Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 207

#206. Sometime

There was a time in Korea, from the early to mid-2020s, when content filled with so-called ‘national *ppong*’ [a Korean slang term for extreme nationalistic pride] was all the rage.

Korean culture, which was somewhat unfamiliar to foreigners compared to objective indicators like economic size or national competitiveness, spread worldwide with the K-POP craze, leading everyone to shout, ‘Do you know kimchi?’

Bringing foreigners to eat Korean food, and conversely, going abroad to feed Korean food to local foreigners,

Feeding, feeding, and feeding again, asking if it’s delicious.

Well, quite a few YouTubers made a living off that, so it was at a level that could be considered an industry in its own right.

Anyway, although it may seem like we made a particular fuss, the United States is actually the world’s best when it comes to national *ppong*.

Regardless of race, from kindergarten, they make children pledge allegiance to the flag under the Stars and Stripes and instill the history and ideology of the United States, which rose to the top in a relatively short period.

And then, returning home, they watch cartoons and movies where American heroes save the Earth.

The same goes for adults.

Fighter jets perform celebratory shows at the opening ceremonies of professional sports, and soldiers are invited to remind everyone once again how great America is.

There’s a saying:

In America, if a foreigner can’t speak English, they are discriminated against with ‘Why can’t that guy speak English?’, but conversely, if an American uses a language other than English, they hear ‘Why isn’t that guy using English?’

Americans, so united in their pride for their country, are getting utterly crushed in their national sport, baseball.

Whoosh

Crack

“Swing! Out!”

“Boo!”

“Die! Just die!”

“Damn it! That guy’s salary is 20 million dollars? That bum?”

The American offense in the bottom of the 8th inning ended with another three up, three down.

The score was still 3 to 0, with Korea leading by three runs, as Han Su-hyeok struck out two and induced one groundout against the three American batters in the 8th inning.

American baseball fans, united in their pride as the originators of baseball, and who paid expensive ticket prices to come to the stadium, were on the verge of exploding.

Having faced 25 American batters through the bottom of the 8th inning, Han Su-hyeok was recording 15 strikeouts, continuing a truly one-sided massacre.

If it hadn’t been for that play in the bottom of the 6th, which was close to an error by shortstop Ahn Tae-gyu but was ruled a hit, he would have been on track for a perfect game.

“Stop making those pathetic swings and score some runs!”

“Damn it! Why did you even participate in the Olympics if you were going to play like this?”

“We should have sent college students instead! Then we would have had an excuse even if we lost!”

Korea, the third-largest league in the world, but seen as nothing more than a minor league backwater by the national *ppong*-filled eyes of Americans.

They simply couldn’t tolerate their national team, with all its big leaguers, being unilaterally dragged around by such a Korean team.

The only reason that discontent hadn’t turned into a riot was that the pitchers who came on after Andrew Davis hadn’t allowed Korea to score any additional runs through the 8th inning.

Yes, the home run in the 1st inning must have been a fluke. Even the best pitchers can give up home runs sometimes.

They’ll catch up soon. They’ll flatten the noses of those arrogant Asians with a great home run.

They watched the game, trying to comfort themselves, but it wasn’t happening.

As of the end of the 8th inning, the United States still hadn’t scored a single run and was being dominated.

“I paid that much money to watch this kind of shitty game!”

“Die! Just die, all of you!”

In the top of the 9th, the American team’s closer came to the mound and struck out the Korean team’s bottom-tier hitters in order.

Now, with the United States trailing by three runs, only their final attack remained.

Watching Han Su-hyeok, still guarding the mound with an indifferent expression, Ty Johnson let out a dumbfounded laugh.

He had made various preparations ahead of today’s game.

Preparations to face Han Su-hyeok, who was announced as the starter, and analysis of Ryu Han-gyeol, who was expected to come out after him, weaknesses of the Korean defense, etc.

But it was all useless.

Han Su-hyeok was single-handedly facing the American national team, which he himself thought was the best in history in terms of balance.

With 105 pitches thrown heading into the bottom of the 9th.

In the Olympic final, where there was no pitch limit, Han Su-hyeok was continuing to compete as efficiently as possible.

A face that seemed calm, yet contained a strong competitive spirit within.

Watching Han Su-hyeok’s face, Ty Johnson thought.

All he had done today was struggle to avoid striking out.

With the hitters in front of and behind him striking out left and right, he wanted to show that he was somehow different.

Center field flyout, second baseman groundout, and first baseman lineout.

As he had aimed for, he didn’t strike out once.

But was that really the right path?

Right now, that guy is leading teammates who are barely Triple-A level [the highest level of minor league baseball] and fighting head-on like this, but he was so afraid of striking out that he made such a stupid swing.

“Haa… this is something.”

But it was already too late.

The American team’s final attack starting from the 8th hitter.

Unless something extraordinary happens, it seems unlikely that the order will reach the 4th batter.

The word ‘defeat’ was already in the head of the superstar representing the United States.

* * *

Baseball is a sport of records, probabilities, and statistics.

In other sports, there are often cases where stars who shine brightly for a year or two and then disappear are treated as legends, but that is absolutely impossible in baseball.

A career built up over at least 10 years, and often more than 20 years.

In front of that career, which contains the life of a player and the history of the fans who have cheered him on and grown old with him, nothing can carelessly put its name forward.

But sometimes there are exceptions.

American baseball fans, who thought their league and players were the best, tasted defeat twice in a row, at the 2027 WBC [World Baseball Classic] and then at the 2028 Olympics.

Even in tournaments where the league’s top stars participated.

It was a perfect defeat with no room for excuses.

Here, the best player who frustrated the United States twice in a row is smiling brightly with a gold medal around his neck.

“Wow!”

“Han Su-hyeok!”

“Awesome! The best! You’re really the best!”

“Oppa!” [Korean term used by younger women to address older brothers or male friends]

With Han Su-hyeok in the lead, players wearing uniforms with the Korean flag on them took turns going up to the podium and putting gold medals around their necks.

Gold medal for Korea, silver medal for the United States, bronze medal for the Dominican Republic.

The players who fought their best put medals around their necks and greeted the fans.

Han Su-hyeok, who waved his hand once towards Min Ye-rin, who had not once invaded the field throughout this Olympic Games, in some ways achieving a more miraculous result than the Korean team’s gold medal win, slowly came down from the awards platform.

“This is… this is it! Gold! Me! Dal! (Medal)” [A playful Korean-English pun]

“Wow! What on earth is happening! Is this a real gold medal? Is this plated? It’s not gold, is it?”

“Hey, hey, that’s real gold, and more importantly, be careful not to get it stolen. You have to return it to the association when you go back to Korea, and if you lose it, you have to pay for it out of your own pocket.”

“…Really?”

“Of course, Seong-su *hyung* [Korean term for older brother or male friend] lost it back in 2008 and had to pay quite a bit of money, I think. Anyway, be careful. It’ll be a bit of a burden for rookies who don’t make much money to pay for it.”

“Hey, Ahn Chi-wook. I don’t think this is going to work. Let’s entrust this to Manager Kim.”

“Should we? Yeah, that’d be better.”

The veterans were teasing the youngest members of the national team, who were out of their minds thanks to the sweet fruits of their first-ever appearance in an adult national team game, a gold medal, and exemption from military service.

But, of course, there wasn’t a single player who joked or teased Han Su-hyeok.

There were players who cheered, calling Han Su-hyeok’s name, or bowed their heads without saying a word, or suddenly came up and hugged him.

A 3-run game-winning home run in the gold medal game against the United States, and a 9-inning, 1-hit shutout.

Frankly speaking, this Olympic gold medal was as good as won by Han Su-hyeok alone.

Some say.

Unlike other sports, baseball is a sport where you can’t do anything alone.

Therefore, the most important thing is the team, not the individual, and no player can be greater than the team.

Yes, that was right.

Until Han Su-hyeok appeared, doing all three things: hitter, fielder, and pitcher, all by himself.

Some experts who had been trying to deny Han Su-hyeok’s existence until today’s game, and conservative baseball fans who were convinced that the American baseball team would crush the Olympics like the 1992 Barcelona Olympics’ Dream Team.

Even those people now had no choice but to acknowledge Han Su-hyeok.

“Ehey, I didn’t necessarily want this, Ty.”

“Hehe, it’s okay. James, you come over here too. You said you wanted to talk to Han Su-hyeok directly.”

“Oh, no! It’s okay. That’s just what I said…….”

“Why are you guys so shy? Shut up and come with me. Hey, Han. Can I talk to you for a second?”

Someone called out to Han Su-hyeok, who was coming down from the awards platform after the awards ceremony.

Ty Johnson, the star player and captain of this American national team, was approaching Han Su-hyeok with one person tightly hugged in each arm.

The two guys, who were no match for Ty Johnson in terms of physicality, and looked like they were being held in his arms, were Andrew Davis, who started today, and James Taylor, who played as the 3rd hitter.

Next-generation stars who would each represent the United States in pitching and hitting.

Han Su-hyeok, who chuckled at the sight, first extended his hand towards Ty.

“Today was fun, Ty.”

“Oh, yeah. I enjoyed it too. Wait, have we ever had a conversation somewhere? As far as I remember…….”

“No, we haven’t.”

“Hmm, I see. That’s strange. Why does it feel so familiar…… Anyway, good. It’s nothing much, but these guys said they really wanted to talk to you.”

Only then did the two people, who had been released from Ty Johnson’s grasp, awkwardly extend their hands towards Han Su-hyeok for a handshake.

“Damn it, Andrew. I was first.”

“The guy who struck out three times is being brazen.”

“What? Then is the guy who got hit with the game-winning home run allowed to be brazen?”

“…Damn it.”

I shook hands with the two guys, who were clearly five years older than me, but who looked like nothing more than young punks to my eyes.

“You really have a pitcher’s hand.”

“This isn’t a pitcher’s hand. It’s a hitter’s hand.”

“You ignorant fool.”

“A moron whose head is full of muscles.”

Leaving behind the next-generation stars who had been bickering like that since their college days, Ty Johnson asked me.

“Hey.”

“I don’t know what it is, but tell me quickly. I’m still a rookie who has to be mindful of my seniors.”

Han Su-hyeok shrugged, pointing to the Korean team gathered far away.

Ty Johnson burst into a hearty laugh at Han Su-hyeok’s reaction.

“Haha, damn it, it’s only now that it hits me. I’ve been humiliated by a mere twenty-year-old punk?”

“Well, I think the expression ‘punk’ is more appropriate for those two over there.”

Han Su-hyeok’s finger pointed to where Andrew and James were still arguing and wrestling.

Ty Johnson nodded his head without realizing it.

Han Su-hyeok was right.

What’s the point of bringing up age or seniority to a monster who can control the game like that?

But that didn’t mean that Ty Johnson had truly surrendered to Han Su-hyeok.

Although he had lost, this was only a short-term match.

In the Big League [Major League Baseball], where 162 games are played in a season, shouldn’t we be able to discuss the outcome only after playing together for a year, or at least a few years?

Whether we play on the same team or on different teams.

With that in mind, Ty Johnson asked.

“How long are you going to stay there?”

“There?”

“That place is too small for you. Come over. I’ll talk to the general manager. I’ll tell him to bring you over no matter what it takes. I don’t know what you want, but there’s probably nothing we can’t do. So come to America. I’ll be waiting.”

Han Su-hyeok didn’t bother to answer.

In the past, it was something that wasn’t even worth thinking about, something he had already done once, and because he knew what was at the end of it,

He thought it was a place he never wanted to go back to,

But the thrilling sensation that arose from competing with the world’s top-level players made Han Su-hyeok hesitate.

Of course, not right now.

But someday, someday that might happen.

Thinking that, Han Su-hyeok left the spot.

Thus, the Korean national baseball team, which had initially set out with the goal of winning a bronze medal, returned to Korea with gold medals around their necks.