Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 4

Villain of the Mound – Episode 4

Crazy bastard.

That was the new nickname for Ha-sung.

Yang Dong-geun and the third-year students came up with this nickname.

Ha-sung smiled when he heard the nickname.

“I like it.”

What he liked even more was the attitude of the seniors.

“Tch!”

“Crazy bastard.”

“It’s not that we’re afraid of shit, we just don’t want to get dirty.”

They threw out a word or two, but they didn’t directly say anything to Ha-sung.

They had too much to lose to deal with a crazy bastard.

‘It’s going as planned.’

If they don’t bother him, he won’t bother them.

That was Ha-sung’s new rule.

When the third-year students ignored him, the second-year students also didn’t antagonize Ha-sung much.

They didn’t have many opportunities to get a chance at the National Tournament, so there was no reason to antagonize him.

“Jeong Ha-sung!”

There was one person in particular.

Park Min-seok, the new acting coach, antagonized him.

“Why are you wearing a glove?”

“Because it’s time for toss training.”

“No, you’re running. Run 10 laps around the field.”

“Why?”

“……Ha! This bastard is really crazy.”

Park Min-seok is a junior of Baek Woo-sik.

Baek Woo-sik brought him in, and he was currently working as a coach.

Naturally, he couldn’t help but have bad feelings towards Ha-sung.

“Listen, training is my area. If you don’t like what I’m telling you to do, you can just get out. If you want to quit the team, tell me anytime. It’ll be easier for me if a troublemaker like you just leaves.”

Park Min-seok was very aggressive.

Ha-sung, who had been glaring at him, turned around and started running around the field.

‘I need to take care of that bastard too.’

Unaware of the bitter smile on Ha-sung’s face, Park Min-seok clicked his tongue.

“You stubborn bastard. Let’s see who wins.”

One month later.

The answer came out.

[Like father, like son? Coach Park, known as Baek Woo-sik’s junior who pocketed money, is also known to have pocketed money, causing shock!]

* * *

The baseball team was in an uproar over the series of kickback incidents.

Not only the baseball team but the school itself was turned upside down.

A board meeting was called, and an unprecedented situation occurred where the principal and vice-principal were summoned.

“Hehe, your school’s vice-principal ended up resigning.”

“Oh, was that decided?”

“It was just decided. Dae-jun sent me a text.”

Lee Dae-jun was a friend of his father and worked as a student director.

Thanks to that, Ha-sung was able to get inside information.

Of course, he wouldn’t hear about it during this time but in the distant future.

“Oh dear… What will happen to the baseball team?”

His mother asked with a worried face.

“Well, it’ll probably be difficult to get back on track this year. Two coaches have been kicked out, and the vice-principal, who was practically in charge of the baseball team from within, has also resigned. Ah, Ha-sung. Don’t worry too much. It’ll be back to normal soon.”

His father told him, worried that Ha-sung would be shaken.

But Ha-sung showed an indifferent reaction.

“It’s not my problem anyway. Oh, and Dad.”

“Yeah?”

“I want to go to America, not a domestic team.”

“America? Are you talking about the Major League? Why? You originally said we should take it one step at a time with a domestic team.”

Ha-sung’s talent shone from an early age.

Naturally, he had no choice but to seriously think about going pro.

It was natural to have serious conversations with his parents from an early age.

“Why suddenly want to go to the Major League instead of a domestic team?”

“Because I’ll be marked by domestic teams because of this incident.”

“Hmm… Ha-sung. If you show your skills, this incident will be easily buried. Above all, with your skills, all teams will…”

“That all teams includes America, right? Right-handed pitchers are common, but there aren’t many high school pitchers who throw over 150 km [93 miles per hour], are there?”

“Well…”

“You said there would be no problem even if I joined a domestic team, but you know that Park Min-seok’s acquaintances are still in the pro scene, right?”

“Hmm…”

Father Jeong Yong-ho was amazed.

He never thought his son would think about such things.

He was also thinking about that part.

But it wasn’t something a high school sophomore would think about.

He had no choice but to admit that his son’s thoughts were deeper than he had expected.

“So you’re saying you’re going to America to avoid them? That’s just running away.”

“It’s not running away. I don’t think my shoulder can hold out until I go to America if I play in Korea.”

Jeong Yong-ho’s eyes widened.

“What do you mean? What’s wrong with your shoulder?”

“I’ve had pain since the National Tournament.”

Jeong Yong-ho’s face hardened at the shocking news.

* * *

The next day.

Jeong Yong-ho took Ha-sung to the hospital.

Because his acquaintance was at a university hospital, he was able to receive quick treatment through his acquaintance’s connections.

He underwent all the tests he could and met with the doctor.

Doctor Kim Min-ki’s face was subtle after seeing the results.

Jeong Yong-ho, seeing that expression, asked.

“Why? Are the results not good?”

“Well… the results aren’t good. But I can’t say they’re necessarily bad.”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s a problem with your elbow. The ligament is damaged. If you continue to throw the ball like this, the injury will worsen.”

“Elbow ligament?! Does that mean I need Tommy John surgery?”

Jeong Yong-ho asked in surprise.

Tommy John surgery was quite risky in this era.

Understanding of the surgery was poor, so players would fail due to excessive rehabilitation, and the surgery itself would sometimes fail.

Therefore, undergoing Tommy John surgery was something that professional players had to bet their careers on.

But his son has a problem with his elbow ligament?

It was like a bolt from the blue.

“Calm down. It hasn’t progressed that far yet.”

“Then…?”

“If you combine medication and rehabilitation, you can fully recover. Strengthening the surrounding muscles will also weaken the damage to the ligament, so you can prevent it from worsening.”

“You don’t need surgery?”

“Not at all in the current state. However, if you overdo it, things will change.”

Jeong Yong-ho’s eyes widened.

Because he could now understand what his son meant.

“Ha-sung, did you know?”

“Huh? What do you mean? Did I know?”

“Actually, my son…”

When Jeong Yong-ho explained the situation, Kim Min-ki’s eyes also widened.

“Did you really know?”

“Not exactly. Actually, I was surprised to hear that there was a problem with my elbow. My shoulder hurt.”

“You might think that if you have an injury, it should hurt there, but that’s not really the case. When a person is uncomfortable somewhere, they use strength from other places to compensate for that discomfort.”

Min-ki brought a model joint.

“If your elbow hurts, you’ll use your shoulder more to protect it. So you end up thinking your shoulder hurts.”

“Then is there no problem with my shoulder?”

“There’s a little inflammation, but it’s at a level that can be healed naturally.”

It was something he already knew.

Even so, he asked to convince his father.

“What’s the best thing to do?”

“It’s best not to throw the ball for six months. If you throw the ball, the damage will accumulate, and you’ll end up having surgery.”

“Hmm… Is it okay to rest for six months?”

Resting during this period is a very difficult choice.

That’s why he couldn’t choose it rashly.

“Think carefully. You only need to rest for six months now, but you might have to rest for several years later. Above all, you know what Tommy John surgery is, right?”

“It’s a difficult surgery to succeed. And even if it succeeds, problems are likely to occur.”

“That’s right. It’s not bad to give up six months now for the future.”

“Hoo… It’s hard to decide right away. But I’ll carefully consider your words.”

Jeong Yong-ho and Ha-sung got up from their seats.

He prescribed some simple medicine, so it would help for now.

Min-ki, who was left alone in the room, checked the chart one more time.

Then he found something strange.

“Ha-sung’s weight has increased compared to a few months ago? Most of it is muscle.”

He turned the chart over and checked more detailed data.

“Huh… Is it possible to grow this much even during the growth period?”

It is possible.

The period when male hormones are secreted the most is after the age of 18.

It’s not for nothing that they say you can chew iron [a Korean idiom meaning someone is at their physical prime].

“If he grows like this, he’ll be really scary…”

It was even more necessary to let his arm rest.

* * *

The results came out.

“I talked to the school and decided to take a leave of absence. The reason is to treat the injury, and we decided to rejoin the team in six months, when you become a junior.”

“Then I can focus on treating my injury for the time being.”

“Yes. Dr. Kim said that if you get good treatment on your elbow, you can not only recover completely but also be in a more perfect condition than now. So let’s work hard on rehabilitation training.”

“Yes. And Dad, going overseas…”

“Let’s see how things go a little more. Let’s put aside complicated thoughts for now and focus on treating the injury.”

“Yes.”

His father didn’t seem to be sure about America yet.

He knew the reason well.

‘The biggest problem is language. The environment is also different. That’s why most players fail when they go to America.’

He also knew it well.

Going to America isn’t just about skill.

‘I have to show you what I can do one by one.’

If he showed him what he could do for sure, he would allow it.

But if he still opposed it.

‘Then I have no choice. I have to go alone.’

The reason why Ha-sung is so insistent on going to the Major League was because of God.

‘I almost died a few days ago.’

A few days ago.

Ha-sung ignored God’s warning and tried to buy Bitcoin.

At this time, Bitcoin had just appeared in the world.

The moment he accessed the American Reddit to buy it.

Ha-sung faced tremendous pain.

It was only for a short time, but it was painful enough to want to die.

‘When the pain disappeared, a word appeared on the monitor.’

[I’m watching you.]

The moment he saw those words, his spine tingled.

Because God’s warning came to mind.

In the end, Ha-sung had no choice but to give up buying Bitcoin.

And at the same time, a goal was engraved.

‘I have to go to the Major League. Otherwise, I might have to enjoy that pain again.’

He shuddered at the thought of the pain.

But that wasn’t the only reason.

‘If I go to the Major League, can I really succeed?’

A friend who stayed by his side until the end.

Tae-soo was confident that he would have been more successful if he had gone to the Major League.

And he lost his life while drinking with him to comfort him.

‘Although he won’t remember, I want to see if that’s true.’

A friend’s words that he believed in himself, who he didn’t even believe in.

He wanted to check it out.

* * *

Six months have passed.

During that time, Ha-sung faithfully carried out injury treatment and rehabilitation training.

In addition, he had become a completely different person from six months ago by doing weight training with his own routine.

“Ha-sung, your body has gotten bigger again?”

“Hello, Uncle.”

“Huh… It’s hard to find the old you now. At this point, you should be going to professional wrestling instead of baseball?”

“Hey, why would I go there?”

“It’s because your body has gotten so big that you can make jokes like this. What’s your weight now?”

“Exactly 90 [kilograms, or 198 pounds].”

“How tall?”

“187 [centimeters, or 6 feet 1 inch].”

“Hehe…”

It was a huge growth compared to six months ago.

His height had only increased by 2 cm, but his weight had increased by a whopping 15 kg.

Not only had his weight increased, but his muscles had also increased, completing a solid body.

“How’s your elbow?”

“Ah… Look at my mind. It’s perfect. The inflammation around the ligament has subsided, and the ligament has recovered to some extent. Above all, muscles have been attached around the arm, so there will be less damage to the ligament than before.”

“Then can I do some light catch ball?”

“Of course. But don’t overdo it.”

“Of course.”

Ha-sung answered with a bright smile.

There was a different thought in his mind, but Min-ki, who didn’t know that, patted him on the shoulder and encouraged him.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Thank you!”

Ha-sung left the hospital with a greeting.

And immediately got into a taxi.

The destination.

“Please go to Taeil High School.”

It was school.