title this year, but he'll accept it. The guy who took it is up next!
Exactly—with 61 homers, the HR king himself steps in. Madcats' eternal slugger! The cleanup hitter! Joo Hyung-jin! Fresh off declaring FA and eyeing MLB, he steps up with runners in scoring position.
This matchup is must-see TV. Last year in MLB, Im Ji-hoon posted a 3.27 ERA with 17 holds and 4 saves—better than most big-league bullpens. Joo has to get past him to succeed stateside.
This season head-to-head: 1-for-7. In this Series: 0-for-2. Im Ji-hoon has the edge.
Still, the Madcats' faith in Joo Hyung-jin won't waver. The manager, coaches, and every fan watching wants that big blast.
Can Joo end the Madcats' 21-year curse? Im's first pitch!
Crack! A sharp crack of the bat echoed through the stadium, plunging the crowd into stunned silence. Every eye in the park locked onto the ball Joo Hyung-jin had launched. It traced a perfect arc, sailing over the right-field wall.
"Wooooaaah!!!!"
"Joo Hyung-jin! Joo Hyung-jin! Joo Hyung-jin!"
Joo Hyung-jin's final swing of the season erases the Madcats' 21-year drought with a massive game-winning two-run homer!
Pride of Korea! National treasure hitter Joo Hyung-jin puts the cap on this epic bloodbath!!!!
Aaaaaah! Joo Hyung-jin ends it right here!
Madcats! Aaaaaah! The hero of this drama is the Madcats' home run king—no, Korea's home run king—Joo Hyung-jin! He washes away 21 years of pain! Is there a game like this? The championship Madcats fans dreamed of, delivered by their beloved Joo Hyung-jin with his own two hands!!!
"Oh man, Chairman Cheon. What a game."
"Hah, coming all the way to Daegu for this. I enjoyed it too, Chairman Lee."
"Hahaha, runner-up is still impressive."
"Hahaha, we've already won it twice. Twice! Congrats on your championship after 20 years. Wait, 21?"
"Haha, Chairman Cheon, congrats on your ru.nner-up fi.nish."
Sparks flew from the eyes of the two old titans. They glared at each other before breaking into benevolent smiles and shaking hands. It was childish banter unbelievable from the chairmen of Korea's leading conglomerates, but sports have a way of bringing out the kid in a man.
Especially when that sports team is the one you own.
"Waaaaaah!"
The imposing aura of the two chairmen was pierced by the wail of a little girl.
"So-young, cut it out."
"We lost! Hic, hic. You said we'd win, Grandpa! You said we'd wiiiin!"
"Aw, So-young must be really upset. How old are you, So-young?"
"Five years old. Haha, So-young, be a good girl. Shh, shh."
No matter how mighty they were, before a little girl's tears, they were just doting grandpas. They fussed over Chairman Cheon's granddaughter So-young as she sobbed, but her cries wouldn't stop.
"Oh dear. Well, I have to head out for the victory ceremony. Thanks for coming all the way to Daegu."
"Thank you for the invite."
"Haha, no problem."
Hyeonseong Group Chairman Lee Hyun-hak left the VIP box first.
"So-young. If you cry like that, those uncles over there will say you're a crybaby."
Chairman Cheon pointed at the security detail, and So-young's tears began to slow. After exhausting her with coaxing, he finally wiped his sweat. The stress of defeat faded, replaced in his mind by the adorable sobs of his precious granddaughter.
"Hic, sniff, sniff. Why do we have to lose?"
"So-young. You'll understand when you're older, but the world is divided into winners and losers. Where there's a winner, there's a loser. We're the losers today, but next time, let's cheer for us to be the winners."
"That's hard..."
It was too complex for a young child to grasp. Chairman Cheon gently stroked her hair, his eyes and expression brimming with infinite love for his granddaughter.
He had three children, all sons, and their children were all boys too. So the sole girl bearing the Cheon name, born five years ago—Cheon So-young—was his everything.
That's why he'd brought only her, not the rest of the family, to his favorite pastime of watching baseball, all the way to distant Daegu.
"Alright, alright. Let's go get something yummy, So-young."
"Yeah!"
As Chairman Cheon picked up So-young and headed out, his security and staff followed. So-young, worn out from crying under his expert soothing, drifted off to sleep. Then a middle-aged man appeared before him.
"Ch-Chairman!"
Chairman Cheon's cheerful mood from watching So-young plummeted.
'What does this loser who blew the game have to be so smug about? Tsk tsk.'
"Tch, President Kim. Is this what you needed all that budget for?"
"I-I'm sorry. Next time..."
"Forget it."
With a cold expression unbelievable from the man who'd just tenderly comforted his granddaughter, Chairman Cheon brushed past. Left alone, President Kim collapsed in a daze.
"I'm done for. I'm fiiiinished."
The baseball team presidency was the final posting for group executives. They either accepted retirement gracefully or led the chairman's pet team to victory and earned a comeback.
President Kim had aimed for the latter. But AT Thunderbirds' season ended in humiliating defeat to their rival group—snatching their first-ever championship, no less!
With the rivalry between AT Group and Hyeonseong Group at its peak, he instinctively knew there was no redemption for handing Hyeonseong their maiden title.
"Those, those bastards. Taking millions in pay. You fucking pricks!"
President Kim's anguished scream echoed in the empty VIP corridor. Drowning in despair, he channeled it into rage. Fuming, he hammered his phone keypad. The AT phone—a gift from the chairman—nearly shattered, but its durability held, and the call connected.
"Director Kim!"
-"Eek! Yes, President!"
"You fuck. Clean house on all the high-salary assholes! Lose to Hyeonseong? In a game the chairman watched? Those pricks! If they take AT money, they beat Hyeonseong, got it?!"
-"Sorry, sir! But high-salary... does that include Im Ji-hoon...?"
"Yes!"
-"His contract has a year left."
"Trade his ass somewhere! He gave up that homer! Argh!"
-"What about this year's FA, Lee Soo-hyun?"
"Dump him too! Always injured, no team spirit! No place for those types in AT!"
-"Understood."
"And force the veterans sucking up cash with no results into retirement. Fire the manager too."
-"Got it. Who for the new manager?"
"Do I have to micromanage? Yeah, Thunderbirds lost 'cause of no team spirit. No discipline, no success. Bring someone tough from Future Buffaloes. Strict military type."
-"Future Buffaloes. Got it. Budget for next season...?"
"Hey, Kim Sang-hoon. Now's the time for budget talk?"
-"...Sorry."
"Yeah. Hang up."
'Four years left. The team's full of young talent. Cut the old self-centered geezers... Plus, the chairman loves baseball, so despite his words, he'll fund us properly. Release the fossils, snag some big FAs, win the championship, and I'll be back in...'
But President Kim had no idea. His decisions would plunge the team into darkness, and AT Thunderbirds wouldn't see the postseason for another 20 years.
19 years later. 2022.
"Oh, Team Leader Cheon. You're here?"
A graying man in his fifties approached a woman in her early twenties with a greeting.
"Uncle, this is work. Call me casually."
"Right."
"I've got a meeting, so I'll head in."
She replied in a soft tone that didn't match her icy demeanor, then entered the building first. Inside, people bustled about, but as Team Leader Cheon walked in, everyone froze and turned to her.
"Good day!"
"You're early, Team Leader!"
"Get back to work."
Her curt tone—unbelievable from the gentle voice she'd used on the middle-aged man—cowed them with her charisma. They bowed their heads and fell silent. As she entered her office, sighs of relief rippled through.
"Whew, Team Leader Cheon's as frosty as ever. She'd be even prettier if she smiled. She is pretty enough, though. Never seen anyone as beautiful as her."
A young man said it in the break room. A man in his mid-thirties overheard, clamped his mouth shut, and glanced around.
"Hey, don't say that here. But yeah, she is gorgeous."
As the men said, Team Leader Cheon's looks were stunning. Her wavy black hair looked silky smooth, her large eyes with inner double lids enhanced by perfect brows and long lashes. Her sharp nose and ruby lips perfected her beauty.
Her emotionless, aloof expression just made her seem colder.
"But Team Leader Cheon is impressive. First woman operations team leader in pro baseball history—and the youngest."
"Impressive? Ah, you wouldn't know since you're new."
"Huh? Know what?"
"Dude, young Cheon at AT Group. Doesn't ring a bell?"
"Wait..."
"Sigh, how'd you get hired? Parachute drop. She'll be president in a few years."
"Why put a woman here?"
"Chairman gave his granddaughter a spot. This division's like a hot potato—lots of attention, no results."
"Haha, kinda."
"Tch. Execs have no clue why we suck, so they parachute in. Fans suffer."
"You a Thunderbirds fan too, Section Chief?"
"Think I'd work here otherwise? Damn. If Dad hadn't dragged me to that game where AT won..."
"Tough year again?"
"You kidding? Strong first half means nothing if we collapse later. This team's cursed till the world ends."
"C'mon, we gotta believe in the players."
"Believe? They suck but demand raises..."
The break room door opened. Team Leader Cheon entered. They stopped cold; the young man started making coffee.
"Section Chief Lee. No materials on my desk? You know today's big meeting, right?"
"I'll get them up right away."
"Good."
"Team Leader, coffee? Freshly brewed."
"No thanks. I handle my own."
"Ah..."
She left after her piece. The two sighed in unison.
"She's fucking gorgeous."
"Man, dating her would be a dream."
"Wake up. Chaebol heiress with you?"
"Gotta fantasize to survive the job."
"Quit the bullshit and find those files. And don't blab about the chairman's granddaughter being around. Get caught, you're fired. Got it?"
"Yes..."