Everything Has a Reason
I froze right there on the spot. It had come out of nowhere, and I had no idea what to say first.
Maybe my reaction seemed weird, because she tilted her head quietly and said,
"Huh? What's up? No reaction? Don't tell me... you didn't like it?"
"No, no way."
With that, Kim Se-rin the cheerleader slowly unwrapped her arms.
No... Right then, I sucked in a breath but couldn't let it out properly, making some weird noise instead.
"Huuuhhh..."
It was a sound so strange even I cringed hearing it. The sudden hug had flooded me with embarrassment, and now the regret of it ending hit all at once, forcing out that awkward noise as I tried to calm myself.
Clap! Kim Se-rin saw it and suddenly clapped once, saying,
"Ah~! I get it! Hu-seong's tight with other cheerleader friends, right? So that's why this was crossing the line~ Sorry~!"
I jumped in surprise and shook my head frantically.
"No! It's really not like that!"
She looked up at my face intently, narrowing her eyes playfully.
"For real~? Like, for real-real? You look kinda regretful right now."
"Not regret. Really, no."
I was so flustered my speech stiffened up.
Kim Se-rin teased mischievously,
"Then... you must've liked that just now?"
Her words shut me down completely. Right on cue, the sensation of her hugging me from behind flashed back like lightning, and my heart started pounding wildly.
I averted my eyes and rubbed my face with my hands.
"Th-that..."
Words wouldn't come.
Kim Se-rin burst out laughing at me.
"Sorry~! But I couldn't help it. You trying to head in first kinda pissed me off."
Then she spun around and started walking ahead, her steps light, shoulders brimming with mischief.
After a few paces, without even glancing back, she waved casually over her shoulder.
"Alright, mission accomplished. See ya~!"
Now-familiar hand wave and farewell. She slowly drifted away down the path crossing the park.
Streetlights stretched her silhouette long, and the image of her waving lingered in my mind.
I stood there dazed, staring at her back until I snapped out of it.
Mission accomplished? Oh, right—she meant stopping me from going in first.
Was that what she wanted to show? I muttered to myself.
Or not? Weirdly, though, the stuffy frustration that had gripped my chest moments ago was gone.
The game controversy, fans fighting, all the misunderstandings tied to my name... it all felt distant for a bit.
Ah! Wait, was that her goal? Mission accomplished meaning... she succeeded in distracting me?
Eh, could be wrong. I turned slowly toward home, thinking it over.
Whatever her aim—prank, impulse, or something else—she'd shaken off my pent-up frustration, even if just for a moment. So I decided to see it positively, whatever "mission" she'd nailed.
I left the park with a quiet smile.
Back home, the park encounter still swirled in my head, leaving me a bit floaty. Lying in bed and closing my eyes, my body sank right away, time blurring fast.
Bzzzzt! Bzzzzzzzt!
Huh? Felt like I'd just shut my eyes, but the alarm blared. Clock said six hours had flown by.
Damn, already 6 AM? Body heavy, eyelids glued, but I gritted my teeth and got up.
Skipping my routine would just rattle me more.
I dragged myself back to the stadium. Early morning training ground, nearly empty as always, dead quiet. With a fresh-start mindset, I dove into my solo session again.
* * *
The Gocheok Turkeys coaching staff gathered in the meeting room. They'd wrapped the three-game series against Changwon Larus with two wins and a loss, so the mood was decent.
The chief coach kicked off with the lineup.
"The two wins came from crushing their starters early. Our bats are definitely powerful. Even against top teams, they'd hold their own."
A few coaches nodded. The Turkeys' offense was exploding, carrying the team right now.
But the good vibes ended there. The chief coach's face hardened.
"That said... issues too. Even in the wins, and especially the loss—the pitching's the weak spot."
Manager Kim Young-ho, arms crossed, let out a deep sigh like he knew it all too well.
"Yeah. Why can't we find any decent arms? They haven't gotten tons of chances yet, but... no one's throwing worth a damn."
The pitching coach cleared his throat cautiously.
"Still... we salvaged one, right?"
Kim Young-ho's eyebrow twitched slightly.
"Kim Jin-ho?"
The pitching coach nodded.
"Yeah. Gave him more rope beyond chase situations, and he shut down an inning clean. Good stuff, steady nerves. In this bullpen mess, snagging him's a real win."
The manager closed his eyes, silent for a beat. Kim Jin-ho's surprise reliability was real—they desperately needed someone to squeeze out even an inning from the pen, like wringing a dry towel.
"Hmm... yeah, he can slot into the fireman crew."
But that didn't fix everything. Kim Young-ho drummed his fingers on the table before speaking slowly.
"Appreciate Jin-ho stepping up, big help... but the rest are too weak. Can't keep getting dragged like this—won't last to midseason. Need chase guys to eat innings, but too many can't even manage that..."
Heavy silence filled the room. Chief coach, pitching coach, hitting coaches—all clammed up. They all knew.
The Turkeys needed a new card up their sleeve.
Kim Young-ho looked around at the staff.
"So... that plan I mentioned before. We're doing it."
The coaches' eyes flickered uncertainly.
"Get ready. Starts today. It'll probably follow the list, but... talk to the players right, no panic."
His voice was firm. No more delays.
Time to rebuild: call some up, send others down.
"Got it."
* * *
Tuesday, pre-game against Daegu Eagles. I sat zoned out in the locker room.
Huh...? My name wasn't on the emergency lineup the manager just announced. Brain went blank.
No... I didn't have any bad games... why? Trained my ass off Monday too...
Heart dropped a notch.
Then someone nudged me and plopped down. Son Tae-ho sunbae.
"Yo, Hu-seong. Spacing out hard?"
I pointed cautiously at the list.
"Not on today's roster. Kinda shocked..."
Son Tae-ho chuckled and ruffled my hair lightly.
"What, thought you'd play every inning solo? Backups gotta rotate too. Summer stamina management's key. Fatigue builds sneaky, hits all at once. Manager's looking out for ya."
I nodded blankly.
"Ah... right."
"Don't overthink it."
He patted my shoulder and headed across the room.
Still felt off, though. Just rest? Or something I didn't know?
Then Gu Min-seok sunbae walked in, checking a file. He spotted me and came over.
"What's with the face, Hu-seong?"
I asked more seriously this time.
"Today's scratch for stamina, right? I feel fine... honestly bummed."
Gu Min-seok pressed his lips, staring hard. Then lowly,
"Hmm... maybe not just that."
I widened my eyes.
"Why? Starters owning all eight spots—no room to swap."
He shrugged.
"Dunno. But... lineup's gonna shuffle more often soon."
"Why?"
"Not sure... but change is blowing through the team?"
Change blowing through? Words caught in my throat. Definitely not just stamina.
"Ah! Don't freak out, though. Not your issue—it's elsewhere. Days off happen. Keeps motivation fresh. Some cool off hard, sure... which are you?"
"The latter?"
"Oof... really? I'll whisper to the coaches then. Yeah... weird benching the 'first-inning demon' anyway."
Change blowing through... Didn't sit right.
"So what's this 'change' exactly?"
"Hmm... speculation stage... but some guys'll suddenly get the red-carpet treatment."
"Huh? Outta nowhere?"
"Yeah. More PT, perks, no reason."
Sounds nice. Lucky bastards.
"Jealous, huh?"
"Yeah."
"No need. There's always a reason..."