episode_0261

“Alright, there will be familiar faces I haven’t seen in a while and people I’m meeting for the first time. But do they all know who I am?”

“Yes.”

“Hello.”

Most players responded cheerfully to Coach Lee Geum-hyun’s greeting. Coach Lee Geum-hyun, a renowned coach who led the team to second place in the WBC, currently holds the position of national team coach until the LA Olympics next year, so the players were fully focused, eager to make a good impression.

Among these players, there was one with dark circles under his eyes, looking tired as he weakly replied.

“…Yawn.”

It was Ji Maeng-ho, who had just woken up after dozing off for about 30 minutes at the lodging.

“Oh, I misjudged the time. I tried to come three hours early… No wonder the reporters were all lined up.”

“Ji Maeng-ho?”

Coach Lee Geum-hyun, noticing Ji Maeng-ho yawning, immediately called out his name.

“…Yes?”

“Well, yawning indicates boredom, right?”

“No, no, not at all. It’s just that…”

“Come here.”

“…Yes?”

Just two days before the Asian Games, the players, who had been competing until recently, were now gathered to build teamwork. Coach Lee Geum-hyun used Ji Maeng-ho for ice-breaking to achieve this goal. Not understanding Coach Lee Geum-hyun’s intention, Ji Maeng-ho hesitantly walked forward.

“Why are you standing still? Let’s start with self-introductions.”

“Oh, okay.”

At Coach Lee Geum-hyun’s words, Ji Maeng-ho scanned the players. Faces he had become slightly familiar with over the past year. While there were a few faces he couldn’t recall, most had friendly expressions, making Ji Maeng-ho feel comfortable enough to speak up.

“Hello. I’m Ji Maeng-ho.”

Applause erupted, mainly from players who were familiar with Ji Maeng-ho.

“Let’s aim for an Asian Games victory. Relax and leave it to me.”

“Woohoo! How confident!”

Some players playfully teased, but their expressions showed a deep trust in Ji Maeng-ho.

It was inevitable since the players gathered here had faced Ji Maeng-ho in their respective teams. They keenly remembered the nightmares Ji Maeng-ho could bring when they played against him.

“Confidence is good. However, just because Maeng-ho says so doesn’t mean it will be easy. This Asian Games has age restrictions for the first time, so don’t let your guard down.”

As the atmosphere needed to remain serious before the games, Coach Lee Geum-hyun calmed the players down. A disaster of not winning the gold medal due to a moment of carelessness was something they couldn’t afford.

The reason for calling up the players earlier than usual compared to other international competitions was that, besides the gold medal, the fear of failure had spread among the upper echelons of the baseball community. From the KBA president to the pro team owners, this Asian Games was quite significant for baseball enthusiasts.

The KBA president aimed for the revival of Korean baseball, and the pro team owners sought exemptions for their team’s players. And beyond all that, they were also thinking about the spectators watching the games.

Although the Asian Games were considered lower in status compared to the WBC or Olympics, there was little room for complacency, so hardly any players were taking it lightly.

“Coach.”

Except for Ji Maeng-ho, who was more interested in ashes than ancestral rites.

“Yes?”

“Do we train alone, or are there athletes from other sports?”

Having taken a nap immediately upon arrival at the accommodation, Maeng-ho was curious about this.

“Some sports have their own training, some don’t. Why do you ask?”

“Just curious.”

He asked for one reason only: he was dreaming of spending a night with the women athletes gathered at the athlete village.

“In Taereung, we had separate training since there was no baseball field, but here it’s possible.”

“I see.”

Mirth blossomed on the composed face of Je Mang-ho as he chuckled. Despite staying up for two nights engaging in sex, the man who could find joy upon hearing news of women in the athlete village was none other than Je Mang-ho.

“Well, Mang-ho, you only participated in the WBC, so you wouldn’t know much. Alright, introductions are over; let’s head in. Next, who are the youngest ones? …Woo-joo and Won-ho. Come with me.”

‘Nice! If it’s like this, I might get to see Hyeon-a too, right? It would be great if there were some pretty girls there as well. I mean, those who excel in sports.’

Thinking of the women who welcomed him, Mang-ho made his way inside. Hyeon-a, an active professional athlete, needed no introduction. Hyojin was a former tennis pro, Joeun and Jia were elite athletes who excelled in tennis and gymnastics until high school. Except for So-yeong, everyone in the village had an athletic background, so Mang-ho naturally anticipated the budding romance in the athlete village.

“You seemed tired until a moment ago, but now you’re laughing heartily.”

“It’s time for you to wake up.”

As Mang-ho returned to his seat, Lee Yong-gi, the only wildcard in the national team, struck up a conversation.

“What did you do yesterday that your dark circles reached down to your chin?”

“Oh, hehe.”

“Kid, that mischievous laugh of yours. Hey, by the way, didn’t you unpack your stuff in the biggest room?”

Was it the sound he heard in his sleep? While Mang-ho was lost in thought, Yong-gi spoke up.

“That room is mine, do you want to share it with me?”

Yong-gi’s words caught Mang-ho off guard. In fact, it was expected since Yong-gi was not only the sole wildcard in the national team but also one of the most senior members.

During this intense period of ranking battles, the reason why Han Cheol, the grizzled veteran and starting catcher, called up Yong-gi was simple: to send more players to the national team. In exchange for sending Yong-gi, Han Cheol secured the spots for Ju Seung-cheol and Kim Dong-jin, along with the 4th and 5th starters Na Seung-yoon and Park Hee-min.

Exempting players from military service was crucial for the team managers, and breaking the three-player limit per team was a tough task. Currently, only two teams had sent more than four players to the national team. Only Han Cheol, who allowed the wildcard call-up of the starting catcher amidst fierce competition, possessed the status to break the three-player limit per team.

With such a status, Yong-gi naturally occupied the largest room in the lodging.

“Me?”

“Do you not want to?”

“Hehe, it’s not that I don’t want to, senior… I’ll move my things right away.”

“Well then, who should I room with? You come.”

“Oh, Seung-cheol hyung and Dong-jin are there. They’re on the same team.”

“But it’s not that fun to room with them…”

“Oh! Won-ho, Won-ho is really fun and easygoing.”

“Well, rooming with a pitcher might be better.”

‘Sorry, Won-ho!’

Swiftly betraying Won-ho, Mang-ho approached Jang Woo-joo, who had just finished his self-introduction.

“Hey, Woo-joo!”

“…Yes?”

“Where’s your room?”

Among the 2023 draft class, only three made it to the national team: Ji Mang-ho, Kim Won-ho, and Jang Woo-joo. Of these, Ji Mang-ho and Kim Won-ho were unpaid twenty-year-olds, while Jang Woo-joo, the real youngest, was twenty. Given Ji Mang-ho’s Confucian upbringing, asking about Jang Woo-joo’s room was natural.

“Why? Want to share?”

“Yeah. I don’t have many close friends.”

“Aren’t you classmates with Won-ho?”

“Well, still, he’s not exactly looking out for you.”

“Alright, let’s room together then.”

Not knowing what the future held, Jang Woo-joo gladly accepted Mang-ho’s offer.

“I guess I won’t have to do the laundry. Good. I should start moving my stuff as soon as possible.”

As the various thoughts crossed Maengho’s mind, the players’ self-introductions began to draw to a close. Given their formal demeanor, the time swiftly passed.

“Well, I suppose that should suffice for introductions. Get changed and gather at the training ground in 30 minutes. Captain.”

“Yes.”

Naturally, the team captain was the unique wildcard, Yonggi.

“Arrange your rooms yourselves and make sure to gather on time. Can I trust you on this, Yonggi?”

“Leave it to me, Coach.”

“Good. See you in 30 minutes. Today’s schedule consists of a simple fitness test and training. Practice matches will be held every other day with the second-string teams starting tomorrow. That’s all.”

“Thank you.”

“Oh, so today is just about fitness tests and training? Training is tougher than matches.”

As Maengho frowned, Coach Ikumhyun left his seat, and Yonggi stood before the players in his place.

“Alright, did you all hear that? Move swiftly. I shouldn’t have to assign rooms like you’re kids. Divide them up yourselves.”

“Understood!”

After roll call, the first person to head towards the rooms was, unsurprisingly, Maengho, determined not to share a room akin to a king within the team.

“Maengho, let’s share a room… Wait, why is he rushing off so quickly?”

Caught off guard by Maengho’s lightning-fast actions, Wonho, who had been considering spending time together after a long while, couldn’t help but halt his gesture to call out to Maengho.

“Wonho?”

Turning at the sound calling him, Wonho looked back.

“Yes, senior?”

“Move your stuff to the largest room.”

“…What?”

“Maengho said so. Do you find that amusing?”

“Ji Maengho, this guy…”

“Huh? What did you say? You don’t want to?”

“No, no!”

Realizing that Ji Maengho had essentially betrayed him, Wonho could only grit his teeth.

—

“Hey! Are you crazy? No way.”

“Why are you suddenly backing out?”

“Sigh, our training is seriously intense. If we play once with you, we need a day off. How can we do this here?”

Hyuna’s firm rejection pained her. After all the training, she had called Hyuna near the accommodation of the women’s volleyball national team, but Hyuna’s feelings remained unchanged.

“Sigh, don’t make that face. Listen.”

“…Okay.”

“Geez! Do you want to look like a loner again? Just because I didn’t sleep with you.”

“I’ve been thinking about you all through the training.”

“Sigh, I want to as well. But, baseball and our situation are different.”

“How are they different?”

“You guys are just championship contenders, but we could end up failing. That’s why this Asian Games is really crucial. We’re already getting a bad rap as the ‘Bubble League.’”

“Was it tough for the women’s team?”

“When I joined the national team, there was a generational shift. Even the legendary seniors retired from the national team.”

Come to think of it, when Hyuna was first selected for the adult national team in high school, there seemed to be such a background story circulating among students.

It’s regrettable. Too regrettable. As a professional athlete myself, I understood Hyuna’s heart. The responsibility of a national representative is so heavy that even Hyuna, who enjoys sex, would sacrifice her sexual desires. However, the feeling of regret was inevitable.

“Well, we have a game, and the next day is just recovery training, so I’ll call you then.”

“Really?”

“Look at that brightened expression; I feel like hitting you. Ugh, stop it!”

I covered Hyuna’s mouth, uttering harsh words. Initially resistant, Hyuna eventually opened her lips and accepted my tongue. After a few minutes, our lips parted.

“Sigh, that was… really…”

“Well, I guess we’ll have to settle for this today.”

“…As long as it’s just kissing.”

With one deep kiss, it seemed like Hyuna’s switch had been turned on. However, having watched over Hyuna all this time, I knew. If you take it orally here, Hyuna won’t stop.

“No, forget it. I’ll endure too, whatever.”

For Hyuna and the women’s national volleyball team, I decided to endure.

“What’s up? You’re enduring? You’ve grown a lot, our tiger.”

“You endure too, so I have to endure as well.”

It’s regrettable, but that’s probably the right thing to do. So I sent Hyuna back to the dorm. As Hyuna disappeared from my sight, I called Rosby.

“Ms. Rosby.”

“Yeah?”

“You’ve seen around the athlete’s village, right?”

“Of course. I’ve been looking around since I arrived. Women athletes are quite charming, you know.”

As expected! It was disappointing not to taste Hyuna’s body every day, but it was still fine. This is the athlete’s village, and there are plenty of women here.

“Well then, let’s try to find a girl who masturbates while wandering around.”

Coming to the athlete’s village to masturbate? If you set your mind to it, you could score within an hour.

“Hehe, you say it straight away.”

“But you do understand there are some boundaries, right?”

“You worry about the weirdest things.”

“That’s why you’re Rosby.”

Having spent a long time together, Rosby and I had similar tastes. With Rosby, she should be able to carry out this heavy mission effortlessly. Ten days until departure.

“I need to enjoy myself to the fullest during this time.”