Determination

My body jolted upright from the bed like it was bouncing off the floor. "Aah!! Ughhh!!" I stretched my throat vigorously, just in case my voice was hoarse, and picked up the phone.

"Lee Jin-ho..." Seon-ah's low voice came through. From my experience, that was the tone she only used when she was furious.

"S-Seon-ah... I'll explain everything. I can explain."

"I'm giving you... exactly 30 minutes. Get here now."

"30 minutes? That's a bit..."

"Get here..."

"A-alright... I'm coming. I'm coming..."

It took 25 minutes from the dorm to Daejeon Eagles Stadium. If I threw on clothes fast and grabbed a taxi right now, I might just make it. Showering was a luxury I couldn't afford. I roughly combed my hair back with my hand and scrambled into my clothes. My military uniform-changing experience came in handy—I was dressed and shod in seconds, bolting out to the main road. I waved frantically at every passing taxi, empty or not. Did my desperation work? One mercifully pulled up.

"Sir! Daejeon Eagles Stadium! Please hurry!" I blurted it out without taking a breath the second I jumped in.

"Whoa, looks like you're in a real pickle. Got it~"

The driver sensed my urgency and pushed the speed as best he could.

"Ha... huff... ha huff..."

I cupped my hand to my mouth, checking for bad breath.

"Heh heh, no morning breath—just booze. Want some gum?"

"Oh? Yes... thank you."

The driver chuckled at my disheveled state. I couldn't even remember how much I'd drunk last night, but apparently the smell still clung to me. Lucky for me, he offered gum, and I chomped away. Heaven must've been on my side—no red lights—and I made it within Seon-ah's 30-minute deadline.

"Thank you, sir!!" I shouted my thanks to the hardworking driver and sprinted toward the stadium. My regular jogs paid off; even after all that booze, I wasn't winded. She'd said she was waiting outside, so I pushed hard. There she was in the distance. I waved to call her over, but she wasn't alone. I slowed to a walk. Things didn't look good.

Standing in front of Seon-ah were two of our new rookies. Kim Jae-nam and Kang Hyun-jun, right? The monster prospects drafted first and second overall.

"Ah, come on, hang out with us today. Our training wrapped early."

"Jae-nam, I told you I have plans."

"What plans? I've seen you standing here forever. No friends? Let's do 2-on-2."

"Ha... that jerk Jin-ho..."

They must've spotted her lingering and swooped in.

"What's going on here?"

I stepped up, seeing her discomfort.

"Ah! Sunbae!"

Kang Hyun-jun bowed his head when he saw me.

"Jin-ho, you're here? You two have fun now."

As the team's cheerleader, she couldn't shut them down cold. She turned to me with a playfully scary glare—what took you so damn long?

"Sorry. Sorry. Yesterday's stuff..."

I apologized to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her and started to leave, but a voice called from behind.

"Oh... so your 'plans' are with the bullpen catcher?"

It was a clear dig at me. I spun around, ready to snap, but Seon-ah beat me to it, glaring at Kim Jae-nam.

"Excuse me? That's way out of line."

"A bullpen catcher with a decent frame—what, eyes too big for his station?"

"Hey... what're you doing to sunbae?"

When Kim Jae-nam got rude, Kang Hyun-jun grabbed his arm. At least this one had some sense.

"Fuck off. A bullpen catcher's no sunbae. People might think he's actually played pro."

That crossed the line.

"Hey! Who do you think you are? Watch your mouth!"

"Fuck. This bitch too? What an airhead."

Now he was cursing at Seon-ah. I couldn't hold back anymore.

"You little punk. Freshly drafted and already fearless?"

At 187cm, I was pretty tall, and my athletic build helped. But the guy in front of me wasn't small either—a high school grad towering even over me.

"Ha... acting tough 'cause you're a guy? Wanna throw down? I'm starting tomorrow. Tell the manager the bullpen catcher hit a starter."

Was Kim Jae-nam starting tomorrow? First pro game had him cocky.

Seon-ah tugged my arm as things heated up.

"Don't make a scene. Let's go, Jin-ho."

"Fuck. Dressed like a slob, didn't even shower—reeking. Skipping Monday training to get wasted? That's why you're stuck as bullpen catcher."

Thinking he had the upper hand, he kept spewing trash. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Pros need character before skill... I checked the punk's status window.

"What're you staring at, bullpen boy..."

"Not bullpen catcher... coach..."

"What?"

Was I too quiet? Kim Jae-nam asked back.

Smack!!! I slapped the top of his head with my palm.

"Aaaagh! What the hell?! You just hit tomorrow's starter?"

"Not bullpen catcher... coach, you punk!!"

"Pardon??"

I yelled, and suddenly the half-talking Kim Jae-nam switched to polite speech.

"This is Lee Jin-ho, newly appointed coach for the Daejeon Eagles as of today. Nice to meet you. Punk??"

Smack!! Another palm to the head to knock some sense into him. He clutched his skull, dazed.

"Wh-what's he saying??"

Now he was using honorifics.

"He said he's the coach. You need to get your head straight. For real."

Kang Hyun-jun scolded him, then bowed deeply to me.

"Sunbae—no, Coach. I'm sorry. Please forgive my rudeness."

This kid had his act together.

"Got it. If you hit a wall in training, come find me. You've got potential."

"Yes, sir! Thank you!!"

He kept bowing without straightening up.

A voice rang out from nowhere, making me glance around. But it didn't sound quite human. Curious, I peeked at Kang Hyun-jun's status window.

This wasn't my usual status window. Unlike before, showing only up to potential, it now detailed hitter stats.

What in the world...?

Even more shocking was Kang Hyun-jun's potential. Twenty-one higher than veteran Ahn Young-hyun's. My first time seeing over 70. I hadn't checked every MLB player or all our guys, but this was insane potential.

To confirm, I glanced at Kim Jae-nam again.

Kim Jae-nam's stats were now pitcher-specific too. Good physicals gave velocity, spin, and recovery, but the rest lagged— no more growth likely.

"Jin-ho, what're you doing? Or rather... coach? What does that mean?"

Seon-ah shook me out of my daze as I stared blankly.

"Huh? Nothing. Eaten yet? Let's talk on the way."

"I'm starving. I waited forever."

"Sorry. I'll explain over food. My treat today. What do you want, Seon-ah?"

"Hmph... fine."

She was over it already but pretended to pout. I knew exactly how to cheer her up.

"How about meat today?"

"Yes!!"

She latched onto my arm, beaming. She seemed thrilled. But as we ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠headed to the restaurant, my mind wandered. The suddenly evolved status window. What was this? Was I even human? It was confusing. But this was my secret—no one could know.