MVP Interview and Posting System Uproar
“Yes! Today's MVP is of course Cha Tae-hyun! Uh..., but it looks like you've had quite a few things happen.”
There had been a lot. He'd gotten the teammate piggyback parade, a shower of drinks and water, and even a group beating.
“The celebrations from the teammates were extra big today.”
“Hahaha! You bet! There was something huge that all baseball fans would be thrilled about! So today, to share this joy together, we've prepared something special! Come on out!”
Huh? I haven't heard about this.
As the announcer gestured, a large TV screen appeared next to me with a card reading [Congratulations to Cha Tae-hyun on His 5 Consecutive Shutout Wins!].
It looked like they'd prepared a ton for this big record. I waved my hand, read a few chats, and expressed my thanks, and the chat exploded.
The messages scrolled so fast it was hard to keep up.
“And last time, when Cha Tae-hyun got that floral necklace and joked about hanging more on? Today, we're doing two!”
They were flashy and huge—heavy for real. If this didn't wrap up soon, I'd get a neck disc issue.
“Alright! Before we go, let's check out the records Cha Tae-hyun set today! Revealing them now!”
20 Strikeouts in Regular Innings (Korea First, Ties World Record)
Most Pitches in a Single At-Bat (22 Pitches, Korean Record)
5 Consecutive Shutout Wins (Korea First)
As my records flashed up, the chat exploded again, flooded with "regrets," but no filtering or deletions happened. "Regrets" wasn't profanity anyway—censoring it would be silly. Even the announcer dropped it now and then. It tied back to my recent controversy, but you could feel the subtle jab at the Winners. At this point, it seemed like the KBO was actively pushing me.
Who wouldn't? I hated to say it myself, but I was the one driving league popularity.
“What do you think enabled today's 5 consecutive shutout wins?”
Suddenly, Sin Si-woo's pre-interview words popped into my head: 'Don't forget it's partly thanks to me today, okay?' He just wanted a quick shoutout... easy enough.
I smirked and said, “I got some help with pitch calling from our team's catcher, Sin Si-woo. He's a .100 hitter, but damn good at sequencing.”
—Hey! I went 3-for today, so it's .200 now!
Sin Si-woo whined loudly, and laughter erupted at the interview site and in chat.
“Hahaha! Yes~ He says it's thanks to Sin Si-woo, whose pitch calling shines despite the .100 average!”
Sin Si-woo fumed again about not being .100, but his mouth was grinning ear to ear. He always got roasted online as "Phoenix deadweight," "team batting disgrace," "rest stop"... it was pitiful. But now, he could hear "good pitch caller and defender."
After that, standard questions flew, and the end was in sight.
The final one was as expected.
“Six consecutive shutouts! Confident?”
“Yes. Very.”
I answered boldly. Tough, sure—but failing would just be a momentary regret. Hedging and succeeding? Lifelong what-if.
Yeah. Life's about going for it.
“Eek...”
The announcer's jaw dropped—she hadn't expected the instant yes—and chat went wild again.
“Heh heh heh...”
“Hey Ho-san, what killer high are you on to be drooling like that?”
“Ahem... Was I drooling? Anyway, high? Nah. I'm just happy a great player from my country is making waves.”
No high, like Kim Ho-san said. Sure, the national pride news was full of fake hype and exaggeration, but medically, it wasn't drugs...?
Hmm... For such a huge record, the video quality's a bit lacking.
Kim Ho-san's eyes gleamed like an addict hunting stronger stuff.
Ah, can't hog this good news. Gotta call Sakazaki—get some Japanese translation too.
The regret eased a bit, but unease lingered. Cha Tae-hyun's record was massive—no way it'd be dismissed as "just KBO." But that "Korean league" label stuck.
What if it was the majors, where the world's talent gathered...?
Images flashed: a white-haired elder slapping his forehead, a blonde beauty wailing Cha Tae-hyun's name. Just imagining it spiked dopamine—lips twitching.
Totally possible.
To Kim Ho-san, Cha Tae-hyun wasn't a KBO-only guy. He'd dominate MLB too.
So regrettable... A player like this needs more exposure. Korea's posting system is seriously broken.
Japan let players negotiate transfers; Korea locked them for 7 years post-contract.
“This is a national loss!”
Kim Ho-san raised his voice in excitement, startling teammates.
National loss...? Whatever, Ho-san's such a patriot—getting fired up for the country.
“Heading out early today, Ho-san?”
His face now serious, Kim Ho-san murmured, “Feels like I should say something for my junior.”
Leaving the locker room, he called a reporter buddy and gave a heartfelt interview on the posting system.
And that interview... ignited everything.
Tap tap.
Rain hammered the window. It'd been pouring since morning, canceling Game 2 against the Winners.
No game days left players and fans feeling empty.
But today was different. Far from empty—fans were hotter than game day.
“You tight with Kim Ho-san or something?”
My roommate Sin Si-woo asked, staring at his phone.
YW9peUx5cktZYXhyU2hzY1VsMkQ0VnNHSWVlS2hhMWM2SllaR255UFpROEcwNzdtZDlsMUJIcE1JMFNjeVhHVg
“Nah, not really.”
“Huh? Then he did this interview for his junior for real? Wild.”
Yeah—our connection was just that national team tryout meetup. Never imagined he'd call me out on posting.
Wondering why, I recalled his tryout words.
—That guy's gonna pull every trick to get you to MLB.
No way—he staked his rep to push me to the bigs?
Chills down my spine—then Sin Si-woo spoke.
“But this could actually happen? Public's on board except our fans. If you hard-carry Olympics for gold... who knows?”
True—Koreans melt for Olympics, go nuts for gold. Beijing gold sparked pro baseball's boom—I knew that.
This Olympics: rare baseball edition, USA/Japan dream teams. Low expectations—but if I dragged 'em to gold...
The thought trailed off into a smirk.
“Gold? Nah. Not thinking MLB till Phoenix wins it all.”
Golden generation or not, power gap was real. Bronze was tough—gold? Unless I brewed black magic arm elixir.
“Damn, real Phoenix nut. MLB over title? Nah.”
“What's that mean?”
“Phoenix-obsessed maniac. No rebuttals—facts.”
“That bad?”
“Yup.”
Bzzz!
Text from the one who made me Phoenix-mad: Miyeon Teacher.
The photo showed a ritzy restaurant vibe. But more shocking: Lee Si-ha and Shin Ha-yoon V-signing beside her.
Wild combo.
Yeah—Olympics, MLB? Whatever.
Phoenix title's harder. Focus here.