Chapter 301
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 301
Chapter Title: White Snake's Eye
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The car driving down the road pulled into the parking lot of a baseball stadium. The lot was about half full.
Seojun got out of the car, looked around the stadium, and asked Jack Smith.
“Who are you guys playing against?”
“A baseball club from the next town over. It’s a practice game.”
“The school season ended in May.”
Seojun nodded at Eric Smith's words.
“I know. Jack whined so much about losing in the finals.”
“Hey!”
As Jack yelled while pulling his bag from the trunk, Seojun and Eric Smith burst out laughing.
After a good laugh, Eric Smith checked the time. Normally, he would have come with the other players on the club bus, but Jack had come separately to pick up Seojun. Seeing the club bus already parked, it seemed Jack’s team had arrived.
“Jack. You should probably head in and start warming up.”
“Really? Jack, you should get going.”
At Evan Smith’s words, Seojun shooed him away with his hands.
“Jun.”
“Huh?”
Jack scratched the back of his neck as he looked at the tilting Seojun, then spoke.
“Could you check my form?”
* * *
Seojun, wearing a cap, sat in the stands. The baseball stadiums in America certainly seemed to have great facilities. And for a friendly high school game, there were quite a few spectators.
‘Maybe it’s because this is the country with Major League Baseball.’
Eric Smith, sitting next to Seojun, took a cold water bottle from his bag and handed it to him. With no roof over the stands, it was bound to get hot just sitting there.
‘Still, it’s probably not as hot as in Korea.’
Seojun took a sip of the cold water.
“Jack gets so childish whenever you’re around, Jun. You have no idea how much he pretends to be a grown-up usually.”
“Really? It feels like just yesterday he was clinging to my side…”
“Oh, you remember that too, Jun. Jack was a big scaredy-cat back then. Though it was strange how much he liked that monster doll.”
Seojun burst out laughing at Eric Smith’s comment. The other kids hated that strangely realistic doll of Kim Heesang, but Jack Smith had loved it so much he’d throw a tantrum for it.
“And now that same Jack is the cleanup hitter…”
“We were shocked at first, too. We never knew he’d be that good.”
Pride filled Eric Smith’s face as he spoke. Seojun also smiled warmly, happy for his friend’s growth. As they waited for the game to start, something caught Eric Smith’s eye.
“The scouts are here too.”
“Scouts?”
“Yeah. See those guys over there, trying to look cool in their sunglasses?”
Eric Smith pointed to a section of the stands. Just as he said, there were people in sunglasses sitting there. A few were even holding cameras.
Seojun’s eyes widened.
“Whoa. That’s cool. I’ve never seen a scout before.”
“Quite a few of them showed up. Guess there are a lot of players worth watching today.”
“Including Jack?”
Seojun said with a smile, and Eric Smith couldn't help but laugh as well.
“Yeah. Including Jack.”
- Play ball!
The umpire’s voice echoed across the field.
At the sound, Seojun’s gaze, which had been momentarily on the scouts, shifted to the field. The scouts were interesting, but Jack’s game was more important.
- Strike!
The game began with Jack’s baseball club on defense.
* * *
“Hmm?”
“What is it?”
One of the scouts tilted his head. His colleague, who was filming the game beside him, asked.
“That man. Isn’t that Jack Smith’s father?”
“You’re right.”
Jack Smith, whose skills surpassed his peers, was a highly anticipated prospect among scouts. Because of that, they followed his games and had even looked into his family.
‘Though he seems to be in a slump since the finals in May.’
If he could overcome his slump, he would become a great player. If not, this was the end of the road for him.
The scout’s cold eyes shifted to the person next to Eric Smith.
“Who’s the boy sitting next to him?”
“It’s hard to see with the cap… but he looks Asian?”
“Jack Smith’s mother is Korean, right?”
“Yeah. A relative, maybe?”
Crack!
At the crisp sound, the scouts’ attention snapped back to the field. The player on second base and Jack Smith, who had just swung the bat, were joyfully rounding the bases toward home.
“Jaaack!!!”
“Smith!!”
It was a two-run homer by Jack Smith.
“Jack! You’re awesome!!”
“That’s my boy!!”
With a home run in the bottom of the first, Seojun and Eric Smith leaped to their feet, shouting Jack’s name.
As if hearing their voices, Jack, who was heading into the dugout, stopped and turned around. Seeing his father and his childhood friend waving their arms in the stands, Jack Smith broke into a bright smile and waved back.
* * *
Thwack!
The scouts marveled at the cleanly hit baseball.
“Jack Smith is in top condition today.”
It was a solo home run by Jack Smith.
And with that, the game ended.
“3-0. A two-run homer, then a solo… Smith scored all the runs by himself.”
“Looks like he’s completely out of his slump.”
“Yeah. His mental game seems solid too.”
The scouts’ gazes turned to Jack Smith, who was enthusiastically waving his arms at the stands.
* * *
Clink!
Six glasses met in mid-air.
“Congratulations on breaking out of your slump!”
“Congrats!”
A party was held to celebrate Jack successfully breaking out of his slump.
Delicious food filled the dining table as Seojun’s family and the Smith family took their seats. Having gathered often since they were babies, it was a familiar dinner party for everyone.
“That crack in the bottom of the first! The crowd went wild!”
Seo Eunhye, Lee Minjun, and Maria, who had arrived after the game, listened to the story with captivated faces. Feeling good and having played a game, a very hungry Jack grinned as he devoured the food.
“Then he finished it off with a solo homer!”
The laughter grew louder as Eric Smith mimicked a swing. Seojun added with a smile.
“Even the scouts were only watching Jack.”
“Well, our Jack was the MVP today!”
Joyful laughter filled the house.
After the delightful dinner, Maria, who was eating the dessert the couple had brought, spoke up.
“Jun, how about you sleep over tonight? Jack has the day off tomorrow, so you guys could go have some fun.”
Jack’s face lit up with anticipation.
Seojun’s gaze shifted to Seo Eunhye and Lee Minjun. When the couple smiled, Seojun nodded.
“Let’s go upstairs, Jun!”
“Okay!”
As Seojun and Jack headed upstairs with excited faces, Seo Eunhye called out.
“You two, don’t stay up too late!”
“Okay!”
“We won’t!”
Lee Minjun chuckled.
“Should we believe that, or not?”
* * *
Sitting on a chair, Seojun’s eyes momentarily flashed white.
[(Virtuous) White Snake's Eye of the Village Physician - Intermediate-Low Grade activates.]
He could see the muscle movements of Jack Smith, who was in a swinging stance with a bat in the middle of the room.
He could see where the strain was among the muscles that moved as the center of gravity shifted from right to left, and whether the shoulders, elbows, and wrists, holding and swinging the bat, moved smoothly without any strain.
[(Virtuous) White Snake's Eye of the Village Physician - Intermediate-Low Grade]
Allows you to see into a living creature's body (muscles).
You can spot imbalances.
A village physician once saved a dying baby snake. It was his first time treating a snake, and though its black scales had turned pure white, it proved to be a stroke of luck.
‘Thanks to that, I gained this sense.’
Through the white snake’s eyes, one could see a person's bones, muscles, and blood vessels clearly.
The once-ordinary village physician became famous thanks to the white snake, which allowed him to see into the human body and identify potential injuries.
‘Though I can’t see to that extent just yet.’
Since only the eyes, a fraction of the white snake's many senses, had been passed down, he couldn't see with the same detail as the snake, but the ability was still useful.
After blinking a few times, Seojun looked at Jack in his swinging stance and said.
“Looks fine to me.”
“Don’t just say ‘looks fine,’ take a proper look. Is the balance right? I feel like I’m slumping a bit compared to the game earlier.”
“The balance is right. You’re good.”
Seojun nodded in response to Jack Smith’s question.
At Seojun's words, Jack let out a sigh and repeated the motion several times to commit the posture to memory.
Seojun watched Jack Smith swing the baseball bat.
Seojun didn't know the details of baseball, but he knew a lot about the human body, its movements, and balance. It was thanks to his martial arts-related abilities, such as [(Virtuous) Pet Dog of the Hwangbo Family's Youngest Son - Low Grade], [(Virtuous) White Snake's Eye of the Village Physician - Intermediate-Low Grade], and [(Virtuous) Whiskers of the Sichuan Tang Clan's Pharmacy Calico Cat - Intermediate-Low Grade].
Seojun had started getting involved in Jack’s training back when they used to play baseball together whenever he came to the US.
‘It was more like just throwing and hitting back then.’
What could little kids do properly?
Jack’s batting stance had been so awkward that it was painful for Seojun to watch, so he had started giving him pointers one by one, and it had continued to this day.
‘There were video calls, too.’
While in Korea, Seojun would check and correct Jack Smith’s form in the US through video calls or videos. It was also remarkable that Jack Smith trusted the advice of someone younger than him.
‘I fixed his slightly tilted center of gravity in the parking lot today, too.’
Seojun, who would occasionally point out parts where Jack was using excessive force, asked him.
“I get it when we were kids, but why do you still listen to what I say these days?”
“Well, you know. The coaches and trainers at school don’t really meddle with the players’ forms that much.”
Seojun nodded.
Unlike Korean high school players who were taught form by the book, American high school players’ forms were left to their own discretion. That’s why each player had a variety of batting stances.
“Then couldn’t you just ask someone at the club? They’d be able to teach you more professionally than I can.”
“Hmm. The way I see it, you’re just good at sports. Soccer, basketball, baseball, you name it. It's a real waste you're not a baseball player, but you like acting more, so what can you do.”
Putting down the bat, Jack sat on the edge of the bed.
No matter what game they played, the one who picked it up the fastest and played the best was always Seojun Lee.
“So I thought about why you’re so good, and it felt less like you were good at sports and more like you were good at using your body. It seemed like you knew exactly which muscles to use and how to use them more efficiently and naturally without injury.”
Seojun nodded at Jack’s words.
“It’s not like I haven’t studied videos of pro players… but it’s definitely more comfortable and effective to do it the way you say. The coach said so too.”
Jack chuckled and said.
“He was shocked, like, ‘Jack! Smith! What in the world have you been watching!?’ He said my old form was better.”
Seojun burst out laughing at Jack’s impression of his coach.
“So I’m going to keep listening to you. Let’s go to the batting cage tomorrow. I need to try hitting for real.”
“Sure. It’s been a while since I’ve been to a batting cage, so it should be fun.”
“You haven’t been to one in Korea?”
Jack tilted his head at Seojun’s words.
“Projects about baseball are rare, so I’ve been busy learning other things. I’ve been filming, too. That’s more fun.”
At that, Jack let out a small laugh.
This guy, he still couldn’t understand what fun he had in life besides acting.
If Seojun had known, he would have said the exact same thing to Jack. That he was the one who didn’t seem to know what fun was besides baseball.
“By the way, the guys I practice with asked me to introduce them to my trainer. When I told them it’s not a trainer, but a friend who’s better than me helping me out, they didn’t believe me.”
“Who would believe that?”
At Seojun’s words, Jack Smith grinned and continued.
“Well then, I’ll be in your care tomorrow too, trainer.”
“Sure.”
“So, wanna play a game? This one looks fun. It’s about aliens, and the alien’s movements are controlled by an AI that learns and hunts you down even when you hide. My mom and dad were too scared to play with me just from the description, so I’ve been waiting for you.”
“That sounds fun.”
Seojun and Jack, who had loved Kim Heesang’s monster doll since they were babies, looked at each other and grinned.
* * *
The next day.
Seojun and Jack had stayed up late playing games and ended up sleeping in, having a late breakfast.
Under the ‘I-told-you-so’ gazes of Maria and Eric, Seojun and Jack just rolled their eyes at each other, finding even that amusing, and burst out laughing. Seeing the two chuckling kids, Maria and Eric couldn't help but laugh as well.
After a slightly late breakfast, Seojun went outside.
‘Do we have to take the bus to the batting cage? Or will Eric give us a ride?’
As Seojun was wondering how they would get there, he spotted Jack Smith, who had come out first. Jack stood next to a black car Seojun had never seen before, a huge grin plastered across his face.
“Alright! Hop in!”
“...What?”
Seojun just blinked at the sight of Jack, who was patting the scratched-up car with a beaming smile.
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