Chapter 36
Chapter 36
Translator Wjin
Chapter 36
“Aaaaah!! Cha Tae-hyun hits a bases-clearing single, ending the game with a called game! Is it Cha Tae-hyun again! What is this player?”
└ What do you mean, what is he? He’s the future of the Phoenix, the treasure of the Phoenix, the man who will become a Phoenix legend, Shin Tae-hyun.
└ Just memorize it, baseball is Cha Tae-hyun lol.
└ It’s hard to even worship him anymore. I need to make a worship macro.
└ Honestly, a double instead of a home run isn’t even that exciting anymore lol.
└ Ah, I’m so happy that this player is our Phoenix lol.
└ Honestly, being in last place this year was to draft Cha Tae-hyun, right?
└ Who doesn’t know that? Last year’s last place was Lee Seung-tae, this year’s last place is Cha Tae-hyun lol.
└ Stealing a starting player with the last pick, making the other teams cry a river~
└ Are you watching, owner? The future of the Phoenix is here!
The Phoenix owner smiled contentedly and put down his phone, which had been displaying the broadcast screen.
‘Watching the chat is pretty fun.’
He wasn’t the type to watch the chat.
This team’s owner is beyond a pushover, he’s just stupid. The team is always in last place, so their brand value is dropping instead of being promoted. Why is he even investing in this team? I wish they would just disband already.
That chat, which he still remembered, had left a kind of trauma. But Cha Tae-hyun’s games were so fun that even the fierce fans had become gentle lambs, cheering for the Phoenix.
“Hyun-jo. You see, I really love the Phoenix.”
At the owner's sudden words, the general manager, who was sitting across from him, laughed awkwardly.
“Haha… I know.”
“That’s why I’m not selling this team, even if the team name becomes ‘Last Place Phoenix’ when I type in the password.”
Although he was saying it with a smiling face, for some reason, the general manager felt a chill run down his spine.
“Even after being told that I’ve invested the most every time and gotten the worst results.”
The general manager smiled bitterly and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
“But it seems there’s a limit… I’m getting tired too. You understand, right? I even think about selling it sometimes.”
The general manager couldn’t open his mouth. He couldn’t argue with the owner’s words because he sympathized with them so much that his conscience was pricked.
“But lately, watching this Cha Tae-hyun, those thoughts have completely disappeared. I thought I had to see Cha Tae-hyun come to our Phoenix.”
“I’m certainly looking forward to it as well.”
“Right, I have to see that too. You know that Cha Tae-hyun is good enough to go to the majors, right?”
Of course, he knew. Cha Tae-hyun had already become something beyond a star among Phoenix fans. How could the general manager not know? It was also one of his biggest worries these days.
‘If Cha Tae-hyun goes to the majors, I’m finished!’
It might seem like an overreaction, but there was a reason why Busan was called the "City of Baseball." If it was revealed that he had missed out on Cha Tae-hyun due to his mistake or incompetence…?
He might really get hit with eggs or chicken in Sajik.
“Yes… He’s definitely good enough for the majors. But that… I’ll do my best—”
Before the general manager could finish his sentence, "No." The owner shook his head.
“That can’t happen.”
“...Yes. You’re right.”
“I mean, no matter what. Do you understand?”
“Well… if the player himself has a strong desire to go to the majors, I can’t do anything—”
“What do you mean, you can’t? Think about your multi-million dollar salary. Right?”
The general manager had no choice but to smile at the owner’s smiling question.
“Yes! I have to catch him.”
“Right. I’m counting on you, General Manager Lee.”
After leaving the owner’s office, the general manager immediately contacted Kim Eun-chan of the scouting team.
“Do you know Cha Tae-hyun’s home address? Or at least his contact information…”
His voice was filled with desperation.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇;
Although high school baseball was booming recently, the ongoing President’s Cup was slightly less popular than the Golden Lion Trophy or the Blue Dragon Flag.
The reason was ironic: ‘Hyeoksan High is too good.’ Baseball needed to be a little thrilling, but Hyeoksan High’s power was so overwhelming that the games were one-sided, which dampened the excitement.
So, was the President’s Cup going to be a little disappointing? But the final was on fire.
“I didn’t expect to face Dae-san High again.”
The final was a repeat of the Blue Dragon Flag final, and it was drawing a lot of attention to see if Dae-san High could get their revenge.
“Well, they’re a good team.”
They were a bit annoying, but they were definitely a strong team. If I weren't there, Hyeoksan High probably wouldn't have been able to guarantee a victory.
“Hey, did you see his interview?”
“Did he run his mouth again?”
“No. Look at this.”
I took the phone Jin Myung-hwan handed me. Kim Shin-hwa was being interviewed again. But the atmosphere was quite different from the previous interview, where he had a conceited expression. He seemed a little more subdued.
- “Hyeoksan High is a strong team, so I plan to do my best.”
- “Cha Tae-hyun? He's good. A very good player.”
Jin Myung-hwan chuckled and said, "He's been taught some manners. He's not so annoying anymore." As soon as he said that…
- “But… I think I can show a completely different side from last time. I’ve grown a lot. This time, I’m going to make Cha Tae-hyun feel the pain of his first elimination.”
“I guess he still hasn’t learned his lesson.”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇;
The President’s Cup final began. The stands were filled with a lot of people, and there were also a considerable number of scouts.
It was one of the few opportunities to show off before the draft. No, perhaps this was the last final.
‘I’m definitely not losing today, Cha Tae-hyun…’
Dae-san High’s starting pitcher was Kim Shin-hwa again. A stubborn pitcher who ignored instructions and challenged Cha Tae-hyun, but the manager couldn't afford not to use him, as Hyeoksan High’s lineup was too strong. But Kim Shin-hwa himself had reflected a lot. It was true that he had been stubborn and hadn't been able to prove himself. So today…
‘I’ll prove myself by catching Cha Tae-hyun.’
Kim Shin-hwa, who was throwing practice pitches on the mound, suddenly recalled Cha Tae-hyun’s interview.
He doesn't seem to have learned his lesson. I'm going to make him taste the feeling of being eliminated by the same team twice in a row.
Just thinking about it made his blood boil. Although he had been a little provocative in the Blue Dragon Flag interview, this time he had been a gentleman. But to have such an unsportsmanlike interview?
‘What goes around comes around, Cha Tae-hyun…’
“Hey, hey! Shin-hwa, ease up a bit! You’re going to use up all your strength before the game even starts!”
“There’s a saying that you should practice like it’s a real game, Ji Dae-soo.”
Dae-san High’s catcher sighed at Kim Shin-hwa’s nonsense.
‘He seems to have lost his mind after getting hit by Cha Tae-hyun…’
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇;
Kim Shin-hwa was being mocked as the pitcher who had been taught a lesson by Cha Tae-hyun after running his mouth, but he was by no means a pitcher to be mocked.
His control was quite good, and most importantly, he could throw over 150 km/h. This generation was a bit strange, but Kim Shin-hwa was also a talented pitcher who could be considered among the best.
As if to prove that, Kim Shin-hwa cleanly retired Hyeoksan High’s top of the order, 1, 2, and 3, in the bottom of the first inning, a lineup that was considered the best in the high school league.
Although Dae-san High was also retired in order with Hyeoksan High’s pitcher being Lee Seung-tae, Kim Shin-hwa didn't care at all. He could be confident that his condition today was the best.
And unlike last time, when he had been careless, he was focused as soon as Cha Tae-hyun stepped into the batter’s box.
‘…I won’t be careless this time.’
The pride and stubbornness that had made him refuse to even throw a breaking ball had been left behind before he stepped on the mound.
Cha Tae-hyun was, he hated to admit it, best at hitting fastballs, so he ruled out fastballs. He was also a guy who could easily hit balls that were out of the strike zone, so he seemed to have no answer, but that was because the other guys’ pitches lacked velocity.
With his pitch, he could induce a swing and a miss or a ground ball with a waste pitch. First, a slider that breaks away to the inside to get a strike…
Craaaack!!
“What?”
A single word of doubt escaped Kim Shin-hwa’s lips. His thoughts, which had been racing, came to a halt, and his head instinctively followed the ball.
The ball flew in a straight line, just clearing the fence, and Kim Shin-hwa froze like a statue, his eyes wide.
└ Loooooooooool
└ Kim Shin-hwa: I'll make him feel the pain of his first elimination. Loooooooooool
└ No, Kim Shin-hwa's face looks like it's already broken? Loooooooooool
└ It's understandable that he's broken lol
└ But how do you even face Tae-hyun-shin? That pitch was a little off, but it was a ball, wasn’t it?
└ It was his mistake to throw a pitch that was just a little off lol
└ I guess he hasn’t learned his lesson yet lol
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇;
Kim Shin-hwa, despite giving up a ridiculous home run in the second inning, surprisingly didn't break down mentally.
‘You were lucky, Cha Tae-hyun. The left fielder would have caught it easily if it weren't for the wind… There won't be a next time.’
I didn't know whether to call it mental fortitude or narcissism, but he continued to pitch calmly.
Crack!
“Cha Tae-hyun hits a pitch that was slightly inside again! The ball goes just over the shortstop's head for a single!”
He didn't give up consecutive home runs like last time.
“Yes!”
Of course, the fact that he hadn't given up a home run didn't change the fact that he had given up a single… It was quite bizarre to see him clenching his fist and celebrating, unaware that he was being filmed.
‘A single against Cha Tae-hyun is a good result.’
This was the new defense mechanism Kim Shin-hwa had instinctively developed.
‘It’s not that I’m bad, it’s that he’s a monster.’
‘In fact, I’m doing a good job of holding him off.’
With that strange mix of respect and narcissism, he…
“Strike out!”
…was able to maintain a 2:0 score until the 8th inning, striking out the 5th batter, Lee Ji-ho. Kim Shin-hwa, with his shoulders held high, casually sat down next to the manager.
“I proved that I can face him without walking him, manager.”
The manager patted his shoulder and laughed. Although he was a little arrogant, Kim Shin-hwa had pitched a really good game today.
“Right. You pitched well! And now that Lee Seung-tae is out, we have a good chance!”
“Right.”
Kim Shin-hwa raised one corner of his mouth and looked at Hyeoksan High’s dugout. Although he was slightly? behind Cha Tae-hyun with a result of 4 at-bats, 4 hits, and 1 home run.
‘It’s useless if you can’t win the game. In the end, I’m the one who will be laughing last, Cha Tae-hyun.’
Of course, they were still losing 2:0, but Hyeoksan High’s bullpen was rumored to be weak. Dae-san High, a team known for its hitting, had a good chance of making a comeback.
The manager was also smiling with a similar thought.
“And now, in the bottom of the 9th, Dae-san High’s offense begins… uh, is that Cha Tae-hyun? He’s stepping onto the mound! Wow! I thought he might, with the score being so close, but is Cha Tae-hyun really coming in as the closer?”
└ No, is the manager crazy? He's trying to wear out our Phoenix ace.
└ But honestly, if you’re excited, give it a thumbs up lol
└ Thumbs up lol
└ Tae-hyun… what are you going to do, you’ve come this far…
└ But since he’s the manager of Hyeoksan High, he uses him like this once in a while. If I were the manager, I’d use him every day, right? lol
└ Right lol. He's a cheat code, so this much is understandable.
Cha Tae-hyun stepped onto the mound with a smile, as if to say, 'how pathetic.'
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇;
Contrary to the viewers’ concerns, Cha Tae-hyun’s appearance on the mound was entirely his own decision. The manager had actually tried to stop him, worried about injury, but he had insisted on going out.
It was a bit of an apology to Hwang Kwang-hyun, but Cha Tae-hyun didn't think he could pitch calmly against the 3, 4, and 5 batters in the bottom of the 9th with a 2-run lead.
‘I can’t have a comeback in the bottom of the 9th when Ms. Mi-yeon is watching.’
And it was the final. It was absolutely unacceptable. Anyway, Dae-san High’s manager’s head was about to explode at Cha Tae-hyun’s surprise appearance.
He knew that Cha Tae-hyun also pitched. But since he hadn't pitched a single time since the Golden Lion Trophy, he hadn't imagined that he would be brought in now.
Kim Shin-hwa, with his teeth chattering at the manager, raised the corner of his mouth and said,
“Manager, you don’t need to worry. He was just playing shortstop until now, so he’s tired, and his arm isn’t warmed up.”
The manager sighed and nodded at his words.
“That’s true…”
“And most importantly, he’s a guy who hasn’t pitched until now. There must be a reason for that. Watch with an easy mind. The sight of our Dae-san High batters crushing Cha Tae-hyun…”
Thwack!
Kim Shin-hwa’s mouth, which had been moving quickly, stopped at the sound of the mitt.
‘What was that just now…?’
At a glance, the velocity and command were on a different level. Kim Shin-hwa jumped up, came out of the dugout, and checked the scoreboard.
[154km/h]
“...What?”
Soon, his jaw dropped.
‘That was the pitch thrown by a guy who was just playing shortstop and didn’t even warm up his arm?’
When he slowly turned his head and looked at the mound, Cha Tae-hyun was just throwing his second pitch.
Thwack!
It was a fastball that flew straight down the middle, as if to say, 'hit it if you can,' but…
[155km/h]
…the batter could only stand there with his mouth open.
And then the third pitch. Still a fastball down the middle. The batter gritted his teeth and swung his bat with all his might, but…
Swoosh
…the ball, which should have been hit, flew slightly higher than the bat and into the mitt.
“……S-Strike! Out!”
Unusually, the umpire’s call was late. The crowd’s cheers also erupted late. It couldn’t be helped. There was a strange number on the scoreboard that was drawing their attention.
[157km/h]
Kim Shin-hwa, who was also looking at the scoreboard, let out a hollow laugh and lowered his head.
“This isn’t right…”