Chapter 77

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Translator: Wjin

Chapter: 77

Chapter Title: First Friend

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Meeting Cha Tae-hyun on the spot hadn't actually been part of the original plan.

"I thought watching from afar would be enough...

Guess not."

She'd been sure of it, but once she laid eyes on him, the urge to get a little closer filled her mind.

"I don't know... really."

Relationships with people made her uncomfortable regardless of gender, and anything involving money made it even worse—that was Lee Si-ha.

Yet Cha Tae-hyun didn't fit any of those categories, and somehow, she felt zero discomfort around him.

In fact, she was starting to look forward to the time they spent together.

Anyway,

She didn't mind this unfamiliar feeling at all. She wanted to savor it a bit longer.

Which meant...

Right now, she wanted ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to see Cha Tae-hyun.

[I miss you]

"Hmm... Even for me, that's a bit much, isn't it...?"

It was pure, 100% sweetness. Loaded with potential for misunderstandings.

She quickly deleted the text and tapped out a new one.

[Could we meet up and chat for a bit? It's been a while.]

"This feels too business-like and stiff... Yeah. We're friends... friend partners, at least."

After deleting and rewriting for what felt like ages, Lee Si-ha spotted the player interview wrapping up and hurriedly typed a message.

[Congrats on the win! It was my first time watching live, and we won thanks to you! I've become a Cha Tae-hyun fan too—could I get an autograph? I'll come to you.]

It still didn't sit quite right, but better than sending it late and missing him altogether.

"Arghhh... Sent."

Lee Si-ha hit send with a shrill squeak, shaking the phone in her hand.

Who could imagine that Lee Si-ha—the one famous for keeping a poker face through billion-won contracts without ever losing her cool—would react like this to a single text?

[Send me your location. I'll come to you.]

His quick reply made the corners of her mouth turn up.

"Yeah... He's just... comfortable."

Clip-clop-clip-clop.

Lee Si-ha's steps as she left the skybox had a lively bounce to them, full of excitement.

I arrived at the location she'd texted and found Lee Si-ha standing in front of a sleek luxury sedan. Wearing my uniform, no less.

This felt kinda weird.

Seeing someone I knew in my special uniform was embarrassing, somehow.

"This uniform looks great, right? It was such a hassle to get it."

"Yeah? You could've just asked me—I have tons at home."

Lee Si-ha handed me a marker and said,

"Really? A little disappointing, but your signature will make it special anyway."

I chuckled and took the marker. She turned her back to me.

I slowly signed the uniform with the marker...

"Eek..."

"Huh?"

"No, it's just... a bit ticklish. Keep going."

More odd little sounds followed. Once I finished, Lee Si-ha turned with a beaming smile and bowed her head.

"As thanks, let me buy you dinner. Hop in—I'll drive."

"Nah, an autograph isn't worth—"

"I refuse your refusal..."

Her tone was firm yet shy, trailing off at the end.

"Guess I can't say no then. I'm in."

I'd planned to head back after signing, but hey, dinner was inevitable anyway—free meal's a win.

"Nice ride."

Fitting for a chaebol heiress; even the interior screamed luxury.

"It's not mine."

"Oh? Whose is it then?"

"My dad's."

"Yeah? He didn't come along? How's he getting home?"

"No idea."

"Huh...?"

"Kidding. Dad can call and have a driver here in a flash."

Fair enough—for a chaebol chairman, that tracked.

Right?

He's really fine, yeah...?

"I figured a chaebol heiress wouldn't touch army stew."

"Why not? We're all ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠human—I love spicy, sweet, salty stuff too."

"Here I was thinking you'd treat me to fancy course cuisine."

"Hehe... Disappointed?"

"No way. Who hates army stew?"

We finished eating and stopped by a nearby café.

She said she came here occasionally, but it was tucked away in the hills, practically deserted and super quiet.

Made you wonder how they stayed in business.

Still, the view was killer. Leaning on the railing, you could see the whole city skyline—a real sight to behold.

As I gazed down blankly for a moment, Lee Si-ha hit me with an out-of-left-field question.

"Do you know what it feels like to live without friends?"

Oh, that.

"I know it well."

I'd lived that way.

From the orphanage to making it to the big leagues.

Baseball was my entire life, and relationships were just obstacles getting in the way.

So I focused solely on ball. My only friends were the ball and bat.

...Anyway, having lived 26 years like that, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my answer to Lee Si-ha was:

"Not bad at all. Living without friends."

She looked at me with surprise.

"You can zero in on your goals without relationship stress. Downsides? I figured I could keep going like that forever... and I actually did."

I'd really thought that—until coming to this world.

Lee Si-ha nodded like she got it.

"But turns out, I just didn't know any better. Like a kid tasting sugar for the first time. Relationships are messy, tough, exhausting... but that's why we keep wanting in. There's a unique sweetness to it, for all sorts of reasons."

Probably why.

Even after dropping into this world, I didn't crack—I'm thriving, happy even.

After a quiet pause, Lee Si-ha asked,

"Have you... ever lived alone like that? Not prying or anything, it's just... way too relatable."

Like I'd said—obviously.

26 years solo. No family.

But I couldn't exactly spell it out. Wouldn't mean a thing.

No one in this world could understand anyway—not even Lee Si-ha.

Taking my silence as a no, she apologized.

"Sorry. Feels like I asked something I shouldn't have. It just sounded so much like my story..."

"Nah, no need to apologize. It's really nothing."

This life here suits me too damn well to call it 'nothing.'

"I've lived chasing success too. For someone in business, friends are just distractions—blockers in my path. At some point, it became my personality. Meeting people started feeling... uncomfortable."

I hadn't known that about her.

The Lee Si-ha from the novel just hated greedy money-grubbers.

She was a throwaway character, used up for the protagonist's convenience.

...Had no idea about this inner side.

"But... even though that's how it was, things have changed lately, you know?"

Lee Si-ha smiled brightly, leaning her arms on the railing and resting her chin on them.

"Guess I've tasted the sweetness too. Even little things like texting or calling you feel enjoyable..."

Her gaze shifted from the view below toward me, our eyes meeting.

"...But now, even that sweetness isn't enough."

She stared at me silently for a moment, then flashed a grin.

"So... will you be my first friend?"

Was it the moonlight filtering onto her face?

Or the breeze that swept by like it was scripted, tousling her golden hair?

Her smile hit me like a stunning chill—beautiful enough to leave me staring blankly.

"Answer me."

Her coaxing voice snapped me out of it.

"Uh... yeah, sure... what..."

I gave an awkward laugh and stuck out my fist.

"Aren't we already friend partners? Friends and more."

She giggled lightly and bumped her small fist against mine.

"True. We're friend partners. Hmm... Still wish we had something more official."

Lee Si-ha pried open my fist with her small hand, then hooked her pinky with mine.

"Promise. No betraying each other. Fellow sweetness addicts."

"Just to check—is this business talk?"

"As if. Business with you... is long gone... Anyway, no."

"Then no problem."

We pressed our thumbs together.

"Wait—does that mean you could betray me business-wise?"

I chuckled softly.

"If someone offered double the contract money, what can I do? Gotta eat."

She giggled too, leaning in close enough to whisper against my shoulder.

"Don't worry. Won't happen. Double, ten times—I'm not letting go."

In pro leagues, teams can use up to three foreign players, and picking the right ones can make or break your ranking.

The Phoenix have a rep for botching their foreign picks.

Hell, if they were good at it, they wouldn't finish last every year.

Considering that track record, this year's Phoenix foreign haul was decent.

Shaun White with his solid mentality, velocity, command, and inning-eating.

And Andy John, the defensive 2B we grabbed to fix our hopeless infield— he's delivering on D and hitting respectably too.

Yeah. Foreigners are solid.

If not for Eric Wood slamming his glove on the mound.

—Crack!

"Yeah, looks like they whiffed on that foreign pitcher."

Meanwhile, at the Seoul Winners' pitching training facility. Post-game players had headed home, while the non-starters wrapped up extra work.

"Bro, you see Phoenix get crushed today?"

"Wrong pick on the foreign pitcher, huh."

"This could mean a shot at starting for you, right?"

"Starting? Look at my age."

"Why not? Surgery went great, you're feeling prime—told the manager you're gunning for Hold King this year."

"Word spread already...? Yeah, ball's popping off my hand, so I asked. But decision was made. I get it—put myself in their shoes, I'd trade a 36-year-old fresh off rehab with 3rd round pick too. Especially Phoenix's #1."

"...Even so, after all your grind here, isn't benching you for one season too harsh?"

"Haha, thanks. But our pen improved a ton without me last year. Knew my spot might be gone."

His final season before rest: 72 IP, 19 holds, 4.55 ERA.

Not top-tier, but solid.

But at 36 with surgery risk, shaky ground in a strong-pen Winners squad.

"And hey, not bad for me. Wife's handling her parents' shop in Busan—been solo. Time to join her."

"Fair. She'll love that."

"Not thrilled."

"Huh?"

"Phoenix fan. Says 3rd round pick's wasted."

The 36-year-old chuckled, patting his junior's shoulder.

"But she said make the most of it. Even selling my jersey. Gotta do well—for Phoenix."

"You'll crush it. Though... might eat some hate short-term..."

"Hm... 'Cha Yun-myeong for 3rd round pick!' They'll chuck rocks calling it a geezer grab. Kinda scary."

But Cha Yun-myeong's fears missed the mark.

Busan Phoenix fans started lighting up in response.