Chapter 37
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Cheon So-young (3)
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"Ji Maeng-ho, you've slimmed down a bit, haven't you?"
Cheon So-young spoke first as they rode in the car.
"Come on, speak casually. You're older than me, sis."
"Age doesn't matter. I'm a team employee, and you're a player for the organization."
...She's so cold. But have I lost weight? I hadn't really noticed.
"You look like you've lost some weight?"
"Yes."
"I don't really notice it myself..."
Have I lost weight? Well, lately with all the training and sex, my eating habits stayed the same but my daily routine changed completely, so maybe that's it. But how did this woman know I'd lost weight?
"Does it really show? I don't feel it when I look in the mirror."
"I always keep a close eye on you. You're our precious first-round draft pick, after all."
I knew now that this attention wasn't the kind a woman shows a man. Still, hearing that she watched me with interest made my heart skip a beat.
"Does Ji Maeng-ho tend to lose weight in the summer? Honestly, stamina issues are the biggest hurdle for rookie players jumping from high school to pro ball."
"Who knows? This is my first year as a regular starter, so I'm not even sure if I'm lacking in stamina."
"That could be. High school tournaments are a lot more lenient than pro schedules. But in the pros, with six games a week, it can become a real problem."
"No issue here. Didn't the medical test come back clean?"
That was true. The medical exam right after the draft didn't turn up any injuries. Or could this woman be...? Trying to lowball my signing bonus? Since SY Agency didn't take a cut from the bonus, it was a real possibility.
And if Rogers was right, the ghost following this woman around was Wes Rickey, who made his name haggling down players' salaries.
"You're not thinking of cutting the signing bonus we verbally agreed on, right? A verbal contract is still a contract. I'll tell Lawyer Jeong everything."
"Pfft. Ji Maeng-ho, AT isn't the kind of company that lowballs rookies' bonuses. You have a good sense of humor. Well, if you'd gone to Silla or Hancheol, maybe."
A smile bloomed on her face for the first time since the day we met. ...She looks way prettier when she smiles.
"Do you know what AT Thunderbirds' nickname is?"
"DTD?"
DTD, Down Team is Down. It meant the team that was going down would go down. If I had to pick one word that symbolized the AT Thunderbirds, it'd be this without hesitation. Amazingly, they'd hang in the upper ranks in April and May, only to start slipping in June and plummet by July and August.
This year looked no different.
"......"
Her beautiful smile vanished in an instant. The atmosphere turned icy, cold sweat trickling down my back. Was it because she's possessed by a ghost?
"Please refrain from that kind of talk in front of me. Actually, in front of any other AT players or staff."
"...Got it."
Her default expression was cool, but now it was even chillier than usual.
'Why's she getting so mad? You'd think AT was her personal property.'
Well, she loved AT so much that she joined the Thunderbirds even after graduating from Seoul National University. I could kind of understand. Fans like her kept pro baseball alive.
"Sorry."
This must be how you treat fans, right? I wasn't that sorry, but as a pro player, you had to show respect like this.
"...It's fine. What I wanted to say is that AT treats its players so well, they're nicknamed the Welfare Center. So don't worry about the signing bonus."
"...Wasn't it the Old Folks' Home?"
AT was also known for scooping up aging veterans and fringe players with big contracts.
"......"
...Oof. Did I mess up again?
"Ji Maeng-ho..."
She took a deep breath and spat out the words she'd been holding back.
"...You're seriously clueless."
"...Sorry."
Hanging around Rogers had made me blurt out whatever was on my mind. This was all his fault.
"Anyway, let's do a stamina test today. You up for it?"
"Yeah. I'm confident."
This was my chance to show Cheon So-young my manly side. Stamina had always been my strong suit.
No, I'm even more confident in weights, so maybe suggest a strength test? How much was my deadlift again? Last I checked, around 250. That'd be more masculine, right?
*
'I sensed it during his draft interview responses, but his personality isn't the greatest. Actually, I noticed back during the Blue Dragon Cup when his juniors were filling his plate.'
So-young glanced at Maeng-ho rolling his eyes beside her and sighed inwardly. She needed to focus on driving, but Ji Maeng-ho was making it hard.
'At least this is a quiet road. Sigh... I didn't pick a dud, did I?'
She'd seen plenty of players with bad personalities besides Maeng-ho. If So-young wanted to know, nothing stayed hidden.
In her view, the number of baseball players with good personalities could be counted on one hand.
Players who ignored fans, cheated on their spouses, had girls in every away city, gambled abroad during the offseason. Even a few match-fixers, though rare.
Maeng-ho seemed like the type who could veer that way with just a little nudge. His StarGram replies only to girls were a red flag. Whispers were already circulating on AT's fan sites.
'Our fans are a bit passionate, that's for sure. But it helps me learn things I wouldn't otherwise.'
AT Thunderbirds had dominated in the '90s with huge popularity in Seoul. When they collapsed in the 2000s, fans grew bitter, their love twisting into something sharper.
They held players to brutal standards.
That guy's out for girl-replying. That one's spineless. That one's arrogant. No effort. Wore himself out in training. Old-school jerk. Plays like a rich kid. Swings wild. Just waits at the plate. Throws straight heat. Only off-speed stuff.
Of course, the real root was they just couldn't play. But with their pedigrees, fans always blamed external factors.
Ji Maeng-ho couldn't escape that scrutiny. AT fans knew more about him than the team did.
'So is Ji Maeng-ho out for being arrogant and girl-replying? Plus clueless on top. Haha.'
The thought made her chuckle inwardly, but seeing Maeng-ho so nonchalant beside her killed the mirth.
'What if he's just another high-potential bust like the others? Stats stagnant, losing weight mid-season.'
AT had drafted tons of prospects while languishing in the lower ranks. Few made the majors. Failures had various reasons, but the most common were guys like Maeng-ho who thought they were hot stuff.
Flat stats at prime growth age plus weight loss screamed poor self-management. So-young blamed his mindset. Maybe personality, or arrogance.
'Fans might be right.'
Most pros came from top high school stars. Plenty got cocky and flopped.
So-young had a dream: AT Thunderbirds winning it all. Heir duties, grandpa's health, fan love—it all fueled her desire.
And to achieve it, she needed Ji Maeng-ho. His current 35 stats were solid but common. Championships needed game-changers.
She needed at least 50. If he stayed arrogant, he'd cap at 35.
So-young wanted Maeng-ho to lead AT to victory. And as a fan, she dreamed of a potential-80 Korean hitter dominating MLB.
'I have to guide this kid!'
So-young glanced at Maeng-ho in the passenger seat and steeled her resolve.