Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 22

#21. Learning to Walk Together

“So… you’re saying the neighbor came by and gave you this, claiming to be from next door?”

“Yeah.”

Hours after the suspicious neighbors visited, Seonghoon hyung [older brother or close male friend], who came to see how I was doing after a long time, rummaged through the shopping bag with a bewildered expression.

From natural pine mushrooms to ginseng marinated in the finest royal jelly, it was full of health foods that looked expensive just by looking at them.

“This is… a housewarming gift? Do they usually exchange things like this in these high-end apartments?”

“I don’t know… it’s my first time experiencing this too.”

“But can you even eat this stuff?”

“I asked Jacob, and he said I can eat some of it. You can take the rest and eat it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, since we received it, someone should eat it. We can’t just throw it away.”

Why is this guy, barely in his mid-twenties and not even a professional athlete, so happy at the mention of health foods?

I packed the items Jacob deemed inedible into a shopping bag and handed it to Seonghoon hyung.

“By the way, you sounded so down on the phone yesterday, but you seem okay today?”

“Me? Ah, the really annoying problem got completely resolved.”

“Annoying problem?”

“Yeah, things like celebrity pitching, influencer marketing, and cheering songs were all going to cost a fortune… but it all got solved in one go just now. Without spending a penny. Hehe.”

“Really? That’s a relief.”

“Haa, if you knew how much Director Park nagged me about it… Hey, Min Yerin, who wasn’t even asked, came to the team office first and said she would do the pitching, and that she would do all the celebrity marketing if we needed it. I was so surprised. Hey.”

“Min Yerin? Who’s that?”

“You don’t know Min Yerin? ‘I like the way you look at me~’ You don’t know this song?”

“I don’t know stuff like that.”

“Haa, seriously… then and now, you only know about baseball. Can you even function in everyday life? Ah, would you know if you saw a picture? Who is it…”

“Never mind that, you take care of the team’s business. More importantly, how is the Otani rule application going?”

“Hmm, I don’t think there will be a conclusion at this stove league owners’ meeting [meetings held during the off-season]. First of all, there aren’t any other players who can handle both pitching and hitting besides you, and you’ll only be playing as a hitter this season anyway.”

“That’s right.”

“Those owners are so stubborn, sigh. Anyway, wait and see. I’ll work hard to create public opinion this year and try to get it adopted by next year.”

Even if it’s not needed right away this year, applying the Otani rule is a task I must accomplish.

The Otani rule, currently only applied in Major League Baseball, allows a player who pitches and hits to continue playing as a designated hitter even if they are replaced by another pitcher. I must push for its adoption.

Well, it’s not urgent, so let’s move on for now.

“Hmm, but hyung, your face looks better than before you went to camp?”

“Really? I met a good counselor.”

“That’s a relief. Anyway, I’ll see you at the stadium later. I need to take a shower and go to the training field to meet Jacob.”

“Hey, but aren’t you going to eat dinner?”

“I’ll just eat some chicken breast and vegetable juice after showering.”

“Then what about me? I came out without eating, wanting to eat with you.”

“Just buy something on your way out. There’s nothing to eat at my place anyway.”

“Haa… okay, I understand. I guess I’ll buy some kimbap [Korean seaweed rice rolls] on the way. I’m leaving then. Rest up.”

“Yeah, go. And take this shopping bag with you.”

“Ah, right. Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”

After seeing Seonghoon hyung off, I returned to the living room sofa and leaned back.

The gift from the suspicious next-door neighbor, and the business card the man handed me.

My eyes are drawn to the name card that reads ‘Min Taehyun, Vice President of Goldman Sachs.’

He said to call him anytime I needed anything.

Come to think of it, I have 50 billion won [approximately $40 million USD] sleeping in my account.

The 100 billion won I invested in the team is a huge sum, but it’s not enough to run a professional baseball team in the long term.

Nevertheless, the reason I didn’t put the rest of this money into the baseball team wasn’t for any other reason.

I wanted to leave at least this much of the 150 billion won inheritance that man left behind for my mother.

If my mother were alive, I couldn’t guess where she would use this money, so I decided to leave it as is in case she needed it elsewhere.

But recently, my thoughts have been changing little by little.

If I knew my mother, she would push even this money to me, saying something like this.

‘Son, do what you want to do. Your mother will support you no matter what.’

I didn’t know it before.

As a naive twenty-year-old, I, who had to fight the world alone after losing my mother, thought that my success was the only way to repay her, and revenge against the man who abandoned us.

So I ran forward like crazy.

Even when everyone around me left, and even when Seonghoon hyung, the only one who remained, was dying of illness, I only thought about my own success.

But that wasn’t it.

At the end of the road where I abandoned everything and ran alone, only terrible emptiness awaited.

I had become the kind of person my mother would have been very sad to see, someone with wealth and fame but no one left by my side.

I hope she can see me now.

I’m confident that I can show her that I’m really living like a human being now.

* * *

“Hmm, good. Your physical condition is perfect.”

“Really? I feel like my lower body balance is slightly off.”

“That’s probably because you haven’t finished growing yet. By the way, you did some practice pitching too? How did the pitching form you’re practicing feel?”

“Hmm… somehow the speed is coming out, but it doesn’t feel natural yet. It feels like the power isn’t being transferred properly either.”

“That’s probably because your body is set up to be more suitable for hitting right now. Well, we still have a year left, so let’s prepare slowly.”

“It could be six months from now.”

“Hmm? Ah, the Korean Series Game 7? Haha, I’ve looked into Korean baseball a bit, and this team is like the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball… They sell players because they don’t have money, and they tank to collect players. You’re saying that kind of team will make it to the World Series, no, the Korean Series this year?”

“…That’s too harsh, Jacob. Tampa Bay Rays, really.”

“Hehe, I’m just stating the reality. Anyway, I’m going to build your body according to the one-year period, so let’s put those pleasant fantasies aside for now.”

“Okay, because everything speaks through results.”

Jacob, who became my personal trainer, requested the purchase of some necessary equipment for his work.

A significant amount of money from the account went into purchasing those machines.

It was a large sum of money that could have been used to sign a decent player, but I didn’t regret it at all.

If my body is properly built, it will be much more effective than signing one or two of those players.

But as expected.

My official body profile checked today is 192cm, 95kg, and 17% body fat.

These are perfect numbers for a hitter, but Jacob’s opinion was that I need to increase my body fat to 20% for pitching and hitting, and I agreed with him.

The problem is that my body is still growing slightly. And a growing body needs more energy.

Jacob changed one of my three strictly managed meals a day to a free meal.

Along with the advice to consume as many nutrients as possible.

Anyway, there’s still a long way to go.

Of course, I was confident that I could achieve good results even with my current body.

It’s a body that played at the highest level in the Big Leagues for 15 years.

Even if the balance is messed up because of the regression, it’s still the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization].

But I wanted to do my best in every possible way.

Anything I can do.

The helplessness I felt in my dream today, seeing my mother and Seonghoon hyung pass away in front of my eyes once again, makes that feeling even stronger.

I don’t want to neglect even the smallest things. Not even the most trivial things.

‘Step, step’

When I came out of the training field, the streets were already flashing with neon signs.

I didn’t have any of this leisure when I was playing baseball in the United States.

In those days, I was just a baseball-playing machine who devoted everything to success as a Major Leaguer.

A selfish person who did nothing but go back and forth between home and the stadium, not paying attention to anyone around me and only living for myself.

Step, step.

As I walked down the street, I started to feel bad for sending Seonghoon hyung away without feeding him dinner.

I’m still not used to eating with someone, so I unknowingly sent him away as if I was chasing him out.

I wonder if he was upset.

Yeah, should I have dinner with him tonight?

“Give me one half-and-half, please. Um… add some french fries and a draft beer. I’ll take it to go.”

“Okay, one half-and-half chicken, extra french fries, draft beer… Oh my, aren’t you player Han Su-hyeok?”

“Ah, yes. That’s right.”

“Oh my, oh my, what’s going on! Honey! Come here! Player Han Su-hyeok came to our store!”

“What? What nonsense are you talking about, woman… Who came to our store… Cough!”

“See, I told you! Player Han Su-hyeok, we’re Warriors fans! We sold chicken in front of Jamsil Baseball Stadium to save money and opened a store here.”

“I see. I’ve been to Jamsil Baseball Stadium a lot since I was young, so I might have eaten there.”

“Really? Wow… Anyway, it’s an honor for our family that you came to our store…”

“Honey! Go put the chicken on first. Hurry, hurry!”

“Ah, okay. Just wait a moment. Player Han Su-hyeok. I’ll make it as delicious as possible!”

“Hurry up. But… Player Han Su-hyeok, can I ask you something…”

“Go ahead.”

“Will the Warriors… be able to make it to the fall baseball this year?”

On the road to Seonghoon hyung’s officetel [a studio apartment or one-room apartment], someone I met at a small, shabby chicken restaurant asked me.

If we could make it to the fall baseball.

The eyes of an old fan who remembers the Warriors of the past, when making it to the postseason was taken for granted, were trembling slightly.

There was only one answer I could give to such a person.

“Of course. My goal is to win the championship.”

“Haha! Yeah, I feel confident when Player Han Su-hyeok says that! Oh, what’s this? Payment? Hey, how can we take money from Player Han Su-hyeok? Think of this as a gift from a long-time fan, enjoy it, and we’ll take money from you next time. So put this away.”

In my hand as I left the store was the chicken and draft beer given to me by an unknown fan.

Spring is approaching, but the night air is still cold. So cold that my exposed hands are slightly chilled.

But the warm energy rising from the plastic bag filled with food warmed my hands.

“Seonghoon hyung, did you eat dinner? What? Not yet? Um, wait. I’m going there now. I bought chicken and draft beer, so let’s have a drink. Yeah, it’s okay to eat like this for one meal. I’ll be there soon.”

I, who had been used to being alone my whole life, am now learning how to walk with others.

At first, it may be a little slower than going alone, but in the end, I know that walking with people is much faster, and ultimately leads me to the place I was aiming for.

I want to share this chicken and draft beer, which I haven’t tasted in so long that I barely remember the taste, with someone.

I’m not alone anymore.

* * *