Zero Quick
‘This! It worked!’
Choi Seungtaek’s eyes lit up with satisfaction as he reviewed Filsama’s statistics. A quiet tear of emotion slipped down his cheek inside his chest.
The strategy he had thought was doomed had succeeded beyond all expectation.
‘Holy crap! I’m a genius!’
Of course, Filsama had not thrown in three years. According to Choi Seungtaek’s memories, his retirement came in 2017. That meant only three seasons remained.
‘But Lee Chung-seong is exactly the same.’
Though the two pitchers differed in age—one a seasoned veteran with peaked performance and the other a promising newcomer with a bright future—Choi Seungtaek had exchanged them 1-for-1. In the end, both would serve out their three-year contracts. The Magpies had gained a decisive advantage.
‘The ball’s quality is excellent. It’s no joke from Senior Filsama. The bullpen just got even stronger.’
Kwon Gyu-jin currently stood as the Magpies’ premier bullpen resource.
Kwon Gyu-jin: A- Grade middle relief
Velocity: B | Command: A+ | Stuff: B+ | Stamina: B+
Pitch types: four-seam fastball, slider, forkball
‘As expected. No gap at all. Their styles complement each other perfectly.’
Choi Seungtaek nodded once, flashing the signal he had prepared.
“Excellent, Senior. I’ve reviewed everything.”
“How does it look, Starting Catcher?”
Filsama asked with a teasing lilt in his voice.
“You could go straight into the closer role, Senior.”
“Aigoo, our Gyu-jin will be heartbroken.”
Before Choi Seungtaek could finish, Yoon Jeong-jin cut in immediately.
“Kuhm.”
“Gyu-jin’s the closer?”
“Senior Kwon Gyu-jin is the closer as well. But given our Manager’s style, he rotates setup and closer depending on the situation.”
“Hmm… I see. Then I’ll be alternating setup and closer too?”
“Yes. Our bullpen is the top tier right now, so the Manager won’t skip them. Besides, you know his trademark—beehive bullpen baseball. He throws in a ton of relievers, and everyone gets plenty of innings.”
Choi Seungtaek spoke with the implication that this would wear the pitchers down, yet Filsama’s eyes burned with renewed fire.
“Good. We can throw a lot. Excellent. Very good.”
‘Here too… it’s a bit suspect.’
Choi Seungtaek’s gaze turned to the veteran Park Hyuk.
A left-handed middle reliever who pitched almost daily—minimum one inning every game without fail. While other teams used one-inning specialists to pick off bats, this was different. His presence preserved the starters’ strength, yet it was no small feat.
At least Russell, despite allowing runs, could eat innings steadily, giving Park Hyuk a day of rest.
‘But this is only possible in the early season. As the year progresses, Russell will struggle too. They’re already wobbling from the eighth inning. We need more arms, though.’
“What’s this? Everyone’s already here?”
The pitching coach arrived.
“Coach.”
“What, Seungtaek? You were already out here?”
“Haha… I came early just to see Senior Filsama’s pitches.”
“You thorough one. I knew you’d be the type. We had so many pitchers to watch, and you showed up anyway.”
“Outstanding. You could slot him straight into the closer role today.”
“Oh? That good? Let me see.”
The pitching coach immediately had Filsama throw again after hearing Choi Seungtaek.
Filsama, still in conversation with Yoon Jeong-jin, climbed the mound and unleashed a display of pitch movement that left everyone speechless.
“Nice. That ball really has life. Did you scam some script on us?”
“What? Why?”
“Back then Lee Chung-seong’s pitch wasn’t like this.”
“Who’s only good at command? You’re shaking it all over the place. When do you plan to retire? You’re a seventy-three-born still throwing?”
“Haha, but Jeong-jin’s here too, right?”
“I’ll die. If my shoulder holds out, I’ll keep throwing forever.”
“I’ll retire the moment I can’t make it through one inning.”
Choi Seungtaek’s head snapped up.
—Now that he can’t hold one inning, it’s only natural he removes himself from the game.
‘That’s right. The kind of man who said one line can say everything.’
‘What a truly awesome guy.’
Veteran confidence radiated from him. Choi Seungtaek had retired at a young age, before he could appreciate such words, yet he felt an inexplicable power in them.
* * *
Time passed, and the other players arrived as well.
“Oh! Our other new arrivals are here early.”
Choi Seungtaek spotted the pair approaching from afar—Busan Seagulls prospect Kim Jeon-gal and the veteran closer Song Chang-soo.
“Nice to meet you! I’m Song Chang-soo.”
“Nice to meet you! I’m Kim Jeon-gal.”
‘Wow, they’re officially on the roster now.’
Choi Seungtaek welcomed them warmly. Especially Kim Jeon-gal—someone he had lived with for some time before the regression.
Of course, today’s Kim Jeon-gal was meeting him for the first time, but Choi Seungtaek was genuinely glad to see the man.
“Nice to meet you, gentlemen. I’m the starting catcher, Choi Seungtaek.”
“Ah! Nice. Good to see you.”
“Good to see you.”
“As the starting catcher, I’ll call the shots. Throw whenever I tell you to.”
A playful note laced Choi Seungtaek’s voice, and the slightly tense atmosphere immediately lightened.
“Hey, you brat.”
The pitching coach kicked Choi Seungtaek from behind, and Seungtaek replied shamelessly.
“What? I came to the Magpies first. If you’re upset, you should have come early.”
“Kkkkk.”
“What an idiot.”
The two veterans behind him burst out laughing, while the two Seagulls players in front chuckled softly.
“Why didn’t you say I was traded first?”
Filsama added with a grin.
“What? Senior was here for ten years. Your density was already thick—nothing I could do.”
“All right, enough. Get ready to check both of them. Time is short.”
The pitching coach raised the two new Seagulls arrivals as well.
Whoosh—thud
Whoosh—thud
Whoosh—thud
“Four-seam fastball is pass. Changeups fail.”
Kim Jeon-gal: C+ Grade middle relief
Velocity: B | Command: C | Stuff: B+ | Stamina: C-
Pitch types: four-seam fastball, slider, curve
Choi Seungtaek studied Kim Jeon-gal’s delivery.
The fastball itself possessed good velocity and movement, but the command wavered slightly and the changeups were flat—useless in that form.
‘He hasn’t equipped the splitter yet. Understood.’
Back when Choi Seungtaek had served as a power analyst, he had noticed a pattern among Seagulls players. Thanks to one player’s tutoring, many Seagulls pitchers now threw the splitter successfully—including Kim Jeon-gal.
‘Right now, we’ll have to rely on the fastball-based stuff. Still, it’s not bad. He can at least be slotted into middle relief.’
Choi Seungtaek nodded and sent Kim Jeon-gal out to warm up.
Whoosh—thud
Whoosh—thud
Whoosh—thud
“Song Chang-soo: B- Grade closer
Velocity: B | Command: B | Stuff: C+ | Stamina: B
Pitch types: four-seam fastball, forkball, slider
Feature: Free-form arm slot; disguises pitch based on changing delivery
“Not bad, but a little inconsistent.”
Still, Choi Seungtaek saw him as a serviceable resource and nodded.
“How does he look?”
“All good.”
“Really?”
“Yes. He looks like he could make the 1-A roster.”
The pitching coach smiled broadly.
“I agree. I feel much better now. How do you think the game will go today?”
“Today? Against the Daegu Eagles? It won’t be easy.”
“So that’s what you’re asking. Can we hold them?”
“It depends on who starts.”
The pitching coach gave Choi Seungtaek a long look.
“Did you confirm today’s starter?”
“What? No, we’ll use whoever’s ready.”
“You thorough one. I thought you were the type who checked everything. Look there.”
The pitching coach pointed at the group of pitchers who had just thrown.
“Huh? Manager’s really strict. Are you using Senior Yoon Jeong-jin as starter? No matter how flexible, that’s—”
“No. Right there.”
“What?”
The pitching coach indicated the newly traded player.
“No way…”
“Yes. Today’s starter is Song Chang-soo.”
…
Choi Seungtaek could only manage a dry swallow.
* * *
Daegu Eagles
The current top team with elite offense and defense alike.
Having built a dynasty, every Daegu player faced the Magpies with heavy pressure.
‘Our Manager is truly amazing.’
Choi Seungtaek loosened up and stepped onto the field.
‘How does he put a closer straight into the starter role? And a recently traded one at that?’
Song Chang-soo was already warming up on the mound.
Choi Seungtaek settled behind home plate.
‘Opener. It’s an opener. The closer just came out first. That’s all it is.’
Choi Seungtaek self-hypnotized himself to win and watched Song Chang-soo intently.
[The System assists]
Song Chang-soo: B- Grade closer
Velocity: B | Command: B | Stuff: C+ | Stamina: B
Pitch types: four-seam fastball, forkball, slider
Feature: Free-form arm slot; disguises pitch based on changing delivery
Condition: Worst; first start in a long time—nervous, unadapted to Daejeon Stadium
‘Ah… shit, really.’
Daegu Eagles’ leadoff hitter Perez stepped into the box.
The entire plate was a sea of red, and Choi Seungtaek exhaled deeply.
Crack!
- Leading off batter Perez! First pitch—single.
Pat pat
- Second batter Park Tae-in walks.
Crack!
Thud!
- Third batter Chae Ja-wook bunts! Ah! Shortstop Hwang Gang-gyeong drops the ball. All runners safe. Bases loaded, no outs!
Crack!
- Fourth batter Choi Hae-min single, scoring two from left-center and shortstop!
Crack!
- Fifth batter Park Sang-soo single to center—scoring another run!
Thud!
- Sixth batter Lee Hyeong-woo! Cracking it long. Right fielder stops it! Nothing more to do!
…
In the top of the first, the Magpies were mercifully shut out—six runs in six innings.
Choi Seungtaek stared at the mound with a troubled expression.
Song Chang-soo’s head hung low.
Choi Seungtaek glanced into the dugout.
Manager Han Geunseong seemed to be giving instructions, and from the shape of his mouth Choi Seungtaek read the single word: “Change.”
Thus Song Chang-soo started, but he left the mound without recording even one out.