Off-Season (1)
"Um, Team Leader… if there's something you need to say, couldn't you just say it now? Even so, going to your place at this hour is a bit…"
"…Is that uncomfortable for you?"
Of course it's uncomfortable!! And more than that — shouldn't you be the one more uncomfortable about this?
She said it so casually that for a second I wondered if I was still half-drunk, but even up close there wasn't a trace of intoxication on her.
"W-well… I mean, I'm a guy, and going alone to a woman's place this late at night is kind of…"
"Oh, if that's the issue, don't worry. I don't live alone. Someone lives with me."
Ah, so she lives with her parents? She could've just said that earlier.
Being suddenly invited to a house she shared with her parents was still a little odd, but if she had a good reason, it wasn't completely beyond understanding.
Except—
"Oh, so you live with your parents?"
"No? That's not it. My parents are in Seoul."
Her tone was so matter-of-fact that "Oh, then shall we go?" nearly slipped out of my mouth before I caught myself and forced my thoughts into order.
Not her parents… but someone lives with her? Then… a boyfriend…? They're living together…? Wait, then I definitely shouldn't go.
"Uh… then, it's pretty late — shouldn't that person's opinion matter too…?"
Even as I said it, I was screaming inside: Please, there's no way a boyfriend would be happy about you bringing a guy home in the middle of the night…
Cheon Sojin blinked at that for a moment. Then she tilted her head.
"…Ah, that person's opinion?"
The same unbothered tone, as if to say, Why would you worry about that? What she said next left me speechless.
"It's fine. If I bring someone over, they'll actually be happy about it."
…Happy? Why? Her boyfriend…? Happy that I'm coming over? What does that even…?
I understood the words. I just couldn't make sense of them. Nothing in my frame of reference could process that sentence.
I'd been dancing around it this whole time, and she still didn't seem to catch on. In the end, I had no choice but to refuse outright.
"No, no. It's just that I'm uncomfortable with it. Next time… if you invite me properly, I'll come. Just not tonight."
"Hmm… alright, then."
Only then did Cheon Sojin stop pressing and take a step back.
"That's a shame. I wanted to talk with you a little more, Doyoon."
Having narrowly escaped the crisis (?) of being dragged to Cheon Sojin's place, I returned to my seat to find the dinner winding down.
Kim Gyeongmo and Kwak Daehwi, who'd already looked on the verge of collapse before I went to the bathroom, were fully knocked out, and the rest of the group wasn't far behind.
Cheon Sojin surveyed the scene and spoke quietly.
"…Could you help me out a little?"
"…Sure."
We woke the dozing Kim Gyeongmo and packed him into a taxi, had two staff members who still had their wits about them prop up Kwak Daehwi and get him out, and gently roused the remaining people one by one to send them home.
Working through the cleanup together, the awkwardness that had built up between us gradually melted away, and treating each other with the old ease started to feel natural again.
Once the last person was in a taxi, only Cheon Sojin and I remained in front of the restaurant. Outside, the air had cooled to a crisp chill against the warmth of the dining room, and the street was nearly empty — quiet. In the distance, a neon sign flickered, driving home just how late it had gotten.
Cheon Sojin dusted her hands lightly and said,
"Shall we head out too?"
I waved my hands on reflex.
"Ah — no. I told you, I'm not going."
Cheon Sojin paused, then let out a short laugh.
"No, no — not to my place. I'm going home, and you're going to the dorm. What, were you secretly looking forward to it?"
"Ah… I…"
She tilted her head with a sly little smile. Seeing her pull that kind of teasing stunt again — the kind that put people on the spot — made it sink in that things between us really were back to normal.
I fiddled with the back of my neck and looked away.
When I mumbled something like "I really didn't mean it that way…," half as an excuse, Cheon Sojin laughed softly and said,
"I know. I was just teasing you."
After that we both fell quiet and waited for a taxi. In the still air, the awkwardness from earlier had almost completely vanished.
I was the one who spoke first.
"I'm… really sorry again. For suddenly drawing a line like that, so rudely… I had no idea it would weigh on you that much."
Cheon Sojin let out a light breath and slowly shook her head.
"No. I wasn't careful enough either."
A smile touched her face, tinged with a hint of embarrassment.
"I'm sorry too."
After that, a quiet stretch of air settled between us. It wasn't strange, and it wasn't heavy — just a comfortable silence. The misunderstanding that had locked us both up tight only moments ago felt, impossibly, light as air.
A taxi pulled up for Cheon Sojin first. She gave the driver her destination, then held the door and looked back at me.
"Alright, I'm heading in for the night. Get home safe."
"You too, Team Leader."
She gave a small wave and climbed in. I watched the car pull away, then let out a long breath.
A moment later, a taxi arrived for me too. Before opening the door, I glanced once at the darkened restaurant sign.
The misunderstanding with Cheon Sojin was cleared. The awkwardness was gone. That was how the team dinner ended.
"…Whew. I'm wiped."
I muttered it as I got in, and as the car started moving, the day slowly sorted itself out behind me.
I watched the lights sliding past the window and headed for the dorm.
After a night at the dorm, I packed light the next morning and headed out. Most of the players had already left; we exchanged brief goodbyes and scattered our separate ways.
Outside, I called a taxi.
"Wonju Intercity Bus Terminal, please."
Staring out the window, I reached the terminal before I knew it, bought a ticket, and boarded the bus right away. As soon as it pulled out, the scenery of Wonju fell away behind us.
A few hours later, I stepped off the subway into the familiar air of my neighborhood. I dragged my suitcase up to the villa I knew by heart and opened the door.
"Hah… home."
My parents would still be at the shop, so the place was empty. I went straight past the entryway into my room and collapsed onto the bed. The tension that had piled up all season drained out of me in a slow, easy wave.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. The team group chat was flooded with end-of-season well-wishes and coaches telling everyone to rest up.
I left a short "Thanks for your hard work" and flipped the phone face-down.
I closed my eyes, about to catch a little sleep, when—
The off-season has begun. The Growth Center is now open.
"What… Growth Center?"
The Status Window, which had gone completely silent after I'd cleared the awakening quest for Blockhead Thrower, had suddenly sent me an alert. Growth Center… OOTS had a system like that in the off-season. Given how similar this Status Window's structure was to that game, it made sense that it would have one too.
I tapped Growth Center right away.
Welcome to the Growth Center! The tutorial will now begin. Please select the training you wish to pursue.
"Oh, there's a tutorial this time?"
Scrolling down, I found a cleanly organized list of training options.
⊳ Second Pitch Improvement
⊳ Pitch Movement Increase
⊳ Control Enhancement
⊳ Velocity Increase
⊳ Add New Pitch
⊳ Stamina Training
"There's a ton of these. Where do I even start?"
While I was thinking it over, a small notification blinked in the upper-right corner of the screen.
You may complete a maximum of 3 training programs during the off-season.
"Three, huh… so each one really matters."
I scanned the list again, leaning back against the bed. Then I slowly raised a finger and stopped on one entry.
"Okay. Velocity Increase. Let's go with that."
My current max velocity was 157 km/h. Already plenty fast… but every pitcher has a number they dream about.
160 km/h.
That romance. That fantasy.
I wanted to hit it at least once.
The moment I tapped the option, the screen shifted.
You have selected Velocity Increase.
Please choose a training difficulty.
A new message followed immediately.
Quest difficulty is determined by the training difficulty you select. Completing a quest awards a Reward Box.
Below that, the difficulty options appeared.
⊳ Easy(Fail: 50% / Success: 50% / Great Success: 0%)
⊳ Normal(Fail: 20% / Success: 80% / Great Success: 0%)
⊳ Hard(Fail: 0% / Success: 80% / Great Success: 20%)
Fail:−2 km/h
Success:+2 km/h
Great Success:+4 km/h
"…What? So it's not a structure where clearing the quest just raises your stats?"
No matter how many times I reread it, that was the system. Completing a quest gave you a Reward Box, and cracking it open rolled Fail, Success, or Great Success.
"And if you hit Fail, your velocity actually drops?"
Work your ass off on a quest and still risk losing stats. That was a little ridiculous.
"Haa… what am I supposed to do here."
I let out a long sigh and sank into thought.
The only Reward Box with a 0% fail rate was Hard difficulty. And I'd started this training to hit 160 km/h in the first place — if Great Success didn't land, I'd only get +2 and top out at 159. At that point, why bother with velocity training at all.
Which meant Hard was the only real option. After mulling it over, I tapped Hard, then immediately clasped my hands together and prayed.
"Please let it be a quest that isn't actually hard…"