The Talk of the Town (3): The Baseball Scandal
I was about to have some ramen for lunch when I got a message from Han Yuna.
"You want me to come to your company?"
It would be a bit late, she added.
Around three o'clock or so.
I didn't mind.
I had about two hours left, so I could shake off some fatigue in the meantime.
That's how I made plans to meet Han Yuna and logged into the game.
The guild chat was in chaos over baseball.
I don't follow baseball, so I had no clue, but the guild's baseball fans were losing their minds.
Hmm. Yeah, that'd piss anyone off.
The internet was burning hotter than the Forest of Illing.
Apparently, it was a birthday party for a team staff member, but furious fans weren't buying it.
Baseball really is toxic.
Reading the comments full of blame and curses, I thought to myself: I should never live like that.
"Huh?"
That's when it happened.
As I was looking at the photos of the Umbrella players, suddenly the future flashed before my eyes.
Kim Juhyeong was a solid lefty hitter and pitcher in his own right.
He took pride in his skills.
But the pro world was brutally harsh.
No matter how hard he trained, results were hard to come by.
Then one person approached him.
'There's a drug that never gets detected.'
It was a rumor quietly circulating among players.
Someone who could mix perfect cocktails.
Even past MVPs had supposedly used his services.
Of course, no one ever tested positive.
He was anxious.
If things stayed like this, he'd get demoted to the minors, and from there it'd be all downhill.
But he couldn't touch drugs.
So he refused.
And threw himself into training.
That's when his talent began to bloom.
He started hitting singles.
Crushing home runs.
Making super saves that led the team to victory.
The fruit of relentless training, effort, and sweat equal to his talent.
The team loved it. Management was thrilled.
Fans multiplied.
Kim Juhyeong thought his future was paved with roses.
Then came the match-fixing offer.
Just make a few mistakes.
Drag the team deeper into the basement.
Five billion won in return.
But could he really do it?
Should he even consider it?
Desire and anxiety crushed his chest.
So.
In the end, he didn't.
It was shameful.
Something he just couldn't do.
But...
"I... I didn't do it."
Sudden summons from the KBO.
A tip about match-fixing involvement left him panicking.
Sure, he'd gotten the offer, but this mistake wasn't intentional.
He'd never taken money or benefits.
But the prosecutors and management didn't believe him.
A defensive error at a crucial moment.
And five hundred million mysteriously deposited into his grandmother's account after that game.
He denied it.
He'd never received such money.
He resisted over and over, but they wouldn't listen.
In the end, his claims were accepted.
Not guilty.
But by then, he was already shattered beyond repair.
Mentally and physically broken, unable to continue playing baseball.
And so.
A young baseball star crumbled.
"Hmm."
Kim Juhyeong, huh.
A quick search showed he was an Umbrella player who'd struggled early but skyrocketed with experience.
He wasn't in those club photos either—diligent guy with good stats, beloved by fans.
For someone like that to get tangled in a match-fixing scandal...
If I hadn't seen it, fine. But since I did, I should probably warn him.
But how the hell do I do that...
I was deep in thought when it was time to head out.
Outside, I spotted Han Yuna's car.
"Hello."
"Good lunch. A bit late for lunch, though."
"Sorry. Feels like I made you wait."
"Nah, I was just gaming. So, where to eat?"
"There's a great galbi place nearby. I'll treat you, so let's go."
I followed her into a galbi restaurant deeper in.
Well past lunch rush, it was surprisingly quiet for a popular spot.
"What've you been up to?"
"Gaming."
"Don't rush ahead alone."
"I leveled an alt, so don't worry. Log in after work."
"Got it."
We're hunting together, matching levels with Han Yuna.
If I pull ahead solo, she gets left behind.
So I've only been hunting on my main, not the new char.
"It's all done."
Perfectly grilled meat piled onto my plate.
One bite... whoa, this is insanely good.
"How is it?"
"So damn good. How'd you find this place?"
"My old hotel manager loved food tours. I wasn't into it."
"Why not?"
"No interest in chasing hotspots."
Still, it was work, so she tagged along without complaint.
Thanks to that, she knows Seoul's best eats inside out, she said proudly.
"I know a great raw fish place. Wanna go this weekend?"
"Sure."
A faint smile tugged at Han Yuna's lips.
She's enjoying this.
As we dug into the meat, the entrance got noisy.
Filming equipment rolling in—guess they were shooting here today.
"Whoa?!"
"Hm?"
"Noah hyung, maybe?"
This guy looked older than me calling me "hyung." Kinda weird.
"Haha! Didn't expect to run into you here... Oh. On a date?"
"D-date? No."
Han Yuna panicked and blurted it out.
Just grabbing a meal together—she'd waited, so I was treating her. She rambled on awkwardly.
I let her be for now.
"You're... Puhongi-nim, right?"
"Hahaha. Yes. Honored to meet you. Ah, no filming right now, so relax."
True to his million-sub YouTuber status, he was friendly and knew how to win people over.
Him being here meant he'd taken my advice.
"Saved me a ton of time. Turns out the Bupyeong chef suddenly got sick."
"You checked it out?"
"Haha, yeah. Apologizing for the reschedule and sorting the next shoot."
Then the chef falls ill—my future vision nailed it again.
"If we'd gone to Yangpyeong... whew."
We'd all be cozy in the ER.
"You saved our asses, so lunch is on me today, Noah hyung."
"I'm the one getting treated today."
"Whoa, by someone that pretty?"
"Just a friend."
Han Yuna said with a soft smile.
"Plus, Noah treated me at the manga cafe last time. Anyway, I'm paying today."
Puhongi grinned warmly at her fumbling words.
This stoic beauty mumbling excuses was kinda cute.
"Then I'll treat next time. For real."
"I'll happily mooch."
"Haha, sure. Gotta get back to shooting. Enjoy."
Puhongi walked off.
Han Yuna, watching, flipped more meat.
"It's burning. Eat up."
.
.
.
We finished the meat, gave a quick wave to Puhongi's crew, and headed to a nearby cafe.
We chatted and hung out until she had to head back to work, consoling her sulky face on the way home.
That's when Puhongi's team emerged from the galbi place.
"Hey! We meet again?"
"Shooting done?"
"Haha, yeah. But Noah hyung."
"Hyung's a bit..."
"I'm a fan now too. Been sneaking into your sub-account since the last stream."
"Ah."
Fair enough.
"Anyway, hyung. Ever thought about a collab?"
"Collab?"
"Yeah. Planning a special episode next."
"Special, huh. What's it about?"
Collab invites had been rolling in.
Not super interested, so I'd turned most down.
"Baseball players special. I'm actually an Umbrella fan."
"I don't watch much baseball. But isn't Umbrella in hot water right now?"
His friendly face twisted into demonic rage.
"Of course I wanna line those fuckers up and bat 'em senseless..."
This is why baseball's toxic.
"But Juhyeong's different! Juhyeong's one of the good ones!!"
Juhyeong.
Kim Juhyeong.
Umbrella's next ace, cheered by so many.
"Inviting Juhyeong this time."
His voice brimmed with affection.
"You know our Juhyeong loves food, right?"
"Yeah?"
"They say he downs ten portions at Ham's something."
"Whoa..."
"And still so lean. Means hardcore training. Wanna feed a hardworking guy something real good."
"Oho, sounds great."
"Plus, wanna show him your spots. Like best army enlistment timing."
Kim Juhyeong hadn't done his service yet.
Puhongi was hyped about Olympics gold if he made the national team.
Anyway, not yet.
"So, collab possible? We'll pay, of course."
A collab.
Meets with Kim Juhyeong.
That tragic hardworking genius.
"Sure."
No reason to refuse.