Chapter 73, Did He Study Abroad?
“I can speak English.”
What kind of country was Korea?
Many players had challenged America after reaching free agency, but only a few succeeded.
Even Cho Seung-hun had failed to reach the Majors and still had not come to his senses.
The Major League scouts could only stare in admiration.
And after hearing those first words, they focused even more intensely.
“Wasn’t he twenty years old? Did he study overseas?”
“His language skills are excellent. Four reporters, four interpreters, all rushing toward him at once, and he isn’t even flustered.”
“He has the talent and the guts. He’s a very good player.”
“Why didn’t he go directly to the Majors? His skill and adaptability both look perfect.”
“We need to watch him starting from the second half of this year. How long until free agency?”
“Around seven years. Damn it. Won’t he waste his prime playing in Korea?”
The American scouts could only admire Choi Seong.
He looked almost perfect.
“Japan wasn’t especially difficult. I’d also like to say something to the legendary player who once said Korea was one hundred years behind Japan.”
Before a past Korea-Japan match, a Japanese hitter had once claimed that Korean baseball was one hundred years behind Japan.
Choi Seong was directly responding to that statement.
Hearing it made the scouts even more excited.
“Players like that are rare. He already has absolute confidence in his own ability.”
Korea had often struggled in international tournaments and was considered several levels below Japan.
Japan had also produced far more Major League players.
Because of that, the scouts had actually come mainly to watch Hoshino Yuki.
Instead, they discovered a new possibility.
1-0.
It was not simply about the score.
Hoshino Yuki had allowed only one run against Korea.
But Choi Seong threw a shutout, hit a solo home run, and went two-for-four at the plate.
“Has a new Asian hero appeared...?”
The scouts began thinking carefully about what words they should put in their reports to make them stand out.
[Japan Humiliated, Battle of LA Won Almost Entirely by Choi Seong]
[No Player Is Greater Than the Team? Choi Seong Breaks That Rule]
[Foreign Reporters Shocked by Choi Seong’s American English Pronunciation, “It Was Perfect”]
[U.S. and Japanese Scouts Agree, “We Came to See Yuki, But Found Choi Seong”]
Many articles poured out after the foreign media interview.
I calmly showered and went outside.
There was plenty of time before the Korean team bus left.
“Choi Seong.”
Hoshino Yuki was waiting for me with bandages wrapped all around his body.
A few Korean players greeted him, but only with light bows.
People knew better than to bother a pitcher who had just lost.
Pitchers were that sensitive.
“Why are you here?”
I had not expected him to come.
Wasn’t he the type to stew alone after losing?
And even though Japan had lost, they had not been eliminated.
If they beat China and Cuba, they could still advance in second place.
Of course, first place belonged to us.
“Because I’m angry. But how do you keep staying ahead of me like this?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I just pitch better. I hit pretty well too.”
Hoshino Yuki bit his lip.
Maybe he could not accept losing like this.
Then again, he had suffered a complete-game loss.
I had thrown a complete-game shutout.
All the attention that should have gone to him had shifted toward me.
“I didn’t lose to Korea today. I lost to you, Choi Seong.”
“That’s a bit exaggerated. Kwon Geon-woo did his job when we needed him.”
I really had not expected Tanaka to hit the ball like that.
Of course, challenging him with a four-seam fastball, a pitch he was naturally strong against, had been my mistake.
But I had faced him many times in my previous life.
This time, I had wanted to challenge him directly.
“Either way, it wasn’t a home run, so they still couldn’t score.”
Had Hoshino Yuki always been this obsessive?
Maybe not.
Perhaps it was simply because he had almost never experienced failure.
“So what are you trying to tell me? If you’re just using me as an emotional trash can, go away. I’m tired.”
Hoshino Yuki bit his lip again.
It looked like that one really got to him.
“I’m not going to say I’ll never lose again. After seeing your pitches today, I understand. But when you’re batting, I’ll never give up another run.”
“Fine. But what happened today?”
Hoshino Yuki’s face turned bright red.
“It won’t happen again.”
His voice burned with fighting spirit.
I did not care.
Next time, and the time after that, I would win again.
I had no intention of losing to anyone.
“Fine. Do your best. I’ll see you in the final.”
I lightly tapped his iced shoulder.
I would probably be able to pitch in the semifinal.
I needed to see how good Manager Heo Jun was at handling a pitching staff.
Either way, our next opponent was China.
For reference, this was not the old China.
To compete with the United States at the Olympics, they had naturalized countless foreign players.
It was basically a mixed international team wearing Chinese uniforms.
China had never shown much interest in baseball.
They poured huge amounts of money into soccer and basketball, yet still failed to consistently produce elite players.
With tensions between the United States and China continuing diplomatically, China chose an unusual solution ahead of the Olympics.
They wanted to make a strong showing in baseball, in America itself.
How would they do that?
“I understand that many of you do not feel much attachment to the People’s Republic of China. Naturally, it can be difficult to love a new homeland at first.”
Lin Yu.
His entire baseball experience came from playing in Taiwan’s league.
Through strange circumstances and the situation inside the country, he had ended up as manager of the Chinese national team.
He had never produced especially great results as a hitter.
But he knew how to persuade players.
And he could speak English.
“But we defeated Cuba. If we defeat Korea, then Japan, you will receive even more attention from this country. Money, honor, everything will follow!”
Lin Yu calmly looked at his players.
Black players.
White players.
Asian players.
Players from all kinds of backgrounds looked back at him with excited expressions.
When the team was first formed, no one had expected much.
Many of them were players who had been released after using drugs in America or losing competition in Japan.
Others had been recruited after standing out in the Dominican Republic or Cuban leagues.
China had even tried to lure away aces from Taiwan’s league.
Naturally, the team chemistry had originally been terrible.
Players who had barely known each other spent more time fighting than cooperating.
Honestly, Lin Yu could not control them.
He thought everything was already ruined.
Until he came up with a new trick.
“China will pay each of you one million dollars just for reaching the knockout round! Just finish among the top four of eight teams! And if you beat America and win the gold medal, the reward will be ten million dollars! Remember that, then show your loyalty!”
These were players who had already received around one million dollars just to naturalize.
Once the promised rewards became that large, everyone became excited.
Against Cuba, the hitters swung like madmen and the pitchers fought like their lives depended on it.
That was how China won 7-3.
“There’s no separate bonus for beating Cuba?”
A Black player asked.
Lin Yu answered casually.
“We agreed on five thousand dollars per player for beating Cuba. Beat Korea and you’ll receive another ten thousand dollars.”
Solving everything through money.
That was Lin Yu’s leadership.
“Okay! We’ll crush Korea too.”
“If that Choi Seong guy isn’t playing, they’re nothing special anyway.”
The players gathered together and went outside to practice.
Many of them had once been considered prospects.
Some had performed well in the Majors before losing everything through drugs or crime.
After all the players left the locker room, Lin Yu let out a huge sigh.
He was extremely worried.
The head coach approached him.
“How are you planning to handle this later?”
“What else? I’ll just ignore them later...”
The head coach’s face turned pale.
He was genuinely worried Lin Yu might get shot.
In truth, every victory bonus was a lie.
The team had simply been such a hopeless disaster that Lin Yu made up a story about government bonuses.
“Don’t worry. We can just say the government refused to pay.”
The coaching staff and Lin Yu himself were scheduled to receive bonuses worth hundreds of millions of won if they advanced from the group stage.
Lin Yu’s ridiculous plan was to use part of that money to hire security.
He had also warned each player’s agent that everything was confidential as part of China’s Olympic project.
Everyone believed him.
What an easy world to deceive.
Choi Seong had already been used as Korea’s number-one starter against Japan.
After seeing his pitches, Lin Yu was genuinely grateful he would not appear against China.
“If Choi Seong doesn’t pitch, this should be easy.”
“Isn’t that exactly why we brought in all these mercenaries?”
Lin Yu and the head coach laughed happily.
[Sub Mission Complete: Win the Korea-Japan Match!]
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Description: Choi Seong is gradually rising toward the position of greatest pitcher in history. However, that reputation is still mostly limited to Korea. Defeat Japan’s greatest prospect, Hoshino Yuki, and show the world Choi Seong’s value and the strength of Korean baseball!
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Reward: Gain the [Patriot Choi] Potential!
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[Patriot Choi] increased all stats by 30% when facing Japanese or Chinese opponents.
Would I really have many chances to use this?
Even so, it was one of the potentials I absolutely needed for the next game.
Because in my previous life...
Korea had suffered a mercy-rule loss to China, something that had never happened before in Korean baseball history.
It was that shocking.
The team received that much criticism.
Manager Heo Jun spoke with slight tension in his voice.
“The biggest upset in the history of this group stage just happened.”
China had defeated Cuba.
It made no sense.
Through that victory, China earned the first official international win in its history.
It came after forty-two consecutive losses.
Behind that miracle stood countless foreign mercenaries.
Individually, they were mostly rejects.
But Manager Lin Yu had lied to them and somehow united them.
“Simply put, China isn’t China anymore. They’ve become a completely different team. I never expected them to beat Cuba.”
Even I was shocked.
Building an Olympic roster almost entirely through naturalized foreign players was difficult to imagine.
Of course, later on, it would become a huge scandal when Lin Yu’s lies were exposed.
In my previous life, Korea lost to China and suffered the shock of elimination in the group stage.
This time would be different.
Because I was here.
Our starting pitcher was Yoo Jong-hyeon of the Incheon Dolphins.
He was fairly old and had performed well in international competitions before.
“We’re going to win. Let’s win today and secure our place in the next round!”
“Yes!”
Everyone shouted in response to Manager Heo Jun.
The sound was more than loud enough.
Afterward, hitting coach Lee Jun-ho explained each player’s batting targets one by one.
For reference, there was almost no database information on China’s starting pitcher.
He was a rookie treated like an ace in the Dominican League, and I heard China had brought him over for around one billion won.
Only I knew how to attack him.
