The Genius Hitter Who Conquered America - Chapter 115

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 115
The California sunlight was distinctly different from Arizona’s.
Unlike the desert sun that beat down with scorching intensity,
Los Angeles’ sunlight carried just enough humidity to feel soft yet powerfully radiant.
Screech.
A yellow taxi came to a halt.
The door opened, and three men stepped out.
“Wow….”
Mark was the first to gasp in awe.
His mouth hung open as he gazed up at the massive concrete structure and the blue sign reading “Dodger Stadium” affixed to its crown.
“This is insane. Seriously.”
Mark swallowed hard, muttering to himself.
“I came here for the first time when I was ten, holding my mom’s hand. Back then, I could only see the players from the fourth-level seats way up top while eating a hot dog. But now I’m walking in here on my own two feet, and I was invited by the organization itself?”
His heart was pounding like a pump.
The dream and sacred ground of every American child who ever played baseball.
That colossal gate stood wide open before them.
Casey, standing beside him, adjusted his sunglasses and shook his head dismissively.
“Don’t be so provincial about it.”
“What? Hey, don’t you feel any excitement?”
“Excitement comes when money hits your bank account. Not from looking at a building.”
Casey’s cold gaze swept across the security personnel stationed at the stadium entrance.
“Get your head straight. You think they’re going to throw a welcome party because we brought a championship trophy? Fat chance. Once we cross that threshold, the real war begins. They’ll come at us with everything they’ve got, trying to lowball our value.”
For Casey, Dodger Stadium was no dream stage.
It was merely a massive ‘business account’ where he had to prove his worth and claim what was rightfully his.
“That’s just how I am. What are you going to do about it?”
“That’s exactly why you won’t make it.”
“Hey! What do you mean I won’t make it! I already succeeded, didn’t I? Huh? Last contract… just three months ago we signed at a coffee shop. But this time I was called here!”
“Oh. Is that so?”
“W-why is your reaction like that?”
Mark suddenly seemed to realize something and let out a sigh.
“Ah… you’re a first-rounder. Did you sign here for the first time?”
“Yeah.”
“That explains it….”
Their perspectives differed considerably.
Mark was naturally nervous because this was his first time here.
Casey, on the other hand, was not here for the first time.
Having already experienced it before, he remained vigilant.
While the two bickered back and forth,
Soo-ho stood silently, gazing beyond the stadium.
The scent of grass carried on the wind, and the faint aroma of earth seemed to drift toward him.
“Aren’t you nervous, Soo-ho?”
Mark nudged him and asked.
Soo-ho turned his head slowly to look at Mark, then let out a soft chuckle.
“I don’t know.”
Soo-ho’s gaze returned to the Stadium’s main entrance.
“Either way, I came here to get better treatment than before, right? I’m thinking positively about it.”
“…Wow, look at you staying calm.”
Just then.
A Blonde Woman in a business suit approached them.
“Casey, nice to see you.”
Casey nodded respectfully.
Then she looked at Soo-ho and Mark.
“So you must be Soo-ho and Mark. Shall we head over now? Just go to the 5th Floor Front Office.”
After that, the three of them followed the woman’s guidance into the building.
Standing in front of the Elevator, all three swallowed hard.
They had no choice.
It was an employee-only Elevator that the general public couldn’t use.
Ding.
The Elevator doors opened and the four of them stepped inside.
As the Elevator ascended rapidly, the three remained silent.
The louder their ears rang, the more intensely they heard their own heartbeats.
Ding.
As the doors opened, a luxurious carpeted Corridor came into view.
Along the walls were displayed the retired numbers of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ legendary players and championship trophies in a row.
It was a space where the overwhelming weight of history seemed to constrict one’s breathing.
Following the guide, they arrived at the deepest point of the Corridor, before a heavy door bearing the nameplate of the Farm Director.
As that door opened, Kevin appeared.
“The autumn heroes have arrived.”
Soo-ho bowed respectfully.
“Hello.”
“Yes. It’s good to see you here like this. Well, since we’re both busy, let’s move quickly. Shall we start with Mark?”
“Absolutely! Even if I bat fourth in baseball, I want to sign as number one!”
And so Mark was the first to enter Kevin’s Office.
Now left alone, Casey and Soo-ho exchanged glances before simply shrugging their shoulders.
* * *
“Sit right there.”
Kevin pointed to the sofa.
Mark sank deeply into the plush leather chair, facing Kevin with a beaming smile.
Kevin began to speak while fingering through some documents.
“Mark Williams. Congratulations. Do you know what day this is?”
Kevin’s authoritative tone didn’t intimidate Mark in the slightest.
Instead, he responded with sparkling eyes, as if he’d been waiting for this moment.
“Yes, I know! This is where I sign the Double-A contract, right?”
Kevin let out a soft, involuntary chuckle at Mark’s cheerful response.
His demeanor showed no trace of nervousness, yet somehow it wasn’t off-putting.
After all, Mark was a Dodgers asset, no matter what anyone said.
But Kevin’s next words carried a sharp edge.
“That’s right. But there’s something we need to address before you sign.”
Kevin interlaced his fingers and fixed his gaze on Mark.
“You might not know this, but you weren’t originally on the Arizona Fall League roster. To be frank, I determined you lacked the skill level to warrant going there.”
A sudden silence fell over the room.
Most prospects would have flushed with wounded pride or shown signs of panic at such words.
But Mark didn’t even blink.
‘I already knew that.’
I accepted it calmly in my heart.
I wasn’t a fool.
Soo-ho and Casey were monsters who displayed extraordinary growth by any standard.
They were the obvious choices for the Arizona Fall League.
But me?
Sure, I’d performed well after joining Low-A, but was I really among the top ten talents across the entire Dodgers Farm system?
Absolutely not.
‘I only got to go because of Soo-ho.’
I’d already figured out that the organization had included me as an option to support Soo-ho’s development.
Like a “buy one, get one free” bonus item wrapped in tape next to the bestselling product at a supermarket.
That was exactly what I was.
But so what?
I grinned and shrugged my shoulders. Optimism was my greatest weapon, after all.
“It doesn’t matter at all! Regardless of how I got here, the fact that I’m sitting in this chair proves I delivered results, doesn’t it?”
Kevin’s eyes widened at Mark’s confident attitude.
“If I’d bombed out in the Arizona Fall League, you wouldn’t be saying this. You’d have told me to pack my bags immediately, right?”
“…Ha ha ha!”
Kevin finally couldn’t hold back and burst into hearty laughter.
“Exactly. Very astute. I thought you’d be dead weight, but instead you became a real asset to the team.”
Kevin had nothing more to say on the matter, so he slid a document across the desk toward Mark.
“I think you’ve done an excellent job. Here, this is your reward for your achievements.”
As Mark took the document Kevin offered, his eyes scanned rapidly across the page.
The moment he saw the numbers written on the paper, his mouth stretched into a grin so wide it nearly split his face.
“Wow, unbelievable.”
Mark looked back and forth between the document and Kevin’s face in disbelief.
“Are you really giving me this? This isn’t a printing error, right?”
“The Los Angeles Dodgers don’t play games with contracts.”
Kevin shrugged his shoulders.
Mark’s surprise was understandable.
The difference in treatment had become starkly apparent.
Just three months ago.
When Mark first signed with the organization, his Low-A contract stipulated an annual salary of $26,200 (approximately 35 million won).
Converting that to a weekly wage, after taxes, what actually landed in his pocket was barely over $1,000.
With that money, he’d paid rent and scraped by on hamburgers to save on food—a reality from just last summer.
But the Double-A contract now before his eyes operated on an entirely different scale.
[Annual Salary: $41,000 (approximately 59 million won)]
A precise $10,000 raise.
This exceeded the Double-A minimum salary of $31,000 by a modest margin, and while it paled against the astronomical earnings of Major League players, in the Minor Leagues—
—a salary jump just three months after signing was far from ordinary.
Especially earning a full $10,000 above the minimum.
It meant his family would struggle less with finances going forward.
‘It’s a shame there’s no signing bonus, but that’s only given on initial contracts, so there’s no helping it.’
Yet there was more to marvel at.
The real substance lay in the incentive clauses listed below.
“Look at item five there.”
Mark swallowed hard as he followed Kevin’s pointing finger.
[Option 1: Upon promotion to Triple-A, immediate signing bonus of $10,000.]
[Option 2: Upon entry into the 40-Man Roster within the season, additional $50,000 payment.]
[Other: Unlimited supply of premium equipment designated by the organization (bats, gloves, spikes).]
Money aside, the phrase “unlimited equipment supply” made Mark’s eyes widen.
Minor League players often had to buy replacement bats out of pocket when they broke.
But premium equipment for free? And unlimited at that?
“Wow… so I can take full swings without worrying about breaking bats?”
Bat costs alone ran roughly $5,700 per season.
And including gloves, that came to approximately $7,000.
Being able to save that amount filled him with unbounded joy.
“Swing away. Just make sure you hit the ball, yeah?”
Kevin quipped as he extended the pen.
“So, is this sufficient compensation for what you’ve proven?”
“More than sufficient! Let me sign right now!”
Mark seized the pen without hesitation.
Swoosh, swoosh.
A signature without reservation.
Though the opportunity had come through Soo-ho, it was entirely my own sweat and effort that had seized it.
And the value of that sweat had just nearly doubled.
Mark rose triumphantly, his signature now complete on the contract.
His pockets remained light, but his heart had already become a millionaire’s.
“Next, have Casey come in.”
Kevin asked while organizing documents.
“Yes, right away!”
Mark chuckled and left through the door.
* * *
Casey entered.
His expression remained rigid.
He looked almost solemn, like a general marching into battle.
Without a word, Kevin slid the contract on the desk toward Casey.
“Sit. I won’t waste time. Take a look.”
The moment Casey sat down, he furrowed his brow and picked up the documents.
He looked ready to challenge even a single digit if it was wrong.
But.
[Annual Salary: $53,000 (approximately ₩71 million)]
The instant Casey saw the numbers on the contract, his furrowed brow smoothed out.
His sharp, guarded eyes softened.
He lifted his head and stared at Kevin.
“…This is different from my initial contract, isn’t it?”
Casey’s voice carried a peculiar emotion.
“Back then, you undervalued me.”
In truth, Casey had started from a different line.
First-round draft pick.
Selected high in the overall order, he had signed with great fanfare.
His signing bonus alone was several million dollars.
Converted to Korean won, it was an astronomical sum approaching 1 billion.
Yet ironically, Minor League Baseball had brought him humiliation.
The signing bonus sat in his bank account, but his monthly salary was pitiful.
In Minor League Baseball, especially at the Rookie or Low-A Level, salaries are strictly standardized.
Whether you’re a top prospect drafted in the first round or an unknown player barely selected at the end of the draft, everyone receives the same minimum wage of $26,000.
‘Why should I receive the same treatment as those guys?’
That had always bothered Casey.
His talent was special, yet the organization’s treatment was ordinary.
It had always grated on a first-rounder’s pride.
But the contract before him now was different.
$53,000.
An amount far exceeding the average salary of typical Double-A players.
This figure, which added approximately $22,000 more than the minimum salary,
was clear proof that the organization had begun to recognize Casey as ‘someone special’.
Kevin interlaced his fingers and opened his mouth.
“You’ve earned that much growth.”
“Growth… I’ve done that before, though.”
Casey delivered a pointed remark.
In terms of pure skill, he had always ranked among the top since his signing.
Kevin shook his head and corrected him.
“No, not that skill. Your style has changed.”
“…”
“In the past, you played baseball alone. But this fall, you played baseball to win as a team. The Dodgers valued that.”
At Kevin’s observation, Casey started to object but closed his mouth.
He couldn’t deny it.
If his past self had acted like a lone wolf.
In this Arizona Fall League, I had coordinated with Soo-ho and Mark, contributing to our team’s victory.
Casey slowly nodded.
‘I have to admit it.’
He picked up a pen and wrote his name on the signature line.
‘Still, I’m a bit disappointed.’
There were definitely players in Double-A earning more than this.
Casey had hoped to be one of them, but he fell short.
‘But I can be cocky later.’
To push back against the organization.
First, I need to move up and become a real star.
Being called a star in the Minor League was nothing compared to a Major Leaguer.
“Understood. I’ll live up to your expectations.”
Casey didn’t receive any special additional options like Mark did.
It couldn’t be helped since he was already receiving the best support—this was maintaining the status quo.
After signing, Casey handed over the contract.
He appeared calmer than before, but his eyes burned with greater depth.
“Good thinking.”
Kevin accepted the documents with a satisfied smile.
Then his gaze turned toward the door.
“Well, now only the final protagonist remains.”
Casey stood up and asked.
“Should I call Soo-ho in?”
“No. I’ll do it myself.”
Really?
It would have been fine if he went out and called Soo-ho like he did with Mark.
But Casey didn’t think much of it and stood up.
As he stepped outside the door first, Mark asked.
“Damn. You look happy. How much did you get?”
“I don’t know about anything else, but more than you.”
“Wow, what an unlucky bastard. Hey! I’ve received plenty myself, you know? And the amount doesn’t really matter!”
As the two of them bickered back and forth once more.
I rose naturally from my seat.
I knew it was my turn now.
Just as I straightened my clothes and was about to enter the Conference Room.
“No need to stand up.”
Kevin, standing at the door, stopped me.
“Pardon?”
When I gave him a puzzled look, Kevin shook his head with a mysterious smile.
“No, actually you should stand up.”
What?
Not just me, but Mark and Casey, who had been grumbling, all turned their attention to Kevin.
But Kevin wasn’t looking at me.
Instead, his gaze was directed toward the Elevator at the far end of the Corridor.
I, along with Mark and Casey, followed that gaze as if entranced.
A man was walking across the luxurious carpet in the distance.
A perfectly tailored, expensive suit.
Sharp eyes and an overwhelming aura of authority.
Kevin spoke to me in a low voice.
“Soo-ho. You’ll be proceeding with the contract with that gentleman, not with me.”
That gentleman?
Before I could even process the question, the man had already stepped right in front of me.
He looked me up and down, then abruptly extended a large hand.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Brandon Hills.”
“…!”
The moment that name reached my ears.
Mark beside me dropped his jaw, and even the composed Casey drew in a sharp breath.
My pupils dilated visibly.
It couldn’t have been otherwise.
The man standing before me.
Brandon Hills.
He was neither a Scout nor a Director.
The supreme commander who moved the vast empire of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The General Manager himself.
The General Manager had come in person for the contract of a mere Minor League player.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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