Chapter 31
Chapter 31
Translator Wjin
Chapter 31
"You're teacher, right...?"
For a moment, Shin Ha-yoon doubted her eyes, but no matter how she looked, it was Lee Mi-yeon, Shin Ha-yoon's homeroom teacher. Shin Ha-yoon cautiously approached and gently poked Lee Mi-yeon's back.
"You are teacher, right?"
Seeing Shin Ha-yoon, Iee Mi-yeon's lips trembled, and she turned her head away, avoiding eye contact.
"Y-yes...? What are you talking about...? I'm... not a teacher."
"No... Teacher, that's not quite right."
"Uhm... Sorry."
"Teacher, by any chance, did you come to cheer for Cha Tae-hyun?"
Iee Mi-yeon vehemently shook her head.
"O-oh, no! I-I just came to watch the baseball game."
"But earlier, you were jumping around, shouting 'Tae-hyun-ah~'."
"......"
With Lee Mi-yeon now completely frozen, Shin Ha-yoon continued, trying to salvage the situation.
"Um... are you also a Phoenix fan, teacher?"
"Oh? How did you know?"
"My mom and dad went completely crazy too. They came all the way to Seoul just to see Cha Tae-hyun go to Phoenix... I thought it was just my mom and dad, but I wondered if it was the same for you, teacher."
"Yes! Yes! That's it! Teacher also became a Tae-hyun fan! He's Phoenix's future ace, you know."
"Well... since I'm also a Phoenix fan, I don't completely not understand that feeling... but shouldn't you still be careful? I mean, it's Seoul, so it should be fine... but if someone you know sees you, they might think strange things..."
Although it was only for a brief moment, even Shin Ha-yoon had those 'strange thoughts', so it was right to be careful, even if it seemed a bit excessive.
"'Tae-hyun-ah~' seems a bit too loving... so, let's just go with 'Cha Tae-hyun!'."
At Shin Ha-yoon's playful mention of 'love', Lee Mi-yeon flinched for a moment and then nodded repeatedly.
"Yes... You're right. I'll be careful."
At Lee Mi-yeon's suddenly dejected expression, Shin Ha-yoon tilted her head once and then turned to leave.
"Anyway, enjoy the game. I'm going now."
"Okay, see you next week, Ha-yoon-ah!"
Just as she stepped out to the exit.
“Woaaahhh!!”
A loud cheer erupted. She glanced back and saw people standing up, shouting Cha Tae-hyun's name. It seemed he had hit another home run.
"He's really good... Was that his second consecutive home run...? He might actually set a record..."
As she was once again amazed by Cha Tae-hyun's skill, she heard her teacher's voice.
“Tae-hyun-ah!!”
"No, I told you not to say 'Tae-hyun-ah~'... Is there really something going on with Cha Tae-hyun...?"
Shin Ha-yoon, resting her chin on her hand for a moment, shook her head.
'No, that can't be... How diligent is our teacher.'
Before long, it was the bottom of the 6th inning, and the score was still 4:0, with Dae-san High lagging behind.
'The situation is too bad.'
Not scoring until the 6th inning was one thing, but they hadn't even managed to get a single runner on base. At this rate, not only would Cha Tae-hyun's grand record be overshadowed, but they were about to give up a perfect game in the Blue Dragon Flag finals.
"Sigh... Somehow, we need to defend well and hold on until the bullpen comes out..."
The Dae-san High catcher grumbled as he went to home plate and took his position, sighing again at the cheer that erupted the moment he put on his mask.
'Is it his turn already?'
Hitting two consecutive home runs felt like it had just happened, but Cha Tae-hyun was already up for his third at-bat. The annoying guy spoke to him as soon as he stepped into the batter's box.
"...It's quiet now? You were quite chatty earlier..."
"......"
The catcher suppressed his anger as much as possible and kept his mouth shut. Cha Tae-hyun, playfully swinging his bat over the plate as if to tease the catcher, asked again.
"Why aren't you asking me if I'm going to set a record this time...? That's disappointing."
'Ugh... I shouldn't have opened my mouth...'
He was furious inside and wanted to curse, but since he had started it, that was impossible too. Otherwise, he would only look more pathetic. He truly wished he could turn back time.
'I just want to walk him...'
It was the catcher's honest thought as he sent the signal. The anxiety that he would get hit no matter where he threw the ball didn't disappear. The catcher sent a signal to intentionally walk him.
But as expected, Kim Shin-hwa refused. At this point, there was no other way. Kim Shin-hwa was stubborn; he wouldn't change his mind no matter what the coach said, let alone the catcher's words.
Replace with another pitcher? That meant getting hit by other batters just to walk Cha Tae-hyun.
'Then... a course that's as hard to hit as possible...'
He brought his mitt to a spot that barely touched the inside border of the plate. It would be hard to control, but if successful, it would be difficult to hit, and even if it failed, it would be a ball, thus avoiding the worst-case scenario of giving up a home run.
'Please... let me control it.'
Did the catcher's desperate prayer reach the heavens?
The ball, leaving Kim Shin-hwa's fingertips, flew swiftly and accurately towards the mitt.
'Good! Perfect control!'
It was a course that was normally hard to touch. However, the bat, as if mocking the catcher's thoughts, was already moving forward, obscuring the mitt.
'It's okay if he hits it... at this course, it won't go far...'
CRACK!
The catcher's mind went blank at the terrifying sound of the hit and the instantly soaring ball. There was no need to take off his mask. That ball, drawing a beautiful arch, was clearly a home run to anyone.
"He didn't walk him again... Well, thanks anyway?"
Cha Tae-hyun grinned mischievously and coolly tossed his bat again, and the people in the stands once again began to go wild.
Cha Tae-hyun, running towards the base as if responding to the crowd, held up three fingers high.
"Home run! Home run! And another home run!!!! Player Cha Tae-hyun perfectly hit this perfect 154km/h fastball that was on the inside border and sent it over! Three consecutive at-bat home runs! Now we can truly expect a grand record! Viewers, do not turn off your TVs! You must not miss a page of this legend!"
└What's up with the commentators' energy, haha.
└So exciting, haha.
└But it's insane, haha. All three consecutive home runs were on the first pitch, haha.
└Like this post if you feel bad for Kim Shin-hwa, haha.
└Like this, haha. It's like he's toying with him like a toy, haha.
└Is Kim Shin-hwa quitting baseball? Haha.
└If he quits, come to Phoenix. He'd get at least a spot as a third starter right now.
└But the fact is, Cha Tae-hyun is the weird one, Kim Shin-hwa is actually doing well in defending, haha.
└Why is this real? Haha. He hasn't given up a single hit except to Cha Tae-hyun and Lee Ji-ho, haha.
└Kim Shin-hwa hates Cha Tae-hyun....
└But him saying he'd set a record, that's a bit much, right?
└Of course it's too much, man. Dae-san High just opened their mouth, so he countered them. What, did you think he actually meant to set a record?
At first, even the fans cheering for Cha Tae-hyun thought his talk about setting a grand record was just a way to intimidate his opponents. Because it was that unbelievable.
One batter stepping up to the plate five times and hitting five consecutive home runs?
└Well, if a monster hitter who sweeps through Major League came here, it might be possible.
└Why would a Major League monster hitter come here?
└So, that means it's not possible.
These same fans shouted 'As expected!' when Cha Tae-hyun hit his first home run in the 1st inning. Well, it was just one home run, so it was Cha Tae-hyun.
Even when he hit his second consecutive home run in the 4th inning, they nodded, thinking, 'That's Cha Tae-hyun for you.' Two home runs, well, that's Cha Tae-hyun.
However... when Cha Tae-hyun hit his third consecutive home run in the 6th inning and held up three fingers, the thought 'Could it be...?' began to settle in the spectators' minds.
And when Cha Tae-hyun finally hit his fourth consecutive home run in the 7th inning, the spectators slowly began to 'expect' something. It was regrettable for the other players, but by then, the win or loss of the game no longer mattered to the spectators.
All the countless people filling the stands were thinking only of that.
'Is he really going to hit five consecutive home runs?'
No,
'I want to see five consecutive home runs quickly!'
All doubt had long since vanished. In the spectators' minds, only the image of Cha Tae-hyun hitting five consecutive home runs and raising his open hand, not just his fingers, appeared.
Amidst that anticipation, the bottom of the 8th inning arrived. The score was 7:0, with Hyeoksan High leading significantly.
Leadoff hitter Jin Myung-hwan struck out, second batter Ji Chang-sup grounded out to the infield, and third batter Lee Tae-hyung got a hit to fill first base.
And then, the fourth batter, Cha Tae-hyun, the one who drove the crowd wild, finally stepped into the batter's box.
During my active playing days, if someone asked me what my greatest strength in baseball was, I always answered 'mental strength'. The reason was simple.
It wasn't just once or twice that I saw players collapse due to weak mental strength. There was the closer who couldn't withstand the pressure of a one-run lead in a league-deciding game and ultimately collapsed.
And the batter who came up as the last hitter in a medal-deciding game and futilely grounded out to the infield.
All those people showed me that my strength was my mental fortitude. Considering that, my very structure might be different from ordinary people.
Although it was high school baseball, facing a grand record, with countless people filling the stands and holding expectations for me, was objectively a moment where one's mental state could waver, but for me, this moment felt not just thrilling, but even pleasurable.
I held the bat as low as possible and calmed my body, which had been excited for a moment. I focused my gaze solely on the pitcher's fingertips, as calm as a ripple-less lake.
The pitcher, in his wind-up, gritted his teeth as if to pour out all his strength, twisting his upper body greatly as he threw the ball. Perhaps it was too intense; the pitcher's cap shook and flew into the air, and the ball, cutting through the wind, hurtled towards me.
In response, my bat also came out slowly, naturally and smoothly, following the ball like flowing water. However, at the precise moment it met the trajectory, I unleashed all the suppressed power.
CRACK!!!!!
The moment the ball soared high into the sky, a silence lingered over the baseball field for a very brief moment.
The cheers that began to erupt again grew louder as the batted ball traveled further, and when the ball, showing no signs of stopping, finally struck the backscreen.
POW!
“Woahhh!!”
Cheers erupted along with golden fireworks.
"...They're setting off fireworks during the game?"
Did I press the wrong button?
Well, it's good for me. Mi-yeon Teacher likes fireworks. It turned out well.
Thinking of Mi-yeon Teacher, who was probably shouting my name somewhere, I smiled towards the stands, and then, raising my now wide-open hand high, I ran towards the base.
Fireworks exploded in the sky, and cheers filled the surroundings, but Shin Ha-yoon's world was silent. She was so captivated by one man's swing that she couldn't break free.
"...It's beautiful."
Shin Ha-yoon, in a daze, murmured to herself. Others might think she said 'beautiful' referring to the fireworks, but she hadn't even seen the fireworks in the first place.
From the moment Cha Tae-hyun stepped into the batter's box until he finally hit five consecutive home runs. She had been watching only his swing the entire time.
In her hand was a camera zoomed in as much as possible.
"Sister! Did you get a good shot? Huh? Let me see too!"
When her younger sibling tried to touch the camera, Shin Ha-yoon quickly pulled it back and shook her head.
"...It's mine."
"No... don't be so petty about the video... Mom bought you the camera anyway..."
At her younger sibling's grumbling, Shin Ha-yoon finally came to her senses.
Why did I do that...? It was something she couldn't understand herself. Why did she make it so difficult when she could have just shown it? And why was her heart beating so fast...? It was truly... strange.
The bottom of the 8th inning ended for Hyeoksan High's offense. In the top of the 9th, Dae-san High's last offense, Kim Chang-hyun was still on the mound for Hyeoksan High.
"Ji Chang-sup. How many more pitches can I throw?"
"You have 14 left... What do you think? Can you do it?"
Kim Chang-hyun grinned and replied.
"Plenty."
Ji Chang-sup chuckled and lightly punched Kim Chang-hyun's chest, then returned to home plate. The seventh batter stepped up to the plate, and Ji Chang-sup placed his mitt in the center without a special signal. It meant to throw whatever felt right.
As if to repay Ji Chang-sup's trust, Kim Chang-hyun showed off his undiminished pitching prowess,
“STRIKE-OUT!”
He struck out the seventh batter. He had 11 pitches left. Kim Chang-hyun ignored the throbbing sensation in his shoulder and pitched with all his might to the eighth batter.
“STRIKE OUT!”
He struck out one more batter, clenching his fist. With only one out left, Kim Chang-hyun wound up and threw the first pitch.
"Ah."
A sigh escaped Kim Chang-hyun's lips. The strength in his fingertips had given out as he scraped the ball. The clearly flat ball flew towards the batter, and the batter, glaring with the will to not give up a perfect game, swung his bat with all his might.
CRACK!
It was a clean hit. Still, the batted ball didn't go too far from Kim Chang-hyun. Kim Chang-hyun quickly extended his glove. However, it was too clean a hit.
Although he extended his glove, the ball, faster than his glove, went past it before it could connect. At that moment, as regret flooded him, Kim Chang-hyun gritted his teeth.
"Out!"
At the unexpected 'out' call, Kim Chang-hyun's head slowly turned.
"That was a nice pitching."
There stood Cha Tae-hyun, who had caught the ball as if it were natural and was giving him a thumbs-up.
"Cha Tae-hyun... you really are..."
Kim Chang-hyun, who had been shaking his head for a moment, then burst into a bright smile and shouted loudly.
"That's it! Cha Tae-hyun!!"