episode_0372

Thwack—ouch!

With a cheerful sound, the ball flies off. However, as the one who hit the ball, I could feel it. That this hit wouldn’t go over. The sensation lingering in my hands was telling me that.

“Ugh, too fast again this time.”

And as I expected, the center fielder taking steps back finally catches the ball.

– Wow!!!

– Jimaengho! Jimaengho! Jimaengho!

And the crowd erupts as third base runner Jung Hwichul steps on home plate.

“Hyung, nice batting!”

“What, nice batting? Should’ve sent it over.”

“Well, it’s an extra point though…”

“Never mind. Let’s get in.”

Hearing the cheers of the fans, my heart wasn’t at ease. Despite the team doing well with a record of 5 wins and 2 losses after the showdown with Jang Wooju, I was struggling with 7 games, 24 at-bats, 7 hits, and 3 home runs during this period.

– “Hey, is that struggling? They say this guy’s full now.”

When I expressed my concerns, Kiseongju retorted that it wasn’t struggling, but from my perspective, it was nothing short of a slump. Even the three home runs I hit during this period barely cleared the fence without being solid hits.

Although it seemed like we would secure a win today by adding more points, my mood still wasn’t great.

“Mangho, want to rest for the remaining innings?”

“Yes, coach.”

“Juhyeon, get ready for defense.”

“Got it.”

Since the game was already leaning in our favor, I accepted the coach’s suggestion to rest.

“Why does the guy who scored RBI look so unhappy?”

“My hitting sense isn’t coming through.”

“Your hitting sense isn’t working, and you’re this upset? Let me show you what a real slump looks like.”

As I sat on the bench watching my teammates play defense absentmindedly, Choi Jincheol, who was designated hitter for the day, approached me.

“Sunbae, are you in a slump right now?”

“…Looks like it, doesn’t it?”

“Try hitting well. Sunbae, you might not make it to the national team at this rate.”

The league was buzzing with the list of players participating in the Los Angeles Olympics. It seemed like the roster would be announced once this weekend’s series ended, and Choi Jincheol’s chances appeared slim.

Typically, there are about two spots for designated hitters, including last year’s Golden Glove winner Kang Hanbeom and Gu Jinmo, who is struggling but supported by UG. While I hoped my teammate Choi Jincheol would make it to the national team, it didn’t seem easy.

Choi Jincheol soared to second place with 44 home runs last year, but his performance this season was mediocre. With Kang Hanbeom almost securing a spot as a left-handed hitter with top-notch first-base defense, beating Gu Jinmo in competition wouldn’t be easy, according to public opinion.

“At my age, why aim for the national team? It’s time to pass it on to the juniors.”

Choi Jincheol’s expression as he spoke didn’t seem particularly troubled.

“Well, Jinmo hyung is doing well.”

“And do I have to babysit you all the way there at my age?”

“Oh, babysit? You mean changing diapers?”

“…Sorry.”

“Enough. Don’t worry too much. The season is long, and a player’s career is even longer. Honestly, your performance has been off since last year; this isn’t just a phase.”

“Well, maybe, but…”

“So, you know what the problem is? From my perspective, you seem fine.”

“I know.”

When batters fall into a slump, there are various reasons. Maybe their balance is off due to an injury, or they’re mentally struggling as all hits go straight to the fielders, or they haven’t overcome weaknesses that opponents exploit.

But none of those were my case.

“So, what’s the problem then?”

“…The pitchers’ balls are too slow.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“The balls are too slow.”

Practicing to adjust the batting timing to a 100-mile-per-hour fastball in preparation for Jang Woo-joo’s pitch, the issue arose when the timing for the fastball became too quick. While changeups were more common, there weren’t pitchers blatantly throwing changeups at me, rendering it somewhat meaningless.

The problem lay in handling the fastball. The fastballs thrown by pitchers were too slow. Someone might ask, “Then why not delay the batting timing?” However, being conscious of that would slow down the timing, resulting in hitting the ball too late. Although 140 and 160 seemed like a mere 20 km/h difference, the moment it reached the catcher’s mitt was a difference of 0.1 to 2 seconds, causing delays when thinking and swinging.

Struggling with hitting straight shots? Adjusting those minute differences proved quite challenging. Particularly, consciously delaying the batting timing was even harder. While pushing through could be suggested, continuously doing so without adapting to the speed might lead to a deeper slump later on. Moreover, pushing inside pitches made it difficult to produce good hits.

“If I knew this would happen, I wouldn’t have trained so hard.”

In that regard, I felt grateful to Williams. If Williams hadn’t acted that way that day, I might have just practiced without even having sex, likely still struggling to find my rhythm.

“…Is that so?”

Although Choi Jin-cheol reacted as if he couldn’t believe what I said, it was the truth, so there was nothing to be done about it.

“What about pushing through?”

“You know. If hitters like us keep pushing through like that, our form will suffer.”

Pushing through was a temporary solution. To overcome the slump, one had to swing the bat resolutely as done before.

“Haha, that’s true. Look at the attitude of our team members. If not us, who else would hit home runs?”

Knowing that fact, Choi Jin-cheol responded with a satisfying smile to my words.

“That’s right, isn’t it? But now that I’m getting the timing right, don’t worry too much.”

“I wasn’t worried from the start. Who would think you’re in a slump looking at your performance now?”

As we conversed, the game unknowingly progressed towards its end, concluding with the final out count and a victory for today’s match.

“Good job!”

“Alright! Let’s sweep the next series with this momentum!”

“Good work, guys.”

“Phew, it’s fortunate that we won many games during this period of not hitting well.”

While we did have a 1-2 record against Silla in the series last weekend, we managed a 3-game winning streak against Hyunseong in this series, ending with a decent sweep result.

“Sigh, I need to perform well in the upcoming Hancheol game.”

With Yi Yong-gi absent, Hancheol, who seemed to be dropping in performance, unexpectedly rose to third place. It seemed opportune to capitalize on the current situation, but I felt slightly disappointed due to my lackluster hitting sense.

“Well, as long as other seniors keep performing like they are now, it should be fine…”

While the team’s hitting sense was decent, in matches like the Jamsil rivalry, did I want to become the protagonist? To achieve that, training was undoubtedly necessary. Feeling apologetic to Soyeong, I started packing my bags, thinking that today, instead of going home for sex, I needed to focus on training.

—

– Lea: Oppa! You know I’m going to the game today, right?

After finishing practice and entering the locker room, Ju Seung-cheol, upon receiving a message from his girlfriend Lea, smiled broadly.

“What’s up? Why are you laughing like that, Ju Seung-cheol?”

“Let it go. Looks like I’m exchanging messages with my girlfriend.”

“Hey, Seung-cheol. When are you going to introduce your girlfriend to us?”

“Later, I’ll introduce her later.”

Lea was still an active idol, so Joo Seung-chul couldn’t tell his colleagues that they were dating. However, his love for his girlfriend was greater than anyone else’s. Therefore, Joo Seung-chul casually accepted his colleagues’ words and sent a message to his girlfriend Lea.

– Seung-chul: You know it, of course. Are you coming with Ju-hee?

– Lea: Yes, yes!!! Ju-hee is finishing up, and I’m starting. Do I need to let Oppa know the schedule?

– Seung-chul: Of course. Do you have any plans after we finish?

– Lea: No? The album preparation is almost done, and I can take a break until this weekend. We’re not rookies; we deserve a break like this. Hehe.

– Seung-chul: Really? Got it. How about grabbing a meal after we’re done?

– Lea: Sounds good!!!

– Seung-chul: Should we invite Maeng-ho too? I wanted to treat him to a meal, but I ran out of time. Is today okay?

– Lea: Yes. I’m fine. Probably Ju-hee will be okay too, right? Then see you later. I’m at the shop.

– Seung-chul: Okie-dokie.

After exchanging brief messages with his girlfriend, Seung-chul put his phone in the locker room and picked up a bat.

“Wow, Seung-chul hyung. We just finished practice, and you’re holding the bat again?”

“It’s necessary. It’s essential. Well, that’s why I’m currently leading in home runs.”

“To maintain the top spot in home runs, you need to practice more. You know that. Maeng-ho is catching up.”

The reason Seung-chul held the bat even after training was simple. He didn’t want Maeng-ho to surpass him in home runs in front of his girlfriend. While he was leading the league with 19 home runs, Maeng-ho, who had hit 18 home runs, was right behind him.

Of course, Seung-chul knew that Maeng-ho would eventually surpass his home run count. Maeng-ho had played only 32 games compared to Seung-chul’s 63, yet managed to hit such a high number of home runs.

However, today was not the day for his girlfriend to witness Maeng-ho overtaking him.

“Honestly, it’s a bit awkward to ask Seung-yoon to block him. If I hit just one more, I can secure the position for today.”

Maeng-ho had hit three home runs in the last seven games, almost averaging one per two games, making it highly likely for him to hit another one today. Ultimately, hitting a home run was the only way for Seung-chul to maintain his position.

With determination, Seung-chul left the locker room and saw a familiar face.

“Oh? Hyung, hi.”

“You shouldn’t be holding back either.”

“Huh? What do you mean? Out of the blue.”

It was Maeng-ho, whom Seung-chul had been thinking about until a moment ago. Perhaps because Han-cheol’s practice session had ended, Maeng-ho and the AT players were coming out to the field for training. Seung-chul greeted the AT players who came out with Maeng-ho and stopped Maeng-ho as he tried to leave.

“Do you have time today?”

“Time? Of course, I do.”

“Really? How about having lunch with Yeong-hee?”

“With Lea? Hey, what honor do I get by squeezing myself between you two?”

“Shh. Keep it down. I haven’t told anyone yet.”

“Is that so?”

“And it won’t be just the two of us. Ju-hee will be there too.”

“Ju-hee?”

“A member of Yeong-hee’s group. Didn’t you know she’s singing today?”

“Oh? Really? Ju-hee, Ju-hee. Hmm. Sounds familiar.”

“Let’s have the four of us eat together.”

“Sure. Okay. But what’s your preferred type of guy?”

“She said he’s sexy when he’s working. Somewhat professional? I don’t really know much about Yeong-hee… Why are you asking me that?”

“We never know how people might turn out. But if someone is sexy at work, does that mean they’re good at their job? Um… I didn’t mean to say that. Hyung, look forward to today.”

“Expect? Expect what? What do I not want to do? Hey! Hey! Ji Maeng-ho! This guy just talks and leaves.”

Although Ju Seung-cheol called out to Maeng-ho, Maeng-ho simply ignored him and kept walking.

“Ah, damn. That guy makes me uneasy. What am I supposed to expect?”

His laughter and the word ‘expect.’ Ju Seung-cheol felt inexplicably uneasy. However, without knowing the cause of this unease, he entered the game, soon realizing the true nature of his anxiety.

[With Jung Hwi-chul grounding out, now the second batter Ji Maeng-ho steps up to bat. …Ji Maeng-ho, first pitch swing! This hit is high and far! It’s gone! Over the right field fence for a home run! Ji Maeng-ho’s solo shot setting the tone for the Jamsil rivalry game!]

“He pushed it over Jamsil? That’s some serious power. Ji Maeng-ho!”

“Damn, so this was what they meant by ‘expect’? Well, at least it’s still one home run. Tied for first place.”

However, Ju Seung-cheol was unaware that Ji Maeng-ho, having heard about Ju Hee’s ideal type, was going to step up to the plate with even more focus than usual to show that side of himself.