episode_0379

[In the 9th inning, Croons takes the mound. Score stands at 11:7. Only three outs remain until AT secures victory. Tension is palpable on the faces of AT players coming out to defend…]

Unable to even walk due to a hamstring injury, Woo Gwan-hyung, watching TV at home, switches it off upon seeing Croons take the mound to protect the lead.

“Honey, why are you turning it off so soon?”

“I have a feeling we might lose if I watch more.”

“Well, but we…”

“Wait! Enough with that!”

“Oh, come on. Even in this situation, because of superstition…”

“No, it’s not superstition. Just in case, you know.”

Gwan-hyung hastily silences his wife as she tries to utter ‘that word.’ Although rookie Choi Jin-cheol’s miraculous three-run shot tilted the game towards AT, a four-run difference was not a score to relax about yet. Even if there was only one inning left,

How many minutes passed with the TV turned off? A minute, an eternity that felt like an hour slipped by. The once quiet house began to get noisy. It started with loud noises from some apartments.

At this time, residents had only one reason to make noise. The Korean Series.

“Looks like it’s over, honey.”

Wanting to turn on the TV upon his wife’s words, Gwan-hyung’s mind flashes back to his baseball career over the years like a movie reel.

Debuting as a high school graduate and stepping onto the Korean Series stage for the first time. And the bitter loss. Young Gwan-hyung had firmly vowed back then that he would stand in this spot next year, smiling. But he didn’t know back then that his dark times would stretch out like this.

Twenty years since that day. The AT Thunders and Gwan-hyung had endured two decades of hardship, not even making it to the Korean Series, let alone autumn baseball. The young man who was once the team’s youngest player had now reached an age where being called middle-aged wouldn’t seem strange. He had become the team captain and star player, married, and had children.

During that time, he never clinched a batting title, but he achieved 11 Golden Gloves, 300 home runs, 300 stolen bases, and set a league record as the first player in the KBA League to reach 3000 hits, establishing himself as the league’s all-time hit king.

Yet, despite such illustrious records, Gwan-hyung’s heart remained empty. The unfulfilled desire for victory gradually transformed into a humble dream of wanting to experience autumn baseball, giving up each year at the threshold of autumn baseball. When he gained free agency, he did consider moving to another team with a hefty offer.

But Gwan-hyung didn’t do it. It felt too pitiful to move to another team. The fans who cheered for him, and even himself running away like a traitor from this team. Even if he were to leave, he wanted to show the fans the taste of the postseason.

And so, time passed, and Gwan-hyung grew old. His WAR, once recorded in his prime, had dwindled to half, barely hitting .300, unable to hit 20 home runs anymore. Defense wasn’t easy either; he faced criticism while occupying the team’s designated hitter position.

Then came the various words through his wife’s stargram. There were insults mixed with blame, words too hard to swallow, but what hurt Gwan-hyung’s heart the most were not those insults. It was the well-intentioned words suggesting that he should step aside for the younger players now that his efforts were acknowledged, and that AT Thunders needed to chart a new course that truly pained Gwan-hyung’s heart.

However, Wu Gwanhyeong still had something he wanted to show. For AT, for the fans. And when people thought it was the end for Wu Gwanhyeong after failing to achieve a batting average of .300 since his debut in 2022, Wu Gwanhyeong prepared for the season with more effort than usual. With the thought that this might be the real end.

Joining the team’s final training session, which he couldn’t even remember when he last attended, he met that guy.

Ji Maengho, a junior with hitting abilities that didn’t seem like those of a rookie and athletic nerves comparable to the best in Korea, if not Major League Baseball. While training together, Wu Gwanhyeong felt a hope, thinking, ‘Could it be him…’

That hope gradually turned into reality as the season progressed. The guy he had been keeping an eye on since the closing camp became the league’s top batter, while he himself recorded a .300 batting average and double-digit home runs, showing the world that Wu Gwanhyeong was still alive. Fueled by his own performance and that of his teammates, they advanced through autumn baseball, playoffs against rival Han Cheol, …and then the injury.

When he got injured, it felt like the sky was falling, but at the same time, he felt fortunate. Perhaps, like some malignant fans, he wondered if he was blocking AT’s path.

And now, Wu Gwanhyeong’s hand holding the remote control trembles. Due to paranoid delusions that if he changes the channel, AT might not win.

In truth, even though he could have gone to watch the game despite being injured, he worried that his presence might burden the players, just like some fans’ comments suggested, or that he might be the culprit causing trouble for the team. So, Wu Gwanhyeong, who hadn’t even set foot in the stadium, pondered for quite some time.

“Darling…?”

“Yes?”

“You have a call.”

Lost in thought, his phone was ringing. Wu Gwanhyeong approached the phone as if possessed by something and checked the caller ID. It was Yoon Jinseong, the director of AT and a former teammate from his rookie days.

Wu Gwanhyeong’s breath quickened at the director’s call. Perhaps, perhaps… could it be true?

“Hello?”

-“Gwanhyeong! Gwanhyeong! Were you watching?! We won! We won! We really won!”

The director’s voice was filled with moisture, to the point where one might doubt if a person could sound so happy. Listening to that voice, Wu Gwanhyeong pressed the remote control. On TV, the AT players were having their championship ceremony.

“Wow!! Darling!!”

His wife embraced him, but Wu Gwanhyeong said nothing, just shedding tears. The scene of the championship on TV was somewhat different from what he had imagined.

…It looked happier, more joyful. Although he wasn’t there, he thought about when was the last time he had been this happy playing baseball.

-“Gwanhyeong? Gwanhyeong?”

“…Yes, Director.”

-“Come to Jamsil. Let’s enjoy with the fans, have a meal together. Can you come out? No, you must come out. AT won the championship, and we can’t do without you.”

“Yes. I’ll be there soon.”

“Darling, I’ll drive. Your leg is hurting.”

So they went to Jamsil Baseball Stadium. Among the already tipsy players and the inexplicably good atmosphere, he saw Ji Maengho carrying a panel labeled “Korean Series MVP.”

“Oh! Senior!”

“Yeah, Maengho. Well done.”

“It’s just the basics. I’m Ji Maengho.”

“Yeah, you’re Ji Maengho. Thank you for leading us to victory.”

“Thank you. It’s a team effort. Oh!”

While exchanging greetings, Ji Maengho started rummaging through his pocket.

“Take this, senior.”

Ji Maeng-ho pulled out a golden shining watch. A high-priced watch specially prepared by the chairman of AT Group for the player who won the Korean Series MVP. At that time, the watch was worth more than a whole apartment, and Ji Maeng-ho confidently extended it to himself, a watch that still easily surpassed millions.

“This, for me?”

“Yes. Actually, it’s for the senior who has been protecting AT all this time and won the Korean Series MVP.”

“No, how can I have this…?”

“Hey, if I say take it, you take it. Besides, I looked it up, and my watch is better. You take that one, senior. I don’t need it.”

He should have refused. This watch held a value beyond its simple price. However, the words of refusal just couldn’t come out. It was the watch he had longed for over 20 years.

“Well, it would be embarrassing to take a junior’s watch like this.”

As he tried to gather his resolve to refuse, players gathered around Woo Gwan-hyung. And,

“Woo Gwan-hyung! Woo Gwan-hyung!”

“Hey, senior, please take it!”

“To be honest, senior, you’re the MVP in my heart.”

“If Hyung had played, it would have been his anyway. Just take it.”

Was his life so worthless, the people around him seemed to urge.

“Senior, my arms are getting tired. If you don’t take this, I’ll throw it?”

“What?! Stop! Hey!”

He grabbed Ji Maeng-ho’s arm as if he were about to throw the watch. But either because he never intended to throw it in the first place or for some other reason, Ji Maeng-ho’s arm was caught too easily. And there it was, the dazzlingly shining watch in his hand. And the applause from the surroundings.

“Senior, do you know it’s not cool for a man over 40 to cry?”

“That punk is messing with Gwan-hyung. Hey! Grab Ji Maeng-ho. Let’s teach that punk a lesson today!”

“Yes, senior!”

“Stop it! Stop it!”

Woo Gwan-hyung laughed at Ji Maeng-ho, who was crouched down and being stepped on, but since everyone was focused on Ji Maeng-ho, no one teased Woo Gwan-hyung for crying and then laughing.

“Thank you. Maeng-ho. I’ll cherish this. And I’ll gift you something later.”

Amidst the chaos, his promise probably didn’t get through, but Woo Gwan-hyung vowed. In the next Korean Series, he would become the real MVP and gift Ji Maeng-ho a watch like this.

And time passed. Laughing through the hellish training of self-management, his injuries healed. And according to his recovery, from batting practice to running and defense, and then to the second team game.

– “Woo Gwan-hyung, a comeback signal! 4 hits in 4 at-bats in the second team, in excellent condition.”

– “Hyung, come back soonㅠㅠ”

– “Miss you… Gwan-hyung, are you coming backㅠㅠ”

The second team game felt too small for Woo Gwan-hyung, recording a batting average of over .400 until he was called up to the first team, proving that he was in perfect condition.

“Congratulations on your return, Gwan-hyung.”

“I’m finally here.”

And now, Woo Gwan-hyung has arrived in Suwon. The first place he visited upon arriving in Suwon was where the coach was stationed.

“The watch. Looks great.”

“…Does it look good?”

“Yeah, I wanted it too, though.”

Understanding the sentiment of Lee Soo-hyun, the coach who debuted with AT Thunderz in 2002 and experienced the Korean Series together, Woo Gwan-hyung smiled coolly and spoke.

“I’ll become a player who suits this watch.”

“You already do, don’t you? Probably more than any other guys on the team.”

“…Thank you.”

“Anyway, you know we’ve climbed to first place this time, right? Let’s aim for an overall championship this year. Today and tomorrow, you’ll be on standby, and starting next week, you can play as a starter, right?”

“My body is in perfect condition. I can go out anytime.”

After a third of the league season had passed, an opportunity came as they reached first place in the regular season. Woo Gwan-hyung was confident he wouldn’t miss this chance.