Genius Pitcher Hides 170Km [EN]: Chapter 46

#45. The Monster

“No!”

He shot up.

“Hah, hah, hah…”

Tonight, Choi Kyung-jae, the ace of Suwon, who was scheduled to start in the second away game against the Seoul Warriors, woke up from a nightmare, screaming.

‘It was all a dream…?’

It was so vivid. So real that he could believe that *that* was reality, and *this* moment was the dream.

Trickle.

He was drenched in sweat from how much he had suffered in the dream. Sweat dripping from his forehead fell onto the pillow.

“Haa…”

He dragged his trembling legs to the refrigerator.

Gulp, gulp.

After finishing half of a two-liter bottle of water, he finally came to his senses.

Without realizing it, a curse popped out of his mouth.

“…Shit.”

Han Su-hyeok, who hit consecutive home runs against Choi Kyung-jae in the practice game during the last spring training.

A monstrous guy who was hard to believe was a rookie in his first year.

In his dream, he was hit with 10 consecutive home runs by that guy this time.

No resistance was of any use.

His fastball, thrown with all his might, and the ball he threw as if running away because he didn’t want to get hit anymore, all became towering home runs and disappeared somewhere.

“…Shit, shit.”

He knew it was all a dream, but he felt so disturbed.

The face of Han Su-hyeok in his dream, laughing at him after hitting a tremendous home run, was still vivid.

He just really didn’t want to go to the baseball field.

He didn’t want to do anything but stay home all day.

‘Should I say I’m sick and lie down… or should I throw one right into his back as soon as it starts and get ejected? No, he doesn’t seem to care about seniority when he’s angry… Haa, what should I do?’

He turned his head and saw that it was only 3 a.m., and Choi Kyung-jae had to spend the night awake, unable to sleep in case he had that nightmare again.

* * *

Let’s cut to the chase.

The conclusion reached after talking with Sung-hoon *hyung* [older brother or close male friend] is that it is impossible to recruit Seo Hyung-joo right now. Even if the Falcons have mostly skeptical opinions about him, he is still a first-round rookie.

Of course, we have the Park Jae-cheol general manager card, which is close to a cheat code against Daejeon, but if we go to him and ask for Seo Hyung-joo, we will get slapped in the face and kicked out.

We’ll have to wait a little longer. Until Daejeon treats Seo Hyung-joo as completely useless, or until we have a card that can entice Daejeon.

“Hmm…”

Anyway, that’s that, and what’s important right now is the game in front of us.

We lost again in the second game against Daejeon.

Seo Hyung-joo continued to make mistakes and even hit into a double play, inadvertently helping the Warriors, but it was useless.

Senior Jung Tae-ho, who is usually just an ordinary fourth starter but turns into an ace when he comes to Daejeon, pitched well. However, the relief pitchers who came up after him collapsed one after another, and the game was blown in an instant.

Ryan Stark took the mound in the following third game.

But the Warriors’ ace also failed to break the losing streak.

This time, my two classmates, who played as shortstop and third baseman, caused a huge implosion and destroyed the pitcher’s mentality, and in the end, they couldn’t turn the atmosphere around and lost the game.

As naturally as water flows, it’s a three-game losing streak.

The Warriors, who had given up all three away games against Daejeon in vain, returned to Jamsil Stadium for the first game against Suwon.

But

“Die! Just disband them all!”

“Are you guys professionals! How can you get paid hundreds of millions of won with that kind of play?”

“Just send them all down to the minors and bring up the rookies!”

I’m sorry, but there are no rookies to bring up to the minors.

Anyway, a losing streak is originally like that.

Once it starts, it’s like a swamp that you can’t easily escape from, no matter how hard you try to get out.

The first home game against Suwon was exactly that case.

The Warriors players, who were in a three-game losing streak, gritted their teeth and rushed in, but big and small problems broke out here and there, and they lost the game again.

This is a four-game losing streak. The Warriors ended up losing all the games I missed.

Wow.

﹂I was mistaken for a moment

﹂About what?

﹂I thought the Warriors were strong, but it turns out Han Su-hyeok is just strong

﹂Did you just realize that?

﹂Damn…ㅋㅋㅋ I didn’t expect it to be such a mess just because one rookie was missing

﹂From now on, if there’s a bench clearing, Han Su-hyeok should be tied to the dugout pillar

﹂Well, Jang Deok-soo alone can handle everything, so Han Su-hyeok doesn’t need to step up

﹂Haa… It’s only been four games, but my head is spinning… Come back soon…

Rustle.

Back on the ground after four games.

Feeling the touch of the grass after a long time, I am preparing for the second game against the Suwon Commanders.

“Ahn Chi-wook, put some strength in your eyes.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t make that face like you’ve seen the world, and go look at the opponent’s pitcher data one more time.”

“……”

Is it because they’ve lost four games in a row? The eyes of the team members have all turned into dull, lifeless eyes.

In addition, the spectators gathered at Jamsil Baseball Stadium were ready to publicly excoriate the Warriors players.

“You should have just disbanded instead of selling! Huh?”

“It’s not too late now! Just quit!”

“Is it a team that loses four games in a row just because one rookie is missing! Huh?”

It’s a rare and intense reaction from the crowd in Korean baseball. I even wondered if I was standing in the Cubs’ home stadium.

“Han Su-hyeok!”

Um, my name is popping up too?

“Hey! You! Bench clearing is good, but because of you! Haa… No, it’s not your fault.”

“Hit them so they don’t get caught!”

“If you think there’s going to be a fight, run away to this side! I’ll hit them for you!”

A man in a military uniform wearing a red Marine Corps hat shouted while hanging on the net, and was dragged away somewhere by security personnel.

I feel like there are more people hanging on there since Min Ye-rin started climbing up and down the safety net like it was her own home.

The fans’ intense reaction is not only because the team’s ranking plummeted from 1st to 5th in an instant.

The Warriors fans are experiencing a kind of PTSD right now.

The nightmare of being stuck at the bottom of the league has come back to haunt them.

I know what is most needed in times like these through long experience.

“Hey, Su-hyeok. Who are you glaring at so fiercely? Why? Are you going to beat someone up again?”

“No, I’m not a gangster.”

“Hehe, just kidding. Just kidding.”

Following Senior Choi Min-seok, even Ahn Chi-wook added a word as he passed by.

“Han Su-hyeok, you’ll get aggravated punishment if you cause another bench clearing after your suspension is lifted.”

“Shut up, did you look at all the data I told you to? Do your job before you start talking.”

“Why, whenever I say something…”

Um, is my glare really that weird?

It’s not like I really want to beat someone up like that guy said.

Just my head is full of thoughts of blowing up Choi Kyung-jae, the starting pitcher of the opposing team, who is warming up in the away team’s bullpen over there.

* * *

“Out!”

“Nice!”

“Man-shik is doing well!”

“It feels like we’re watching baseball now!”

The first attack by Suwon in the top of the first inning ended without a score.

Senior Lee Man-shik gained strength as all the key players, including me, returned.

He gave up a hit to Suwon’s first batter, but he handled the next batters one after another, holding them scoreless in the first inning.

Following that, the Warriors’ attack in the bottom of the first inning.

Senior Lee Chang-mo, the first batter, and Senior Choi Min-seok, the second batter, were both struck out, and it was my turn to bat.

As soon as I stood at the plate, the opposing catcher spoke to me.

“Hey, you’re really good.”

“Thank you, *senior* [term of respect for someone older or more experienced].”

“Yeah, if our pitchers throw the ball in a weird place, just think of it as a mistake and don’t get too angry, okay? Let’s go easy on each other. Kyung-jae is too soft-hearted to throw a beanball even if you tell him to.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Tell Deok-soo to be nice too. Yong-tae accidentally looked back a while ago, and he was staring at him like he was going to kill him? If he glares like that, people with weak hearts might faint and not wake up.”

“He probably just looked without thinking, but I’ll still tell him.”

“Good, thank you. In that sense, I’ll give you a center fastball for the first pitch.”

Jeong Dae-han, the Suwon catcher who I got to know in the last practice game, joked and took a catching stance.

It’s obvious, but is it because I beat up Hwang Seong-min? The way the Suwon players look at me is very different from the practice game before.

It’s like there’s not even a little bit of kindness towards the youngest, or the junior.

Yeah, it seems like the comfortable youngest life in the baseball world that I expected is gone after all.

It doesn’t matter.

I didn’t pick up the bat and glove again just to socialize.

“Ball!”

By the way, he said it was a center fastball.

“Thank you for the center fastball.”

“Ahaha, Kyung-jae’s control is a bit off today. I’ll give you a really good ball next time.”

Unlike Jeong Dae-han’s words that he would give me a good ball in the center, a slider that flowed out of the zone came in.

When I didn’t budge at that ball, Jeong Dae-han joked again and patted his catcher’s mitt.

At least this *senior* doesn’t have much change in attitude.

I don’t know if this is sincere or acting, but it looks like it on the outside anyway.

“It’s real… I’ll give you a good ball, so trust me, *hyung*.”

Well, that’s not important.

I learned after listening to our power analysis team’s explanation after the last practice game.

Choi Kyung-jae, the ace of the Suwon Commanders, has a jinx of being taken advantage of by the batter who allowed him to hit a big one in the first confrontation throughout the season.

I could see Choi Kyung-jae sweating profusely from the first inning.

His eyes were bloodshot, as if he hadn’t slept properly. In addition, he kept shaking his head from side to side because the signs didn’t match well.

I can tell without looking. The catcher behind me is asking for a low outside course.

No matter what anyone says, Choi Kyung-jae’s main weapon is that reverse-spin ball that goes out from that full outside course. The ball that you can’t hit even if you know it, and even if you hit it, it becomes a ground ball.

But Choi Kyung-jae, who allowed me to hit consecutive home runs in that course, is instinctively feeling fear.

Okay.

Then the choice becomes very simple.

The ball that Choi Kyung-jae enjoys throwing next to the outside reverse-spin ball, the ball that he has never thrown to me yet.

A high fastball on the inside.

“Okay, this time it’s a full outside slider. If you get a hit, buy me a meal later.”

“Yes, do you like abalone kimchi?”

“What? What’s that?”

I don’t know either.

Min Ye-rin brought it to me last time and I just tried it once.

What was it, they said it was a food that the Joseon Dynasty [Korean kingdom from 1392 to 1897] king used to eat.

Anyway, whatever it is, it doesn’t matter.

The story that the catcher and I are exchanging right now is just useless chatter to confuse each other’s minds.

“Hey, I’m really curious. What is abalone kimchi?”

But Jeong Dae-han kept talking to me as if he was really curious about the name of the food he had never heard before.

I smiled and let it flow in one ear and out the other. And instead of answering, I got ready to hit the high ball.

Level swing optimized for high fastballs instead of the upper swing that I usually use.

Deudeudeuk

In a short time, Choi Kyung-jae, who seemed to have sweated a bucket, blinked his bloodshot eyes and started his windup.

A cool and clean pitching form that can be called the textbook of the overhand.

The ball that was spewed out from that form flew fiercely towards me.

Shooook

Okay. It’s as expected.

A fastball flying into the zone about one ball higher than the highest point.

It’s not my favorite ball, but the ball flew in powerfully to a place where I could create a long hit if I hit it well.

Firmly fix your elbows to your torso, and with the feeling of swinging with your waist, not your arms.

Ttaaaaaak!

“Keuheok!”

The moment of impact, I used that elasticity to throw the bat back with all my might.

The bat that flew spinning flew to the back net in front of the record room, and the batted ball hit by that bat flew like a bullet towards the outfield.

The outfielders didn’t even think about following the speed of the batted ball, and they froze in their places.

Then, a roar was heard from afar.

Kwaaaang!

The spectators who were terrified by the flying batted ball quickly dodged, and the batted ball directly hit the top chair in the left outfield bleachers that had been emptied like that.

Everything happened in an instant.

– Home run! Home run! It’s a home run! An amazing batted ball has come out. Han Su-hyeok’s high ball on the inside was hit by Choi Kyung-jae and stuck straight over the left fence!

– Wow… I can only say it’s really amazing. It may be a bit of a fuss to say this, but even in the major leagues, where only monsters gather, that kind of batted ball is never easy to come out.

– Let’s take a look at the screen again. Ah… this was a batted ball that went over the moment it was hit. If the height of the outfield bleachers was low, I have no idea how far it would have flown. It was like a clothesline.

– Amazing. What should I say this really is…?

– Is it that hard to explain?

– What I mean is, um, so, if you look at Han Su-hyeok’s batting form right now, it was closer to a level swing that laid the bat horizontally instead of the upper swing he usually used. It was also a swing with all the power taken out. But the batted ball that was hit like that flew all the way there. Wow… I really have nothing to say! It’s not enough to express it with the word amazing!

I didn’t move a step from the batter’s box until the batted ball completely went over the fence.

The eyes of the spectators turned to me instead of the batted ball, and only after a late shout came out of their mouths did I slowly move my steps towards first base.

I don’t really want to provoke the opponent.

No matter how much I want to, I don’t want to do something like a bench clearing again as soon as my suspension is over.

This is just a performance for the fans. It’s sending a message.

Look. I’m back to save this team. Don’t worry and cheer hard.

Something like this…

Hum.

It’s a bit embarrassing, but I know from experience that fans’ self-esteem actually rises with this arrogant attitude of the cheering player.

“Uwaaaaa!”

“Yeah! Damn it! This is it! This is it!”

“Su-hyeok! I didn’t curse at you!”

“Welcome back! Never hit people again!”

I turned around the ground as slowly as possible, listening to the tremendous shouts of the fans.

Passing first base to second base, to third base.

“Uwaaa!”

“Eongeongeong! Warriors! Victory… will come! Han Su-hyeok, the best!”

As I stepped on first base, I saw Min Ye-rin sitting in the exciting zone, trembling all over and crying.

I haven’t even formally thanked her for what happened last time, but seeing her crying like that makes me feel sorry for no reason.

But that’s just a thought, and I don’t know enough about other people’s feelings to actually do something.

“Waaaa!”

Pushing the thoughts that came to my mind to one side, I headed to third base.

The mercenary of Suwon, who was guarding that base, was glaring at me with a bad feeling, so I deliberately slowed down my pace and said a word to him.

“If you don’t turn those fucking eyes somewhere else, you’ll know what the bitterness of life is.”

He flinched and lowered his gaze to the floor, as if he didn’t even think I would throw a curse at him in English.

When dealing with guys like that, you need to go out strong. Guys who have played in the United States sometimes judge concessions and consideration as the other person being scared.

Like that, I turned around third base and headed home.

“Su-hyeok! You!”

“Good job!”

“I’m buying dinner tonight!”

I sat down on the bench, receiving the welcome of my teammates.

When I turned my gaze to the mound, Choi Kyung-jae was still staring at the ground and muttering something. The catcher in front of him felt embarrassed.

I guarantee it.

That pitcher won’t be able to pitch much today.

* * *

“Kyung-jae. Just trust me and throw it low, okay?”

“*Hyung*, I think I’m screwed. I feel like I’m going to get hit no matter where I throw it, what should I do?”

“Hey, Kyung-jae… what the hell are you talking about? It’s okay, your ball is good today.”

“Haa… shit, I had a bad dream today, why is that bastard not going to the major leagues and staying here? Is that a human? How can he hit that ball like that and send it flying all the way there?”

“Okay, okay, calm down first.”

“Last time, I threw it high on the inside because he was digging up the low ball like crazy, but he *neomgyeobeorine* [Korean slang for ‘hit it over the fence’]? Crazy, *keke*, crazy, really. *Kekeke*.”

As Choi Kyung-jae, who had lost his mind, muttered words that even he couldn’t understand, catcher Jeong Dae-han’s heart sank.

He has been working with Choi Kyung-jae for several years and knows why Choi Kyung-jae, who usually shows powerful pitching that is among the top five domestic pitchers, is pushed back by Ryu Han-gyeol or Im Jun-yeong and can only be a relief pitcher when he is called up to the national team.

It was the problem of this mentality, which was so *buanhagi jjakieomneun*, *yuri gatdaneun mallo bakke neun pyohyeon andoeneun* [Korean for ‘unstable’, ‘can only be described as glass’].

But there’s nothing I can do right now.

Considering that one mercenary pitcher has been completely excluded from the first team due to injury, I have to soothe Choi Kyung-jae so that his mentality doesn’t collapse any further.

“Ha, *hyung*. Isn’t what I said true? Why is a bastard like that playing in Korea, why!”

I nodded as if agreeing with Choi Kyung-jae’s words.

And after gesturing sorry to the referee who was looking at his watch, he turned his gaze to the dugout and made eye contact with the manager.

Dori Dori [Shaking head side to side]

If you say one thing, you know another.

As the starting catcher Jeong Dae-han shook his head from side to side with a serious face, Suwon’s manager said as if muttering with a firm expression.

“Tell the middle relief guys to prepare, and report the ones in good condition first.”

“Already?”

“Just do it if I tell you to.”

Choi Yong-shik, the manager of Suwon, a strong team that recorded 3rd place last year, forcibly calmed his mind while *dasimyeo sseupsseulhan immateul* [Korean for ‘bitterly swallowing his saliva’].

The game has just started, and the ace is on the mound, but I have to prepare the next pitcher already.

‘Haa, damn it. If I had known he was such a monster, I wouldn’t have sent Kyung-jae to the practice game. Was I trying to kill that bastard’s spirit? Crazy…’

If there was something like a time machine, I wanted to go back to before the practice game and punch my stupid chin.

* * *