Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 6

Villain on the Mound – Episode 6

Villain on the Mound Episode 6

A new coach.

A new system.

Everything about Taeil High School’s baseball team had changed.

But one thing remained the same.

Thwack-!!

“Wow!!”

“It’s a hit!”

“Run! Run!!”

The players were running hard on the field.

Spring arrived, and the Spring League began.

Most of the players participated in the games, but there was one exception.

Ha-sung couldn’t set foot on the field.

‘He’s completely excluding me.’

Even with the new coach, the unfair treatment of Ha-sung hadn’t changed.

This could be interpreted in two ways.

‘Either he’s connected to the previous coaches, or the school is trying to exclude me altogether.’

The latter seemed more likely.

He had committed a sin that tarnished the school’s reputation.

‘But why not kick me out of the baseball team? Is it just in case?’

If a graduate joins a professional team, the school gains immense wealth and prestige.

The honor of producing a professional player.

And the revenue generated from that fact was significant.

‘Professional players are required to donate a certain percentage of their signing bonus. They’re probably expecting that.’

Ha-sung, who could throw at a top speed of 150 km/h [approximately 93 mph], was certain to go pro.

He was a player who made people wonder whether he would be the first or second pick.

The signing bonus Ha-sung would receive would be hundreds of millions [of Korean won, equivalent to hundreds of thousands of US dollars].
A few percent of that was not a small amount.

‘They won’t let me play, but they’ll take the benefits.’

Ha-sung’s lips twisted.

‘To think they believe this kind of method will work on me, who has tasted all the flavors of the world, from sweet to bitter to… well, you know.’

A famous line from a movie came to mind.

It didn’t matter that the other party didn’t know he had regressed [returned to an earlier point in his life].

He had regressed, and he wasn’t naive enough to fall for such obvious tricks.

‘We’ll see.’

Ha-sung gritted his teeth as he watched his teammates play.

* * *

His father visited the school frequently.

“Why aren’t you letting my son play?!”

The reason was, of course, Ha-sung.

Coach Lee Ki-sung responded to his father’s anger.

“Ha-sung missed the winter training camp due to an injury. He didn’t fully understand the tactics at the time…….”

“What tactics are there for a pitcher who isn’t a fielder? Isn’t it enough to throw the ball well from the mound?!”

“The baseball team is also part of education, so there are things between the players…….”

“That education crap! Is that why those guys take so much under the table [bribes]?!

“My predecessors have all taken responsibility and stepped down. And now, the trial is underway. Do you want them to be punished even more?”

“Th…… That’s…….”

It wasn’t a direct threat.

But as a parent, he couldn’t help but feel intimidated.

Lee Ki-sung, having gained the upper hand, continued.

“In any case, player selection is my authority as the coach. Even if you’re dissatisfied with that, coming here like this can cause misunderstandings when other players or parents see it.”

“What are you……!”

“Aren’t you ultimately putting pressure on me because you’re dissatisfied with your son not being used?”

“Is this pressure?!”

“Then leave the player selection to me. It’s my authority. If this conversation continues, I can’t help but feel pressured. I don’t want to follow the same path as the previous coaches.”

His father’s mouth closed at the mention of the previous coaches.

He knew very well why they had left the school.

A smile appeared on Lee Ki-sung’s face at the sight.

“Then let’s end the conversation here.”

There was nothing more to say.

* * *

That night.

His father was alone in the kitchen, drinking soju [a Korean distilled spirit].

“I’m sorry……. Son, I’m really sorry.”

It was a side of his father he hadn’t seen in his previous life.

What was he so sorry about?

“Your father is too powerless…….”

With those words, his father began to tell his story.

About what had happened at school.

Hearing that, he felt a surge of anger.

‘They’re messing with my family.’

In his previous life, his father had passed away not long after Ha-sung retired.

When he was in his mid-30s, his mother also passed away, which came as a great shock.

That’s why he was so happy to see them both healthy when he returned.

But now they were making his father sad.

‘I was going to leave quietly…….’

He was going to leave them alone if they didn’t bother him.

Because it was still his alma mater.

But not anymore.

Now that they had touched his family, they had crossed the line.

‘I’ll give them the best revenge I can.’

He clenched his fist.

* * *

Ha-sung waited for his moment.

‘There aren’t many ways to screw over the school as a student.’

It would be too late after he turned pro.

By then, all the people involved would likely be gone.

Even if they remained, it would only be one or two.

‘Doing it now is the best.’

How to screw them over.

That was the biggest problem.

After much thought, Ha-sung came up with a plan.

‘Around summer, the kids get tired and drop out. The national tournaments are held in succession, so the players’ fatigue is bound to increase.’

The starting players participate in almost every game.

Even if a player was sure to be drafted, that didn’t change.

It was a kind of custom.

This sometimes caused trouble with professional teams.

What was certain was that there would be a problem with the starting members from the summer tournament onwards.

“Argh!!”

A player who was throwing the ball on the mound suddenly collapsed.

The accident occurred when the batted ball hit the player’s shin directly.

It was something that could happen at any time.

The problem was that the player on the mound was the starting pitcher.

And that the current tournament was the semi-final of the President’s Cup National High School Baseball Championship.

‘Sorry to say this, but…….’

The coach glanced at the bench.

He made eye contact with Ha-sung, but he immediately looked away.

Then, he brought in relief pitchers from the bullpen.

Watching that, Ha-sung thought.

‘My chance has come.’

That day.

Taeil High School won and advanced to the finals.

But the damage was severe.

A fierce slugfest took place, and all the pitchers on the roster took the mound.

On the other hand, Daesung High School reached the finals with an overwhelming score of 14 to 1.

“Damn it…….”

Lee Ki-sung gritted his teeth after receiving the news.

‘The finals are tomorrow.’

The President’s Cup was a tournament held with the shortest schedule among the national competitions.

That was why the semi-finals and finals were held in succession.

‘Damn it…….’

Lee Ki-sung checked the player list.

Among them, there was only one player with an asterisk.

Jung Ha-sung.

The best pitcher in the team.

But he had been marked by the higher-ups for tarnishing the school’s reputation.

If that wasn’t the reason, he would have played in today’s game.

‘That lucky bastard.’

There was no other way now.

The President’s Cup was a tournament they had to win.

Moreover, their opponent, Daesung High School, was a rival of Taeil High School.

If they lost, he would be held responsible.

‘I’ll report it later.’

If he reported it right away, there was a possibility that it would be rejected.

It was a very slight possibility, but if it was rejected, there was nothing he could say.

That’s why he was thinking of acting first.

If they got results, they could somehow cover it up.

“Jung Ha-sung, you’re starting tomorrow.”

At Lee Ki-sung’s words, Ha-sung slowly nodded.

In the bus, which was buzzing with noise, Ha-sung secretly smiled quietly.

‘A gentleman’s revenge takes ten years, but my revenge doesn’t even take a year.’

The time for revenge had come.

* * *

Ha-sung knew his skills accurately.

‘There are only one or two guys who can hit my pitches in high school tournaments.’

They were guys who could make it even if they went pro right away.

‘That’s what it used to be.’

This was the story before his regression.

Now, the situation had changed.

After regressing, Ha-sung had become a completely different person.

He had gained weight and muscle.

In addition, he had removed the time bomb he had in his elbow ligament.

Most of all, he had rested for a whole year.

‘It was enough time for my overworked body to heal completely.’

Now, he would throw the ball in that perfect condition.

He was going to show them exactly what kind of person he had become.

“The catcher is that guy, right?”

“Yes.”

At Lee Ki-sung’s words, Ha-sung’s gaze turned to Jung-soo, who was putting on his equipment on the bench.

He wasn’t a starting catcher.

Nevertheless, the reason he was starting in today’s game was Ha-sung’s request.

“Who cares who catches.”

He seemed full of complaints, but in fact, Lee Ki-sung was also thinking of sending Jung-soo out.

Choi Kwang-soo, who was the starting catcher the day before, had received too many balls.

He didn’t want to send him out in an unreasonable situation, so he brought out the card called Jung-soo.

“Just in case, do your best. To the outside world, you’re known to be injured. If you’re sluggish in your comeback game, it will affect your professional draft. Remember that.”

Lee Ki-sung threatened Ha-sung in case he did something strange.

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Now you’re talking.”

Lee Ki-sung smiled at Ha-sung’s answer.

‘Wouldn’t it be fun to screw them over like that?’

Ha-sung went up to the mound.

He warmed up by lightly practicing his throws.

Professional scouts shined their eyes at Ha-sung’s appearance after a long time.

“As expected, Jung Ha-sung came up.”

“There’s no other way. They used up so much of the bullpen in yesterday’s game.”

“I heard he couldn’t come up because of an injury. Will he be okay?”

“Well, it’s fortunate for us. We get to see him before the second draft.”

Professional teams that had finished the first draft were now picking out the gems to be selected in the second draft.

In the midst of that, Ha-sung’s appearance was good news for them.

They could check what he would look like after recovering from his injury and participate in the draft.

“His practice throws aren’t bad?”

“It’s coming out at around 135 [km/h, approximately 84 mph].”

“He’ll easily hit 140 [km/h, approximately 87 mph] in a real game?”

The reaction to his practice throws wasn’t bad.

But some scouts were negative.

“His body has gotten so big, but there’s almost no increase in speed.”

“Is there an aftereffect of the injury?”

“I’m glad we didn’t pick him in the first round.”

Ha-sung was originally on the first draft list of each team.

But the injury issue.

Especially the news that it was in his elbow was fatal.

As soon as the news spread, all the teams turned away from him in the first nomination.

That’s how negative the perception of elbow injuries was at this time.

“I wonder what will happen?”

It wasn’t just professional scouts who came to hear about Ha-sung’s return.

A man in his mid-40s with shabby clothes and a tired face mechanically wrote something in his notebook.

‘Jung Ha-sung’s potential isn’t for domestic use. He’s a player who can make it even if he goes to the major leagues. And that guy is injured.’

The man’s name was Baek Joon-gi.

As a reporter specializing in the major leagues, he was the most famous sports reporter in Korea.

His knowledge of the major leagues was beyond imagination.

He collected and gathered information to the point of being called obsessive.

He organized his thoughts while writing down the words of the scouts around him in his notebook.

‘His weight has increased so much, but his speed is not much different from before. Then it can be said that his speed has decreased due to a problem with his elbow. He must have maintained his speed by going in a form that protects it with muscle.’

It was the most certain hypothesis he could think of after watching his practice throws.

Then, the practice throws were finished.

The ball was thrown to the infielders, and the batter walked into the batter’s box.

“Please take care of me!”

The batter greeted the umpire and stood in the batter’s box.

In the meantime, the ball was returned to Ha-sung.

Ha-sung, who had put rosin on his hand, stood on the mound.

As he stepped on the pitcher’s plate, the umpire reached out his hand.

“Play ball!”

Ha-sung’s comeback game had begun.

Jung-soo gave a very simple signal.

‘The signs are too simple. That means they matched it before coming into the game. Then there’s a high probability it’s a fastball. This is too obvious?’

Baek Joon-gi’s judgment was accurate.

And the batter could read it too.

‘Most of the choices of the guys who are coming back are fastballs. The sign was simple, so it must be clear.’

If you know what’s coming, it’s not difficult to hit it.

The batter, who had gained confidence, stepped back in the batter’s box.

It was a step back to deal with a fast ball.

But Ha-sung wasn’t even looking at that batter.

‘You made my father cry.’

His gaze was directed at Lee Ki-sung.

Seeing him confidently folding his arms, anger surged.

‘Now it’s your turn.’

It was now time to release that anger.

Whoosh-!!

Ha-sung, who had kicked up his leg, went into a windup.

And with a stride, he threw the first ball with all his might.

“Hup!!”

Screeeeeech-!!

The ball left his hand with a scream.

The sound of the wind exploding was heard, and the ball instantly pierced through the space and stuck in Jung-soo’s mitt.

Thud-!!

A roar like a bomb exploding silenced the ground.

It was Jung-soo who broke the silence.

“Um, what’s the call……?”

“Huh? Uh, st…… Strike!!”

The umpire, who came to his senses at Jung-soo’s question, hurriedly declared a strike.

At the same time, the stadium, which had been silent, became noisy.

“Sp…… Speed gun!”

“What’s the speed?!”

Some scouts shouted.

Baek Joon-gi also listened to their conversation.

It was because he hadn’t taken out the speed gun yet.

Then one scout said.

“O…… One hundred and sixty…….”

“What?”

Instead of answering, he handed the speed gun to his boss.

The number on the speed gun monitor was [160km] [approximately 99.4 mph].