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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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Before the game started, the two baseball teams had a handshake.
This was also part of the image improvement initiative for the revitalization of high school baseball, but I didn’t quite understand how it was supposed to improve their image.
Anyway, I ended up shaking hands with Jin Tae-hyun, the so-called “Jjap-Taehyun.” For some reason, the way he looked at me was a little unusual.
“It’s really nice to meet you. I’ve been waiting to meet you.”
“…What?”
“It’s all thanks to you that I was able to come this far… Thank you. And I respect you. So much so that I want to be like you.”
Was this a surprise confession of admiration? I honestly didn’t understand a word he was saying, but I forced a smile and shook his hand.
“Let’s both play well today, with no regrets.”
“…Right.”
It was a moment that clearly showed that Jin Tae-hyun was no ordinary person.
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Less than five minutes into the first inning, the atmosphere in the Cheongshin High dugout had already sunk. When they heard that Lee Seung-tae was out with an injury and Kim Chang-hyun was starting, they had some hope.
But after seeing Kim Chang-hyun’s pitches in person, they realized it was a false hope.
“The opposing team’s pitcher is better than I thought… He might not be that different from Lee Seung-tae…”
The assistant coach of Cheongshin High said to the coach with a voice full of disappointment, but the coach replied with a relaxed expression.
“It’s fine.”
“What?”
“Did you see Tae-hyun’s eyes today?”
The assistant coach just stared blankly at the unexpected question about his eyes.
“He’s always had a determined look in his eyes. Like someone who has bet everything on baseball.”
“Tae-hyun is certainly like that…”
“But today, it was beyond determined. It was ferocious. You know? Jin Tae-hyun isn’t just similar to Cha Tae-hyun in name. Their life circumstances are similar too. Jin Tae-hyun also grew up with his grandmother and had a tough time playing baseball. And a kid like that has such ferocious eyes. He won’t collapse easily. As long as Tae-hyun doesn’t give up.”
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Senior Chang-hyun sent the first batter back with three pitches. I had only seen three pitches, but I could feel it. How good his pitches were today. It didn’t seem like they would be hit easily.
Thwack!
The second batter hit the ball just as I was thinking that. Fortunately, he seemed to have been overpowered, because the ball didn’t fly far and looked like it would be easily caught by the center fielder, Jin Myung-hwan.
Senior Chang-hyun, thinking he had caught it, turned his head back to the front… but Jin Myung-hwan made an uncharacteristic mistake. He couldn’t catch it properly and dropped the ball.
“Waaaaah!!!!”
A cheer erupted from the stands, and Jin Myung-hwan, who had hastily picked up the ball, threw it with all his might, but…
“Safe!”
The runner had already been on second base for a long time.
“What are you doing, Myung-hwan…”
Was he nervous because of the crowd? It was the first time I had seen him make a mistake like that. Anyway, an error was an error. It was a frustrating situation for a pitcher. But senior Chang-hyun, instead of getting angry, shouted loudly that it was okay.
“It’s okay, Myung-hwan!!!! Don’t worry about it!!!!”
After Jin Myung-hwan bowed his head, senior Chang-hyun, looking relieved, turned back and struck out the next, third batter.
“Strike-out!”
Next. The cleanup hitter, Jin Tae-hyun, stepped into the batter’s box. His face was so serious that it was hard to believe he was the same guy I had shaken hands with earlier. His gaze was particularly sharp, even ferocious.
The catcher, senior Ji Chang-seop’s, sign was late. As expected, he was being cautious with Jin Tae-hyun. Soon, senior Ji Chang-seop showed one index finger. It seemed he had chosen a high fastball for the first pitch.
Senior Chang-hyun, who had nodded once, threw the first pitch at that moment. Jin Tae-hyun’s eyes widened, and he swung the bat with frightening speed.
Thwack!
The moment I heard the sound of the hit, I had a rough idea.
“It’s gone.”
“Waaaaah!!!!!”
A huge cheer, and a ball that stretched far. It was a big home run, but Jin Tae-hyun was still sprinting with all his might.
…Was this a new kind of taunt? Anyway, we had given up a two-run home run in the top of the first. A tough situation for a pitcher. But well, it would be okay.
Even if senior Chang-hyun had a bit of a quirky side, his mentality was on a similar level to mine. As if to live up to my belief…
“Strike-out!”
Senior Chang-hyun immediately struck out the next batter with an even heavier pitch and clenched his fist.
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I returned to the dugout and sat down next to Jin Myung-hwan after taking the water bottle Seo Ji-ah handed me.
“Isn’t it a little strange?”
“What is?”
“It feels like the crowd is strangely siding with Cheongshin High.”
I had felt it while playing defense in the top of the first. It was dead silent when the Cheongshin High batter struck out, but when there was an error or a home run, a huge cheer erupted that even startled me.
“Of course. They all came to cheer for Cheongshin High.”
“What…? Was Cheongshin High that popular?”
“Do you think? It’s their first time participating in the Golden Lion Flag. And there’s no such thing as a popular high school team in the first place.”
“Then what is it?”
“Don’t you watch YouTube?”
“If I have time for that, I’d rather swing a bat one more time.”
“Oh… you’re so annoying. Anyway, well… Cheongshin High’s story is so good. A nameless, weak team that crushed everyone and made it to the finals. It seemed like it would be a great way to promote high school baseball. So they made a special documentary and released it on YouTube, and it became a huge hit. They couldn’t help but gain fans.”
After hearing Jin Myung-hwan’s explanation, I immediately understood the difference in the crowd’s temperature.
“People do love a good drama.”
“Right. The miracle run of an unexpected weak team is so romantic.”
“Well… I admit that. Then to those people, we’re the villains?”
“That’s about right. If you hit a home run, those people will go crazy.”
“It would be fun.”
I wasn’t the type to care about the crowd’s temperature. I had experienced it enough in the major leagues. And most importantly, it didn’t matter if the entire crowd was cheering for Cheongshin High.
All that mattered was that Ms. Miyeon was cheering for me. No… Ms. Miyeon would be frustrated, being surrounded by fans of the opposing team.
For her sake, I needed to create a fun situation. I said to Jin Myung-hwan, who was leaving the dugout.
“Myung-hwan, just get on base.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll show them what a real villain is.”
“What for? You’re already a villain just by existing. You’re better than the protagonist, Jjap-Taehyun, over there.”
Hmm… Hearing that, it was a statement I couldn’t refute, even coming from Jin Myung-hwan.
“Myung-hwan.”
“Yeah.”
“Anyway, don’t get out. I’m batting fourth today. So I can hit a grand slam.”
“Yes, yes. I’ll do my best to set the table for you.”
“Right. Do well.”
I lightly punched Jin Myung-hwan’s chest.
“What’s with you? You’re not usually like this.”
Jin Myung-hwan grumbled as he left, but his face was much more relaxed than when he had made the error. Right, Myung-hwan, don’t be scared. Don’t be scared, and get on base.
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Thwack!
“Oh.”
Jin Myung-hwan, despite my cheers, swung at a breaking ball that was out of the strike zone, and the ball flew weakly into the infield.
“Waaaaah!!!!”
The crowd, thinking it was just an out, cheered, but…
“Huh?”
“Hey!!! Run, Myung-hwan!”
“Myung-hwan, there’s another one like you! Run!”
“There’s not just a Jjap-Taehyun, but a Jjap-Myung-hwan too, haha!!”
The Cheongshin High shortstop completely fumbled the ball. Thanks to that, Jin Myung-hwan was safe at first.
“Safe!”
Jin Myung-hwan looked at me and gave a smug smile. As if to say, ‘See?’ A chuckle escaped my lips.
“Right, luck is a skill too.”
This made my at-bat really worth looking forward to. The next, 2nd and 3rd batters were top-tier high school hitters. And as if to live up to my expectations…
Thwack!
Thwack!
The 2nd batter, senior Ji Chang-seop, and the 3rd batter, senior Lee Tae-hyung, who had moved down in the lineup, hit consecutive singles.
“It’s really bases loaded.”
A stadium full of spectators, a losing situation, bases loaded, a chance to turn the game around with one big hit. They said that batters felt psychological pressure in situations like this, but I honestly couldn’t understand it.
An opportunity to become a hero with one hit. Isn’t that a good thing? That was what I had thought. Of course, that was my youthful arrogance. After spending some time in the league, I naturally came to understand why they felt such pressure.
Well, that being said. If you asked me if I was scared now… I could confidently say no. I understood it, but… it was still hard to empathize. I stepped into the batter’s box and glared at the pitcher.
It was part of my routine. It had the effect of intimidating the opponent once in a while, so it wasn’t bad.
He looks like he’s already gone. But his face was pale, to the point where I didn’t even need to do that. Well, after giving up consecutive hits and ending up in a bases-loaded situation after an error, it wasn’t strange for him to be shaken.
As I was about to choke up on the bat, the catcher, Jin Tae-hyun, called time. He rushed to the mound, put a hand on the pitcher’s shoulder, and started talking earnestly.
-”Don’t be scared. You’re our team’s ace!”
-”You’re afraid of getting hit? Then it’s okay to get hit. We’ll score as many runs as you give up.”
-”Trust me, trust yourself, and trust our team. And if that’s not enough, trust everyone who’s cheering for us. So just throw with all your might. Don’t be scared.”
Was he giving a speech or something… He was even making quite emotional gestures. At this point, I even wanted to hear what he was saying.
Anyway, Jin Tae-hyun returned to the plate, and his passionate speech seemed to have an effect, because the pitcher’s expression was much more relaxed.
“That took a while. What were you two talking about?”
“I was just giving him some confidence.”
“Really…?”
I was met with a questioning look, but I closed my mouth and got into my batting stance. The answer…
Thwaaaack—!
…would be sufficient.
I swung at a low curveball with an extreme uppercut. The exhilarating impact of the bat flowed through my body, and the ball soared high. The Cheongshin High center fielder, panting, chased after the ball with all his might, and even jumped in front of the fence, extending his glove, but the ball, which was just a little higher, grazed his glove and went over the fence.
“……”
A completely different atmosphere from when they had hit a home run. It was so quiet that I couldn’t tell if this was Mokdong Baseball Stadium or Mokdong Library.
“Tae-hyun!!”
Well, it was nice to hear Ms. Miyeon’s voice clearly. I looked at the stands, smiled slightly, and coolly threw the bat.
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└Wow, chills ㅆㅂ ;; Grand slam, crazy ㄷ
└Miracle run? Not a chance ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└His bat flip is so cool ㅋㅋㅋ
└He’s done that more than once or twice ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└The crowd has been silenced ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└Jjin-Taehyun, Jjap-Taehyun, true education ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└Oh, the crowd was really too much. So satisfying ㅋㅋㅋ
└But Cheongshin High’s story is good, though
└YouTube spy arrested
└Cheongshin High destroyed ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└Jjap-Taehyun is going to the mound again ㅋㅋㅋ
└Jjap-Taehyun is flustered ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└Even I would be flustered ㅅㅂ Jjin-Taehyun, this bastard is playing golf again ㅋㅋㅋ
└Stop playing golf, this is a baseball stadium ㅋㅋㅋ
└What? It’s not a baseball stadium, it’s Mokdong Library
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Golfing at baseball is going to be his signature