Recruiting the Legend
".........."
".........."
The atmosphere at Cheonghyeon High had turned ice-cold.
The reason? Their opponent in the second round of the Sejong Tournament was none other than Munhyeok High.
'Back during our first practice game, we were like, 'What the hell, why are we playing some no-name team?'
'I thought that idiot Ji Suyong transferring to some newbie school was just plain stupid.'
But Munhyeok High now was a completely different beast.
They'd been stunned speechless watching Munhyeok High demolish Pungroe High in the opening game.
"Hey, could we beat Pungroe High by mercy rule too?"
"You think?"
Pungroe High's roster was on par with Cheonghyeon High's.
If things went south, they could end up suffering the same humiliating thrashing.
'And their starter's that monster Geum Seong-muk...'
They'd hoped he'd burn himself out in the opener, but Munhyeok High had kept him under wraps, like they had no intention of showing him off early to the other schools.
And now Cheonghyeon High was the one eating the bomb in the second round.
Their honest feelings boiled down to this:
'Why us, of all teams...!!'
'This is fucking terrifying, shit!!'
As the first team to get utterly wrecked by Seong-muk and his Solar Divine Vein, Cheonghyeon High knew his terror better than anyone.
Of course, fear aside, it didn't mean they were forfeiting the game.
"Don't chicken out! Geum Seong-muk's just a human like the rest of us!"
Cheonghyeon High's captain, the 'Asan Black Tiger' Choi Seok-ho, clenched his fist and rallied the team. He'd briefly shared a dugout with Seong-muk on the national team, so he knew the guy's scariness better than most—but he said it anyway.
'Monster as a pitcher... monster as a hitter...'
If they had to face him, better as a batter only. But Cheonghyeon High had to deal with both.
Still, if they couldn't avoid it, Choi Seok-ho vowed they'd win by any means necessary.
"I don't think he's some unbeatable force."
"The ball's round—let's give it a shot!"
"Yes, sir!!"
The 'Great Anti-Geum Seong-muk Strategy' to hunt the giant.
Cheonghyeon High's hitters steeled themselves.
At the same time, in Cheonghyeon High's pitching group.
Im Tae-yul, towel draped over his head, sat lost in thought.
'It's flickering again, damn it.'
That vision of Seong-muk's massive cannon arm and bat painting the sky—it was an indelible afterimage burned into Im Tae-yul's brain.
It had left him with a fatal erectile dysfunction that wrecked his love life, but it had given him something too.
'To erase this afterimage, I trained my ass off like a madman...!!'
Unable to chase skirts like before, he'd thrown himself into baseball like a fiend.
A natural talent plus relentless effort had skyrocketed his skills.
This was around the time he'd normally knock up some girl, push for an abortion, and earn a shameful nickname like 'Im-tegi' down the line.
But Seong-muk's harsh lesson had erased that future. Not knowing what lay ahead, he couldn't just thank Seong-muk out of the blue.
Thinking of Geum Seong-muk still made his teeth grind. He hadn't forgotten that day's humiliation.
He channeled his frustration into the ball and hurled it at the catcher's mitt with all his might.
Paang!!
"Nice ball!!"
Paang!!
"Whoa, nice ball!!"
The catcher was genuinely impressed.
It was hard to believe this was the same slick Im Tae-yul who'd been womanizing nonstop— the pitches were seriously good.
"What the hell, Tae-yul? Your stuff's on fire today!"
"Hoo, this ain't enough. Ten more!"
"Okay, let's go!!"
The catcher slapped his mitt eagerly.
Im Tae-yul wound up big, eyes flashing.
'Geum Seong-muk, I'll crush you and wash away this damn afterimage...!!'
Munhyeok High's baseball team was riding high after winning the first round. But one major issue remained unsolved.
'No pitching coach...!'
Coach Lee Tae-jeong, who'd been in that car accident, was recovering slowly. The pitching coach position at Munhyeok High was vacant.
They'd focused on physical training so far, and Seong-muk could cover the basics, so it hadn't been a huge problem—yet there were limits.
'With the Hassan issue blowing up now too, no pitching coach means it's gonna get messy for sure.'
Without a capable replacement soon, problems were inevitable.
He'd brainstormed with manager Myeong Sinu, but no easy answers.
'All the good coaches are already tied up somewhere.'
Before the tournament, maybe—but mid-tournament? Near impossible to poach a top coach.
Except for one.
A guy with elite skills and plenty of time.
'Grandpa Ma Deok-su...!'
The legendary pitcher with real pitching coach chops. He was the only option.
Seong-muk headed straight to where he could find him: the Deoks u Pitching Field.
"Grandpa Deok-su."
"………."
The old man stayed silent.
Seong-muk raised his voice.
"Grandpa!"
"My ears are gonna fall off, you punk!"
Thwack!
"Guh...!"
Seong-muk got whacked with the switch the old man was holding.
It stung—it'd been a while.
"Grandpa, mind if I ask a favor?"
"Tch, every time you show up, it's the same damn thing."
"...Haha."
Seong-muk winced.
Maybe he should've visited more often, but he pressed on.
"Sorry I haven't come by much 'cause I've been busy, but anyway—"
"But anyway, what."
"Could you be our team's pitching coach?"
"………."
Ma Deok-su closed his mouth and shut his eyes.
Seong-muk sighed at the reaction.
"Whew, knew it'd be like this. You're not doing it, right."
"...I will."
"Pardon?"
"I said I'd do it, you punk. Pitching coach."
"………!!! "
Seong-muk was genuinely shocked.
He'd expected rejection, not acceptance.
His excitement bubbled over as he double-checked.
"Grandpa, you're really doing it?"
"……."
"No take-backs?"
"Yeah, yeah, got it, punk."
The old man nodded slowly, then hacked repeatedly.
"Cough, cough!"
"Grandpa?"
"Throat's acting up a bit. I'll head to your school tomorrow, so get lost."
"Ah, got it. See you tomorrow, Grandpa?"
Seong-muk left the Deoks u Pitching Field.
No expectations, yet he'd landed a legendary pitching coach. He felt like he could fly.
'Kya, luck's on my side...!!'
Just a quick personal session from Ma Deok-su had been huge in beating Seoul powerhouse Hancheong High.
Now as interim pitching coach? It'd be a massive boost for the Sejong Tournament proper.
'But what's this weird feeling.'
Grandpa Deok-su had always been a cranky, energetic old codger. But today, that spark was missing.
Movements sluggish, cough deep.
'...Nah, can't be.'
Seong-muk shoved the thought aside.
Hope it's nothing.
The big day of the second round.
Munhyeok High returned to Jongmyo Stadium.
"Back here again?"
"Feels like our home field now."
The second round was at Jongmyo Stadium too.
One might think all Sejong Tournament games were here, but no.
The Sejong Tournament was a nationwide clash of titans.
Games could be anywhere across the country.
Sure, they'd sometimes all be in Seoul, but that sparked massive backlash from the provinces.
'Fucking Seoul Republic! Provinces ain't cities or what?!'
'Stadiums full of regional flavor all over the eight provinces, and you wanna use just Jongmyo?!'
'For balanced foreign tourist draw by region, games need to be fair—spread nationwide!'
A ton of provincial fans agreed, so for the Sejong proper, managers gathered and flipped coins for venues.
"Heads for me."
"Tails."
Ding!
The coin from the ref's hand landed heads—Myeong Sinu's pick.
"Yes...!!"
Sejong second round: Seoul Jongmyo Stadium. No away trip to Cheonan Asan.
"Whoa, Manager Myeong finally shaking off the jinx?"
"Kya, feels solid!!"
The players couldn't hide their joy.
No hours-long bus ride? Huge advantage.
Even staying over the night before, those hours could make a real difference in condition.
Munhyeok High's squad was buzzing.
One reason: a massive new face radiating presence.
"Whole team, greet Coach Ma Deok-su!"
"Hello, sir!!"
The team bowed on Seong-muk's command.
"...Keh, what a bunch."
Ma Deok-su seemed mildly pleased.
The sudden arrival of this heavyweight Seong-muk dragged in had manager Myeong Sinu the most on edge.
"Ahem, please take care of us, Sunbae-nim!!"
"Sure, let's do this."
"Yes, sir...!!"
Looked like the guest was hosting, but Myeong Sinu had no choice.
In baseball's hierarchy-obsessed world, a legend from nearly 30 years prior? Had to show respect.
Even with this awkward senior coach, Myeong Sinu's lips twitched happily.
"Kuh, Ma Deok-su sunbae-nim. Heaven's on our side!!"
Myeong savored the feeling of commanding a heavenly host. Then, right on cue, Cheonghyeon High's team entered the stadium.
"Oh, Cheonghyeon High's here."
"Gonna warm up soon, I bet."
Cheonghyeon players poured into the opposite dugout, unpacked, then headed toward Munhyeok's—led by Choi Seok-ho.
They were after Ji Suyong.
Took a bit to spot him at first.
"Huh, no Suyong?"
"Dumbass, the dark-skinned one's Suyong."
"Aha!"
Cheonghyeon players finally found him and apologized straight-up.
"Suyong, sorry, man."
"We went too far, huh?"
"Ehh!?"
Ji Suyong blinked in shock at his seniors' apology.
They hadn't outright bullied him, but the backbiting and snide remarks were real.
Suyong, sensing the vibe before, was flustered by the public apology.
"No, it's fine!"
"We're not fine. We're really sorry!!"
As they kept atoning, Seong-muk sidled up to team captain Choi Seok-ho.
"Your idea?"
"Just suggested it—they ran with it."
Choi Seok-ho grinned.
He looked at Seong-muk seriously.
"Thanks for taking Suyong."
"Oh ho, thought you'd be bummed deep down?"
Compared to Cheonghyeon outfielders, Suyong's stats were overwhelming. Still, Choi shook his head.
"He'd just rot as a bench guy here. Our school's no place for a nice kid like him to grow."
"Hm, fair."
With coach Kim Dae-yeop's style, he'd give chances but pile on mental pressure too.
Suyong needed main-role security to shine—staying there, he'd likely miss pro nomination.
"Anyway, Suyong aside—you haven't forgotten, right?"
"Yeah, not something you forget easy."
Choi nodded at Seong-muk's question.
The throat-slash signal in their practice game: 'I'll kill you next time.'
Post-possession, Choi Seok-ho was the only unfinished business. Seong-muk was keyed up for it.
He figured Choi would be too—but the response was unexpected.
"...Go easy on us, yeah?"
"What?"
"See you on the field."
Backing off like that.
Choi Seok-ho waved casually and headed back to his dugout.
"Hm."
Seong-muk stroked his chin.
Watching Choi's sturdy back, he smirked.
"Seok-ho, you need acting lessons."
The sudden Suyong apology, pulling back on the showdown talk.
Seong-muk clocked it instantly.
'Those guys have something up their sleeve.'
They'd come at him with some unconventional tactic for sure. Any pitcher would feel the pressure—but not him.
'...I've got a cheat-code analyst in my corner.'
With a genius who dissected opponents flawlessly, Cheonghyeon was dancing in his palm.
"Geum Seong-muk si ju, time for warm-up pitching."
"Ah, coming now."
Seong-muk headed to Seok Un-gang.
He had some fun in store for today's game.