The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 195

195. Crisis (1)

It was a rare lunch with just my father.

“Haha, Choi Su-won. It’s an honor to have you here.”

“No, the honor’s all mine. I hope I’m not intruding by taking you up on your kind offer.”

Recently, a chef who runs his own restaurant threw the first pitch at a game. He’s apparently more famous for his internet broadcasts these days, and since I had a day off, I helped him with his pitching form.

“You’re the one who’s most popular these days, so the honor is all mine. I’d really appreciate it if you could take a picture and sign something later. It would be even better if you could say hello to our subscribers.”

To be honest, I hadn’t really planned on leveraging these connections. But when I tried to have a nice lunch with my father, all the popular fine dining places in Seoul were fully booked a day or two in advance.

“I’m going to experience all sorts of things today thanks to you.”

“Really? Don’t you eat around here often, Dad?”

“Well, we do, but we don’t usually go to restaurants like this… We usually go to the meat place over there.”

I’d heard that these course meals are unsatisfying and small, but surprisingly, the portions weren’t small at all. Especially the meat, which was quite generous. I wondered if they gave me extra because they knew me. But later, when I paid, I was surprised to find out that they gave me almost three servings because I’m an athlete. If that’s three servings, how small is one serving…?

“It’s good to see.”

“Yes? What is? Oh, you mean I’ve been eating more lately?”

“No, I mean you coming to places like this. When I told our employees, they said it’s really hard to get a reservation, and that the owner was famous. It’s good to see that you’re not just focused on baseball and that you care about your relationships.”

“Well, I’m not really focused on relationships, but I’m doing pretty well these days.”

“Tsk, how arrogant. I’ve told you many times before, you should be humble when things are going well. The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.”

I always heard this nagging even before I went back in time.

Back then, I would get annoyed and say, ‘Who cares about that old-fashioned stuff these days? You won’t succeed if you don’t promote yourself.’ But now I understand.

That’s just what fathers are like.

Even the smartest colleagues on the team would nag for no reason when it came to their sons. Even when I was playing in the States, one coach found fault with his daughter’s boyfriend, even though he was perfect in every way. Of course, not all fathers are like that, but what can I do? My father is like this.

So I just nodded.

“Do you have plans for the afternoon?”

“Yes, I’m meeting someone since it’s a rare day off.”

“Good, you should date and do things while you’re young. You have to meet all sorts of people to know who’s good and who’s bad.”

The moment my father mentioned dating, my ex-wife came to mind.

A future that will never return. The biggest mistake of my life. Back then, my father strongly approved of my marriage. And later, when we got divorced, he tried to excuse himself by saying that he never liked her from the beginning.

“I’m not dating. I’m just meeting a friend.”

“Is that so? Hmm… Still, I heard rumors that you might be going to America. It’s better to go with someone than to go alone…”

“Dad, I’m only nineteen now. I’ll be twenty next year. What do you mean, ‘go with someone’?”

“Still, you might meet that American girl if you go to America. I don’t really like foreign daughters-in-law.”

“Dad.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t drink the kimchi soup too deeply [Don’t get ahead of yourself]. It’s not good for your stomach.”

***

“You’re here?”

“Yeah.”

It had been a while since I’d seen her face.

She didn’t seem to have changed much, but something was different. Subtly, she seemed prettier. Her skin was already fair and clear, but even though she had a slight tan, it felt even clearer. And her eyes, nose, and mouth also felt subtly refined.

“What? Why are you staring at my face like that? Are you excited to see me after so long?”

“What are you talking about? I just thought your face looked a little different.”

“Why? Did I get prettier?”

“Yeah, you got prettier.”

Park Eun-jin’s face turned red.

“What is it? You suddenly got all smooth after graduating. Well, you seem a little cooler too.”

“Me? I’ve gotten a little bigger. I’ve grown 1cm taller and gained 7kg [approximately 15 pounds].”

“Oh? You gained 7kg? It doesn’t look like it. How much do you weigh?”

“Around 94kg [approximately 207 pounds] now?”

“Really? 94kg is more than twice my weight. You’re 94kg?”

“What are you so surprised about? I should be the one surprised that you’re not even half my weight. More importantly, what happened? You debuted without saying anything. I was so surprised when I suddenly saw you on TV.”

“Haha… It just happened. I was lucky.”

“So why did you suddenly want to meet? You didn’t even contact me when you debuted, Ms. Park Eun-jin.”

A few days ago.

The day I recorded a memorable performance at the All-Star Game. A flood of congratulatory messages and inquiries poured in. Messages even came from strangers who I had never given my number to. Among them was a message from Park Eun-jin.

To be honest, my feelings for Park Eun-jin were a bit complicated.

A fresh-faced high school student following me around because she likes me, and she’s pretty. It’s hard to dislike that. And when they’re in high school, it’s hard to distinguish them from adults based on appearance. Especially if they wear makeup like Park Eun-jin.

However, that young girl has her own dreams. The difficult dream of becoming an idol [K-pop idol], and she works really hard for it. I couldn’t help but feel impressed and want to support her. But being a female idol is completely incompatible with dating.

Besides that, the moral aspect was too unsettling. Realistically, I’m the same age as Park Eun-jin. But even if the shell is the same, the contents are thirty-four. I couldn’t help but feel repulsed by my conscience. I felt less repulsed by Ji-yeon from the Korea Daily, who I still contact from time to time.

And all those situations haven’t changed much now that we’re both adults.

When I saw her on TV, her makeup was a bit thicker and her clothes were a bit more revealing, but seeing her like this after a long time, she still has that soft, downy feel. It feels like seeing the young sister of a colleague who ran after me because she liked me.

“No, I was just too busy before. Now I have some time, so I contacted you.”

“Isn’t that bad news? That means you don’t have any work. Isn’t this supposed to be your busiest time?”

“What are you talking about? The school festival period is over, and events are starting to slow down. And…”

Park Eun-jin hesitated for a moment, then opened her mouth as if she had made up her mind.

Is she going to confess again?

“I heard rumors that you’re going to America. I was wondering if that’s true.”

But fortunately, it wasn’t a confession.

“What is this, are you a sports reporter? Why are you suddenly asking about my trip to America?”

“Well, that is… Um, yeah!! There’s Se-hee in our group, who’s a Marines fan, and she really wants to see the Marines win the championship. If you go to America, that might be difficult, so she earnestly asked me to find out. That’s why I’m asking.”

“Really? Aren’t you sad that I’m going to America?”

“Me? Sad? What are you talking about? I’m really happy if you go to America. No, not that I’m happy I can’t see you. It’s just that our Phoenix is doing really well this year and starting to aim for the championship. Honestly, Jung Byung-chul, our rookie, would definitely win Rookie of the Year if it weren’t for you. But are you really going to America?”

Her face was stiff, and she poured out the words almost without breathing, like a rapper. For a moment, I almost asked her if she was in charge of rap in the group.

“I don’t know. I can’t say anything because of my contract. But you can tell that friend, what was her name, Se-hee? You can tell her not to worry.”

Park Eun-jin’s stiff face instantly brightened.

She’s so easy to read. And she’s supposed to be a cold beauty on TV.

“I knew it. You’re not going to America.”

“No, that’s not what I meant. You said you really wanted to see us win the championship. We’re going to win this year anyway.”

Her expression stiffens again.

She has as much talent for a poker face as Jo Chang-hyuk on the mound.

“America… You might go.”

“Well, I don’t know. But I have to go. You saw the news, right? I hit 4 home runs at the All-Star Game. What can I do? I’m too big to play in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization].”

“Okay… Ah, no!! Not okay. You’re going to get into trouble if you’re too arrogant. Do you know how hard it is to play baseball in America? The land is so vast. And there are so many games. You’re not even fully developed yet. What if you get injured? And you won’t be able to communicate there. You’ll need more than a year or two to prepare thoroughly in Korea, right?”

“Yeah, I got 100 on my English test. And 100 on my Spanish test.”

“Do you think a high school test is the same as real-life conversation?”

“Yeah, I can talk freely with the foreign players on the team.”

The silly conversation continued.

“Really? You got a casting offer for that program?”

“Yeah.”

“So did you make an appointment?”

“No, how can I go on TV when I’m so busy during the season?”

“Why? Other players seem to use Mondays to appear on shows.”

“That’s because the seniors who are about to retire do that sometimes to think about their lives after retirement. It’s hard for me during the season.”

“Then what about after the season? Will you go on?”

“I’ll see how it goes. Why? Do you want to appear too?”

“Yeah, a classmate’s chance. Plug me in too.”

“Eun-jin, you’ve become so shameless after working in the entertainment industry? What if you get into a scandal?”

“I can’t help it. If a female idol who has to work gets into a scandal, she’ll retire from being an idol and get married. But you’re a celebrity too, so it wouldn’t be bad to appear on a couple’s reality show.”

“Yeah, no.”

It was clearly not a date to enjoy with a member of the opposite sex. It was closer to the feeling of having a pretty niece. But what was clear was that the time spent with Park Eun-jin was not a bad time… No, it was quite enjoyable.

***

Time flew by quickly, and it was already the end of July.

Finally, the hottest time of the year had arrived in Korea.

“Wow, the weather is crazy. Jjoyu, what’s the temperature today?”

“The high for today is 39.8 degrees Celsius [approximately 103.6 degrees Fahrenheit]. It’s the highest temperature this year.”

“Haha… Hahaha…”

The hottest weather of the year.

And the hottest city in Korea.

Our 96th game of the season began.