I'm Worried, So Worried
"Coach, the fielders just had a quick team meeting. Son Tae-ho gathered everyone and talked to them. It looks like they're pulling the atmosphere back together."
Manager Kim Young-ho looked slightly surprised.
"Hmm. The fielders are definitely running smoothly on their own, managing the mood without us."
The chief coach nodded.
"Yes. These past few days, the players' faces have been stiff because of all the trade rumors. Especially with talk of sending out fielders... It was chaotic, but he stepped in at just the right time."
Manager Kim Young-ho let out a deep sigh, as if shaking off a heavy weight from his chest.
"Tch..."
The manager nodded lightly and gazed out the window.
"The problem is the pitchers. Ha... This is driving me crazy."
The pitchers' struggles, overuse, injuries, lack of replacements—all of it was crushing down on the manager's head.
The chief coach chimed in.
"The pitching staff... We still can't see a solution. The bullpen's being squeezed dry, and the starters can't go deep. The best we can do is have the fielders score big and hold on."
The manager couldn't hide his irritation as he rolled a pen across his desk.
"At least Kim Hu-seong goes off when he faces the Phoenixes—it's a relief. Today's leadoff hitter lifted the whole mood again. He did great in his return game too, so we have to keep using him. Tell him Mondays are rest days from now on. If he shows up, he's out of the starting lineup. Got it?"
"Yes, understood."
Then he let out another heavy sigh.
"Ha... But it's frustrating that my lifeline is hanging by a thread right now. And the team's still in ninth..."
The chief coach just nodded silently. He knew the manager wasn't joking.
* * *
The dry air unique to away team lodgings, faint light slipping through the curtains, the steady hum of the AC... All of it blended to create an even cooler vibe.
Yawn... Damn, waking up early has become a habit.
I got up and changed straight into training clothes. After stretching out fully, I headed outside for some light running mixed with stretches, but came right back to the room.
I quietly opened the door. Hwang Do-yoon sunbae was sprawled face-down on the bed, dead to the world.
I slipped into the bathroom for a quick wash. Maybe because we'd won yesterday, the mirror showed my eyes had lost a bit of that venom.
Hmm...
After a light rinse, I flopped back onto the bed. With nothing else to do, I naturally grabbed my phone and turned it on.
While scrolling YouTube, I clicked on a familiar video. It was the one with Kim Se-rin the cheerleader that I'd watched yesterday.
I furrowed my brow for a second.
Of course, I knew it wasn't directed at me personally, and cheerleaders are supposed to root for the home team. But still...
Every time I replayed the video, something twisted uncomfortably in my chest.
That was when it happened.
"Hey... what're you doing...?"
* * *
Kim Se-rin was heading up to the practice room on the first floor of the stadium with her fellow Phoenix cheerleaders.
"Ah... Losing yesterday was so sad."
A cute cheerleader with pigtails said it.
"Yeah? Well, losses happen."
"Se-rin sunbae, what do we do? They lost with their third starter yesterday... Doesn't that make today even riskier?"
"Nah. Today's got the ace veteran Im Jong-hyun pitching. It'll be better than yesterday. He's experienced."
"Still... the vibe yesterday was really bad. I'm so worried..."
Kim Se-rin recalled the previous day too. The Phoenixes had given up 10 runs. They'd leaked points from the top of the first, and the score just kept ballooning until the end, leaving Phoenix fans in a truly dismal mood.
And yesterday was straight-up Kim Hu-seong's one-man show upon his return. She'd mentioned him on purpose in her interview to rile things up a bit, but he'd performed too well, leaving even her a little awkward.
"They'll do fine today. Sweeps don't happen often in baseball."
Kim Se-rin quickly encouraged her teammate.
Just then, laughter from men echoed down the opposite hallway.
"Hey, man. So the Phoenix cheerleader cheers for Phoenix players. And she might hate you, the opponent, a little! Is that why you lost it? Kahaha! Man, narrow-minded punk. They've gotta eat too."
The voice wasn't familiar, but the content was easy to guess.
No way... Is Hu-seong here?
Kim Se-rin slowed her steps just a bit, wondering. She told herself it couldn't be, but her pace grew cautious anyway.
"Why're you walking so slow?"
"No... just. I heard a voice suddenly..."
And as they rounded the corner—
There Kim Hu-seong really stood.
In that split second, Kim Se-rin locked eyes with him. His gaze shifted instantly. A sharp aura emanated from him, just like the fierce look he'd given the pitcher during yesterday's game.
"Ahh!"
"Eek!"
The Phoenix cheerleaders startled at the sight of Kim Hu-seong. Kim Se-rin flinched at that intensity too.
He seemed like a completely different person from the one she'd known.
Thwack—right then, Hwang Do-yoon smacked the back of Kim Hu-seong's head.
"Hey, you idiot! Ease up on the glare! What're you doing? You're scaring them! Crazy?"
"Ow..."
He immediately turned to Kim Se-rin and the Phoenix cheerleaders with a goofy grin.
"Sorry about that! He didn't sleep well~ He's usually fine~"
Kim Se-rin stared at him for a moment, her face a mix of tension and surprise, then flashed a soft smile.
"It's okay. I get touchy over little things too~ Hehe."
She walked past first, leaving those words behind.
But Kim Hu-seong stared even more sharply at her retreating back. The three Phoenix cheerleaders with her flinched at him and hurried after.
…
"Hey, you punk. What're you gonna do if you keep glaring like that."
Kim Se-rin and the Phoenix cheerleaders quickly headed to the practice room. There, her teammates huddled and whispered.
"Whoa... that guy just now was Kim Hu-seong, right?"
"Ooh... Way more intense in person than on TV."
"What was that glare? Never felt anything like it."
But Kim Se-rin didn't join in. Her cheeks just flushed a little.
* * *
Ughhh... I pushed open the locker room door and strode in.
Pissed... Ah... Did she have to say it like that? Touchy over petty stuff? Ugh...
My steps grew heavier, breaths shorter for no reason. I dove right into prepping for the next game.
Meanwhile, Hwang Do-yoon, who'd come in around the same time, headed to Gu Min-seok and Son Tae-ho, who were chatting.
"Tae-ho hyung, Min-seok, hold up a sec."
Gu Min-seok and Son Tae-ho looked at him like, What's up?
"What?"
"I uncovered a bit of Hu-seong's secret."
"Kim Hu-seong?"
His words piqued their interest.
"This guy's more manipulable than I thought. Stuff like TV news, internet articles, or YouTube videos."
"What? Oh, that kind of thing?"
Son Tae-ho chuckled.
"So that's what yesterday was about too?"
Hwang Do-yoon nodded.
"Yep. He watched a Phoenix cheerleader's mildly provocative video. Came back to the hotel with venom in his eyes, replaying it... Whew."
"Kekeke. Really? More swayable than expected. Luckily, it fueled good performance... Was it that bad?"
"It was on the Phoenix YouTube channel, so not too harsh. But it must've stuck. The issue is... he ran into that cheerleader just now and got scratched again."
"What?"
"That's why he's even more fired up now, prepping like whoosh whoosh."
Son Tae-ho snickered.
"Well, he's young. We can rein him in appropriately."
But Gu Min-seok reacted differently. He shook his head gravely.
"No, hyung. I think this is serious."
Son Tae-ho stopped laughing and looked at him.
Gu Min-seok sighed and continued.
"Hu-seong was honestly risky yesterday too. Steals weren't easy because their catcher and second baseman are solid... And he got a lot of hits because their third baseman couldn't handle them well."
Hwang Do-yoon chimed in from the side.
"Right. I saw that. He kept targeting that spot."
Gu Min-seok went on.
"Today's even riskier. Starter's the veteran lefty Im Jong-hyun. He throws pickoffs if you give him any lead—steals could backfire. And word is their third baseman's switching to a defensive specialist today, not an offensive guy?"
Son Tae-ho's eyebrows rose. A defensive third baseman made bunts, slow grounders, and exploiting gaps way tougher.
"Then for Hu-seong...?"
Gu Min-seok answered with a deeply troubled look.
"His max today... is really hitting well for singles, or fouling off like before. But overdoing the aggression could lead to a caught stealing. We might need to pull him back a bit today... Opponents are too good to ignore base-running coach signals like yesterday."
Son Tae-ho crossed his arms and nodded emphatically.
"Kim Hu-seong. Come here a sec."
He called him over.
"Yes. What is it?"
"Ooh... Eyes look sharp today too. Gonna crush it like yesterday?"
"Of course. I'm gonna smash everything."
Gu Min-seok looked a little flustered.
"You planning steals like yesterday again?"
"Yes! Isn't that obvious?"
"Opponent's a veteran lefty, defensive catcher, good-fielding second baseman?"
"… That's the gap we exploit."
Ha... This isn't 'good condition.' I'm worried, so worried...
Gu Min-seok clutched his head, feeling dizzy as he thought it.