Goldensun Now Schooling Even the Fans
With Geum Seong-muk's home run, the Korean national team took a one-run lead.
Felix, who had just given up a homer to the one batter he least wanted to face, desperately needed someone to blame. He couldn't admit that his skills fell short of Geum Seong-muk's.
"Tch, your lead was wrong...! You should've thrown a breaking ball there to induce a whiff—that's the textbook play!"
"......??"
Just yesterday, he'd been preaching that fast counts were a virtue.
Yet here was Felix, flipping his words without a second thought. Jake, the British team's catcher, felt wronged but couldn't snap back at Felix—a top British noble with massive influence.
"Sorry, I'll lead better."
"Hmph, do it right. Do it right…!"
The awkward moment somehow passed.
Many baseball fans thought Geum Seong-muk's homer had crushed Britain's momentum against Korea, but it wasn't that simple.
"“Oooohhh………!!!”"
"Tch, this is no joke…."
Choi Seok-ho's ears rang from the massive jeering.
He frowned as he stepped into the batter's box.
Korean high school baseball drew solid crowds, so he figured he was used to cheers and boos. But this was on another level.
It was jeering loud enough to rattle even pro players. No matter that they were national team reps, these were still high schoolers—it was hard not to feel it.
Crack!
"Out…!"
Korea's lineup crumbled with weak grounders.
Felix was right at home with the noise. He knew it wasn't aimed at him and milked the advantage perfectly.
The overwhelming jeers disrupting Korea's batters also bled into Britain's offense.
"“Oooohhh……!!”"
"Ha, what a pain in the ass."
Kim Eol, the squinting ace pitcher, furrowed his brow. Even he was thrown off by the roar.
Still, as the top high school righty—who could thrive in pro ball right now—Kim Eol was holding Britain at bay. But a new environment was tough to adjust to.
Crack!
One out, runner on first.
The ball sailed deep to left.
A big hit, but not quite over the 8-meter fence. Left fielder Ma Cho-won positioned normally for a fence play—but
Thung!
It ricocheted off the top of the fence in a bizarre direction. Left fielder Ma Cho-won and center fielder Han Ju-won both panicked, scrambling after it.
Oh no, the outfielders completely lost the ball's path! The batter-runner rounds second, heading to third…!
Third to home! Shortstop Je Yun-chan relays to home! Collision at the plate…!!
"Safe, safe…!!"
The umpire's arms flew wide.
Ground-rule double. The score flipped to 2-1.
"Woooaaahhh………!!"
The crowd's roar hammered eardrums again.
The announcers couldn't hide their sighs.
Such a heartbreaking play. That fence work was a bit sloppy, right?
Understandable, though. Wembley Diamond's fence gives even pro outfielders nightmares. It's not called the 'Monster' for nothing!
"Urgh, Eol. Sorry!"
"No helping it. Don't sweat it."
Kim Eol calmly accepted Ma Cho-won's apology.
The mood wasn't great.
Top of the 4th, one out, no runners. Geum Seong-muk stepped up.
Felix's eyes blazed again.
"This time, I'll strike you out for sure, you bastard…!"
Following the catcher's lead, Felix shook his head at the first pitch: a fastball low and away. Not satisfied.
Only when the catcher called for a curve to grab a strike did he nod.
'I heard you rarely chase first-pitch breaking balls. First strike…!'
Felix fired the curve.
And immediately saw it.
Crack!
His pitch soaring high into the sky.
"Wha—?!"
Oh, Geum Seong-muk! Swings at the first pitch! How far will it go…!!
All eyes locked on the ball's flight.
Wembley's London Monster swallowed most deep flies. Would this one bounce off too? But…
Thump!
It cleared the right-field fence clean.
Geum Seong-muk's second straight solo homer.
It's gone! Geum Seong-muk's back-to-back homer! He thrusts his right arm skyward…!!
Ah, he flips the momentum that was slipping to Britain! Calling him the ultimate clutch hitter is no exaggeration…!
Geum Seong-muk leisurely rounded the bases.
The jeering swelled even louder than when he'd first stepped up, but he strolled unfazed.
'I'm a pro for a reason. Can't get rattled by this.'
He slapped home plate.
High-fiving teammates like Park Tae-je and Choi Seok-ho, he suddenly sensed something flying at him.
Thud!
"………!"
Geum Seong-muk dodged by a hair.
A water bottle had sailed over the netting and crashed near him.
"What the fu…."
He shot an incredulous glare at the stands.
But the British fans kept jeering relentlessly.
The umps offered no real response.
Geum Seong-muk decided not to hold back.
Oh, Geum Seong-muk turns toward the stands…!
What's he planning? Wait…!?
Facing the British fans head-on, Geum Seong-muk shocked them.
"What're you waiting for, you punks?! Bring it! Come on!"
He swung his arms wildly up and down, mouthing the English words crystal clear.
His taunt landed perfectly—too perfectly. The crowd erupted into near-riot chaos.
Whoa, all sorts of debris flying from the stands…!!
Teammates rush to pull Geum Seong-muk back to the dugout! Umpires call a timeout!!
An unprecedented game stoppage.
Goya Gallery users, glued to the match, lost it.
Reactions poured in from other countries too.
Europeans with grudges against Britain found it amusing.
Spain, France, Italy, Germany—all mocking the fiasco. Geum Seong-muk's provocation wasn't over the top.
The stadium chaos didn't settle easily.
Security ejected hooligans trying to storm the field or chucking objects. After about 20 minutes, play resumed.
"Hahaha, what a guy!"
Gordon Ramsay burst out laughing. A man needed that kind of guts, and he approved.
The game restarted somehow.
Geum Seong-muk got a light warning from the ump.
"We understand, so we'll let it slide once. Provoke the crowd again, and you're gone. Got it?"
"Yes, sir. I'll be careful."
Polite to the ump, as always.
Jeers continued but noticeably weaker.
Ah, the jeering's died down big time! Wonder why?
Group boos rely on ringleader hooligans, and most of the bad ones got booted in the commotion…!
Geum Seong-muk's stunt had cleared out the trash fans. Teammates eyed him like, 'Was that on purpose…!?' Total respect. He found it a bit much.
'…Just pissed me off, that's all.'
He'd mellowed with age, but he was still a hot-blooded athlete at heart. When shit hit the fan, he shoved back—that was him.
With the crowd volume slashed, Britain lost a huge edge.
Korean pitcher Kim Eol regained his groove.
Thwack!
"Strike three…!!"
He shut out Britain scoreless.
Felix's pitching, meanwhile, started creaking.
Crack!
Oh, Hwang Tae-gang's liner nails the London Monster! Batter to second!
Han Ju-won walks! Korea smells blood!
But Britain got lucky.
Well-hit balls went right at fielders, outfielders made miracle plays—close calls, no runs.
Still, the British fans sensed it.
Korea would explode soon.
And the spark? The batter now stepping up.
One out, runners on second and third! Up now: Geum Seong-muk…!
Already two homers in his last two at-bats! What magic this time…!!
'We walk him. Too dangerous.'
Catcher Jake's cold call.
Felix hated it but agreed.
'Tch, one more big hit here and the game's over….'
Biting his lip, he grooved one far off the plate outside.
No intentional walk—that was embarrassing—but fake control issues to plunk him? Sure.
As he wound for the second, eyes met Geum Seong-muk's.
Smirk!
"………!!"
Geum Seong-muk was mocking him. Lip curled clear as day.
Mouthing words too.
'Loser bitch.'
"That, that bastard…!!"
Felix boiled over.
He went into a huge windup.
Determined to crush him.
Whoosh!
Fastball screamed from his hand.
The catcher, expecting low-away, froze as it caught the heart of the zone.
'No, not this pitch….'
Perfect spot for the batter.
Geum Seong-muk's lip curled higher.
"Man, Lucky Im Tae-yul, huh."
Crack!
"………!!"
The ball rocketed skyward.
Felix knew.
Over the fence again.
Thump!
Home run! Geum Seong-muk's three-run shatters the tie…!! Score 5-2! He's owning this game inside and out!
Felix was solid against others? But three homers to Geum Seong-muk alone, five runs! Total mismatch…!!
"Woo-hyooo……!!"
Stepping on home, Geum Seong-muk hit his signature call—rare in the box, but schooling Felix with three bombs felt good.
With the path cleared, Korea's bats erupted uncontrollably.
Crack!
Park Tae-je's blast is huge! Gone…!
Ma Cho-won's liner splits right-center perfectly!!
Choi Seok-ho tosses the bat! Two-run homer over center…!
Score ballooned to 8-2 in a flash.
Britain fought back, though.
They tagged replacement No Jin-su effectively, closing to 8-4.
Bottom 8th, one out, bases loaded.
Manager Shin Cheol-hyeong called up Ri Dong-hyeok.
'Ri Dong-hyeok for righties, Ryu Taek-jin for lefties. Feels like holding all the aces.'
With two top high school closers, he matched Ri Dong-hyeok to the two righties due up. He delivered instantly.
Swish!
The people's sinker dove viciously.
Britain's cleanup Lockwood swung hard—but
Pop!
Weak roller to short. 6-4-3 double play. Britain blew a golden chance.
Bottom 9th: the untouchable guardian.
Ryu Taek-jin took the mound.
Thwack!
"Strike three!"
Thwack!
"Strike—out!"
Thwack!
"Strike three…! Game over!"
Three straight K's to end it. Normally he'd half-ass a four-run lead, but Britain's antics pissed him off—he brought full heat.
The stadium finally went quiet.
Host nation Britain tasted early tournament elimination in their opener.
"We… lost? Us…?"
Felix scanned the field in disbelief. Their golden generation crushed by Korea's supposed weakest squad ever? Unthinkable.
Trembling, eyes darting, he locked gazes with the Ramsay father-daughter duo in the stands.
"M-Mr. Ramsay…!"
Gordon Ramsay's eyes screamed contempt.
Olivia trailing him looked even worse.
"Ahh…."
Felix collapsed.
Beaten as a player—and a man.
Deep despair swallowed him.
"Tch, I get how he feels…."
Im Tae-yul watched from afar. As victim #1 of Geum Seong-muk, he alone pitied him.
While Geum Seong-muk did the winner's interview—three homers, hooligan purge, MVP effort—Gordon Ramsay slipped out with his daughter.
"What'd you think…?"
Olivia asked, heart pounding, anxious for a bad take.
Gordon answered bluntly.
"Even a truckload of average Brits couldn't touch that kid."
"………!"
Super positive.
Olivia beamed.
But he hardened.
"Still not enough. Bring him to the house."
"………!"
Olivia gaped.
He rarely invited outsiders—now demanding Geum Seong-muk for a full vetting.
"Let's see if he's good enough for my girl."
The world-conquering chef's eyes gleamed like a beast's.