Did I See That Wrong?
Did I see that wrong? Bzzz bzzz. "Yaaawn."
The vibration from my phone jolted me awake.
...?
Oh shit!
The moment my eyes snapped open, my heart plummeted. I bolted upright and checked the time on my phone: 1 p.m.
My mind went blank. The game started at 2 p.m. I should've been at the stadium by now, but here I was, still at home.
"Haa... fuck..."
I kicked off the covers, dashed out, and jumped into my car. Thank God I'd left all my gear in the trunk—saved my ass there. The problem was, it was still lunchtime, so the road to Gocheok was a nightmare of traffic. What usually took 30 minutes would probably stretch to an hour.
The car barely budged, and all I could think was that even if I made it, I'd barely sneak in before first pitch.
Haa...Bzzz bzzz.
My phone buzzed again. Right... this too.
I glanced at the screen—missed calls piling up. Taking a deep breath, I answered the one from the first-team manager.
"Yes, this is Kim Hu-seong."
"Kim Hu-seeeooong! What the hell, picking up now?!"
"I'm sorry! I haven't fully adjusted to the jet lag yet, so I just woke up. It'll take about 30 minutes to get to Gocheok."
A brief silence, then a heavy sigh.
"Got it."
With the immediate fire put out, I looked out the window, taking in the sights as we crawled along. The area around the stadium was already packed. It wasn't an official game, but chances to see major leaguers didn't come often.
I finally pulled into the parking lot. Luckily, my face was my ticket, so they waved me in no problem. I grabbed my gear from the trunk and hustled toward the stadium entrance when a familiar voice called out.
"Huh? Hu-seong?"
Turning around, there was Kim Se-rin the cheerleader.
Huh?
"What are you doing here?"
Kim Se-rin at Gocheok Turkeys Stadium? Out of nowhere?
"What am I doing here? Oh! You didn't know, did you, Hu-seong? Why do you think I'd be here?"
...?
"Hmm."
I quietly pulled out my phone to check. That's when she swooped in.
"Ah! That's cheating."
She blocked the screen with her hand.
"Uh... um..."
Brain spinning, I latched onto one guess.
"Uh... the major league teams are here, so it's like All-Star with all the famous cheerleaders gathered!"
She nodded, impressed.
"Right. So all the popular cheerleaders are on standby in Seoul for that game. But today's just a team scrimmage, so only the club cheerleaders."
"Hmm... wonder which of our team's cheerleaders made it... probably Seo Ha-yoon, right?"
At that, Kim Se-rin eyed me, narrowing her gaze.
"What are you on about? You haven't heard anything? You really had no clue?"
"Huh...? Heard what?"
"Ha-yoon's with the Eulji Crows now."
"Eulji Crows?"
"Yeah. The whole cheer squad that was contracted with Turkeys moved to the Crows."
What...? All of them?
Looks like a lot changed while I was in the States...
"And the named cheerleaders are for the games against the major league teams and the Korean national team. Today it's just club cheerleaders."
That means...
My heart skipped.
"So then..."
"Bingo. Hi~! I'm Kim Se-rin, now with the Turkeys cheer squad. Nice to meet you—let's get along."
I stood there dumbfounded, and she giggled.
"Aw, I thought you'd be thrilled, but no reaction? Got a new favorite cheerleader already?"
"Ah! No... I mean, I'm just stunned."
"Hmm. Hey, but can you really be here right now? Game's about to start."
"Yeah, I'm late. Probably gonna get chewed out big time."
Smack.
"...? Hey, idiot. Then hurry up and go inside."
She swatted my arm.
...
"You set the hook and now..."
"Just get in there! What if the team thinks badly of you?"
"Nah, it's fine. I don't like this team much anyway."
Her face twisted in confusion.
"What?"
"Gotta head in. Talk later."
"You? What the hell's wrong with you?"
"Sorry, sir."
"Go warm up for now. Not sure if you'll play or not. I was gonna put you in the leadoff spot, but had to pull you since you weren't here. Got it?"
"Sorry, sir."
"Sigh... go."
After getting an earful from first-team manager Kim Young-ho, I headed to the dugout. Two seniors were waiting to grill me—captain Son Tae-ho and de facto captain playing coach Lee Gyu-yong.
Here it comes...
I shuffled over slowly.
"What the—? Is this for real?"
Lee Gyu-yong looked incredulous.
"Ahem..."
Son Tae-ho cleared his throat, giving me a light warning glance.
"Hey, Kim Hu-seong. You're outfield now, right? I handle the outfielders. But this? I've been pro for over 10 years, never seen anything like it. What, all that money going to your head?"
Money...?
"Ahem... more like the opposite. They lowballed me and it pissed me off... ahem..."
Son Tae-ho caught his mistake and corrected quick.
"What? Isn't he getting up to 200 million?"
"I heard the first offer was just 90 million..."
"Him? He did great last year."
Lee Gyu-yong looked baffled at the numbers.
Figures... they know who I am. Same play style, after all.
"They cut 10 million off my next contract. 80 million guaranteed."
"What...?"
"Ahem..."
"They swapped in options instead, but with my knee, no more steals, so big steal options. Zero homers last year, but huge homer options too. Guaranteed's 80 mil, options make 120, total up to 200."
The two vets let out small sighs.
"Those options were a bit harsh, huh?"
"Uh... you know I'm a playing coach? Club cut me slack, so I gotta toe the line. Let this slide, but watch it next time. Got me?"
"Yes, sir."
Lee Gyu-yong gave a light warning and left, leaving me alone with Son Tae-ho.
"Man. Why drag out the wandering? Pull it together and grind. You ain't done yet. Keep at it like you do, the path'll clear."
"Tch. I've been thinking—does grinding even matter?"
"What?"
"Gotta do well. Thinking moderate effort but smart."
"...You've finally lost it. I get it, though. Anyway, welcome back. Warm up—game's starting soon."
Thwack!
"Gone again! Ma-car-do sends Spencer's pitch deep with ease!"
March 17, 2024. Special game at Gocheok Turkeys Stadium: Turkeys vs. San Diego Padres.
But the talent gap was huge—the game was over early. Starter Spencer gave up a homer to leadoff Tatis Jr., then another to No. 3 Manny Machado, spotting two in the top first.
"Ah... no answer for this. Our ace is in good form, but they're smoking him. How?"
"Think of it as good experience? Spencer and Michael were pumped for this."
"Then pitch better... Switch to Michael after the third. Send out the eager arms inning by inning."
"Got it."
The score ballooned. By bottom seventh: 9-1 Padres.
"Damn... majors are different. Not one dips below 150 km/h. How do we score?"
Manager Kim Young-ho marveled at the Padres' power.
"At least we scraped one—face saved?"
"One run? Please. Anyway, what's with Kim Hu-seong? Seen his condition?"
"No clue. Oh Tae-sik didn't explain—just said he's beyond second-team level and shoved him up. I don't know either."
"Oh Tae-sik doesn't hype without reason..."
"Yeah. If he'd come early, we could've checked, but he shows up late today too..."
"Gotta watch in-game then. He's warmed up... Sub him in for Min-seok's at-bat."
"Roger."
"Now on the mound: Enyel De Los Santos. Late-150s four-seam fastball—his bread and butter."
Whiff!Pop!
"Strike!"
Leadoff hitter Kim Han-seong grimaced. The board flashed 158 km/h—nasty velocity, hard to touch.
Whiff!Whoosh!Pop!
"Swinging strike!"
Another fastball, obvious strike zone, but whiff again.
Whiff!Whoosh!Pop!
"Strike three!"
"Whoa... three fastballs, K."
"Speed's overwhelming him."
As caster and commentator gawked, Kim Hu-seong appeared.
"Next up... pinch-hitter Kim Hu-seong."
"Hu-seong's back. With his elite contact, he could rattle Santos... Huh? Batting right-handed?"
"...? What the hell's he doing? Chief coach, you hear about a switch to righty?"
Manager Kim Young-ho stared, baffled, as I stepped in right-handed.
"No word on that from me."
Crack!
A dull thud echoed through the stadium.
"Wooooaaah!"
Cheers erupted from the Turkeys fans.
"Huh...?"
Kim Young-ho jumped up, eyes on the ball. It rocketed left, clearing the fence.
...?Did I see that wrong?
He shook his head to clear it, checking the board. HOME RUN in huge letters, below it: 159 km/h.
Not wrong, then...?