The Genius Hitter Who Conquered America - Chapter 35

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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 35
When Soo-ho and Mark returned to the Motel Parking Lot, the sun had already completely set, and darkness blanketed everything.
The players, worn down by hunger, poked their heads out of their rooms one by one as they caught sight of the headlights.
Soo-ho and Mark unloaded three massive Styrofoam boxes billowing with steam from the van, grunting with effort.
The players immediately rushed out.
“What is all that?”
“The smell is insane!”
The players gathered around the boxes as if entranced.
Soo-ho opened the lid of one box.
“!”
Massive Dungeness crabs, their shells a deep crimson and steam billowing from within, revealed themselves.
It was an overwhelming visual that instantly swept away the fatigue of six hours of travel.
“Wow. This is insane. You actually pulled this off?”
“These are really ten dollars each? That doesn’t make sense!”
Mark furrowed his brow, but spoke with unmistakable pride in his voice.
“What doesn’t make sense? We brought them here, didn’t we? So get ready to eat them deliciously.”
The players cheered and reached toward the boxes en masse.
Soo-ho extended his arm and stopped them in their tracks.
“Not like this.”
“Why?”
“You’re going to eat them just like that?”
“It would probably taste good even if we just ate them as is….”
Steaming or boiling them was a method Americans frequently employed.
But who were these men?
Minor League players. In other words, professional athletes.
“One steamed crab won’t be enough to satisfy your hunger.”
The players fell silent.
He was right.
It looked delicious, but was one crab really a substantial portion?
No. If anything, it looked smaller than a hamburger.
Just as disappointment began to cloud every player’s eyes.
Soo-ho offered a solution.
“But if we cook it properly, we could make it go much further.”
“Cook it? How?”
In reality, San Francisco boasted a diverse array of cooking methods.
There was Cioppino, a stew preparation.
Stir-frying it with noodles and garlic, or with rice.
Making clam chowder soup to dip bread in, or using it as a topping for sandwiches and salads.
Perhaps each player was imagining the most appetizing dish?
The players began to drool.
But one of them came to his senses and asked.
“I get that it’ll taste way better that way and we’ll have more food. But here’s the thing… who’s going to make it? Are you going to make it, Soo-ho?”
Soo-ho shook his head.
“No. We’re going to make it.”
“W-we? I don’t know how to cook!”
Following that remark, everyone chimed in one by one, saying they didn’t know how either.
Yet Soo-ho smiled.
“It’s fine. The ingredients are excellent, right? Even if we mess up, it’ll still taste good. And these days, you can easily find recipes online, can’t you? It’s really simple. You all cook for yourselves sometimes anyway.”
The players lowered their heads.
It was true that they did cook for themselves.
But most of the time they just threw bread in a toaster or relied on frozen food.
“You can’t even make a fried egg?”
“I can do that much.”
“It’s just as easy.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Trust me. Honestly, there’s nothing to trust. Just watch and follow along.”
Soo-ho continued.
“And if we succeed with cooking today, it’ll play a huge role in cutting food costs going forward.”
Cooking. Especially something difficult? They’d succeeded at cooking?
Confidence would bloom within them.
And once that happened, it was human nature to challenge other dishes as well.
Especially in the United States, where grocery prices were remarkably cheap.
If they could cook for themselves, they could save significantly on food expenses.
Soo-ho hadn’t spent a long time in the United States.
But this was something anyone could pick up after spending just a little time here, so he’d kept it in mind as well.
“Should we try?”
“I-it does sound like it might be fun….”
While the players still hadn’t made a decision.
Soo-ho and Mark returned to the van and unloaded the rest of their things.
With the money left over from buying the crabs, they’d purchased baguettes, vegetables, and sauces.
They unloaded everything needed for the crab dish.
Then, together with the Motel Owner, they stopped by the kitchen and brought out a massive pot, frying pans, and other essentials.
All the necessary tools for cooking.
“The tools and ingredients are all prepared like this. We just need to add the ingredients.”
On the way back, Soo-ho had arranged with the Motel Owner to borrow the tools.
Since they were sharing the food, it was free.
But let me say it again—these were baseball players.
With the stage set up this perfectly, they’d give up?
It was like having runners in scoring position and deciding to bunt.
Could anyone but Soo-ho even attempt a bunt?
Absolutely not.
On the contrary, he was displaying heroic spirit. It was clear he was aiming for one big hit.
“Alright. I’m in!”
“We have to do this.”
Everyone’s hearts became one.
* * *
Food made directly by players who had done nothing but baseball their entire lives.
Naturally, it didn’t go as smoothly as they’d hoped.
Mistakes erupted from every corner.
Adding ingredients in the wrong order.
Failing to control the heat properly.
Noodles not cooking through correctly—that sort of thing.
But they didn’t mind.
It was their first attempt at something like this.
Thinking of it like the Boy Scouts they’d participated in as children, it was simply fun.
Moreover, these were professional players.
They lived lives consumed by baseball.
And being a Minor League player meant an endless succession of anxiety.
Monsters were everywhere.
The path to the Major League was narrow—impossibly narrow.
So they were always living under that pressure, but thanks to Soo-ho, this unexpected event was unfolding.
As the cooking progressed, Taylor called Soo-ho aside.
“Soo-ho. Come here for a moment.”
Soo-ho approached nervously and stood before him.
“You called for me?”
“Yes. First, I wanted to thank you.”
Taylor’s gaze widened.
As if everyone had become one heart and one mind.
Their faces bloomed with smiles.
“We really have become one team.”
“Come on. Not yet. What really matters is the results, doesn’t it?”
“What? Not yet?”
Taylor was taken aback.
Of course, Soo-ho was right that results were what mattered most.
What good would perfect team chemistry do if they lost the game?
But this is the Minor League. It’s where players grow.
Results are important, but so is the process.
Soo-ho had clearly brought the team together through something other than baseball itself.
That alone was worthy of applause, yet he said not yet.
As Taylor pondered this, Soo-ho smiled and drove his point home.
“Because the process was good. That’s exactly why I need to prove it with results.”
“…”
“If the process is good but the results are poor, then all these wonderful things that happened today will only remain as memories of losers, won’t they? I hate that. Since the process was excellent, the results must be even more perfect.”
Taylor gazed at him with genuine admiration.
‘Truly remarkable.’
Even Taylor himself, who had occupied this position for decades, had never witnessed such an approach.
No matter how individualistic America might be, the team was ultimately united as one, and Soo-ho was executing this flawlessly.
Yet despite implementing something no one else had managed to achieve, he still wasn’t satisfied.
It was almost absurd.
“Of course I’m also pleased with the process. After all, the process ultimately matters. But wouldn’t it be perfect if the results were good too? I’ll do my absolute best for the results as well.”
Taylor let out a soft chuckle.
It was a smile born from relief.
He had thought himself washed up.
Sometimes he felt ashamed of still holding the position of Manager.
Because he hadn’t achieved his own goals.
But….
That wasn’t true.
‘I always thought Soo-ho was different from the other players.’
At least my eye for talent hadn’t failed me.
If anything, it had proven accurate.
So how could I not be delighted?
At least more than any other Minor League Manager.
Or perhaps, I might even be more successful than some Major League Managers.
Of course, on this stage where results are everything.
A Low-A Manager in the Minor League—and a relatively low one at that—couldn’t be called successful.
But regardless of what others might say.
I myself was feeling a sense of pride.
Still, on a pleasant day like today, I couldn’t afford to be foolish.
Taylor decided to shift the mood immediately.
“Isn’t it hard on you?”
“Not at all. It’s actually really fun. Since this is my first time in the United States, I’m approaching it like I’m on a trip, and honestly, it feels great.”
In truth, Soo-ho wasn’t struggling at all.
After all, wasn’t he the one who started physical training every day at five in the morning?
I had confidence in my stamina more than anyone else.
Moreover, I prioritize myself above all else.
I had no desire to do anything that would compromise my performance.
But from Taylor’s perspective, it was impossible to be this optimistic.
He knew firsthand how grueling it was to move around for the team immediately after a six-hour bus journey.
“By the way, the crab looked absolutely delicious… but honestly, I’m a bit worried about how the cooking will turn out.”
“Oh. Don’t worry. It’ll be delicious.”
“How… how can you be so sure?”
“Well…”
I lifted the red container I held in both hands.
MSG—the seasoning I’d primarily used back in Korea.
“With just this, any dish becomes delicious. Now, let me go finish up the cooking.”
Taylor broke into a satisfied smile.
I turned away from Taylor and headed toward the kitchen area.
“Ugh! Why does this taste so off!”
“No! I’ve ruined this beautiful crab…”
I tasted the seasoning repeatedly, adjusting it by adding whatever ingredients and seasonings were lacking.
Finally, the dishes were complete.
The Manager and coaching staff.
I finished serving the bus driver and the Motel Owner first, then it was the players’ turn.
But no one stepped forward to receive their portions.
Because when I first tasted it, it had no flavor.
But then, at that very moment.
Someone volunteered to take the plunge.
It was Casey.
“Give me some.”
I scooped various crab dishes onto the plate Casey held out.
Then I poured the broth separately into a paper cup.
“Come back if you want more.”
Casey sniffed the food right there, and his eyes suddenly lit up.
Then he took a small sip of the clam chowder from the cup.
“…It’s delicious.”
Those words became the signal.
Everyone began lining up for servings, their expressions screaming disbelief.
It couldn’t be helped.
The one who’d called it delicious was none other than Casey.
The man who lived in his own world.
He who wouldn’t tell a lie worth a grain of salt had said it was delicious.
To them, his judgment was worth more than any Michelin three-star head chef.
After receiving their servings and tasting the food, the players also cried out in disbelief.
“Why, why is this so delicious?”
“Wait, this didn’t taste like this before?”
“Damn it. Our magician’s worked his magic again! This is insanely good!”
“So glad we didn’t eat hamburgers! So glad we didn’t eat hamburgers!”
I wore a satisfied expression.
“There’s plenty of food left. If you want more, help yourselves from now on.”
Then Mark and I filled our plates and sat down in a corner.
Tears glistened at the corners of Mark’s eyes as he took a bite of food.
“Wow. This is insane. It’s really delicious.”
“Mark. We made this together.”
“That’s exactly why it tastes even better. No matter how I think about it, you’re really amazing.”
“It wasn’t just me—we did it together, so stop saying that.”
“Us… Yeah. Thank you so much for saying it that way.”
Mark meant every word.
Besides, who in this United States had watched Soo-ho longer than he had?
No one. He’d been watching him the longest.
But this friend Soo-ho… he really was something.
‘Remarkable. Just remarkable.’
It made sense, after all—Major Leaguers became role models for everyone.
‘Even people who don’t dream of playing baseball want to be like them.’
It couldn’t be otherwise, since they were people who had carved out their place through countless competitions.
But no one felt that way about Minor League players.
Yet Soo-ho…
He had failed in Korea.
He could have been discouraged, but there was no trace of that in him.
Rather, he was working harder than anyone else.
Moreover, he was giving his absolute best for the team.
Both on the field.
And off it as well.
‘I want to be like him.’
Mark meant it sincerely.
‘Soo-ho will definitely reach the highest level.’
Mark didn’t consider his own eyes to be particularly accurate.
Having lived only twenty years, he was bound to have shortcomings rather than strengths.
‘But there’s such a thing as beginner’s luck, right?’
Sometimes a novice’s prediction.
Turned out far more accurate than an expert’s.
But could a baseball player ever succeed relying solely on beginner’s luck?
One had to trust their own eyes to climb any higher.
And Mark had seen it.
‘Soo-ho is uniting the Minor League players as one.’
He had accomplished what no one else could.
He was unmistakably a player of a different caliber.
And players like this always rose to the very top.

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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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