Premium Seats, Dialect Laughs, and a Pro Scout Call
Park Soo-yeon had scored premium seats—complete with tables, perfect for munching while watching the game. They'd originally gotten tickets for four, so Ella's had to be bought separately. Once Yoo Min-hoo arrived, the five of them headed straight to their assigned spots and settled in.
Lee Yoon-ji watched Yoo Min-hoo chatting effortlessly with Ella in English and remarked, “You speak it really well.”
“I lived in the States, so of course I do,” Lee Ho-seok shot back, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Park Soo-yeon nodded in agreement.
For reference, Park Soo-yeon and Lee Yoon-ji weren't great at conversational English, and Lee Ho-seok had built a perfect wall between himself and the language his whole life.
“Still, Ella knows some Korean too, right?” Lee Ho-seok added.
He'd chatted with Ella several times before, so they were on pretty friendly terms. Park Soo-yeon and Lee Yoon-ji, on the other hand, only knew she was Yoo Min-hoo's American stepsister—they'd never met her in person. Even though Lee Yoon-ji lived next door, their schedules with cram schools and such meant they rarely crossed paths.
Park Soo-yeon glanced at Ella and thought to herself, She's so pretty.
Right then, their eyes met perfectly. As Park Soo-yeon flinched, Ella spoke up.
“Why ya starin' at me like dat?”
“……”
Park Soo-yeon froze at the awkward Busan dialect tumbling out of Ella's mouth.
“Huh?”
She blurted it out without thinking. Ella tilted her head, puzzled. Yoo Min-hoo sighed at the sight.
With her clumsy Korean pronunciation mixed with that awkward dialect, no one could make heads or tails of it.
For reference, it was none other than Kim Mi-hyun who'd taught Ella Korean. She'd had this quirky idea that a pretty American girl speaking Gyeongsang-do dialect would be adorable, so that's how she taught her. Ella rarely had a chance to use it in practice, but Kim Mi-hyun had found her earnestly mimicking the awkward sounds utterly cute.
Yoo Min-hoo sighed at his mom's weird tastes and changed the subject. “We should grab something to eat.”
“Yeah. Chicken and drinks sound good. Their chicken here's pretty tasty.”
“Totally. It's amazing.”
“Ho-seok, you think everything tastes good.”
Park Soo-yeon and Lee Ho-seok bickered playfully. Yoo Min-hoo let out a hollow chuckle and stood up.
“I'll go buy it.”
“Ah, I'll come with you.”
Lee Yoon-ji hopped up and followed him. Ella watched them go and added her order.
“I'll have beer.”
“Beer? Got it.”
Lee Yoon-ji overheard and paused mid-step. It was in English, but she caught that much.
“Uh, Min-hoo oppa. She just asked for beer, right?”
Yoo Min-hoo nodded at her question. “Yeah. Why?”
“We're minors. We can't buy alcohol.”
It was a detail Yoo Min-hoo hadn't considered, his old memories of freely buying booze still lingering. He sighed, explained the situation to Ella, and she nodded, standing up.
“Then I'll come too.”
The three of them left, while Lee Ho-seok and Park Soo-yeon kept right on bickering.
“They're pretty close.”
“We've been in the same class a lot since elementary school. She comes over to my place all the time.”
Yoo Min-hoo nodded at Lee Yoon-ji's words as they headed to the concession stand. Ella looked around curiously, a fascinated expression on her face.
“Roy, why's everyone wearing plastic bags on their heads?”
Yoo Min-hoo glanced at the crowd. “From what I heard, it's a cheering tradition.”
“Really? That's wild.”
Ella nodded enthusiastically, letting out little “oohs” and “aahs.” Lee Yoon-ji watched them and said, “She's older than you, right, Min-hoo oppa?”
“Yeah. Oh, and just call her Ella casually.”
Lee Yoon-ji hesitated, then nodded. “Okay, then... Ella unnie? That's cool, right?”
“Sure.”
Yoo Min-hoo nodded without even checking with Ella first, like it was no big deal. She probably preferred being called by her name anyway.
“You two look more like the older sibling and the younger one.”
Yoo Min-hoo chuckled. Ella did have a somewhat youthful vibe, sure. But back then, anyone could tell Yoo Min-hoo was the little brother and Ella the big sister. The fact that he seemed more mature now to outsiders was thanks to his experiences living into his mid-twenties.
The three bought their snacks at the concession stand and returned to their seats. Today's matchup was BuSan Phoenix versus DaeJeon Hawks. With both teams battling for fourth place, the stadium was packed.
Pre-game events like the ceremonial first pitch were similar to MLB, but the atmosphere was worlds apart. Yoo Min-hoo and Ella, used to major league parks, found the unique Korean cheering culture and vibe intriguing.
The game kicked off, and BuSan Phoenix scored first, firing up the crowd. As the stadium erupted into a massive sing-along, Ella looked amazed—then Phoenix made a pitching change. It was Park Soo-yeon's uncle, Park Joo-won, taking the mound.
Park Soo-yeon cheered nervously for him, then glanced sideways. Yoo Min-hoo was silently watching the game. She was a bit surprised—not just him, but Lee Ho-seok too, both staring with unusual intensity, far from their usual selves.
It hit her anew that these two were on the baseball team, and she let out an impressed “wow” before turning back to the field.
That day, Park Joo-won pitched a scoreless inning, and the game ended 4-2 in BuSan Phoenix's favor.
As the crowd surged out, the five gathered near the main entrance of Sajik Stadium. Ella stretched lightly and murmured, “Ahh~ That was fun.”
For her, the atmosphere had been the real highlight, not the game itself. Coming from American baseball culture, so much felt novel. Yoo Min-hoo felt the same but focused more on the play itself. He watched MLB and KBO games at home too, but video was no match for live.
To him, this was all part of the studying he had to do.
“Roy, bathroom.”
Yoo Min-hoo looked awkward at Ella's words—he had no idea where it was.
“Uh... sorry, anyone need to go?”
Park Soo-yeon and Lee Yoon-ji both volunteered, and Ella tagged along with them.
With the girls gone, Yoo Min-hoo turned to the unusually quiet Lee Ho-seok.
“Something up?”
“Nah, just...”
Lee Ho-seok muttered softly, then turned to gaze at Sajik Stadium.
“Hits me that I'm gonna be a pro playing on a field like this soon.”
Yoo Min-hoo paused, then nodded. “Yeah, come to think of it.”
For Lee Ho-seok, the upcoming Golden Lion Tournament was his last as a high schooler. Next up was the pro draft.
After Golden Lion came the second-half high school league, then the Blue Dragon Flag king-of-the-hills tourney. First-round draft was June 29th. He could play weekend league games after, but Blue Dragon started July 4th—post-draft.
Lee Ho-seok was a top prospect locked for first round. His worry wasn't making pro, but the signing bonus offer.
By July 4th, he'd be pro, not amateur—wearing some team's uniform, not North Myeong High's.
“Kinda can't wrap my head around being a pro player.”
Lee Ho-seok stared at the darkening sky. Yoo Min-hoo replied, “You're lost in thoughts that don't suit you.”
Lee Ho-seok burst out laughing. Yoo Min-hoo continued, “It'll be way different from now.”
Lee Ho-seok looked at him. “What about you?”
Every baseball player dreams of pro—that's what gets them through the grind. But for every chosen one like Lee Ho-seok, others fall short. Lately, he'd felt it starkly. Friends from first year who'd laughed together were suffering now. Some snapped more sharply than usual.
It threw him off.
“What do you think?”
Lee Ho-seok stared silently at Yoo Min-hoo's counter-question. With his current stuff, pro seemed out of reach—at least without knowing about that left arm.
“Dunno. Pro looks tough for you. But somehow, I feel like you will.”
“……?”
Yoo Min-hoo gave him a puzzled look.
“Hard to say. But you don't strike me as the type to quit.”
Yoo Min-hoo laughed. Spot on. He'd despaired, crumbled—but never quit.
The next morning, after an early run and shower, Yoo Min-hoo got a call. He checked the screen and answered.
“Hello?”
-It's me, Roy.
“Yes, Dad. What's up this early?”
Jack Brown—Yoo Min-hoo's stepfather, one of the people he respected most.
-Busy?
“No. Just finished my run and shower.”
-Good. I saw video of your tournament the other day. Left quite an impression. Honestly, I was shocked you could pitch like that.
Yoo Min-hoo chuckled. It must've been a surprise for Jack Brown too, especially as an expert.
-Anyway, reason I'm calling is I got a message.
“A message?”
He looked puzzled.
-Yeah. They're coming to your place in Korea around lunchtime today, so I gave them the address.
“What do you mean?”
Jack Brown explained.
-Contact from Tampa Bay's front office. They want to offer you an amateur special contract.
Yoo Min-hoo couldn't help but look stunned.