Too Much Pressure
Overwhelmed, the next day I dragged myself to the stadium bright and early once more. My body still felt heavy, but after a relatively solid day of rest, I sensed a bit of recovery compared to yesterday. Still, it was a stretch to say I was fully back, and knowing that myself, I decided not to push it. Half the usual intensity? Or maybe... I could sneak in a nap in the car...
So I kept my personal training as light as possible, dialing back the running to a short, low-intensity jog before wrapping it up. I stuck to stretching and core work, then joined the team practice. With the mistake I'd made yesterday still fresh, I showed up sharp for team drills from the start. I consciously tried to move with even more diligence than usual—no slacking on catchball or fielding reps. My nerves were on edge, worried that yesterday's slip-up or my recent form might spark unnecessary chatter. Luckily, thanks to that, the manager, coaches, and seniors didn't say a word to me. The vibe was business as usual. I let out a quiet sigh of relief inside. Was I just overthinking it all by myself?
Tsk... Should I really say something? Gu Min-seok had been sneaking glances at Kim Hu-seong several times even before training kicked off. He'd already noted that Kim Hu-seong was out there way earlier than usual again today. After team practice wrapped, Gu Min-seok hesitated for a moment, sighed softly, and headed off in another direction.
The destination: the cheerleaders' waiting room.
Hmm... Yeah, this is for the team. We've gotta nail fall ball to get those bonuses and keep the veterans with tenure around. Alright. Deep breath...
But he couldn't just approach any cheerleader, so he waited until team leader Jeong Su-a appeared and made his move.
"Excuse me."
"Yes?"
Jeong Su-a, the team leader, looked momentarily flustered by Gu Min-seok's sudden approach. Players didn't openly come up to them like this very often. Still, since Gu Min-seok had a reputation around the organization as one of the calmer guys, she decided to hear him out.
"Could you help us out with something?"
Jeong Su-a straightened up at the request.
"What's this about?"
A player asking us for help?
"This might sound a bit weird..."
Gu Min-seok paused, choosing his words carefully, then spoke.
"If there's a cheerleader who's pretty close with Kim Hu-seong, could you maybe take her out sometime and hang with him?"
"...Pardon?"
"Especially Mondays work great, or days like afternoon two o'clock games that end early—letting him get some fresh air right after would be ideal."
Jeong Su-a's expression hardened as she heard him out. Gu Min-seok had been as polite as possible, but the request itself was a pretty big ask.
"Sorry, but you know what happened before, right? With Kim Hu-seong and our cheerleaders. Yeah, it was mostly our side's fault from what I know, but if something like that blows up again... we'd be in real trouble."
She shut it down firmly. She couldn't understand the idea of making such a request in the first place, and she drew a clear line against using the cheerleaders that way. Her tone was calm, but the message was anything but soft.
Gu Min-seok couldn't hide his surprise at the stronger-than-expected pushback, but after a moment's thought, he pivoted.
"That's exactly why—because of what happened last time, we're asking for help now."
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
"This is to help Hu-seong out. Right now, he's grinding way too hard, overdoing it. We've tried telling him to cut back on training, but the guy won't listen. Ignores the manager, the coaches, even the captain—keeps pushing too far."
"...?"
"We're dead serious here. Hu-seong's a key asset, the kind who can win games for us. But at this rate, he'll burn out soon. So we're trying to force some rest. Problem is, like I said, he tunes out everyone here, including the manager. It's like that fable where the harsh north wind fails to make the traveler shed his coat, so they go with the warm sun instead."
Jeong Su-a nodded slightly, seeming to grasp his point.
"On days like Monday training when we're explicitly told to rest fully, he needs to actually do it. But word is he went back to his alma mater, Seoul Botong High, and trained there. That's how accidents happen. We need to guarantee downtime—maybe straight-up set up a date or something."
"..."
After listening quietly, Jeong Su-a made up her mind and spoke.
"Still can't do it. Our risk is too high too. Ha-yoon, the one close to Kim Hu-seong, is a super important cheerleader for our team now—if something happens with her, it's a huge loss. The risk has gotten way too big. Sorry, but no. Please handle it professionally on your side."
Damn...
Gu Min-seok started to press but ended up backing off without another word. As he turned away, even he admitted to himself that he'd approached it wrong. It had been a rash judgment in the end. The cheerleader team leader's call was the rational one.
"Got it. Sorry for the hassle."
With that, we headed into the next game. Before it started, I double-checked the opposing starter from the dugout. It was Porter, the MacPies' ace number one. A legit top guy in their rotation with sharp game management—not an easy matchup. Our side, meanwhile, wasn't looking great. With our number three sidelined by injury, a sudden hole had opened in the rotation, filled by Nam Seung-woo, who'd just been called up from the minors. Basically an impromptu new number three.
Hearing that, I was honestly a little shocked. Pulling a two-way guy straight into a start at this timing? Huge pressure.
As my expression tightened, Son Tae-ho hyung, sitting nearby, filled me in.
"They could've bumped up the four starter by a day, but that would've messed the whole rotation. So to keep it intact as much as possible, they slotted Nam Seung-woo as a temp three."
"Hmm... Still..."
Son Tae-ho hyung was blunt.
"Purely on paper, it might feel like a throwaway game. Their ace versus our unproven arm."
But I shook my head right away.
"Nah, come on—where's that mindset? Flip yesterday's script: we were the ones in trouble then too. If we're breaking dojos and chasing fall ball, no game's disposable. Just smash 'em all and climb. Textbook is crumbling their ace too."
Son Tae-ho hyung eyed me for a sec, then nodded.
"Good attitude. Honestly, yesterday's game pissed me off a bit. Time for payback. Gotta topple an ace to salvage some pride."
Crack!
- He got it! But the ball pops up high... Center fielder Jeong Yi-hoon races in and snags it!
Game over!
The scoreboard blazed 8-3. Incredibly, the Gocheok Turkeys had crushed the MacPies. Even more impressive against their ace. Our bats chipped away with single runs early, then exploded for a big inning mid-to-late to seal it. Dugout mood? Electric. Everyone had at least a hit, laughter echoing everywhere, faces relaxed.
Me? Floating in limbo right in the middle. The team demolished them, but my line was trash.
0-for-6 today. Sigh... Going hitless entirely is rough... That zero glared from the scoresheet.
I hadn't been totally helpless at the plate. Fouled off a ton, grinded deep counts with the pitcher. Saw plenty of pitches, but nothing to show. One corner of my mind sank a bit.
Shifting the outfielders all the way in for defense? Makes even sacrifice bunts lethal—tough sledding...
Then Son Tae-ho hyung approached. He clapped my shoulder with a grin.
"Good work. You must've fouled off like 40 today, right? Made it easy for everyone. Their ace was beet red from the first."
I just nodded, words stuck.
"No hits but that kinda impact? No wonder they call you national team caliber. Keep it up—you're killing it."
With that, he headed off to the others.
Whew, national team? I'd rather not hear it anymore...
Too much pressure.