This One's on Me
"First, we need to get the facts straight. If Kim Hu-seong says something off-base, it could make things worse."
I felt my throat burning at the team staffer's words. No excuses or explanations came to mind. My vision just blurred.
The air in the meeting room shifted subtly. The manager's tone, the staffers' gazes—they all radiated the same vibe: best if the cheerleaders handled this quietly. No one said it outright, but I picked up on it crystal clear. If it blew up into a player issue, it'd shake the whole organization. They wanted to wrap it as a cheer squad oversight and move on.
So that's how it is... cheerleaders are always the ones who get screwed...
Should I just sit tight like they want? No. I can't. I know what happens. When shit like this goes down, the cheerleaders take the full hit. I heard it straight from her.
I ran the calculations in my head. If I got disciplined over this... probably a trip to the second team. Worst case, I'd never see first-team action again. But strangely, heading to second team didn't scare me right now. My mind was calm, even.
Yeah, it's partly my fault anyway. Stupid of me to message a cheerleader, stupid to go when she called.
And... I need to relearn the basics of baseball. I'm not first-team material yet.
I rose quietly from my chair. All eyes turned to me. My fingertips trembled, but I said it anyway.
"This one's on me."
The room fell dead silent. The manager furrowed his brow.
"What'd you say?"
"It's not Kim Han-seong's issue, and it's not some big problem on the cheerleaders' end. This whole thing is my fault."
The air grew heavy. The staffer looked baffled, and Jeong Su-a's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
"I did meet those cheerleaders in the photo. Separately. And that's on me."
"Haa..."
The manager let out a long sigh.
"I was the one clinging to the cheerleaders. All my fault. I'm sorry."
I bowed deeply. The silence stretched on. The manager stared at me for a long moment before finally looking away.
"Pack your shit and get to second team."
I said nothing. My face was already set—I'd braced for this. Whatever came next, I'd handle it.
"You all heard that? Deal with it."
The manager shoved back from the table and stormed out. I took a short breath, bowed again.
"Sorry, everyone."
"Haa... Hu-seong. Never pegged you for this..."
The staffer sighed.
"This is a headache now. No response article. Just say Kim Hu-seong's been sent to second team. You'll eat shit online."
"Got it."
"When stuff like this happens, we can't do much. This is the best we can do."
"Yes. I'll handle the fallout."
I left those words behind and slowly exited the meeting room. Back in the locker room, I started packing. Uniforms, gear, personal stuff—methodically into the bag. That's when the door flew open.
It was Son Tae-ho sunbae. His face was flushed red.
"You crazy bastard."
He grabbed my collar roughly, yanking me up.
"What the hell is this? For real?"
Son Tae-ho sunbae's eyes mixed rage, disappointment, and sheer disbelief.
"Sorry. I'll explain later."
I said that much, then gently pried his hand off. He glared for a long beat before dropping his grip.
"Hah... I must be the idiot for expecting anything from a rookie."
I shouldered my bag without a word and walked out of the locker room. Elevator to the parking lot, into the car. Soon, I left Gocheok Stadium behind, heading to Goyang for second team.
Ah... but man... feels kinda like running away...
I pulled up to the second-team stadium, locked the car, and headed past the dorms toward the manager's office.
"Hey. Kim Hu-seong."
Someone called from behind. I turned—Hwang Do-yoon sunbae.
"Yes?"
"Come here a sec."
My shoulders tensed. He strode into the dorm first; I followed. Into the room we'd be sharing. He crossed his arms, glaring, and growled low.
"What the hell are you?"
Oof... not messing around...
"What do you mean?"
"You know how fast rumors spread among players? You're one bold dude."
Already hit second team. And it hasn't even been that long.
Gonna be living together awhile. Better clear this up.
I exhaled softly.
"It's... a misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding?"
His voice rose.
"What's to misunderstand? Answer's out: you got sent down. That's the only fallout. Right?"
I bit my lip.
"Not that kind of issue."
"Got proof?"
Silence hung after Hwang Do-yoon's words. My mind tangled. Finally, I pulled out my phone and showed the messages with Seo Ha-yoon.
"This is it."
He scanned the screen. The chat was pretty tame, nothing wild. I continued steadily.
"As you can see, I never messaged first. I just helped when they needed it. That's all."
Hwang Do-yoon sunbae stared blankly. I pressed on.
"If anything, the cheerleaders tricked me into coming. Someone up the chain probably put her up to it... Still, could you keep the rumors down?"
"Rumors are already flying."
"I know. But we're roomies, so here's the truth."
He handed back the phone, muttering.
"Hah... so you just stuck your neck out for nothing? Why?"
I looked down.
"You know why I got sent here."
He pierced me with his gaze, then looked away with a short grunt.
"Ah... yeah, could be. I get it..."
"Yes, that's it. I'll head to the manager now."
"Yeah. Go."
Thank god. He gets it.
Deep breath outside the door, knock, enter.
"Manager! Kim Hu-seong here."
"Kim Hu-seong? Come in. What're you doing here? Shouldn't you be prepping with first team?"
"I... got sent to second team."
Oh Tae-sik, at his desk, looked up slowly. His face was stone.
"Yeah?"
Short reply, laced with ice.
"But honestly, Kim Hu-seong, I don't know why I should welcome you. Heard the news."
I bowed, quiet.
"Sorry."
"A~ sorry my ass?"
"Yes. But... I'm sorry not for my personal life, but for running down here."
Oh Tae-sik frowned, incredulous.
"Running down...? Hah, knew it. Your training volume leaves no time for that crap. Hope that's what I'm thinking."
I bowed deeper.
"Things got messy, but it seemed like a solid excuse."
"Damn... so cheerleaders are the problem? You're spotless?"
"Like... 30%? Kinda?"
"What a clown."
"If I weren't so nice, it'd be 0%. Just my nature."
He leaned back, arms crossed.
"Alright. So where do you think the problem is?"
I steadied my breath.
"Too many. Saw it clear in first team. How bad my fundamentals are."
He scratched his chin, staring hard.
"So? No regrets coming down? First team's hell, but it's the top. This is just practice."
I answered without hesitation.
"No regrets. I need to relearn now. Properly."
He smirked faintly—not mocking, more intrigued.
"Good words. But remember one thing: you might never get called up. Image is trashed up top. This ain't just discipline."
I lifted my head firm, eyes steady, words deliberate.
"I know. But I'll become the player they have to call up."
Silence. Oh Tae-sik stood, stepped close.
"Fine. Prove it with results. Anyone can talk."
I nodded.
"Yes, manager. This time, results for sure."
"Go. Training in 30."