Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Eliminated from the Blue Dragon Cup
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Thwack!
"Ooooh!"
The ball Choi Seung-taek hit rolled toward the shortstop. The shortstop fielded it cleanly and fired it to first base.
Out!
Cheers erupted from the stands, then quickly died down.
"Oh! That's Choi Seung-taek, right? He at least hit a grounder. He's been fouling off I San's pitches nonstop."
"He's starting to time it up. Might even get a hit next time. His bat speed's pretty quick."
The team leader, who'd been watching quietly, finally jotted something down about Choi Seung-taek.
Whiff!
Thwack!
Strikeout!
Inning over!
"Go Tae-san's stuff is seriously nasty. Suseok High finished their at-bats while we were just chatting."
"Go Tae-san's gunning for a perfect game against Suseok."
"Nah, they'll pull him in the seventh or eighth. The issue right now is Suseok. Kang Tae-pung looks gassed—will he even come back out? If not, we're gonna get lit up from here on."
But Kang Tae-pung took the mound again, and the team leader's prediction hit the mark.
Crack!
"Oof, there it is. Finally got tagged."
"Hmm, Buma High's cleanup hitter Baek Ho-ryeong. Already four homers in the Blue Dragon Cup, and this one's the most valuable. Took down Kang Tae-pung."
"Yeah, looks that way. Baek Ho-ryeong's definitely upper-rounds material, right?"
"Not bad at all. He's Baekdu Mountain's nephew, and he looks just like him. If the Sea Gulls don't take him, we should snag him in the second round at least."
Every scout in the stadium started scribbling notes on Baek Ho-ryeong's performance.
The top of the eighth arrived in a flash. Buma High was up to bat again.
"Tae-pung, come on out. Get Lee Jin-young warming up."
"Got it, Coach. Jin-young, loosen up quick."
Coach Kim Ik-hyeon had resigned himself and made the call. Kang Tae-pung had given everything, but he'd surrendered a homer to Buma High's cleanup hitter Baek Ho-ryeong in the seventh.
Having thrown over 120 pitches already, Kang Tae-pung started to waver, giving up extra-base hits to the five and six hitters and allowing two runs in the inning.
'3-0. It's over. Now it's just about whether we get no-hit or not.'
"Tae-pung, you did plenty. Let's prep for the President's Cup next."
Even Captain Han Bang-man comforted Kang Tae-pung. Tae-pung looked pained, hating to admit defeat, but he nodded.
His shoulders slumped after losing the head-to-head with Go Tae-san.
'No helping it. The talent gap's too wide. Not a single matchup advantage anywhere. At best, someone like me who's come back?'
Choi Seung-taek quietly scanned the surroundings. Defeat hung heavy in Suseok High's dugout.
Even the usually calm Han Bang-man couldn't hide his disappointment at the utter powerlessness.
'Aigoo, Bang-man, you can't sink too. The vibe's totally crushed. What now...'
With the mood tanking so hard, Choi Seung-taek finally stepped up.
"Aigoo, this sucks. Hey, you first- and second-years!"
"Yes, Senior!"
Choi Seung-taek suddenly stepped forward to rally them, drawing everyone's attention.
"You guys have to win the Blue Dragon Cup next year. Those bastards are killing it now, but over half of 'em graduate. So next year, you take the mountain down with us. Got it?"
"Kuh."
"Kekeke. Yes, Senior! Got it!"
Baseball's a game of data, but in the end, it's played by people. And people get swept up in emotions and vibes. When defeat sinks in like this, you gotta force some energy, shake it off.
Veterans are key in moments like these, and in high school baseball, the seniors have to step up. A joke can lighten the mood, or they rally for a comeback.
With a bit of playful edge, Choi Seung-taek's words eased the dugout tension a touch.
"And us seniors still have the President's Cup left. Let's grind our asses off. We've still got a shot. You know what I mean?"
"Yeah! Right!"
"We got crushed today, but let's crush the next one."
The vibe lightened bit by bit. It was like lighting a match in a dark room at best, but hey, it was something.
"We end our game on our terms. They're fucking good, sure? But we can't just fold. Let's go finish this."
Choi Seung-taek grabbed his catcher's mask and headed to the field first.
"Alright! Shake out those stiff bodies! Let's wrap this game up!"
"Yes!"
Han Bang-man snapped out of it too, leading the players back onto the field.
They forced some infield practice, and moving around sparked a bit of fire in everyone.
Then, bottom of the ninth, one out, Choi Seung-taek got his last chance.
The System, silent at the plate before, suddenly chimed in.
Just like when he was catching, a strike zone appeared, along with the pitcher's preferred pitches and trajectories.
Go Tae-san had come out for the ninth to chase the Perfect Game.
'What? So the System figured I couldn't touch Go Tae-san's stuff anyway and didn't bother helping?'
Go Tae-san had shredded Suseok's lineup with late-90s fastballs and early-90s forkballs that dove sharply.
'Pisses me off.'
It even felt like the System he somewhat trusted was looking down on him.
'This time, I'm making contact. I've got the timing down.'
The forkball eats up grip strength. Even with fewer pitches overall, using it this deep into the ninth would be tough for Go Tae-san. So his next pitch was predictable.
Choi Seung-taek choked up slightly on the bat.
'Pull the fastball. Just one hit, somehow. Going opposite field.'
To survive in the pros, Choi Seung-taek had tweaked his swing for pure bat speed, and it worked decently.
That pull-heavy approach bumped his average to the late .200s, enough to stick as a backup catcher in the first team for a bit.
Of course, they figured him out in half a season, owning him outside and sending him back to the minors.
But Go Tae-san didn't know that now.
Whiff!
Thwack!
Strike one!
Choi Seung-taek watched the first pitch go by.
'Good, Go Tae-san's tiring. Velocity's down—I can feel it. Timing's like Kang Tae-pung's fastballs I've seen all day. Next one's a heater too.'
Choi Seung-taek glared at Go Tae-san with burning eyes.
Whiff!
Whoosh!
Thwack!
Swing! Strike two!
'Damn it!'
It was a forkball.
Choi Seung-taek gritted his teeth.
'Never dreamed he'd throw a fork there. Okay, focus on fastballs again.'
Go Tae-san calmly rolled his shoulders, taking the return toss.
'Shoulders heaving a lot. He's pushing it.'
Choi Seung-taek refocused. And sure enough, mistakes come in these spots.
The strike zone lit up blue, and a funky, blurry fastball trajectory appeared before his eyes.
'Here it is.'
Pitcher's windup!
Whiff!
Thwack!
- Ah!! Laser to third! Buma High's third baseman Oh Tae-sik can't handle Choi Seung-taek's shot! The Perfect Game slips away with one out in the ninth!
"Aigoo!"
"Ah..."
Sighs rose from the crowd.
"Senior, nice!"
"Choi Seung-taek, nice!"
Cheers exploded from Suseok's dugout instead.
As Choi Seung-taek reached first, the message popped up.
'Hidden objective? Hitting that guy was the goal?'
Anyway, nailing the hit felt amazing. He'd spoiled another Perfect Game ending like in his past life—he could finally smile.
Buma High won 8-0. After Kang Tae-pung exited, the relievers couldn't handle Buma's power bats.
They gave up a bunch of runs, but Choi Seung-taek's leadership dragged them to the end somehow.
'The kids look way brighter. Back then, it was hell.'
The coach and manager stood. Coach Kim Ik-hyeon headed to greet the opposing coach, while the assistant called the players to line up.
"Everyone out. Greet 'em and done."
"Yes, Coach!"
Post-game, Buma High and Suseok High students lined up center field.
"Good game!"
"Good game!"
The players exchanged bows and headed to their dugouts.
"Hey, Choi Seung-taek!"
It was Buma High's three-hole hitter Im Seong-han. Choi Seung-taek was drained after the pitchers got shelled the last two innings.
"Suseok could hit a bit, but you guys folded late~."
"Yeah, you were good. Kinda hard to breathe—ease up next time."
Buma had swung mercilessly, frustrated by Kang Tae-pung earlier, making even outs tough.
"Right? But the way you talk sometimes, it's like you're from Gyeongsang. Your dialect's almost ours."
Im Seong-han loved it whenever Seoul-born Choi Seung-taek slipped into dialect.
'He never paid me this much mind before. Why's he sticking?'
Choi Seung-taek brushed off Im Seong-han, packed his gear, and boarded the bus. The ride was better than his past life but still gloomy from the loss.
Exhausted from his first game in ages, Choi Seung-taek dozed off quietly. The others stared blankly or grumbled over the defeat.
Back at school, they unpacked in silence. The coach and manager said little.
'Shitty day.'
It was a loss that hammered home the overwhelming talent gap. Even the staff needed time to recover. Buma High was that dominant.
Seeing the underclassmen mope soured Choi Seung-taek's mood too. He stepped out, patted his pockets on instinct—no smokes.
'Ah... right, I'm back in high school.'
He craved a drink or a smoke, but nothing doing tonight. A stuffy, depressing night.