Peaceful Bullpen Life [EN]: Chapter 154

※ 154. Trauma

Participating in the All-Star game, performing well, completing quests successfully, raising stats, and even being selected as Mr. All-Star for the first time.

“So, that’s what it means to truly want to win.”

It all felt meaningless. Something more important had surfaced, and I felt it keenly.

Fastball stat +5. Converted to velocity, that’s about 2 km/h [kilometers per hour].

The final piece of the puzzle for an additional boost was closer than I’d imagined.

When I want to win.

Within those simple words, there was a crucial specification.

It’s not just ‘when I want to win,’ but ‘when I *really* want to win against someone.’

Not a ‘situation’ I want to win, but an ‘opponent.’ It might sound like semantics, but there was a clear distinction.

During the All-Star game, seeing Kim Seok-ho in the second at-bat triggered the thought: ‘I *must* strike this guy out.’

That focused intent activated the ‘Clutch’ trait, and thanks to its effect, I broke through the 158 km/h [kilometers per hour] barrier.

So, what should I focus on next? Isn’t it time to consider who I truly want to defeat?

“…Park Hae-jin.”

In truth, despite all the grand pronouncements, it boils down to one person.

Park Hae-jin.

Looking back, he’s the starting point of this long journey.

Rival?

Some try to paint Park Hae-jin and me as rivals. We only meet three or four times a year, but we’re often mentioned in the media, so I suppose that’s why…

Rival? He’s more like a benefactor, in a way.

If Park Hae-jin didn’t exist, would I be where I am now? That fundamental question always surfaces when I see him in the opposing dugout.

“Hyuk-jun.”

“Yessir, what’s up?”

What’s the best way to repay such a benefactor?

“Just pitch a solid 9 innings with a shutout today.”

Wouldn’t the best repayment be to conclude everything on the biggest stage, in the most dramatic scene, with the best possible performance?

In the Korean Series [championship series of the KBO League], during Wonha’s greatest crisis, striking him out with a 160 km/h [kilometers per hour] fastball.

“Hyung [older brother or close male friend], you know what ‘solid’ means, right?”

“Of course, of course, I know. How could I not? That’s a very ‘solid’ level for our Hyuk-jun, naturally.”

The prerequisite for all this: somehow get the Wonha Challengers to the Korean Series.

“That’s not solid at all, Hyung.”

“Come on, you’re the great pitcher Emperor Hyuk-jun, the guy who threw a no-hitter, no-run game. Surely you can do it. There’s nothing special about Sangsoo, just crush them all.”

Ah, of course, there might be some concerns.

If we directly target Sangsoo, could they fail to reach the Korean Series?

But that’s a pointless worry.

They’re our rivals, but Sangsoo is strong. And that strength is built on Park Hae-jin, no matter what anyone says.

Sangsoo will somehow, one way or another, fight their way to the Korean Series. They’ll rise to face us again.

“No, Hyung…”

“Ehhhh, surely. Surely Hyuk-jun can manage that much, right? I’d be a little disappointed if you couldn’t.”

“…Where did you pick up that *mal-tu* [way of speaking]?”

“Why?”

“Well, you know how there’s that thing? Like when managers try to connect with new employees by using their slang, but they use it all wrong, like that.”

“……”

Fucking.

With the All-Star break over and each team’s starting lineup reshuffled, Hyuk-jun once again spearheaded our Wonha.

The gap between us and the Sangsoo Tigers had narrowed slightly to two games. How much further could we extend it in this 3-game series?

Strongest Sangsoo!

The Sangsoo Tigers’ fandom chanted their slogan, hoping to sweep the series and potentially reverse the standings.

Thwack-!

But no way.

“Oh oh oh! Hoon is great!!”

“Nice catch!!”

Lee Yong-ho’s batted ball was heading down the left-field line, but Hoon dove and converted it into an out.

Thwack-!

“Oh…oh? Oh! Oh oh!!”

“It’s gone! It’s gone!!”

In the very next inning, Ki-sung’s hit sailed over the fence.

Wham-!

Hyuk-jun ended the bottom of the 8th inning with three strikeouts.

With a comfortable 6 to 1 lead, Seung-jin came in to close the game and cleanly retired the side in the bottom of the 9th, widening the game difference to three once more.

Strongest Wonha!

It was the first game of the second half that clearly demonstrated why the league-leading team held the top spot.

Furthermore, it showcased the driving force that had kept us at the summit since we first claimed it.

At least, until today.

* * *

Under the re-arranged starting lineup after the All-Star break, the second game of the second half naturally fell to Kyu-jin hyung, the team’s second starter.

If I were the team captain, Kyu-jin hyung would be the leader of the pitching staff.

He’s quite similar to me in many ways: mentally strong, and he treats seniors and juniors with the same level of respect, much like I do.

His performance this year has also been excellent: 7 wins and 3 losses, with an ERA [Earned Run Average] of 2.61. His walk-to-strikeout ratio is also very good.

But…

“…Are you okay mentally?”

“I don’t know.”

He’s doing this again.

Park Hae-jin is the driving force behind Sangsoo Tigers’ reputation as a strong team, and Kyu-jin hyung has historically been extremely effective against him.

Thanks to that, Kyu-jin hyung was the president of the so-called ‘SangnaSsaeng’ club, where ‘Sangsoo’ means ‘thank you’ [a play on words, implying he owes his success to pitching against Sangsoo].

A prime example is that three out of the four complete-game shutouts Kyu-jin hyung has recorded since his debut were against the Sangsoo Tigers.

But this year, things are different. It’s only been three games, but his ERA against Sangsoo is a whopping 5 points.

Considering his season ERA is in the mid-2s, this represents a significant imbalance.

Of course, the reason for this imbalance is…

“Ah, should I just smash his head in?”

Because of Lee Yong-ho.

In fact, only one person has changed in the lineup, but the impact is clearly huge.

Maybe… it’s because Lee Yong-ho is now consistently batting third, so Kyu-jin hyung has to face him from the very first inning.

That’s it, the feeling of starting with a bad mood. Because of that, the initial problem snowballs and becomes impossible to unravel.

“Hey, don’t go that far.”

“Ah, it’s really frustrating.”

“Bear with it. He’s a guy who’ll fall apart on his own.”

The talk about smashing his head in was just a joke in the past. That was clear.

But considering Kyu-jin hyung’s current momentum, his mentality, and everything else, it wouldn’t be surprising if something like that actually happened.

“Or should I ask Kyu-hak to put Lee Yong-ho’s picture on his mitt?”

“Then you’d throw about 167 km/h [kilometers per hour] today.”

That’s how cornered Kyu-jin hyung is right now. It was obvious.

The constant fidgeting, the unconscious irritation, the excessive force he’s putting on his shoulder when throwing.

How can I alleviate those emotions? After thinking for a while, I called Kyu-jin hyung slightly before the game started.

“Hyung, hyung.”

“What.”

“Let’s think simply.”

“What do you mean, think simply?”

“When you think about it, where do you think Wonha will finish this season?”

“Us?”

He’s making a face like, ‘What nonsense are you suddenly talking about?’ but,

“…If nothing goes wrong, we’ll be in 1st place.”

He answers every question.

“Then what about Sangsoo?”

“Well, those guys… I think they’ll struggle to get to 2nd place somehow.”

“So, who do you think we’ll face in the Korean Series?”

“It’ll be us and Sangsoo.”

“Right?”

I’ve completed some level of setup.

“I’ve been thinking about this. During my life as a baseball player, I have one goal. Ah, I’m still a baseball player, so I should at least do something like this before I retire, something like that.”

Go ahead and keep talking.

I read Kyu-jin hyung’s expression and continued.

“Striking out Park Hae-jin. But, it was simple at first. It was just vaguely wanting to strike out Park Hae-jin.”

“Is it different now?”

“It’s the same. It’s the same, but it’s a bit more concrete.”

“How so?”

“Game 7 of the Korean Series. Top of the 8th inning, two outs, bases loaded, striking out Park Hae-jin with three fastballs.”

So what are you trying to say?

Kyu-jin hyung looked annoyed at my roundabout story.

“Hyung, think about it like that too. Like, uh? If we go to Game 7, you’re the starter that day too. In the top of the 9th, uh? It’s a one-run game, uh? The bases are loaded, uh? The batter is Lee Yong-ho, uh?”

“……”

“How about it, isn’t it cooler to strike him out with three pitches and do a *waaaaaah* celebration than to *bak-da* [slam] *goong* [butt] on his face?” [a crude expression for humiliating someone]

Even though I spoke so passionately, Kyu-jin hyung looked at me like I was a slightly simple friend, and then,

“…Okay.”

He left the bullpen with just that one word. Kyu-jin hyung, who was thinking about something while chewing on his lip, immediately started practicing pitching.

Fastball, curveball, changeup. After testing all three pitches, he induced a ground ball to second base from leadoff hitter Go Dong-wook and a fly ball to third base from second hitter Kang Dae-hyun.

And…

3rd batter, Lee!! Yong!! Ho!!

The *gae-sae-kki* [son of a bitch] appears.

Lee Yong-ho has regained some composure, and the unique swagger he had shown so far has largely disappeared when he steps up to the plate.

Instead, he approaches the plate with seriousness, a competitive spirit, or some other form of positive energy.

But you know what? The one who hits forgets, but the one who got hit remembers until they die.

Wham-!

“Strike-!”

Besides, the unpleasantness I originally felt has faded a lot, but it hasn’t disappeared.

“…Ah, should I just talk about smashing his head in now?”

Even after seeing the 152 km/h [kilometers per hour] fastball that caught the outside corner, Lee Yong-ho was *ut-da* [laughing] strangely.

I’ve solidified my position as Lee Yong-ho’s natural enemy, but if I were in Kyu-jin hyung’s position right now, I would have gone straight for his head without hesitation.

Kyu-jin hyung admirably didn’t give Lee Yong-ho any attention and only focused on the catcher’s mitt and the catcher’s signals.

What needs to be done to get Lee Yong-ho out, and what options does he have to achieve that.

Thwack-!

After completely reorganizing his mentality and reverting to the original Han Kyu-jin, Kyu-jin hyung didn’t dwell on the well-hit ball.

If it was hit, it was hit. He could get him out next time.

“Huh?!”

“Ah… I think it’s going…”

Foul-!

“Whew.”

“That was really dangerous just now.”

“But how can Kyu-jin be so calm?”

If it hadn’t been hit,

Whoosh-!

“Swing, out!”

You can bet you’d be really dead to me.

“Yes, yes!”

“Kyu-jin nice!”

“Good good!”

Whenever he faced Sangsoo, he seemed smaller than he already was, but now Kyu-jin hyung looked like the little giant I knew.

1st inning, 4th inning, 6th inning.

Kyu-jin hyung, who struck out Lee Yong-ho in all three of their confrontations, clearly seemed to have shaken off everything.

Although the unexpected two-run home run that Min Jong-hyun allowed in the bottom of the 5th inning became the winning run of the day, none of the Wonha Challengers members looked at each other as cautiously as before.

“Why did you throw a curveball there?”

“No, I don’t know why the curveball kept popping into my head today.”

“Still, you shouldn’t throw it; you kept getting ahead with the fastball.”

“Hey, that’s how you grow. Right, Hyung?”

“Don’t talk about growing or anything, I’ll really kill you.”

The four letters ‘losing pitcher’ written on today’s record sheet clearly felt much lighter than usual.