The Genius Pitcher Dad Throws for His Daughter - Chapter 82

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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 82
#82.
Baseball player Kang Ho-jin.
I shed my uniform—the one bearing number 12 that I’d worn commuting between the baseball stadium and the dormitory.
‘Ah, if I phrase it like that, people will think I’ve retired.’
Chuckling to myself, I pulled out a tracksuit instead of the uniform and changed into it.
With a mask and cap on, and a padded jacket draped over everything, a remarkably large figure stood before the mirror.
Looking like this, I resembled an ordinary middle-aged man from the neighborhood.
Having finished my preparations, I stepped out of the room and saw my Father getting ready for work, with my Mother attending to him.
“I’m heading to the hospital.”
At my words, Father nodded, while Mother simply dropped Father’s bag on the floor and came over to me.
“Hey, honey?”
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen Father so flustered.
If I counted the time before returning to the past, it seemed like more than twenty years had passed.
“You’re going to exercise this afternoon, right?”
“Yes, in the afternoon.”
“I’ll time it to go with you then.”
“Yes, Mother. Please get some rest.”
“Just having my son here gives me strength just from seeing his face.”
“I’m sorry.”
“What are you apologizing for? It’s cold out—go on now.”
Father had been completely sidelined, so I left the house first.
I saw Father’s completely sulking face, but it was fine. We’d arranged to meet at that pork restaurant Saturday evening, and he was the type to brush it off with a glass of soju.
When I arrived at the hospital, even bundled up completely, they recognized me.
“Kang Ho-jin. I’m a fan.”
“You’ve worked so hard. Thanks to you, baseball was worth watching this year.”
“Eek! Could you sign for me?”
“Would it be okay to ask for a photo?”
If this weren’t a hospital, I’d do it without hesitation, but given the location, I had to be careful.
I reluctantly led the people who recognized me outside the hospital and provided fan service, and only after finishing all that service could I finally go to my Daughter’s side.
Even in the hospital room, the service didn’t stop.
The Professor making rounds, along with the Resident Doctor and Nurse—every medical staff member at the hospital seemed to visit the room.
They all appeared to be Dolphins fans, pulling out uniforms, some with quite a few players’ signatures already drawn on them, and some with brand new uniforms bearing my name and number.
I wondered if this was really okay in a hospital, but the oldest Professor chuckled and spoke.
“I’m the director of this hospital. I take responsibility.”
Hearing that, I couldn’t tell if it was sense or nonsense.
Anyway, after signing for quite a few medical staff members, other patients in different rooms and their Parents who passed by also requested signatures and photos.
I really wondered if this was okay, but I just let it pass.
Still, one encouraging thing was that among all the people who came to my Daughter’s room, not a single person took her photograph.
Rather, they offered me words of encouragement, and some even called my Daughter’s name and cheered her on as they left.
It seems our story as father and daughter has become quite well-known.
Even that fan service quieted down after half a day.
I gently massaged my sleeping daughter’s body, brushed away the hair covering her beautiful forehead, and after a long time, I got to see her face to my heart’s content.
In the meantime, I received a message from the General Manager saying that in four days I would be filming a commercial at a studio in Seoul, and to arrive on time.
I was simply grateful that the General Manager, who would soon be busy with free agency, was taking care of me.
After staying by my daughter’s side for a while, my mother arrived in the afternoon.
Having rested well in the morning, her face looked better than it had earlier.
After entrusting my daughter to my mother, I headed toward the gym located between the hospital and home.
I could have simply rested, but I had registered at the gym because I wanted to loosen up my body lightly, and there I quietly trained. Not intensely, but just enough stimulus to maintain my current form as I prepared for the upcoming season.
Four days passed this way, and the day arrived to film the commercial.
My mother would be there from the morning, and since we decided to go straight to the meat restaurant after filming, I got moving early.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t the General Manager who greeted me at the studio where I arrived by taxi, but an intern.
“Welcome, Kang Ho-jin.”
“I didn’t know the Team Owner’s Granddaughter would be here.”
The Team Owner’s Granddaughter smiled at my question.
“I’m Shin Se-a. You can call me Shin Se-a intern, or just Se-ah. We’re the same age.”
“Then I’ll call you Se-ah from now on.”
“That works too.”
With those words, she extended her hand to me.
As our hands met, I could feel her smooth and warm hand, so different from my own rough, calloused one.
‘Interesting.’
If I weren’t an ordinary man and a father, I might have felt my heart skip a beat.
With celebrity-level looks, the office attire she wore showcased her figure while appearing neat and refined, and her long tied-back hair with strands escaping here and there was quite charming.
Though not legally a married man, being a father, I got down to business.
“I heard we’re filming a commercial, and that it’s on the Chairman’s orders. However, I haven’t heard any specific contract terms or details yet.”
At my words, Se-ah kindly pulled out the contract and explained it to me.
That wasn’t enough—she even called a separate lawyer to verify it, and when the lawyer saw it, he spoke with an incredulous expression.
“Isn’t this just a contract to hand out money?”
At the lawyer’s bewildered words, Se-ah answered with a laugh.
“Our company is supporting our player—is there a legal problem with that?”
In that smile, I sensed an incredibly cold and chilling presence, and even I, sitting beside the lawyer who was receiving that gaze, felt a chill run down my spine.
“Ha, haha. No problem at all.”
The lawyer completed his verification once more, gave me his business card, and subtly took out a uniform, asking for my autograph and a photo.
“I have a daughter too. Since she’s been somewhat sickly from birth, I naturally became a supporter.”
I received support from a fan from Seoul and a father of one child.
I sent off the lawyer as he said to consult him anytime regarding contract matters.
“Well then, shall we start filming?”
That’s how I ended up filming the commercial with Se-ah.
The content was simple.
A home appliance commercial for my precious family and child.
Thanks to the clause that sent every item used in today’s shoot to my home one by one, I was able to completely replace all the home appliances—though Mother’s delight in them came later.
Oh, by the way, how much was the appearance fee?
A hundred times my annual salary.
I was truly grateful to the Chairman.
* * *
The shoot began.
All the home appliances newly launched by this company were designed for families.
They hadn’t specifically prepared this with Kang Ho-jin in mind.
As it happened, the concept they’d prepared fit perfectly once Kang Ho-jin appeared.
The shoot that began this way flowed remarkably smoothly without any notable mistakes.
‘What’s this? Did he take acting lessons?’
Shin Se-a was somewhat surprised.
It’s natural for ordinary people to freeze in front of a camera. No matter how much of a sports player or baseball player someone is—someone who plays games in front of countless cameras—the concentrated focus of multiple cameras on you in a visible film studio was entirely different.
Yet Kang Ho-jin continued the shoot skillfully as if accustomed to it, and the directing Manager was so delighted he was even requesting additional takes.
‘This is good.’
Shin Se-a coolly assessed that the atmosphere on set wasn’t bad.
If the commercial turned out well, that was good, and with Kang Ho-jin’s personal story as a player, it wasn’t bad at all.
Add to that his handsome face, long limbs, and his genuine affection toward his Daughter—anyone who knew anything of his story couldn’t help but become a fan.
In fact, Shin Se-a herself had become a fan of his at some point.
She’d bought his jersey, and sometimes when watching games alone at home, she’d take out that jersey and keep it beside her while watching baseball.
Of course, that was before she joined the Dolphins Front Office as an intern, and now she was enjoying watching him play brilliantly in person.
With makeup applied for the shoot, his already handsome features looked even more striking, and when he appeared mid-shoot in a suit, the entire studio including Shin Se-a erupted in cheers.
The shoot wrapped up—whether you’d call it long or short.
Having observed Kang Ho-jin from various angles throughout, Shin Se-a distinctly felt that what had started as fan sentiment had shifted somewhat.
But she quickly dismissed that thought.
She wasn’t a naive child, and she knew well that such feelings would only create distance between them.
Instead, she wanted to help Kang Ho-jin in a different way.
“You’ve worked hard. I’ll drive you home.”
Kang Ho-jin hesitated before accepting her kindness.
A sleek sports car raced down the road.
During the drive, Shin Se-a asked.
“Have you ever thought about who you’d like to recruit through free agency?”
“Free agency?”
At those words, Kang Ho-jin gazed out the window with a contemplative expression.
As Shin Se-a watched his profile—that sharp yet captivating jawline—the sound of a horn honking came from behind, and she pressed the pedal.
After they’d traveled some distance, Kang Ho-jin’s mouth opened.
“I don’t think there’s anyone in particular. Rather, if it were next year’s rookie draft, that would be different.”
“The rookie draft?”
Then he spoke the name.
“Lee Byung-jin—a Pitcher who’ll be a senior in high school next year.”
Upon mentioning that name, Kang Ho-jin’s expression shifted into something tinged with melancholy.
‘Ah… what is this! Why does he have to be so captivating?!’
Shin Se-a stole glances at Kang Ho-jin’s profile, his face bearing a lonesome yet inexplicably warm nostalgia.
Kang Ho-jin’s lips remained sealed after that.
* * *
I hadn’t expected the name Lee Byung-jin to escape my lips.
‘A tragic talent, that one.’
Lee Byung-jin.
That kid, now in his second year of high school, was a junior from my alma mater.
A prodigy pitcher who bypassed the KBO draft entirely and went straight to MLB.
Though our paths haven’t crossed much, there’s one thing I can say with certainty.
Before I made my own leap to MLB, he was on the verge of leaving his mark—the successor to Yoo Hyun-jin—only to collapse before his brilliance could fully bloom, a tragic junior of mine.
If we could bring that junior to our team, not only would we nurture that wasted talent, but our roster would gain considerable strength.
My hope is that this junior would choose KBO and our team instead of MLB.
Speaking of which, Bae Ki-sung, who could be called this year’s biggest acquisition, went to Seoul Dragons just as I’d anticipated.
That’s going to be troublesome in its own way.

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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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