Peaceful Bullpen Life [EN]: Chapter 18

※ 18. Me?

Currently past the mid-point of the league, the Bisco Runners in 4th place and our Wonha Challengers in 5th are only 2 games apart. And this 3-game series is against none other than the Bisco Runners.

Considering that our highest regular season ranking in recent years was 5th, and the last time we finished at least 4th to advance to the post-season was in 2011…….

The fans’ spirits began to soar.

Post-season, autumn baseball, in about 7 years! Just hearing those words makes my heart race. Autumn baseball [referring to playoff baseball, typically played in the autumn season].

The fans were hoping to sweep this 3-game series against Bisco and reverse the standings. Of course, the players were even more eager than the fans.

Bisco isn’t a super strong team in the league, but they are a gatekeeper of the mid-tier.

A typical team that starts strong but fails to manage their stamina, losing steam from the middle of the league due to a lack of endurance. However, they are a team that knows how to win.

But Wonha’s momentum is also not to be underestimated. 8 wins and 2 losses in the last 10 games!

At the center of it all is the momentum of our ace pitcher Hwang Hyuk-joon, who secures wins every time he appears, Sung-hyun’s vigor, who has a batting average of over .500 in the last 10 games, and, of course, the existence of ‘me’ firmly supporting the team’s core. Ah…….

Therefore, the expectations of the entire team, as well as the fans, began to rise. Moreover, the first game of the series is the day our ace pitcher Hwang Hyuk-joon is scheduled to pitch!

13 to 0.

Hyuk-joon, who started as the pitcher, finished the game with a shutout. He tore it up. To think he would keep his word, “I’ll let you rest, hyung [older brother or respected senior],” in this way. What a cool bastard.

1 game behind!

The expectations, which I thought couldn’t go any higher, began to pierce the sky. If we win the remaining two games, we’ll reverse the standings by just 1 game!

0 to 9.

2 to 7.

But no way.

We lost the following two games in a row, and the game difference widened to 3 games. Rather, the Gaya Perfectors, who were one spot below us, won all three games in their weekend series, closing the gap to just 1 game behind us.

I didn’t have a chance to pitch throughout the 3-game series. The first game was Hyuk-joon’s shutout, and the second and third games were such a disaster that there wasn’t even a situation for me to go out.

So, with my body in perfect condition, Monday’s rest day arrived.

“Wow…….”

“Wow…….”

The woman sitting across from me was uttering a similar exclamation.

“I, I really didn’t expect to meet you. Ah, I’m sorry, but could I ask for your autograph first?”

A white, opaque jelly case. The outer lines are drawn in navy blue, and there are red accents, mimicking our team’s uniform.

Next to the hole where the camera would be, the Wonha mark is stylishly printed, and below it is the number 4, my jersey number, clearly printed. A magic pen overlaps on top of it.

“Sure.”

I received the phone and magic pen and signed the case. She seemed so moved that she was about to tear up.

“I’ve been a real fan of Kim Han-wool…….”

“Of me?”

“Yes! A real, real fan.”

“…You’re unique.”

Why me.

“Is it unique?”

“Why, well… I understand liking Wonha… but there are a lot of guys on our team who are better at baseball or more handsome than me. There’s Hyuk-joon, Sung-hoon hyung, or even Sung-hyun.”

“That’s true.”

“Haha…….”

You could have denied it.

“But… strangely, I’m very fond of Kim Han-wool.”

“Hmm.”

I know what you mean. There are people like that. They don’t have anything special, but you’re strangely fond of them and want to do something for them. Conversely, there are people who don’t have any flaws, but you just don’t like them.

“I was even more sad that you weren’t treated well in the team. You’ve always been underrated.”

“It’s not underrated, it’s overrated. I’m grateful just for being able to stay on the team with my performance so far.”

“But now you’re the most important player on the team, right?”

“Hehe…….”

Ah, that’s good.

She was beautiful, smiling brightly and encouraging me. No, not because she was smiling, not because she was encouraging me, but because she was just a beautiful person. She was beautiful from every angle.

‘Hey. I have an older sister who’s a real fan of yours, can you meet her just once?’

A phone call from a friend a while ago. If I summarize the main point that was revealed after the usual pleasantries in a long-awaited call, it was roughly like that.

At first, I was going to refuse. After all, it’s not like a group meeting between baseball players and fans, and meeting one-on-one is a burden for the player in many ways. Especially with a woman.

It could be a channel connected to illegal brokers, including various issues with the opposite sex. Of course, the possibility is low, but it’s better to be careful. It’s the first thing that comes up in the team’s character education every season.

‘She’s so pretty.’

But my heart crumbled at those four words.

“In my case, I had no choice but to become a Wonha fan. Both my father and mother were Wonha fans even before I was born. Going to the baseball stadium was a daily routine since I was young. I went to Jamsil [a famous baseball stadium in South Korea] with my father at least once a week.”

She was so excited that she was showing me family photos and her own photos in her phone’s photo album, chattering away.

She was beautiful waving her arms in the Wonha uniform in the photos, but she was even more beautiful smiling brightly in the sunlight.

The shadow created by her long hair and prominent nose was sharp. Every time her large mouth drew a long arc, my heart also changed to a round shape.

“Ah, I’ve been talking too much, haven’t I?”

“No, no. I’m happy too. I feel good just listening to someone who likes me.”

“Really, I was so surprised when Dae-hwan told me he was friends with you. I don’t know how many chickens I bought him to meet you…….”

“How did you know Dae-hwan, Min-young?”

Kim Min-young. 30 years old. One year older than me. What was her job again? I think I heard she works at some large company, or a securities firm.

Even though she seems a bit scatterbrained, I heard she earns over 100 million won a year with various additional incentives and side jobs. Yes, she earns more than me.

It was quite difficult to barely suppress my palms from rubbing together.

“He was a junior in the same team at the company I’m at now. Then something happened and Dae-hwan left… A while ago, we had a dinner with the old team members after a long time. There was a senior in that team who was a Gaya fan… I was having a debate with that person about baseball! Ah, what was the debate about…….”

Omitted.

“…Dae-hwan suddenly asked me if I was a Wonha fan? I said yes, because I’m a proud Wonha fan. I’ve been a Wonha fan since I started to understand things, so I’ve been a Wonha fan for about 25 years? How amazing is it to support only one team for 25 years! It might be a little awkward to say this myself…….”

Omitted again.

“…So he bragged that he had been friends with you since high school. When I asked him if he had any proof, he said he could call you right now? He checked if the Wonha game was over and called you right away, and you actually answered, Han-wool!”

Ah, I remember. It was the day I was in a bad mood because Sang-soo, or rather Park Hae-jin, hit another home run and the whole team messed up.

I wondered what was going on with a phone call from a friend after a long time, but I took a picture and sent it to him because he suddenly asked me to send him a selfie.

“Yes, yes, I remember. It was when I was leaving work.”

“Yes, yes, that’s right! You said you were just about to go home! And you actually sent a proof shot. Ah… how did I feel then… do you know that feeling? The feeling that you’re so touched that you can’t say a word, and your body doesn’t move? I was at that time…….”

Omitted again.

“…So I begged Dae-hwan. I asked him to let me meet you just once……. Ah, I don’t know how many chicken gift certificates I gave him…….”

New information about Min-young was updated. The impression of a cold city woman was just a facade, and the reality was a cute, scatterbrained young lady.

“So that’s why we’re at a chicken restaurant.”

“Yes. I’m going to try to get some back because I’m upset that I only gave. Ah, can you eat chicken… by any chance?”

“Yes, yes. I like chicken too.”

I can’t eat it because I don’t have it [a self-deprecating joke implying he doesn’t have the money to eat it often].

One fried chicken and one seasoned chicken. This is the national rule [a common order in South Korea]. I secretly rejoiced at the sight of her worrying about what to do if she couldn’t eat it all after ordering it herself.

I said that I eat a lot, so Min-young might not have enough to eat. Then she clapped her hands and brightened up, wondering what was so happy about it.

As soon as the fried chicken came out on the table, I picked up a piece. I was mesmerized by the golden figure for a moment, then picked up a piece that was presumed to be breast meat.

The rough texture on my hand was like enlightenment. I carefully brought it to my mouth. When I took a bite, the skin crumbled with a crunch. Ah, it’s delicious. When it’s about to get a little greasy, I pick up a piece of radish and crunch it.

So…….

Was that so?

Hahaha!

Oh my!

Me too!

Really?

While chatting casually, the seasoned chicken joined in when about half of the fried chicken was left.

This time, without being mesmerized, I picked up a piece of the seductive red chicken. Sweetness and spiciness coexisted, warmly illuminating my mouth. Hallelujah.

“But what happened this year?”

The question flew in.

“This year?”

“Yes. Why, until last year, your… performance…….”

“You can say it directly.”

“Wasn’t very good.”

“Yes, yes.”

“I’m sorry…….”

“No, it’s true.”

As if committing some kind of sin, Min-young avoided eye contact, which she had been making so well until now.

“Still! You’re completely different this year. Of course, I’m not saying you should have bad grades forever, but still, there’s a certain stage, but you’ve leveled up so suddenly, like a jumping character in a game, so I’m curious.”

“Ah.”

This is really, the system is really good, but I don’t know how to explain it.

“Originally, I was a free agent until last year, right?”

“Yes, yes, that’s right.”

“Well… in the news, they say it’s dedication or affection for the team… but I looked at the facts. The only things I can brag about are my good control and the fact that I recovered quickly even after getting injured and having surgery for 9 years. I didn’t think there would be a team that would take me with that and give me a lot of money, and even give up one of their own players.”

“Ah…….”

“So I just gave up. And I was even prepared to be released at the end of last season. If I quit baseball, I wondered if I should open a training center or something, I’m too young to get a coaching offer……. But I don’t know what I believed in, but the front office told me to try for one more year? I thought this was really the last time, so I tried everything.”

The past blunders were like a fork stabbing a white radish, elements that hurt my heart.

“I changed my form, changed my routine, changed the way I managed my body, and changed the ball mix in the game. Because it’s the last time. But I think one of them worked. It’s hard to describe exactly what changed and what got better.”

I was just rambling on, but Min-young’s expression was so focused on my story that she was about to fall into it.

Do I have a talent for talking?

Min-young was a listener who made me think that the speaker himself might be a good orator.

“Then you’ll be a free agent again at the end of this season, right?”

“Maybe… I think so?”

“…Are you going to apply?”

“Um…….”

I haven’t really thought about that.

“Well. I haven’t really thought about it, so… I know this is the time to say something like I’ll bury my bones in Wonha [a Korean expression meaning to dedicate one’s entire career to a team], but you never know what will happen. Even if I want to stay, I could be traded.”

Haha.

I smiled awkwardly and took a bite of chicken.

“I… I hope you stay in Wonha. Wonha has a lot of money. You’ve been a bullpen pitcher for 10 years, so I hope they take care of you.”

“I hope so too.”

The stories that went back and forth after that were also about baseball or Wonha. She was a person who really overflowed with love for baseball.

It was quite a refreshing experience to hear my own story from someone else that I didn’t even know. In addition, it was a conversation that increased my knowledge of our team, our league, overseas leagues, and just the word baseball itself.

“It was nice meeting you today. To be honest, I was a bit taken aback when I got a call from Dae-hwan… but I’m glad I came out.”

“It was a real honor! I go to a lot of games, so I’ll contact you every time I go.”

“Yes, yes, if you contact me next time you come, I’ll steal my juniors’ gloves, uniforms, wristbands, or gloves and give them to you as gifts.”

“Eh, I like yours better.”

“…Should I give it to you?”

At that, Min-young giggled,

“Hey, I’m just kidding. I’m so grateful just for the thought!”

Then she giggled again by herself.

“Can… can I contact you again?”

“Yes?”

“I, if you’re uncomfortable, you can refuse.”

“…….”

Oh my god.

“Y, yes! Of course. Anytime.”

“Ah, thank you! I’ll contact you again. It was fun today. Go home safely!”

Her long hair fluttered for a moment due to the inertia of her bowing. Intoxicated by the shampoo scent added to it, I stared blankly at Min-young’s back as she turned around and walked away.

“Ah!”

…Sh, she’s coming back.

“Can I ask for a handshake, just once?”

“Yes. Of course.”

Shyly holding hands and shaking them lightly up and down a few times.

“Then I’ll really go. I’ll contact you again!”

Oh my god.

Her smiling brightly and turning around looked like a slow-motion scene from a TV commercial.

‘The whole world only saw her,’ that kind of thing really existed. The hand that shook hands with Min-young trembled.

After arriving home, I stood in front of the sink for about 10 minutes, wondering whether to wash this hand or not, and finally washed it with tears in my eyes.