The Dragon Cup Elimination
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BOOM!
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"Ooooh!"
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Choi Seungtaek's hit sailed toward the shortstop. The shortstop had no trouble fielding the grounder and flipping it to first.
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Out!
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The roar from the stands swelled, then faded.
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"Oh! I heard you say Choi Seungtaek, right? Still, a grounder. You've been just touching the ball with Lee San all game."
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"He's getting the timing down. He might even get a hit next time. His bat speed is pretty fast."
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Even the manager, watching the whole time, was forced to jot something down about Choi Seungtaek.
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SHHHIIK
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THWACK!
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Strikeout!
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Ball changes hands!
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"That Kang Taepoong's fastball is brutal. We were chatting and the ace's side was done."
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"Go Taesan is in full pitch-perfect mode against Suseok High."
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"Eh, he'll pull him for the seventh or eighth. Right now the problem's Suseok High. That Kang Taepoong feels tapped out. Will he come back? If we don't, we'll just keep getting beat."
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But Kang Taepoong came back, and the manager's guess was spot on.
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CRACK!
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"Whoa, finally a home run."
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"Hmm, Buma High's cleanup hitter, Baek Horyeong. Four home runs in the Dragon Cup already. This one is the best— it took out Kang Taepoong, right?"
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"Looks like it. Baek Horyeong is prime first-round talent."
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"Not bad at all. He's Baek Du-san's nephew—totally a franchise player. If we don't scout him here, we might grab him in the second round."
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Every scout on the field started scribbling notes on Baek Horyeong's performance.
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* * *
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The top of the eighth inning hit like a freight train. Buma High's offense was back.
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"Taepoong, that's enough. Lee Jin-young is ready."
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"Yes, sir. Jin-young's warming up fast."
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Kim Ik-hyun, the coach, had already given up. Kang Taepoong had thrown his heart out, but he surrendered a home run to Buma High's cleanup hitter on the seventh.
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Now over 120 pitches and clearly shaking, he gave up long balls to the fifth and sixth batters, two earned runs in the seventh.
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'3-0 and it's over. Now it's just perfect game or no perfect game.'
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"Taepoong, you've done enough. Let's get ready for the President's Cup next time."
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Han Bang-man comforted him too. Frustrated to accept defeat, Kang Taepoong's face was twisted but he nodded.
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His shoulders drooped after losing to Go Taesan head-on.
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'No choice. Age gap is real. No position I have that gives me an edge. Not even the returned guy like me?'
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Choi Seungtaek quietly surveyed the dugout. Defeat had settled over Suseok High's bench.
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Even calm Han Bang-man couldn't hide his disappointment—he looked crushed.
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'Oh Bang-man, you too? The mood's completely shattered. What do we do now…'
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The tension was too thick. Choi Seungtaek stepped up.
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"Hey, this is rough. Hey, first- and second-years!"
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"Yes, senior!"
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Choi Seungtaek suddenly walked out and the vibe shifted.
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"You kids are going to the Dragon Cup. Those guys are trash right now, but next year over half of them will graduate, right? So next year you guys are going to dominate with the seniors. Got it?"
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"Hmph."
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"Hehe. Yes, senior. Understood."
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Baseball is a data-driven sport, but it's still played by humans. People get hooked on emotion and mood. When defeat has you down, you have to force a comeback.
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The key is veteran players. In high-school baseball, the third-years have to dig deep in these moments. You can joke around to lighten the mood, or rally together and reverse the script.
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Choi Seungtaek mixed in a little teasing and the dugout atmosphere lightened a bit.
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"And as third-years, we still have the President's Cup. Let's keep grinding. The opportunity's still there. You get it?"
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"Yeah! Right!"
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"We got beaten today, but we'll get them next time."
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A little light was coming back. It was like lighting a match in a pitch-black room, but it was something.
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"Our game ends with us. Honestly, they're really good. But we can't just quit. Let's go in and finish this."
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Choi Seungtaek picked up his catcher's mask and headed inside first.
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"Alright! Stretch those rusty muscles! Let's end this game!"
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"Yes!"
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Han Bang-man snapped out of it and led the team into the dugout.
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Immediately, after the forced warm-up, everyone started looking a little more eager.
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* * *
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The bottom of the ninth, one out, was Choi Seungtaek's final chance.
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[System is assisting.]
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The System, which had been silent the entire game, suddenly lit up.
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Strike-zone visuals appeared, just like when he caught, along with the pitcher's preferred pitches and trajectories.
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[S-grade prospect Go Taesan has weakened. System activated.]
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Go Taesan had stayed in for the perfect game until the ninth.
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'What? So the System wasn't helping at all because I couldn't touch his stuff anyway?'
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Go Taesan was punishing the Suseok batters with 150+ mph fastballs and 140+ mph forkballs that dropped like bricks.
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'This is infuriating.'
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Even the little faith I had in the System felt like it was laughing at me.
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'This time I get a hit. Timing's almost there.'
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Forkballs are the most tiring pitch. Go Taesan had already thrown a ton, so he couldn't use it much in the ninth. That meant the pitch he was throwing next was decided.
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Choi Seungtaek shortened his grip on the bat.
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'Fastball. One hit is all I need. Time to swing.'
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Choi Seungtaek had changed his swing for survival in the pros. He had switched to a quick, powerful form and it worked.
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Thanks to that pull swing, his batting average climbed into the .200s, and that average had even kept him in the majors as a backup catcher for half a year.
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Of course, after six months they analyzed it and he was sent back to the minors for blowing out in the outfield every time.
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But Go Taesan didn't know that.
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SHHHIIK
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THWACK!
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Strike one!
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Choi Seungtaek watched the pitch.
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'Good. Go Taesan is tired. His velocity dropped. Same timing as the one we saw from Kang Taepoong. Fastball again.'
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Choi Seungtaek stared at Go Taesan with burning eyes.
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SHHHIIK
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WHOOSH
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THWACK!
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SWING! Strike two!
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'No way!'
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Forkball.
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Choi Seungtaek clenched his teeth.
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'I didn't expect a forkball. Still, fastball only.'
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Go Taesan calmly wound up and caught the ball from the catcher.
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'His shoulders are shaking again. He's pushing too hard.'
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Choi Seungtaek refocused. And sure enough, a wild pitch came.
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The strike zone suddenly turned blue and an oddly hazy fastball trajectory appeared right in front of him.
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'Here it comes.'
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Pitcher windup!
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SHHHIIK
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THUD!
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— Ah! Bases loaded! Buma High's third baseman Oh Taeseok couldn't catch Choi Seungtaek's ball! Perfect game is blown! It's 9th inning, one out!
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"Aigoo!"
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"Ah…."
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Gasps rose from the stands.
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"Nice one, senior!"
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"Choi Seungtaek, nice!"
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But in our dugout, the cheers exploded.
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[Hidden Objective Achieved. Tutorial Ending.]
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In front of Choi Seungtaek at first, new text appeared.
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'Hidden objective? Was it getting a hit off that guy?'
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Choi Seungtaek was happy anyway—he'd swung and made contact. No perfect game ending this time meant he could finally smile.
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* * *
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The game ended 8-0 in Buma High's favor. The pitchers who came in and went out couldn't touch Buma's hitters.
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So they gave up a ton of runs. Thanks to Choi Seungtaek's leadership, they managed to keep it close until the end.
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'The kids look so much brighter now. That was hell.'
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The coach and coaches stood up. Kim Ik-hyun went to shake hands with the opposing coach, and the coach called the players together.
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"Everyone out. Let's shake hands and end it."
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"Yes, Coach."
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The game over, Buma High and Suseok High students lined up in the middle.
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"Good game!"
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"Good game!"
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The players shook hands and scattered back to their dugouts.
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"Hey, Seungtaek!"
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That was Buma High's third hitter, Lim Seonghan. During the remaining two innings, Choi Seungtaek had been completely drained because the pitchers kept getting beat.
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"Suseok still fought back. They were dangerous at the end~."
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"Yeah, you guys played well. Don't beat yourself up too much."
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In the meantime, the frustration from Kang Taepoong had made Buma swing the bat ruthlessly, so they had trouble even getting one out.
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"Is that right? But you guys keep mixing in Gyeongsang-do talk. It's almost like our dialect?"
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Lim Seonghan loved it every time Seoul-born Choi Seungtaek slipped in a bit of satoori.
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'He never used to pay attention to me. Why is he sticking around now?'
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Choi Seungtaek waved goodbye and went to pack his bag, then hopped on the bus. The bus felt emptier than before, but the loss still left a heavy feeling.
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Choi Seungtaek had been out there for so long he was exhausted. He quietly leaned against the seat and fell asleep. The other players looked dazed from the defeat or muttered quietly.
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Back at school, everyone carried their bags in silence. The coach and managers didn't say much either.
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'What a shitty day.'
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It was an overwhelming defeat and the coach and managers needed time to recover. Buma High had been that dominant.
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Seeing the younger players still down, Choi Seungtaek felt the same. He stepped outside and unconsciously patted his pockets, but there was no cigarette.
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'… I came back as a high-school kid.'
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He wanted a drink or a cigarette, but there was nothing to do today. A frustrating, gloomy night.
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Hidden Objective Achieved
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Dear Choi Seungtaek,
Good game today. Your leadership lifted the team when we needed it most. Keep fighting.
— Your coach
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Party A (White Sox): Chicago White Sox
Party B: Choi Seungtaek
Contract Term: 12 years, $55M/year (deferred)
Clause: Perform or be traded
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