Celebrating 2023, the Year of the Rabbit, professional baseball players born in 1999 started relaying good wishes. Following Doosan pitcher Jeong Cheol-won, KT pitcher Kim Min, Kiwoom pitcher An Woo-jin, and Doosan pitcher Kwak Bin, SSG infielder Choi Jun-woo expressed his feelings to NC catcher Kim Hyung-jun (24 years old).
◆ “Bin-ah, Oh Ha-ja” I
posted a reply to Gwak-bin. Even though the schools were different throughout their school days, they became close thanks to playing baseball together in the Seoul area. In particular, when he was in high school, he became close with the youth team by eating together. Even in the professional league, Kwak Bin belonged to Seoul and Choi Jun-woo belonged to Incheon, but they met often and spent time together.
Choi Jun-woo said, “Bin is very kind. He’s more used to taking care of his friends than he is. “He likes to invite them over to his house and sleep with them. He laughed, saying, ‘Sleep over at my house’ every time. He said, “I am very good at baseball. But I’m holding on tight to Bin. When he was on the Sangmu baseball team, he hit a lot with Bin,” he said. He was nasty,” he added.
I have something to explain. Kwak Bin expressed his affection for the group of four, including Choi Jun-woo and Ahn Woo-jin, by calling them “family.” At the same time, Junwoo said, “I feel sad because there are so many such gatherings.” Choi Jun-woo said, “It’s a misunderstanding. The only thing that I think of as a real family is the gathering with Bin,” he said. It’s unfair,” he said, raising his voice. He said, “Even on my birthday, if I don’t contact you right after midnight, I get angry. So I immediately congratulate them and give them gifts.”
He often plays mischievous pranks. Kwak Bin teased Choi Jun-woo for being short. According to their profile, Kwak Bin is 187 cm tall and Choi Jun-woo is 175 cm tall. “I also have something to say,” said Choi Jun-woo, “Bin has a different head size. She is like a game character. She is colossal,” he burst into laughter. He continued, “If you have a face-to-face battle with Bin, he hurts his pride. For Bin, being tall is everything.”
He seems to be arguing, but his heart is different. He watched most of Kwak Bin’s matches. Choi Jun-woo said, “As a friend, I am really proud. When I see him doing well, he feels proud and happy. He smiled, saying, “I am proud to have been selected for the WBC team. He said, “Binie studies and studies baseball really hard. He also gave me a lot of advice outside of baseball, so I became relied on,” he said. He also told me what he felt while playing and how he overcame the slump. As a result, he became more confident. Thank you,” he said forcefully.
◆ “Hyung-Jun, let’s stand up again”
Kim Hyeong-Jun was pointed out as the next runner. In March 2021, they enlisted together in Sangmu and raised comradeship. Choi Jun-woo said, “Among my motives for enlistment, I relied on Hyung-jun and (Kim) Min-i, who are the same age as me, at the training center and in the unit. He also had a good personality and we became close quickly,” he recalled. He continued, “Hyung-jun seems reticent, but he has a lot of playfulness. He’s still kind,” he said. “It’s more cute than I thought. If you look closely, both his face and actions are cute. He was also proud of his appearance.”
His disposition is somewhat different. Choi Jun-woo is spontaneous, while Kim Hyeong-joon is planned. Choi Jun-woo said, “It was comfortable when we went on vacation together. I don’t have any plans, but Hyungjun made a schedule,” he said. “He likes to eat, so he knows good restaurants. Especially when it comes to meat, he is a good friend,” he explained. He said, “But when I sat side by side on the bus, Hyung-Jun’s physique was so big that my seat was cramped. He seems to have no downside other than that,” he added. According to Kim Hyung-joon’s profile, he is 187 cm tall and weighs 100 kg.
Kim Hyung-joon suffered pain about a month before being discharged at the end of August of last year. He underwent cruciate ligament surgery in his right knee. Choi Jun-woo said, “We often talked about ‘Let’s do well in each position after being discharged from the military and returning to the team’. However, Hyung-jun was seriously injured and felt a sense of loss and struggled,” he said. “My heart hurt so much. He was worried,” he said. “They say the recovery is fast,” he said. I’m glad that you’re getting better,” he said. “I hope you get well soon and don’t get sick again this year. If I just recover my physical condition, I will do well in baseball.”
“I will do well too. There is an evaluation that the defense is weak, but I want to show a stable play,” he said. “So, before joining the team’s spring camp in the United States, I trained hard in Kagoshima, Japan. This year is a very important year for Hyungjun and me.”