Chapter 36
It goes without saying, but the physical and conditioning status of athletes is a very important matter directly linked to the results of a match.
In the world of professionals, even subtle differences, such as a slight drop in concentration or feeling distracted by something else, can sometimes be fatal.
This is why some athletes are obsessively fixated on seemingly trivial jinxes.
What if a problem arises for an athlete due to an unavoidable injury or the aftereffects of surgery?
It goes without saying that it is fatal.
Unlike the mental aspect, which can be relatively abstract, this has a direct impact in the physical realm.
However, professional athletes and injuries are inseparable.
Apart from usual training, every time they go out to compete, they have to push their physical limits to the maximum in a short period of time.
Every time they do that, their bodies are inevitably burdened, and those burdens accumulate and build up in their bodies.
Eventually, problems are bound to arise at some point.
Muscle or ligament ruptures are commonplace, and if you’re not careful, one injury can end an athlete’s career altogether.
There’s a reason why the average lifespan of a professional athlete is short.
‘But if I can completely resolve that…’
Unless it’s caused by a direct accident, most injuries are caused by accumulated damage and fatigue in the body.
But what if you could reset it once?
Not only can it prevent injuries, but it can also bring athletes’ conditions to their peak.
At least to the extent that he is experiencing it himself right now, it’s unbelievable.
Of course, just because their condition improves doesn’t mean that athletes will develop skills they didn’t have before, but at least they will be able to maximize the skills they already have.
‘There are more than a few guys who will benefit from this…’
Athletes who are unable to perform as well as they used to due to the aftereffects of surgery, veterans who are experienced but now have a hard time playing frequently due to declining physicality…
Athletes who will see immediate effects come to mind right away, easily exceeding ten fingers.
This alone dramatically strengthens the team’s power.
“Hehe… Then next season is practically guaranteed to be fall baseball, isn’t it? Maybe we’ll have some nice fireworks after a long time? Hahaha!”
A thin layer of key players and inconsistent game potential.
Perhaps it might be possible to solve two of the team’s chronic problems at once.
Just imagining it, Oh Jae-yoon’s lips were slowly rising to his ears.
“I hope so.”
It was a remark that seemed to clearly show what he was thinking, so Choi Tae-jun also burst into a chuckle.
“But then you have to start by scouting. You said you came here without doing anything.”
“Ah, that’s right. First… I wonder if I should go over there to the counter and ask?”
“I guess so?”
“Okay. I’ll be back soon.”
As Choi Tae-jun pointed towards the counter, Oh Jae-yoon walked straight towards it.
Whether it was true that he felt ten years younger, his steps seemed particularly light for some reason.
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“Then get some good sleep.”
“Ugh.”
The moment Kang Tae-han finished the massage and pressed the sleep point, the customer, who had been slightly raising his head, collapsed onto the bed as if he had fainted.
A deep sleep that doesn’t even allow for dreams.
Unless there is a separate shock from the outside, he will be able to fully concentrate on recovery while sleeping soundly for an hour.
‘I should replace the towel too.’
Since there’s a high probability of drooling, he first laid a towel on the pillow and gently placed the customer’s head on it.
Then, he adjusts the customer’s posture, which had collapsed face down, to a comfortable position.
‘Get some good rest.’
Then, after adjusting the temperature of the massage bed to match the customer’s body temperature, covering him with a blanket, and finally turning off the light in the room, one session is complete.
Hoping that the deeply sleeping customer will wake up feeling refreshed after recovering, Kang Tae-han carefully closed the door and went outside.
“Ah, you’re here?”
Kang Tae-han’s next destination is the preparation room, where various supplies and drinks for customers are available.
As he stepped inside, the staff member in charge, who was busy organizing supplies, greeted Kang Tae-han.
“I just finished. By the way, room 3 is running out of towels. I’d appreciate it if you could refill them later.”
“You’re talking about Master Course room 3, right?”
“Yes. And for the tea, please serve arrowroot tea as usual.”
“Room 3, arrowroot tea… Got it.”
At Kang Tae-han’s words, the staff member nodded and pressed the button on the one-hour vibration timer.
The phrase “as usual” meant that the customer would wake up in an hour.
Actually, it’s strange.
How can you know when a person will fall asleep and wake up?
But as if it were a lie, if you go into the room with refreshments at the time the teacher tells you, you can see the customer just waking up.
The customer really wakes up at the pre-arranged time.
Is there a vibration alarm function on the bed or something, or is there an ultrasonic alarm clock in the room?
Out of curiosity, he even searched the entire room, but it was all in vain.
Now, he just accepts it, thinking that maybe people can really do that.
“Oh, by the way, the manager was looking for you earlier.”
The staff member called out to Kang Tae-han as he was about to leave the room.
“Manager Hwang? What was it about?”
“I don’t know… He said to stop by the office before going to the waiting room after you’re done.”
The office he’s referring to is the room where Manager Hwang handles work-related documents or occasionally receives guests, equipped with only a computer and a table for guests.
“Okay. Thank you.”
What could it be?
This is the second time this has happened since he recently got an additional increase in his bonus rate.
Kang Tae-han walked down the hallway, thinking of a few possibilities.
Knock, knock.
“Manager, it’s Kang Tae-han.”
“Mr. Tae-han, you’re here! Come in.”
Opening the office door and stepping inside, a space furnished with a sofa, a table, and a few potted plants appeared.
And Manager Hwang, who stood up from his seat, greeted Kang Tae-han.
Opposite him… the customer he met about two hours ago, Hanha’s manager Oh Jae-yoon, was bowing his head in greeting.
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“Nice to meet you, sir. I’m Oh Jae-yoon, the manager of the Hanha Hawks.”
“Yes. It’s nice to meet you, Manager. I’m Kang Tae-han, a massage therapist here.”
As their eyes met, Oh Jae-yoon was the first to introduce himself and offer a handshake.
Kang Tae-han took his hand and bowed his head slightly.
‘The atmosphere has changed.’
When he was giving him the massage, apart from his youthful appearance, he felt a strange sense of intimidation, but now that feeling had disappeared, leaving only a dignified atmosphere.
It feels a bit softer, so to speak.
‘Is it a kind of routine or mindset?’
There are many baseball players whose atmosphere changes when they enter a game.
Their eyes change, or they suddenly start speaking in their hometown dialect, which they don’t usually use.
There are other ways, such as adjusting their helmets and spinning their bats a couple of times before stepping up to bat, or chewing bubble gum, but they all have one thing in common: ‘to focus more on the game’.
If Kang Tae-han’s change in atmosphere is a kind of routine… it makes him even more credible.
It means that he concentrates as much as he can when giving massages.
“Then I’ll be on my way.”
At that moment, Manager Hwang, who was standing next to him, took a step towards the door and said.
Then Oh Jae-yoon asked curiously.
“Shouldn’t the manager stay with us too?”
“Haha. What need do I have to be here? Tae-han’s work is up to him.”
In a way, this could be a situation where they’re scouting talent from here.
So, he was saying shouldn’t Manager Hwang stay and coordinate things too… but…
‘If there’s a good opportunity, of course he should go.’
He has no intention of blocking Kang Tae-han’s path or holding him back forcefully.
He deserves better treatment, and he’s not someone he can hold onto.
At least, that’s what Manager Hwang sincerely thought, so he had no intention of interfering in this matter.
Of course, it would be very difficult if he said he was quitting today… but at least the Kang Tae-han he knew wasn’t that kind of person.
“Ah, Tae-han! You still have to take the next customer, okay?”
Wink.
Manager Hwang winked as he left those words, giving a thumbs up as he walked out.
It was probably a sign of support for him.
‘He wasn’t wrong about judging people.’
Kang Tae-han could vaguely guess what Manager Hwang was thinking when he left.
He could have been more greedy and had good reason to be, but he meant to simply respect his choice.
And at the root of it all was the hope that he would succeed.
Understanding that sentiment, a faint smile appeared on Kang Tae-han’s lips.
“Do you remember me?”
A brief silence flowed after Manager Hwang left.
It was Oh Jae-yoon who broke the silence first.
“Of course. You came in as a customer around 3 o’clock. You were wearing sunglasses then.”
As Kang Tae-han spoke with a light smile, Oh Jae-yoon scratched his neck awkwardly.
It seemed he already knew who he was.
“Haha… That aside, I was quite surprised. I thought it was a bit exaggerated, but actually receiving it, it was even better than that.”
Oh Jae-yoon said, twisting his waist lightly from side to side.
As if someone had oiled the inside, each and every muscle in his waist moved smoothly.
“But, it seems like you’re not in a position to give me much time.”
“Yes. My next customer is scheduled to arrive soon.”
Kang Tae-han said in a polite but firm voice.
He might not care if it was just a random customer, but this is a customer who booked an appointment a week ago.
He can’t just cancel it on a whim, and he has no intention of doing so.
After all, this is also a promise.
“I see. Then I’ll get straight to the point.”
Ahem, ahem.
Oh Jae-yoon cleared his throat lightly.
“I’d like you to take a look at our team’s players. I’d like to ask you to give them massages.”
“I see…”
Kang Tae-han nodded lightly.
Actually, he had been guessing this ever since he saw Oh Jae-yoon here.
There was no other reason to call him out separately like this.
“Just in case, I’m asking, but you can’t cancel any appointments you’ve already made, can you?”
“Yes. It would be difficult for me to make time on the days I work here.”
Oh Jae-yoon nodded at Kang Tae-han’s answer.
He had already anticipated this.
“I’d like you to visit our team’s center about once a week… According to the manager, you have Wednesdays and Thursdays off. Is that correct?”
“Yes. I have those two days off.”
“Then… how about coming on Thursdays? It would be great if you could come every week, but even two or three times a month would be good.”
Wednesday is probably difficult due to the team’s schedule.
Oh Jae-yoon made the offer and subtly gauged his reaction.
However, Kang Tae-han also had his own schedule.
His head shook from side to side.
“I’m sorry, but Thursday would be difficult.”
“Uh… do you have another commitment?”
“I have classes on that day.”
“…Yes?”
Oh Jae-yoon tilted his head in confusion at the unexpected word.
Then he cautiously voiced one of the possibilities that came to mind.
“A, are you a college student?”
“Yes. I still have one semester left. Wednesday might be okay, but Thursday would be difficult.”
“Ah… studies are… important, yes.”
Flustered, Oh Jae-yoon stammered.
He said Wednesday was okay, but Wednesday doesn’t work for him.
Then… should he book all the players’ appointments right now?
It would be a hassle, but if it really can’t be helped, he has to do this, right?
For a moment, Oh Jae-yoon was lost in thought, trying to come up with other alternatives.
“But if it’s a business trip to a professional team… maybe the professor would give me an excused absence.”
Kang Tae-han subtly made a new offer.
A plan where he could go on a business trip, earn money, and get credits without attending class.
“But my professor is a bit strict about attendance, so I’m not sure if it’ll work out even if I tell him.”
“…What’s the name of the school and your professor? We’ll take care of everything on our end.”
And Oh Jae-yoon readily accepted the offer.
