Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Fall Camp 3
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"Ugh... I'm gonna die like this."
After the night training session, every floor of the dorms was filled with groans of agony.
The advantage of intense training was that it quickly improved the players' skills. The downside? The players were dropping like flies.
"Whoa... I'm dying here. Oof, oof, oof. There! Right there!"
Choi Seung-taek was helping his roommate, infielder Hwang Kang-kyung, apply pain-relief patches. Hwang Kang-kyung's upper body and thighs were covered in bruises, as expected for an infielder.
"See? This is how us infielders go down. The training's just too brutal."
"Is the fall camp always this intense?"
"Of course not. Even spring camp wasn't this bad."
In response to Choi Seung-taek's question, Hwang Kang-kyung shared stories about previous fall camps.
The Daejeon MacPhies' fall camps in the past hadn't been much different from those at Choi Seung-taek's old team, the Busan Sea Gulls.
"I see."
"Hey, but you're holding up great. I heard you throw yourself into everything without holding back. No aches or pains anywhere?"
Choi Seung-taek thought he'd picked a damn good ability for himself.
It was largely thanks to this skill that he could endure Manager Han Geun-seong's notoriously grueling training sessions.
Even when his body was wracked with pain, it recovered by the next day. In those hair-raising moments where injury seemed inevitable, his body always held up.
But he couldn't exactly show it off, so Choi Seung-taek brushed it off vaguely.
"Nah, not really... It's tough, but I can still manage."
"You can still manage? Man, youth is wasted on the young. Take it easy, though. Pushing too hard and getting hurt is a bigger headache."
"Thanks for the concern, Senior."
"What senior? Call me bro."
"Got it! Bro!"
Hwang Kang-kyung finished applying the patches and checking his body before collapsing onto his bed.
"Gonna crash right away again today?"
"Yeah! Gotta, right?"
"True. Sigh, that's how we make it through tomorrow. Alright, Seung-taek. Thanks for the patches today. Now let's sleep."
"Yep! Lights out."
Choi Seung-taek turned off the light and lay down on his bed.
There was some lingering pain in his body, but it'd be fine after a night's sleep.
From all his testing, even major injuries healed completely within a few days, and minor ones vanished in a day.
Today's aches would be mostly gone by morning.
Once he realized he truly wouldn't get seriously injured, Choi Seung-taek stopped worrying and started throwing himself into training without restraint.
He went so hard that even the coaches got worried, but it earned him a solid reputation among the veterans.
No one dislikes a player who works hard.
The problem was this.
The training was already hellish, and food was his only joy—now even that was restricted.
One day, pork cutlets were on the menu, and he happily took a bite, only to spit it out because it tasted foul in his mouth.
Meal times were short, so he had to wolf down healthy proteins like chicken breast, white fish, tofu, and veggies.
The penalty applied to booze too. At the wrap-up dinner before camp ended, he puked right after a sip and got labeled as the rookie who couldn't hold his liquor.
"Ugh..."
Junk food tasted so good, and now he couldn't enjoy it. That depressed Choi Seung-taek.
"What, you on a diet even now?"
"Huh? A diet?"
"You're something else, Choi Seung-taek. A rookie's already thinking that far ahead. Impressive."
He'd been so picky with healthy choices that it caught the head coach's eye.
"Haha... No, really."
'It's not by choice... I wanna eat fried stuff and udon too.'
"That's a good habit. Eating right reduces inflammation. But you need calories to train, so don't be too picky—fuel up properly."
"Thank you, Coach."
"Yeah."
The Daejeon MacPhies' main conference room was packed with the GM, scouts, strategy analysis team, and various other staff in a meeting.
"We have to deliver results this time. Fans are even joking that the chairman forgot he bought the team."
"We're sorry."
"I know it's just banter from the fans. But the higher-ups at the parent company might not take it lightly. Let's do this right."
The Daejeon MacPhies were currently the pro baseball team that inspired the most laughter.
From 2012 to this year, 2014, they'd finished dead last for three straight seasons.
Amazingly, even with the new Ulsan Egrets joining in 2013, they managed to sink below a expansion team.
The front office atmosphere had rarely been bright.
"So, how's the mood at fall camp?"
"The vibe is fantastic. Probably thanks to Manager Han Geun-seong at the helm—the veterans are participating voluntarily too."
The MacPhies' parent company actually loved baseball and kept funding them. But three years of last place was too much.
This time, with orders to escape the basement, they promised unprecedented support, starting with hiring Han Geun-seong.
"Good start."
They'd also approved a massive fall camp, allowing most players to join.
More players and staff meant higher costs, but it was necessary to properly evaluate the roster.
"How'd the internal evaluations go? FA negotiations with their teams are wrapping up."
"Unfortunately, we need reinforcements in several spots. But we have FAs to retain, so big spending is tough."
"Tch. So which positions do we need to fill?"
"According to the report, one infielder and two pitchers."
The GM reviewed the camp reports. As a three-year last-place team, they had gaping holes everywhere.
Pitching drew heavy criticism, and the infield gaps hurt bad.
"What's this? No request for catcher additions? Wasn't that our weak spot?"
The GM was surprised—no call for catcher help.
"The rookie we drafted this year can handle backup duties."
"Nice. Good call on the first-rounder. Frees up budget elsewhere. Any FA targets?"
The scouts jumped in.
"Good news: We might snag Park Hyeok from the Daegu Eagles."
"Park Hyeok?"
The GM looked shocked. Park Hyeok was a key bullpen arm for Daegu.
He'd be a huge boost for the MacPhies' weak pitching.
"Yes! Daegu doesn't seem to value him much. We might pull it off."
"Push it hard. Scout other pitchers too."
"Got it."
"What about foreign players?"
"We sent someone to the States. But..."
The meeting room's mood darkened as the discussion continued.
They'd failed to secure any top talent.
A month had already passed since Choi Seung-taek arrived in Okinawa for fall camp.
His routine that month was brutally simple.
Sleep, eat, train. Rinse and repeat.
Now, he checked his progress.
'Seriously? Just 1% up? That's a ton of progress for all that suffering.'
Nearly a month of non-stop training minus sleep, and only about 1% gain.
At this rate, it'd take ten straight years of nonstop hell to hit B-grade.
Catcher was always a grind like that, but seeing the road ahead left Choi Seung-taek a bit down.
Remembering yesterday's horrors, he sighed and packed for the flight home to Korea.
They were leaving that evening, so he packed quickly, planning to rest.
Packing done, Choi Seung-taek flopped on the bed and checked his phone.
It was flooded with camp schedule texts.
Manager: Choi Seung-taek, Nov 24 AM blocking training.
Manager: Choi Seung-taek, Nov 26 PM batting practice.
Manager: Choi Seung-taek, Nov 25 night stolen base prevention training.
"Ugh, that was brutal. Glad it's over."
"Choi Seung-taek! You packed?"
"Yes! Ready to head out!"
"Then let's go."
"Yes, sir!"
And just like that, Choi Seung-taek returned to Korea.
Late that evening, he landed at Incheon Airport and swapped his SIM back. Unread messages poured in.
The top one was from Park Ga-young.
- Unread Message -
Park Ga-young: I hate you.
Choi Seung-taek returned to Korea on November 27th. The college entrance exam had ended two weeks prior.
'Oh... no.'