Peaceful Bullpen Life [EN]: Chapter 119

“Wow… there are so many people….”

The wedding hall was bustling, especially one particular hall that seemed exceptionally crowded.

“I know, right? It’s packed.”

Among the guests were reporters from broadcasting stations and sports news outlets, along with quite a few familiar faces.

After awkwardly maneuvering through the throng, trying not to obstruct anyone,

“Ah, I think it’s this way.”

Minyoung pointed, and I quickly headed in that direction. At the reception desk, the bride and groom’s friends were collecting congratulatory money, and right beside them…

“Oh my god.”

A miniature groom stood smartly dressed in a suit. He looked both perfectly suited and utterly out of place, and I struggled to suppress a laugh.

“Hyung!”

“Oh, you made it.”

It was Gyujin Hyung, one of the main characters of the day.

Gyujin Hyung wasn’t trying to hide his excitement about the big event. Well, it *is* his wedding.

I walked up to the groom, offering my congratulations.

“Wow, we’re getting old, Hyung, aren’t we?”

“Are you crazy? And who’s this? Your girlfriend?”

“Ah, yeah. This is Minyoung. Minyoung, you know Gyujin Hyung, right?”

“Yes, yes! I do!”

Minyoung quickly stepped forward and shook hands with Gyujin Hyung. But looking at them standing side-by-side…

Um…

“Why, what are you thinking about now?”

“Hyung, you need to drink more milk.”

“You crazy bastard.”

It’s Minyoung’s fault for wearing heels.

“Where are the others?”

“Some came earlier, and some will probably be here later.”

Indeed, the groom is incredibly busy on his wedding day. Even while talking to me, his eyes kept darting around.

Knowing I wasn’t the only guest, I kept my greetings brief so he could comfortably greet others and stepped aside.

Ah, of course, not forgetting the congratulatory money.

After receiving two meal tickets, one for me and one for Minyoung, we headed inside the wedding hall to find seats.

“Hey, Hanwool.”

“Oh, Hyung!”

“Hanwool Hyung!”

As I entered the wedding hall, I spotted quite a few faces I hadn’t seen in a while and greeted each one.

Professional players, teammates who didn’t make it to the pros, seniors who went pro but retired early, and so on.

“Hanwool, you seem like a really good person.”

“Pardon?”

As I finished greeting one table and was about to move to another, Minyoung suddenly said something out of the blue from behind.

Naturally, I turned around.

“Everyone who greeted Hanwool seems to have only good memories of you.”

“Well….”

I’ve never really thought of myself as a good person. I’ve just lived my life trying not to make enemies.

But thinking about that now, it does superficially match what Minyoung described.

“But that’s difficult, isn’t it? How can someone live without making a single enemy? That’s even stranger.”

So, when I explained it in my own way, Minyoung responded with her own perspective.

“You came.”

“When did you get here?”

“About 10 minutes ago?”

“Yo, Myunggyu, hi.”

“Oh, hi… who’s… this?”

“This is my girlfriend, Minyoung.”

“Ah, hello!”

“You know them, right? Woosuk and Myunggyu.”

“Yes, yes, I do!”

“…….”

Woosuk and Myunggyu teamed up and started playfully insulting me. Of course, I didn’t feel any malice…

“You’re the worst bastard.”

“Seriously, I knew it from when you stopped hanging out with us.”

Didn’t feel any…

“Don’t ever say you’re our friend.”

“Seriously, you’re a disgrace to Yangan High.”

Not…

“Let’s just hang out with each other.”

“Yeah, we’re good with just us.”

…

“…Where’s Kyungbae? Hyunjin hasn’t come yet either?”

“Hyunjin went to the bathroom. Kyungbae will be here soon… Ah, Hyunjin’s here.”

“You came.”

“Hello, Senior.”

“…….”

Ah, please.

As soon as Hyunjin saw me, he bowed 90 degrees again.

“Oh my.”

Woosuk and Myunggyu were used to it, so they didn’t care, but Minyoung, who was watching from the side, seemed quite surprised by the sight.

“…Don’t mind him, he’s always like this.”

“That’s right. I have always respected, cherished, and admired Senior….”

“Stop it!”

“…….”

Even as my head was aching, Minyoung was laughing happily.

“Is that your sister-in-law next to you?”

“Ah, sister-in-law….”

Should I say sister-in-law?

“…….”

For a moment, our eyes met.

“Uh… well. She’s your sister-in-law, to you.”

Oh well, whatever.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Yes, well… nice to meet you too.”

While Minyoung was flustered,

“Hey, everyone’s here.”

“Kyungbae, long time no see.”

“You look good.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

Kyungbae also arrived.

“Hey, sorry I couldn’t make it to the wedding.”

“It’s okay. I know you’re busy. I’ll see you when you get married. This is your wife next to you.”

“Ah, yeah.”

“Oh my, nice to meet you. This guy is a little lacking, so you have to take care of him a lot.”

“Yes, yes….”

“This is Kyungbae. He was our catcher in high school when Gyujin Hyung and I were playing. Nice to meet your wife too.”

“Yes, hello.”

With Kyungbae and his wife joining, the Yangan High family was complete.

Inside the quiet yet bustling wedding hall, Myunggyu and Hyunjin, and Woosuk and Kyungbae were seen talking.

Kyungbae’s wife seemed to be quite outgoing, boldly participating in the conversation between Kyungbae and Woosuk.

In the midst of it, Minyoung seemed somewhat out of place, looking a bit awkward, though it wasn’t too obvious.

I wanted to reassure her somehow, but it was difficult to choose the right words.

So…

“Huh?”

Instead of words, I just reached out and took Minyoung’s hand. Minyoung flinched in surprise and turned to me, her eyes widening.

“…….”

As our eyes met and we felt each other’s warmth, the embarrassment gradually faded from Minyoung’s face.

The empty space was filled with comfort and coziness, and I smiled contentedly at her expression.

“Minyoung.”

“Yes.”

“…Well, this might be a bit premature.”

“Yes?”

“Someday, we’ll be like that too, going around together here and there.”

My head was turned towards Minyoung, but my gaze was directed towards Kyungbae’s couple. Minyoung’s face turned red as she looked at the same couple, following my gaze.

“Well….”

I wasn’t really expecting an answer. Just conveying my feelings was the top priority.

When I thought Minyoung had calmed down to some extent, I slightly loosened my grip on her hand, but I still held it.

“…Yes. Someday, we’ll… go around together.”

“…….”

Although her small voice was lost in the crowd, I clearly heard it and turned my head again, only to see her with her head bowed.

I gently stroked her hair, and her face turned adorably red as she smiled.

* * *

Gyujin Hyung became a married man without a hitch. While we were eating, he finished the *pyebaek* [Korean traditional wedding ceremony where the bride offers tea to the groom’s parents] and came down to the restaurant to greet us one more time before leaving.

He looked happy.

“What about you guys? What are you going to do?”

Thanks to that, our Yangan High crew, who had reunited, had to decide where to go next.

But if it were just the guys, I wouldn’t know…

“Ah, we’re going first. I have to go to my wife’s house.”

With two people accompanied by their wives or girlfriends, it would be a bit strange to all hang out together.

“Kyungbae, take care. Let’s keep in touch.”

“Go on. You did well in whatever that Premier12 thing was.”

“You.”

After slapping hands with Kyungbae once, we bumped shoulders to confirm our friendship.

As we watched one couple wave and leave, all that was left was one couple and three guys.

“What about you guys?”

“We’re thinking of grabbing a drink later.”

“Take care. See you later.”

“Hey, go on.”

From the phrase “What about you guys?” it was clear that they intended to split off from the start. Well, they’re not kids. They’ll have fun on their own.

After sending off two friends and one junior, Minyoung and I got back into my car.

“Hanwool, Hanwool.”

“Yes?”

“Hehe, hand!”

As soon as she got in, Minyoung held out her hands to me, stacked on top of each other. As if compelled, I placed my right hand on top of her small hands.

“Hehe….”

Seeing her smile so happily,

“It’s a bit early to go straight home… shall we go to a cafe?”

“Yes!”

I like that too.

The car, with Minyoung’s home address still entered in the navigation, slowly drove down the road.

The atmosphere was quite good. No, it was very good. Was it from a few days ago, after Minyoung visited my house?

“Hanwool, Hanwool!”

“Yes, yes?”

“Look, look at this.”

“What is it….”

*Chu*—

“…Yo?”

It felt like some kind of limit had been broken.

My actions, following Minyoung’s voice while stopped at a traffic light, were all under Minyoung’s thorough control.

As she gently stroked my cheek, which felt a bit tingly, I saw Minyoung’s playfully smiling face.

“…….”

What should I say? I’m annoyed, but in a good way.

“Minyoung.”

“Yes?”

“…….”

*Thump!*

“Oh… Hanwool?”

Without hesitation, both hands moved to grab Minyoung’s cheeks. I felt quite satisfied seeing the surprise in her wandering gaze, but

*Chu*—

“…….”

“Meh.”

I had to complete it up to this point.

“…….”

For a moment, we looked into each other’s eyes, and a strange atmosphere filled the car. With the laughter slightly toned down, our faces gradually got closer…

*Honk*—!

“Ah.”

…But we were on the road.

I quickly regained my senses, checked my surroundings, and stepped on the accelerator.

“Ahem.”

Right, the next thing to do is to navigate the awkwardness.

The innocent people who couldn’t even look at each other’s faces properly,

“You have arrived at your destination.”

Until the car’s gear was parked in P [Park], we couldn’t say anything.

“Well… let’s get out.”

“Yes….”

After getting out of the car, we went into the cafe near Minyoung’s house that we often visited.

We ordered our drinks from the now familiar owner and sat down in a spot with a good atmosphere.

“Come to think of it… you’re going to rest for a while, right?”

“That’s right. Resting… well, in some ways, resting isn’t really resting, but it is resting.”

If you only look at the fact that I’m not doing anything, it’s right to say I’m resting. But can you really say it’s resting when I have to take full responsibility for the results?

“Please, really get some rest. You worked so hard this season. The regular season, the Korean Series, and then the Premier12 right away. And then, going to various events after the tournament.”

“It was a bit concentrated in the second half.”

“And you threw a lot in the second half of the year before last, right?”

“Yes? Ah, yes.”

Minyoung, who had gone beyond just liking baseball and had now taken on the position of a baseball player’s girlfriend, began a rather professional analysis.

“The reason why you were a bit sluggish at the beginning of this season might not be unrelated to that. In some ways, this season and next year seem a bit similar.”

“Hmm….”

“You have to manage yourself well.”

“I have to.”

“You know? The 3 years that Hanwool talked about, next year is the last one.”

“Ah… that’s right.”

The 3-year deadline I blurted out without thinking during the 2017 semi-playoffs. Before I knew it, the last chance of those 3 years was right in front of me.

If it felt completely impossible, I would have gently persuaded myself to move on, but considering that I had improved every year, step by step, and had reached right before it this year…

“Hmm….”

If I were to give up here, it would be even more embarrassing.

“Hanwool.”

I was lost in unnecessary thoughts and raised my head at the sound of my name being called. I thought I would get scolded for my useless nonsense, but Minyoung was smiling warmly.

“Yes.”

“Winning is good, but you know what’s more important than that, right?”

“Yes?”

I have no idea.

“Winning is… good, of course it’s good. But more than that, I hope that Hanwool and all the other players don’t get hurt.”

“…….”

Not getting hurt.

When based on a professional player, it’s a contradiction that must be excluded first, but also must be considered first as a human being.

“No one will get hurt, and we’ll win.”

“That sounds good.”

I felt a strong pressure on my hand. It wasn’t painful at all, but rather a pleasant pressure.

“Hehe….”