Tanking Whispers and the Chicken Debacle
Signs had appeared, and another week slipped by. After the Sunday game ended, I dragged my exhausted body around, packing up my gear. My sweat-soaked uniform clung to my skin, and the feel of the bat still lingered in my fingertips. That's when it happened.
“Kim Hu-seong.”
The manager called my name. I looked up.
“Yes, Manager?”
Oh Tae-sik stood there with his arms crossed, eyeing me for a moment before speaking.
“An opportunity will come your way soon.”
I blinked in shock, wondering if I'd heard right. “For me?”
“The first team is struggling. The front office is even considering tanking this season. If that happens, rookies like you will get a lot more chances. You're one of the skilled ones alongside Lee Tae-sin, so you're high on the list. Keep that in mind.”
I paused, then asked cautiously, “But... there was that issue with the cheerleader.”
Oh Tae-sik chuckled and shook his head. “Hu-seong, for a player who excels at baseball, that's barely a blemish. Sure, the cheerleader side might cut ties. But... they won't release a prospect over something like that. The club wants talent. Especially a frugal one like the Turkeys—they're even less picky. As long as you perform and can be sold off profitably, a little personal drama doesn't matter.”
Aha... His words felt like encouragement mixed with a harsh reality check. He patted my shoulder one last time.
“So keep training hard. Don't waste energy on nonsense. Your chance is coming soon.”
“Yes, sir. Understood.”
I bowed my head and headed back to the dorms slowly. After a shower, I collapsed into bed, tension melting away all at once. As I replayed the manager's words, the door burst open with a familiar voice.
“Hey, Kim Hu-seong. You asleep?”
I turned to see Hwang Do-yoon hyung walking in. Oh... hyung. Back from the first-team game. Here for his stuff?
“Hyung? When did you get back?”
“Just now. Crashing here tonight.”
He tossed his bag aside wearily and flopped onto his bed. “Hey, you free tomorrow?”
“Yeah, Monday's my rest day.”
“Cool. Lunch tomorrow then. Got good news.”
Oyeah. Free meal. “Sounds good.”
* * *
The next day at lunchtime, Gu Min-seok hyung came into the room after morning practice.
“Hey, Hu-seong. Let's grab food.”
I looked up. “Do-yoon hyung's treating today, right?”
“Yeah, he promised. Wake his ass up.”
“Yes, hyung. Time to rise?”
A dying voice groaned back. “Ugh... too annoying...”
And so the three of us headed out.
“Where to?”
“Dunno...”
Gu Min-seok hyung asked, but Hwang Do-yoon hyung scanned around, dissatisfied. Then his eyes lit up.
“Ooh, that looks good!”
He pointed to a place labeled Whole Chicken. Uh...?
“Not bad. Chicken's perfect for summer,” Gu Min-seok hyung said approvingly, but my heart sank like a stone.
Goddamn whole chicken. That familiar name... It was the exact same restaurant I'd gone to with Seo Ha-yoon just days ago.
“C'mon, hurry up.”
Screw this... bad vibes.
The moment we stepped inside, the familiar smell hit me, flashing back to that day. I tried to play it cool and headed to a table.
“What're we having?”
“Spicy chicken stew sound good?”
“Hell yeah. Need something spicy.”
I raised my hand to order. “Excuse me...?”
The ajumma spotted me and beamed. “Oh, no girlfriend with you today?”
... Fuck. I'm screwed.
I froze solid, brain blanking out. “Ah... no, she's not my girlfriend.”
She gave a knowing look. “Aha~ so you're that kind of close, huh?”
Instantly, Do-yoon hyung and Min-seok hyung's stares bored into the back of my head. I cut in desperately.
“No, nothing like that! Four servings of spicy chicken stew, please!”
I rushed to act oblivious. But my hands were shaking. Gu Min-seok hyung smirked, while Hwang Do-yoon hyung set down his spoon and just stared. That look... terrifying.
“Kim Hu-seong.”
I straightened up ramrod straight. “Yes, hyung?”
“What the hell does that mean?”
Cold sweat poured as I babbled. “No idea? Probably a mix-up?”
But my voice cracked. Busted. Completely.
Gu Min-seok hyung chimed in. “Aha, that thing from last week?”
Hwang Do-yoon hyung glared, muttering a curse. “You little shit. I was up in the first team hyping you to the manager, sweating bullets, and you're off dating?”
... Fucked. Truly fucked.
I waved my hands frantically. “No, it's not like that! I didn't call her. She showed up out of nowhere.”
“She came to you?”
“Yes, really.”
Suddenly, Hwang Do-yoon's expression shifted. The anger faded, replaced by intrigue.
“Hold up. This is getting fun.”
“Huh?”
“Who is she? That cheerleader from the pic...? Bingo, right?”
I turned to stone. “No clue what you're talking about.”
It slipped out automatically. But he snorted.
“Nah, it's her. Turkeys cheerleader.”
No hiding it anymore. I sighed and hung my head. “Sigh... yeah, fine. It was her. I didn't invite her. Swear.”
He stared me down, then pulled out his phone. “Wait, what was her name? Seo... something?”
“Huh?”
“Got it. Seo Ha-yoon.”
Hwang Do-yoon hyung scrolled his screen, nodding with interest. “Turkeys rookie cheerleader, Seo Ha-yoon...”
Then he smirked. “Yo, check this. Her followers are insane. Shorts all over a million views. Damn, she's popular.”
Gu Min-seok hyung peeked over. “For real. Tons of views.”
Hwang Do-yoon raised an eyebrow. “Turkeys cheerleader ranking top 3 for Taiwan trip. Whoa... we're 10th, and a rookie's 3rd. Impressive.”
He grinned like he'd found treasure, then read aloud in a mocking tone. “'Turkeys games aren't about the Turkeys. The only saving grace is the cheerleaders. Days with Seo Ha-yoon are decent... Why? Games are losses anyway—might as well ogle hot cheerleaders.'”
“Oof. That stings for the first-team starters.”
“Bone-deep burn. But if fans find out you're with her? Chaos.”
“Yeah, Turkeys forums would explode. Thousands of comments like 'Who the hell is this guy?' You've got priors too.”
Their teasing lilt didn't help my pounding heart.
“Mmm... Lucky Hu-seong. Hot cheerleader shows up to cheer, grabs lunch together. Your game's gonna skyrocket—no way you slack with that motivation.”
Hwang Do-yoon snickered, and Gu Min-seok hyung chuckled along, shoulders shaking.
“Seriously living the dream.”
My face burned. Palms slick with sweat, cold trickles down my back. Their laughter echoed distantly. Please stop... I screamed internally, but nothing came out. I just stirred the stew with the ladle, forcing a grin.
“Hahaha...”
“Alright, joke's over.”
Hwang Do-yoon's tone sharpened. “Hu-seong.”
“Yes?”
“You gonna play real ball when you get called up? Dead serious.”
“Of course... right?” What the—? Sudden shift?
“You know the club's situation?”
“Uh... 10th place, bad vibes?”
He nodded. “Spot on. So what'll the front office do next?”
“Push for a turnaround? Swap managers...?”
“Kinda. But that's not what players worry about.”
“Then what...?”
“When they start tanking, shit gets rough.”
Tanking? “Tanking?”
“Yeah. Signs are already there. If push comes to shove, they dump vets and shove rookies in.”
...The manager had mentioned it. If they lean on rookies, who suffers? The veterans...
“Our team's a cheap-ass operation. Poor team. Scratch that—they try every trick to save cash.”
...?
“Low rankings? They ship first-team resources to the minors 'to develop youth.' Those demoted guys miss games, so contract renewal? Salary slash.”
Gasp...
“Fucking brutal. Drags out your FA eligibility. Last season was semi-normal, but this one's doomed already. Halfway through, and they're plotting tanking.”
...
“Other teams do it too, but we're the fastest to pinch pennies. Signs are showing. I hate this shit.”
Hwang Do-yoon shifted in his seat. “Hu-seong.”
“Yes, hyung.”
“High chance you're called up next week. I don't care what you do off-field. Girl problems? Not my business.”
He locked eyes with me. “Just ball out up there. That's all I want. Got it?”
That much, yeah... “Of course.”
“Good. Don't let me down. Can't handle any more shitty hops to first.”