The Attention-Seeking Baseball Bat Too-Much Talker (3)
"Done."
Pi Anta took off her connector in her room, let out a relieved breath, and smiled. It had been exactly one month since the promise with Yerim. Pi Anta had truly succeeded in reaching Master tier.
Very proud. Even now, as an amateur, this was the level, and if she started playing actively after joining a pro team, how much more she'd talk. Just imagining it made her happy.
While humming a tune and scrolling through the community, a message arrived on her phone. Scout Team Leader of Daejeon Goraniz, Han Yerim's congratulatory message.
"Congratulations. I knew you'd do it."
"You were treated like someone who didn't understand the world."
"That was me not understanding the world."
Pi Anta smiled at the nagging and replied.
"Should we join right away?"
"We've been preparing since last week. Can you come to Daejeon Station next Sunday? I'll pick you up by car from Daejeon Station."
"Yes. Good."
The pro baseball schedule in this world also started on Tuesday and ended on Sunday. And since the game time was the same as when he had been a man, daytime games, so from the evening when the week's schedule ended, she wanted to join the team and play on Tuesday.
Today was Friday. There was still plenty of time to prepare.
"Where should I look..."
Pi Anta changed her clothes, set up for squats, picked up her phone, and started looking for videos.
Videos that made her chest tight from the titles. But titles were just the beginning. When she actually played the video.
"......"
She decided to stop watching. This wasn't 2nd team, it was 1st team, meaning the best players on the team showing defense. She hadn't entered without knowing, but even so, when she saw these videos, she wondered if she should seriously consider withdrawing the contract and spitting out 3 billion.
"How will it work out somehow."
Still, if they looked like tiers, it was people who were in the top 3600 in Korea, right? If some gaps were filled, their skills would come out quickly. ...I had no choice but to believe that.
But there was a player who appeared a lot in the video. The pretty girl with orange hair, shortstop. The name was easy to find.
Ha Jiyun. Upon looking, she was a fresh 20-year-old player the same age as Pi Anta. In a situation where veteran players who had endured a long dark period retired, and senior players who got FA all left for teams offering more money. A pitiful prospect who took on the shortstop position and even became the team's scapegoat in a desperate situation. The depth of this team was so pitiful that a prospect who had just moved from amateur to pro had to take the shortstop position.
But when playing, it was a bit weird.
"Her feet aren't slow, but...?"
Reaction was good. But at the end, it was always disappointing. If the ball bounced a little unusually, she threw it back or let it go, and even if she caught it well, if it was urgent, she always threw it in the wrong direction. Moreover, the tier was higher than Pi Anta's.
"Challenger?"
The highest tier in Korea, top 0.12%. Among them, a player with 300 best skills. There was a reason why the Goraniz had given the 1st team starting shortstop to a 20-year-old. But it didn't seem like a player who ranked in the top 300 in the country, because the finishing was too sloppy. There were too many inexplicable mistakes. Just like Goraniz.
There was a reason why the fans poured out harsh words on her. Even if the performance was not up to expectations, it was too severe. If they had recruited a Challenger prospect, they would have expected play matching that, but every day she was just shitting on the center line, so the disappointment was as big as expected.
"Still, the words like 'useless' or 'bastard' were too harsh."
There were too many unreadable parents' curses. This girl, was her mentality okay...?
Pi Anta's worries increased.
*
Finally, Sunday evening. Pi Anta packed a small carry-on and a baseball equipment bag and left the house.
"Well, I'll be back."
When she bowed to her parents who had dropped her off at the station, her father, with a moved expression as he got out of the car, patted Pi Anta's shoulder.
"Anta. It's so proud that my dad is that your dad became a player of Goraniz."
"Sorry for not earning 10 billion."
"No, what are you saying! This year, if you prepare well, you'll get 1.8 billion won, right?"
"Ah.... Yes."
Why was she so sincere about money. She tried to ask with a puzzled smile, but since the amount was 1.8 billion, not a few won, anyone would be sincere, so she shut up.
Even her mother, who had been strongly opposing joining Goraniz as usual, today gave her a tearful encouragement.
"Our daughter, if there's anything difficult, contact us anytime!"
"Don't worry. I'm an adult, so I'll try not to make you worry about anything."
It had only been about two months, but the two of them supported their daughter who wanted to play baseball again, in every way. If I had to use an analogy, it was like a child who had been jobless after high school graduation suddenly declaring to become a pro gamer, and they supported that dream without discouraging it. Pi Anta herself was confident it wouldn't take long, but for her parents who had watched her as a daughter who was lacking, they couldn't say how many years they would have to support that dream. So, of course, they deserved thanks. To repay with good results. Good results meant, of course. Money.
"Mom. I'll buy you an apartment."
"Hic, yes, yes, I recorded it? I have to go look at apartments in Gangnam Banpo..."
"Dad. I'll definitely change it to a foreign car new model."
"Dad thinks Porche is so cool."
No, why didn't these people say 'okay'!
She would once again resolve to play baseball hard.
Taking KTX, it took about 1.5 hours from Seoul Station to Daejeon Station. Pi Anta got off at Daejeon Station, looked around, and went into a bakery.
'There's a famous bakery here too.'
She bought some bread for Yerim who was coming to pick her up. She bought two each of fried soboro and scallion bread, as she had heard they were famous. Of course, Pi Anta herself had to eat them too.
As she was leaving the shop after buying the bread, a call came from Yerim.
"Player Pi Anta. Have you arrived yet?"
"Yes. I'm on my way from the bakery after buying bread."
"Bread?"
"I heard there's a famous bakery here. Do you not like bread?"
"No. If you haven't bought coffee, I'll buy some."
"Ah, no no. It's fine. It seems like it can be eaten as is?"
"I don't think it's fine. Pi Anta doesn't drink coffee, right? I'll buy three milks."
She's like a bulldozer. Well, with this level of drive, she came by train from Seoul to Daejeon without paying. Just as she was about to say that.
Suddenly, Pi Anta felt something strange in Yerim's words.
"But why buy three milks?"
Pi Anta guessed that the source of that huge chest was milk, but.
"Ah, yes. How many breads did you buy?"
"Two each of fried soboro and scallion bread."
"If it's not rude, could you buy one more each?"
There was one more person. Thinking it might be, she was about to ask but held back. They hadn't had a meeting with the teammates yet. No need to give the impression that she was worrying about someone. However, Pi Anta's instinct was accurate.
In front of the minivan parked in front of Daejeon Station, besides Yerim who had come to buy milk, there was one more person. The 20-year-old girl who was the team's scapegoat, with bright orange hair tied in a ponytail.
"Ah, hello! I'm Ha Jiyun. Since I'm your roommate, I, I came to introduce myself first."
"Ah.... Uh."
With that lively greeting, Pi Anta also smiled awkwardly and extended her hand.
"Ah, yes, if it's okay, can we swap my scallion bread and your fried soboro?"
"Eh, huh?"
"I don't like scallions, hehe.... If you want to eat, you can eat mine!"
A girl who, on the first meeting, asked to swap bread, which was a famous Daejeon bread bought in line.
'She's not ordinary either.'
Although she had her fried soboro snatched in front of her, she calmed her mind and decided to understand her. To understand. 'Dialogue' was essential.
"Jiyun-ah. Do you know anything about me?"
"Eh? No, I only heard from articles..."
"Yes. Listen carefully from now on."
While looking at Jiyun, who was smiling innocently and nodding, though a bit puzzled, Pi Anta smiled sinisterly.
"When I was born..."
On that day, Jiyun regretted having wanted her fried soboro until late at night.
"By the way, are you sleeping? So, in middle school, I was a catcher, how did I become a shortstop..."
"Aaaah!!"