Don't Get Shaken, Everyone

Many things had happened at the Busan Bukhan Dome.

No sooner had the Munhyeok High vs. Bujeon High game ended than articles poured in endlessly.

Bujeon High was rated as one of the top five teams nationwide.

They were seen as a cut above Hancheong High, who had pushed Munhyeok High to the limit in the spring tournament semifinals. But when the lid came off, Munhyeok High won. It was only natural that the media was going wild.

Just as sports news was packed with game recaps and previews for the next matchup...

An utterly unforeseen bombshell dropped.

Bujeon High's bomb had finally exploded.

The moment the news broke, netizen detectives dug into the story with insane info-gathering skills.

Baseball communities were ablaze over the Bujeon High scandal, showing no signs of dying down.

Bujeon High and Cheon Ji-uk's camps tried pulling every connection to contain it, but the fire only raged hotter.

"Ah, feels so damn good."

Seo Ye-bin grinned as she scrolled through the endless news feed.

The scandal blowing up beyond control was largely thanks to her—one who had a media outlet firmly in her grip.

Of course, one of the culprits was her own father, Seo Mu-jin, which naturally dragged Yujin Group into the mess by the hair.

Suspicions about Yujin Group heated up online.

Rumors ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠flew that Cheon Ji-uk's dad's company had shady ties with them.

This was the exact situation Geum Seong-muk hadn't wanted.

But surprisingly, the one who detonated it was none other than Seo Ye-bin.

Her pulling the trigger meant she was confident she could handle it with minimal damage.

'Thanks to Seong-muk, I had plenty of time to prepare.'

It's hard to block ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a sucker punch out of nowhere.

But if it's telegraphed—"Hey, punch incoming?"—you can raise your guard at the perfect moment.

Chaebols were pros at spinning lies without batting an eye, so with prep time, there was no mess they couldn't clean.

Ye-bin had placed her puppet chairman uncle, Seo Mu-jae, front and center at the press line. Seo Mu-jae bowed deeply with teary eyes before the packed room of reporters.

Flash! Flash!

Cameras flashed nonstop.

"Are you admitting fault now?!"

"What's Yujin Group's relation to Cheonji Construction?!"

Questions flew like arrows.

Seo Mu-jae glanced around, timing his response.

With Seo Mu-jin locked up and silenced, he made the perfect meat shield. The story was already massaged, ready to spill from Seo Mu-jae's lips.

"Cheonji Construction was the company my brother Seo Mu-jin used for his dirty work."

"………!!"

Reporters buzzed.

In truth, Seo Mu-jin had tried linking Ye-bin with Cheon Ji-uk partly for this reason. Better to hand his daughter to the son of his cleanup crew than some orphan nobody.

Cheonji Construction was caught off-guard, but Yujin Group had already decided to cut ties. Seo Mu-jae kept talking.

"The favored Bujeon High pitcher was rewarded for services to Cheonji Construction—Seo Mu-jin slipped them extra bribes for the chairman's son."

"Seo Mu-jin committed dozens of power-abuse crimes before prison. One more line on his rap sheet won't make him reflect."

"But Yujin Group won't dismiss this as one man's lapse."

"We'll compensate the harmed student enough to heal his wounds, and expand our support from just Bujeon High to all Busan schools."

"We sincerely apologize and vow to reflect."

Seo Mu-jae bowed again.

Reporters murmured, scrambling to write their pieces.

The result? Public opinion flipped positive.

The brother atoning for his sibling's era of control felt genuine—people pitied him, and Yujin Group emerged unscathed with a shiny new image.

And so, Geum Seong-muk's old grudge was neatly wrapped up.

Bujeon High's corruption was big news, but another topic rivaled it in coverage: Ma Deok-su's return after decades in hiding.

Articles exploded the moment he appeared mid-game.

Tons of reporters had lingered post-game for his interview.

Then, an unexpected twist hit.

Thankfully, an ambulance on standby at the Bukhan Dome rushed him out, and Do Hak-hoon, watching live, cleared a path to a nearby hospital for quick admission.

Ma Deok-su underwent full exams.

The results were shocking.

"It's cirrhosis... terminal stage."

"Cirrhosis...!?"

"If treated early, it could've been managed, but it's too late. Chart from another hospital years ago shows he knew—probably refused treatment on purpose."

"No treatment options?"

"No. Best to prepare. Maybe a week at most."

"………."

Myeong Sin-u, the coach, widened his eyes.

Geum Seong-muk's face darkened like never before.

But he hadn't given up hope yet.

He knew a miracle healer.

"Hyuk-jun sunbaenim, please."

"Hm, I usually don't leave Seoul, but..."

Seo Hyuk-jun arrived in Busan at Geum Seong-muk's desperate plea.

Blind, he'd taken a taxi straight there.

He entered the room like a relay handover from the doctor.

Seo Hyuk-jun, who'd once cured Geum Seong-muk's two-seam pulse issue.

Even beyond normal medicine, maybe he could pull off a miracle—that was Geum Seong-muk's hope.

"Hm..."

Seo Hyuk-jun felt Ma Deok-su's pulse, scanning his condition.

Geum Seong-muk swallowed hard, watching.

"Any way to treat him?"

"Wrong question."

"Pardon?"

"Don't ask for treatment—ask how many more days he can hold on."

"…………!!"

"I have to agree with the doctor. It's very advanced."

Seo Hyuk-jun looked regretful.

After pulsing, he added a discovery.

"Recent pulse shows overexertion. Without that, maybe 2-3 more years."

"……!"

Dragged out by Geum Seong-muk, Ma Deok-su had taken the Munhyeok High pitching coach gig.

That strain cost him years—those words stabbed Geum Seong-muk's heart.

Reading the guilt in his silence, Seo Hyuk-jun withdrew his hand and spoke gravely.

"Seong-muk-ssi, don't get shaken."

"That bad?"

"Semifinals soon, right? I'll stay and help extend his time. Focus on baseball—no worries now."

"...Yes, thank you."

Geum Seong-muk bowed deeply.

He turned to Ma Deok-su.

Beep, beep, beep—

Still unconscious.

Geum Seong-muk squeezed his eyes shut and left.

Slide—

"Ah, Seong-muk oppa!"

Noah waited outside the room.

Behind her, the Munhyeok High team awaited news.

They'd been waiting a while, clearly anxious about Ma Deok-su.

"How is he?"

"Coach—Ma coach's okay, right?!"

Geum Seong-muk clenched his fists.

'...I'm the captain.'

Captains couldn't show weakness.

He had to steady the mood now.

He forced a grin, facing them all.

"No worries about Coach Deok-su—just old age overdid it a bit."

"Ooh...!?"

"Top specialist's on it, and they've got ways to improve his condition. Might miss the rest of the tourney, but no biggie."

"Phew, what a relief."

Teammates brightened.

Bald-faced lie, but Geum Seong-muk and Myeong Sin-u both figured it was necessary now.

"So quit the mopey faces. You go into Baekro High like that, we'll get wrecked—you know it."

"……!"

"Th-that's..."

Chills ran down their spines.

Especially pitchers—they knew Ma Deok-su's wrath best, and dreaded his wrath incoming.

"Anyway."

Geum Seong-muk scratched his head, chuckling.

He dropped the final line like all was fine.

"Don't overthink Ma coach—focus on the next game, push to finals. Got it?"

"Ooh......!!!"

Munhyeok High rallied under Geum Seong-muk's lead.

But Noah sensed something off.

'...Oppa seems different from usual.'

She caught him masking sorrow.

A woman's intuition cut straight to the core.

'Ugh, what to do...?'

To Noah, Geong Seong-muk looked fragile now.

Comforting everyone while pretending fine—he seemed the most at risk. She fell deep into thought.