Meeting the Legend
Choi Seungtaek woke on his own at seven in the morning.
"It's already seven? Ugh..."
It felt like he'd only just closed his eyes, and already morning had come around again.
"Training. Again..."
"Son! Why are you sighing so loud?"
The moment the heavy sigh left his room, his mother's voice came back at him.
"Huh? Mom, why are you here?"
"Why am I here? Because this is our house. Would you rather I left?"
"Ah! Right!"
This wasn't Okinawa. This was Choi Seungtaek's house in Daejeon.
"Sorry, Mom. I thought I was still in Okinawa! Hahaha. Oh wait — I'm home! Hahaha!"
The joy of having escaped spring camp kept bubbling up inside him, and he couldn't stop laughing.
"Well, now that I'm up, I should find a place to get some weight training in."
"It's a rare day off and you're going out again?"
"Mom. Pros don't get days off. Every day's a training day."
Seungtaek looked up a decent gym near the house and headed straight over.
"Huff. Hoo..."
Nice. The burn is lighting up every muscle.
He started with the weights, working through his routine slowly with a focus on strength. He hadn't been able to do much resistance work lately, and it had frustrated him that he couldn't put on more power. But now he had two full weeks to train on his own terms, and he intended to make every session count.
His phone buzzed against the bench. He set the barbell down with a heavy clang and checked the screen.
Hmm. How should I play this?
Seungtaek found himself turning it over. He was twenty. Should he show up looking like a typical twenty-year-old so her parents wouldn't think it strange, or should he prepare properly and go all out? If a kid his age walked into somewhere too upscale, Park Gayeong's parents might find it odd.
Do I just go by the book?
He worried that arriving somewhere too refined would make them look at him sideways.
What do I do... Ah, to hell with it. By the book is the answer.
Plenty of baseball players were food people. The more senior they got, the better their mental map of restaurants, and they were always passing the good ones around among themselves. Every region had its own little black book, and Seungtaek had one in Seoul — an elegant spot that was perfect for a family occasion.
Alright... This is basically my finishing move.
The place he'd sent Gayeong was expensive enough that only the well-off veterans went there, and only for important occasions or when they really wanted to eat well. Seungtaek was throwing down his trump card.
It'll be fine. It has to be.
Park Gayeong was a little tense.
But what if Dad doesn't like him?
Gayeong's father was a high-ranking civil servant, which meant the household ran conservative, and she had been raised strictly. She'd grown up well-behaved, but she'd also found it suffocating more often than she cared to admit — and the small streak of rebellion that had come of that was currently sitting in the fact that she was dating Choi Seungtaek, a professional athlete.
The kind of boy her father would like was obvious: a college student her age, enrolled at a good university. Which was exactly why she was so worried.
At least he picked a place Mom and Dad will like. That's something.
Seungtaek's choice had been the right one. The moment Gayeong walked in today, she'd thought, He really did pick this.
She was sitting there wound tight over the meeting that was about to happen when a middle-aged man at the next table — there with his own family — suddenly spoke up.
"Excuse me — why are you so nervous?"
"Pardon? Ah... well... my parents are meeting my boyfriend for the first time today. So I'm a little worried..."
"Ah! Introducing him today, then? What's there to worry about? Is there something wrong with him?"
"He's an athlete. My dad would rather I dated someone more... ordinary."
Strangely, the man felt familiar. She was talking to a complete stranger, and yet the words kept coming.
"I was an athlete myself. A baseball player. And look at me now — beautiful wife, two daughters, a family I built just fine."
"You played baseball? My boyfriend's a baseball player too."
At that, the man's face lit up.
"A pro?"
"Yes. He just signed with the... Daejeon Magpies, I think? Anyway, that's the team."
The moment the words Daejeon Magpies left her mouth, the man brightened even further.
"Then he's my junior. I retired from the Magpies two years ago."
"Oh, really?"
And right then, Gayeong's parents arrived at the restaurant.
"Ah — just a moment. My parents are here."
The man smiled and waved her off to greet them, and Gayeong went to meet her parents at the door.
"Mom! Over here."
"Oh... he picked a very nice place."
"Right? My boyfriend chose it."
"Did he? You said he's the same age as you, didn't you? This is an awfully nice restaurant for a twenty-year-old. How did he even know about it?"
Gayeong had rushed to praise him, but her father only sounded more suspicious.
"Ugh. Even when he picks somewhere nice, you make a fuss."
"And where is he? He's not here yet?"
"I think he's running a little late — traffic. He lives in Daejeon."
"Daejeon?"
"That's where he works."
"I see..."
The fact that he already had a job put a slight stiffness in her father's expression. Having a job was normally a good thing. Right now, it was a mark against him.
"Mom, our table's over there."
Seeing her father's face, Gayeong moved quickly to change the subject. It was shaping up to be an awkward start — and then her father recognized the middle-aged man sitting at the next table.
"Oh? Well, I'll be! Is that... wait, are you...?"
He'd felt almost nothing on the way over. Then Choi Seungtaek arrived in front of the restaurant, and his heart started hammering.
Ah, damn it... of course it starts now.
His pulse climbed. The nerves set in for real.
I can't walk in like this. Breathe. Breathe.
He took two long, slow breaths and stepped inside. From across the room he could see the back of Park Gayeong's head, and her parents sitting opposite her. He walked over at an even pace and bowed.
"Good evening. Sir, ma'am — my name is Choi Seungtaek."
Gayeong had briefed him on her parents the night before. Conservative household, she'd said, so the best he could do was be impeccably polite.
"Oh? So you're Seungtaek!"
"Yes. Good to meet you."
Gayeong had worried so much that Seungtaek had been braced for the worst — but the mood at the table was, strangely, excellent.
What is this? Did something good happen before I got here?
He wasn't about to question a good thing. He sat down beside Gayeong.
"Gayeong mentioned you work in Daejeon. Hit some traffic, did you?"
"Yes, sir. It's evening, so the roads were pretty heavy."
"And what is it you do, if I may ask? I hear you're already working, at twenty."
"I'm a professional baseball player, sir. I play for the Daejeon Magpies."
"Ah! A baseball player. Hmm. That's good."
Against every fear they'd had, Gayeong's father sounded genuinely well-disposed toward him.
What? He actually likes it?
"Well then — shall we order?"
"Let's. Will you have a drink with me?"
Sharing a drink and talking would have been perfect right now. Unfortunately, Seungtaek had that damned penalty hanging over him, and he had no choice but to refuse.
"Ahem... I'm sorry, sir. I don't drink."
"That's right, Dad. Seungtaek doesn't drink. He's incredibly strict about what he eats, too."
"Ah... is he just a picky eater, then?"
Gayeong's mother had meant it as a question about a fussy palate, and Gayeong jumped in to clarify.
"No, it's not that. He's an athlete, so he only eats what his body needs. Fried chicken, pizza, ramyeon — he won't touch any of it. Same with alcohol."
"I see."
"Yeah. I've asked him to have a drink with me in the evening and he still won't. Honestly, it stings a little sometimes."
"Ahem..."
She'd said it to make him look good, but Seungtaek dropped his gaze. The truth was he wanted those things badly. He just wasn't allowed them. It was embarrassing.
"A player this young already knows how to take care of his body? Impressive."
The voice came from the next table, out of nowhere. Seungtaek turned to look.
I've seen him somewhere. He looks so familiar. Who is he?
The man sitting there was someone he knew — he was sure of it — but the nerves had wiped the name clean out of his head. He stared blankly for a second. Then it hit him.
He shot to his feet.
Sitting right in front of him was Jeon Seol. The Legend.
"Hah! Sunbaenim! Good evening. I'm Choi Seungtaek, catcher for the Magpies."
"Whoa! You startled me."
"I'm sorry, sunbaenim. I didn't mean to."
Seungtaek had sprung up so fast that a few nearby tables turned to look.
"Everyone's staring. Sit down, sit down. I heard a little from your girlfriend. You're a rookie, right?"
"Yes, sir! I was the first pick of the first round in the second draft."
"Signing bonus?"
"About three hundred million won, sir."
Jeon Seol heaped praise on him, and Gayeong's father — who knew exactly who Jeon Seol was — felt his mood lift. Gayeong's mother wasn't entirely sure who the man was, but a compliment that glowing was a compliment that glowing, and she was pleased all the same.
"Oh my. I'm so sorry. My husband talks a little too much."
Jeon Seol's wife gave him a pointed nudge.
"This is your introduction dinner, so we won't interrupt any further. You four enjoy yourselves."
She wrapped it up cleanly and fast. Thanks to her, Seungtaek was able to settle back into conversation with Gayeong's parents, and over dinner they traded the small, careful talk of a first meeting.
"...so at the very least, you don't have to worry about drinking, sir. I will never put Gayeong through anything on that account."
"No, I imagine you won't. That's a good thing. But even if the seniors tell you to drink, you still don't?"
"No, sir. I didn't drink at the last team dinner either. The seniors are a little annoyed with me because of it."
Fortunately, the talk at the table stayed warm. As the tension eased, Seungtaek realized he needed the restroom.
"Please excuse me for a moment. I'll be right back."
Jeon Seol, who had been glancing over at him, stood up as well.
"I'm going to go say a few things to my junior. I'll be right back."
"Honey... we still have to get home. Keep it short. Twenty minutes."
"...Yeah! Got it!"
Jeon Seol followed him out.
"Hoo..."
The dinner was nearly over, and with the worst of the nerves gone, Seungtaek let out a long breath. He was gathering himself to head back in when Jeon Seol called after him.
"Choi Seungtaek, right?"
"Yes, sunbaenim."
"Got a minute? There's some advice I want to give a Magpies junior."
"Ah — yes, of course."
Seungtaek stepped out onto the terrace with him.
Wait. I came out here to hear some advice, so why am I suddenly getting a bad feeling?
Meeting Gayeong's parents had taken up so much of his head that he'd briefly forgotten what kind of man Jeon Seol was.
Oh no.
The moment he heard the next words, he remembered exactly.