000. Prologue

「It won’t even reach 120, fuck….」

The 220 million won balance in the account under ‘Kang Joo-hyuk’. That was the price for 15 years of my life since elementary school, and for ramming my tattered left shoulder into everything. Of course, it’s not a small amount. The problem is, I never learned how to make money without grinding down my shoulder.

I threw the last ball of my life not with my left hand, but my right, and returned to my shabby home, leaving the baseball that weakly hit the wall behind me. It was a disgustingly cramped studio apartment, but still clean because I kept it organized. It was ridiculously expensive because it was unnecessarily located in an area with good school districts. Still, maybe because of the empty space left by the baseball equipment I got rid of a few days ago, it looked unusually spacious. Wanting to air out the musty air, I threw open the window, got hit by the still chilly late winter breeze, and collapsed onto the mattress, letting out a sigh.

「Maybe I should look into delivery jobs.」

The problem was choosing to be a pitcher because I was mesmerized by the bba-bba sound of the ball hitting the mitt in elementary school. Anyway, neither my uncle nor my aunt cared what I did, so if I was going to do as I pleased, I should have just played batter. I really should have told the coach to fuck off and insisted on playing batter. Even if I had to be a pitcher, I should have realized something was wrong when my shoulder started aching after four consecutive days of pitching. Even if I hadn’t noticed it then, I should have firmly said, ‘Ah, I can’t do that,’ when I was called out for 10 consecutive games in the postseason. Hey, you idiot coach, if a promising kid’s potential is exploding, manage them properly! Does 144 games and 80 appearances even make sense? Including the postseason, that’s 154 games and 90 appearances. They wouldn’t have worn someone out like this even in the 20th century.

「Fuck, what’s the point of blaming…」

Of course, I know blaming our great coach is pointless because he’s just a puppet manager. The real power lies with the owner and the director. Getting targeted for some reason and suddenly being traded to another team was commonplace in our team. And the suspected reason was so obvious that I didn’t need to think too deeply about it. It was blatantly clear to anyone why I had been firmly targeted by the club.

Our club has a woman who is instinctively attractive enough to catch your eye. Ah, of course, she’s not a cheerleader, just a club employee. I did briefly date a cheerleader once, but the woman I’m talking about was on a different level. Where she differed was… her body.

「Excuse me.」

「…What is it?」

The haughty woman with the beige ponytail standing before me. Her name is Seo Haeun. Tight suits suited her well, and her looks were genuinely comparable to most news anchors. But more important than her pretty face, naturally, was her body. Not quite a model… maybe closer to the gravure models from the neighboring country? Looking at her face, she seemed slender, but her chest and thighs were insane. I couldn’t figure out why a woman like this worked for such a small-time club, but hey, it’s good to see, right? Many players were already trying to hit on her, and I wasn’t entirely without thoughts of trying myself… Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for that first impression to crumble.

「Let’s talk for a bit.」

「So, why?」

「I usually try not to say anything, but can you stop ignoring people so blatantly?」

「…When did I?」

That uniquely infuriating look in her eyes. …And that expression and attitude that seemed to look down on people. She didn’t say it out loud, but her eyes always made it obvious. It would be one thing if we didn’t see each other often, but she’s a staff member I see every game.

「You just ignored me. You clicked your tongue when I passed by.」

「…It was because our shoulders bumped. Are we done?」

「From what I know, there are many people like me. Did you bump shoulders with them all too?」

「What are you talking about, suddenly. …Move aside. Don’t start trouble.」

It’s true that I might be a bit sensitive, but I wasn’t the only one feeling this unpleasantness. Except for a few idiots who just thought ‘she’s pretty, so it’s fine,’ most people had similar experiences and felt offended.

「I don’t have any particular feelings towards you, but please be mindful because many players look down on you. Even though I’m a rookie, other players have significant influence, you know?」

Especially the minor league guys and the ace seniors. The minor league guys had their fantasies shattered after seeing her face and body, and now they hate her, while… the ace seniors, after years of being treated kindly, found it refreshing to be treated like a rookie again. In a way, she was so consistent that it paradoxically made her somewhat likable.

「…Are you threatening me?」

「Threatening? You’re really picking your words carefully. I’m just letting you know because the players always say things when they see you. It would put the club in a difficult position if something unexpected happened.」

「No need to worry. Move aside.」

「Ah, seriously…」

Honestly, as someone close to the bottom of the roster, I didn’t really need to say this to her. But the reason I couldn’t hold back my sudden anger was my confidence that I wouldn’t lose. At least within the team, her reputation was ‘a bitch who only gets guys horny.’ I was a key player, a reliable relief pitcher ranked second in the Rookie of the Year race, and on good terms with the seniors. I thought I wouldn’t be the one to suffer any significant consequences. And… honestly speaking, hearing the seniors sexually harass her behind her back made me feel a little sorry for her. I figured if her attitude didn’t change, she might quit, so I hoped scaring her a bit would make her soften up. If you ask if it’s none of my business, I have nothing to say… so what? Anyway, I’m paying attention because she’s pretty.

「I told you to move! I’m going to scream!」

「No, what did I…」

「Oh, Joo-hyuk-ah. What are you doing there?」

「Ah, Senior.」

「…」

「Um…, Ah, she left.」

Looking like I was caught trying to hit on her, I deliberately put on a nonchalant expression and answered smoothly.

「What, were you trying to hit on her? She ran off in a flash.」

「Hey, what are you talking about, Senior. I don’t even like her, and we’re not on the same level.」

「Look at this punk’s confidence. What do you mean, not on the same level?」

「I mean I’m the one on the lower level. I’m still a rookie, aren’t I?」

「Anyway, so what did you say to her?」

「Ah, well. She just got annoyed with me…」

「Why?」

「Because our shoulders bumped.」

While babbling as if nothing happened, I recalled the image of Seo Haeun left in my mind. …Honestly, she is pretty. To be honest, I couldn’t say my intentions were 0% when I used the shoulder bump as an excuse to say something. Well, I wasn’t seriously trying to woo her, though.

「…Um, Joo-hyuk-ah. I wasn’t going to say anything, but just in case, I’ll tell you personally.」

「What is it?」

「Aren’t you a superstar?」

「You, Senior?」

「No, hey. Not that. The audition program.」

「Ah, yes, yes. I know about it.」

「That woman appeared on it? She brought her younger sibling along then, and that sibling debuted as an idol.」

I was slightly surprised by the unexpected family history, but it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible. Considering that woman’s looks, her family would likely look similar, so being an idol or an actress would be plausible. Rather, it was puzzling why that woman was working in a place like this after appearing on an audition show. Does she sing terribly? Seeing as she carries a voice box, honestly, I don’t think she sings badly…

「But the sibling’s real name is Seo Ye-eun. Her stage name is Seo Jia.」

「You’re really knowledgeable about idols, Senior.」

「That’s one thing. What’s important is… she’s the Director’s daughter.」

「…What?」

「Our Director’s name is Seo Gihoon, right? The Director’s daughter. Seo Haeun, Seo Ye-eun.」

「…Ah.」

But with the Senior’s following words, I realized something had gone seriously wrong. …That woman is the Director’s daughter? Our Director? Director Seo Gihoon?

「You should be a bit careful. Given that woman’s attitude, you might end up directly offending the Director.」

「…Thank you, Senior.」

「I gave you such important information, aren’t you going to give your Senior something?」

「Hoho, I even sent you Korean beef for Lunar New Year…」

「You punk, how long are you going to bring that up? Listening to you talk, it’s like you’re not a 4th-year player but a 24th-year veteran.」

「Hey, of course, I’ll send you something for Chuseok too. Senior Hwang Sunghoon, who enjoys my delicious ribs. Hahaha.」

「Punk, are you trying to buy me off with money? Forget that, go talk up how you pitch well because the catcher calls a good game. You’re good with words.」

「Understood. I’ll definitely do it if I get an interview opportunity. It really puts my mind at ease when a veteran is behind the plate…」

「That’s right. Our Joo-hyuk really understands his seniors perfectly. If we had just three more guys like you, our team would have won the championship.」

「Of course.」

…Still, I didn’t really start a major fight, right? I just gave her a warning with good intentions, wasn’t that it? I still have a good reputation with the seniors, and I get along well with the juniors. Even if someone is petty, there’s no way something like that would cause me any trouble-

Surprisingly, it did cause trouble. Of course, I don’t think that woman had the immense power to destroy my shoulder with telekinesis. But the constant trade rumors throughout the season, and the coach grinding down my shoulder like a mad butcher, clearly meant something was up. There was no rational reason to get rid of me. My private life was a bit… wild, but I never cheated, at least. I wasn’t dating anyone in the first place. I managed things relatively cleanly to avoid gossip, so why me? At the time, I thought, ‘It can’t be that, it’s just useless paranoia,’ and coolly brushed it off. …But this is the result. My shoulder got injured from being worked like a dog. Then I was released without proper rehabilitation support. Both seniors and juniors whispered that I must have been targeted by the Director, even an acquaintance on another team, while I was rehabilitating, asked if I got caught messing with the Director’s daughter. It was just a shoulder bump, not even a touch. …Damn, the world is fucked up. What did I do so wrong to end up like this? Haha…. If I ever meet that woman again by some stroke of luck, I’ll somehow seduce her and fuck her until she passes out. My life is already ruined anyway, if we go down together, at least I’ll feel some relief.