Chapter 302
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 302
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Discovery
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"Come on! Get in!"
"...What?"
Seojun could only blink at the sight of Jack, who was patting a car covered in scratches and grinning from ear to ear.
A car he'd never seen before.
Jack Smith, grinning widely.
Eric and Maria, nowhere to be seen.
*'Judging by the atmosphere...'*
Seojun's eyes narrowed.
"...Jack, you drive?"
"Hahaha!"
Jack Smith let out a hearty laugh and pulled out his driver's license.
"Got it as soon as my birthday passed!"
Seojun took the license from Jack and examined it from every angle.
He held it up to the light, then tilted it to the side. After thoroughly inspecting the license, Seojun looked back and forth between Jack and the card.
*'…It’s not a fake, is it?'*
At Seojun's suspicious gaze, Jack Smith shouted.
"It's not a fake!"
"How did you know?"
"Your eyes! I can read them perfectly, probably because you're an actor!"
Come to think of it, you could drive from the age of sixteen in California. Seojun looked at Jack's license again.
*'Jack turned sixteen last year, so he could have gotten it, but...'*
Still, Seojun found it hard to believe that Jack Smith was driving.
*'It feels like Subin, who just started first grade, or Eunsu, who's still in kindergarten, suddenly grew up and told me they were driving.'*
"My little Jack, who used to hide behind me...!"
"My little Jack... I'm a year older than you, you know! Ugh, just get in already."
At Jack's insistence, Seojun reluctantly got into the passenger seat. The large-framed Jack Smith sat down in the driver's seat.
Seojun fastened his seatbelt and gripped it tightly with both hands. Isn't this... dangerous? His gaze shifted to Jack Smith, who was inserting the key into the ignition.
*'Maybe it'd be better to just knock him out here.'*
He could see the back of Jack Smith's round head. With the ability of `The (Good) Pet Dog of the Hwangbo Family's Youngest Son`, one strike would be enough.
*'It's an ability I brought out for Jack's training... but I have other abilities, so I could probably put him to sleep cleanly without any side effects.'*
Oblivious to Seojun's increasingly grim thoughts, Jack hummed a tune as he started the car. Contrary to Seojun's anxiety, the engine started up smoothly.
*'Is it okay? Is this really okay?'*
Seeing Jack handle the steering wheel with familiarity, Seojun's grip on the seatbelt loosened slightly. It wasn't that he trusted Jack's skills.
*'If things get dangerous, I'll just have to grab Jack and escape.'*
An escape plan was already forming in Seojun's resigned mind.
Just then, Eric Smith came outside.
"Where are you guys going today?"
"To the batting cage, then the beach."
"Really? Have fun."
"Eric!"
Seojun called out to Eric Smith, who was about to go back inside. Eric Smith turned around and looked at Seojun in the passenger seat.
"Is Jack a good driver?"
"Well, you won't die."
"Haha!"
Eric Smith and Jack Smith laughed cheerfully.
Eric's joke actually reassured Seojun. Seeing how nonchalant Eric was, it seemed Jack was a decent driver.
"We'll be back, then."
"We're heading out."
The car left the Smith residence and drove onto the road.
Seojun watched Jack's relaxed driving with a sense of wonder. Noticing his gaze, Jack smiled and spoke.
"Don't worry. I've been driving this for a year now. I have no intention of putting a superstar in a beginner's car."
*'I practiced so hard to give Jun a ride when he came, but the car ended up like this.'*
Still, it was only the exterior; the car was sturdy. Besides, he'd had it inspected for safety just a few days ago.
"I still can't believe it. Our little Jack is already driving...!"
"Little Jack..."
The nickname didn't fit his current physique at all. Jack wrinkled his nose and asked Seojun.
"What's the driving age in Korea?"
"Eighteen. In two years, once my birthday passes, I can get my license too."
"You have an answer ready for that?"
"Sometimes there are driving scenes in my projects. I have to be prepared in advance."
Jack laughed at Seojun's reply.
"I knew it."
Contrary to his worries, Jack Smith was a pretty good driver. Finally at ease, Seojun leaned back in his seat. He'd been a little tense, and his body felt stiff.
"Where's the batting cage?"
"It's just a little further. A new place opened up with good pitching machines. They have a lot of courses, and the speed goes up to 100 miles per hour."
At those words, Seojun nodded.
***
Thwack!
"Alright!"
After hitting ten balls in a row, Jack Smith grinned, pressed the stop button, and stepped out. Seojun, who was standing outside, smiled warmly.
"You should give it a try too, Jun. It's been a while."
"Should I?"
At Jack's suggestion, Seojun smiled and grabbed a baseball bat.
After a couple of light practice swings, Seojun pressed the start button and got into his stance. A ball shot out from the pitching machine at high speed. It was the same speed Jack, a baseball player, had been hitting at, but neither Seojun nor Jack was worried.
Seojun kept his eyes on the ball until the very end, shifted his weight from his right foot to his left, and swung the bat. The bat moved smoothly, drawing an arc.
Thwack!
The crisp sound of the hit made both Seojun and Jack grin widely.
"This is fun after so long!"
"You said you haven't played in Korea, but your skills seem to have gotten even better."
"You think so?"
"Another one's coming."
At Jack's words, Seojun got back into his stance.
Once again, he shifted his weight to his left leg and swung the bat. The force of the bat driving through the ball sent it flying at high speed.
Thwack!
Seojun hit ten consecutive balls just like that.
Watching the ball fly to the far end, Jack Smith spoke up.
"Looks like you're getting the hang of it now, huh? Jun, should we increase the speed?"
"Sure."
"Let's work our way up to 100 miles per hour."
At Jack's mischievous grin, Seojun, who had been adjusting his grip on the bat, smirked back.
"Sounds good."
***
"Jack Smith?"
The scout stopped in his tracks at the familiar face. It was his first day off in a while, but the sight of a batter heading into the batting cage made him move on instinct.
"Let's see how he practices."
He might see a different side of him than in a real game. Following Jack Smith, the scout spotted the Asian boy he had seen yesterday. Seeing them together yesterday and today, he figured they were probably relatives.
He followed the two into the batting cage and found a spot on the side. The green netting partitions gave him a clear view of Jack Smith and the boy.
First, Jack Smith swung the bat.
"He's in good condition today."
His stance was stable, too.
Usually, American middle and high schools let players develop their own batting stances, so every player's form was different.
Among them were players who batted with poor form and those who batted with a form perfectly suited to their bodies.
*'But Jack Smith is different.'*
Despite being a high schooler, Jack Smith's upper and lower body balance was perfect, as if managed by a pro. His batting stance was the same. A stance unique to Jack Smith, as if custom-tailored for him.
*'I thought he had a personal trainer, but it turned out he didn't have anyone.'*
Once again, a ball hit by Jack Smith flew through the air.
Ah, that one was a bit off.
The moment he thought that, the boy in the cap standing outside said something to Jack Smith. His voice was too low to hear. The scout strained his ears.
"Okay. Try hitting it like that."
"Okay!"
It seemed their conversation was over. The scout sighed and turned his attention back to Jack Smith.
Jack Smith swung the bat. The incoming ball made solid contact and flew far away.
*'That looks even better than before.'*
His previous form was good, but his current stance seemed even better.
After hitting ten balls like that, Jack Smith stepped out, and the boy in the cap went in and took his stance.
*'His form is good. Is he a Korean high school player?'*
The Asian scouting division was separate, but the scout began analyzing the boy out of professional habit.
Thwack!
The scout's busy eyes froze at the loud sound that echoed through the batting cage. He faintly heard Jack Smith's voice shouting, "That's my Jun!"
"...He's good."
He was good enough to be compared to Jack Smith just now.
*'Wait a minute. Good enough to be compared to Jack Smith?'*
The scout's eyes wavered.
Wasn't Jack Smith the best high school batter in this region?
The scout's trembling gaze turned to the boy in the cap.
And so, nine more pitches.
Inside, outside, low, high. The boy in the cap didn't miss a single one of the balls coming in from various spots, hitting every one.
The scout, who was now clutching the green netting and pressed right up against it, swallowed hard.
*'Why am I only discovering a player like that now?'*
Of course, this was a batting cage, so it might be different in a real game, but from what he had seen so far, the boy could probably make a name for himself in high school baseball.
While the scout was racking his brain for any Asian players he knew, Jack Smith and the boy took turns at bat. The speed of the pitches gradually increased, and the courses became more varied.
Thwack!
Despite this, the scout's eyes widened as he watched every single baseball get hit cleanly by the boy's bat and fly away.
His instincts were screaming.
That boy was an incredible diamond in the rough. He had to sign him immediately.
Thwack!!
Just then, a sound louder than any before rang out. He didn't see when the ball flew or when it was hit. It must not have been at the usual speed he was used to seeing.
"100 miles per hour! I knew you could hit it, Jun!"
"No wonder... that one felt a bit fast."
"A bit? That was more than a bit fast!"
Hearing their laughter-filled conversation, the scout's jaw dropped.
***
"Should we go get lunch now?"
"A new hamburger joint opened up just ahead. It's pretty good."
"Hamburgers sound great."
Walking ahead of Seojun, Jack noticed a man stuck to the netting, looking dazed. When he saw the man's gaze fixed on Seojun, Jack changed his path.
*'I came at a less crowded time on purpose because of Jun... but one person should be fine.'*
Even with that thought, Jack stood beside Seojun as if to shield him as they left the batting cage.
Only after Seojun and Jack left did the scout snap out of it. He hurriedly followed them out, but their car was already gone. The scout pulled out his phone as he opened his car door.
"Yeah? Aren't you on vacation? What's up...?"
"I'm on my way now, so get me a list of Korean—Korean high school players!"
"What? All of a sudden?"
The scout, who was starting the car, paused as a thought struck him. What if he wasn't Korean?
"No, wait. Start with Korea. Then Japan, then China. His name was... Jun, I think. Anyway, make sure you print it out with photos and names!"
***
After filling their stomachs with hamburgers, the car carrying Seojun and Jack drove along the coastal road.
When Seojun rolled down the passenger window, a cool breeze flowed in. He leaned back in his seat, comfortably gazing out the window. His black hair fluttered in the wind.
Jack glanced at Seojun and marveled.
"Actors really are different. Just sitting there, you look like you're in a photoshoot."
"Jack. You should watch the road when you're driving."
"I am. The side-view mirror is on your side."
Seojun chuckled softly at Jack's words and looked out the window again.
Beyond the wide stretch of sand, the blue ocean was visible. He could also see people filling about half of the beach. Everyone looked relaxed and happy. Both Seojun and Jack smiled.
"It's crowded."
"It's summer, and I guess it's hotter than last year."
Seojun nodded at Jack's words.
He hadn't thought about it because Korea was hotter than here, but this weather was plenty hot for the people living here.
"True. They said the weather's been weird this year. Spring came early, and summer's supposed to be hotter than last year."
"I wonder if it'll be better in the winter. Oh, Jun. Are you going to swim? I have a towel."
"No. I'll swim next time. I didn't bring any clothes for it."
Just seeing the ocean like this was enough for today.
Seeing how comfortable Seojun looked, Jack slowed down the car. He knew Seojun couldn't walk around with his face uncovered in Korea, so he hoped he could at least be comfortable here.
*'The weather's nice.'*
Contrary to Jack's thoughts, Seojun actually wandered around quite freely in Korea as well.
As they drove along the beach.
Seojun, who was looking toward the shore, spotted something and narrowed his eyes.
*'What is that...!'*
Realizing what it was, Seojun's expression turned to shock, and he urgently shouted.
"Jack! Stop for a second!"
At Seojun's voice, Jack quickly scanned their surroundings and pulled the car over. Seojun flung the car door open and got out.
"Jun! Your hat!"
Jack quickly handed Seojun his hat.
"Thanks!"
Whatever it was, Jack knew Seojun wouldn't move so urgently for no reason. He called out to Seojun, who was putting on his hat and about to run.
"I'll park and be right there!"
"Okay!"
Seojun replied, pulling his hat down firmly and running toward the beach.
It wasn't just Seojun; people on the beach were starting to gather in one spot.
Reaching his destination, Seojun took a few quick breaths and examined it. He could hear its labored breathing gradually weakening.
The gathered people took out their phones and started filming it.
Jack, having quickly parked and run over, stood so as to shield Seojun from view. Then, what came into his sight made him let out a breath that was a mix of awe and dismay.
"Jun... this is..."
A little kid holding a toy sand shovel, who had squeezed his way to the front to see why people were gathering, gaped at the massive thing before him and shouted loudly.
"Mom! A whale!"
A whale the size of Jack Smith's car was sprawled out on the sand.
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