Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: The Beginning is Half? X The Beginning is Hell O
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Choi Seung-taek hurried toward his car.
Sure enough, Park Ga-young was waiting inside.
"Ga-young!"
"You got here fast. I was freezing my butt off."
Park Ga-young said it with a slight pout.
"Sorry."
But Park Ga-young quickly broke into a wide grin.
"Aw, what do you have to be sorry for? Let's get going."
"And then I've gotta head straight to Daejeon."
"Seriously? Sigh... I kinda had a feeling."
Park Ga-young looked disappointed, and seeing her like that made Choi Seung-taek feel a little down.
"So you have to leave right now? Should I just grab a taxi?"
"No, it's fine. I can at least drop you home first."
Choi Seung-taek buckled up and drove toward Park Ga-young's house.
"Seung-taek."
"Yeah?"
"You were so cool today."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. You were cool on our date, and cool at the stadium too. Especially that... home run? When the crowd started chanting your name so loud. It just made my whole mood lift."
A warm swell rose in his chest.
Choi Seung-taek felt his gloomy mood recover.
'Yeah... Ga-young really makes everything better.'
But instead, his mood felt strangely off. His heart suddenly felt wide open.
"Ga-young, I miss you."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Park Ga-young looked baffled by his sudden words.
"I'm looking right at you, but I still miss you."
"Oh, come on. You're embarrassing me... keep going."
"Huh?"
"Say more. It feels so good."
Park Ga-young clearly liked his corny lines.
"It was really tough in Okinawa, you know? But right now feels even tougher. I want to stay together all the time, but we have to split up."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. That's why I'm bummed out. And we're almost at your place, so it's even worse. Driving down to Daejeon alone is gonna suck even more."
"Hmm..."
Park Ga-young fell deep into thought at his words. And just like that, they pulled up in front of her house.
"Huh? Mom's out there."
Spotting her mom, Park Ga-young unbuckled her seatbelt.
"Oh yeah? I'll get out too..."
"No, you stay in the car. You've gotta hit the road."
"But still..."
"Hold on a sec."
Choi Seung-taek started to get out, but Park Ga-young stopped him. Then she twisted toward him and planted a kiss on his lips.
...
'Such a nice scent.'
Thump thump.
His heart began racing from Park Ga-young's sudden kiss.
After a brief, eternal moment, she carefully pulled away from him.
Park Ga-young's face was flushed too.
"Seung-taek, now you won't feel down on the drive to Daejeon, right?"
"I don't think I'll feel down at all."
"W-well then, I'm heading out! Drive safe!"
"Got it."
Park Ga-young bolted out of the car and rushed to her mom.
"Mom~! I'm home!"
She seemed embarrassed, hurrying off to her mother.
Watching her go, Choi Seung-taek unconsciously touched his lips.
The sweetness still lingered.
The next day at the Daejeon stadium, Choi Seung-taek was warming up.
Today was an exhibition game against the Gangdong Falcons, so all the players had been out since morning, loosening up.
Then it was time for the Falcons players to warm up. As Choi Seung-taek headed to the dugout for a break, someone called out to him.
"Hey, Choi Seung-taek. What're you doing all by yourself?"
Looking over, three veterans were walking toward him.
"Ah! Seniors. Just taking a breather."
MacPhies center fielder Lee Geon-taek, first baseman Tae Pyeong-yang, and second baseman Woo Jeong-geun had come to check on him.
"That's not how it's done. You're a rookie, sure, but right now you're the first-team starting catcher. So what do you think you should be doing?"
"Not sure."
"Talking to the pitchers, obviously! Come on!"
Playfulness laced their voices.
They'd come over because Choi Seung-taek had suddenly become the first-team catcher—they wanted to get chummy fast and help him relax.
'Pros really know how to look out for the vets stepping up.'
Just as that thought crossed his mind, Lee Geon-taek voiced a question.
"But hey, Seung-taek, I've got something to ask you."
"Sure thing! Fire away."
"I watched the draft, and when MacPhies picked you, your face looked all sour. You really that bummed about joining us?"
...
'Huh?'
"Did the kid say that?"
The mood sharpened in an instant.
'Whoa... how the hell do I answer this?'
"Hang on, lemme show you."
Lee Geon-taek whipped out his phone and played the clip from back then.
Sure enough, Choi Seung-taek's expression looked rotten no matter how you sliced it.
'Damn... how do I even explain this?'
The veterans fixed him with sharp stares.
'Gotta word this right...'
Back then, his face had stiffened because he'd heard Han Geun-seong was coming as manager—but since that hadn't panned out, it was tough to explain. Saying it was Han Geun-seong would've rubbed Woo Jeong-geun the wrong way, given the Cranes dynasty days. And dodging MacPhies entirely would've pissed off core guy Tae Pyeong-yang.
"What, cat got your tongue? You really hated coming to MacPhies?"
"Ah... it's not like that."
'Come up with another excuse!'
Then it hit him: there was one self-destruct button everyone could relate to.
Last resort.
"Well... I got dumped by a girl the day before."
"I got dumped." Magic words that crack up any group of guys.
"Kukukuku, what'd you say?"
"Yukukuku. You expect us to buy that?"
Lee Geon-taek and Woo Jeong-geun exploded in laughter at the ridiculous excuse.
"Hold up, fact-check time. You got any pro buddies?"
"None..."
As he started to answer, a bad vibe hit him.
"You're from Suseok High, right? That's Seoul... Kang Tae-pung! Wasn't he a first-rounder?"
'Shit... busted. But Tae-pung doesn't know, right?'
"Hey! You guys got a rookie pitcher named Kang Tae-pung over there?"
Tae Pyeong-yang bellowed at the Falcons players.
"We do!"
"Send him our way for a sec!"
"What's this about?"
"Gotta let some Suseok High classmates chat!"
"Roger! Sending him over."
Kang Tae-pung came jogging up from afar.
'Fuck... I'm done.'
Kang Tae-pung wasn't exactly thrilled to see Choi Seung-taek.
He'd gotten first-round money—250 million—but word was Choi had scored 300 million. No interest in chatting during a game against MacPhies, but now dragged over against his will, he was pissed.
"You called for me?"
"Yeah! You two know each other, right?"
"Yes!"
"Yes, senior."
Kang Tae-pung felt awkward in the spot.
Choi Seung-taek looked super tense, eyes darting everywhere, while three vets loomed around him.
"You remember the second round of the draft?"
"Uh... yeah, kinda."
"Back then... did Choi Seung-taek get dumped by a girl?"
"Pardon?"
Kang Tae-pung's face went blank.
Anyone could see he had no clue, and that sparked Tae Pyeong-yang's ire right away.
"You lying right in front of your elders?"
"It's not..."
'He doesn't know!'
Suddenly remembering something, Kang Tae-pung burst out laughing.
"Kuh. Hold on. Oh, that's what it was! Kuh."
"Ah... he figured it out. Ah..."
Kang Tae-pung cracked up, and Choi Seung-taek's face hit total despair.
"Kkkkk. Sorry. Ahh... ah! So that's why that day! Min-jae and Bang-man were roasting you. Looks like he really did get dumped."
"What? It's true?"
"Yeah! Manager called for Seung-taek, and those two were teasing him when I went looking. Didn't get it then, but yeah, that tracks."
Lee Geon-taek and Woo Jeong-geun grabbed a wall and lost it laughing again.
"He was acting weird for sure. Remember him pounding his dorm bed like he was gonna smash it? Yeah, that fits."
"Kkkk. Nailed it! Bro, quit grilling him. Kid's pitiful."
"Alright. Tae-pung, right? Thanks for the intel. Head back—your seniors are waiting."
"Got it! Seung-taek, hang in there. Kk."
Tae Pyeong-yang patted his shoulder, seeing Choi Seung-taek's rotten expression after the confirmation kill.
"Seung-taek, bro's sorry! Don't lose hope! World's full of girls! And you're handsome!"
"I'm good."
"Want me to hook you up?"
"Got a girlfriend now."
"Oh!!"
"No kidding? Who's the lucky girl?"
"The one who dumped me."
The vets zeroed in on the juicy twist.
"What? Then you gotta win her back."
"Whoa, plot twist!"
"Spill it already."
One thing guys always talk about when they get together: girls.
As the seniors leaned in hard, Choi Seung-taek got a bit flustered.
"Which part?"
"From the beginning to the end! Dying to know."
Choi Seung-taek recalled his sweet memories with Park Ga-young.
A few days later, with all the exhibition games wrapped up, Choi Seung-taek was at home watching TV.
"Hello, I'm Kim Ha-eun, the new announcer for Baseball Together."
"Hello, I'm Jo Byeong-heon, commentator for Baseball Together."
The popular baseball show Baseball Together was in full swing.
It wasn't super in-depth expert stuff, but it gave a fun, broad overview, so Choi Seung-taek tuned in now and then.
"Commentator Jo, pro baseball opening day is right around the corner. Any rank predictions for the teams?"
"Well... Daegu Eagles are still the top dogs."
"Heard a few FAs left Daegu Eagles—still that strong?"
"No worries about the Eagles. Losing one starter and one reliever won't stop that machine."
Jo Byeong-heon stated it firmly.
'Fair enough. Daegu Eagles were unstoppable back then... minus that one mess.'
"Then who do you see in last place?"
"Tough call. But I'd say Daejeon MacPhies."
"Not the newbie Parrots, but MacPhies for last?"
"Exactly."
After a brief pause, the commentator laid out his reasoning.
"First off, MacPhies pitching staff is weak..."
'Ouch, facts sting.'
Choi Seung-taek had to agree it was weak, so he watched bitterly.
"Infield's shaky too. SS and 3B errors piled up even in exhibitions—you can't overlook that."
'Tsk.'
"And everyone talks up the center line's importance in baseball."
The commentator then ripped into Daejeon MacPhies' center line.
"Look, their catcher corps started strong but got wrecked by a pileup of injuries."
"Ah, you mean that game where two went down in one exhibition?"
"Yep. Choi Seung-taek's filling the gap as a top rookie, but asking a rookie to carry 144 pro games? Catcher's way too demanding a position."
"But I remember Choi Seung-taek hitting .500 in exhibitions with a homer. Isn't that solid firepower?"
"Plenty of rookies rake in spring training. Most crash below .300 in the regular season though. Exhibitions and real games are worlds apart."
The TV screen showed various rookies' spring averages versus regular-season stats.
Only one in ten made it work.
"If Choi Seung-taek fills his qualified at-bats and hits over .300? That kid's worth a 1-billion signing bonus."
'Tch.'
The nonstop fact-bombs soured Choi Seung-taek's mood.
'Damn... this guy's swinging facts like a bat.'
Exhibitions went great, but he'd seen tons of cases like this, so he couldn't argue.
'At least the other guys are stepping up, so it'll be fine.'
But the commentator wasn't done.
"Hilariously, catcher spot's decent only because Choi Seung-taek's there. Real issues are 2B and CF."
'Wait, what about 2B and CF?'
"Word I got yesterday: Woo Jeong-geun's out with a wrist injury, Lee Geon-taek with a hernia. Both scratched from the first-team roster."
Choi Seung-taek pictured the two seniors he'd been laughing with just days ago.
It was devastating news.
'No way. Opening day's in two days...'
Two days before opening day, MacPhies had lost their leadoff hitter and #2 batter.