And we are back with Stove League! This show is definitely garnering a lot of chit chat in Korea over on DC Inside (like Soompi, but much bigger). It has over 13,000 forum posts and counting. Wow!
Baseball is big in Korea, so that might be were all the chatter is. Most of the comments says that this show is very accurate so they think that a baseball super fan wrote it. I am with them because this show is so authentic that sometimes I think I am actually watching the story of a real team. It is pretty cool.
I am really enjoying Stove League so far which gives me kind of the feeling of VIP but in a baseball setting and with the mistress/secret child debauchery switched to bribes and hidden injuries. Love it.
Caution: Be wary of typos
Shorthand Character Chart: coming up
How we do this: This live recap will be in two parts and we segment each post around every 10 minutes. Sometimes sooner, sometimes later depending on the scene. There will be typos which we have fantasies of fixing once the episode finishes airing. Also, if there is a preview then we will try and translate it. Look for that on a separate post!
KOREAN DRAMA STOVE LEAGUE: EPISODE 6 (11&12) RECAP – PART 1
——-dramamilk.com——-
#1
PRESS CONFERENCE
A reporter asks why Gil Chang-joo? San-soo says he can throw a fast ball well, and that is what I want. Another reporter asks if he considered the publics opinion? Seung-soo says he brought the best pitcher he could, but he could not pick one with a perfect past.
The reporter asks, what about the feeling of loss when all the people went to the military service and he avoided it and became an American? Seung-soo says he agrees that Gil Chang-joo added to the feeling of loss, I know it and he knows it. Gil Chang-joo should undergo a stricter public view than a politicians son or a newspaper companies son who did not go to the army due to hypertension (Ooo, shade!).
Seung-soo continues and says that a young pitcher was in the National league for Korea. But he pitched too much and had elbow pain. He was rehabbing in America. After rehab, he proved himself and people acknowledged him.
But, he had to go to the army, now he is a rookie in the major leagues. More than 70% of people agreed for him to become American.
A reporter asks if it is right to be an American? Seung-soo says he is talking this long because it is not right.
A reporter in the back asks one last question. This reporter is Kim Young-chae. She says the easiest way to be forgiven is to go to the army right now. Seung-soo says that they will end their press conference right now. Goodbye.
He gets up to leave so Seyoung stops him and says that it looks like we are running away if you leave now. He says that is true, I am running away. Chang-joo tells him that he wants to say something. But Seung-soo tells him to say it next time.
Cut to a news article saying that Gil Chang-joo is coming back as a mercenary player (ie. Not a Korean citizen). Kyung-min is looking at the news article and asks Kang-seon, the CEO, if they approved $900,000? That is what we gave them right?
Kang-seon says yes. So Kyung-min wonders why he only spent $500,000 and brought this not so good guy. But he was in the Major Leagues. But if he was good then he should not have been brought back for $500,000.
Kyung-min wonders if he should compliment him or yell at him. The CEO says that they should possibly see how the public view is. But Kyung-min thinks that he wants to compliment this stupid craziness. Baek Seung-soo is an interesting guy.
SEUNG SOO’S HOME
Baek Young-soo is watching the news about the baseball player but turns it off right away when Seung-soo gets home. He tells him that he can make dinner and goes to the kitchen. So he tells his brother that he can rest until he makes dinner and talk about the present. Not something big, but expensive, okay?
Seung-soo smiles and turns on the news. he sees that his brother was watching baseball. He has a flashback to a high school baseball game where aplayer is running around the bases and slides into second or third, but there is an accident. Seung-soo’s eyes pop back awake from his memory.
SE YOUNG’S HOME
Se-young is eating bibimbop and says that she thought she was American style because she never thought of Korean food. But no, no, no I just forgot the taste. I remember it after eating.
Then she asks her mom for her face mask because she might be on TV. Her mother tells her that no one will notice her if she puts watermelon seeds on her face (whatever you do, it wont make a difference). Then she asks if she really brought a good player? He is pretty noisy.
Se-young says he is a good person and has a sense of responsibility. The umma is angry. So Se-young says that at least they should be on his side. Se-young says that he is responsible for his family. He helped us and worked out every night.
The mom says he will be good then. Se-young asks how she knows. The mother says that her father was just like that after he found out I was pregnant with you. He brought a lot of money home. Se-young says that he was a thug before I was born.
The mother explains that someone should change with responsibility. So don’t yell at him too much if he is not good. Se-young says he gets paid a lot more than her. The mother tells her that she is not getting paid enough. Se-young grumbles and says to not talk about her salary.
#2
BASEBALL PITCHING SHOW
Reporters come to the pitching practice for Chang-joo. Se-young thinks that more reporters should be here. Byeon Chi-hun from advertising says that the reporters did not want to come because we are not answering sensitive topics. But he mentions that they have an ace up their sleeve.
Another reporter walks up, it is Young-chae. Se-young tells her that she went too far with her question. You did not have to ask it as soon as he came to Korea. She says that she just asked the question everyone wanted to know.
Reporter Kim then asks if she can have an interview with Seung-soo. Chi-hun says not right now. So the reporter goes to him anyway and starts to ask Seung-soo questions. Seung-soo ignores her and says to go through the public relations advertisement office.
She keeps asking questions and says that Dream is making the most changes out of any other teams, so why aren’t you changing the Director coach?
Seung-soo tells her it is the same reason her PD does not change her. She looks like that is a bit of a slight and thanks him for what he has said. She will be formally denied for the meeting requests through advertising. Then she leaves.
All the attention goes to the pitches. Yoon Seong-bok gives him the ball all warmed up. Gil Chang-joo tell shim he is nervous, he knows that they will understand once the season starts. But he wants them to understand now. So, can I throw my best pitch?
The director tells him that if Gil Chang-joo throws his balls well, no one will care about their Dream team anyway. So do your best.
So Gil Chang-joo throws his ball the best and gets an interview after he is done. The reporter asks him how he feels coming back to Korea. Chang-joo says he is really thankful that he is here and everyone calls him Gil Chang-joo, not Robert Gil.
The reporter says that he had a nice positive pitch. It was really good. He thanks her for that and says that he wants to apologize. He is sorry that he disappointed a lot of baseball fans and will take all the blame.
COMPANY
The chairman talks to his nephew, Kwon Kyung-min and asks what happened? Our company name is in the sports section. What do we do? The nephew apologizes. The chairman says that they are not even making money, why is this useless thing making this much trouble. Did you bring someone with trouble?
Kyung-min says yes, right now it is causing trouble. The chairman tells him that he is working well because they share blood. Then he smiles and playfully pats him on the belly and heads out.
The son asks him, what if they win? Then he sits on the table and tells Kyung-min that his father talks about him. My father says that you are better than your father. Then he tells him that his father said it, not me. We are not brothers, we are cousins, we have different goals, right? We should be nice to each other. Let’s have lunch.
They go off to have that lunch.
DREAMS
Seung-soo is walking the halls of Dreams on his way out and sees a man tell another man that he cannot work there anymore. The man says okay and heads off. Seung-soo looks on with interest.
This other guy comes inside and goes to the desk of that other guy. The other people kind of look at him and sigh and then look at each other for a second and get back to work.
The analytics guy takes all that guys things off his desk and moves it to his own desk.
In a meeting, the main people talk about the pitching showcase and say that it went well. Reporter Kim wrote something favorable about the pitcher and said that he was the best of any team.
Seung-soo asks if they checked her other writings? Usually reporters put their own things on top of the story. Chi-hun says that is why she is a hot reporter right now, and she is pretty. Seung-soo tells him that she will think that poking our wound is journalism.
The analytics guy is at the meeting and tells Seung-soo that it is time for the next salary negotiation soon. As soon as he gets the raw data, he will forward it off. Se-young says okay, we will be ready.
Mi-sun thinks that it will be difficult because people up there think that we just want money even though we don’t play well. Our total salary sum is also cheep because of our low rank.
Se-young mentions that it happens every year. The analytics guy says that Jim-bum had to quit. He will go help his family with their farm. Mi-sun thinks that is a funny reason to quit. Your team members change so often. You can’t make young kids work too hard.
Chi-hun says that the scouting team and the analytics team should not change team members so often. Se-young asks, this time, why don’t we have a public search? The analytics guy asks why?
Se-young says it is because he deals with numbers so it is better to have someone who is not a baseball ~. But Kyung-taek cuts her off and says that he is the one that will work with him. Se-young tells him that she knows, it is just a suggestion. i think our team is too close to saber matrix (analyzing baseball with statistics). It would be nice to have a different person.
But Kyung-taek asks how he can work with someone he does not know? He does not want to work with someone who did not hit a home run or knows three strikes and you’re out. Seung-soo tells him that whether it is a black cat or a white cat, whoever catches the rat is important. I also never hit a home run or had three strikes.
Se-young tells him that in major leagues no baseball players become coaches or on the analytics team. In the Pelicans no former player works in analytics. The analytics guy thinks that only former players can see the game well. He practices hitting because if he is not in shape, then the players will not listen to him.
Even though they analyze things and show the statistics, the players will say that they know themselves better. They will not listen to normal people. Seung-soo tells him that for me, I would rather thang their wrong thought then fit myself into their wrong view. So let’s have a public search. Your recommendations can be part of it.
Seung-soo ends the meeting right there and heads out. Chi-hun whispers, yeah, whatever catches the rat, that is it. the analytics guy rolls his eyes.
#3
PITCHING CAGES
Jae-hee catches balls from a former pitcher and injures his hand. The former pitcher told him that he would get injured and runs over to see if he is okay. He also tells Jae-hee that the more he looks at him, the more proper and cool he looks. You work hard.
Jae-hee says he does not work that hard. But the pitcher says that everyone is in baseball because they like it. But no one is as consistent as you. Jae-he says that, just in case things get better, he does this. The pitcher asks what? Jae-hee says, just something similar. So the pitcher thinks it must be softball. Jae-hee tells him he is not paying for the lesson.
OFFICES
Se-young and Mi-sun sit next to each other in the cubicles and talk about Jae-hee. Mi-sun says that Se-young always gives Jae-hee a hard time because he is a parachute. She thinks about that and we see a memory from 2016.
The memory is from a new employee interview. Jae-hee is int he interview and is sleeping. Se-young notices. During the interview, people whisper about Han Jae-hee who is a certain groups son.
Jae-hee goes outside and wakes him up to come inside for the interview. He walks in and the interviewers thank him for coming. They ask why he came. He says he will work hard. They ask what department he wants. So he asks what department they have?
They all chuckle and says management. So he says he will do that. Se-young rolls her eyes. Cut to her pulling him outside by his collar and asking him why he is so stupid. Do you see all those people outside, they all study hard to be here but because of you they will not get this job.
You parachute! You should apologize to them before you leave. And even if you get this job, you should not come to work! I will kill you!
He is all like, what in the world?
In the present, she goes up to him at work and asks if he is mad because his parachute failed and he had to wait another year and took the exam and was then employed? He says no. I think it is better than you yelling at me because I don’t know anything.
She asks why he is at work. He was on vacation. He ells her that he has so much to do and his boss is so slow so he can’t go home. She asks how much he did?
But the Seung-soo walks up and asks them if they are done with the new employee for analytics? it is better to check them in person since there are not too many of them.
Then he goes home and talks to his brother through his door. He tells him that he should show his face since he is back home. But then he thinks he is busy because of his exam tomorrow. See you later.
Then we cut to a flashback where Seung-soo asks his brother if he has fun playing baseball? The brother says yes, he enjoys it but he plays it all day so he does not know what he is doing. They are in Seung-soo’s room. Seung-soo tells him not to be wimpy, have you ever seen me come home early at all?
His brother says now. Seung-soo says that outside there is a real war going on. At least you are doing what you like. Is there anything else? The brother says there is nothing. So Seung-soo tells him to take a shower first and tell mom that I got strawberries on my way home.
Seung-soo thinks about that for a moment and then gets on with the evening.
Meanwhile, the analytics person is on the home page of some site and reads their analytics. SO perhaps he does not know how to do analytics?
MORNING
Seung-soo and his brother Yong-soo eat breakfast. Seung-soo tells him that after he becomes an accountant they should move their parents closer to them. But he also asks if it is too stressful? I want to give you a bit of stress. He tells him to take a taxi for his interview.
Cut to the Dream interviews for analytics. The guy comes in and starts the interview with Seung-soo, Kyung-taek, and Se-young. The interviewer starts to give out a lot of questions to certain numbers with cyber matrix. But he does not know small numbers. He might not actually know a lot.
But then we see that the brother is at the interview outside! It does not look like Seung-soo knows.
In the interview room, Se-young says that there was actually not a proper answer to the question. I just wanted to see him answer the question. Kyung-taek asks her where she learned it. She says that she read about it and went to the Cheers website (the website he went to).
The next interviewer comes in. But he has a hard time getting up the bump the is in the way of the door. Jae-hee helps him. It is the brother! Omg! I love this.
Seung-soo is stunned to see him, but holds it in well with a blank face.