"There are so many people at the stadium today. I can't remember the last time I saw the Blue Dragon finals this packed. It must be because of the fiery interviews from Kim Shin-hwa and Cha Tae-hyun!"
"That's right. It's drawing unprecedented popularity. And today, there are even scouts from major league teams. I heard Kim Ho-san actively promoted Cha Tae-hyun. I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of performance Cha Tae-hyun will show us today."
"And speaking of Cha Tae-hyun, I was really surprised to see that the starting pitcher for Hyuksan High today is Kim Chang-hyun. Didn't most people expect Lee Seung-tae?"
└ Kim Chang-hyun???
└ Hey, where's our Phoenix ace, Seung-tae?
└ Dude, Lee Seung-tae pitched in the last semi-final. If he pitches again…
└ Wait, is it really Kim Chang-hyun?
└ Did the coach throw the game?
"Haha… even our viewers are expressing their doubts. I'm looking forward to seeing if Kim Chang-hyun can prove himself amidst these doubts."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
On the diamond-shaped field, in the center, was the pitcher's mound. Kim Chang-hyun stood upon it. He looked around the stadium. An unbelievable number of spectators filled the seats for a high school baseball game.
And all their gazes were on him. He knew that most of those gazes were filled with doubt, not trust. No, perhaps all of them doubted him. But he just smiled faintly.
'It doesn't matter if everyone doubts me.'
The training he had begged his junior for, the teammates who had believed in him until now, and the sweat he had shed endlessly. Even if everyone doubted him, he didn't doubt himself.
He asked the catcher in front of him, "Do you believe I can do it today?"
Ji Chang-seop chuckled and tapped his chest.
"You brat. If the catcher doesn't trust the pitcher, who will he trust?"
Kim Chang-hyun nodded and said quietly, "Then today, it's a perfect game."
"Alright. Let's do it!"
And so, the finals of the Blue Dragon tournament began.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
'They say Dae-san High is a batting team…'
None of their batters had a batting average below .300. It was as if there was no distinction between their upper and lower lineup.
The most difficult type of opponent for a pitcher. But Kim Chang-hyun didn't care about that.
'A pitcher who throws based on the situation isn't a real pitcher…'
Whether the opponent hit .300, .400, or was even a guy like Cha Tae-hyun who always hit home runs, only by getting outs could one earn the title of an ace. That was his long-held belief.
The Dae-san High batter stepped into the box. His face was calm, without a trace of nervousness. He even seemed to be smirking.
At that sight, Kim Chang-hyun's lips curled up. Although no words were exchanged, he knew. The batter was underestimating him. He had heard it during the handshake ceremony.
'It's a shame it's not Lee Seung-tae.'
Kim Chang-hyun slowly lifted his knee and started his pitching motion, muttering, "After seeing only Cha Tae-hyun…"
He took a big stride, rotated his right arm smoothly, and with great force…
"It's a shame seeing you guys!"
…he threw the ball.
As the ball approached the batter…
'…Huh?'
A look of surprise appeared on the batter's face, and…
Thwack!
…by the time the ball was in the mitt, the batter was frozen in place.
A fastball, right on the inside corner of the plate. The scoreboard showed 153km/h.
Kim Chang-hyun, who had received the ball back, smiled faintly at Ji Chang-seop's sign. He had called for a fastball in the exact same spot.
A risky call, but… he didn't mind. The ball, leaving his hand, flew to the exact same spot as the first pitch.
Thwack!
The batter didn't swing again.
'You can't be surprised by this.'
Kim Chang-hyun chuckled at the stunned batter and placed his index and middle fingers on the ball.
"Do you also throw a forkball, Chang-hyun?"
"I know how to, but I don't throw it often."
"Then how about you start using it now? Your hand is perfect for a forkball…"
"Of course, even after practicing the forkball diligently, Cha Tae-hyun had always hit it…"
'But it's enough for these guys.'
The ball left his hand and slowly approached the batter. The batter, seeing the enticing pitch, took the bait and swung hard.
Whoosh!
Just as the bat was about to hit the ball, it dropped sharply, hit the ground, and Ji Chang-seop quickly dropped to his knees and caught it. If the ball had touched the ground, it would have been a 'strikeout not out,' and if the batter had reached first base before the ball, he would have been safe, but…
"Not running?"
Well, since the catcher had caught the ball cleanly, it was meaningless. Ji Chang-seop tagged the batter, and the umpire called him out.
The next batter. Same story. Two fastballs to get ahead in the count, then a forkball to finish him off.
The third batter.
'I need to be careful with this one…'
A batter famous for his good contact and keen eye, who was known for increasing the pitch count. Kim Chang-hyun glanced at Cha Tae-hyun and gripped a two-seam fastball. He would trust Cha Tae-hyun and pitch to contact.
As he intended, the batter immediately swung at the two-seamer.
Crack!
A well-hit ball shot between third and short. It was a hard-hit grounder, and the batter, sensing a hit, grinned and ran. But strangely, Kim Chang-hyun was also grinning.
'…Why is he smiling?'
As he was thinking that, looking at the pitcher, something behind the pitcher…
…flew.
"Wh-What?"
Cha Tae-hyun had dived, caught the ball cleanly, and raised his glove.
"Out!"
Kim Chang-hyun, who had been running to first base, froze and smiled at the batter, then shouted, "That's it, Cha Tae-hyun!"
"No!! He caught that? Wahaha…! I can't believe it! That was like he was flying. Let's see that again! Here it is, flying like a bee! And catching it like a butterfly! What a beautiful play!"
└ Holy shit, lol, is he using some kind of martial art?
└ General Tae-hyun is using a teleportation technique, lol.
└ Seriously, if he could just play defense, he'd be the starting shortstop for the Phoenix, lol.
└ Even without defense, his personality is so likable <- he could be the starter just for that, lol.
└ No, what's with the Phoenix shortstop then?
└ Don't ask…
└ But what's with Kim Chang-hyun's pitches? They're really good.
└ Kim Chang-hyun, why don't you come to our Daejeon Volcanos?
└ Those volcano bastards, since Lee Seung-tae is going to the Phoenix anyway, they've changed their strategy to Kim Chang-hyun, lol.
└ No, but Kim Shin-hwa said he's better than Kim Chang-hyun. How much better is he?
└ No, just high school baseball is strange right now… it's something beyond the golden generation…
└ The fucking golden generation, lol.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Retired pitchers, when they tell stories, always talk about that once-in-a-lifetime game. Every pitcher has a game where they pitch beyond their usual limits… and from my experience, today seemed to be that day for Chang-hyun.
I couldn't definitively say he was better than Lee Seung-tae, but at this moment, no one was missing Lee Seung-tae.
"Chang-hyun did a great job setting the tone… Shall we see what that trash-talker Kim Shi-hwan has got?"
"It's not Shi-hwan, it's Shin-hwa."
Jin Myung-hwan, who was about to leave the dugout with his bat, corrected me.
"What does it matter? You understood what I meant. Anyway, don't strike out and at least make him throw a lot of pitches."
"Sorry about that. I'm going to hit a home run on the first pitch."
Jin Myung-hwan, who had confidently left, stood at the plate, and Kim Shin-hwa wound up and threw the first pitch.
Thwack!
"Str-ike!"
"He's not as bad as his trash talk, but he's not bad."
A fastball, right on the outside corner. Even Jin Myung-hwan, who had one of the best contact abilities in high school baseball, couldn't touch it. And the speed on the scoreboard was 155km/h.
To be honest, my standards were high, but by normal high school baseball standards, he was at the top. It wasn't common to see speeds over 150km/h in high school. The talk of a golden generation was understandable.
On the second pitch, my lips curled up slightly.
"Str-ike!"
The exact same pitch, a fastball in the same spot. Was he conscious of Chang-hyun? Anyway, the important thing was that Jin Myung-hwan couldn't even expect a hit, let alone a home run.
"Strikeout!"
As expected, Jin Myung-hwan struck out on three pitches.
"You said you were going to hit a home run on the first pitch."
"No… I thought he was just an asshole, but his pitches are also annoying."
"Can a pitch be annoying?"
"I mean, his pitches are dirty. Just go with it."
"..."
I was momentarily speechless. I didn't expect to hear that from Jin Myung-hwan.
"I don't think Chang-seop will have an easy time either."
"With Chang-seop, you never know."
Chang-seop wasn't just a number 2 catcher for show. He was also considered one of the best hitting catchers.
"Strikeout!"
"He struck out."
Jin Myung-hwan asked, as if to argue.
"As you said, his pitches are a bit annoying. It seems hard to hit them on the first at-bat."
As I was about to leave the dugout with my bat, Jin Myung-hwan asked, "Do you think you won't be able to hit it on your first at-bat either?"
"Myung-hwan, do you think I can't hit it?"
"…Oh, you're so annoying. But… since you're an even bigger asshole, I think you can."
I chuckled at his backhanded compliment and left the dugout. I watched Lee Tae-hyung while taking practice swings. He was overshadowed by me and Lee Ji-ho, but he was also one of the top power hitters in the high school league.
He wouldn't go down easily.
Thwack!
As if to mock my thoughts, a weakly hit ball flew towards the shortstop. The ball, which seemed like an easy out…
"Huh?"
…suddenly bounced up and over the shortstop's glove. The flustered shortstop quickly picked up the ball and threw it to first, but…
"Safe!"
…Lee Tae-hyung, who had been running at full speed since he hit the ball, was already hugging the base.
"Waaaaah!!!!"
"Cha Tae-hyun! Cha Tae-hyun!"
Just for stepping up to the plate, the crowd erupted as if he had hit a home run. It was a shame that Mi-yeon's voice was drowned out, but… this was a pretty good feeling too.
I stood at the plate and stared at Kim Shin-hwa, and he, feeling my gaze, smirked. …He really was as annoying as Jin Myung-hwan said.
I lowered my bat slightly.
"The man who's going to set a new record has come to the plate?"
A taunting voice came from behind.
"If you don't walk me."
I heard a scoff, but I ignored it and got into my stance.
Why should I react? It was good for me if he underestimated me. Kim Shin-hwa, despite having a runner on first, wound up and threw the first pitch, as if he knew that Lee Tae-hyung was slow. A sharp curveball flew in and then dropped as if to avoid my bat.
Most batters would have swung and missed, but… first, I wasn't most batters, and… the pitch, which was only half a ball out of the strike zone, was well within my reach.
CRACK!!!!
I flicked my wrist, twisting the bat's trajectory and hitting the ball perfectly. The ball soared high into the sky. The Dae-san High catcher, who had been sneering, quickly threw off his mask and stood up.
The Dae-san High center fielder ran frantically after the ball, his head up, and even crashed into the fence, but the ball was still flying.
"Waaaaaaaaah!!!!!!"
As if in response to the explosive cheers, I coolly flipped my bat.
"I told you I'd hit it if you didn't walk me."
I left a parting word to the stunned catcher and slowly walked away from the plate.
"Cha Tae-hyun! Cha Tae-hyun! Cha Tae-hyun!"
The crowd on the first base side started chanting my name frantically, and I glanced back and raised one index finger.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Aaaaaah!! There it is again! Cha Tae-hyun's uppercut swing! It's a truly unbelievable, crazy hit every time I see it! Even the major league scouts are shaking their heads! It was a fantastic swing!"
"Wahaha! Cha Tae-hyun just raised one index finger to the crowd! Does this mean his first home run? Will he be holding up two fingers in his next at-bat?"
└ lol, Kim Shin-hwa talked so much trash and then gave up a home run on the first pitch, lol.
└ Wow, lol, how many fingers will be up today, lol?
└ I worship you, G.O.A.T…
└ It's a shame there's no Sweet Tae-hyun today ㅠㅠ
└ No, but Kim Shin-hwa can be excused. That was a ball…
└ By Tae-hyun-shin's standards, that's also a strike, lol.
└ Seriously, lol, you don't know this? Didn't you do your research? Lol.
└ No, but seriously, I think I see the Phoenix winning this year.
└ I agree, Lee Seung-tae + Cha Tae-hyun is just a recipe for a win.
└ Finally, the Phoenix dynasty is being established…
└ Another premature celebration, lol.
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