Wild Boar Chases and Waterfall Feasts
Same time, the Munhyeok High teammates...
At that very moment, during the Korea-Japan game.
In a mansion in one of Seoul's affluent neighborhoods where the elite gathered.
Do Doyeon and Hakhoon sat side by side on the sofa, eyes glued to the TV.
Japan defeats Korea and advances to the finals as group leader!
Korea secures a finals berth as group runner-up, facing a rather tough bracket ahead!
"Hmm, they lost in the end."
"You can really feel the shortage of left-handed pitchers. If it weren't for the injury, it would've been best to have Seong-muk pitch..."
"Yeah, every game from here on out is going to be tough."
Just as father and daughter fretted over the Korean national team's prospects,
Thud-thud-thud!
Construction noises echoed relentlessly inside and outside the mansion.
Do Doyeon glanced out the window with a smile.
"The construction's coming along nicely."
"Yeah, at this pace, it should be done within a month."
Do Doyeon's house was in the midst of major renovations.
And there was quite a complicated story behind it.
'Dad, you're going to live with us from now on, right?'
'Of course. Both of you come to my place. It's plenty big enough for the three of us.'
'Oh, wait—there's something I need to tell you...'
'...?'
Do Doyeon had brought him to her current home.
Hakhoon's eyes widened in shock.
'Th-this is your house, Doyeon...?'
It was far too luxurious for a twenty-three-year-old woman living alone, even in a wealthy neighborhood.
This put the two in a dilemma.
Hakhoon lived in a Han River-view apartment bought with his accumulated wealth from his federation chairman position. Both places were top-tier—it was purely a matter of taste.
'What do we do? Both are great.'
'How about this?'
'...?'
Hakhoon sold his Han River-view apartment.
And used the money to buy the house next door to Doyeon's.
To tear down the wall between them and expand even further.
The merged home would soon feature a private training ground for Dojin, an outdoor barbecue area for meals, a vegetable garden for hobbies, and a small pond for koi fish.
"I was really surprised, though. I had no idea you lived in such a nice place, Doyeon."
"I got lucky. Just a few months ago, I was in a semi-basement."
She couldn't bring herself to say, 'I made money betting on toto!'
She'd brushed it off with the usual lottery excuse this time too.
"Anyway, it all worked out. Now you can pursue what you love without any worries."
"Yeah, I'm grateful for that."
Do Doyeon beamed positively.
She seemed genuinely satisfied with her current work.
Gazing at his daughter, Hakhoon adjusted his glasses and asked,
"Aren't you disappointed? You wanted to go watch in person in England..."
"................"
She longed to see Seong-muk in his Taegukgi uniform up close.
And this was his last youth national team stint.
It'd be a lie to say she wasn't disappointed.
"...There's nothing we can do about it right now."
Do Doyeon was swamped these days.
Legal and financial matters from moving in with her father, managing her analysis team, overseeing construction—she had a lot on her plate. She was also worried about her brother Dojin, away at training camp.
"Training camp during the semester is pretty rare..."
"Munhyeok High must have huge expectations for their baseball team. They're footing a big bill for it."
"Hmm, I see. Dojin must be doing well, right?"
"Of course. He's such a sharp kid."
Do Doyeon nodded firmly with conviction.
Hakhoon smiled warmly too.
"Huff, huff, pant...!"
Do Dojin was on the run right now.
Being chased by...
Thud-thud, thud-thud!
"Oink, squeee...!!"
...a wild boar.
One carrying a passenger, no less.
"Haha, Speedy Piggy! Run!"
"Squeeee...!!"
Feeling the threat to his life, Do Dojin sprinted desperately along the mountain path, weaving through trees with all his might.
'Bees the other day, now wild boars...!'
This was technically training, adjusted to match the opponent's speed, but wild boars were wild animals at heart.
One wrong move, and those tusks could snap his waist in half. He couldn't slow down.
"Damn it...!!"
Dojin, usually unflappable, nearly let a curse slip. Right on cue, a stream of perfectly timed profanity erupted from the side, echoing his feelings.
"Fuck, fuck, fuuuuuck...!"
"Haha! Let's go, Boulder Pig!"
"Oink, squeee...!!"
Choi Adam fleeing a wild boar.
With his S-grade speed, he was being pursued by an even faster male boar matched to his pace.
"Shit, save meeee...!!"
Choi Adam's legs were a blur as he bolted like mad.
'Better than that guy...?'
Though in the same boat, Dojin couldn't help thinking it.
Around the same time, in a mountainous valley in Jeolla Province.
A massive, muscular man with a gleaming bald head climbed the waterfall bare-handed.
Splash!
"Urgh, again...!"
The impact of hitting the water and the effort to avoid slipping took a toll, but Seok Un-gang climbed back up. Trusting Coach Myeong Sin-u's methods.
"One-two, one-two!"
"Urgaaah...!!"
Meanwhile, teammates dragged tires up the steep hillside.
A slope slippery enough to send them tumbling, but they gritted their teeth and pulled. Tires strapped to their backs.
Thus ended the morning training.
Acting captain Seok Un-gang murmured lowly to his teammates.
"Everyone, good work."
"I'm dying, man..."
His exhausted comrades collapsed, groaning.
They'd been thrilled for a break from school to focus purely on baseball, but no one expected this whirlwind of unscientific, inefficient training.
Sure, part of them wanted to quit...
'Remember that staring contest with the tiger? It worked wonders.'
'Trust and follow—guaranteed results!'
'If you can't believe it, quit right now!'
"Ughhh..."
Coach Myeong Sin-u had already proven himself by leading the team to Sejonggi. With his guarantees, they couldn't back down easily.
Gurgle—
Their stomachs growled mercilessly.
Meals were provided for morning and evening sessions, but lunch? No such luck.
They had to fend for themselves.
Shocked at first, they were used to it now.
"Everyone, grab your bats."
Whoosh!
The players approached the flowing stream, bats in hand.
At Seok Un-gang's signal, they plunged in unison.
"Hunt... begin!"
"Ooooh...!!"
Whoosh!
Swish!
"One...!"
"I got two!!"
Fish floated up, struck by bats.
The water resistance had foiled them on day one, but now they were pros.
"Heh, I nabbed eight."
"Argh, so close. I got seven...!"
Seo Kyung-su and Lee Tae-kyung bragging about their catches.
Fueled by survival instinct, but this drill had sharpened their contact skills too.
Sizzle-sizzle!
The fish grilled to perfection.
Munhyeok High baseball players drooled, then devoured them ravenously.
"Sniff, hits different after brutal training."
"...Who knew I'd crave Mom's warm rice this much."
Munching fish, Seo Kyung-su thought of absent teammates and asked his neighbor,
"Wonder how the guys who went elsewhere are doing. Choi Adam hyung, Do Dojin, Ji Suyong—they got sent to other regions, right?"
"Yeah. Especially Ji Suyong—heard he got dragged onto an offshore trawler alone?"
"Pulling one-ton anchors all day, ugh..."
"Crazy. This place might be better..."
They couldn't forget Ji Suyong's pleading eyes as burly fishermen hauled him away. Still, anchor-pulling on a boat would suit his distractible nature perfectly.
"................"
While teammates ate, Seok Un-gang sat praying with hands clasped.
Used to it now, they exchanged glances and overacted with yawns and stretches.
"Uwaaah, so full..."
"Gonna burst. Can't eat another bite."
"Un-gang, seriously can't anymore—can you handle it? Please?"
"Hmm........"
Un-gang furrowed his brow as if pondering.
With a reluctant expression, he took the fish plate.
"No helping it. I don't really want to, but... if you donors leave it, their deaths are meaningless. If through me they enter the wheel of reincarnation peacefully, I'll gladly soil this body."
With that, he inhaled the fish voraciously.
Watching it vanish like melting snow, teammates thought inwardly,
'Dude eats like a champ—not his first rodeo.'
'Bet he snuck meat at Shaolin too. One hundred percent.'
They'd uncovered the secret behind Seok Un-gang's massive muscles.
Anyway, once this WWE routine wrapped, afternoon training began.
Whoosh!
Swish!
"Eh-heh, went out again. Add ten more...!"
"Ugh..."
Players swung over lit candles.
Not extinguishing them like on variety shows.
They had to graze just the tip without snuffing it—extreme precision control. Many struggled.
Of course, training didn't end there.
A short walk away lay a foggy clearing.
Here, they fielded fungoes.
Crack!
"Hup...!"
Thud!
"Ugh...!?"
Even regular baseballs were tough; tennis balls or ping-pong balls flew randomly too. Maddening, but it sparked their competitive fire.
'Tennis ball's worth five baseballs, ping-pong twenty...!'
Tough catches earned bonus points.
Fail the quota, no sleep—so they snagged everything. Day by day, Munhyeok High players' senses honed razor-sharp.
"Hooaaah, done for today...!"
"Good work!!"
Players slumped against trees, panting.
Catching their breath, they started chatting.
"World tournament finals soon. Hope everyone's good."
Korea's team with Seong-muk and Ri Donghyeok, Japan's with Ryu Ji, even Hassan's Pakistan—all advanced.
China, grouped with Korea and Japan? Eliminated.
Un-gang secretly smiled at that.
Talking national teams, players seemed worried.
"Hope Seong-muk sunbae is okay. Pushed hard in spring tourney, barely rested before recall."
"Velocity's down too—no more trademark ghosts..."
But they all agreed on one thing.
Munhyeok High's captain, fixer, ace—Seong-muk was out there grinding, shining the Taegukgi mark right now.
"Grr, can't lose to Seong-muk sunbae."
"Alright, night training tonight...!!"
Munhyeok High baseball players leaped up.
Thinking of Seong-muk on the other side of the world, their passion blazed.
"Seong-muk, try this too."
"Let's see... Mmm. Delicious as always."
"Right? I worked hard on it!"
Arriving in England and invited to Olivia's home, Seong-muk wolfed down her kitchen creations.
'This is the life...'
Overwhelmed by the flavor explosion.
While teammates fished in the wild and worried about him, he blissfully enjoyed an S-rank beauty without a care.