Chapter 56 New Home and Hidden Talent
New Home and Hidden Talent
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> Wjin Chapter: 56
> Title: New Home and Hidden Talent
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After wrapping up spring camp and returning home, I went ahead and signed a lease on an apartment right away.
I'd thought about putting off the move to get some rest, but exhibition games were starting soon.
By then, I'd be too busy to handle it, so it seemed better to knock it out now.
"Whoa... Oppa, there's a lake in your apartment complex!"
Ji-hyun's eyes lit up with excitement the moment we pulled into the complex.
"Oppa, there's an elevator too. No more climbing to the fourth floor! This is gonna be so convenient, right?"
Seeing her beaming over something as simple as an elevator made my nose tingle.
If I'd known she'd be this thrilled, I would've moved ages ago...
Once we got off the elevator, Ji-hyun tugged at my heartstrings again.
"Oppa, there's a door lock too. It opens with a code, right? No more worrying about losing keys."
"Sorry, Ji-hyun... I should've moved us sooner."
"Huh...? Why are you sorry? You're letting me live in a place this nice... Don't say silly things—let's go inside already!"
Ji-hyun grabbed my hand and pouted playfully.
"Alright, let's check it out."
I punched in the code, and the door swung open to reveal a sleek shoe closet. A step further in, and the pristine white interior came into view.
"Wow... The living room is huge..."
True to its 64-pyeong size, the living room dwarfed our old place by comparison.
Ji-hyun wandered around with her mouth agape the whole time,
'There are three bathrooms!'
'Oppa, is this my room? It looks three times bigger than my old one.'
'Oppa, look—a bathtub!'
She was as giddy as a kid at an amusement park for the first time.
"You like it, Ji-hyun?"
"Yeah... I love it so much! Oppa... thank you!"
She bounced over and threw her arms around me.
I'd never seen her this excited before. Money really was the best, huh.
If anyone claimed happiness couldn't be bought, I'd shove a picture of Ji-hyun's beaming face in their face right now.
I've gotta... earn even more. Harder than ever.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The GM visited the ballpark at Manager Lee Eun-seok's request.
"GM Lee. After spring camp, I gotta say... this team isn't as hopeless as it seems."
"Pardon?"
"Why the surprise? Did you think Phoenix was a total lost cause?"
The GM nearly nodded but forced an awkward smile instead.
"Haha... No, sir. I just figured you'd be extra critical of Phoenix, so it caught me off guard."
"Fair enough. I was strict, just like you said. But I still see potential."
The GM's lips twitched as he almost blurted out Really?, but the manager pressed on.
"That said, Phoenix isn't a good team right now. Not by a long shot."
That much, even the GM had to concede with a nod. No way a last-place team from last year transformed after one camp.
"...Yeah, I'd agree."
"It's an undeniable fact. But potential means something. With the right moves..."
"We could succeed?"
"Quick on the uptake—love that, GM. I won't ask for much. Just leave trades entirely to me from now on..."
The GM nodded for now. Every trade he'd made had drawn a torrent of abuse, and he was sick of it anyway. This might actually be a relief.
But what came next was the real bombshell.
"Let's overhaul the whole coaching staff. Clean sweep."
"You mean... fire them all...?"
The manager grinned and nodded.
'Didn't see that coming.'
When Lee Eun-seok was first hired, he'd never mentioned bringing his own crew, so the GM assumed he was fine with the current Phoenix coaches.
"I've been out of the game a while. My old guys have all settled elsewhere—no one to call. I was gonna roll with the current staff... but no matter how I look at it, they won't cut it."
"Got anyone in mind?"
"Yep. Here's the list I drew up. Take a look."
The GM scanned it and tilted his head. Contrary to expectations, most were young coaches.
"They're all solid, but I picked ones who'll listen. Can we make this happen?"
The GM rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
The owner's orders were to follow the manager's lead, but gutting the entire staff was a massive scale.
"Might need to run this by the owner first."
"Sure? Then connect me—I'll ask myself."
The GM nodded, texted to check availability, and got the green light right away.
The call dragged on far longer than expected. The GM thought it'd just lead to a meeting about coaches, but it sounded like they were wrapping it up over the phone.
"Yes. Thank you, sir."
"Owner approved?"
"Said it's necessary for a Phoenix championship—gave the okay without hesitation."
The GM let out a hollow laugh and nodded.
'Even so, the owner's a bit too quick to say yes...'
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Grandma, I'm heading out."
Phoenix's second-team player Cha Si-hwan stepped out of his rundown villa and climbed into his beat-up old car that barely seemed roadworthy.
Most people pictured pro baseball players raking in cash, but for second-team guys like Cha Si-hwan—especially those not drafted high—this was reality.
Still, Cha Si-hwan was content with his lot.
Getting into pro ball had been a stroke of luck to begin with.
As a senior-year tournament candidate, he'd been thrust into the closer role due to injuries to other pitchers.
Pouring his soul into it as his last shot, it became the pitch of a lifetime.
His prized underhand delivery clocked a top speed of 138 km/h and erased two innings flat.
That caught a scout's eye, landing him with Phoenix.
Of course... there was a reason it was a one-time miracle.
If his underhand consistently hit 138 with control, scouts would've noticed him ages ago.
Stubbornly erratic control—that was Cha Si-hwan's Achilles' heel.
It left him with bottom-barrel signing bonus and salary, but he figured time would fix it.
Pros had expert coaches to develop players, after all.
He had no doubt they'd stabilize his command.
But... Phoenix's coaches were a far cry from what he'd imagined.
"Raise your arm angle a bit."
That was the first advice Cha Si-hwan ever got from a coach.
"Sorry... My senpai who taught me underhand said never to mess with the angle..."
That senpai had made it big in MLB with underhand—that angle was sacred to Cha Si-hwan.
Explanation or not, the coach was bullheaded.
"What? You saying your senpai knows better than me?"
"...But he's a successful pitcher..."
"Some green rookie ignoring the pitching coach. Who does that?"
"Sorry. But... I can't raise my arm angle."
"Hah! Fine—ignore me and see how far you get."
At first, Cha Si-hwan clashed with the coach to defend his conviction.
"Sorry for being so stubborn all this time, Coach..."
But a year later, he bowed his head.
He could handle the coach ignoring or sidelining him—nothing to learn from a guy fixated on arm angle anyway.
The problem? The entire second-team staff was in on it.
Cha Si-hwan the pitcher soon fell out with every coach, and naturally, his playing time dried up.
He wasn't posting standout stats to begin with—fewer chances meant he could be cut any day now.
Hadn't he vowed to succeed for the grandmother who'd raised him alone?
Time to swallow his pride.
"Hmph... Fine. Rookies can be stubborn. Just listen to the other coaches from now on, got it?"
"Yes... I will."
'Gotta show Grandma me playing in the first team someday...'
Cha Si-hwan swallowed his emotions and started adjusting his arm angle as instructed.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ With exhibition games just days away, here I was at Sangdong Field, the second-team ballpark.
If you're wondering why the sudden visit—beats me.
The manager suddenly said, "Shouldn't we check out the second team?" and dragged me along.
No way he'd demote me on a whim—he had to have a reason.
Plus, it was an opportunity in its own way.
There'd been plenty of chatter about players who left Phoenix via trade and blew up elsewhere.
The classic escape-from-last-place effect—maybe one was here.
In my memory, there was definitely one underhand pitcher who fit the bill...
If I spotted him, I'd grab the manager's pant leg and beg him to keep the guy.
Every pitcher counted toward a championship.
"M-M-Manager Lee Eun-seok?"
A coach lounging in a chair at the practice field jolted upright in surprise.
Surprise inspection?
His reaction suggested our visit wasn't announced.
"What brings you here? You must be swamped..."
"Never mind that. Call up the bullpen guys—one at-bat each against me. Bring one catcher too, and head to the field. No need for hitters."
The manager added casually, like it was no big deal.
That explained bringing me—testing how the second-team pen fared against a first-team hitter.
Was that okay, though...?
Senior Lee Sang-jin might've been a better fit.
Whatever—manager's orders.
I stepped into the batter's box.
"Jo Choong-hyun here! Please take care of me!"
The pitcher on the mound shouted a throat-shredding greeting without prompting.
Desperation poured from his voice and eyes.
...Who could blame him?
Crush it here, and he might get called up. How could he not be desperate?
And I was a sucker for that kind of thing...
"Don't hold back—swing like always, got it?"
With the manager saying that, pity alone wouldn't cut it.
The pitcher went into his windup and fired.
Maybe too amped—he grooved a flat fastball down the middle.
Couldn't miss this even if I tried.
-Crack!!!
I turned on it, and the ball rocketed out, easily clearing the fence.
"C-Can I get just one more at-bat, please?"
The pitcher whipped around from chasing the ball, pleading desperately with the manager.
But...
"Next."
In the end, he threw one pitch and trudged off.
More pitchers followed, one after another.
-Crack!!!
"H-How...?"
"Next."
-Crack!
"J-Just one more chance!"
"Next."
"Next..."
Every one gave up a homer or extra-base hit to me.
The manager sighed and asked the coach,
"No more pitchers?"
The coach shook his head, and the manager called me over.
"Come down, Tae-hyun. Time to head back."
Odd...
I clearly remembered an underhand guy who'd thrived after leaving Phoenix...
Shame, but you can't conjure a player from thin air. I lowered my bat to leave when—
"W-Wait! Manager! Manager, we've got a pitcher here! There's a pitcher right here!"
Hm...?
A sudden pitcher bolted desperately to the mound.
"What? You said no more pitchers."
"W-Well, he is a pitcher, but he's stubborn as hell—barely listening lately. Figured first team's a stretch anyway, so I didn't mention him..."
"Is that so...?"
The pitcher stared pleadingly at the manager and bellowed again.
"Cha Si-hwan here! Please! Just let me throw once. Once is enough! I won't ask for two! Please... just one chance, Manager!"
"That guy's...!"
The coach scowled and stormed the mound to drag him off.
The pitcher shoved him away, dropped to his knees, and wailed for a shot. Just one chance.
No idea if this was the underhand guy I remembered.
But... regardless.
Ignoring someone that desperate wasn't right.
At least, that's how I saw it.
I reversed course from the box, stepped back in, and raised my bat.
"Manager. Give him one at-bat. I'm asking you."