Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 279

#278. Derision

After returning, I’m trying to separate my past self from my current self, organizing the thoughts about her that had been complicating my mind.

I’ve realized painfully how much clinging to past memories was wearing me down.

So, I’m practicing investing time in things I never even glanced at before.

It’s nothing grand.

Just ordinary, everyday things that normal people enjoy.

Taking walks around the neighborhood alone at night, trying foods I’ve never had, and spending time watching movies with Min Ye-rin, though I’m still not sure what’s so fun about it.

‘Ha! Do you think that makes any sense? Ye-rin, don’t believe that. A pitcher who struggled with control his whole life suddenly throws strikes left and right just because he made up his mind… hmm.’

While watching a baseball movie, I scoffed at how far-fetched it was.

But thinking about it, I realized I was the last person who should be saying that, considering I had regressed, so I stopped there.

‘Oppa [Older brother or male friend], imagine your right foot is aligned with the center of the road when driving… Kyaa! No! Not the center line, the center! The center! What are you doing aligning with the center line! Pull over! Now!’

Whether before or after the regression, I only have a license, and almost no experience driving, so it’s a complete mess.

Why no experience?

Because I always took taxis or autonomous vehicles.

Oh, I did buy a drivable car once. Before the regression, I bought a few supercars because everyone else was.

But they ended up as collectibles, never even driven, just sitting in the garage.

It’s not that I refused to drive. It’s just that watching game footage in the car was more important than driving.

Looking back, I think I’ve dedicated too much time to baseball.

Screech.

After driving around downtown Seattle with Min Ye-rin beside me…

‘Oppa, could you just call me when you need a driver?’

She said it so earnestly that I unconsciously said okay.

I thought about collecting supercars again if it was fun, but

I think I should just be satisfied with the autonomous vehicle I’m currently driving.

Oh, and yesterday, I bought a ‘bouquet’ for the first time.

Because it was Min Ye-rin’s birthday.

‘You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to invite you to my birthday party all this time, Oppa?’

‘You should have.’

‘Well… I was shy the first year, and for the next two years, you were always on the road.’

‘Ah…’

That’s how it is being a baseball player. You’re away for more than half the year, so you miss a lot of things.

‘Anyway, my birthday came when you were home this year! Oppa! You’ll come, right?’

‘Of course.’

The problem was, I had never attended anyone’s birthday party before.

What should I prepare?

After *gomin* [a Korean word meaning ‘worry’ or ‘deliberation’], I called Seong-hoon *hyeong* [a Korean word used by a male to refer to an older brother or close male friend/colleague].

Asking the idiots on our team would only result in nonsense.

Fortunately, Seong-hoon *hyeong* gave me very sensible advice.

‘A bouquet and a ring, that’s enough.’

I’m glad I asked. I think that’s the right answer.

I stopped by downtown and ordered a bouquet.

The florist, who recognized me, made a small mountain of flowers that was hard to fit in the back seat.

He insisted he couldn’t take money from Seattle’s hero, so I signed a bat and uniform and gave it to him. It felt strange to see the old man with white hair crying with emotion.

I got the bouquet easily, but the ring was the problem.

I’m not stupid. I know what’s important when giving a woman a ring.

‘Hmm.’

That is,

Right, the size. What’s the point of giving a gift if it doesn’t fit? It’s a waste of money.

I was so proud that I sent a message to Seong-hoon *hyeong*, and he told me to go die.

I don’t know why, but I decided to ask later since it was urgent.

While *gomin*, a good idea suddenly came to mind.

Thinking this was it, I immediately headed to Min Ye-rin’s house with the bouquet.

‘Woof woof woof!’

They say a biting dog doesn’t bark, but the chihuahua that tries to bite me whenever it sees me greeted me.

‘Oppa! Welcome!’

‘Happy birthday, Ye-rin.’

‘Wow! Flowers! Flowers!’

Why does she like something so much that she can’t eat or sell?

Well, I can’t understand it, but Seong-hoon *hyeong* said that women are complicated creatures.

‘But… am I alone? I thought it was a party?’

‘Yes, it is a party. My first birthday party since my debut?’

‘Huh? First time?’

‘Yes, first time. I don’t have any friends to invite to my birthday party, heehee.’

At that moment, I realized a little why Min Ye-rin and I were drawn to each other.

We both had loneliness in common.

She as a singer, and I before the regression as a Major Leaguer,

We had wealth and fame that others envied, but we were lonely lives with no one to share it with.

Unconsciously, I stroked Min Ye-rin’s hair.

‘Oppa.’

‘Ye-rin… oh, right. A gift, I have to give you a gift!’

‘A gift? You have a gift too? Wow, what is it?’

I handed Min Ye-rin, who was looking at me with wide eyes, the gift I had prepared.

It was the ring that I thought Min Ye-rin would like the most.

‘Here, a ring.’

‘A ring?’

‘Yeah, the 2027 Korean Series championship ring from when we first met.’

‘*Heol* [a Korean expression of disbelief or shock]…….’

Min Ye-rin, who received the ring case, suddenly lowered her head.

I wondered if I had made a mistake.

Should I have gotten a separate ring? But to do that, I need to know the size first…….

Min Ye-rin’s body, with her head down, slowly began to shake.

Seeing that, a desperate voice came out of my mouth.

‘I think I messed up, this won’t do. Give it back to me for now. I’ll quickly go downtown and get another ring…….’

‘No, no! No! Oppa! I’m so happy, I’m sorry, I was so happy with the gift that I couldn’t help it…….’

Min Ye-rin, who had been standing there for a while, came to my side.

And whispered in my ear.

‘I’ll treasure it forever. From today, my treasure number one is this ring.’

My heart fluttered for a moment.

Like right after running the bases with all my might, my heart started racing uncontrollably.

I had to freeze in place for a while because of that unfamiliar feeling I was experiencing for the first time.

* * *

A week had passed like that.

Seattle played six more games, recording 3 wins and 3 losses.

I added two more home runs, increasing the Major League’s first-half home run record to 42. And I started in the second game against Arizona, pitching 7 innings without a run, earning my 12th win of the season.

‘Come this way, Han Soo-hyuk *seonsu* [Korean word for ‘player’]. Thank you so much for accepting this sudden request.’

‘Well, I don’t think it’ll be difficult. You want to hear my opinion on the prospective rookies?’

‘Yes, like the last trade… we need Han Soo-hyuk *seonsu*’s insight once again. Ah, of course, there will be separate compensation for this…….’

‘It’s okay. It’s not a big deal to warrant compensation. Let’s take a look at the list of candidates first.’

‘Ah, yes, you’re so cool. Here it is.’

In addition to playing as a *seonsu*, I’m also investing time in people who need my help from time to time.

Of course, this case is ambiguous to call it help. It’s about deciding on the rookie *seonsu* to draft for the club I have a stake in.

In other words, it’s a job to increase the value of the company?

And I’m confident I can do that better than anyone else in the world.

‘The draft order is 2nd… the lottery went well.’

‘Fortunately, hahaha.’

Unlike the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization], where the rookie draft order is determined by the reverse order of the previous year’s *seongjeok* [Korean word for ‘performance’ or ‘record’], Major League Baseball has a draft lottery system to prevent tanking.

In simple terms, the bottom 18 teams in Major League Baseball hold a lottery to determine the draft order from 1st to 18th.

It means that just because you finished last doesn’t necessarily mean you get the first overall pick.

Anyway, Seattle had the 2nd overall pick in the 2031 rookie draft.

‘So, the scouts are pushing for Larry White, this guy?’

‘Yes, he’s a left-hander who throws 100 miles per hour, and he has a good mentality, so our scouts say he can be called up to the big leagues within a year…….’

‘He’s a no.’

‘Yes?’

‘It’s not that he’ll be called up within a year, he might retire within a year. I won’t stop you if you still want to pick him, but if I were you, I don’t know……’

‘Heok… is there a reason?’

‘Hmm…….’

I know this guy very well.

Because he was the guy Seattle drafted 1st overall before the regression.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with his skills, as the scouts analyzed. He’s a very good left-handed pitcher who can throw 100 miles per hour in the zone.

The problem is his mentality.

Who would have guessed that a guy who was praised for being humble and responsible when he first joined the team would change so much as soon as he was called up to the big leagues?

He made a girlfriend in every away game, and he would leave the team without permission because he was so into those women.

Of course, there are variables.

No one knows if he’ll repeat the same thing in this life.

But if you ask my opinion, I’m definitely against it.

‘The reason… would it be strange if I just said it’s a feeling? This guy, I have a very bad feeling about him.’

‘Yes?’

‘If you don’t believe me, you can just draft him.’

‘Hmm…….’

There’s no way they’d believe me if I told them he’s going to be a huge *baramdungi* [Korean word for ‘womanizer’ or ‘playboy’] without ever meeting him.

That’s it. I’ve done enough.

‘Then, Han Soo-hyuk *seonsu*. Is there any other *seonsu* you can recommend besides this *seonsu*…….’

‘Hmm, this guy would be good.’

‘Brian Knight……? Is this the right guy?’

‘Yes, he’ll be a very good pitcher. Just wait about three years.’

If Larry White, who Daniel *danjang* [Korean word for ‘general manager’ or ‘chief’] mentioned earlier, is a profligate genius, Brian Knight, whom I nominated, is a late-blooming pitcher with consistency and perseverance.

If you raise him well with patience, he can grow as much as Ryan Tibo, who is currently our team’s number one starter.

But again, I can’t guarantee it.

I know better than anyone how difficult it is to predict a person’s future.

‘Hmm, thank you. It was a bit of an unexpected pick, so I’m embarrassed, but I’ll discuss it again with the people in charge.’

‘You don’t have to.’

‘No, I believe in Han Soo-hyuk *seonsu*’s insight more than anyone else. Thank you so much for today.’

‘You’re welcome.’

Even though I have a stake in it, I’m accepting things like this that I would have refused in the past because it would interfere with exercise, and I’m learning how to live normally.

Believing that investing time in these ordinary things, which may not help baseball at all, will enrich my life, rather than lifting a dumbbell one more time or swinging a bat one more time.

* * *

‘Woo-woo-woo-woo!’

‘Smash that bastard!’

‘Arrogant bastard! You son of a bitch!’

After finishing our comfortable schedule at home, we set out on our last road trip before the All-Star break.

Oracle Park, the first stop on the 10-game road trip, the jeers from the crowd are unusual.

‘That’s amazing. Are they defending a drug addict now?’

‘Well, he may still be a hero to those people.’

‘Han, this may not help, but don’t worry about it and let’s just do our job.’

This stadium, adjacent to the San Francisco coast, is also the home stadium of ‘that *seonsu*’ who once dominated Major League Baseball.

If you know that one thing, you can immediately understand why the audience is booing like that now.

Han Soo-hyuk, who challenged Barry Bonds’ single-season home run record,

The booing now was directed at that Han Soo-hyuk.

It was a booing directed at an Asian who was challenging the record of Barry Bonds, who was once their idol but has now become an object of love and hate.

That’s right.

Almost all baseball fans are hoping that the home run record tainted with drugs will be broken, but only one team, the Giants fans themselves, seem to have a slightly different opinion.

Barry Bonds, the greatest home run hitter of all time, who holds almost all home run-related records, including career home runs and single-season home runs.

With his home runs, the Giants reached their heyday, and to the fans who remember that glory, he was still remembered as an idol.

Some of the Giants fans even believed that the drug incident at the time was a plot by a trainer to slander Barry Bonds,

The booing pouring on Han Soo-hyuk now may have been natural.

‘Hey, Han, try not to provoke the opposing team’s *seonsu*s or the audience today… um, why do you look like that?’

‘Because it’s fun.’

‘Fun?’

‘It’s my hobby to smash this kind of atmosphere.’

The game started with Han Soo-hyuk’s derision.