Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 1

Villain on the Mound 1

[Bottom of the 9th, bases loaded. The Devils are in crisis.]

Game 7 of the Korean Series.

A scene straight out of a movie unfolded.

[If even one runner scores, the Korean Series goes to extra innings. If two score, the Angels will win the championship.]

Seoul Angels.

One of the three baseball teams based in Seoul.

A traditional powerhouse and the Devils’ rival team.

Angels and Devils.

The two teams have faced each other four times in the Korean Series over 30 years.

And they’ve each won twice.

That’s why this Korean Series is so special.

[It looks like they need to change the pitcher.]

[Closer Kim Hyuk-gun has already thrown over 40 pitches. They need to replace him.]

[But who can they bring in after taking out Kim Hyuk-gun, the Devils’ reliable closer?]

Several possibilities came to mind.

But they were all just guesses.

They had to observe the movements on the field.

The camera focused on the Devils’ bench.

[Devils’ manager Park Sang-cheol is approaching Jung Ha-sung. Surely they’re not going to bring in Jung Ha-sung, who pitched a complete game yesterday, are they?]

Game 6 MVP.

Jung Ha-sung.

132 pitches, 11 strikeouts, 3 walks.

It seemed impossible for Jung Ha-sung, who recorded 9 innings and allowed only 1 earned run, to pitch again.

“Ha-sung.”

But Park Sang-cheol called him.

It was an unavoidable choice.

The Devils finished 4th in the regular season and came up from the wild card.

Game 5 of the準-playoff [Semi-playoff], Game 4 of the playoff, and now Game 7 of the Korean Series.

There was no way any pitchers would be left.

“Can you do it?”

Even so, Park Sang-cheol asked for his opinion.

Because Jung Ha-sung is the team’s ace?

That was one reason.

But the bigger reason was that the player could refuse.

Jung Ha-sung is aiming to go overseas at the end of this season.

There was a high possibility that he would refuse to pitch excessively, potentially jeopardizing his future.

It would be unthinkable for a normal player, but it was possible because Jung Ha-sung was the most important player on the team.

“Manager.”

Jung Ha-sung got up from his seat.

In his left hand, he held his worn glove.

“If the team needs me, I’ll go out there anytime.”

“Tha… Thanks.”

Cheesy lines.

But there was no reason to dwell on it.

It could interfere with the pitcher’s mental focus.

[Jung Ha-sung is starting to warm up.]

[The Devils are ultimately forced to play the Jung Ha-sung card.]

[If Jung Ha-sung pitches today, he will set a record of pitching on two consecutive days and pitching in 4 Korean Series games.]

[In modern baseball, pitching in 4 Korean Series games… Moreover, Jung Ha-sung will leave a rare mark of appearing in 2 games as a starter and 2 games as a reliever.]

In modern baseball, the division of labor for pitchers has been systematically established.

No player has emerged who surpasses this established system.

Jung Ha-sung was also considered untouchable, and he played entirely as a starting pitcher in the regular season.

But the Korean Series is different.

Everything can end in one game.

That’s why outstanding pitchers often pitch beyond their designated roles.

Of course, the current situation was like something out of a comic book.

[Manager Park Sang-cheol is visiting the mound. It must be a substitution, right?]

[Yes. It probably is.]

Park Sang-cheol confirmed the substitution with the umpire and received the ball from Kim Hyuk-gun on the mound.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“I’m sorry.”

Kim Hyuk-gun, bowing his head, went down from the mound.

He ran into Jung Ha-sung, who was walking out as he returned to the bench.

Kim Hyuk-gun patted the back of his junior, Jung Ha-sung, and said.

“I’m counting on you, Ha-sung.”

“Hyung [Older brother/senior], hold your head up. Your name won’t be recorded as the losing pitcher today.”

Kim Hyuk-gun coughed at the cheesiness rising on the back of his hand.

“Cough… Cough! Y… Yeah. I’m counting on you.”

Jung Ha-sung nodded and went up to the mound.

At the same time, the spectators filling the stadium erupted in cheers.

“Jung! Ha! Sung!”

“Jung! Ha! Sung!”

The huge roar shook the stadium.

Ha-sung’s heart beat fiercely at the tremendous roar that shook the mound.

‘For the fans who support me…’

From his debut, Jung Ha-sung has been loved by fans.

His performance was consistent, and his private life was clean. In addition, his fan service was also excellent, so he couldn’t help but be loved.

Such love from the fans became a great motivation for Ha-sung.

‘I’ll definitely stop them.’

And that was the same now.

Burning with fighting spirit, he stood on the mound and threw practice pitches.

Whoosh-!

Swaaack!

Paang!!

The lightly thrown ball was lodged in the catcher’s mitt.

The speed of his ball was displayed on the screen.

[It’s just a practice pitch, but it came out at 133km. What do you think?]

[The ball isn’t bad. But the life isn’t in the ball.]

[Even if they make solid contact, it could lead to a long hit.]

Anxious predictions poured out.

That’s how bad Jung Ha-sung’s condition was.

But the fans’ reaction was different.

-Go, our Ha-sung!

-Who else but Ha-sung can stop them?

-I agree. If it’s not him in the Devils’ bullpen right now, we’re going to lose anyway.

-Ha-sung has to go to the majors next year. They’re overworking him too much.

-Winning the Korean Series comes first!

-Beat the Angels!

The fans trusted Jung Ha-sung completely.

That’s how much Jung Ha-sung had shown them.

[The practice pitches are over. Jung Ha-sung is turning around and looking at the scoreboard.]

The camera caught Jung Ha-sung.

[He has a very serious face.]

Ha-sung, who had rubbed rosin on his hands, stood on the plate.

“Hoo…!”

He took a deep breath and bent his upper body.

“Play ball!!”

With the umpire’s shout, the game resumed.

The catcher bent his legs and lowered his hand to signal.

Ha-sung nodded and straightened his upper body.

‘First pitch is a fastball.’

Ha-sung recalled the signal again.

Fastball.

The ball he was most confident in.

Maximum speed of 160km [~99.4 mph].

The ball thrown by him, the best fireballer in the country, was perfect for intimidating batters.

‘Outside low course.’

Above all, Ha-sung’s fastball was close to a cut fastball.

A ball called a cutter.

It doesn’t have as much horizontal movement as a slider, but a small change occurs.

So it’s difficult to make solid contact.

If the speed reaches 160km, it’s close to a magical ball.

That’s why Major League Baseball was aiming for him.

‘Here I go.’

Having finished preparing, Ha-sung kicked up his leg and turned his body.

Originally, you don’t wind up when there are runners on base.

But because it was bases loaded, he boldly went into a full windup.

‘Full power…’

Tak!

Following the stride motion of extending his leg, his foot was fixed on the mound.

As his foot became a solid pillar, his body leaned forward.

Ha-sung used that force to rotate his upper body.

Whoosh!!

He rotated so fast that the sound of the wind could be heard.

He used that rotational force to swing his arm like a whip.

Paang-!!

He brought his arm forward and caught the ball with all his might at the exact point.

The ball left his hand with the sound of the wind bursting.

And Ha-sung realized.

‘A bad pitch!’

The release of the ball was weak.

In addition, the control was not properly achieved.

He sensed that something was wrong.

But the ball that had left his hand did not return.

‘Please miss it!’

The ball flying to the center of the strike zone.

It was such a tempting target.

It was a ball that the batter would miss if he overthought it.

But the opponent was a veteran.

Whoosh!

There was no way he would miss such a bad pitch.

Ttaak!!

A sharp crack echoed through the stadium.

[He hit it!! A long drive!! It hits the fence!!!]

The Korean Series was over.

* * *

[Angels win the Korean Series!!]

[The angel who finally started to get ahead in the all-time Korean Series record defeats the devil!]

The Angels were in a festive mood.

Articles related to the championship poured out every day.

Angels fans celebrated in online communities.

On the other hand, the Devils were in mourning.

[Korean Series runner-up, manager Park Sang-cheol resigns!]

Finishing as runner-up in the Korean Series is also a great achievement.

But the opponent mattered.

Angels and Devils.

They are local rivals and rival teams representing Korean baseball.

It was especially painful to be defeated by the Angels.

It is natural for the blame to fall on the manager.

And one more person.

-Honestly, bringing up Jung Ha-sung was too much.

-What confidence did Jung Ha-sung have to go up there?

└He’s trash. Jung Ha-sung still went up there for the team.

└Then what? The result is important.

└Look at the context a little bit.

└You’re such a Confucian scholar. The result is everything.

Antis began to target Ha-sung, who previously had no detractors.

And public opinion was getting worse.

Then a piece of news came out.

[Devils’ Jung Ha-sung decides to undergo Tommy John surgery!]

Tommy John surgery.

It refers to a surgery in which a torn ligament in the elbow is replaced with a ligament from another part of the body.

In the past, it was a career-ending injury, but now, with the development of medicine, recovery is often possible.

-It’s only natural that he was overworked like that.

-It would be strange if he was okay.

-By the way, what happens to his chances of being posted [Scouted by a foreign league] if this happens?

└It’s over.

-Will he be able to recover?

└The success rate of rehabilitation is high, so it’s possible.

-One year has flown away just like that.

The negative public opinion about Tommy John’s surgery subsided.

People applauded Ha-sung for his dedication to the team.

Waiting for him to return.

But 3 years later.

Shocking news was delivered.

[Devils announce waiver of Jung Ha-sung!]

A waiver is a release from a player’s contract.

In other words, it was a dismissal.

In addition, another piece of news shook the baseball world.

[Ace Jung Ha-sung, who failed to recover from his injury, announces his retirement!]

Jung Ha-sung had retired.

* * *

10 years have passed.

“Give me a half-and-half chicken here.”

“Yes!”

Jung Ha-sung was frying chicken.

He started a chicken restaurant with his contract money and was barely making a living.

It wasn’t a gold mine, but it was enough to get by.

[Now that the Korean Series is just around the corner! Let’s take some time to look back at past series.]

[Top 10 greatest scenes in Korean Series history!]

[The come-from-behind scene in the bottom of the 9th inning with two outs in Game 7 of the Angels and Devils Korean Series has been selected!]

Ha-sung, who was handing out freshly fried chicken, flinched.

The customer watching the screen quickly glanced between the TV and Ha-sung.

“Huh?!”

This is always awkward.

Even though it’s been 10 years since he retired, there are still customers who recognize him.

Ha-sung, who secretly sighed, went back to the counter again, pretending not to notice.

Ha-sung’s smartphone rang.

When he checked the screen, he saw a familiar name.

[Tae-soo]

“What’s up with him?”

Jung Tae-soo.

Ha-sung’s classmate, who had 67 major league wins and returned to Korea this year.

He had 11 wins in his first season back in Korea, showing that he was still in good shape.

He was eliminated in the playoffs, but it was generally considered a successful season.

“Hello.”

[Yo! What are you doing?]

“Frying chicken.”

[Ugh, the smell of oil! Let’s finish early today and hang out.]

“Are you paying?”

[Of course!]

It was an opportunity to relieve stress after a long time.

* * *

The place the two headed to was a bar located in Cheongdam, Gangnam [Affluent district in Seoul].

A place with no obvious signage.

When he parked the car in front, a man in a suit approached.

He recognized Tae-soo’s face and bowed.

“It’s been a while.”

“Yeah. Please park the car.”

“Yes!”

Tae-soo, who handed the car key to him, walked to the bar familiarly.

Ha-sung followed Tae-soo with an awkward gait.

“Hey, hey, what is this place?”

“Top 10% luxury bar.”

“What? Hey, isn’t this a really expensive place?”

“Hey, hey, I made enough money in America. So don’t worry about the money.”

That’s true.

He wasn’t a top player in Major League Baseball.

Still, Tae-soo made over 10 billion won [~7.6 million USD] a year.

It was Major League Baseball that made it possible.

“Hoo…”

He went into the bar with a slightly nervous feeling.

* * *

“Was your brother also a baseball player?”

The woman sitting next to him asked in surprise.

Well… who would remember him?

It’s been 10 years since he retired.

Then Tae-soo said.

“If he hadn’t been injured, he would have been more famous than me.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. If he had gone to Major League Baseball, he would have been a star starter. Then he would have made at least hundreds of billions of won, right?”

“Wow! What does he do now?”

The woman’s eyes lit up.

“…Chicken restaurant.”

And her enthusiasm quickly faded.

* * *

The drinking party was over, and he sat in the back seat of the Benz S-Class that Tae-soo had brought.

When he lay down on the soft seat, he felt his fatigue begin to melt away.

“Ugh, you idiot.”

If it weren’t for that guy next to him who was launching into a lecture.

“Ah, why again.”

“Does saying you run a chicken restaurant there ruin the atmosphere?”

“What’s wrong with a chicken restaurant?”

“Anyway, she’s someone you won’t see after today, so you can just embellish things a little.”

“We’re not going to see each other again as you said. Is there any need to do that?”

“Sigh… you’re such a pushover. You’re still being taken advantage of because of that personality.”

He winced at the words that he was being taken advantage of.

“It’s all my choice.”

“Choice my ass! The reason your elbow got like that was because of overwork. And you just let them cover up the fact that the surgery went wrong.”

“Hey, hey, I can hear you.”

Ha-sung said, looking at the designated driver sitting in the driver’s seat.

He’s a designated driver, but words from a place like this spread.

Ha-sung sighed.

“What can I do? My arm is already ruined. I got enough compensation.”

“You only got 500 million won [~380,000 USD]? If you had gone to Major League Baseball, you would have made hundreds of billions of won! And you’re satisfied with 500 million won?”

“…I can’t help it.”

Life is a series of regrets.

But it’s already in the past.

What’s the point of regretting the time that doesn’t come back?

There was no other way but to live in the present.

At that time.

(If you could go back?)

A voice was heard.

“Huh? What did you say?”

“What?”

Tae-soo looked at him with strange eyes.

What is it?

(Hmm~ You still don’t understand the situation. Should we meet and talk for now?)

“Meet…?”

Baaang-!!

With a sudden roar, a bright light filled the inside of the Benz.

And.

Bang!!

With a tremendous impact, he lost consciousness.

The next morning.

One piece of news decorated the headlines.

[Former Major League Baseball player Jang Tae-soo dies in traffic accident! Passenger also dies!!]

Jang Tae-soo’s death was reported.

And Ha-sung’s name was not mentioned.