Peaceful Bullpen Life [EN]: Chapter 133

As people age, they naturally progress through different stages in their careers. Similarly, as time goes on, they encounter individuals who will eventually follow in their path.

This holds true for baseball players who dedicate their lives to the sport.

To put it simply, everyone begins as a rookie surrounded by veterans. As time passes, veterans and younger players coexist. Eventually, the scene becomes dominated by younger players.

From that perspective, I’m somewhat of an anomaly. While not the most senior player, perhaps due to the unique environment of the Wonha Challengers, I found myself in a world filled with younger players sooner than expected.

“Hyuk-jun, could you get me some water?”

“Of course! Hwang Hyuk-jun, at your service, delivering a glass of water to our esteemed Cooking King, Joking King, Unfair King Han-wool *hyung* [a Korean term for ‘older brother’ or ‘senior male friend’].”

“……”

Admittedly, it’s a bit disheartening that these younger players are all a little eccentric, but I have a responsibility to guide them.

Not just because I’m their *sunbae* [Korean term for ‘senior’ or ‘mentor’], but also because of the title I hold.

That’s right, the captain.

It’s not merely a ceremonial position given to me as the face of the team.

They entrusted me with this title, expecting me to fulfill the roles and responsibilities that come with being a captain.

“You’re really, really a bad guy.”

“Oh… I’ll gladly accept any criticism from our Cooking King, Joking King, Unfair King Han-wool *hyung*.”

Is he serious?

I massaged my throbbing head and slumped into my chair, courtesy of the ridiculous comments that accompanied the bottled water Hyuk-jun so kindly opened for me.

As the weather grew warmer, beads of sweat began to appear on the foreheads of the baseball players engaged in intense practice.

Ah, it’s hot.

“Ugh.”

After downing an entire cold 500ml bottle of water, I surveyed the field.

Ki-beom was in deep discussion about defense with Myung-jin.

Byung-chun was honing his batting skills in the batting cage.

Sung-hyun was observing Byung-chun’s batting practice.

For now, Sung-hyun is effectively managing the infielders.

Whether it’s the depth of baseball knowledge Sung-hyun possesses or his overall attitude towards the sport,

Sung-hyun was able to keep the more unruly players in line with intangible qualities that defied precise measurement, not just his individual performance.

That leaves the pitching staff, which constitutes half the team.

*Sunbae* Eun-gu was diligently rotating his cuff with a 1kg dumbbell.

Ji-ho was practicing his curveball during a game of catch.

Gyu-jin *hyung* was offering Ji-ho tips on his curveball while playing catch with him.

But…….

“…Where did Seung-jin and Sung-won disappear to?”

“Huh?”

Where are our young rookies?

At my question, Hyuk-jun scanned the area, helping to locate the missing pitchers.

He pointed towards the left-field foul pole in the distance. Following his gaze, I saw Seung-jin running laps.

“Seung-jin is really putting in the work. He even asked me about sliders the other day, you know?”

“How to throw a slider?”

“Yeah. He said he wanted to learn how to throw one and asked if I had any pointers.”

He was just asking me to teach him a curveball, and now he’s already changed his mind and is bugging Hyuk-jun? This guy is really…

“He’s really dedicated.”

“Right?”

I should treat him to some beef after practice today.

“But, I feel a little bad saying this, but honestly… he’s not naturally gifted at it.”

“Gifted at what? His fastball is amazing.”

“No, not the fastball. The slider.”

“Ah.”

“…I honestly feel like I’ve taught him everything I know. Really, from A to Z. But…”

“But.”

“…He just can’t seem to get it. He doesn’t have the feel for the slider at all.”

That’s a shame.

“But there’s that thing, you know? The thing you always talk about, *hyung*.”

“I talk about a lot of things.”

“That the best *hubae* [Korean term for ‘junior’ or ‘mentee’] is the one who pesters you the most.”

It’s not about a troublemaker constantly making mistakes, but about younger players who are always eager to learn and hungry for improvement.

“Ah, yeah. I remember.”

“Seung-jin is that kind of guy.”

“Is he really that persistent?”

“Yeah. Honestly, I’m only human… If I keep trying to teach something that’s not clicking, I start to get a little worn out. And I feel bad for him.”

“Yeah.”

The senior’s desire to teach so passionately is admirable, but what about the feelings of the person receiving that instruction?

Disappointment, despair, and then giving up easily?

“So today, I just brushed it off, saying let’s call it quits for today, but he asked me when I could teach him again next time.”

But unlike some others, Seung-jin doesn’t seem to fall into that category.

“So? What did you say?”

“…I said I’d teach him again soon… something like that….”

“Haha. Invite me to the next slider lesson too.”

“Yeah, sure. I’d be happy to.”

Seung-jin’s dedication is already well-known, not only within the team but also among the fans.

A rookie who is already performing well, but also works incredibly hard. He’s doing great now, but he’s an even more promising pitcher for the future.

Seung-jin currently has an ERA [Earned Run Average, a measure of pitching performance] in the low 3s. Considering he’s a rookie straight out of high school, that’s a remarkable achievement.

But it’s not the kind of performance you’d expect from someone with the raw talent to strike out three batters in an inning with just his fastball.

The good thing is that he’s aware of his weaknesses, so he’s clearly working hard to overcome them.

I wasn’t wrong when I said he was a milder version of Hyun-jin.

I’m not too worried about Seung-jin. That kind of kid is exactly that kind of kid. A typical rookie who will thrive on his own if you give him the space to do so.

But the pitching of another rookie who is his contemporary is um…….

“But where did Sung-won go?”

“Well… I don’t know? Did he go to the bathroom again?”

Something’s not right.

Sung-won, who filled in for Jun-hyuk after he had to skip a start a few days ago due to a blister on his finger, had a very impressive outing.

Yes, that day. More specifically, when I visited the bullpen with Eun-seo *ssi* [a Korean honorific title, similar to ‘Mr.’ or ‘Ms.’] to observe Sung-won’s bullpen session just before Sung-won pitched.

I thought to myself at the time, ‘Ah, he’s someone who gets nervous easily.’ He must have stomachaches often when he’s feeling anxious.

But this is…….

“Hmm….”

It’s happening too frequently. I’m not kidding, it’s every day.

Every day?

Sung-won is in a position where the team has already identified him as a potential future starting pitcher. So now, he’s being developed alongside Dong-gyun as a 1+1 starter or as the team’s sixth starter.

In other words,

“Hey, it’s probably not what you’re thinking, *hyung*.”

There’s no reason for him to be so nervous every day and to have a stomachache every day because of it. That’s just common sense, right?

Like Hyuk-jun said, I just hope it’s not the reason I’m suspecting. But… the rumors I’m hearing are quite concerning.

“It’s probably not.”

“Right.”

“I’ll go look for him.”

“Huh? Ah, okay.”

Even if my suspicion is unfounded… no, if that suspicion is unfounded, I might need to actively intervene.

Managing the mental well-being of these rookies is also part of the captain’s job.

I immediately left the dugout and began searching. Of course, I made sure to ask any team members I encountered about Sung-won’s whereabouts.

Have you seen Sung-won? Do you know where Sung-won might be? Where’s Sung-won? Any idea where Sung-won is?

I asked Tae-woong, the pitching coach, Jun-hyuk, and *sunbae* Kyung-seok in that order, but no one had seen Sung-won.

“Did something really serious happen?”

At this point, I’m starting to get genuinely worried.

But he’s never been late for a meeting before, so I decided to end my search, figuring he’ll probably show up on his own… somehow.

It was time to head back to the dugout because the meeting was about to start, Sung-won or not.

Ah, before that, I need to use the restroom.

I must have gulped down that water too quickly because the urge to relieve myself hit me suddenly.

Thud, thud, thud!

The closer I got to the restroom, the stronger the urge became, and my pace quickened.

Then, I spotted the men’s restroom sign and rushed inside without looking around…….

“…That’s what happened. Think about it, does that make sense? Fucking hell, this place is a goldmine, you know? No one bothers you. No, it’s comfortable? I don’t know about that.”

…I walked in…….

First, I took care of my urgent business while glancing at the only occupied stall.

Even if our team values freedom and a relaxed atmosphere, isn’t this a bit much?

“Hmm….”

If possible, I wanted to avoid getting angry, and I certainly didn’t want to explode, as someone who rarely gets angry.

I left the restroom and headed to the dugout to prepare for the pre-game meeting. As I was trying to distinguish between those who had arrived and those who were still missing,

“Where were you?”

“Bathroom.”

“Stomachache again?”

“Yeah, a little?”

Sung-won came running and stood next to Seung-jin.

Just once. Just one more time.

“……”

I suppressed the urge to quietly resolve the situation for now, using the excuse that I lacked concrete evidence.

Even so,

“Sung-won.”

“Yes, *sunbaenim*! [a respectful way to address a senior]”

“…Let’s work hard. You know?”

“Yes, I understand!”

My expression wasn’t very friendly as I looked at Sung-won’s bright, handsome face.

* * *

Roughly 24 hours had passed since my conversation with Hyuk-jun about Seung-jin.

For now, the situation on the field was the same as yesterday. Everyone was working hard and striving to improve.

‘There was no difference’ huh…….

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling sick?”

“No. It’s not that.”

“Is something bothering you?”

“No….”

My face must have looked quite troubled as I continued to ponder what to do with this guy if my suspicions were true.

Sensing the seriousness of my expression, Gyujin *hyung* came over and patted me on the back, initiating a conversation.

I said it was nothing, but my expression probably conveyed otherwise.

“…Okay, I understand.”

Since I didn’t bring up the topic, Gyujin *hyung* seemed to assume it wasn’t something he should pry into, so he patted me on the shoulder again and left.

“I’ll tell you later.”

“Okay.”

As a result, the time was roughly the same as yesterday.

“Hmm….”

Perhaps because I was radiating an uncomfortable aura,

“Han-wool *hyung*!”

“What is it?”

“Ah… never mind. I’ll tell you later.”

Everyone who seemed to have something to say to me steered clear of my path.

Slowly, I made my way towards the restroom from yesterday.

Thud, thud, thud―

If my footsteps were hurried when I visited this restroom yesterday, they were now much slower.

I could offer various excuses for this change in pace, but I decided to attribute it to the need to conceal my presence as much as possible.

I walked slowly and arrived at the restroom from yesterday.

Through the open restroom door, I could see the only occupied stall. Coincidentally, it was the same stall that was closed yesterday.

I pursed my lips and entered the restroom.

“…Uh, uh, so….”

The closer I got to the closed stall, the louder the voice coming from within became.

“That’s what happened! No, fucking hell, is that even human? Uh, uh. Uh, uh, that’s right, so I said….”

How could my expectations, or rather, my disappointment, be so perfectly realized?

Leaning against the sink in the restroom, I stared silently at the closed stall door.

Tuk… tuk… tuk…….

Using my right index finger as a metronome on my left forearm, I waited quietly, patiently.

Anticipating his eventual exit, I unconsciously muted all the sounds coming from my side, such as breathing, swallowing, and clearing my throat.

Tuk… tuk… tuk…….

I don’t know how many more times I tapped my forearm.

“Ah, I have to go. It’s meeting time. Uh, uh. Uh, uh, I’ll call you tomorrow.”

I heard the sound of him urgently ending the call from inside. But the sounds that should have followed were conspicuously absent.

The sound of wiping, the sound of lowering the toilet seat, even the sound of flushing the toilet.

Skipping all these steps,

Click, thud!

I heard the sound of the stall door unlocking.

Creak―

Slowly, the door opened, and I saw Sung-won emerging from the stall with a sly expression.

Thud, thud, thud…….

Then, he walked over to the urinal and began to lower his zipper.

I’d be willing to overlook everything else, but it would be nice if he just quietly took care of his business,

“Ugh, fucking hell, this is like shit. I’m already doing well, why do I have to keep training….”

The interjections are truly top-notch. So top-notch that I can’t tolerate them.

“Ugh, ugh!”

After finishing his business, Sung-won twisted his neck back and forth, then turned towards the entrance of the restroom to leave.

“…Uh.”

But what can he do, I’m here.

“S-Sunbaenim. Hello.”

If a string of curses had erupted from my mouth, or if I had suddenly exploded, my fist might have taken over without my conscious control.

But instead,

My calm and collected mind quietly and gently instructed me to speak to Sung-won.

“Did you have a good call?”