Magpies Face the Dawn of the New Season
The Sparrows had collapsed completely after their shocking come-from-behind loss the previous day. The Magpies had seized the opportunity to pull off their first sweep of the year, and that momentum carried them through a three-game weekend series against their rookie opponent, the Parrots, securing a winning streak.
The front office buzz at Daejeon Baseball Stadium was electric. "Finally, we’re turning things around." "Alright, let’s keep pushing."
Monday arrived, and the Magpies were once again deep in a strategy meeting. "Filsama? Where is he?" "Trade finalized. He’s heading straight to Daejeon Stadium to start training the moment he heard." "Whoa, that’s dedication. Survived this long, huh? Never thought he’d come back swinging like that. World’s full of surprises."
The general manager asked about the front office and scouting reports. The scout nodded enthusiastically. "Some wanted to call it a losing deal, but we’re keeping our veteran on until retirement and that helps balance it out."
The PR team delivered the fan reaction. "Not that bad. We’re bringing in a sub-.300 ERA pitcher, after all." "Exactly."
The Magpies GM nodded. "Trade isn’t half bad."
"Then how about Gyeokpo?" "Still one more piece to finalize." "Aigoo, tsk tsk. I really wanted Jeong Hyeon-dae. Who’s the next one?" "Kim Jeon-gal." "Kim Jeon-gal?" "Yeah. Control’s rough, but velocity and command are elite. Filling the spot left by Lee Chung-seong. Fresh off military service—no risk of getting drafted back in." "Interesting."
The scout’s words satisfied the GM. "Sound reasoning. Not bad at all."
"But there’s one concern." "Concern?" "Current starting catcher Choi Seungtaek seems to be struggling." "What?"
A few days earlier he had looked weighed down by the news of Gyeokpo’s trade. Without a solid backup, the pressure was crushing. "What do you mean? You know him?"
The GM turned to the battery coach. "Absolutely. Rookie, carrying both physical and mental weight. Even the players who came up three or four years ago couldn’t handle it..." "Hmm... yeah."
"How about Woo Jeong-geun?" "Choi Seungtaek just needs to hold out one more week. He’ll be ready for 2nd team play tomorrow. For now, half his starts will be in the bigs. Next month, full-time roster." "Hmm... still, the physical toll will be heavy."
The GM fell silent for a moment. "And Kyung-ho?" "Surgery went perfectly. He joins rehab in June and should be in the 2nd team by August." "Perfect timing. With one more guy, we’ll have three catchers by summer." "Right... but summer is when strength drops the most..." "Then we’ll use Kyung-ho. Right now, prioritize filling the catcher slot and bolstering the bullpen." "Understood. I’ll move on Gyeokpo immediately." "Go ahead."
The scout left the room to handle the trade details. "And what about the other returning players?" "Woo Jeong-geun and Wolf are both ready by May. Wolf’s already training at 1st base in the minors; Jeong-geun’s at 2nd base. Both full-time in May."
Good news after good news. "Finally, the most important foreign pitcher?" "We’re lining up Antonio. Contract almost done—he’ll join mid-May." "Antonio? Solid guy?" "Plenty of MLB experience. He’ll be a massive boost." "Then push hard. Finish Damon’s contract first."
The GM called the entire room to attention. "You all know our parent company has been investing heavily lately. This time they’re demanding real results. We’ve got to get into autumn baseball no matter what—do everything we can." "Got it!"
The Magpies front office moved with lightning speed.
* * *
Meanwhile, after the game against the Parrots, Choi Seungtaek spent the afternoon with Park Gayoung.
*Thump* "Ooh! Ooh!"
Park Gayoung poked his belly. "Why? You keep poking my stomach." "It got a little fatter!" "Huh...? Really?" Choi Seungtaek poked his own belly. "I can’t tell." He reached for hers. "Aw! Stop!" Park Gayoung blushed, embarrassed. "Oh, I want to too. Why hide it?" "I don’t want to. You made me get fat. You’re responsible." Park Gayoung patted her stomach playfully, but Choi Seungtaek accepted it at face value. "Responsible? I’m the one who’s supposed to take care of you. That’s what responsibility is." "Huh...?" Park Gayoung’s face flushed bright red. "Hey... you say things that hit hard sometimes." "I mean it." "So embarrassing!"
The couple’s playful banter was interrupted when the door opened. "Next customer, please!" "Our turn." The sweet moment shattered, but Park Gayoung took Choi Seungtaek’s hand and led him into the restaurant.
It was an Italian seafood place—simple, elegant, with fish-shaped decorations that felt delightfully unusual.
They ordered salmon steak and white fish dishes. While waiting, Choi Seungtaek glanced at his phone and froze. "Hmm... Seungtaek, what are you doing?" He was staring blankly. "Oh? Just reading some news for a bit." "Here’s your bread and dipping sauce." "Thank you."
A server brought the bread. Park Gayoung took her food. "Seungtaek-ah~." "Mmm~." Choi Seungtaek’s serious expression never changed. Park Gayoung slid a piece of bread into his mouth. "Seungtaek! What’s wrong? Smile. You look angry." "Ah... I was just concentrating..."
His phone screen showed an internal Magpies reporter’s article about the latest trades and foreign pitcher changes.
**Magpies’ endless roster reinforcement.** The team had completed the Filsama trade and were now pursuing the Seagulls’ 1-for-1 deal—trading core players back and forth while releasing foreign starter Damon. No contract details yet, but everything pointed to a quick move...
'This fast?' Choi Seungtaek was stunned. The news hit like a lightning strike. 'Foreign pitcher, why leave, and who’s coming in...?'
Antonio. The wild card who had dominated the 2015 season. The catch was he only excelled that one year and then disappeared with injury—but he would be a game-changer for Daejeon.
'But... why so soon? What if the new guy changes everything?'
That single worry worried him most.
"Seungtaek." A slightly stern voice cut through. "Huh?" "Stop. Staring. At. Your. Phone."
*Tap tap* Choi Seungtaek quickly lowered his phone. Park Gayoung was clearly upset. "No... it’s just... bad news. I was reading it." "What kind of bad news?" *Sob* *Sad* *Sad* "It... there’s this senior I really respect who’s moving to another team. I just saw the article." "What?" "You know, the day we were playing and I had to go to the stadium. He hurt his thigh." "Really? Can’t he skip?" "No. The team needs us to play." "Ah... I see?" *Yeah, Seungtaek really cares about his teammates.*
The anger in Park Gayoung’s voice eased a little. She remembered how Choi Seungtaek’s face always fell when a catcher got hurt.
"Your order is ready." "Oh, food’s here. Gayoung-ah, let’s eat." *Nice timing.*
The perfect story and the server’s arrival smoothed the mood again.
* * *
All trades had been completed. Urgent calls flew between front offices. Players were informed.
"Whoa! Look who’s here early—Choi Seungtaek!" 1st team manager greeted him. "Got here early today." It was already 7 a.m. Normally Choi Seungtaek showed up at 10, but today he was on time. "New pitchers, right? Checking them out." "Yes." "Only one trade player so far. He’ll be here soon." "Understood."
Choi Seungtaek changed quickly in the locker room and headed to the bullpen. The pitchers were chatting lightly. "Hey, how did you get back here? Didn’t expect retirement." "Shut up, you old fool." Veteran reliever Yoon Jeong-jin, who handled the Magpies’ bullpen, was joking with the newly traded Filsama.
"Good morning, seniors!" "Huh?" "Oh! Seungtaek, you’re just in time. We needed a catcher." "Other catchers aren’t here yet?" "One’s in defensive drills, one’s in special batting practice." *Perfect.*
Choi Seungtaek’s real reason for being here—studying Filsama—was clear. "I'll take your throws right now, seniors." "Alright, you first." Filsama nodded and stepped onto the mound. Choi Seungtaek set his stance. "Throw whenever you're ready." "Yes! Throw it nice and hard."
Back home, Choi Seungtaek immediately checked the trade stats on his phone. Among available pitchers, Filsama stood out. Oldest on the roster, but his 2.86 ERA topped every other trade acquisition. He was excited to face him.
**Fastball** *Thud*
*Whoosh*
**Thud!**
*Huff...* Choi Seungtaek stepped back.
*Whoosh*
**Thud!**
"The fastball is garbage." He nodded. "Now the changeup."
*Whoooosh*
**Thud** Choi Seungtaek stepped into the strike zone.
*Whoooosh*
**Thud** "Whoa! This guy throws absolute junk! Too good to be true?"
Filsama fired every pitch in that direction. Choi Seungtaek checked the System one last time.
[System assists.]
The message appeared instantly. Filsama’s attributes filled the screen.
[System: Assisting.] **[Filsama: A- Grade Middle Reliever]** **[Velocity: B]** **[Command: A+]** **[Movement: B+]** **[Endurance: B+]** **[Pitches: Four-seam fastball, splitter, slider, curve]**
*Insane.* For anyone who had been a player in 2015, exact records were hard to recall. Filsama’s 2015 line: 63 innings, 5-2, 10 holds, 2.86 ERA—his career-high season at an advanced age.
Choi Seungtaek’s fake-out worked perfectly.