episode_0014

As soon as the game with Seongnam Industrial High School ended, I checked my phone. As expected, there was a text from Hyun-ah.

-Hyun-ah♡: Do we have to meet today? I’m a bit tired today.

This girl still hasn’t come to her senses. When I tried to reply, I suddenly noticed a heart symbol next to Hyun-ah. Seeing evidence that I had loved such a trashy girl made the joy of victory fade away.

“Geez, unlucky.”

-Trashy girl: Do we have to meet today?

After changing the name, I felt a bit more at ease. What should I send to bother this girl a bit more? While thinking about it, today’s winning pitcher Kim Won-ho approached.

“Why are you in a bad mood on such a good day?”

“Huh?”

I quickly hid my phone. Then Kim Won-ho smirked mischievously.

“What’s up? Were you watching porn or something?”

“Porn, what? Just annoyed by spam.”

“You little punk. You’ve grown up. By the way, a lot of scouts came today, how do you feel? Do you think it’s possible?”

“Do you know where they came from?”

Most scouts probably came to see Kim Won-ho, right? Since he is a first-round pick, all three teams in Seoul must have come.

“I saw scouts from AT Thunder, Silla Triggers, and Hancheol Grizzlies. It seems like they all came from three teams, right?”

“Which team was this round for?”

“Silla Triggers.”

“Then you’ll probably go there, right? That would be nice.”

Silla Triggers, sponsored by Silla Investment Securities, was a club that didn’t have much money, so they rarely signed free agents, but they paid decent salaries and were the club that produced the most major leaguers in the KBA (Korea Baseball Association).

Since most starting players left for other clubs through free agency or posting, it was a good environment for promising rookies to establish themselves, and the club always challenged for the championship. Moreover, they weren’t very popular, so there wasn’t much pressure, making it a good environment for promising rookies.

“They might not pick you.”

“Why? Do you have a preferred team?”

“Life in the minors at Triggers is tough.”

And because the facilities in the minors were poor, Triggers alumni were famous for working hard with the determination never to return to the minors.

“Still, being a first-round pick, you’ll probably play from the beginning of the season.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, who would reject someone throwing 150?”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

Seeing Kim Won-ho, the first-round pick, packing his bags, I felt envious once again. Since pitchers are usually chosen as first-round picks, the chances of me being a first-round pick were slim. Furthermore, this year, there was an abundance of pitchers in Seoul, so even if I were to be drafted, the chances of being picked by a Seoul team were low.

“What!? So you have to leave the capital city?!”

“Why are you suddenly yelling? Annoying.”

“You damn monkey brat. If there was such a thing, you should have said something!”

“Anywhere works as long as I can play baseball.”

“What nonsense. Baseball must be played in a big city no matter what! Damn it! How much loss did I incur playing baseball in a rural area like St. Louis!”

“What?”

“If I had played for the Yankees or Giants, I would have surpassed Ruth. Damn it, even that bastard DiMaggio could marry Monroe because he played in New York. If I had played for the Yankees, I would have been the best hitter, not Ruth…”

“Giants, like San Francisco?”

“You idiot. When I played, the Giants were in New York.”

“Oh….”

“Anyway, in this damn small country, there’s only Seoul as a big city, so you must play baseball in Seoul no matter what. The level of assholes you meet will be different.”

“Then I’d like that too.”

I didn’t want to leave Seoul either. I couldn’t even imagine living in the countryside. But with my current skills, I felt confident that I could make it to the second round, but I wasn’t sure if I could join the Seoul team.

“If you can’t do it, is it over? Does that mean your baseball career is over? Shouldn’t this little bastard put in effort?”

“Okay, I got it. I’ll work hard. AC.”

“Tsk tsk. It would have been nice to go straight to the Major Leagues. What era is this country in, still conscripting people?”

After talking with Rosby for a while, we decided not to enter the Major Leagues right away because I was classified as Grade 4 in the physical examination I had at the beginning of the semester.

I thought I would be exempt due to a traffic accident, but the Military Manpower Administration didn’t make it easy. Damn it.

Rosby insisted that I go to the Yankees no matter what, but after calmly explaining about my military service, he agreed, and we set our sights on conquering the KBA first and then going to the Major Leagues. There were times when I wondered about the Major Leagues, but with Rosby’s experience and advice, I felt like the Major Leagues were also within reach.

“Yeah. It wouldn’t be embarrassing if my student couldn’t make it to the Major Leagues. Of course, you’re the worst among them.”

“The worst? Who would learn from someone like you?”

“Heh heh. You listen to such fresh nonsense.”

“Who’s there?”

“Ted.”

“Ted? You know Ted Williams?”

“Don’t you know Ted Williams? This damn idiot who claims to play baseball doesn’t even know Ted Williams. Just go die.”

“Really, Ted Williams?!”

I was so surprised that “Ted Williams” came out as a swear word. Ted Williams, the last 40% hitter in the Major Leagues, who is considered one of the three best hitters along with Babe Ruth, was Rosby’s student. …Is this a lie?

“Heh heh. You doubt everything, don’t you?”

“If it had been Williams instead of Rosby…”

“Heh heh. Do you think you could live like you are now?”

For some reason, memories of the past flooded back as Rosby spoke calmly without swearing. Sex with Hyojin noona. Hyuna’s fellatio. …Hmm.

“As expected, Rosby seems to be the best.”

“Heh heh, you damn fool.”

“Please continue to help me in the future!”

“Hey. Why are you suddenly quiet and not saying anything?”

Kim Won-ho, who hadn’t returned to the dormitory yet, interrupted Rosby and my conversation.

“Huh? Oh, I just suddenly thought of something else.”

“But what about Ted Williams? You don’t really know much about the Major Leagues.”

“But I still know about Ted Williams.”

“Yeah. Anyway, thanks for today. Both defense and home runs.”

“Thanks. The scouts came, so yeah. I should be drafted too.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll treat you to a meal next time.”

The clueless guy finally left. I quickly took out my phone and sent a message to Hyuna.

– Me: So, if I don’t want to meet you today, can I send a picture to Wonho instead? I won’t send a video

Hyuna must have been looking at her phone because she replied immediately.

– Slut: If you send it, I’ll kill you.

Seems like she was quite surprised, huh? There are typos too.

– Me: I’ll think about it

I turned off my phone and went back to the dormitory, packed up my things, and took a shower. Today’s weekend league had ended with seven games, and tomorrow was a day off. It was a perfect schedule to meet Hyuna.

-Slut: Hey, did you send it?

-Slut: Hey, why aren’t you replying?

-Slut: Hey, damn it, answer me

-Slut: You son of a bitch, why aren’t you answering?

-Slut: Stop being a jerk and look

-Slut: (Gifticon)

-Slut: (Picture)

-Slut: Damn it, check your messages

-Slut: Hey, where are you?

……

-Slut: Please, just answer…

While I was showering, Hyuna sent dozens of messages. There were gifs, photo fishing. She seemed quite urgent too.

– Me: Just arrived at the dorm and took a shower.

– Bitch: Piece of trash. Having fun? Is this fun for you?

– Me: So you found it fun to nag at me? Telling me to quit baseball and prepare for hard work?

Ignoring what she did to me. Damn bitch.

“Hyung, have you showered?”

“Yeah. How about you?”

“I didn’t have a game today, so nothing much.”

When consumed by anger thinking about Hyuna, Lee Jin-hyung, a second-year outfielder who shares the dorm with me, approached. He’s also on the bench. A pitiful guy with slightly less skill compared to me.

“Are you going home tomorrow since it’s a day off?”

“Yes. Hmm. Heard you did well today.”

“You can do it too. Hey. People progress differently at our age, right?”

Going home? Nice. Didn’t seem necessary to go out and see Hyuna.

“Aren’t you going home, hyung?”

“Home? What for? It’s probably cleaner here since I haven’t cleaned my house.”

Even if my parents passed away, the house remained. Perhaps staying in the dorm became familiar due to the thought of needing rigorous training.

Moreover, although the baseball team was weak, the school was prestigious in the sports field, so the dormitory facilities were quite good. The high school was spacious as well.

“Well then, I’ll go in. Hyung, ventilate the room with your daughter. Smells like night flowers lately.”

“Stop it, that’s not you doing it, right? Benchwarmer.”

“Oh, hold back on the harsh words.”

I waved goodbye to the guy leaving while pondering… Did he smell something after having sex with Hyejin noona?

Anyway, Jinhyung left too.

– Me: Hey, come to my dorm, I’m almost done at home.

– Bitch: What? How will you get there? Are you crazy? You’ll be expelled if caught.

– Me: Then get expelled for spreading pictures.

– Bitch: Trash. No one’s around, right?

– Me: I don’t like recycling.

– Bitch: Stop talking crap, you jerk.

– Me: Come within an hour.

– Bitch: How can I leave? Roommates are here. Can’t we meet next time?

– Me: You have a single room because you failed, right? Liar.

– Bitch: Stalker, disgusting.

– Me: Stop dawdling and come. I’ll be waiting outside the dorm.

The girls’ volleyball dorm and the baseball dorm were quite close, not an hour away but within 10 minutes. If one avoided people’s eyes, it would surely take less than 10 minutes.

Still, I didn’t want to mess up my life, so preparation was necessary. First, I needed to know where the dorm supervisors and security guards were.

“Rossby, please help.”

“You annoying brat. Figure it out yourself.”

“Oh, I’m not asking just for myself…”

“Heh, true.”

Rossby readily agreed to help. Ultimately, it’s Rossby’s fault, so he should work too. Rossby went off to find where the security guard was.

Knowing the security guard’s location meant the dorm supervisor wouldn’t be a problem. Coaches take turns supervising the baseball dorm. And today, the head coach was on duty. Probably drinking somewhere.

I went to the supervisor’s office. Since the door was slightly open, I called for the coach and entered.

“Coach?”

“Oh, Maengho? What brings you here this time? Didn’t go home again?”

“No. What’s the point of going when there’s no one there?”

“…I see. Thanks for your hard work.”

“What can I do? Leaving that aside, are the others gone?”

“Yeah. Now that it’s the golden lion’s turn, there’s no time to rest.”

“Who’s still here?”

“A few first-years and you. Everyone else went home. They’re all gathered in one room. Maengho, are you staying there too?”

“Hey. Why are you hanging out with a first-year?”

“Well, that’s how it is.”

First-year? Isn’t that the age when parents are missed? Why stay cooped up here instead of going home?

“Haha. It seems more delicious after winning. Maeng-ho, want a drink? You’re an adult anyway.”

“Well, even though you’re a high school student, you shouldn’t be drinking.”

“Right, athletes need to take care of themselves. You’ve worked hard, and that’s why you’re doing so well now.”

Seeing his red face, it seemed like he had already had quite a bit.

“I’ll follow your lead instead.”

Drink a bit more and don’t come out.

Wouldn’t it be better to spend time with the head coach, feeding him drinks until Hyuna arrives?

“Haha, it tastes better when my disciple joins in. Maeng-ho. I’ve always said this. You can succeed. Thank you for not giving up and following me.”

“Haha, the coach is too much. I don’t understand why he used someone like you as a relief pitcher.”

“Maeng-ho, Maeng-ho. What should we do about our poor Maeng-ho?”

“You will definitely succeed in the pros. To do that, you need to take care of yourself properly. You know that, right? Your parents will always be watching over you.”

Spending time with the head coach while holding his shot, the vibration of my phone interrupted. There was no one else who would contact me on my phone except Hyuna, so it was almost time to leave, wasn’t it?

“Thank you for your kind words. I’ll practice my swing before bed. Can I take the keys with me?”

“Yes, sure. Since there’s no one around anyway. Lock up and come back. I’ll drink a bit more and sleep. No need for separate guard duty, right?”

“Of course not. I’m not a kid.”

“Yeah, because you’re an adult.”

Ugh, this heavy drinker. Drinking two bottles in such a short time. I discreetly took the PET bottle of soju and left the room.

-Geolnyeon: Where are you? I’m outside.

-Me: Just wait 5 minutes.

-Geolnyeon: Hurry up. You know it’s over if you get caught, right?

-Me: Okay

I grabbed the PET bottle of soju and headed to the first-year dorm. As instructed by the head coach, the remaining first-year students were gathered in one room. When I suddenly entered the room, the juniors looked surprised.

“Senior, what brings you here?”

“Hey, it’s break time. Why aren’t you going home and staying here?”

“Oh, we’re planning to train tomorrow…”

“Who’s going to appreciate that? Rest well today.”

I handed the PET bottle of soju to the guys. They seemed surprised but didn’t seem to mind. Alcohol was a strong temptation for high school freshmen.

“Do you have any snacks?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t eat and cause trouble. Drink moderately, don’t come out drunk, or you’ll face disciplinary action from the coach or me.”

“Oh, okay. And you, Senior…?”

“Hey, would you guys feel comfortable eating if I’m around?”

“But still…”

“It’s fine. I’ve had my share.”

“Oh, thank you. Have a good night!”

“Sure. Drink moderately and if you get too loud, I’ll come knocking, got it?”

“Don’t worry!”

Are the remaining guys okay with this? Just as I was about to meet Hyuna, luckily, Rosby returned.

“The security went the other way, so he won’t be around for a while.”

“That’s good.”

When I went outside the dorm and headed to the agreed-upon spot, I saw Hyuna in her school gym clothes.

“Hey! Why are you late?”

“I came to count the stars for you, sis.”

“You’re being ridiculous.”

“Let’s see how long this attitude lasts.”

“….”

“Follow me.”