“No matter how you think about it, it’s strange… … .”

Daesung Kim Ho-jeong, a veteran pitcher for Wales, muttered in a low voice as she carefully peeled a hard-boiled egg while sitting in the corner of the ondol room in the jjimjilbang.

“what?”

Choi Tae-gu, who was lying next to him, reacted to his muttering. Then Kim Ho-jung said while dipping the freshly peeled hard-boiled egg in salt.

“You’re getting bruised and beaten in the jjimjilbang at this time.”

Originally, it’s time to get up and warm up lightly in the hotel’s fitness center by now.

But waiting in the jjimjilbang while forgetting eggs at that time was very awkward. Even the reason for waiting was to get a massage at the massage shop attached to the jjimjilbang, so it was all the more so.

“To be honest, I don’t feel bad… … .”

Kim Ho-jeong put a boiled egg into her mouth and took a sip of ice-cold sikhye before opening her mouth again.

“Should I say that I feel a little immoral? No matter how it is, I have a game later in the afternoon, so I feel like I can do this?”

“It seems like you’re enjoying it to the fullest.”

Choi Tae-goo pointed to the tray in front of Kim Ho-jung and said. There were quite a few eggshells piled up neatly, besides the ones that had just been opened.

“And what, the director probably has an idea.”

“That is the most amazing. A person who is usually so sensitive about managing his condition.”

Players in the game have a set routine.

Wake up late in the afternoon, have a light meal, go through meetings and training, and then each take a break. After that, it’s time to get into the game.

It’s a very simple process, and you can say what’s wrong with it, but… Players who have been living that life for more than a few years and are used to it can have an impact on their game condition just by changing the contents of their routine.

In particular, coach Shim considered these aspects to be very important, and he tended to match the players’ diets as much as possible and not touch their usual routines or training menus as much as possible.

But suddenly, while reducing the sleeping time, I came to get a massage at a jjimjilbang. It is a bit out of sync with what the director usually showed.

“… It’s a little strange. It doesn’t seem like they’re not going to pitch today.”

If it was a day without climbing, it would have been interpreted as meaning to take a proper rest. However, as a result of sending a separate KakaoTalk message to the coach, the answer came back saying, “I am going to pitch as a starter, so get a good massage.”

“if not… Are you saying that the massage skills here are really good?”

Kim Ho-jeong, who suddenly came up with an idea, said.

“That must be good workmanship. It’s to the extent that the coach has to ask for it before the game. Isn’t that the basic condition?”

“I mean, it’s not just a good level, but when you get a massage, you get blood all over your body and fly around. Wouldn’t that explain a little bit?”

“… Why, they say they even rejuvenate with massage.”

At Kim Ho-jung’s words, Choi Tae-goo burst into laughter and said, Then, Kim Ho-jung even clapped once and nodded.

“Hey, that would be really nice. There was something similar in the novel you borrowed before. what did he say about it seek… What kind of blood was it?”

“Interrogation and blood?”

“Yes, that.”

“That’s a story from martial arts, dude.”

Even in martial arts, it is a content that is treated as luck that is rare to meet, belonging to the skill level. Choi Tae-goo shook his hand, saying that it was nonsense.

“I know. But it has to be at that level for Director Shim to give these instructions, that’s the story.”

“If there was such a person, wouldn’t it have spread rumors right away? All of a sudden, the players’ abilities will rise dramatically, and the team’s performance will go up like crazy… … .”

While waving his hands to stop talking nonsense, Choi Tae-goo blurted out a thought that suddenly came to him. Suddenly, a team that fits the criteria came to mind.

“Hanha Hawks?”

“… uh, wait a minute. really?”

When Choi Tae-goo mentioned Han-ha, Kim Ho-jung’s reaction also changed. The atmosphere that had been playful was suddenly serious.

At the end of the season, the Hanha Hawks suddenly improved their skills and started to make a big success. Their move was a hot topic among the coaching staff, but of course it became a hot topic among the players as well.

Unlike the staff, they faced each other directly on the field, so the players had no choice but to be more sensitive to changes in the opponent’s condition or skill.

“Certainly, Gwang-ho’s form came back like it was in Leeds days… … .”

Read at noblemtl. com

Lee Kwang-ho, Ahn Gi-ho, Kim Tae-pyeong… Besides that, some.

Han-ha’s veteran players suddenly showed off their crazy skills at some point and started to lead the team’s performance. It was as if he had brought his old physical back to life.

The change was so dramatic that, right after the match, at the request of the opposing team, one more doping test was conducted.

But what if it was all thanks to massage? What if Coach Song or the coach found out about it and brought the two together like this? Then everything that happened today will be explained.

“… Aye, no way.”

“Then it’s really intimidating, hey.”

However, since it was so absurd, the two shook their hands and heads and dismissed it as a vain imagination.

“Sorry, the call took a little longer.”

However, coach Song Nam-seop, who had been away for a while due to work, returned to the ondol room.

“Coach! I mean the masseuse I’m meeting today.”

“Are you related to Han Ha by any chance?”

Both of them were asking questions quite passionately for what they had dismissed as nonsense.

It’s just a thought, and Coach Song will react that he doesn’t know what he’s talking about… Still, that ‘maybe’ was a very attractive story.

“Oh, didn’t I tell you?”

However, Song Nam-seop’s reaction was extremely plain. It was such a reaction, as if it was natural.

“I don’t know since when, but the person doing the massage today is a regular business trip to Hanha. It is expected that the Hanha grades have improved since then.”

“… He, you should have said that first!”

“sorry. I also woke up not too long ago… I thought you said something.”

At Kim Ho-jung’s words, Song Nam-seop scratched his head.

“By the way, it’s time to go get a massage soon. Who would like to go first?”

“Yeah… … .”

Kim Ho-jung and Choi Tae-goo looked at each other without saying who came first. A battery that has been working together for a long time. No need for long conversations. The two smiled and said at the same time, “Isn’t it natural?”

“That’s me, of course.”

“I have to get it first.”

“… a. As a pitcher, I should receive it first.”

“It goes up to the plate, and it’s right for me to receive it.”

“Are you going to do this when you know that my shoulder is not good these days?”

“Don’t you know I’m on the verge of going out of my waist?”

Voices grow wild as they exchange words with each other. It looks more like two middle school students fighting than grown adults.

“It’s not like you only get one of the two, it’s just that you get it 30 minutes first… Just play rock-paper-scissors.”

In the end, until Coach Song came up with an arbitration plan, the two of them were arranging the order, even mentioning who bought the meal and how many times.

* * *

And after about two hours have passed since then.

“… Crazy, crazy.”

“Does this make sense?”

The two people who came out after the massage were so different that their physical condition improved. Just looking at the skin, it was well-glowed.

“I can’t believe that interrogation and bloodshed exists in reality.”

“Didn’t you say that it’s hard to see even in martial arts?”

“So, I mean.”

Kim Ho-jung’s shoulder, which was originally bad, and Choi Tae-gu’s waist were constantly moving back and forth, exuding admiration.

It was a place where I could feel the creaking just a moment ago, but now it’s smooth as if it was oiled and reassembled from the inside, so it’s worth admiring.

“How was the massage?”

“Ah, Coach Song.”

When Coach Song, who had been waiting for the two of them, approached, Choi Tae-gu grabbed his hand without hesitation.

“It’s just as the coach said! When I received it, the feeling was different. Well, this isn’t just conditioning… Is the player life itself extended?”

His words were by no means exaggerated.

A massage like this once a month… No, even if I could only receive it once every six months, it would have been of great help to my career as a player.

“I told you so.”

At the reaction of the two, Coach Song smiled and shrugged. It was a completely different reaction compared to the way he grumbled when he came out in the morning.

“By the way, will you be able to play well today?”

“I do not know… If you feel like this.”

Kim Ho-jeong shook her shoulders and thought for a moment. He was Kim Ho-jung, who often intervened in staff meetings because he was so good at predicting the outcome of matches.

“If I lose today, I will retire.”

And Kim Ho-jung made an unconventional remark. It was so full of confidence.

“I’m almost at the level of rejuvenation, but if I can’t win a game, I’m disqualified as a pitcher. Isn’t it?”

He looked at Choi Tae-gu, an old colleague and friend next to him, as if asking for consent. Choi Tae-gu then said with a sour expression.

“I am not retiring.”

How to never know what a sport is going to be like!

Especially in baseball, it was Choi Tae-gu who neatly drew a line on his friend’s remarks.

* * *

“Daesung Wales won with an overwhelming score… … .”

A table for four in the corner of the masseuse’s lounge.

Choi Seong-hyeon, who was sitting there, said while reading the headline of an Internet article. There was information about the game that took place at Jamsil Stadium the day before.

“I just picked it up and left. It was a game in which the veteran lineup players Kim Ho-jeong and Choi Tae-goo stood out. The two players seemed to show what they looked like in their prime… You say so?”

The article briefly described the performance of the two players who went out after receiving a massage from Kang Tae-han the previous day, and concluded with a general comment saying that their future activities are expected.

“I thought yesterday’s game was a little fun.”

And Taehan Kang replied with a smile.

As usual, I only watched the highlights later, but there were a lot of refreshing scenes, so I had a bit of a taste of watching it.

The two players who went through their hands appeared a lot in highlight scenes.

“This is enough… Isn’t the win or loss determined by the number of players who received a massage from you later?”

Seonghyun Choi said so in a playful voice.

But at the same time as I said it, on the other hand, it was scary to think that it could really be.

“Taehan, is it okay for a moment?”

At that time, Chief Hwang entered the waiting room and spoke to Kang Tae-han.

“I have something to show you.”

“Yeah, I was just sitting there.”

Kang Tae-han nodded happily, and Chief Hwang sat down across from Kang Tae-han. Then Choi Seong-hyun, who was sandwiched between the two, asked insinuatingly.

“Is it okay for me to hear?”

“I do not care.”

Director Hwang said as he put the documents he had brought on the table. It was no secret that he and Kang Tae-han were moving stores now. The conversation with the boss is over.

“What do you have to show me?”

“That’s what I mean. You know what Taehan said the other day.”

“If it’s the other time… … .”

“You said you might be able to get a reservation soon.”

“Ah, that’s it.”

I mentioned to Hwang last time that the opening day must have been outlined, and that it would be okay to make reservations from guests who have requests.

Of course, taking a reservation for Kang Tae-han’s shop here was something I shouldn’t have done, regardless of business morality… … .

It was concluded that we should proceed with the method of asking only the customers who had made a request, saying, ‘Please contact us when the store you are moving to is decided.’

“Are there any problems?”

“Problem? there is I started taking reservations two days ago… … .”

At Kang Tae-han’s question, Chief Hwang opened the papers he had put down. There was a table with each cell tightly filled with letters.

“… Reservations are almost full already.”

The ticket listed there was no different, it was a ticket with reservations made for a week from the opening day.