Rural Ace

Episode 4: The Minus (1)

Five years ago, the Jeonju Rangers and Gangwon Minus both entered the KBO league, which had transitioned into a two-league system: the West Sea League and the East Sea League.

While the two new teams had different operational styles, they shared one thing in common—they had been at the bottom of the standings for five straight years.

[Who the hell named the team like that? They deserve a beating.]

└ “The owner named it. “

└ “Is he out of his mind? LOL”

└ “GW Group started in Gangwon Province with mining, so the owner insisted on naming it after miners.”

└ “So it’s Minus because of miners? I thought it was because the team’s win-loss record was in the negatives. LOL”

└ “Whoever didn’t stop the owner from naming it Minus deserves a beating too.”

└ “Everyone tried to stop him.”

└ “They should’ve tried harder.”

└ “There’s a rumor that when people told him not to name it Minus, he told them to go support another team with a cooler name.”

└ “The employees must’ve been so frustrated.”

└ “Thanks for understanding. Well, those rumors exist, and from what I know, they’re true.
Gangwon Minus, like other new teams, struggled to gain fans. Despite having a regional affiliation covering all of Gangwon Province, it didn’t help much. To attract attention, they signed star free agents and even removed the salary cap during their founding, spending heavily. The team also seemed to favor star players.
The season is still ongoing, but the current coach is expected to resign soon due to poor performance. A legendary figure in Korean baseball will replace him, and the new coaching staff will also have impressive playing careers. However, being a great player doesn’t always mean being a great coach.”

…

“So the pitching coach is Kim Jun-ho?”

“Yes.”

“And the manager is Song Moon-jung?”

“Correct.”

Manager Song Moon-jung has an impressive career: five Korean Series wins, one Olympic gold, two Asian Games golds, and one WBC and Premier12 title.

But he’s been away from baseball for a while and will join Minus next year.

Pitching coach Kim Jun-ho was a pitcher with over 120 KBO wins, but his coaching skills were just average.

“How were they?”

Well, they weren’t great, each in their own way.

“The manager was getting old…”

“The manager was getting old…”

“Too outdated?”

“More like he collapsed during the first season and eventually stepped down midway through the second season.”

“Because of the performance?”

“Probably. I’m not sure if there were other reasons.”

“Was his health that bad?”

“After he quit, he miraculously got better.”

“Did he fake collapsing because he didn’t want to do it anymore? What about Kim Jun-ho, the pitching coach?”

“He had his strengths and weaknesses.”

“Tell me the weaknesses first.”

“He couldn’t understand why other pitchers couldn’t throw like him. How do I put it? A genius who can’t understand average people?”

“But he wasn’t even a genius?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at my dad’s serious reaction.

“He tried to change every pitcher’s form to match his. He did well with pitchers who suited his style.”

“Did he try it on you?”

“No. The team protected me from him.”

“Hmm.”

My dad thought for a moment, then clapped his hands.

“Then if I become the pitching coach, the problem will be solved.”

“What?”

“I’m better than Kim Jun-ho.”

“Wait, are you seriously going to be the pitching coach?”

“Manager Song Moon-jung owes me from when I played for the national team. Honestly, if it weren’t for me, he wouldn’t have won those medals.”

“So if you say you want to be the pitching coach, he’ll let you?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

My dad smirked as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“The manager collapsed because of poor performance, right? If I step in as pitching coach and improve the performance, the problem will be solved.Right?”

I couldn’t help but open my mouth in shock.

This confidence… What even…

““I’d be helping both my son and an old man at the same time.”

“…”

“What?”

No. Nothing.

—

I decided to go back to my best pitching form.

My velocity might drop a bit, but it’s safer from injuries, and my release point becomes more consistent, improving my control.

I also learned to subtly adjust my pitching rhythm, including deception, which made it fun.

My dad kept showing up at school regularly.

Every sports media outlet probably wrote about him by now.

My mom said she’s almost done sorting out my dad’s shares.

The school didn’t seem to care much about my sudden change in pitching form, probably because I’d already been drafted.

I spent an hour or two each day training with my dad and focused the rest on weightlifting and conditioning.

“Aren’t you going to date anyone?”

“Huff, huff, huff!”

“There’s nothing wrong with you.”

“Hiyo!”

“You’re good-looking, tall, like your mom.You never got married in your past life, right? Are you…”

“Huuuuff!”

I shouted as I stood up, and my dad gave me a meaningful smile.

I was about to tell him to stop looking at me like that, but I just laughed.

It wasn’t his expression—it was the whole situation.

“Well…”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“We shouldn’t have secrets between us.”

I laughed when I thought about what kind of relationship we had.

A father and son sharing the same secret—one no one would believe.

“But dad.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m technically in my mid-30s. If I date someone my age, they’d be 19.”

“Right.”

“Is it okay to date someone that young?”

“Are you saying it’s a crime for me to have met your mom?”

“No, but… Are you feeling guilty?”

My dad frowned and answered, “I don’t know. I never thought about it. I only have your mom. Anyway…”

He quickly changed the subject, as if it were no big deal.

“Who’s the real power at Gangwon Minus?”

“The team’s power? Or the company’s?”

“The company’s. From what you’ve said, the GM seems like a puppet.”

“It’s probably CEO Jo. The rest are just…”

“CEO Jo?”

“Jo Woo-jin.”

“Do you have his number?”

“Why do you need his number? I have his business card.”

My dad didn’t give a proper answer to my question.

“I just need it for something.”

I rummaged through my bag and handed him the card.

He smiled meaningfully and took it.

—

Gangwon Minus operated very differently from other teams.

Simply put, they were old-school.

The owner had a lot of influence.

Jo Woo-jin, the team’s director, wasn’t deeply passionate about baseball, but he was someone who executed the owner’s orders precisely.

He had just submitted a report to the owner about “voluntarily resigning” the manager.

It was called a resignation, but it was the owner’s decision.

This kind of thing wasn’t surprising in this industry.

The GM would pack his bags as soon as the season ended.

“They said they’d run the team like a Major League front office, but it’s nothing special.”

Losing your job due to poor performance was also common in this industry.

Gangwon Minus was confirmed to finish last in the East Sea League.

However, it wasn’t just about performance.

The owner, a wealthy baseball enthusiast, was unhappy with the current manager’s failure to control the team.

He had already found the next manager, someone with the best reputation in that area.

“We’ve finalized everything with Manager Song Moon-jung, right?”

“Yes.”

“But what about Seo Tae-seong? I heard he’s in Korea now, coaching kids for free.”

Director Jo Woo-jin didn’t know much about baseball, but he knew who Seo Tae-seong was.

The owner was a huge fan of Seo.

This year, the team’s high-profile free agents didn’t listen to the manager.

The manager and GM got along well and shared similar goals, but they didn’t mesh with the players.

The manager would soon announce his resignation but would receive his remaining salary thanks to the parent company’s generosity.

The GM’s contract would naturally expire at the end of the season.

In that sense, Song Moon-jung seemed like a good choice.

He was a legend in Korean baseball history.

While he’d been away from the field for a while, he’d be great at controlling the team.

Many of the star free agents had learned baseball under him.

Seo Tae-seong? His career was unmatched, not just in Korea but anywhere in the world.

Even the most seasoned veterans wouldn’t dare challenge him.

But there was a problem.

Seo was too young and had no coaching experience.

Still, since the owner had mentioned his name, they had to at least try.

“What about having Manager Song Moon-jung with Seo Tae-seong as the pitching coach?”

“That’s what I’m saying. Director Jo, you’ve been studying baseball hard, huh?”

“Thank you. I’ll try to meet him.”

“No. Director Jo, let’s set up a meeting together.”

Director Jo Woo-jin’s head was spinning a bit.

But doing as he was told was in his nature.

At least they weren’t canceling Song Moon-jung and making Seo Tae-seong the manager.

Experienced managers usually had their own coaching staff.

Most of Song Moon-jung’s famous coaches were already managing other teams, so they’d discuss the coaching staff later.

“Understood.”

The owner hated hearing that something was difficult from the start.

They had to at least try.

They’d figure out the rest later.

At least they had drafted Seo Yae-seong, so they might have a connection.

After the meeting, Director Jo Woo-jin took a deep breath.

He needed a cigarette.

The owner, a die-hard baseball fan, had wanted Seo Tae-seong as the company’s exclusive model for a long time, but Seo had always refused.

Even the offer to just sit out a season and collect a salary was ignored.

How could they convince someone as proud as Seo Tae-seong? His head was spinning.

As he thought about taking out Seo’s son’s school, his phone vibrated.

He usually didn’t answer unknown numbers, but he picked up without thinking.

“Hello?”

“Yes.”

“Director Jo Woo-jin?”

“It’s Jo Woo-jin, but I’m not the director…”

“This is Seo Yae-seong’s father. I took the liberty of getting your number from my son’s business card.”

Something unbelievable was happening