Bored to Death by Their Pathetic Levels
I'm so bored with your levels that I feel like dying. With all preparations complete, I slip on my glove and head out to the field with my right hand. Sajik Baseball Stadium, home of the Minions in Busan. Since it's our first matchup, there are no spectators except for the staff. They hadn't anticipated this level of hype, so proper preparations weren't in place, forcing them to run it as a no-fan game. Rushing setup brought up safety issues too, apparently.
My first real-game pitching... it'll be fine, right?
I settle onto the mound, feeling the hot stares fixed on me. Is it because of the rumors about my 150 km/h fastballs? They're looking at me like they want to devour me whole. Amid it all, I spot Lee Sojeong taking her position—she's the one I've eaten up a few times. She kept pushing herself on me slyly, so I played along, let her have a taste, and mixed our bodies a bit. Now she fusses over me like I'm her boyfriend. Thanks to her, my knowledge of this world's baseball has grown a ton. She's got a decent look, and as an athlete, her grip isn't bad either, so we've shared a bed a few times. Not that I plan to date her, of course.
She seems to have figured me out to some extent and is fine even as a sex partner.
"Okay!"
I smack my glove a few times while checking the mound. I've warmed up in the bullpen, but the actual mound can feel different, so I keep activating my muscles and adapting to the environment.
And... whoooosh!
Thwack!
"Nice ball!"
I lightly check my pitching. The weather's a bit chilly, but since I've warmed up thoroughly, my body's in good shape. After tossing a few more, I glance at the dugout and see the Misi—no, my baseball senior s—brimming with anticipation, along with Lily gazing at me in ecstasy. And Kim Seongchan watching me with those strange eyes.
Even so, since he's the male member, the PD is slyly trying to frame me and Kim Seongchan as rivals to stir up aggro and ratings.
Fine by me.
Anything that lets me shatter Kim Seongchan's ego works. I've heard that because Lily's gone crazy-eyed over my baseball skills, she's been getting snappy, and rumors are starting to spread among baseball fans.
* * *
"...He's ridiculously fast."
Hwang Siyeon, the Minions' shortstop and leadoff hitter, steps up to the plate swinging her bat.
"Still, it doesn't look like a real 150. Did he actually throw that?"
Han Jimin's 150 km/h fastball had sparked endless debate even among pros. It was a variety show, after all, and while the legendary players on Best Baseball wouldn't lie, it was hard to fully buy into that terrifying number. Not a single Minions pitcher even touched 150.
"You'll see."
Lee Sojeong smirked at Hwang Siyeon's question and raised her glove. She hadn't believed it herself until she caught it.
They'd be shocked. Or faint.
That heavy ball that made my palm throb...
Memories of Jimin's massive cock sending her to heaven flooded back, making her pussy wet.
Ah, fuck. Focus.
Was it because she now knew he was a man? The real-time flashbacks to the pleasure of sex were driving her insane. Just like the seniors said, a real man was dangerous and toxic, no doubt.
"Hoo..."
The pitching began.
Thwack!
A high-speed splitter—the kind you'd only see in MLB—toyed with the batter and slammed into the catcher's mitt.
"What the fuck?"
Serina, the Minions' first-team manager who'd come to the stadium out of curiosity for the matchup, shot to her feet, cursing involuntarily.
Hwang Siyeon, the leadoff hitter, couldn't even think of swinging. It was that perfect a splitter. The drop was insane, but the velocity and power were otherworldly.
"Hngh!"
Jim in jumped high for the second pitch.
Thwack!
The ball shot from his hand like a cannonball, embedding in the mitt in the blink of an eye.
"Strike!!!"
"......"
Hwang Siyeon couldn't react properly again. The speed was unlike anything she'd seen.
"T-Time!!!"
A six-year pro with some grit, she called for time to check her body, but overwhelming pitching like this forced her to kneel.
Thwack!
"No, fuck...?!"
She had no answer for the fastball diving into her body. Cursing, Hwang Siyeon shook her head and trudged back to the dugout. Goosebumps lingered down her spine.
Bae Chaewon-sunbaenim's scolding rang out, but they'd chalked it up to the show. Big mistake. Facing even one at-bat felt like slamming into a massive wall.
"How was it?"
Back in the dugout, the other players who'd watched intently asked. It was a 1.5-team lineup, but packed with core players and promising rookies—a solid squad.
Hwang Siyeon shook her head at all the eyes on her.
"Uh... can't hit it. That thing."
"For real?"
"You saw it. It's insanely fast. The breaking ball's angle is sharp too."
Her gaze shifted to the Minions' starter for the day, Kwon Nayeon, the team's fourth pitcher. Why did it feel like the guy on the mound throwing now outclassed KBO's Kwon Nayeon by a step—or two?
"Seriously, why isn't that guy a pro baseball player?"
The words fans often posted on Best Baseball boards slipped from Hwang Siyeon's mouth. A prepared camera caught the moment perfectly.
* * *
Thwack! Thud!
Leadoff batter: three pitches, three strikes. Number two: groundout. Number three: strikeout. Bottom of the order or not, these were pros—and I dispatched the Minions players with just nine pitches.
First real-game outing, but maybe thanks to my B-rank baseball skill? Results were solid.
"Condition looks good? You okay?"
"Yeah, not bad."
Heading back to the dugout, Lee Sojeong sticks close, checking my condition. If I said blood was rushing to my dick and tanking my form, she'd drag me somewhere private and suck it right there.
This is why they call the catcher a pitcher's wife in baseball.
She's doting like a real spouse, fussing over her man's body meticulously.
"Han Jimin! Han Jimin!!!"
"Milky-skinned Han Jimin!!!"
"Hey! Where'd you stash your first official strikeout ball? Bring it quick!"
Back in the dugout, the cheers from the Misi—no, sunbaenims—don't stop. No surprise; I never missed a single practice while prepping this show. 100% attendance, the only one. Busiest schedule, yet perfect practice turnout and absurdly good skills? No wonder I hog all the noonas' love.
Of course, there was a reason I showed up religiously. Partly to claim Lily and twist Kim Seongchan's guts, but mainly...
...the baseball-related achievements popping up as my form solidified with practice. I'd recovered about 3,000 IP since starting baseball. Considering what I'd spent so far, I needed more—but not for long.
Achievements kept rolling in. Considering the tough related ones yet to come, the IP haul was unimaginable. Plenty of reason to mine this variety show like an IP goldmine.
Sitting in the dugout sorting achievement messages, someone slips quietly beside me and timidly hands me a sports drink. It's Lily. I turn casually, and she beams at me, pointing to the drink in my hand and giving a thumbs-up.
"This is the sports drink from Minions Brew."
"...Oh. Doesn't drinking that mean I have to join the Minions?"
"Huh? Then I gotta chug it. Want me to feed it to you?"
"Got too much on my plate—pass. You know practice starts right after the game, right?"
"Eek?! Producer strict-mode already?"
Her shocked expression is so ridiculous yet cute that I chuckle. And observing Kim Seongchan's pissed-off face from behind? Not bad at all.
If only the cameras caught that and stirred up viewer drama.
I came all the way here because of Nayun's thing, so the bigger the fuck-you to him, the better. First impressions must've stuck—nothing about filming Best Baseball sits right with him anyway.
Anyway...
Crack!!!
Who was it? Jeong Minjeong? Anyway, a hefty senior's hit connected solidly, but the other team snagged it with a running catch. Considering the opponents were pros retired over three years ago, not a bad swing.
The rest were veterans too, so they made contact.
"Out!!!"
"Out!"
"Ugh... why does our ump call outs so loud and embarrassing?"
"Wasn't her voice always like that?"
"Ah, you—quiet down."
No hits, though.
"Fighting!!!"
"I'll be back."
With the switch, I head back to the mound amid cheers from Lily and the cheer squad.
Three-pitch Ks and first outs give achievements... quality starts or better must too.
And those would net way more than 300 IP. So I'd pitch my all today. The manager even said she hoped I'd eat up innings.
Earn IP with killer baseball? Invest it back into entertainment talents to blow up. Perfect.
Lee Sojeong's sign: high-zone four-seam. Textbook per my baseball knowledge. I throw it. Partly to boost my "wife's" morale now that she's back behind the mask post-forced retirement.
Thwack!
"Strike!!!"
Glancing at the board: 147 km/h.
"Whoa, fuck..."
The batter's awed voice carries over—tear-mole girl.
Body not fully loose yet?
Velocity's lower than expected. In my world's baseball, even high schoolers hit 150 easy.
Or maybe 150's the B-rank skill cap.
Anyway, this world's baseball feels a notch or two below what I know. Their "MLB" seems like that Busan team winless for 32 years back home.
Second pitch: four-seam again. In this world, 140s are tough even for pros. Especially with no data on me—this might as well be my debut.
"Strike!!!"
I rack up strikes fast, piling outs. Pros made some contact, but all flies or grounders—no one reached first.
No runners allowed, I keep dealing. Before I know it, we're in the seventh. Why's everything so quiet around me?