Chapter 75
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Lucky Error and Chairman's Shock
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[Ah... What was that? A truly heartbreaking defensive play. Honestly, that kind of grounder has to be fielded. From the pitcher's perspective, this makes things exhausting. Kim Chang-hyun looks dejected, covering his mouth with his glove...]
The crowd and viewers were still reeling from the shocking error.
That's when the camera panned toward the team owner.
[Yes, the owner's expression isn't great right now. Is that his daughter next to him? Looks like father and daughter are cheering for different teams. She's wearing Cha Tae-hyun's jersey.]
Volcanoes Leader shocked by the happy defense lol
Why is his daughter wearing Cha Tae-hyun's jersey? Lol
The Volcanoes owner's daughter is a spy? Wtf lol
Cha Tae-hyun, the devilish charmer who even seduced the Volcanoes owner's daughter...
Last-place losers why are you here? GTFO
Nah I'm not a Phoenix fan but Cha Tae-hyun is legit hot
She's a bimbo lol
Not a girl?
Then what, a dude?
Yeah
Wtf;;
Gay gay...
The viewers assumed the owner's flustered expression was due to the error, but that wasn't it.
An error like that? As the Volcanoes owner, he's seen plenty. It was just the Volcanoes being the Volcanoes again.
The real issue was...
"Si-ha...?"
Lee Dae-jin glanced at his daughter's jersey.
Bright red... with [Cha Tae-hyun] emblazoned on the back—a Phoenix uniform.
"Yes, Father?"
"That... isn't that a Phoenix jersey?"
"Yes. Specifically, it's Cha Tae-hyun's special edition. Took quite some effort to get it."
"Weren't you a Volcanoes fan...? Even so, your father's the Volcanoes owner..."
Lee Si-ha smiled brightly in response.
"Father, just because you like the Volcanoes doesn't mean I have to, right?"
"Well, that's true..."
Today, his daughter seemed a bit pouty. His eldest might be distant, but second daughter Si-ha had always been affectionate toward him.
Lee Dae-jin's feeling wasn't just his imagination.
'...This isn't instinct.'
In truth, Si-ha was a little upset.
Honestly, she'd been looking forward to this live game. A lot.
Coming to the stadium for the first time after only watching on TV from home, she had her own fantasies.
The roaring heat from the stands, the field unfolding right before her eyes.
And above all, she wanted to sing Cha Tae-hyun's cheer song with everyone...
'Sky box, of all things...'
[With the runner on due to the error, No. 4 hitter Cha Tae-hyun steps up to the plate. Tough break for Kim Chang-hyun...]
As Cha Tae-hyun entered the batter's box, Si-ha, who had been pouting, instantly lit up with a smile. She stuck her face toward the window so eagerly she looked ready to climb on the table.
"Ooh~ Phoenix ooh~ Cha Tae-hyun, smash it without mercy, Cha Tae-hyun."
A petty revenge against her father? Or fulfilling her cheer song dream—Si-ha started singing.
Lee Dae-jin's expression grew complicated as he watched his daughter.
"Tae-hyun-ah. That pitcher's stuff isn't cooperating today... seriously. The fastball's nasty enough, but the forkball... anyway, if it looks low, hold off for now."
"Got it. Thanks, Lee Jun sunbae."
As I headed to the plate after a quick thanks, Sang-jin sunbae's voice rang out.
"Hey, Lee Jun's just embarrassed he couldn't hit it and making a fuss. Change your name to Strikeout Jun."
"...Not funny."
"Then if Tae-hyun hits a homer here, you admit Strikeout Jun struck out?"
"Won't be easy for him either."
"Oh? It's that tough? Daring to slander Shin Tae-hyun?"
Normally, I'd laugh along.
But this time, I agreed with Lee Jun sunbae.
I know pitcher Kim Chang-hyun well. We were teammates in high school, so that's expected, but there's more.
Back then, Chang-hyun sunbae used to set me up as the hitter every day, saying facing the best batter was the best training.
In other words, I'm the batter who's faced him the most in Korea.
My instincts from that experience are telling me:
Chang-hyun sunbae's in top form today.
Sure, that ridiculous error might shake his mentality a bit,
but he's not the type to crumble over one error.
Whatever. Right now, as the cleanup hitter, my focus is driving in those runners piled up on base.
I took two practice swings over the plate and set my stance.
'Long time no see, Cha Tae-hyun.'
Chang-hyun sunbae grinned at me, as if saying that.
I smiled back, gripped the bat tight.
Chang-hyun sunbae went into his motion.
With a runner on first, quick slide step instead of windup. The ball left his hand.
Crack!
I smacked a fastball tight inside. Good timing, but not solid contact. The ball sailed way foul past the line.
"Foul!"
Something's off with Chang-hyun sunbae today...
I felt it on the first pitch. This isn't the Kim Chang-hyun I know. The heaviness of the ball on contact was no joke.
Thinking about it, he always pitched lights-out in big matchups.
The guy who randomly threw a perfect game in the Blue Dragon Cup finals.
Not sure if today's that big, but his stuff is sharp right now.
Chang-hyun sunbae rubbed the rosin bag once and set.
Whoosh—
The ball flew at me.
Similar trajectory to the fastball at first glance,
but it dropped sharply in front— a forkball perfectly timed to steal the batter's rhythm.
Now I get why Lee Jun sunbae freaked about the fork. Holding off on low ones was solid advice.
Any KBO-level hitter would've chased without it and whiffed.
Of course...
It's worthless to me.
I'm not that level of hitter.
I adjusted my swing path to match the drop, dug in my front foot sending up dirt, shifted my weight fully,
perfect timing and contact point aligning for max efficiency—
Crack!!!!!!
I unleashed the bat.
[Argh!! Cha Tae-hyun crushes that low-dipping forkball! Like a golf swing, he pops it up perfectly! Center fielder's chasing hard, but this ball's gone! Home run! Cha Tae-hyun caps the top of the first with a two-run shot! How do you stop this guy?!]
Someone said hitting homers every day gets boring...
It doesn't.
Every one feels fresh, thrilling. Can't stop smiling.
With Chang-hyun sunbae on the mound today, I tossed the bat skyward and sprinted to first.
"Hahaha! Hey, Strikeout Jun. Tae-hyun just cleared that fork you whined about? You just couldn't hit it!"
"Ah... no, that's..."
"Even I, Shin Tae-seop, agree with Sang-jin this time. Don't be ugly, own it, Strikeout Jun."
"...Cha Tae-hyun's the weird one. Damn, did he target the fork knowing it messes with me?"
[Wow... Cha Tae-hyun's swing never fails to amaze. Haha! Camera's back on the owner again. What a tease.]
"Father! Father! See that? Incredible swing, right? Thank goodness. Without that 'happy defense,' no homer. Oh, Father, you still gotta cheer for Volcanoes players! Come on, that song! Sing it!"
"...Si-ha. Did I do something wrong today?"
Lolololol
Wtf camera director a Phoenix fan? Why keep filming our Volcanoes leader looking pathetic?
Meanwhile leader's daughter is hyped af lol
Not just hyped, she's trolling her dad lol
Pls mic up that box? Wanna hear what she's teasing lol
Fr lol
"Shin Tae-hyun who turned Lee Jun into Strikeout Jun is back!"
"Quit being so good, Tae-hyun. Even when I'm hot lately, they rag on me for not matching you."
"Hey Tae-hyun! Don't forget Lucky Andy who set up your two-run homer!"
Back in the dugout, a barrage of high-fives rained on my back and helmet.
The first inning nearly ended scoreless, but two runs lit up the mood like a club.
Oddly, Su-ho sunbae stared at the mound with a pitiful look, out of sync with the vibe.
"Something wrong? Your face is stiff."
I hit a homer, why the funeral face? No, Su-ho sunbae usually thrives in this atmosphere.
Si-hwan sunbae, with a wistful gaze, murmured softly.
"Tae-hyun-ah. That's me last year..."
His answer was too real to laugh at. I nodded instinctively.
Last year's Phoenix keystone duo led error charts? Su-ho sunbae might've seen worse than that one.
"Poor guy. Second year, basically a rookie, that could break him."
Hmm... maybe?
"He'll be fine."
"Huh?"
"You know he went to the same school as me."
"Yeah, heard that."
"He's a bit weird, sure."
Thwack!
[Looking strike three! Despite the error and homer, Kim Chang-hyun stays cool, strikes out the side to end the inning!]
"But his mental game's rock solid."
"Cha Tae-hyun... is he really a rookie? I think that every time."
"To me, that's no rookie. Feels like a MLB ghost possessed him."
The Volcanoes manager joked with a hollow laugh.
Once, the owner visited him, insisting not to miss Cha Tae-hyun, even suggesting tanking with one eye closed.
What had he said then?
-Intentionally finishing last...? That's insulting our loyal fans!
Spot on, the sportsmanlike mindset, even the owner apologized for overstepping...
'No, sir. You were right.'
Any ordinary rookie, maybe not. But 'Cha Tae-hyun' is worth tossing that spirit for.
He should've tanked ugly, endured the finger-pointing, and grabbed him.
Especially with Volcanoes surging now.
'If he were on our team... playoffs for sure...'
"Every time I see him, it stings."
"Yeah, Coach. Regrettable, but quit moping and focus on the game."
They gave up runs on a happy error in the first, but Kim Chang-hyun held firm with strong pitching. No easy scores ahead.
Plus, Phoenix rushed fifth starter Lee Seung-tae due to their foreign pitcher's shakiness.
Worse numbers last year than fourth starter Kim Chang-hyun.
"Our bats are hot, we can tee off on Lee Seung-tae."
The coach nodded.
"Right. Lee Seung-tae ain't on Chang-hyun's level—"
Before he finished—
Thwack!
Lee Seung-tae's 157 km/h fastball slammed the mitt like it would tear it.
[Lee Seung-tae max velocity right off the bat! Both aces from the same school today—rivalry brewing? Exciting matchup!]
The sudden top speed left manager and coach speechless, visibly rattled.
Amid it, one man smiled.
"An ace shines brightest against another ace."
He wasn't fazed by Lee Seung-tae. Knew his true level after a brief pause.
Excited even, for a great duel.
[Whiff strike three! Third pitch also 156 km/h heat for the K! How's this guy a fifth starter? What's wrong with Phoenix's rotation?!]
Lee Seung-tae fanned on three pitches, Kim Chang-hyun nodded coolly.
Whoosh
[Swinging K! Lee Seung-tae with back-to-back strikeouts! Amazing!]
Two more Ks, still smiling— the ace he acknowledged.
Crack!
But...
The third hitter's grounder went right to the same spot as the earlier error, rippling his calm lake-like poise.
[Pushes the second pitch well! Andy dives for a slick grab! What a play! Similar course to Volcanoes' drop earlier, but way harder hit. They missed an easy one; Andy snared an impossible one!]
"...Lee Seung-tae."
Muttering his name, Kim Chang-hyun added in a wistful tone.
"That's cheating..."
Staring blankly at the mound, he grabbed his glove to cover his mouth.