Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 205

#204. Something’s Wrong

“Nice! Seo Hyeong-ju, great! You’re the best! Awesome!”

No one said that to him.

Seo Hyeong-ju said it to himself after catching a rather tricky fly ball.

Some people with strong self-love tend to use the third-person perspective.

Like that soccer player who said, [The fans shouted, ‘We want Zlatan.’ So I gifted Zlatan to the fans.]

In that regard, Seo Hyeong-ju was definitely full of self-love.

He was just hiding it as much as possible due to his short career, but it was clear that the time for him to reveal his true self wasn’t far off.

No, maybe it had already begun.

Seeing him so excited and making a fuss by himself like that.

It was obvious that the other team’s veterans wouldn’t look kindly on Seo Hyeong-ju’s behavior.

Among the 30 players selected for this national team, 7 were Warriors players. And there were no players younger than Han Su-hyeok, Seo Hyeong-ju, and An Chi-wook.

In other words, there were as many as 23 senior players from other teams who would find Seo Hyeong-ju annoying.

Of course, Seo Hyeong-ju had Lim Jun-yeong, a star player on the national team with the best career, by his side, and Jang Deok-su, a powerhouse whom no one could easily mess with regardless of seniority.

But those seniors couldn’t always protect Seo Hyeong-ju.

No matter how thoroughly the coaching staff managed, players would inevitably scatter and gather according to their seniority.

Seo Hyeong-ju was also aware that there were more than one or two seniors in the national team currently targeting him.

Nevertheless, the only reason Seo Hyeong-ju could play so freely now was:

‘It’s all thanks to that monster.’

Han Su-hyeok, a presence who transcended age and seniority and shone brightly within the national team, whom no one dared to touch or provoke.

He was just so grateful that he was his peer and teammate.

“Play!”

Even aside from those external factors, he was providing tremendous help in terms of the game itself.

The surprise bunt just now was also thanks to Han Su-hyeok’s help.

Han Su-hyeok approached him as he was about to step into the batter’s box.

‘That guy will probably be almost defenseless after throwing the first pitch. Try a surprise bunt towards the pitcher. His reaction will definitely be 1 or 2 seconds slower than usual.’

‘Really? How do you know that?’

‘He’s the same kind of guy as you.’

‘What does that mean?’

‘He’s full of himself. He’ll definitely be off guard. Oh, I mean him, not you.’

‘…….’

It was a bit unpleasant to hear, but it was accurate as always.

Sometimes, he couldn’t help but wonder.

What on earth is that guy?

No matter how talented you are or how hard you work, there are gaps in between that cannot be explained by common sense.

But who cares, he’s my teammate, not my enemy.

Seo Hyeong-ju stepped on first base and shouted loudly once again.

“As long as the people want a gold medal, Seo Hyeong-ju will never stop!”

The first base coach lowered his head without realizing it after hearing those words.

* * *

After the end of last season, a group chat was created under the initiative of several professional baseball players.

It had a strange name, ‘Mejjalal’ (those who know Major League well), but in reality, it was a gathering of Korean professional baseball players who dreamed of advancing to the Major League [MLB].

Including Ryu Han-gyeol, who became the breadwinner of the LA Angels following the Daejeon Falcons, Lim Jun-yeong, who chose the Warriors over the United States, Choi Gyeong-jae, who had no intention of going to the United States in the first place but joined out of curiosity, and Lee Chan-ho, who hoped to apply for posting [transfer system] after completing 7 seasons, were the main members of the group chat.

Before the players’ paths were decided, or more precisely, before Ryu Han-gyeol’s posting took place, there was a conversation like this in the group chat.

– Hyung-nims [older brothers/senior male colleagues], can I ask you a question?

– Sure, Chan-ho. Go ahead.

– Mess around and you’re dead. Ryu Han-gyeol. I’m talking to the hyung-nims.

– Hehe, what is it? Tell me, Chan-ho.

– As you all know, I was originally going to apply for posting, but…

– But? Why are you using the past tense? So you’re not going to do it?

– Ah, it’s not that I’ve given up, um, there’s something that’s been bothering me, so I’m still thinking about it.

– What’s bothering you?

– It’s Su-hyeok. Han Su-hyeok.

– What about Han Su-hyeok?

– A guy like that is playing in Korea, so who am I to go to America?

– What? Hey, what about Han-gyeol if you talk like that? He gets beaten to a pulp by hitter Han Su-hyeok, and his performance doesn’t even compare to pitcher Han Su-hyeok, but he’s still applying for posting and going to America.

– …That’s a bit disappointing to hear. Seong-nim [Mr./Sir]. But you’re not wrong either.

– Yeah, it’s better to ask you. Hey, Ryu Han-gyeol. What kind of guts do you have to go to America?

– Chan-ho, Chan-ho, you foolish guy.

– Hey, cut the useless talk.

– There aren’t only main characters in the world. Someone has to play a supporting role for this world, no, this baseball scene to keep going.

– So you’re saying… Han Su-hyeok is the main character and we’re the supporting characters?

– Well, it might sound a bit off, but it’s an undeniable reality. Comparing ourselves to him just makes our lives too sad. Leave him alone. Let him play by himself, and we ordinary people can just go our own way.

It was a conversation between a pitcher who might become the best left-hander in the history of the Daejeon Falcons, or perhaps even in the history of Korea, and Lee Chan-ho, who was considered the most outstanding hitter in the KBO [Korean Baseball Organization] excluding Han Su-hyeok.

It can’t be said that it was solely because of that conversation, but in the end, Lee Chan-ho gave up applying for posting and decided to play in Korea for one more year.

Coincidentally, he also had a chance to be motivated.

He was traded from the perennial underdog team Fighters to the championship-contending team Magicians.

Alright, now that it’s come to this, let’s experience the first Korean Series championship with the Magicians and decide on my future with a lighter heart.

Lee Chan-ho became a Magicians player and is challenging for the championship.

Of course, he’s getting further and further away from that dream because of Han Su-hyeok’s Warriors.

Olympic final against the United States,

Top of the 1st inning, no outs, runner on 1st base.

Lee Chan-ho thought.

Han Su-hyeok is the next batter after him.

No matter how much Andrew Davis on the mound is called the next-generation American ace, he can’t help but be conscious of Han Su-hyeok.

He won’t want to let a runner get on base in front of him.

Then it’s a showdown.

Lee Chan-ho knew very well what kind of pitch a pitcher who is determined to have a showdown with a batter throws on the first pitch.

Thwack!

“Nice! Good one!”

“Third! Third!”

Seo Hyeong-ju, with his quick feet, dashed to third base on a bullet-like hit that pierced through the 1-2 gap.

In an instant, it became no outs, runners on 1st and 3rd, and now it was time for the problematic Han Su-hyeok to step into the batter’s box.

Lee Chan-ho stepped on first base and watched the pitcher and batter alternately with a keen expression.

A battle between a genius among geniuses pitcher, who shined with a first-round pick in the Major League, and a hitter who is the worst when met as an enemy, but more reliable than anyone else when on the same side.

Just watching it was enough to make his palms sweat.

‘A game like this should be watched from the stands with popcorn.’

* * *

I don’t know what he thinks of himself, but from my perspective, the pitcher still has a baby face.

Well, even if he’s a baby, he’s five years older than me.

It’s just that the image of him in my memory and his current appearance don’t match at all, so I think that way.

Does that guy know?

That his flowing hair, which looks like it could be used in a shampoo commercial, will all be gone in just five years?

That he will never take off his baseball cap wherever he goes because of that complex?

Hmm,

Come to think of it, there are quite a few familiar faces among the players on this American Olympic team.

That baby on the mound, and many others who are intertwined with me in various ways.

It was only natural.

If the American team members I met during the WBC [World Baseball Classic] were much older than me, and therefore players from a slightly different generation, then the guys I met at this Olympics are players who almost shared their prime with me.

That baby shortstop who keeps glancing around from the shortstop position.

His name was Jenard Evans.

He’s a nice guy who joked that he was struck out by me so many times in his early debut that he almost got sent down to the minor leagues.

He was a kind guy who strangely kept sticking to me after we exchanged words at the All-Star Game, so much so that he could be compared to a golden retriever in terms of sociability.

Of course, that’s in the past. Or should I say, in the future?

Anyway, it’s something that won’t happen now.

Top of the 1st inning, no outs, runners on 1st and 3rd.

The pitcher, who is in a crisis of giving up a run as soon as the game starts, glares at me with the most serious face in the world.

I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Thank goodness.

To be honest, I was a little worried.

Worried about today’s game?

No,

It’s because of my mentality, which has become unpredictable since her face came to mind a while ago.

Coincidentally, today’s final is also being held at Angel Stadium.

I started training today with a pounding heart, not knowing where my mood, which had barely calmed down a while ago, would go.

But I think I’m getting better.

Seeing me laugh at that guy’s face, I don’t think that strange feeling from back then will come back.

“Play!”

With the umpire’s call, the two runners on the bases start to scratch at the pitcher’s nerves again.

Seo Hyeong-ju, who succeeded in a surprise bunt after receiving my advice, and Lee Chan-ho, who proved that he has the qualifications to play in the Big League [MLB].

As the two fast runners, who can steal at any time, continue to take leads, the color gradually disappears from the pitcher’s face.

He’s a guy who will lose that wonderful hair in about 5 years, but will gain the honor of being the best pitcher in the United States instead, but he’s definitely still just an immature baby.

He turned his head and stared for a long time at the distant cheering section on the first base side, the place where she always sat.

Can I really find her?

Min Ye-rin, who received the composite sketch from me, is really working hard to find her whereabouts as if it were her own business, but…

I don’t know.

Even in a small country like Korea, finding someone is never easy, let alone here in the vast United States, where more than 300 million people live.

News may come tomorrow, or maybe I’ll never find her.

That’s why it’s time to stop worrying about it. I can’t stay in this state, trapped in the past, forever.

As I made up my mind, I felt a little lighter.

The pitcher, who threw a few pickoff throws towards first base, entered his pitching motion with a cautious expression.

The biggest weapon that allowed the pitcher named Andrew Davis to reach the top of the United States was, of course, the power of his fastball, which easily exceeded 100 miles, and his curveball, which was praised as one of the top ten of all time, but there was one thing that was even more important.

The composure that never wavers in the face of most things, and the competitive spirit that rushes in regardless of the opponent, were the things that symbolized Andrew Davis.

A pitcher who can throw his pitches without any hesitation even after allowing a grand slam, a white ball soared from the fingertips of Andrew Davis, who never gets intimidated no matter who he faces.

And,

Thwaaaaaack!

He collapsed on the mound in that state.