Empty Stands and Online Fury
Where's the urgency? 'Haa...'
The Gocheok Turkeys' home stadium felt even quieter than usual today. Empty seats were glaringly obvious in the stands, and entire sections in the outfield had no one at all. The only fans clustered up front near the cheer squad leader and cheerleaders on the first-base side—and even there, most were just standing with arms crossed, watching silently rather than cheering passionately. The cheer squad leader gripped the mic and belted out calls, the cheerleaders executed flawless routines to root for the Turkeys, but their energy seemed to dissipate into thin air. The drumbeats and music echoed louder than any human cheers, and one cheerleader even cracked a stiff expression while struggling to keep the rhythm.
'This is the worst...'
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"MacPhies!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"MacPhies!"
"MacPhies!"
"MacPhies!"
In stark contrast, the third-base visitor's side was a whole different world—the Daejeon MacPhies fans. Their roars shook the stadium. They outnumbered the home crowd by two or three to one. Pressured by the MacPhies fans' momentum, the Turkeys' cheers grew even feebler.
"Tch..."
The Turkeys dugout was surely witnessing this too. Players fiddled with their caps needlessly or stared at the ground with bitter expressions. It was hard to believe this was a home atmosphere—they were being overwhelmed in both crowd size and energy.
Turkeys first-team manager Kim Young-ho glanced at the stands with arms crossed, his face hardening. For a capital-region team to draw this few fans... the team's poor record hit like a gut punch.
The Turkeys had quickly captured a young fanbase with sleek marketing, energetic cheerleaders, and a "young baseball" team identity. But that was last season, when they'd finished second. Now, plummeting to last place in the league with a losing streak, fans had turned away, and SNS was rife with cynicism.
Kim Young-ho sighed and called over his chief coach.
"Keep hounding the second team. Ask them to send up anyone halfway decent. Jeong Ui-hoon isn't cutting it. The good players are burning out from overuse..."
"Understood, Manager."
In the end, the Turkeys suffered a losing series at home to ninth-place Daejeon MacPhies. And it wasn't bad play or bad luck—it was a straight-up blowout. Fans stopped making excuses.
Post-game, the team's official account comments section exploded.
Baseball galleries, communities, fan cafes—everywhere was the same vibe. Even mocking nicknames like "Turkeys? More like Exploded Turkeys." One fan joked the stadium was occupied by Manchester United rejects. Bad memes everywhere.
A smarter fan suggested tanking this season—they'd already lost it to injuries and should focus on developing youth. But fans who'd watched a second-place team crater to tenth couldn't swallow that logic.
The mood darkened over time. Even the official cheer squad board overflowed with angry posts.
When second team came up, a dedicated fan shared good vibes.
- Kim Hu-seong grinds to first as leadoff.
- Kim Hu-seong steals second.
- Gu Min-seok follows with a bunt, sending Kim to third.
- Hwang Do-yoon singles or tags up on a fly for the run.
- Pitchers hold 'em down. End.
Meanwhile, after the game, Oh Tae-sik watched the players file out of the stadium, a rare smile on his face. The three-game series against Sangmu Hornets: 2-1 win. Away game against a stacked military vet team—and snagging the winning series was plenty to be proud of.
Players finished cleaning the dugout and headed to the bus; coaches did final checks.
Oh Tae-sik lit a cigarette, short puffs rising into the sky. The chief coach approached.
"Manager, first team keeps asking for players."
Oh Tae-sik nodded regretfully.
"Ah~ We finally played some real baseball, and now this."
He furrowed his brow slightly, staring into space like someone whose favorite drama just ended.
"Hornets series was the most fun."
The chief coach chuckled.
"That's 'cause our second team's loaded with first-team starter talent right now. Tough opponent too—felt like a first-team game."
The manager nodded slowly.
"That's what's a shame. Really wanna keep these guys longer. Tch... Complain if we lose, but hound us to send 'em up. First team's screaming for bodies. Second-team managing is tough."
He perched on the bus step, taking another drag.
"How's Hwang Do-yoon? Ready to go up?"
Chief coach shook his head.
"Injury's not fully healed. Defense would be a stretch."
"Defense? Hand Tae-ho the glove. He's a first baseman."
"Well... true."
The manager pondered, then spoke.
"What about Kim Hu-seong? How'd he do in the Hornets series?"
"10-for-16. Five steals too. Failed three, but..."
"Yeah. Best performer—too soon?"
"Yeah... probably."
"Aish~ Got guys to send but can't recommend 'em. Wanna sharpen 'em more myself."
His voice carried genuine regret.
"Alright, send Do-yoon up then."
"Got it. Report to the club tomorrow."
The manager stubbed his cigarette, heading to the bus with a mutter.
"Gonna tell Do-yoon to stir some wind up there. Shake the first-team manager—then maybe they'll think twice about calling him."
"They'll call if needed."
"Yeah, go on."
"Yes, Manager."
I groaned the second I opened the dorm door.
"Ugh... wiped. Away games are brutal..."
Dumped my bag anywhere, crashed on the bed—whole body ached like it'd been crushed.
'Ugh... overdid it. Leadoff is no joke?'
No breathing room as leadoff. Constant steals? Killing me.
'Cleanup as ninth? Skipped at-bats sometimes, time to prep easy... Haa... Beg to drop back to nine? No chance.'
Footsteps in the hall—Hwang Do-yoon sunbae came in late.
"Hu-seong, packing my stuff."
I lifted my head, dazed.
"Why? Where you headed?"
He smirked shortly.
"What else, kid? First team."
I blinked, tilting my head. First team? Already?
"Isn't your injury like a month out?"
"First team's fucked, so emergency call. Sigh, shit... shitty team."
He swore, kicking his bag lightly. Packing was half-assed.
"Why just you? No other sunbaes?"
"Defense issues same for them. They'll DH me. Tae-ho sunbae takes first."
Ah... right, Son Tae-ho used to play first...
Then Ha Jin-woo sunbae comes down?
"Ugh... exhausted. Gonna crash."
Hwang Do-yoon flopped on his bed, mumbling.
"Said you were packing?"
"Too lazy. Grab essentials tomorrow morn. Clean up later."
Ah... when you gonna get the rest...
"Anyway, I'm out. You kill it too. You'll be up soon. Whether they call ya... who knows."
Eh, Turkeys'll figure it out.