Lukewarm Reunion?
“What? It's been a while since we met, and your reaction is so lukewarm?”
Roy Yoo looked at Lena, who was pouting with her lips slightly pursed, and said, “It's just so unexpected to run into you here.”
Regaining his composure, Roy shrugged lightly, and Lena flashed a grin.
“Is that so? Well, yeah. Running into each other like this on the vast land of America is pretty rare.”
Especially for a celebrity like Lena. She shrugged, then moments later pushed her sunglasses down a bit to reveal her eyes, shooting him a glare.
“By the way, you...”
“...?”
“Why haven't you called even once?”
She did give me her number, after all. He'd completely forgotten.
“You didn't call me either,” Roy said with another shrug, sharpening the glare in her eyes even more.
“Hey! When a beauty like me gives you her number, shouldn't you take the initiative and call? You expect me to reach out first? How embarrassing!”
Her voice rose a notch in excitement. It was a stark contrast to the always poised demeanor she'd shown during their brief past encounters.
Roy scratched his head as she stared him down. “Sorry.”
“Hmph. Whatever. You must've been busy too. But you know, I noticed it back in Hawaii—you're really indifferent to women. You're not... you know, gay or anything, right?”
Roy shook his head seriously at her question. Seeing that, Lena pursed her lips again and glanced at her watch.
“Hmm, I'm hungry.”
Murmuring softly, she turned to him. “Buy me lunch as an apology.”
Roy let out a chuckle at her playful tone but didn't refuse. He was heading out for lunch anyway.
“What sounds good?”
“Hmm? I don't picky. Any good spots around here?”
“How about pizza? There's a great place nearby.”
“Sounds good. Let's go there.”
The pizza place Roy mentioned was not far from Oakland's home stadium, the O.co Coliseum. Like many eateries around ballparks, the owner greeted Roy warmly as he came in for a meal.
They took a seat by the window, ordered, and Roy watched Lena gazing out with her chin propped on her hand. Even with makeup, she was undeniably beautiful.
She suddenly noticed his stare, turned to him, and smiled meaningfully.
“Why are you staring like that? Struck by my beauty all over again?”
“You're pretty, I'll give you that. But saying it yourself feels a bit much, doesn't it?”
“It's fine. It's the truth.”
Lena grinned boldly. Roy chuckled at the sight, then asked curiously, “What brings you to Oakland, anyway?”
“Work.”
She said it casually, and Roy looked puzzled.
“Concert or something?”
“You knew I'm a singer?”
She shrugged, surprised. “Not a concert.”
“Hmm. I see. But can a celebrity just wander around freely like this?”
“I'm not that famous. America is overflowing with singer-songwriters like me!”
Of course, she wasn't completely unknown. She sang well and had her own fans. But she lacked mainstream recognition that everyone would instantly know.
America had too many channels and celebrities for a few TV appearances to make someone a household name.
“And you're a major leaguer now—famous yourself.”
In terms of recognition, Roy had the edge. He was known to tens of millions of baseball fans.
As they chatted idly, their food arrived. Lena nodded approvingly at the tasty pizza, focusing on her meal. After two slices, she spoke up again.
“The more I think about it, the more annoyed I get.”
“I bought the pizza.”
“You think that'll settle it?”
She narrowed her eyes. Lena was remarkably straightforward. And though their meetings had been brief, she'd taken a real liking to Roy. That's why she'd given him her number, expecting at least one call.
But none came.
“What else can I do for you here?”
“Hmm.”
Crossing her arms, she tilted her head, then smirked. “Teach me how to throw a pitch.”
“Throw a pitch?”
Roy blinked at the out-of-left-field request. Lena nodded firmly.
“Yeah. Turns out, I'm the ceremonial pitcher today.”
After lunch, Roy and Lena headed straight back to the O.co Coliseum. According to her, her manager and stylist were at the Oakland front office.
When asked why she'd slipped out alone, she shrugged. “To look for you.”
By the time they arrived at the bullpen, chatting along the way, it was lunchtime after morning practice—empty as expected.
“So this is the bullpen.”
Lena let out a short gasp of admiration, scanning the inside before turning to Roy. “Roy, throw one for me.”
Her eyes sparkled as Roy asked, “Aren't you here to practice throwing?”
“Come on, what's the harm? We've got plenty of time. I've never seen a pro pitcher throw up close.”
With curiosity brimming in her eyes, Roy sighed lightly, grabbed a ball from the bucket, and slipped on the glove he'd brought.
Lena, sitting off to the side, watched expectantly. “Give it your all!”
Chuckling and shaking his head at the demand, Roy loosened up his left arm and stepped onto the bullpen mound.
Lena watched silently. He eyed the catcher's spot, then slowly went into his windup, whipping his arm with full force.
Whoosh...
Bang!
The ball slammed into the bullpen netting. Startled by the explosive sound from a few feet away, Lena flinched.
“Whoa, way more intense than I thought?”
A man of nearly 190cm with a sturdy build throwing with his whole body was bound to look powerful to anyone.
Roy flicked his hand casually at her admiration. “Your turn.”
“Okay!”
Lena, gloved up with her small glove, stepped onto the mound with a serious expression, mimicking his windup. Her flexible body handled the motion effortlessly, and she hurled the ball with all her might.
Thwack!
It hit the net at a decent speed. Roy nodded. “Good arm.”
“Thanks.”
She smiled sweetly as he handed her another ball. Recalling his form, she threw again with focus.
During their brief practice, someone entered the bullpen.
“Huh? Roy and... who?”
Call Cloud, there to toss a few after lunch, stared blankly at his teammate with a beauty in the bullpen.
Lena whispered to Roy, “Can I bring others here?”
“No issue.”
Roy shrugged as a puzzled Call Cloud asked, “Who is she?”
“Someone I know.”
“Hmph.”
Lena snorted softly. Call Cloud, watching silently, said, “Didn't you say you're not thinking about dating right now?”
Roy couldn't help but chuckle at the obvious misunderstanding. Anyone would think he was showing his girlfriend around the stadium.
Lena sidled up to Roy, grinning mischievously. “I'm Roy's girlfriend.”
“...”
Roy glanced at the woman whose head reached his shoulder. Meeting his eyes, she stuck out her tongue playfully.
She clearly enjoyed putting him in awkward spots. Roy sighed, already dreading the teasing from teammates in the clubhouse.
As expected, by the time they prepped for the game, rumors of Lena had spread through the clubhouse. His recent claim of no dating thoughts only fueled the ribbing.
“Man, I thought dedicated guys like you were different.”
Team captain Heison Lawson grinned slyly. Roy sighed. “You won't believe me no matter what I say, right?”
“How'd you know?”
Heison chuckled, slapping Roy's shoulder.
“Hey, Call! Roy's girlfriend pretty?”
“Super pretty.”
“Dude, you sure you didn't mistake her for Roy's sister again?”
“Nah, different girl.”
“Damn, wanna see her face!”
Roy smirked as the whole team piled on. On the flip side, it showed great team chemistry—though he could do without being the butt of the jokes.
“Heard today's ceremonial pitcher's a singer?”
“Saw her in the hall earlier—hot. Lena, right?”
Not just celebrities threw out first pitches in MLB. Community figures, donors, and locals did too—including up-and-comers like Lena seeking exposure.
As players donned uniforms and finished prep, GM Michael entered with today's pitcher.
“Guys, your ceremonial pitcher's here to cheer you on.”
Whistles and cheers welcomed Lena, who waved back smiling. Amid the lively vibe, slack-jawed Call Cloud sidled up to Roy.
“You bagged a celebrity?”
How to even explain? Roy just sighed deeply, pondering his response.