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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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When did it start?
When did Lee Seung-tae, the baseball idiot, start turning into a tyrant?
Probably from his first year of high school, when he had a late growth spurt. He grew taller every time he woke up, and his body grew bigger with every meal.
He easily broke through speed limits he had thought he would never reach, and his stuff got better every day. Before he could even find the answer to the question, “How long will I keep growing?”, there were no players in Korea who were better than him.
From a mediocre player whose effort was commendable but whose physique was lacking, he had become the most sought-after player by professional teams. Perhaps he had become intoxicated with his own position.
Like his past self, Hwang Gwang-hyun, who had a buzz cut like a chestnut and was short, seemed to reflect his own pathetic past self, and it annoyed him. Right. That was all it was.
Just because he had risen to the top, he had been drunk on the arrogance of thinking he was the best and had acted like a moron.
The thing that had made him realize this fact, which he might not have realized for a long time, or even his whole life, was that one swing that had beautifully blown away his arrogance of being the best.
“Haha…”
Lee Seung-tae, remembering that moment, laughed for a moment and then left the dark room. After washing up, he left the house and headed to the neighborhood barbershop, a place he hadn’t been to since he started growing his hair out after high school.
“Is that you, Seung-tae?”
Lee Seung-tae flinched as he entered the barbershop.
“What are you doing, not sitting down?”
“Yes…”
“Your hair has grown a lot.”
“Yes…”
“Are you still playing baseball?”
“Yes…”
“Really? You must be pretty good now, since you can grow your hair out like this.”
“……”
“Then should I just trim it today?”
“No…”
“Really? Then you want a buzz cut?”
“Yes. A buzz cut… like a chestnut.”
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The returned Lee Seung-tae had changed quite a bit. No, ‘changed’ was an understatement. It would be more accurate to say he was a different person.
At first, when he asked where Hwang Gwang-hyun was, I thought he was going to harass him as soon as he came back. But far from harassing him, he knelt down in front of Hwang Gwang-hyun, in front of his juniors and colleagues, and asked for forgiveness.
It was something the Lee Seung-tae I knew would never do. Hwang Gwang-hyun, being a kind-hearted person, forgave him, saying he was grateful for the apology. And in return, Lee Seung-tae would coach him on his pitching.
An unimaginable, heartwarming ending.
“Really… what made him suddenly snap out of it?”
Well, what’s good is good. The bomb named Lee Seung-tae had been defused in the baseball team. Now, all that was left was Lee Ji-ho’s ongoing slump.
This, in itself, was a mystery. If my memory served me right, the cause of his slump was Lee Seung-tae’s bullying. That was resolved, so why was he in a slump? Or maybe… there was no real reason.
A slump often comes out of nowhere, so it wasn’t that strange. Since there was no point in thinking about it any further, I stretched and left the lounge. As I was walking down the hallway, a piece of paper on the wall caught my eye.
It was the tournament bracket for the Golden Lion Flag, one of the major tournaments.
“It’s tournament season.”
The Golden Lion Flag, being a major tournament, attracted many scouts. Not just from domestic pro teams, but even from the major leagues, so it was an opportunity that those who dreamed of becoming professional players couldn’t miss.
Of course, I also planned to make a strong impression this time. The sooner I got noticed, the higher my value would become. I had already walked this path once, so I knew how to raise my value. It was simple. I just had to show that I could succeed as a two-way player.
The merit of being a two-way player was beyond imagination. So, I was thinking of starting to practice pitching. Then I would need someone to catch for me…
Just then, I saw senior Ji Chang-seop walking with a bat in his hand.
“Senior Ji Chang-seop!”
“What’s the matter, running so fast?”
“Can you catch for me for a bit?”
“…I was going to do some batting practice, but if our ace is asking, I have to go. Let’s go. The pitcher’s bullpen should be empty now.”
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“But where’s the kid who’s going to pitch?”
Senior Ji Chang-seop asked as soon as we arrived at the practice field. He seemed to have a misunderstanding.
“I’m going to pitch.”
“What? You?”
Senior Ji Chang-seop’s eyes, which were always half-closed, widened.
“Yes. I want to start practicing my pitching.”
“…You’re kidding, right? The way you say it makes it sound like you can pitch too.”
I smiled slightly and stood on the mound.
“Then shall I throw one?”
“…Yeah, go ahead and throw one.”
Senior Ji Chang-seop still got into his stance with a look of disbelief.
“I’ll start by throwing lightly.”
My body started to itch as soon as I got on the mound, but if I threw with all my might from the beginning, the risk of injury would increase. Ah, but this… was a big problem. If I was smiling on the mound, I would look like a crazy person.
Well, I couldn’t help it. I loved pitching that much. I wound up, lifted my arm smoothly, and pulled my upper body back like a javelin thrower. I swung my arm down with all my might, as if I were crushing the ball.
A dynamic pitching form that naturally made my back foot come forward. The ball, which flew in a straight, solid line, was caught in the mitt, and…
Thud!
The sound of the catch echoed loudly in the indoor practice facility. Did I throw it a little too hard? I had told myself to throw it lightly, but I had thrown with all my might without realizing it.
Senior Ji Chang-seop was also surprised and was staring blankly at the mitt. Soon, he came to his senses and threw the ball back to me.
“Cha Tae-hyun. Throw it lightly.”
“I’m sorry. I accidentally… threw it a little too hard.”
“Why are you apologizing? I said that because the team would be in danger if the ace pitcher who will be responsible for the Golden Lion Flag gets injured.”
“Yes?”
Ji Chang-seop said with a playful smile.
“Just kidding. Just keep throwing. I’m starting to get curious about your pitches.”
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‘This Cha Tae-hyun… he’s a real psycho.’
Ji Chang-seop, who had just caught his 60th pitch, shook his head. A guy who hadn’t even practiced pitching normally should have been tired after throwing this much, but instead, his pitches were getting faster.
And he was smiling like a pervert the whole time.
“They say those who are good at baseball are just good at it.”
A hollow laugh escaped Ji Chang-seop’s lips. It didn’t really mean anything, just a laugh of pure admiration. At this point, he felt so different that he didn’t even feel jealous or inferior.
“Tae-hyun, stop, stop! Let’s stop now. I’m tired too.”
“Yes. Understood.”
“How did you hold it in until now, loving to pitch so much?”
“I held it in while hitting.”
“Haha! You’re a real psycho. A baseball psycho.”
“So, senior, were my pitches any good?”
“Were they any good?”
Ji Chang-seop chuckled and continued.
“Yeah. They were good. From what I saw, Chang-hyun is now the third starter.”
‘Isn’t that a huge compliment?’
Despite that, Cha Tae-hyun’s face showed a hint of disappointment, and he was indeed disappointed.
Cha Tae-hyun, who had been the top high school baseball pitcher in Korea at this age in the past, had every right to be disappointed.
‘My body isn’t fully developed yet.’
Cha Tae-hyun had worked hard for the past month, but his late nights due to his part-time job had slowed his muscle growth. And if he quit his job, he would immediately be short on living expenses.
‘Should I really take out a loan?’
As Cha Tae-hyun was lost in thought, Ji Chang-seop tapped his shoulder.
“Hey. Tae-hyun, those people are scouts. They come here often, so I’m sure. Anyway, it looks like they’re looking for you, so go.”
‘Scouts?’
As Ji Chang-seop had said, a man and a woman were looking around as if they were looking for someone.
“They might not be looking for me.”
“Then are they looking for me? Go quickly.”
In the end, Cha Tae-hyun, pushed by Ji Chang-seop, approached the man and woman.
“Cha Tae-hyun! Can we have a word with you for a moment? Ah, we got permission from the coach.”
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Following the scouts, he arrived at the coach’s office. As I sat down, the scout handed me a cup of coffee, which he had gotten from somewhere.
“Thank you.”
“Hey~ don’t thank me. You’ve given us your precious time.”
“Yes…? No, but… it’s not that difficult to spare a little time.”
“Wow~ you have a great personality too. If you come to the Phoenix, you’ll be a star right away.”
Ah, so he was a Phoenix scout? I had wondered why they were treating me, a second-year student, so well… then it made sense. The Phoenix was a team in a dark age.
People didn’t even call them the Phoenix anymore; they called them the Kkolnix because they were always in last place. It was understandable that the scout was desperate.
“The draft is still over a year away. What Phoenix star? Don’t count your chickens before they hatch, Eun-chan.”
The coach, who was sipping his coffee, said.
“Haha… That’s right. Counting my chickens. But! We came to say hello, hoping that Cha Tae-hyun would come to our Phoenix even a little.”
“Haha… Yes. Thank you. I like the Phoenix too.”
At that moment, the woman who had been quiet next to the man named Kim Eun-chan suddenly stood up.
“Really? Really? Cha Tae-hyun? Cha Tae-hyun is a resource our Phoenix really needs! Our Phoenix’s shortstop depth is really hopeless… ha… I hear all day to get a shortstop, but if Cha Tae-hyun just comes, I feel like I can breathe a little! Is that really true?”
This person… seemed to have a lot of pent-up feelings.
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