Chapter 4
Chapter 4
“Good work. Expecting great results.”
“Thank you, Chairman.”
‘Coming in a hurry was worth it.’
Recently, the parent company of the Busan Marines had a lot going on.
The former chairman stepped down, and his son took over as the new chairman.
But for the Marines, the former chairman mattered more than the new one.
After all, the real owner of the team wasn’t the new chairman, who had little interest in baseball, but the former chairman.
If there was a problem, it wasn’t entirely good news.
After retiring, the former chairman’s attention had focused entirely on the baseball team.
The proof of that was clear now.
The reason Lee Gyu-tae had to rush down to Busan, the sudden visit of the former chairman—this was it.
As the newly appointed Lee Gyu-tae had just joined at the end of the season, he had never met the former chairman before.
It didn’t matter much since the visit was sudden and Lee had been tied up with work anyway.
Still, he made it just in time before the chairman left, leaving a solid impression. All he had to do now was deliver results.
And that was the biggest challenge.
Once the chairman left, Marines president Kim Sung-hyun and Lee Gyu-tae headed to the president’s office.
“Phew. You’ve worked hard.”
“You too, sir.”
“Well, taking care of the chairman is basic. These visits will happen often, especially if the results are good.”
“Yes, understood.”
“But didn’t he say he’d be late? He came earlier than expected.”
At those words, Lee Gyu-tae recalled the man he had met at Seoul Station.
And without thinking, he spoke aloud:
“Seems like I’m having a lucky day today.”
“Luck? Hah, I think that’s the first time I’ve heard you say ‘luck’.”
Lee Gyu-tae smiled slightly at that.
Baseball is a sport where data outweighs everything.
Who’s a better player, who benefits the team more—everything can be measured with numbers. Managing all that was the GM’s responsibility.
And in that process, luck was the least useful factor.
Perhaps that’s why Lee wasn’t a fan of talking about luck.
But today’s events could only be described as luck.
“Luck, huh. I hope it continues to follow you.”
“Excuse me?”
“Do you know what the chairman always says? There are plenty of talented people, but finding someone truly lucky is rare.”
“I see.”
“When you find such a person, keep them close. But luck is subtle—if you get it easily, it disappears just as easily. No matter how lucky you are, it doesn’t last forever.”
Today, Lee Gyu-tae’s luck was the man at Seoul Station.
Thanks to that man giving up his seat without expecting anything in return, Lee arrived in Busan safely and left a good impression on the chairman.
Perhaps that’s why he found himself asking without thinking:
“How can I make this luck continue?”
“You have to pay the price, whatever that may be. Well, that’s just how people say it. By the way, did you find this interesting?”
“Yes, something amusing happened today.”
When he told Kim Sung-hyun about the events at Seoul Station, Kim chuckled.
“Do people like that still exist?”
“Luck was on my side. And he refused any reward.”
“I see? His destination was Busan too, right? If fate has it, you might meet again. Anyway, good work today. I’ll rest a bit before leaving.”
Lee Gyu-tae saw Kim Sung-hyun’s tired expression and got up.
Even someone as experienced as Kim would feel the burden of a chairman’s visit.
Lee felt the same, but he still had work left.
“The players from today’s trade should be arriving soon, right? Give them a brief introduction and send them up to my office.”
“Yes, sir.”
The trade with Phoenix had been a gamble for the Marines.
You can’t rely on just the starting lineup all season.
Choi Jun-woo could fill the gaps, while Park Si-woo, the other side of the trade, was harder to utilize immediately.
Of course, he could pitch in relief or as a stopgap starter like Phoenix used him, but as compensation for Choi Jun-woo, it felt lacking.
‘Even luck seems against him.’
As a rookie, he started 18 games with an ERA in the mid-2s, yet finished 0 wins and 10 losses.
Afterwards, injuries sent Park Si-woo’s career downhill.
Normally, this wouldn’t bother anyone much.
The stats were solid—he simply had bad luck.
But today, with recent events and Kim Sung-hyun’s words, Lee found himself oddly concerned.
“-GM, Lee Geon-woo has arrived.”
“Send him up.”
Lee put his thoughts aside for a moment to speak with Lee Geon-woo, who had just arrived at the stadium.
“Alright, let’s do our best.”
“Yes, sir! Thank you!”
Unlike at Phoenix, Lee Geon-woo looked bright, probably expecting more opportunities.
Only Park Si-woo remained.
Unexpectedly, news reached Lee:
“-GM, we received contact from the U.S.”
“U.S.?”
At this time of year, it could be a foreign player or a training center.
For years, the Marines had sent some players to the U.S. after each season.
The goals varied: rehabilitation, skill improvement, or recovery from poor performance.
Success wasn’t guaranteed, but it was often effective.
The limitation was only three players per year.
“One more player is possible?”
“Yes. What shall we do?”
“Definitely. Let’s decide quickly who and send them.”
Immediately, the names of several players flashed through Lee Gyu-tae’s mind—including the one he was waiting for.
“-Park Si-woo has arrived too. Should we send him up?”
“Yes.”
Upon hearing Park Si-woo had arrived, Lee read his report carefully.
‘Definitely more useful than Lee Geon-woo. If his velocity improves in the U.S., he’ll be perfect. Huh?’
The photo attached was familiar.
Though Lee hadn’t recognized him in civilian clothes during the sudden U.S. trip, it was undoubtedly the same man he had met at Seoul Station.
“What a coincidence.”
Lee smiled as he waited for the door to open.
When it did, Park Si-woo’s face reflected genuine surprise.
“Seems like I’m lucky today, Park Si-woo. I didn’t think you’d refuse a reward.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Gyu-tae, GM of the Busan Marines.”
“-Here you go.”
“Thanks.”
Honestly, he was quite taken aback.
Entering the GM’s office, he hadn’t expected to see the Marines’ GM sitting there.
‘Did I make any mistake?’
Fortunately, the GM looked pleased.
“Had something good happen today?”
“Oh, does it seem so?”
He smiled openly, showing no intent to hide anything.
“I almost arrived late for an important event, but thanks to someone, everything went smoothly. And that person refused any reward, which could have been a problem—but it worked out. Lucky day.”
“That’s good. But GM, really, you don’t need a reward. I was lucky too because of it.”
“Is that so? What happened?”
He told him about finding a house.
“There’s a house like that?”
“Yes, pretty amazing.”
The GM nodded thoughtfully, intrigued.
“Okay, let’s put that aside for now. Park Si-woo, how do you feel about joining the Marines?”
“…Feelings?”
“Yes. I hear many players didn’t want to come here—is that true?”
It was hard to deny.
He didn’t know the team’s inner workings, but the atmosphere seemed gloomy from the outside.
The GM smiled faintly, reading his expression.
“So, when you were traded, how did you feel?”
“…Honestly, I wondered why me.”
“Really?”
Speaking honestly felt risky.
At Phoenix, he had been repeatedly told he was doing fine. Maybe that’s why things turned out this way.
Still, the GM seemed receptive, so he continued.
“I thought, as usual, I was unlucky. But coming to Busan today, I decided to leave all bad energy behind. Treat it as a new opportunity.”
It was sincere.
A lottery ticket bought while drunk had changed so much.
Life felt easier, allowing him to give up a seat for the GM.
Plus, a healthy bank balance gave him security.
He had truly changed.
And he wanted to continue changing.
“So that’s why you said I was lucky today? Because you wanted it that way?”
“…Yes.”
The GM nodded slowly and smiled, meeting his eyes.
“Good. So you left all negativity in Daejeon, right?”
“Yes. Everything from fights with Choi Myung-jun is left behind.”
“Since you spoke honestly, I’ll be honest too. I don’t have high expectations for you immediately. Maybe after military service, or at most by thirty. But this trade was fully my choice and responsibility.”
“Yes?”
“Not to pressure you. Even if the situation repeated, I’d make the same choice. That’s how highly I evaluate you. And you’re not at fault—just keep that in mind.”
His heart raced.
But it wasn’t over.
“I have a feeling that if we’re together, luck will follow. Today’s proof—you gave up a seat, and we both had good fortune.”
“…Yes. That’s true.”
“Let’s work hard. Let’s be lucky together. Who knows, maybe your luck will fully bloom here…no, it already has.”
“Already?”
“Today we got a call from the U.S. It’s our training center—we send players there every year, even MLB players. And one extra slot opened. This hasn’t happened for years.”
“Ah…”
“Of course, it’s not confirmed. We’ll discuss it carefully and decide rationally.”
“Yes. I understand.”
“Good. Let’s wrap up for today. Rest well, and we’ll contact you once decided.”
“Thank you.”
The next morning, the GM contacted him:
“-It’s decided. You’re going to the U.S.”
“…Thank you.”
“-Just so you know, it’s not because of that other matter. Everyone agreed. If you’re uneasy, think of it as today being a lucky day.”