Chapter 1

Chapter 1

1. The Switch Pitcher Returns to the Past

Inside the warm, crowded atmosphere of a street food tent, the customers were drinking and enjoying themselves.

Everyone was relaxed, but one man alone gave off a gloomy aura.

Strangely, even though his left arm could stretch straight, it was unnaturally twisted. His right hand, which held a shot glass, trembled slightly.

Haa…”

[Seo Ji-tae]

Age: 35

Occupation: Former Baseball Player

He repeatedly emptied his glass, pouring alcohol into his body.

Those fucking bastards.”

Seo Ji-tae ground his teeth as he rubbed his left shoulder.

Even when he stayed still, a dull pain throbbed through it. Beneath his thin T-shirt, the surgical scar felt like an ugly snake coiled around his shoulder.

This shoulder had once been his greatest pride.

It had been everything in his life.

But that glory was gone now.

[Control is important! What good is throwing fast if that’s all you can do!]

Back in middle school, he had been called a left-handed monster.

A fifteen-year-old boy standing on the mound had casually thrown pitches at 150 km/h.

Before entering high school, scouts from all over the country had their eyes on him. Prestigious schools fought over him, offering extraordinary scholarships.

[Please send Seo Ji-tae to our school! We’ll turn him into the best player!]

Back then, Seo Ji-tae thought the whole world was beneath his feet.

But after entering high school, the people around him forced him to change his pitching form, claiming they needed to improve the control of his fastball.

[Listen to adults who have more experience than you! You’re only a freshman, yet you’re already this arrogant! You need to become a proper person before becoming a player!]

[Ji-tae, if you don’t pitch, the team will lose. You’re the ace. You have to show some fighting spirit!]

His pitching form was changed against his will, and the velocity that had been his greatest strength began to fall.

If that had been the only problem, he might have endured it.

The real problem was the abuse that came with being a high school baseball player.

The shoulder and elbow of a seventeen-year-old boy were worn down like disposable tools.

Eventually, during the semifinals of a national tournament in the summer of his second year, the ligament in his left arm screamed as it tore apart with a snap.

While Seo Ji-tae lay in the hospital, despairing that his life as a pitcher was over, his coach made a suggestion.

Instead of pitching left-handed, he should switch to his right hand.

You used to throw with your right hand for fun when you were a kid, didn’t you? Change your form and become a right-handed submarine pitcher. You’ve got great baseball instincts, so you’ll still make it to the pros.”

Seo Ji-tae desperately wanted to survive.

So he drank from that poisoned cup.

That was how the left-handed fireballer disappeared.

He converted into a right-handed submarine pitcher.

But the abuse did not stop.

He barely managed to reach professional baseball, but after being used again and again as a mop-up reliever, even his remaining healthy shoulder was completely ruined.

After suffering through everything, he was mercilessly discarded.

He could not let it end like this.

But unlike soccer, baseball did not have many active professional leagues around the world.

Seo Ji-tae blindly headed for an independent league.

The conditions were uncomfortable.

The pay was terrible.

He went there for one reason alone.

Baseball.

And there, Seo Ji-tae met the coach who changed his life.

[Seo! Why did you only come here now? That frisbee slider of yours is like watching your country’s BK, Kim Byung-hyun! If you had come just a little earlier…]

Antonio.

A former Major Leaguer.

He had never been a superstar, but he had survived as a regular Major League player.

The former Major Leaguer’s words stabbed deeply into Seo Ji-tae’s heart.

[Seo, look at this data. Since 2010, pitch velocity has kept rising. If your submarine fastball can break 150 km/h, you might even become a closer in the Majors!]

Only then did Seo Ji-tae learn about the so-called velocity revolution and data-driven baseball.

He finally realized his potential.

But by then, he was already thirty-five.

I’m too late.”

At the age of thirty-five, Seo Ji-tae finally succeeded in throwing 150 km/h with a right-handed submarine delivery.

He completely dominated the independent league.

But he was no longer considered valuable by professional teams.

Hoping to become a closer or even a one-point reliever, he knocked on the door of Major League Baseball.

But this time, an injury was discovered in his right shoulder.

It was not fatal to his career.

However, it was enough to remove any reason for a Major League team to take a chance on him.

Seo Ji-tae emptied his final glass.

Then he collapsed forward.

If.

If only he could be given one more chance.

He would never destroy his arm for someone else again.

He would stand on the mound only for himself.

He would become the most selfish and ruthless pitcher possible.

His consciousness was fading.

Then he heard something.

[Then why don’t you try again? Let’s see how long that resolve lasts.]

A voice.

Who?”

Seo Ji-tae tried to open his eyes.

But his consciousness had already drifted far away.

Ji-tae! Today’s your first team meeting, and you’re still sleeping? Don’t blame me if you’re late!”

A sharp pain struck his back.

Seo Ji-tae’s eyes snapped open.

His head should have been heavy from alcohol, but strangely, it was clear.

The familiar smell of mothballs stung his nose.

Old floral wallpaper.

The desk he had used in middle school.

This was his room in his family home.

The room where he had lived during high school, eighteen years ago.

How many times have I told you? If you’re late, the coach will remember it! Hurry up, wash yourself, and come out!”

His mother’s nagging.

She looked far younger than he remembered.

Seo Ji-tae could not say anything.

He stared blankly at her.

Mom, you look younger.”

What are you talking about? Hurry up and wash!”

Seo Ji-tae walked toward the mirror in a daze.

Then his eyes widened in shock.

T-This is…”

Inside the mirror stood a lean, solid boy who was 180 centimeters tall and weighed 80 kilograms.

This is insane…”

Seo Ji-tae carefully rotated his left shoulder.

Smooth.

The strange grinding sensation caused by his torn ligament was gone.

The stabbing pain had disappeared.

His left arm had been perfectly restored.

It was young and full of elasticity.

Then he looked down at his right arm.

His body was not fully developed yet.

An unfinished vessel.

But there was something far more important than that.

Youth.

He had returned to his first year of high school.

No way.”

The knowledge he had before regressing.

The sensations and mechanics Antonio had taught him.

They were all clearly engraved inside his head.

I came back?”

He had no idea how.

But he had returned to the past.

Ha… Hahaha!”

A wild laugh of joy escaped him.

He had returned to high school with knowledge of modern pitching mechanics and two completely healthy shoulders.

His left arm, which had already thrown 150 km/h in middle school.

And his right arm, which now possessed the mechanics of a submarine pitcher.

With his current self, he could use both.

Seo Ji-tae did not intend to become some ordinary right-handed pitcher.

He had something much more unusual in mind.

A switch pitcher. If I do this, I can greatly reduce the risk of injury too!

Hope rose across Seo Ji-tae’s face.

From now on, everything would be different.

Seo Ji-tae immediately put on his baseball team training uniform and left the house.

His destination was the baseball field of his old school.

Cheongryong High School.

The people who had destroyed his life eighteen years ago were waiting there.

I’m happy, but I also hate this place. Still, I’ll walk a different path this time.

He arrived at the baseball team’s training field.

The seniors immediately began shouting.

Why are you taking so long? Move!”

Around thirty freshmen stood in neat lines on the field, their bodies stiff with tension.

Cold sweat formed on their foreheads beneath the fierce sunlight.

Only recently, they had been the senior students in middle school.

Now they were the lowest-ranking members of the team.

They stood before the seniors and coaches like soldiers.

You’re all too soft. Back in my day, I would’ve already kicked you.”

At the front stood Head Coach Choi Dong-il, leaning on a baseball bat like it was a cane.

His bulging stomach and fierce eyes faced the freshmen.

At his words, one of the third-year seniors shouted.

Are you bastards insane? Are you already slacking off? Didn’t you hear what the coach said?”

They were deliberately trying to intimidate the freshmen.

Choi Dong-il smiled.

I know all of you were called aces in middle school. Forget all of that here. Starting today, I’ll test your control according to my instructions. No matter how fast a pitch is, it’s useless if you can’t control it. This is all for your own good.”

Yes, sir!”

Control over velocity.

The team over the individual.

What a joke.

Standing at the very end of the line with his weight on one leg, Seo Ji-tae sneered.

Why had his arm been destroyed before his regression?

Because they had lowered his arm angle while claiming they were improving his control.

That had destroyed his shoulder.

At the time, he had believed they were right.

He had believed everything his coaches said was the truth.

I really was a fucking idiot.

But now, he understood proper training methods and pitching theory.

Their words meant nothing to him anymore.

Perhaps his attitude was too obvious.

Choi Dong-il narrowed his eyes.

He walked toward him.

A baseball bat suddenly appeared in front of Seo Ji-tae.

Choi Dong-il did something no proper coach should ever do.

He threatened Seo Ji-tae with the bat.

Scared? Don’t worry. People don’t do that these days. What’s your name?”

Seo Ji-tae.”

Seo Ji-tae stood straight and looked directly at the coach.

Choi Dong-il looked him up and down.

You’re the guy the scout said could throw 150?”

Yes.”

Choi Dong-il pretended to swing the bat at him.

Looks like you were treated like an ace.

I heard you threw pretty fast in middle school, but I guess nobody taught you manners. You think you can play baseball with that kind of attitude on the field?”

His fellow freshmen looked at Seo Ji-tae with pity.

But Seo Ji-tae knew Choi Dong-il far too well.

He calmly stared back.

Coach, if a baseball player is good at baseball, why does it matter if his stance is comfortable? I was just relaxing my leg.”

What? You little…”

Silence fell across the baseball field.

It was as if cold water had suddenly been poured over everyone.

A freshman was actually talking back in a baseball team this strict?

Choi Dong-il’s face turned red.

The third-year seniors stared at the arrogant freshman in disbelief.

Such a disrespectful answer inside a high school baseball team naturally caused a stir.

W-What did you say? Have you lost your mind?!”

Choi Dong-il’s voice cracked with rage.

Every freshman standing on the field flinched.

No one had expected this.

Acting like this toward a coach in an athletic club?

Normally, you would not get away with it.

Look at this bastard. Baseball is fifty percent character. Even if someone like you has talent, do you think you can survive as a player while acting like some thug?”

Choi Dong-il pointed at him and tapped Seo Ji-tae’s chest with the baseball bat.

But Seo Ji-tae’s eyes did not waver.

I remember perfectly well that you destroyed my arm.

From Seo Ji-tae’s perspective, it was already impressive that he had not thrown a punch.

The man who had ruined his entire life was standing directly in front of him.

Instead, Seo Ji-tae’s cold gaze met Choi Dong-il’s pressure head-on.

Choi Dong-il looked at the coaches in disbelief.

Been a while since we got a crazy bastard like this.”

Coach.”

What? Now you want to apologize? Too late! You need to learn some manners first…”

Shouldn’t I just prove everything with results on the mound? Watch me pitch first, then judge me.”

Y-You…! You arrogant bastard! Fine.”

Choi Dong-il grinned and looked toward the third-year players.

Now that I think about it, maybe I got too angry. Every sports team has one cocky bastard like him. Fine, shall we do a simple test?”

His gaze moved toward the starting third-year players.

We should give him a proper initiation. Teach this freshman some manners.”

At that moment, the third-year players warming up in the bullpen came rushing over with hostile expressions.

At the center of them was Kang Tae-ho, captain of Cheongryong High School’s baseball team.

The moment he arrived, he grabbed Seo Ji-tae by the collar.

Hey, freshman. What kind of way is that to speak to the coach? Are you desperate to die?”

Kang Tae-ho, the starting catcher, shook him as if he were about to hit him.

Seo Ji-tae had already made enemies of the coach, the coaching staff, and the third-year players.

Seo Ji-tae gave a cold smile and picked up Kang Tae-ho’s mitt from the ground.

Senior, you’re a catcher. Looks like we’ll be working together quite a lot over the next year.”

This crazy bastard really… Where the hell is that confidence coming from?”

Kang Tae-ho shoved him away before walking back.

Hey! We’re testing the freshman’s stuff! Tae-ho, catch for him!”

The hostile atmosphere continued.

Everyone around them held their breath.

What’s going to happen to that freshman?”

He’s definitely crazy.”

He ruined the mood on the first day…”

How could he possibly beat a third-year senior?”

Expectation and worry filled the field.

Everyone thought they were about to watch an arrogant freshman get crushed.