Chapter 2
Chapter 2
My head throbbed.
Like someone had smashed it hard with a hammer.
“...Ah.”
Park Si-woo, you crazy bastard.
Most of what happened last night came back to me.
Headbutting Choi Myung-jun? That part was fine.
I still didn’t regret that.
But after that, I shook off the seniors trying to stop me and ended up making a complete drunken mess to the senior who dragged me home.
The traces of it were scattered all over the house.
“I’m screwed.”
Honestly, the most important part was the headbutt to Choi Myung-jun.
Not just any player, but him.
We’re the same draft class, but he’s the team’s ace.
And me? I’m on the losing squad, and at the very bottom.
No matter who started it, there was a high chance it would be blamed on me.
“Ah, whatever.”
Surprisingly, though, I felt calm.
Yeah, I was in the wrong.
But all season long, he’d been picking at me whenever he got the chance. He started it.
And honestly, seeing him sprawled on the bathroom floor felt satisfying.
Of course, the team would discipline me.
But would anything really change from now?
My standing in the team was already at rock bottom, and I was even left off the Korean Series roster just because I was “unlucky.”
At this point, if even one decent rookie came in next year, I’d be the one pushed out.
Maybe this was just something that was bound to happen sooner or later.
Thinking that way, maybe it wasn’t such a bad trade-off.
When else would I ever get to do that to his head?
Grinning to myself, I grabbed some water from the fridge and drank.
Right as I thought, I’ve finally gone crazy, my phone rang.
The moment I saw the name on the screen, I hesitated.
But I couldn’t just ignore it.
“Yes, sunbae.”
“Yeah. You lucky bastard. You feeling okay?”
“...lucky bastard?”
“Yeah. You were shouting your lungs out all the way home yesterday. So? Did your luck improve?”
“...I’m sorry.”
The one calling in a teasing tone was Park Chan-hyuk, our starting right fielder.
Honestly, our first meeting had been terrible.
He was the one who turned my first home run allowed into an inside-the-park home run, and also the one who turned what should’ve been a double into a home run.
And there were countless other moments.
But he sincerely apologized to me and did his best to help me get my first win.
Of course, that failed too.
Still, after my injury, he supported me, and he was the one who looked out for me when I couldn’t fit in with the team.
And he was the one who brought me home last night.
“It’s fine. I get it, since it’s you. Anyway, how’s the lottery ticket? I put it in your pants.”
“...lottery ticket?”
At that, I checked and found a slip of paper.
“Don’t remember? You bought it yesterday while I was dragging you home. Said it was about time you won something. Said your luck was finally turning.”
“Ah...”
That reminded me.
On the way home, I stopped by a convenience store and bought a lottery ticket.
Me and the lottery.
Was there a more mismatched pair?
I had terrible luck, and the lottery required a lifetime’s worth of it.
That’s why I’d never bought one since becoming an adult. What was I thinking yesterday?
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. Anyway, you’re probably hungover, right? Come out. Let’s get something to eat.”
“Right now?”
“Yeah. Be out in five minutes.”
After he hung up, I stared at the ticket awkwardly.
Like this would ever hit.
Just wasted 5,000 won.
“Sigh, whatever.”
I tossed the ticket somewhere visible and grabbed my cap before heading out.
“Let’s bury it.”
At the calm words of the Phoenix’s general manager, Oh Gyu-jin, the operations team manager beside him exploded instead.
“Sir! This is violence! Violence! How can we just cover this up? We need to discipline him properly and make sure this never happens again!”
“Then what about everything Choi Myung-jun has done to Park Si-woo so far? Isn’t that violence too?”
“...That’s.”
Oh Gyu-jin didn’t make this decision for Park Si-woo.
He had been shocked too when he saw Choi Myung-jun crawling on the floor.
But the situation was bad.
Everyone had been turning a blind eye to what Choi Myung-jun had been doing because of his performance.
Constantly ignoring and insulting Park Si-woo.
At that, the operations manager fell silent.
If they touched Park Si-woo over this, that issue would inevitably come out.
“If news like this gets out now, public opinion will turn disastrous. The chairman will find out too. Can you handle that?”
Runner-up.
It was an impressive result, but in sports, second place is just a loser.
Especially for Phoenix, who finished first in the regular season and then got upset.
If internal conflict became public now?
It wouldn’t just hurt his position. The entire team could be shaken.
Of course, this decision was only possible because Choi Myung-jun wasn’t seriously injured.
“He was lucky.”
If he had been injured, neither he nor Park Si-woo would’ve walked away easily.
And there had been only the two of them in the restroom.
No evidence, only Choi Myung-jun’s testimony.
If they could persuade him, this could pass quietly.
“First, make sure this doesn’t leak out.”
“...Yes.”
“I’ll check on Choi Myung-jun one more time before I go. You can head home.”
The operations manager hesitated but eventually bowed and left.
Watching him go, Oh Gyu-jin headed toward the hospital room.
An operations manager being dragged around by a single player.
Opening the door, he saw Choi Myung-jun lying there with a bandaged head.
It felt like he had seen this scene not long ago.
Back then, he never imagined Park Si-woo would do something like this.
As Oh Gyu-jin approached, Choi Myung-jun opened his eyes.
“How are you feeling?”
“Sir. That bastard, no, Park Si-woo?”
The hostility in his voice made Oh Gyu-jin sigh.
“There’s no point in the two of you meeting right now.”
“Yes. I don’t want to see him either. But you’ll punish him properly, right?”
At that, Oh Gyu-jin clicked his tongue.
There was no avoiding it.
Park Si-woo and Choi Myung-jun.
Two pitchers once expected to become the team’s core.
The first to break out had been Park Si-woo.
Rookie spirit with composure beyond his years.
He seemed like he’d become a complete pitcher within a year.
But that ended with his injury.
Meanwhile, Choi Myung-jun, who was expected to take time, developed rapidly and became indispensable.
In just a few years, their positions had reversed.
Now, they couldn’t stay on the same team.
“Park Si-woo will leave the team one way or another.”
“That’s it? After what he did to me?”
“If this escalates, you won’t avoid punishment either.”
Technically, Park Si-woo’s direct violence was worse, but Choi Myung-jun wasn’t innocent either.
Grinding his teeth, Choi Myung-jun eventually nodded.
“Yes. I can’t take damage because of someone like that.”
Every word carried disdain.
Even in front of the general manager, he was like this. How bad had it been normally?
And he had more to lose.
From the start, this was a losing fight for him.
If not for his skill.
“You can be discharged today. A staff member will take you home. Take care of yourself.”
Leaving the hospital, Oh Gyu-jin headed straight to the stadium.
Choi Myung-jun was handled.
Now, Park Si-woo remained.
“Sigh. It’s a waste to release him.”
Even now, he couldn’t forget what Park Si-woo showed in his first year.
He had simply been unlucky.
But after losing his velocity, his value dropped.
The club had tried everything to restore it, but nothing worked.
Still, he could eat innings in already decided games.
Releasing him would be a loss.
At the same time, people would suspect something.
That left only a trade.
But selling him too cheaply would cause talk.
They needed to craft a convincing deal.
Phoenix would emphasize his form from two years ago.
The other side would point to his current state.
It wasn’t easy.
Just as his car entered the stadium.
“Yes. Have you made your decision?”
A call came that could resolve everything.
“I’m sorry. Ha Seo-jin is difficult.”
“What if we adjust the deal?”
“If it’s Choi Myung-jun, then maybe.”
That meant no.
As expected, Oh Gyu-jin nodded.
After finishing as runner-up, Phoenix immediately began trade talks.
Their pitching had been dominant, but their offense struggled all season.
In the Korean Series, they lost three games by one run.
If they had won even one of those.
That thought wouldn’t leave anyone’s mind.
But there were no suitable free-agent hitters.
So the only options were trades or replacing their foreign hitter.
The call was about a trade.
But as expected, trades weren’t easy in the league.
One reason was simple.
Make the top five, and you make the postseason.
Even the last-place Marines aimed for that every year.
“Then how about Choi Jun-woo?”
“Choi Jun-woo... hmm.”
Trades were about exchanging surplus.
Choi Jun-woo was a solid hitter in his early thirties.
But the Marines had no room for him.
For Phoenix, he could start immediately.
“That’s possible, but he’s an important resource for us.”
That didn’t mean they’d give him away cheaply.
Phoenix had to offer something valuable.
“Park Si-woo. How about him?”
“...Park Si-woo?”
The other side sounded surprised.
Park Si-woo had always drawn interest.
His rookie impact, his ability to eat innings, and his age.
A lottery ticket with a guaranteed jackpot if it hit.
Even Phoenix would’ve kept him if not for this incident.
But now, he couldn’t stay.
“Of course, Choi Jun-woo alone isn’t enough.”
“...Let me discuss and call you back.”
“Of course. But we might finalize with another team.”
They wouldn’t.
The Marines valued him the most.
After nearly an hour, both sides seemed satisfied.
“We’ll submit it and release the news.”
“Could you give me about an hour?”
“Understood.”
After hanging up, Oh Gyu-jin smiled.
“That was lucky.”
This was Park Si-woo’s peak value.
In reality, his velocity would only decline further.
A fact that would remain secret.
The return was better than expected.
Yes, this was the right move.
Now, only one thing remained.
Meeting Park Si-woo and making sure he kept quiet.
“Are you available now? I’ll pick you up.”
Soon, he arrived.
“Hello.”
“Get in.”
Park Si-woo looked confused but got in.
This moment was always the hardest.
Telling a player he’d been traded.
Oh Gyu-jin didn’t rush.
“I remember when you first came to Daejeon.”
“Do you still do that?”
“No. Just back then.”
After arriving at the office, he finally brought it up.
“Choi Myung-jun is fine.”
“...I see.”
“But there has to be some consequence.”
“I understand.”
“But you got lucky.”
“...What?”
“We received a good offer. Your punishment is gone.”
“...a trade?”
“Yes.”
Park Si-woo stared blankly.
“You’re going to the Marines.”
“...Why me? Because of him?”
Oh Gyu-jin sighed.
“I want this to end well.”
“...Is it because of my performance?”
“Yes.”
Silence followed.
“If you stay quiet, nothing happened. Leave it all here.”
Then he added.
“Just think of it as bad luck.”
You’re used to that.
I expected punishment.
But this?
Pretending it was for me, when it was all for him.
I sat on the sofa, dazed.
My phone kept ringing.
The trade must’ve been announced.
I knew.
Between me and him, I’d be the one to go.
Still, it wasn’t easy.
Thoughts flooded in.
To distract myself, I turned on the TV.
Time passed.
“We begin the 1,279th lottery draw!”
...Right.
Today was Saturday.
I had a ticket too.
I picked it up.
“First number, 9!”
“...Oh. One match.”
Meaningless.
“Second number, 17!”
I had that too.
My heart started racing.
“Third number, 1!”
...Wait.
“Fourth number, 31!”
I swallowed hard.
“Fifth number, 15!”
...No way.
My heart pounded wildly.
One number left.