Life is a Chain of Unjust Hardships
Whoosh—
Thicker rain poured down relentlessly.
At Jongmyo Stadium, where the downpour was in full swing, the matchup between Munhyeok High and Hancheong High was heating up.
Seong-muk wrapped up the 7th inning.
He hadn't let it show to his teammates because of the rain, but sweat was streaming down his entire body right now.
'Whew, this is brutal. Damn it.'
It felt more than twice as draining as the Geumgang High game, with Solar Divine Vein in constant use.
The fact that his body was still holding up despite burning through it like this was nothing short of miraculous.
Seong-muk felt nothing but gratitude toward Olivia.
'This time, we gotta score some runs.'
He needed to start thinking ahead. Pitch count so far: 92.
Exactly one more inning.
Up to the 8th was the absolute limit he could squeeze out.
So, the ideal scenario from here was clear.
'Hold them scoreless in the top of the 8th, and our bats scrape together just one run somehow.'
Then Ri Donghyeok could come in, nail the save, and Munhyeok High would finally advance to the Sejong Tournament they'd been dreaming of.
'...Man.'
Talking big was easy for anyone.
Right now, even scraping together one run wasn't simple. Ryu Han-ul was still putting on a monstrous performance in the 7th.
Thwack—!!
"Strike three...!!"
[Oh man, he's too strong! Ryu Han-ul...!! Already 13 strikeouts! Munhyeok High can't score again!]
[He walked one batter, but he's got Munhyeok High's lineup completely shut down over 7 innings!]
But despite Ryu Han-ul's incredible pitching, he'd thrown only 84 pitches and still looked fresh.
Choi Adam watched Ryu Han-ul descend the mound with a bright smile, a question forming in his mind.
"...What's up with that? His pitch count isn't that different from Geum Seong-muk's, but Seong-muk looks way more wiped."
"Even with similar counts, pitching against Hancheong High carries a totally different pressure, right? Each pitch probably takes 1.5 times the energy."
"......!!"
Choi Adam was stunned by Ri Donghyeok's response.
Geum Seong-muk was shouldering the burden of the team disparity all by himself. It frustrated Adam that he couldn't help as a teammate.
"Damn, so he's feeling fatigue like he's thrown nearly 150 pitches...?"
"Probably. And this rain... it's no joke."
"...Yeah."
The rain was coming down harder now.
Top of the 8th: Munhyeok High defense.
Seong-muk's final inning in the spring tournament had begun.
Thwack!!
"Strike three!!"
"Damn it!!"
Seong-muk struck out cleanup hitter Kwon Seok-jun, the 9th batter.
Next up: leadoff hitter Han Gyeol.
"Shit, I'm swinging no matter what."
The batter stepped in, hyped up.
He crushed Seong-muk's first-pitch fastball hard—but—
"Ugh...!!"
A sharp sting vibrated through his hands via the bat.
The ball trickled weakly toward first base.
[Oh, Han Gyeol! He swings...! Grounder rolling toward first!]
A routine grounder that Lee Tae-kyung's defense could handle easily. But like a highway with a gaping hole, the ball shot straight through his legs.
"!!!"
[Oh no, through Lee Tae-kyung's legs...!! A costly error here!]
[Right fielder Ri Donghyeok chases it, but speedy runner Han Gyeol rounds first to second! Safe at second!!]
"Woooaaah...!!"
Cheers erupted from the Hancheong High stands.
A critical error putting a fast runner in scoring position at a pivotal moment.
Lee Tae-kyung hung his head, deflated.
The announcers replayed the play.
[That's scored as an error on first baseman Lee Tae-kyung...! Let's watch again!]
[See how the grass near first is soaked? The ball hit that spot, and the bounce died completely...!!]
The heavy rain had pooled water everywhere on the grass, creating irregular bounces that led to the error.
"Seong-muk hyung, sorry..."
"It's fine, kid. Just make the next play."
Seong-muk patted Tae-kyung's back and returned to the mound. Facing the 2nd batter, Jeong Woo-jin, he leaned heavily on his circle changeup.
Whoosh!!
"Strike three!!"
Two outs now.
Munhyeok High shouted, "One more!!"
But Hancheong High had no intention of letting the opportunity slip.
Seong-muk, fatigued, with the heavy rain sapping his pitches' bite.
Choi Hyeok-su, a contact specialist, targeted that weakness.
Crack—!
[Oh! Choi Hyeok-su!! Drops in fair just before right field...!]
[Runner from second, Han Gyeol, to third! Is he challenging home?!?]
But Ri Donghyeok's fake-out worked perfectly.
He wasted Han Gyeol's time between third and second, and his cannon arm pinned him at third.
[Han Gyeol holds at third!]
[Choi Hyeok-su's RBI single, now 2 outs, runners on first and third! Prime chance for Hancheong High...!!]
"Choi Hyeok-su! Choi Hyeok-su! Choi Hyeok-su...!!"
"...Whew, huff."
[That error by Lee Tae-kyung stings even more now.]
[Yeah, one more out and this crisis is averted. Geum Seong-muk looks exhausted!]
Seong-muk was truly at his limit now.
But he could handle one more batter.
Of course, that batter being Park Tae-je made it a nightmare.
Clap clap clap clap clap—
"Park Tae-je homer!!"
Hancheong High's deafening cheers for Park Tae-je rang out.
His eyes sparkled—he was determined to crush Seong-muk this time.
'One more Solar Divine Vein switch left. That's the last one.'
Seong-muk steadied his breathing.
Park Tae-je glared at him through the thick rain.
'Going for the fastball.'
He'd been completely fooled by Seong-muk's three fastball types last at-bat.
The afterimages lingered.
National team pride wouldn't let him go down like that. He'd conquer it this time, teeth gritted.
'Rain helps narrow his arsenal.'
Since the rain started, Seong-muk's curve and sweeper had lost their pinpoint command.
Factoring that in, it was fastball or circle changeup.
Seong-muk rarely used circle changeup first pitch for a strike anyway.
So, fastball it was.
'Whatever fastball it is, I'll crush it.'
Park Tae-je brimmed with confidence. Seong-muk kicked and fired the first pitch.
And Park Tae-je couldn't touch it.
Thwack—!!
"Strike!!"
"...Hmph."
Boldly, Seong-muk threw his weakest pitch—a curve—right into the zone against Park Tae-je. Like he was saying, "Rain won't mess with my breaking ball command."
Second pitch.
Thwack—!!
"...Ball!"
"Whew."
156 km inside fastball.
The high fastball half-pulled Park Tae-je's bat, freezing it. Seok Un-gang appealed to first, but no swing—ump called it 1-1.
Crack!!
".........!!"
Park Tae-je fouled off Seong-muk's third pitch.
The deep fly shot into the left-field foul stands.
"Whew, that scared me."
The sweeper had flattened out.
Rainy days were tricky like that.
The ball disobeyed far more often.
But he couldn't avoid breaking stuff entirely—telegraphing that would put him at a huge disadvantage.
Tough spot for any pitcher.
Seong-muk tried off-speed to bait him, but Park Tae-je picked them clean.
Full count: 3-2.
Geum Seong-muk and Park Tae-je shared the same thought.
'End it with a fastball.'
'...He's throwing heat.'
Perfectly synced intentions.
Usually favors the batter overwhelmingly, but not against Seong-muk.
'Three fastball types—which one?'
Seong-muk had shown variety: standard 150 km, 160 km heater, 155 km riser.
Forcing choices with switching fastballs, conserving stamina while confusing the mind.
Here, Seong-muk chose a fourth option.
"...Switch."
Stat changes reset.
Control stat upgraded: B+ → A!
Control stat upgraded: A → A+!
Fastball stat upgraded: A → A+!
First time boosting control.
Target: low outside corner.
He'd intentionally jammed Park Tae-je inside all along. Now, with inside imprinted, jam a fastball at the edge of the zone?
'No good contact possible.'
Whoosh—
Rain so thick it blurred vision. Even that would empower his final pitch, Seong-muk was sure.
Big windup. Runner on first takes off early. He unleashed it.
"Hup...!!"
Pinpoint to the outside corner. Park Tae-je swung, but hesitated slightly.
'It's away...!'
Still, instinct screamed: can't take this.
He followed through—but—
Tick!
Overthinking killed the swing. No distance. The pop-up hung high between infield and outfield.
"Ugh......!!"
Completely fooled.
Park Tae-je slammed his bat down and sprinted to first.
Choi Adam raced for the ball.
Seo Kyung-su and Ji Su-yong charged too. But all three shared a thought staring at the towering fly.
'Damn, can't track it...!!'
Raising heads to spot it, fat raindrops pelted eyes. The sky-high ball vanished against the overcast clouds.
Impossible to judge properly. They chased anyway—but—
Plop!
It dropped cruelly between all three.
[Oh no...!! Nobody gets it! Runner from third scores! First runner already steaming home!!]
"Argh......!!"
Ji Su-yong scooped and fired home desperately, but Choi Hyeok-su was safe. The three who missed it hung heads in defeat.
[Score's 2-0! Hancheong High breaks the deadlock!!]
[Critical errors here! What a mess...!?]
[Weather's messing with fly ball reads! But that was catchable regardless...!!]
[Two runs in the top of the 8th to Hancheong—huge!!]
"...Not satisfied."
Park Tae-je stood on second, face twisted in disgust.
Lucky two-RBI single, sure—but not how he wanted to reach. He felt utterly beaten by Geum Seong-muk.
Seong-muk sighed faintly at the sulky expression.
"...Timing couldn't be worse."
To Seong-muk, suddenly surrendering runs, it was just whining.
Munhyeok High had clung to a scoreless tie through 8 thanks to Seong-muk's heroic effort. This absurd collapse lit up the Goya Gallery.
Momentum had fully shifted to Hancheong High.
Seong-muk's body was done.
No more pitches possible. Coach Myeong Sin-u climbed the mound with the ball.
"...Seong-muk, good work."
"Man, didn't wanna come out mid-inning like this."
"Yeah, didn't wanna pull you either..."
The coach patted Seong-muk's shoulder sadly. He knew Seong-muk had fulfilled his ace duties today. What just happened was an act of nature beyond control.
[Geum Seong-muk comes out! 7.2 IP, 115 pitches, 13 K, 2 R, 1 ER! Ace performance today...!]
[Still a shame. No error, and he shuts it down scoreless. Next up: Munhyeok High's guardian, Ri Donghyeok!]
"Comrade, well done."
"...Take it from here, Ri Donghyeok."
"Don't worry. No one steps on home."
Seong-muk, barely standing, staggered to the dugout.
Munhyeok High students mostly sensed it.
This was likely Geum Seong-muk's final high school appearance.
"Seong-muk..."
Olivia's eyes welled up.
Watching him collapse after battling alone hurt her heart.
"Oppa..."
Tears brimmed in Noah's eyes too.
She wiped them—not time yet—and rallied cheers for returning Seong-muk.
"Geum Seong-muk! Geum Seong-muk! Geum Seong-muk...!!"
Praise for the ace.
Even with blurred vision, their voices rang crystal clear.
"...Good thing no cameras, or I'd be tearing up."
Thud!
He collapsed onto the bench.
Quietly: "Coach, sorry, too beat. Gonna nap."
"...Rest easy."
Seong-muk's head drooped.
Accumulated fatigue crashed at once. Teammates hushed to let him rest.
[Geum Seong-muk to DH, out of field. Hassan Iqbal covers RF for Ri Donghyeok!]
[No more runs here or it's over! 2 outs, runner on 2nd: Carlos Wisdom up. Can Ri Donghyeok escape...!?]
'Underhand pitcher in my at-bat? Insane?'
Carlos, famed underhand killer, questioned it but vowed to punish the bravado.
But Ri Donghyeok was a cut above any submariner he'd faced.
Whip!
Thwack—!
"Strike...!!"
Whip!
Crack!
"Foul!"
'What sink on that sinker...!!'
Insane spin breaking viciously.
He'd seen it once, but no adjustment.
Carlos scowled.
Resetting on the sinker, he stepped in—then that pitch came.
Swoosh!
'Rising...!?'
Thwack—!!
"Strike three...!!"
"What the...?!"
Ri Donghyeok's new weapon: upshot.
Mastered as an advanced curve under Ma Deok-su's coaching. Carlos whiffed empty, ending the top 8th.
[What was that...!! Ball ascends like it's ascending to heaven!!]
[Upshot! Rare pitch lately, but Ri Donghyeok has it!]
[Strikes out power bat Carlos Wisdom to end inning...!! Bottom 8th next!]
Two innings left for Munhyeok High to hit. Tough road ahead.
Whoosh—
"Puhaha...!"
"Grandpa, you'll catch cold! Share my umbrella...!"
Ma Deok-su grinned in the stands, rain pelting him. A student nearby sheltered him.
Ignoring it, his eyes stayed glued to Munhyeok High's dugout.
"Tsk tsk, crisis mode. What's the play now?"
Even as Seong-muk dozed, drained from the mound, Ma Deok-su's gaze held him.
His instinct whispered:
This game would still be decided by Geum Seong-muk.