The First Showdown
The family group chat popped up with a photo attached.
Mom: [Oh my, is that our son's uniform?]
Dad: [Whoa, our boy actually pulled it off. The guys at the club are gonna love this.]
Me: [Yeah, and since I got in as a special recruit, I probably won't have to pay tuition.]
Mom: [That's my boy!]
Dad: [Does that mean you won't be coming home?]
Me: [No, they said special recruits whose homes are close to school can choose freely.]
Dad: [Got it. I'll come pick you up later then.]
Special recruit, huh. Never even imagined that.
Athletic special recruit — the kind of exception Kim Sihu was supposed to receive in the original story. Haneul High, the most prestigious school in the country that sends the most students to Haneul University, with every sports team ranked at the very top. Basketball, soccer, track, swimming, figure skating, fencing, archery — you name it, they had it. It was genuinely overwhelming. The saying that you couldn't buy Haneul High even if you sold every other school in the nation didn't feel like a joke anymore.
And it's even located on the Gangnam side.
It took an hour by bus from home, but… still, it was good. Of course, I had no plans to live in the dorms.
Dorm life in my past life was literally the worst.
Bugs crawling everywhere, noise from the floor above — just thinking about it gave me a headache.
…Commuting was definitely the best option. As a first-year, living with second- and third-year seniors felt a little awkward anyway. The school had a strict all-dorm policy on paper, but they didn't seem to force it, so I decided I'd only stay overnight when absolutely necessary.
I'd heard that students in the athletic departments usually lived in dorms to build teamwork and camaraderie, but three years of high school spent entirely at school felt excessive. You could build bonds without dorm life, and more importantly…
I still need to drop by the club with Dad sometimes.
I wondered how surprised the uncles at the club would be when they found out I'd gotten into Haneul High. I could already picture them clapping me on the shoulder and the neighborhood hyungs congratulating me.
"Once you've received your uniforms, come this way. Your seniors — the starters you'll be competing with for positions — are waiting."
After receiving the uniform with my number on it, the second- and third-years who had been watching us new students with welcoming faces came into view. There was some fear, jealousy, and wariness in their eyes at the thought of losing their spots, but most of them looked genuinely friendly. Maybe because they were the ones who had survived as Haneul High first-years themselves, they didn't seem too worried about being replaced.
"Oh, Oh Jihun! I'm Yoo Ita, the second baseman. If it's you and me, we'll definitely be the strongest keystone combo in high school…"
"Alright, all outfielders, come to me. I'll teach you the basics of defense first."
……
-Tap
"What."
"C'mon, we're pretty close now, aren't we? The coach said you're locked in as a pitcher, so you'll need to sync up well with me as catcher, right? My dorm room next door just opened up…"
"I'm commuting."
While dodging Yang Uijin and quickening my pace, I spotted Kim Sihu and his faction. Kim Sihu looked like he was about to explode, ignoring his faction's attempts to calm him down as he stormed out of the baseball field.
I'd heard that special recruits from each grade also served as captains. Maybe it was because Kim Sihu had never had a spot taken from him since his Haneul Middle days. Honestly, I would've preferred being a regular member over a special recruit.
Even without the special recruit status, as long as I secured a starting spot, the scholarship would still be pretty decent…
Being able to attend GL Devils games and practices was a nice perk, so overall it worked out in my favor. Still, I didn't want to spend the next three years clashing with Kim Sihu when we'd have to be on the same team.
That guy will definitely call in his faction and cause all kinds of trouble.
With his connections, I wouldn't be surprised if black-suited men showed up later with briefcases full of cash, offering me money to leave the school.
"Congratulations on making special recruit, Seojun."
Before I could finish that thought, Epinel approached with a bright smile and handed something to me.
"……What's this?"
"Ah, right. You're not from Haneul Middle… That's the 'wing' that symbolizes the first-year captain. They attach it to the special recruits' uniforms every year… Can you wait a moment?"
Following Epinel, who told me to bring my uniform, we headed to the baseball clubroom. As always, the space was spacious and state-of-the-art. When she opened the door marked [Manager's Room], files containing player data and records were scattered in chaotic disarray.
"Ah, I forgot to clean up… Could you wait outside?"
As expected of the data baseball genius.
While I was reviewing old professional baseball games on YouTube outside, Epinel soon came out.
"Now, if I attach the wing here…"
-Click!
"Ta-da!"
Without any visible mechanism, a black 'wing' was now attached to the uniform, as if magnets were involved.
"If you flip it, it becomes the away version, so keep that in mind! Oh, and there's a magnet inside, so don't put it in the washing machine, okay?"
When I removed the magnet-attached wing and flipped it over, a white wing appeared, contrasting with the black away uniform.
"You know the entrance ceremony is on March 2nd, right? Until then, get plenty of rest… See you then!"
"Yeah, see you then. Take care."
Epinel gave me a quick hug as a farewell before dashing off toward the dorms.
Russians really are expressive with their emotions.
When Epinel hugged me, all sorts of complicated thoughts crossed my mind, but now that she was gone, I couldn't exactly ask the other players if she did that to everyone.
…Guess I'll have to wait until school starts.
With that thought, I left the baseball clubroom alone. The sky had already turned golden with the setting sun.
[5:46]
"……It's going to get dark soon."
Since it was still winter and the semester hadn't started yet, I decided to throw some pitches at the field until Dad finished work and came to pick me up.
…
…
…
-Whoosh!
……
Looked like I wasn't the only one who had the same idea.
Why is Kim Sihu here?
He'd clearly left for home earlier.
"Status window."
What? Why did his mental drop?
He must've taken some kind of mental hit.
<Fighting Spirit (E)> appeared too… Aside from mental, most of his stats have gone up since the blue-white game.
As expected of the protagonist's rival. The more the protagonist grew, the more this rival pushed himself to raise his own stats.
But Kim Sihu still hasn't even met Lee Taehyun yet.
In the original novel, the first match between Kim Sihu's Haneul High and Lee Taehyun's Daeji High happened on the day of the first Cheonji (Heaven and Earth) Game.
Lee Taehyun, who entered Daeji High — a school whose baseball team had been disbanded due to violence and poor performance — revived the team with his childhood friend Kang Ayul by convincing some of the remaining players with his skills. During that process, one student declared, "I won't join the baseball team unless we beat Haneul High," which led to Lee Taehyun somehow arranging a practice match with Kim Sihu. Kim Sihu, underestimating him, brought only non-starters from Haneul High using his connections.
In that game, Daeji High was crushed so badly that even calling it a mercy rule game would have been generous. Watching this, the student who had made the bold claim was persuaded by Kang Ayul to join as a pinch hitter. He barely managed to get hit by a pitch from Kim Sihu and reached base for the first time.
Seeing the massive score gap over 50 points, an arrogant Kim Sihu provoked them: "If you score even one run, I'll count it as your victory."
The moment those words left his mouth, Lee Taehyun smashed a two-run double off the wall and secured the win.
After that, Kim Sihu returned to Haneul High feeling defeated, got thoroughly scolded by the coach for leaving without permission, and his rivalry with Lee Taehyun began to burn in earnest — the first episode of the Cheonji Games.
While I was lost in thought, I must have been sitting in too visible a spot in the stands. The person throwing pitches seemed to have noticed.
"…..If you have something to say, say it. Don't just stand there staring like a rat."
"Ah, so you knew I was here?"
Maybe I'd been too obvious while watching. Kim Sihu pointed at me from the mound.
"..Perfect timing. Get to the plate. Rematch."
Teach the Arrogant Kim Sihu a Lesson
📍 Location: Baseball Field
🎁 Reward: All Stats +1
📊 Progress: 0/4 bases
"……No regrets?"
I immediately took off my jacket, pulled a bat from my bag, and the showdown between me and Kim Sihu began.