Chapter 42
Chapter 42
Translator Wjin
Chapter 42
At Nixon Sports, Chairman Lee Dae-jin had called a family meeting with his eldest daughter, Lee Si-eun, and his second daughter, Lee Si-ha.
Of course, “family meeting” was just a pretext. It was a performance evaluation.
A chance to appeal, ‘Look what I’ve done! I’m amazing, right? So, I’ll take Nixon Sports!’ From the moment they entered the chairman’s office, the sisters had been glaring at each other, their competitive spirits burning.
“Let’s hear from our eldest first.”
At her father’s words, Lee Si-eun confidently began to report on the latest quarter’s results.
“The tennis division is doing very well. Sales, operating profit, and net profit are all on an upward trend. Especially the new product line, which is receiving excellent reviews in the ‘global market.’ And… we’re also getting positive feedback from…”
Lee Dae-jin nodded with a satisfied smile. It was gratifying to hear that all the indicators were pointing upwards. He was particularly pleased with the growth in the global market.
'The domestic market has its limits…'
One of his business philosophies was to always aim for the world. At her father’s satisfied reaction, Lee Si-eun smirked at her younger sister.
“Our second daughter took on the struggling division. How’s it going?”
Lee Si-ha flinched but answered, “Nixon Baseball has announced its first lineup, the CTH line, and is taking pre-orders. The same goes for the global market. We’re just waiting for the launch.”
Lee Dae-jin nodded with a slightly disappointed expression.
“Right… baseball was a dying business. You seem to have prepared well. But… you know that just working hard isn't enough, right?”
Lee Si-ha smiled bitterly and nodded. “How are the pre-orders? Are they good?”
“...They're still a bit low.”
“See? Why did you get involved in a failed business… How about you just come work for your sister? I can make a position for you.”
Her words sounded like a concerned older sister, but her exaggerated tone and expression were clearly insincere.
Lee Si-ha bit her lip and continued, “But the numbers are as expected. There hasn’t been any promotion yet. The contract with the promotional model is finished, and we’ll start filming as soon as his schedule is clear. I’m confident the situation will improve.”
“Really? To have such high expectations for a promotional model, he must be a good player.”
“Yes. He’s still a high school player, but we invested 1 billion won over three years, looking at his future.”
Lee Si-eun’s eyes widened, and she raised her voice.
“What? Are you crazy? A high school player… and 1 billion won?”
She was about to scold her sister, but…
“Wait!”
Lee Dae-jin suddenly shouted, his eyes gleaming.
“Could that high school player’s name be…?”
“Yes…? Um… Cha, Cha Tae-hyun. He’s been gaining some popularity—”
At the mention of the name, Lee Dae-jin’s face lit up.
“Cha Tae-hyun! I know him! I know him very well! You mean Cha Tae-hyun of Hyeoksan High!”
“Yes…? Yes, that’s right.”
“Hahaha! Well done, Si-ha! Well done!”
“Yes?”
“1 billion won over three years? This, this is the work of an investment genius! To think I have a daughter like this!”
‘What…? Who is this Cha Tae-hyun that he’s so excited about…?’
Nixon Sports’ sales were at the top of the sports industry. As such, their promotional models were usually famous athletes. Why was he so excited about some unknown high school baseball player?
Lee Si-eun shook her head in confusion. Lee Dae-jin went over to Lee Si-ha and laughed heartily.
“Hahaha! With this, Nixon Baseball has a good chance of making a comeback! I’ll invest more funds!”
“Ah, Father? What are you talking about? Nixon Baseball has been forgotten for a long time. A large investment now is a waste of money!”
The eldest daughter’s words were perfectly rational, but Lee Dae-jin just continued laughing, patting his second daughter’s shoulder.
“So, Si-ha, when is Cha Tae-hyun’s commercial shoot?”
“We plan to do it as soon as the current Baseball World Cup is over.”
Lee Si-ha was momentarily stunned at his next words.
“Really? Then I’ll come too. I’ve been wanting to treat him to a meal for a while.”
She wondered why he wanted to have a meal with him, but it was a purely personal request, completely separate from the contract. Normally, she would have refused, but…
“Is that alright?”
Her father’s face was filled with anticipation. A face that promised trouble if she refused… In the end, she had to nod.
“Yes. I’ll let him know.”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇;
A smile was on Lee Si-ha’s face as she left the chairman’s office. Honestly, it was true that pre-orders were low, and she had no tangible results yet, so she had been prepared for some criticism.
But instead, her father had promised additional funding.
‘It’s thanks to him. Really…’
She felt like she should thank him when the game ended. At that moment, Lee Si-eun, who had been leaning against the wall, looking at her phone, spoke.
“Hmm… Cha Tae-hyun… I really don’t get it. I searched him, and he’s not particularly famous, not even a pro. And most importantly, his visuals are a bit lacking.”
Lee Si-ha scoffed and shot back, “Isn’t it because your standards are too high? He’s a decent-looking guy.”
“...You’re completely smitten, aren't you? My lovely little sister. Considering your position, you could have a line of men much better than this Cha Tae-hyun. Why are you so obsessed with him and wasting 1 billion won?”
“I’m not obsessed with him and wasting money. I’m just investing in his potential for success.”
“Oh~ really? It’s a contract I can’t understand unless you’re obsessed with this man. But I’ll respect it. You might have a peculiar taste.”
“Well… I won’t completely deny it. I like him more than my own sister.”
“What…?”
Lee Si-ha bowed to her stunned sister and left.
‘Was I too harsh?’
It wasn't necessary to go that far, but something in her had snapped when she heard her sister belittling him.
“I don’t know… It’s my annoying sister’s fault, not his.”
She took out her phone as she walked. His game was over. It was a little early, but…
‘It should be fine, right?’
She wanted to relieve the stress her sister had caused. Texting with him was fun, even if it was just about work.
[Congratulations on your victory today, Cha Tae-hyun. Do you have time for a quick text?]
[Cha Tae-hyun: Thanks. Text? Sure. I'm on the bus back, so I have nothing to do anyway.]
Lee Si-ha smiled and started typing.
[Thanks to you, things went well for me today.]
[Cha Tae-hyun: Because of me?]
[Yes. I was able to make a good impression on my father.]
[Cha Tae-hyun: I don’t know what happened, but it's a good thing, so that’s great.]
[Right. Thank you so much. Oh, and… can you come a little earlier on the day of the commercial shoot?]
[Cha Tae-hyun: It’s fine, but why was the schedule moved up?]
[Well… the chairman said he really wants to treat you to a meal.]
[Cha Tae-hyun: Really? Well, I’m happy to get a free meal. But wouldn’t it be more comfortable to have the meal after the shoot?]
[Ah, my mistake. I moved it up because I wanted to repay you a little.]
[Cha Tae-hyun: Repay me? Well, thank you. I don't know for what, but I'll gratefully accept.]
“Right. My father is coming, so it would be better to dress him up a little. That would be… part of the job. Let’s see… what watch brands do men like these days…”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇;
Meanwhile, the Japanese national team was holding a strategy meeting in preparation for the upcoming Korea game. On the screen that everyone was focused on, Cha Tae-hyun’s hitting video was playing.
“Cha Tae-hyun… Right-handed pitcher, right-handed batter, 187 cm. A key player for the Korean team with excellent contact and power… Ryuji. What do you think? Can you handle him?”
Yamada Ryuji, hailed as Japan’s top prospect and already boasting a popularity comparable to pro players. He watched the screen for a moment and then nodded.
“He’s definitely a good player. But… he’s not a threat.”
The coach nodded with satisfaction and asked, “Do you think our pitchers can stop him?”
“I agree with you, coach.”
“Good. Then I don’t think we’ll give up many runs… Can you hit Kim Shin-hwa’s or Kim Chang-hyun’s pitches?”
Yamada Ryuji smiled slightly and asked back, “What do you think, coach?”
“Of course, you could hit them out of the park.”
“I think so too.”
“Good. Very good. Then, in the first game, will you pitch or bat?”
He was asking if he would pitch or bat in the Korea game. Yamada Ryuji thought for a moment and then raised the corners of his mouth as if he had thought of something fun.
"Korea is an opponent we'll meet in the final anyway, whether we win or lose. So… in the first game, I’ll be the batter… and in the final, I'll surprise them with my pitching, which I’ve been hiding until now… Doesn't that sound good?”
“Hahaha!! Definitely! I can already see the Korean team’s flustered faces when Ryuji takes the mound!”
Yamada Ryuji also grinned at the laughing coach.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇;
“Hey Tae-hyun. Is Yamada Ryuji good?”
“Well… he’s a good player. It’s rare to find someone who can both hit and pitch well.”
“What? He’s a two-way player? Didn’t he not have any pitching records?”
“Ah.”
Kim Yu-bin, who kept talking to me, was annoying, so I had answered without thinking. The current Yamada Ryuji wasn't at the stage where he would stand out as a two-way player.
No, Yamada Ryuji wasn’t a monster prospect character in the first place.
He was a rather unique case who joined a pro team with decent results, played for about four years, and then discovered his pitching talent late and switched to a two-way player.
Anyway, he was good enough to make it to the majors as a two-way player. And most importantly, he was set up as Lee Ji-ho's rival, so he couldn't be bad.
Well… I didn't know why a guy like that was appearing as a monster prospect at this time. It was probably for the same reason that Jin Tae-hyun and Kim Shin-hwa had suddenly appeared.
The one who sent me here probably couldn't bear to see me have it easy. If the current Yamada Ryuji had blossomed his talent early because of that principle…
“It might not be easy, really.”
“Huh?”
“The Japan game. That Ryuji guy is really good.”
Kim Yu-bin looked at me with a new expression.
"It's the first time I've seen you respect someone like that. Well, he looked really good just from the video.”
“Yeah. I’m not sure, but he’s probably a good pitcher too.”
“Is that so? Did a guy who can finally beat Cha Tae-hyun appear?”
It was a trivial and silly provocation, but…
“That’s not it.”
He crossed the line.
“Haha! But he’s not better than Cha Tae-hyun?”
“Yeah. No matter how good Ryuji is, he can’t win the major league MVP.”
“Huh? What are you suddenly talking about?”
“No, it's nothing.”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇;
As the U-18 Baseball World Cup moved into the super round, the official NewTube live broadcast began.
As a result, Japan and Korea were using the same chat window at the same time, and with Japanese net-rightists, ordinary Japanese people, and Koreans who were just interested in the Japan-Korea match all mixed together, the chat was a complete mess even before the game started.
└ The day of the Joseon-jing massacre begins Lol
└ Ryuji-san will tear Tae-hyun apart lol
└ What are these Japs saying?
└ Turn on the translation function. Seriously, these monkeys are going crazy.
└ The soon-to-be-defeated Joseon-noms are talking a lot
└ Wow, this is an official broadcast, but why is the chat so much worse? I think I'll just go to the Korean broadcast.
└ It sucks, but the official broadcast is a little faster. You’ll get spoiled if you go to the Korean one.
└ Ugh, these Japs are barking so much. Tae-hyun-shin will tear them apart anyway.
└ I don't know what you're talking about with a Cha Tae-hyun who is far below Yamada Ryuji.
└ Hmm… Yamada Ryuji is an excellent player, but I don’t know. I think he’s still lacking to be compared to Cha Tae-hyun. Especially with his style… I think Cha Tae-hyun will be particularly strong against Japan. He’s a player who is overflowing with patriotism, just like me.
└ What is this Joseon-jin suddenly talking about?
Kim Yu-bin, who had gotten off the bus, looked at his phone and shook his head.
“Tae-hyun, it’s going to be a big problem if we lose today.”
I wondered what he was talking about, and it seemed he was looking at the chaotic broadcast chat.
“Isn’t that obvious? It’s a Japan-Korea match.”
“That’s true. I’m not playing, so I’m a little less nervous. Are you okay?”
“Me? I’m the same as usual.”
I had experienced a sold-out World Series, so was I going to be nervous in a game like this? But the other team members looked a little nervous.
I understood. There were even people who would tell you to row back with a rubber basin if you lost. If you became the cause of the defeat… Hmm… even I wouldn’t be able to handle that.
I glanced at today’s starting pitcher, Kim Shin-hwa. His face was pretty much the same as usual. He didn't look nervous.
“Aren’t you nervous?”
Kim Shin-hwa looked at me and gave an unexpected answer.
“I am a little nervous. Me too.”
Kim Shin-hwa was nervous…? The guy who would pick a fight with me even after I hit five consecutive home runs off him. I realized once again how scary a Japan-Korea match was.
“So, Cha Tae-hyun, just get us four runs. Then I’ll win the game for us.”
A chuckle escaped my lips.
“So you think you won’t give up more than three runs?”
“Right.”
“Okay, I’ll get you four runs.”
“Then we can consider today’s game won.”
Kim Shin-hwa, who had declared confidently,
Craaaack!
└ www As expected, Ryuji-san, he hit a Joseon-jin extermination homer www
└ As expected, Korean pitchers can’t handle Ryuji
└ Ha, damn it, what kind of first-pitch out-of-the-park home run did Shin-hwa give up?
└ The chat is so fucked up, I’m out.
…gave up a solo home run to Yamada Ryuji in the top of the second inning.
Hmm… well. It was still just one run.
Shouldn’t it be okay?