Episode 5. Spring Camp (1)
Now that he had finished his investments, it was time to seriously start getting into shape to prepare for spring camp.
Running was essential for stamina. Running slowly and for a long time was important, but training to sprint at full speed was also necessary.
Having been a catcher for so long, his feet were gradually getting slower. To prevent this, he had to consistently sprint short distances of around twenty meters so he wouldn't lose his speed.
And he had to strengthen his core and deep muscles while making his body flexible.
There was nothing better than Pilates for this. Since he had done it plenty before his regression, there wouldn't be much difficulty.
Jihoon signed up for a membership with Gidongchan and went diligently. He was a guy who had signed with the Seoul Royals, the team Jihoon had wanted to go to, and whom he now had to face as an enemy rather than a teammate, but strangely, Jihoon couldn't hate him.
The relationship between Jihoon and Gidongchan felt almost like a "soul battery."
Before his regression. When they had defeated Japan in the WBC, an interview Gidongchan had given had become a huge sensation.
"As long as Jihoon is wearing his catcher's mask, no batter is scary. The batter is just one person, but the two of us become one to fight together."
***
January 31, 2025. He departed for Kaohsiung, Taiwan, where the Smiles' spring camp was being held.
"Jihoon, load up your USB with lots of movies and dramas. And make sure to bring a marker so you don't get your laundry mixed up."
With the help of Park Seyeong, a friend of his older sister who worked in the Smiles organization's operations team, Jihoon packed all his necessities without omission and departed for spring camp.
On the plane, he sat next to fellow rookie Gung Byeongil. He had seen him for the first time at the rookie welcome ceremony; this was the second time.
A guy with a rugged face overflowing with rustic charm and subtly exuding a pathetic shabbiness.
Gung Byeongil was a third-round pick, while Song Guhan, who had been selected in the second round, was already in the hospital with an elbow injury.
He had heard that a debut this year would probably be difficult for him.
Gung Byeongil seemed incredibly excited, perhaps because it was his first time on a plane.
He didn't know how to work the screen on the back of the seat in front of him, so he kept asking Jihoon, and afterward, he couldn't take his eyes off the scenery outside the window.
About two hours after takeoff, meal service came around just as he was getting hungry.
A flight attendant asked Gung Byeongil for his meal choice.
"Would you like bulgogi or fish?"
"Bulgogi."
Gung Byeongil said with an incredibly bright, innocent expression.
"Please give me a lot."
The flight attendant staggered, flustered. For a moment, it felt like the plane had stopped midair.
Shame washed over Jihoon to the degree that he wanted to jump right out of the plane, parachute or no.
Though greatly flustered, the flight attendant didn't lose her smile and immediately responded with the best service.
"Just a moment."
She hurried to the catering storage area and came back with a sandwich.
"The in-flight meals have a set portion. If it's not enough, please have this."
Watching Gung Byeongil munch away by himself without even offering a bite, Jihoon felt that this was a guy with a lot to learn from.
Jihoon had flown so many times before his regression, yet he reflected on why he had never thought to say such a thing.
It certainly seemed that life was an endless journey of learning.
No matter how much he thought about it, Jihoon couldn't recall ever facing Gung Byeongil as an opponent before his regression.
That meant, in short, he was a nobody pitcher.
He had thought the guy was definitely a player who had ended his career early, whether due to a lack of stuff or injury, but….
Hearing the words "Please give me a lot," a forgotten memory surfaced.
One day, not long after returning from America, Gung Byeongil had come to see him, working as a car salesman.
"I came on player Gidongchan's referral."
"Ah, is that so? Please, sit down."
"I'm sorry to say this, but I haven't sold a single car this month. I need to earn money for my baby's formula…."
His eyes grew red as he pulled a catalog from his bag, his face scrunching up.
"Ack!"
Gung Byeongil let out a short shriek with a pained expression.
"Are you hurt somewhere?"
"My shoulder, injured when I was a player, still……."
The pathetic wretchedness filling Gung Byeongil's face as he met Jihoon's eyes touched a chord in Jihoon's heart and began to cloud his mind.
Unable to refuse, Jihoon signed contracts for three cars right there on the spot, including one for his parents.
To express his thanks, Gung Byeongil treated him to a meal at a nearby Chinese restaurant. Jihoon kept saying it was fine, but Byeongil insisted he wouldn't feel comfortable unless he did, so Jihoon had no choice but to go….
When Gung Byeongil ordered two regular servings of jajangmyeon, the words he passed along were, "Please give me a lot."
It was the only day in Jihoon's life he had eaten a regular portion of jajangmyeon.
After that, there was only one time he had heard news of Gung Byeongil.
A photo and story of Gung Byeongil published in the automaker's company magazine.
[Employee Gung Byeongil, National Sales King Achieved Through a Unique Sales Approach That Touches Customers' Hearts]
Even now, he was curious. Had the shoulder really hurt?
Sometimes, thinking that not knowing the truth was better for his mental health, he hadn't checked.
***
After arriving in Kaohsiung and receiving room assignments from the operations team, he ended up sharing a room with Gu Junhae, the team's most senior pitcher.
Gu Junhae was a free-agent pitcher signed from the Seoul Goblins for a total of 8 billion won at age thirty-four. This was the final year of his FA contract.
Last year's record was 6 wins and 10 losses. ERA of 4.35. Though he fell short of expectations, a 6-win pitcher for the Smiles had to be seen as having ability comparable to a 10-win pitcher on another team.
When he took the mound as a starter, he was a pitcher who consistently ate innings. With Yongganghan, who had served as last year's No. 3 starter, having left, he was currently the most reliable pitcher, but the decline in his stuff as he aged was unmistakable.
The first day was hectic with introductions to the coaching staff.
The foreign players were said to be arriving at camp twenty days later because their contracts were delayed.
Among the coaching staff, the most eye-catching figure was undoubtedly Mark Defender, the American fielding coach.
He had forearms of tremendous thickness that looked like they could easily hit five thousand fungoes a day.
The players sensed hellish training and all froze up stiffly.
He had definitely said something like, "I'm going to make this place hell. Be prepared, all of you!" at the introductions.
But the interpreter, trying to prevent the players from being shocked, changed it to, "Let's all not think of training as hell and work hard with a joyful heart."
Hmm. He didn't know if there was any need to change the interpretation like that. Anyway, as soon as the interpreter finished speaking, they received thunderous applause of welcome.
Coach Defender looked flustered. He had the look of "This can't be right." It seemed the interpreter had only fanned the flames.
The squad numbered roughly just over fifty.
Following the wise manager's intentions, they had brought many minor league players. It seemed they had brought almost everyone except the injured players and the rookies.
Among them was one person who caught Jihoon's eye.
His name was Choe Jongbo. A minor league pitcher. He was Jihoon's brother-in-law from before his regression.
Overjoyed, Jihoon had nearly called him brother-in-law. His heart pounded. He wanted to see his brother-in-law's pitching ability.
Before his regression, he had already quit playing, so Jihoon had never seen him pitch in person.
He did remember being surprised when he saw him throw in a company baseball league.
His brother-in-law hadn't liked talking about his playing days, so Jihoon hadn't tried to pry. Everyone had secrets they wanted to keep.
***
From the next day, full-scale training began.
After stretching, running, and warming up their bodies, they played catch and then seriously began receiving the pitchers' balls.
First up was Gu Junhae's pitches. His main weapons were a four-seamer and a two-seamer, and he mainly used a slider as his out pitch.
His changeup and curveball were merely for show.
It might have been different in his youth when his four-seamer touched over 150 km/h, but with a four-seamer in the low 140s and a slider and two-seamer around 130 km/h, it was difficult to overpower batters.
He was the type to navigate games with good control and experience, relying on veteran savvy.
The impact and weight of his pitches in the mitt weren't particularly impressive.
"Junhae, let's make sure you properly learn just one changeup during this camp."
Pitching coach Go Jinsik, who had been called a changeup master during his playing days, personally showed him the grip and gave a demonstration.
"Grip it with your middle and ring fingers. Don't push with your fingertips; use your wrist snap smoothly."
Gu Junhae naturally knew the changeup grip and throwing method. It was simply that because he was so accustomed to his slider, he was having difficulty mastering the changeup that required reverse spin.
Afterward, Gu Junhae threw roughly thirty consecutive changeups, but they weren't much different from his first attempts.
Beside Gu Junhae, the ball thrown by Choe Jongbo was powerfully smacking into Jang Mancheol's mitt.
*Thwack! Thwack!*
"Wait, I had no idea my brother-in-law could throw such a powerful four-seamer."
It was an unexpected fact.
With a four-seamer like that, why hadn't he shown proper performance all this time?
Jihoon's mind was filled with questions.
During break time, Jihoon asked Jang Mancheol about Choe Jongbo's pitching. Jang Mancheol was Jihoon's senior at Dongil High by fourteen years—truly a legendary senior who was like the heavens above.
"Senior, Senior Choe Jongbo's pitches are amazing. But why has he been stuck in the minors all this time?"
Jang Mancheol answered with a tone that seemed to slightly dismiss Choe Jongbo.
"Jongbo. That guy has heart yips."
"What?! He has a problem with his heart?"
Startled at hearing that Choe Jongbo had a heart problem, Jihoon asked again.
Because he had never heard such a thing before his regression.
"No, not what you're thinking. So-called Bird Chest."
"......?"
Seeing Jihoon not understanding his English, Jang Mancheol tapped his shoulder and continued with a proud expression.
"Kid. Looks like you only played baseball. Bird Chest. It's also called 'Bird Chest.' No matter how little you studied English, you should know basic baseball English."
"What is he talking about?"
For reference, in English you say "coward," "chicken," or "wimp." "Bird Chest" is complete Konglish.
"He throws like a Kershaw in the minors, but the moment he gets called up to the first team, he becomes a completely different person. And if runners get on base, well, it's the grand opening of the Jongbo Theater."
Jihoon couldn't believe Jang Mancheol's words.
"My brother-in-law, who handles my fearsome older sister so well, is a Bird Chest pitcher?"
In truth, most pitchers faced their games with an unavoidable tension stemming from immense pressure.
Especially in something like the Korean Series, the pitcher's anxious emotions were clearly reflected in his pitches.
But to think that with such good stuff, he couldn't play in the first team at all….
"Jihoon, your brother-in-law is mentality king. If I had married any man other than your brother-in-law, I would have divorced him already."
It was something his older sister always said. To Jihoon, that seemed true as well.
"Did he change after meeting my sister? That can't be right. There's no way my sister would like a cowardly, timid type."
Anyway, to think he retired early without being able to display that kind of ability. It was an immeasurable loss not only for the Smiles but for the development of Korean professional baseball.
While he was at it, he heard a brief overview of the Smiles' pitchers from Jang Mancheol.
It was bleak. It was a wonder how Dongchan had survived.
***
After training ended, he returned to the lodgings.
He and Gu Junhae were lounging around awkwardly with nothing to do, the awkwardness palpable.
"Maknae, take out your USB. Let's watch a movie."
"I don't have movies, only dramas."
Gu Junhae looked at Jihoon with an incredulous expression.
"Hey! Play like you look. What do you mean, dramas, like some middle-aged ladies? Those crazy makjang dramas about marking a dot and coming out, or secret husbands? Make sure to bring movies next time, got it? That's how you get on the good side of your seniors."
Jihoon grumbled inwardly.
"Dramas are so fun though. Just wait until you're past your mid-forties. Your female hormones increase and you naturally start liking dramas."
"Maknae, put this on. For a man, it's nothing but action."
The USB Gu Junhae handed him contained the movie *Druwa*.
Gu Junhae said he had already watched it more than ten times. Of course, Jihoon had seen it once too, and it was a movie that held unforgettable memories.