Dawn Resolve
Not bad. I see. Definitely a lack of training. From now on, even more...
...?
I felt a gaze on me. Turning my head, I saw Gu Min-seok sunbae looking at me with a slightly exasperated expression.
...?
Why?
"Thanks! Edison! I'll head out now."
"Go ahead. Hu-seong Kim!"
After greeting the mercenary hitter Edison and coming back, Gu Min-seok sunbae crossed his arms and shook his head slowly.
"Hey... I told you to talk to the players around you. But you're the first guy to go straight to chatting with the mercenary. No precedent for this, so I'm a bit thrown off."
I paused for a second, then replied naturally.
"Mercenaries are teammates too, aren't they?"
"That's true, but... So, what'd you learn?"
I spoke with confident conviction.
"Yes! I figured out what's lacking."
Hearing that, Gu Min-seok sunbae looked at me again, narrowing his eyes.
"What? Hmm... But your eyes are kinda spinning right now... You didn't have some weird conversation, did you?"
"I just want to get good at baseball, that's all...?"
A brief silence fell.
Gu Min-seok sunbae seemed to mull over what to say, then let out a small sigh.
"Hmm... Alright. Got it."
He half-turned his body and continued.
"Oh! Right. I mentioned earlier I'd teach you a few things about leadoff."
"Yes. I'm curious."
"The details we'll go over slowly. But starting with the big picture... Make the opponent miserable—that's what being good at it means."
His tone grew a bit more serious.
"Leadoff isn't just about being fast. You use every trick to shake them up, force mistakes, piss them off. Just you standing on base should make their battery uncomfortable. The pitcher should lose his tempo just glancing at your feet. You know this much, right?"
"Yes."
"You've got more to do beyond that. That's what I'll teach you. But... People talk shit about this kind of play. Cowardly, dirty, sneaky. Ignore it. Pros shouldn't make mistakes. The one who errs is at fault. You just exploit it."
I nodded.
"Approach it with that mindset. Got it?"
I replied with firm assurance.
"Yes. I'm good at that. Definitely."
On the way home after training ended, I walked quietly, mulling over Gu Min-seok sunbae's words.
Make the opponent miserable.
I knew it was important, but nothing specific came to mind on how to do it. All I could picture was timing steals, widening my lead, trying to rattle the battery.
How to go beyond that? What does truly unsettling them look like?
No answers surfaced, so I rubbed my forehead and sighed.
In the end, I realized it was something I'd have to study more and experience more to grasp.
Then, my chat with Edison resurfaced.
"Out at dawn for personal training, then team practice after..."
Easy to say, but it meant at least three extra hours a day.
My current workload wasn't light. By day's end, my body felt heavy, and I had to up my meals just to keep going.
Add more time on top? Even imagining it was daunting.
Already on the edge—where would that drive come from? Could I really do it?
Worries about summoning the will bubbled up.
Think differently. Find a reason to do it.
I decided to focus on practical motivations.
First that came to mind: money.
That strange feeling seeing the first pro contract deposit hit my account.
Thrilling, but it made me think of my parents.
I send half my earnings to them every time. They supported me to get here...
But it still felt insufficient.
Like... I need to do better...
How to fuel that will?
I suddenly pulled out my phone.
Right—the cheerleaders.
Our team's cheerleaders endure way worse conditions for even less pay...
I hesitated, then sent a message.
A reply came almost immediately.
The person I'd messaged was Seo Ha-yoon.
A long reply came from Seo Ha-yoon soon after.
Reading that, I zoned out for a moment.
What? First year and already at that level?
Means she's earning at least twice what I do?
Seo Ha-yoon's rookie season too. Yet the gap...
Naturally, someone else came to mind.
Then what about cheerleader Kim Se-rin...?
Popular enough that just her name rings bells. Tons of followers, ads, regular events.
"Way farther out of my league than I thought..."
The words slipped out unconsciously.
But it didn't end there.
She must be super popular with players too, right?
That thought flashed by, and I slapped my cheeks twice, shaking my head.
"No! Why am I suddenly thinking like this?"
No need to get gloomy.
Silly to compare and feel inferior.
What I need to do is play good baseball. Improve and rise—that's it.
I steeled myself with those words.
Strangely, that cleared my mood right away.
I replied to Seo Ha-yoon.
Sending it off, the tangled emotions pressing on my head seemed to straighten out.
The next day, ahead of the Changwon Larus game, I left home slicing through the dawn air.
Haa... Yeah, 4 AM's too much.
I shut off the alarm, washed up, grabbed my gear, and hopped in the car.
Wake-up at 5 AM.
Early start meant empty roads.
Arrived at the training ground faster than expected.
One feeling hit as I opened the stadium door: Today, I have to be better than yesterday.
The near-empty field was quiet, filled only with my footsteps and warm-up sounds.
Started with stretching, then flexibility, core, running form checks—methodically loosening up.
Once warmed, about to dive into real personal training, I realized something.
Solo defense and baserunning drills were fewer than expected.
Basic steps, glove reps, motion checks—fine. But judging hits or simulating real situations? Tough alone.
Baserunning limited to starts and lead adjustments.
"Hmm... Is this enough...? Not much I can do."
I pondered briefly.
Glanced at the batting cage.
Tempted to swing.
But memories flooded: messing with launch angle, ruining my swing, no results despite effort.
Extra hitting practice urge vanished.
Yeah, hitting... Let's think more before adding that.
When I really feel the need...
So, what to train... Maybe throws?
Roughly set up a cage at first, started throwing from third.
Third to first—not short.
To be a good third baseman, snag tricky grounders and fire accurate, hard throws.
I'd been stable there.
But... starting to get greedy...
To turn borderline hits into outs...
I moved to third, took position, and drilled throws repeatedly, checking form.
Foot steps, torso twist, shoulder angle, ball release feel.
Matched rhythm, kept throwing.
Then, 1군 manager Kim Young-ho arrived early for checks.
Spotted someone training, approached slowly.
"When'd that kid get here?"
He asked a staffer already in.
"Came in past 7 when I arrived... Already warmed up, doing personal training."
Kim Young-ho fell silent briefly.
Unusual guy... Upped training time? Rookie fire?
Not bad.
Sticking him at leadoff sparked motivation? Hope he keeps that drive.