A Glove That Blocks Fists
The tour of Haneul High's various facilities with Epinel doubled as a crash course on the school's impressive layout. 'When I only read about it in the novel, the descriptions were so vague I never really got it... but this place is way better than I imagined.'
What kind of high school baseball team had a weight room that rivaled a professional club's, complete with cutting-edge scientific equipment and a dedicated analysis room? It was ridiculous.
"Haneul High isn't like other high schools," Epinel declared brightly. "We don't push kids to the brink under the excuse of 'grit' or 'mental toughness'!"
The entire baseball team lived in dorms, and every room was a single. Thanks to the GL Group chairman's sponsorship—which recognized that financial hardship could hinder talent—anyone who made the team received a full scholarship. Maintain good grades, and you could even qualify for additional funding.
"So, how did you end up applying to Haneul High?" Epinel asked as we wandered through the cafeteria and training areas.
"I want to go pro. In the Seoul region, Haneul High is the strongest."
"Not just in the Seoul region—in the entire country, Haneul High is the strongest, you know?"
'...Her school pride is off the charts.'
Epinel struck a dramatic pose—head tilted slightly forward, hands planted on her hips like a character from an old anime—and proclaimed Haneul High's supremacy with absolute confidence.
Name: Epinel (Coach)
Age: 17
Skills:
・ Intimidation (E)
・ Strategic Baseball (E)
Intimidation (E)
Increases opposing pitcher's mistake probability by 1%. Increases opposing fielders' reaction time by 2%.
Strategic Baseball (E)
Increases bunt success rate by 10%. Increases probability of in-play hits in scoring position.
'Top-tier already.' She wasn't even a pro coach yet, and she already possessed stats like these. 'Not that I'm one to talk.'
"The Seoul region... there are four divisions, right?"
"That's right. Seoul A, B, C, and D—four teams total. For tournaments like the Blue Dragon Flag or Phoenix Flag, four teams from each region advance. You knew that, right?"
Through the Weekend League, sixteen teams came from Seoul, twelve from Gyeonggi, eight each from Chungcheong, Gyeongbuk, Gyeongnam, and Jeolla, and four from Busan. In the end, sixty-four teams battled it out in the major national tournaments.
Busan only sent four teams, but because it was part of the Gyeongsang region, a separate Weekend League was held there to prevent one dominant school from blocking all the others. 'As expected from Choi Dong-il's city.'
The original protagonist, Lee Taehyun, would face countless formidable rivals ahead: Yang Hyunjun from Jeonnam, Koo Jawoon from Gyeongbuk, and from Seoul—Lee Byungkyun and Lee Sanghwi. And the school that crushed all those rivals only to meet Lee Taehyun in the finals every time was none other than Kim Sihu's Haneul High. So yeah, Epinel had every reason to be proud.
"By the way, you're the first person who hasn't asked about my hair color. Have you seen Russian-Korean mixed blood before?"
"Ah, I know someone like that."
I already knew from the original story. Epinel was born to a Russian mother and a Korean father. Her father was a huge baseball fan, so she cheered for the NHK Heroes just like he did. Later on, she would even land a coaching job with the Heroes.
After touring the school with her, I realized it was nearly lunchtime. A question had been nagging at me since we first met—why was she going out of her way to help me like this?
"Oh, that?" Her answer came surprisingly easily. "I saw you play back in middle school. Your hitting was pretty rough, but... the way you stood in center field and turned every home run or would-be hit into an out left a real impression. When I saw your name on the application, I pulled up that defensive footage again and... I guess I became a fan."
"...I wasn't even a starter back then."
"Come on, your hitting will improve in no time if I coach you personally. There were tons of kids like that at Haneul Middle School—especially with their bats. Just look at Park Byung-hwi. He was with the Devils before moving to the Heroes and becoming a power hitter..."
Watching Epinel speak so highly of me stirred something deep inside my chest. In a future that originally shouldn't have existed, after a one- or two-year gap that should have kept me from ever playing in the pros... someone had seen my play, praised it, criticized it, and told me I could do better. It felt like I finally had a fan.
"Thanks. Guess I really have to get into Haneul High if I want your coaching."
"Of course. Defensive talent is always in high demand here at Haneul..."
-THWACK!
"Ugh!"
"Seriously? Is that how a catcher receives a ball?"
The sound came from the baseball field. I quickly turned my head and saw a student in a catcher's mask struggling to handle pitches. The one throwing those fastballs with full force was... probably the kid's senior.
"S-Senior, I never even wanted to be a catcher in the first place..."
-THWACK!
The fastball slammed into the catcher's mask. Thanks to the gear, he avoided serious injury, but the pain was clearly intense.
"Ow...!"
"I'm taking the starting shortstop spot. You'll just have to figure out another position. Or are you saying I should switch positions? Me—Kim Taekyung of Haneul High?!"
One wrong throw and that ball could have smashed straight into the fallen student's face.
'...!'
When I saw Kim Taekyung's fist heading not for the kid's head but straight toward his knee—the one spot that could end a baseball career—I lost control of my body.
"Hey?! Wait! If you go over there..."
I sprinted forward. Epinel's voice calling my name echoed behind me, but I couldn't stop to listen right now.
'No. A career-ending injury before he even gets drafted is absolutely not allowed...?'
-CREAK!
I burst through the dugout door in a whirlwind of confusion—wondering if the kid was okay, if his legs were safe, what had happened to that lunatic—only to freeze at the scene before me.
"Oh, looking at the uniform, you're a freshman? Tests haven't even started yet and you're already here... doesn't look like a Haneul Middle uniform. Impressive dedication. Not the best timing to say it, but still."
A boy had perfectly blocked Kim Taekyung's descending fist with a catcher's mitt.
...
...
...
The boy who had caught Kim Taekyung's punch with a catcher's glove wore an expression of pure disgust as he spoke.
"Taekyung, no matter how threatened your starting position is... punching a freshman is a bit much, don't you think? It's honestly pathetic that someone like you is in the same grade as me."
"You... shut up! You're just coasting as a starter because there's no backup!"
'Coasting? That's a pretty bold lie.'
Blocking (R)
Slightly increases defense. When playing catcher, slightly decreases the chance of passed balls.
Home Plate Guardian (E)
The higher the trust with the pitcher, the greater the accuracy of pitch-calling and strikeout rate.
It wasn't that there was no backup so he could coast—it was that he was so overwhelmingly superior that no backup was even necessary. 'Just completely dominant.'
Whether in stats or skills, Yang Uijin won by a landslide.
'Who would've thought I'd run into him here.'
Yang Uijin. The greatest catcher in Haneul High history, and the undisputed number one catcher not just in Seoul but in the entire country. He was the kind of player who would become the foundation for Kim Sihu's aversion to the weak. To those with genuine talent and skill, he was an incredibly kind angel. To those without, he turned ice-cold and prickly.
'If they at least try hard, he'll still act all tsundere and help them...'
From the looks of it, the student who had been getting beaten up was one of the baseball team members Yang Uijin had been teaching. If someone could torment a kid purely out of inferiority...
"Freshman, can you throw?"
Suddenly he was asking me?
'If I make a good impression here, it'll probably help during the actual tryouts, right?'
"Yes, I can."
"Nice! Can you grab a glove and get on the mound right now?"
Satisfied with my answer, Yang Uijin took the catcher's mask from the fallen student and put it on.
"Best of three at-bats. If you get even one hit, I'll let you do whatever you want. I won't interfere anymore."
Kim Taekyung's eyes narrowed as he glared at Yang Uijin.
"And if I fail?"
"Then... you'll have to get the hell out of the baseball club. Haneul High has no use for a pathetic hitter who can't even get one hit off a freshman in three at-bats."
'...Don't drag me into your stupid retirement bet...'
Deal With the Jealous Senior
📍 Objective: Strike out Kim Taekyung three times in a row (0/3)
🎁 Reward: Epic Grade Skill Random Ticket
'Of course I'll do it.' I'll turn this senior's retirement bet into an opportunity for my own growth.