Chapter 96
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: Home Run Amid the Hate
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"Lee Eun-seok's got some nerve, doesn't he?"
The Blaze manager clicked his tongue and shook his head.
He'd seen the morning articles about Cha Tae-hyun too. Whether they were true or not remained to be seen, but these days, in an era overflowing with hyenas that pounced the moment they smelled blood, hate spread like wildfire.
Lee Eun-seok couldn't possibly be unaware of it, yet he'd sent Cha Tae-hyun out to the field without so much as a word.
"I figured with Cha Tae-hyun sitting it out, this would be a cakewalk..."
In truth, whether Cha Tae-hyun—who'd been getting torn apart in the media—had actually committed violence meant nothing to the Blaze manager.
He'd just assumed it'd be an easy win against a Phoenix without him, and now that seemed off the table. That was all the disappointment he felt.
Still, there were some silver linings.
"Cha Tae-hyun can't be in his right mind today. That's for sure, Coach."
"Yeah, even veteran players lose it when a scandal drops."
A fresh-faced rookie barely out of his teens like Cha Tae-hyun had no chance of keeping his head straight in a mess like this. If he didn't boot the ball, they'd count themselves lucky.
Poor kid. If he'd been on our team, we'd have taken care of him at least... but landing on a squad with no depth...
He did feel bad for the guy, but this was the cutthroat world of pro sports. The Blaze manager had no intention of letting this rare opportunity slip away.
"Tell the battery that Cha Tae-hyun's out of it today—crush his spirit hard. Nail him now, and it'll make things easier next time we face them."
Snore...
Shin Ha-yoon was dead to the world, catching the deepest sleep of his first day off since starting his job.
No alarm set—he was lost in the sweetest slumber imaginable.
What dragged him out of that bliss was the smartphone buzzing on his nightstand.
-Bzzz...
-Bzzz...
"Nngh..."
He tried ignoring it, pretending it wasn't there, but the vibrations kept coming. After resisting for a solid ten minutes, Shin Ha-yoon finally cracked his eyes open.
"Ah... damn it. Who the hell...?"
Blearily grumbling, he checked his phone—and his eyes shot wide open.
Emergency! Tae-hyun God haters are multiplying like crazy!
"Wha... what the hell? Why are there so many comment notifications...?"
The viral editing video that had utterly destroyed Shin Min-seok's reputation—made by none other than Shin Ha-yoon—had pushed his NewTube channel past 300,000 subscribers.
A few hundred comments a day was par for the course there.
[Comments +999]
But this many piling up in such a short time? Definitely suspicious.
Shin Ha-yoon stumbled to the bathroom for a splash of water and a reality check, then fired up his computer to assess the damage.
"Assault...? No way... Cha Tae-hyun's not the type... And there's zero evidence, right? Masked up, hat on, face mostly hidden—and they buy the fake crying act?"
Heat rising, Shin Ha-yoon took a deep breath to calm down. This wasn't the time to lose it.
"First things first... screenshot every last one of these bastards..."
Real talk, he was a psycho who snapped and threw punches all the time... Thanks for speaking up.
Cha Tae-hyun's got a nasty temper, turns out. Kept pushing for an autograph, then he cussed me out lol
This dude’s actual trash finally getting exposed, tsk tsk 💀
Having lurked communities for years, Shin Ha-yoon could spot the bullshit from professional grave-diggers a mile away. He screenshotted every single one. Time to teach them life was a battlefield.
"What the actual fuck is this now?"
Another scorching article caught his eye mid-capture.
Cha Tae-hyun now facing school bully allegations...? Tips pouring in claiming he was a notorious thug in high school...
The headline alone had him scoffing in disbelief, and the comment section made his head spin.
Yeah, went to Hyuksan High—Cha Tae-hyun was legit a famous thug.
No way? Isn't there a docu about him grinding all night?
You believe TV? Lmao it's all scripted
Went to Hyuksan too—he was always sprawled out sleeping or scaring kids.
Man, this is a real letdown...
Blind fans ok with anything cuz he plays ball well
Damn… Phoenix fans really next level pathetic
The orphanage rumors still had some defenders thanks to Cha Tae-hyun's wholesome image, but piling on the bully claims? Now the bashers were the majority.
"Ugh, unbelievable! No evidence at all, and they're branding him trash? Cha Tae-hyun a thug? What bullshit..."
Fists trembling, voice rising—Shin Ha-yoon trailed off with a heavy sigh.
He remembered his own days wrongly labeling Cha Tae-hyun a thug.
It's not even me getting misunderstood, but him—and it feels like I could cry from the injustice...
What must Cha Tae-hyun be feeling?
Shin Ha-yoon bit his lip, wiping the tears pricking his eyes.
Cha Tae-hyun had said he forgave him multiple times, but right now, it hit again—this was a sin he'd carry forever.
[Tae-hyun God TV]
With his NewTube channel gaining real sway, Shin Ha-yoon started drafting an announcement.
I'll go live as soon as I'm ready today. Explaining exactly why the Cha Tae-hyun bully rumors are bogus. (Proof of Hyuksan High attendance + group photo certifying my face.)
[Live Broadcast Waitlist: 12,786]
Just posting the reservation, and the waitlist shot past 10,000—instantly. And climbing still.
Shin Ha-yoon might be outgoing, but facing a faceless crowd? Terrifying.
That was why he'd always used voice modulation and never shown his face on the channel.
This was basically doxxing himself—name, face, alma mater. Meddling in the scandal could even get him fired from his hard-won Phoenix job.
Hands shaking, chest tight, breath short... but still.
"He's my player..."
To ensure Cha Tae-hyun never suffered injustice again.
So scum like me couldn't sink their teeth into him.
Shin Ha-yoon dug out his Hyuksan High student ID, name tag, uniform—and finally, his Phoenix employee badge.
[Andy John singles, runners on first with two outs. Up next: cleanup hitter Cha Tae-hyun.]
Acting like nothing's wrong just makes it obvious.
The Blaze catcher smirked at Cha Tae-hyun's usual calm face.
The manager had ordered them to break him today, and he agreed. Those over-the-top home run celebrations already grated—perfect timing.
Time for some fun.
Once infamous for crushing rookies' spirits, he let a sleazy drawl slip out.
"Damn... Phoenix trots out an assaulter? How you gonna handle the fallout?"
"......"
Ignoring me?
Smart for a green rookie, but with ears open, he couldn't not hear.
Bet it was boiling inside. The catcher kept talking.
"But... did you really hit him? Nah, right? Orphan kids have it rough... If you did, that's a real problem—as a human."
Cha Tae-hyun settled into his stance and murmured low.
"Focus on the game. You trying to get hit?"
The stunned catcher let out a hollow laugh.
"Psycho really did it? Threatening to hit people now?"
Cha Tae-hyun ignored him, glaring at the pitcher. The catcher tsked, calling for a high fastball a hair outside.
The pitch left the pitcher's fingers perfectly as called.
Cha Tae-hyun's bat whipped through that high fastball, a half-ball off the plate.
─CRACK!!!
A spine-chilling hit, vicious enough to chill the catcher's bones. The ball sliced through the Sajik sky, soaring high.
The center fielder chasing it stopped short after a few steps. The pitcher sighed, kicking the mound in frustration.
The ball vanished beyond the Sajik Stadium outfield.
An outside-the-park homer.
"Even if I tell you you're gonna get hit."
Locking eyes with the catcher, Cha Tae-hyun flipped his bat and trotted to first.
Tonight's game ended in a solid 10-2 win.
He'd promised meat as agreed earlier, but everyone suddenly claimed stomachaches and packed up quick to head home.
Probably giving him space after the fresh scandals blew up.
"They all crawl out when they smell weakness."
The bully rumors had been mostly quashed by his documentary footage, but now the "Cha Tae-hyun's always been trash!" crowd was rearing its ugly head again.
A bizarre situation where the victim didn't exist, and the perp was just him.
The bully stuff... he could gather evidence and clear it step by step. The real issue was the orphanage assault—he knew nothing about that.
Maybe ask Ji-hyun...
With that thought, he opened the door—and there was Ji-hyun on the entryway floor, knees hugged tight.
"Oppa..."
Her eyes were swollen from crying, voice hoarse.
"Ji-hyun-ah... what's wrong? What happened?"
Slowly standing, she buried her face in his chest without a word, sobbing.
"Sorry... sob... I'm sorry, oppa... This is because of me... If I wasn't here, this wouldn't have happened..."
Her heartbroken wails let him piece together the whole story.
"...Fucking unbelievable scumbag."
After tucking the exhausted, tear-streaked Ji-hyun into bed, he spat curses. Holding them in wouldn't cut it.
He hadn't grilled her hard, but their talk revealed some shocking truths.
First off... the assault was real.
He'd beaten the crap out of some guy named Lee Seung-jun with a wooden stick.
And there were more than enough reasons. Overflowing, even.
Under the guise of "play," groping Ji-hyun.
Clinging despite her firm rejections, then trash-talking her behind her back when she turned down his confession...
"What a deranged freak..."
Sighing, he stepped out for a walk.
Looped the complex, sat on a bench, and powered on the phone he'd shut off when the scandals hit.
[23 Missed Calls from Mi-yeon-ssi.]
"Should've at least texted her before killing my phone..."
The endless missed call log conjured her worried face—guilt hit hard.
[Mi-yeon-ssi: Tae-hyun-ah... you okay? Game's over and no word... nothing happened, right?]
[Mi-yeon-ssi: Tae-hyun-ah, ignore today's articles! Famous people attract pests. Text back if you see this—teacher's waiting.]
[Mi-yeon-ssi: I get you need alone time... sorry. Too worried... Just popping by quick, Tae-hyun-ah.]
"Just popping by"—was she on her way now?
He glanced up at the complex entrance unthinkingly. Nothing.
He dialed Mi-yeon-ssi.
It connected instantly.
"Teacher..."
-T-Tae-hyun-ah! Almost! Almost there!
"Huh...?"
-Right now... really almost! Hold on!
Her frantic tone had him whipping his head back to the entrance.
"Tae-hyun-ah...!"
"Teacher?"
Mi-yeon-ssi, biting her lip to hold back tears, sprinted toward him—and threw her arms around him.
"Why's teacher crying too?"
She shook her head against his chest like she wasn't, but he felt the dampness through his shirt.
"You're not... Tae-hyun wouldn't... sob... Bad people."
Her voice cracked with sniffles and simmering anger—a soft laugh escaped him.
"Not the time to laugh... You should be mad, Tae-hyun-ah... sob... It's unfair... So unfair!"
Yeah, it was unfair as hell.
Unfair enough that thinking of Ji-hyun had him fuming... even craving a smoke.
"Seeing you makes it better."
"No...! That's not... We can't let this slide, Tae-hyun-ah... Absolutely not!"
Her tiny fists thumped his chest, drawing another laugh.
"Yeah. No sliding. Never gonna let it go. So don't worry."
Mi-yeon-ssi finally relaxed, nodding vigorously in his arms.
He stroked her hair gently, vowing deep down.
See this through to the end, no matter what.
They'd crossed the line too far.