Goldensun Doesn't Fall - 3
'I won, Geum Seong-muk…!'
Crack!!
"………!?!"
Seong-muk pulled his hips back sharply and unleashed a ferocious swing. The ball, propelled by his monstrous core strength, rocketed forward in a straight line.
A liner like a clothesline slicing through the air.
Every eye in the stands locked onto the ball.
"Wha-what?!"
"No way…?!"
Thud!
The low, screaming liner met its end beyond the right-field fence.
"……."
Im Tae-yul stared at Seong-muk jogging casually around the bases, his face a mask of utter disbelief.
"That guy, why…."
Of course, Seong-muk's massive bulge still jiggled with each step.
But the jiggle was milder than before, and above all, he rounded the bases without flipping his bat.
Expectations of a bat flip and crotch flip combo to retraumatize Im Tae-yul had been dashed.
'Eh, he's suffered enough anyway.'
Even the perpetrator, Seong-muk, had no idea Im Tae-yul's trauma ran that deep.
If Choi Seok-ho from the national team hadn't spilled the beans, he'd probably still be clueless.
He had no personal grudge against the guy, and with Seong-muk already juggling three women, complaining about someone else's girl problems would just be hypocritical.
Seong-muk stepped on home plate leisurely and basked in the joy with his teammates.
"A splendid homer, Geum Seong-muk si ju."
"Kyaa, as expected of Seong-muk hyungnim!!"
Just like that, the score ballooned to 4-0 in the top of the 7th. Joo Ha-neul, who came in after, somehow held the line, pushing the game to the bottom of the 7th.
Kim Dae-yeop, the Cheonghyeon High coach, rubbed his hands together like he was praying.
"Please, please…!"
Kim Dae-yeop figured it was time to pull the plug on the starter. After 109 pitches, didn't basic humanity demand a break? He even shot a glare at Myeong Sin-u, the Munhyeok High coach.
"Ahem…."
Swipe!
Myeong Sin-u cleared his throat and turned his head sharply.
Without hesitation, he sent Seong-muk back to the mound.
Thwack!!
"Strikeout…!"
Pop!
"Strikeout!!"
Thwaaack!
"Strikeouuut!!"
"Whoaaa…!!"
Another KKK.
Seong-muk notched three more whiffs and descended the mound.
Now it was the top of the 8th.
Fired-up Choi Adam drew a timely hit, stretching the lead to 5 runs.
Kim Dae-yeop thought this was his absolute last shot. If Park Chan-jun gave up 3 runs and Ri Dong-hyeok 2, they might claw back somehow.
'Please, come out this time!! Please!!'
Seong-muk had already thrown 120 pitches.
No manager in their right mind would keep him in….
"Does that make any sense, bullshit…!!!"
Kim Dae-yeop flung his cap to the ground. Seong-muk, unfazed, launched into another strikeout clinic.
Thwack-!!
"Strikeouuut!!"
"Yo."
Geum Seong-muk grinned from the mound and waved. Choi Seok-ho felt a flush of embarrassment right now.
'Damn, should I have gone all-out earlier?'
If he'd truly battled Seong-muk at the plate with full commitment, maybe he'd have gotten a good result once or twice.
The thought lingered, but he shook his head.
'No point dwelling now. Focus.'
Choi Seok-ho settled into his stance, mind cleared.
Seong-muk rubbed rosin on his hands and pulled up his stat screen.
Name: Choi Seok-ho
Age: 19
Height: 189 cm
Skill / Asan Black Tiger (A)
: Ball speed increases on solid contact.
Batter Stats (*Potential) / LHP LHB
Power: S (*S+)
Contact: B+
Speed: D
Eye: A (*A)
Defense: B+
Shoulder: A (*A)
'…This guy's put in the work too.'
Choi Seok-ho had grown a fair bit since they first met.
Of course, that didn't make him Seong-muk's equal.
Thwack!!
"Strike…!!"
Choi Seok-ho's bat whiffed wildly.
Even narrowing focus to fastballs, the timing was off.
Pop!
"Ball…!"
The sweeper and 12-6 curve edged out of the zone bit by bit. The fourth pitch was the fastball he'd been hunting.
Thwack!!
"Strike…!!"
Another massive whiff.
Count now 2-2.
Seong-muk on the mound, Choi Seok-ho at the plate.
Both thought of the same pitch.
'Circle changeup's the only option.'
'…Circle changeup it is.'
The exact pitch Choi Seok-ho had homered off in a past scrimmage. He was dead certain Seong-muk would go to it now to settle the score.
"Hoo."
Seong-muk exhaled shallowly, muttering something under his breath.
Then he went into a big windup and fired the fifth pitch.
Whoosh!
'Definitely a circle changeup!'
The trajectory matched what he'd seen before, thought Choi Seok-ho. His bat exploded toward it.
And then he saw it.
'…This is!'
A merciless offbeat rhythm shredding the batter's senses.
The circle changeup that seemed to freeze midair before diving in.
Choi Seok-ho's bat didn't just whiff—it spun his massive frame in a full circle at the plate.
Thud!
"Strikeouuut!!"
"Whoaaa…!!"
Seong-muk's roar echoed louder than ever today.
Sensing this was his final showdown with Choi Seok-ho, he'd pumped his circle changeup to S+ via Solar Divine Vein. It hit dead center.
"Man, I can't handle you."
It had been nasty back then, but now it was on another level. Choi Seok-ho plopped down on his butt at the plate and chuckled.
With their star hitter crushed so utterly, the game was as good as over.
In the top of the 9th, Munhyeok High's bats exploded further—Ryu Ji, Seok Un-gang, and Ji Su-yong added homers, pushing the score to 9-0.
Finally, in the bottom of the 9th, Munhyeok High changed pitchers.
Crack!
"Out…!"
Crack!
"Out!!"
Swish!
"Strikeout…!"
Just 5 pitches.
That was all Ri Dong-hyeok needed to shut down Cheonghyeon High. Game over in Game 2 of the Sejong Tournament round 2.
Final score: 9-0.
Munhyeok High notched back-to-back blowouts.
The Munhyeok High fan section partied like it was a festival again today. Summer heat had Noah sweating buckets from the cheering section, but she wore a blissful smile.
"Who's up in Game 3?"
"Game wrapped early here. Cheolwon First High, I hear."
"Ah, Cheolwon…."
Ri Dong-hyeok grimaced.
Curious Choi Adam piped up from beside him.
"Why the face? They got something?"
"Cheolwon First High—that's Kim Eol's school, right?"
"Oh, the national team righty ace?"
The pinnacle of finesse pitchers, Kim Eol, who'd shone for the national team. He'd be Munhyeok High's next foe.
"If he's a cut above Ryu Han-ul, we gotta watch out. But why the serious look, Seong-muk? Kim Eol got you spooked?"
Choi Adam asked earnestly as even Seong-muk's face hardened at the news. Seong-muk shook his head.
"Nah, the ballpark."
"Huh?"
"Get on Coach Myeong Sin-u's case, make him draw a good venue."
"……?"
His teammates tilted their heads.
They had no clue yet about the peril lurking in Game 3.
But Seong-muk knew all too well.
How utterly bullshit a high-altitude ballpark was for pitchers.
A venue riddled with absurd home-field curses and wild cards.
50% chance they'd play there.
'If we don't draw Seoul this time, we're really fucked.'
He prayed fervently.
Let Coach Myeong Sin-u's shit luck stay dormant, just this once.
Whoooosh!
Fierce winds howled over the peak in Cheolwon, Gangwon Province.
Gold Eagle Mountain in Cheolwon, thrust up to 1,500 meters by ancient tectonic shifts, improbably hosted a massive ballpark at its summit.
"…Suuuup, haa. Hup, haa."
Kim Eol inhaled deeply through his oxygen mask.
Cheolwon First High's righty ace, the strongest arm in Gangwon, awaited news of the Sejong Tournament Game 3 matchup.
"Hyungnim Kim Eol, results are in!"
Kim Eol yanked off his mask at his junior's sudden shout.
"Munhyeok High won, right?"
"Yes, 9-0."
"Figures. Geum Seong-muk shows no mercy."
Facing his national team teammate, he flashed a meaningful smile through his signature sleepy eyes.
"Wonder where the venue lands."
"Hope it's here—total chaos for those guys!"
The Cheolwon ballpark, dubbed "Korea's Coors" by diehard fans.
At 1,500 meters elevation, the thin air meant low resistance—every hit rocketed off the bat.
Not enough? The altitude brought altitude sickness risks too. A hellish venue.
Everyone except Cheolwon Loki and other Gangwon schools dreaded playing here.
No guarantee Game 3 would be here, but Kim Eol's eyes cracked open as he murmured low.
"…See you in Cheolwon, Seong-muk."
Whoooosh!!
Fierce winds battered the Cheolwon ballpark.
This lofty mountaintop stadium awaited the teams for a bloodbath showdown.