On The Rise As A Catcher [EN]: Chapter 119

“Why? Are you worried about the money?”

“It’s not about the money, but how are we going to eat all this?”

“I can eat half of this by myself. Don’t worry. This is a meal, and this is for drinks.”

“Amazing, really. What are Jjajangmyeon [black bean noodles] and Jjamppong [spicy seafood noodle soup] if not meals?”

“Appetizers?”

It was the first time in a while that the four of them had met, but they didn’t share any special stories, as if they had met just yesterday.

Jung Minam talked about meeting a difficult customer, Kim Nayoung whined about how hard studying was, and Kim Youngseok… said he was taking a leave of absence.

“Leave of absence?”

“Yeah, my parents want me to try for medical school.”

“So, you’re a student again? Wow. We have two students now.”

“This year, I’m just taking it as a trial run, and I’ll study with the goal of next year.”

“Okay, you’re going through a lot. Work hard. Give it your best shot.”

Having drinks with lunch led to the gathering continuing until dinner.

Kim Youngseok, tipsy, suddenly stood up from his seat.

“Huh? Is that our graduation album?”

“That? Oh, I was wondering where it was. It was out in the living room.”

Kim Youngseok pulled the middle school album off the living room bookshelf.

As Kim Youngseok opened the album, Kim Nayoung and Jung Minam came over to look at it.

“Here’s Jung Minam. Wow, you looked old even back then.”

Jung Minam frowned at Kim Youngseok’s joke.

“Says you. You’ve always had that goofy face.”

“Not changing is a good thing. You know, like an evergreen pine tree?”

“You should be glad you didn’t have a runny nose. If you did, you would have been 100% goofy.”

“Here’s Nayoung too. Nayoung… I think you were prettier back then? Have you regressed a bit?”

Kim Nayoung punched Kim Youngseok’s butt hard.

“Do you want to die?”

“Ouch, your punch is just as painful as it was back then.”

Jung Minam flipped through the album and found Song Seokhyun.

“The one who improved the most here is definitely Song Seokhyun. Can we agree on that?”

“Agreed.”

“I agree too.”

Song Seokhyun frowned as he was cleaning up.

“What do you mean improved? I was fine back then too?”

“Weren’t you about the same height as Youngseok until middle school 2nd year? You suddenly shot up in middle school 3rd year.”

“That’s right. He was about my height, but in middle school 3rd year, he grew over 180cm [approximately 5’11”], and I felt so betrayed.”

Song Seokhyun said.

“Ha, back then, I thought I’d grow to about 190cm [approximately 6’3″].”

“He really hasn’t improved. How can your height from middle school 3rd year last a lifetime?”

“Still, I’m not giving up hope. I still think I can grow taller. Some people grow in the military, you know.”

“Ugh, why am I not growing? I just wish I could grow 5cm [approximately 2 inches] more.”

While Kim Youngseok and Jung Minam were making a fuss, Kim Nayoung quietly stared at the graduation album.

Kim Youngseok looked at Kim Nayoung and said.

“Come to think of it, Seokhyun was popular in middle school 3rd year, wasn’t he? Nayoung, your friends kept asking you to introduce them to Seokhyun, right?”

Kim Nayoung nodded.

“That’s right. I got a lot of Tteokbokki [spicy rice cakes] back then.”

“So, did you introduce them?”

“I introduced him once, but he bailed. Thanks to that, I had a hard time comforting her.”

“Wow, Song Seokhyun. A jerk. Why did you bail? Was she ugly?”

Song Seokhyun took out a wet wipe and wiped the floor.

“No, she was okay.”

“Then why did you bail?”

“I don’t know. Why did I do that… I don’t remember.”

“Wow, I’m so jealous. I want to go on a blind date too. Youngseok, set me up on a blind date. Huh?”

“I want to too……”

“Why can’t you, as a college student?”

“Do you think college students suddenly get girlfriends?”

“Ha, I only work, so there’s no way to meet a girl. Nayoung, your friend-.”

“I’m on leave of absence too, so what.”

“……There’s no one helpful here, no one helpful.”

Song Seokhyun said.

“Should I introduce you to some of my close older friends? That’s also a blind date.”

“Yeah, get lost.”

“If you’re done looking at the album, help me clean up?”

“Yeah, no.”

“Did I eat a blue frog for a snack [Korean expression for ‘why am I so unlucky’]……”

Kim Nayoung closed the album and put it back on the bookshelf.

Kim Youngseok, in high spirits, insisted on going to the arcade together after a long time.

Jung Minam, drunk, readily agreed.

Song Seokhyun scratched his head.

“I have to clean this up before I can go.”

“Then clean up and come. We’ll go ahead.”

“Hey, come on. Are you really going to do this?”

Jung Minam waved his hand as he changed his shoes.

“We’ll be waiting.”

Kim Youngseok followed behind.

“Hurry up and clean up.”

As the two left, only Song Seokhyun and Kim Nayoung remained in the house.

Kim Nayoung sat down and helped with the cleaning.

“Let’s clean up quickly and go.”

“……Okay.”

Kim Nayoung silently helped with the tidying up.

After finishing the cleanup, the two left the house.

Kim Nayoung walked ahead and asked.

“But there’s something I’m curious about.”

“What is it?”

“Back then, when you went on that blind date.”

“……When was that?”

“At the arcade. Don’t you remember?”

“Hmm, when was that.”

“When you got into a fight with those punks at the arcade.”

“Ah, that time.”

“Yeah, I introduced you two and then went to the arcade. But how did you know and come find me right away?”

Song Seokhyun sighed.

“Ah, right. There were baseball club juniors there at the time. Who at our school doesn’t know your face? So, they called me.”

“So, that’s why you came so quickly?”

“Come to think of it, that’s why I bailed on the blind date. Kim Nayoung, it was because of you. Ah, she was pretty. Didn’t they say her family was well-off? If things had gone well with her, I would have had a reliable in-law family, which would have been perfect.”

Kim Nayoung stopped walking.

“Why would you have in-laws when you’re dating in middle school?”

“Well, if things go well, it could happen.”

“……”

“What are you doing? Aren’t you coming?”

Song Seokhyun walked ahead, leaving Kim Nayoung behind.

Kim Nayoung stared intently at Song Seokhyun’s back.

That day.

Kim Nayoung headed to the arcade with a hollow feeling after setting them up.

She didn’t know why she felt hollow back then.

She thought it would be a good thing if they got together since they were both close friends and good people, but a corner of her heart ached.

Feeling depressed, she played Pump It Up in the arcade, sweating profusely.

She was about to move when she noticed a crowd gathering around her, but she fell and sprained her ankle.

At that time, some mischievous kids took pictures of Kim Nayoung’s underwear with their phones and snickered.

Kim Nayoung asked them to delete the pictures, but they wouldn’t listen.

The argument escalated into a tense atmosphere.

It was then.

Someone grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind them.

Surprised, Kim Nayoung recognized the familiar back.

It was Song Seokhyun.

She felt embarrassed, surprised, and ashamed.

That’s why she didn’t remember what happened at the arcade very well.

The situation was resolved after the arcade owner called the police.

Kim Nayoung and Song Seokhyun didn’t say much on the bus ride home.

After getting off the bus, she realized her ankle was swollen.

Song Seokhyun silently offered his back, and Kim Nayoung got on as if possessed.

It felt strange that the little kid who was shorter than her was now giving her a piggyback ride with his broad back.

Beyond the strangeness, it felt warm and reliable.

Lastly, she felt embarrassed.

Afraid that Song Seokhyun would hear her heart beating so loudly.

That evening, she realized.

That she had fallen in first love.

And she had fallen for her childhood friend whom she had known her whole life.

She was flustered because they had seen everything about each other.

She didn’t know what to do, unlike if they were strangers.

She didn’t know where to start or how to do it, so she hesitated.

There were a few opportunities.

During the middle school graduation trip, Kim Nayoung, flushed from a can of beer, tried to confess to Song Seokhyun, but she ended up throwing up in front of him due to the alcohol, which was forever etched in history as a dark memory.

In high school, Song Seokhyun was too busy dealing with accidents and slumps to have time for confessions.

She decided to confess properly when she went to college, but Song Seokhyun went pro, making it difficult to even see his face lately.

Why does it keep going wrong?

Is the timing off?

Recently, she had been repeating feelings of depression and anger every day.

“Hey, let’s go together.”

“Hurry up and come.”

Kim Nayoung quickened her pace, looking at Song Seokhyun’s back.

But he’s still in front of me.

The opportunity is still in my hands.

She needs to calm her anger and think calmly.

* * *

“Ugh, these Bronze, Silver, Gold noobs [inexperienced players], seriously.”

Song Seokhyun, Jung Minam, and Kim Youngseok were watching Kim Nayoung’s reaction.

The word ‘Defeat’ was written largely on the four people’s computer monitors.

“What’s the point of blowing up mid if one of the top or bottom lanes doesn’t at least go even so we can carry?”

“……”

“Ugh, I’m getting angry. Song Seokhyun.”

“Huh?”

“Go buy some drinks.”

“Oh, okay. Got it.”

The word Diamond was clearly written next to Kim Nayoung’s ID on the scoreboard.

In contrast, Song Seokhyun, Jung Minam, and Kim Youngseok were Bronze and Silver.

“I don’t want to get angry, but I can’t help but get angry, seriously. Ugh.”

After that, the four lost three more times in a row.

Each time they lost the game, Song Seokhyun, Jung Minam, and Kim Youngseok gradually lost their words.

In the end, the four got up from their seats without winning a single game.

“Let’s never talk about going to the arcade after drinking again. Got it?”

At Kim Nayoung’s words, the three men kept their mouths shut and only nodded.

Song Seokhyun received a call from his mother first and headed home.

Kim Nayoung and Jung Minam, who were going in the same direction, walked together.

“Minam.”

“Why?”

“If you get a chance… help me out.”

“With what?”

“You know very well.”

Jung Minam looked troubled.

He remembered the request he received from Song Seokhyun.

“I saw on the internet that if you fail to confess between friends, you’ll never see each other again. I don’t want that to happen. So, ask Seokhyun for me. See if he has any feelings for me. Or, more than that, if there’s anyone else.”

“……”

“Please.”

“……Well… if I get a chance, I’ll ask.”

After sending Kim Nayoung off first, Jung Minam picked up his phone.

He hesitated whether to call Song Seokhyun or not, then put the phone away.

“Ah, being a sandwich is tough [being stuck in the middle of a difficult situation].”

* * *

The next morning.

Song Seokhyun packed his bags early in the morning and headed to Jamsil Stadium.

A 3-game series against the Pegasus at Jamsil.