The Returned Monster Genius Pitcher Is Also Great at Hitting Home Runs

Chapter 10 of 10

Chapter 10

Chapter 10. I’ll Keep Shining

Lee Yujin's mouth fell open as she watched the game between Saeum High and Bundang Yatap High.

Nine innings.

Zero runs allowed.

Bundang Yatap High lost without scoring even a single run.

"Am I seeing this wrong?"

Their batting lineup had actually been even better last year.

Two of their third-year players had been selected near the top of the draft.

Bundang Yatap High had been such an overwhelming team that one of their players had even won the Lee Youngmin Batting Award.

The media had nicknamed them the Bundang Yatap High Dynamite Lineup.

And that lineup had just been completely shut down.

Lee Yujin immediately reported the result to her department chief.

—Kim Jiman struck out three times in a row and was completely shut down. They didn't score a single run.

As soon as she said that, her chief called her.

This was the same man who had been making a huge fuss while covering the Busan Oceans lately.

[Is that true? As far as I know, even when that team lost last year, it was always in a slugfest.]

"That's right... And this wasn't even a slugfest. They lost 1–0. I checked, and they didn't suffer a single shutout loss in an official game last year."

[That's possible against Bundang Yatap High right now? Who was the starting pitcher? Isn't Saeum High a team that had lost every single game until now?]

"W-Well... today was actually their first official win. The starting pitcher was Choi Seong. I've confirmed that he played for Jeil High until last year. And he threw seventy-eight pitches... every single one of them was a fastball."

[What? Is that even possible? Are you sure you didn't see it wrong? Even Kim Beomjin, who's considered a candidate for the No. 1 pick, gives up runs against Bundang Yatap's hitters. Check it again. How can a miracle like that happen?]

Her chief rarely got surprised.

He was the type who could watch a pitcher give up two grand slams in one inning and simply shrug it off.

But even he sounded slightly excited.

It might have been nothing more than the first game of the high school weekend league, but he clearly thought a massive upset had occurred.

"I'll try to contact him right away. Choi Seong also hit the solo home run in the second inning that scored the game's only run."

Her chief went silent for a moment.

Then he answered.

[Don't make this a short interview. Do a proper feature. I'll give you a full page. Tie it together with Saeum High's first victory and frame it as an underdog uprising. Honestly, when you told me you were going there, I was worried you wouldn't even get enough material to justify the trip. Good job. You did well.]

"Yes, sir!"

Lee Yujin quickly waited for the Saeum High players to come out.

She didn't pay any attention to Bundang Yatap High.

The spotlight belonged to the winner.

And shining that spotlight was a reporter's privilege.

Choi Seong, standing in front of her, was quite handsome.

He was tall and lean, with broad shoulders.

"We'll work around your schedule!"

"Then since today's Saturday, let's do it right away next Monday."

"Sounds good! Should we come to your school?"

"Yes."

There was a strange gleam in Choi Seong's eyes.

This had to be his first interview, yet his expression didn't change at all.

He looked perfectly confident.

Depending on how someone saw it, he might even come across as arrogant.

Lee Yujin liked this kind of boldness in a young prospect.

It made for a good interview.

"Then I'll prepare a simple list of interview questions. If you could answer according to—"

"Questions? You don't need to do that. Just ask me then. Whatever you want to know."

Lee Yujin's eyes widened.

People usually became nervous during their first interview, especially when they had just started dealing with the media.

But Choi Seong showed none of that.

His voice carried the same calmness as a superstar who had already given countless interviews.

Reporter Lee Yujin found herself nodding without realizing it.

"All right. Then we'll do it that way."

Choi Seong and the others soon left.

Lee Yujin couldn't stop her heart from racing.

Something genuine had appeared in Korea.

Something that felt completely different from the usual Eastern mindset.

"He's definitely got guts..."

She desperately hoped the lifeline she'd grabbed wouldn't shine for only a moment before disappearing.

My parents tightly straightened the collar of my uniform.

The uniform had been ironed the previous day, so it didn't look wrinkled or shabby at all.

Looking at the neatly pressed clothes gave me a strange feeling in my chest.

The faint smell left behind by the iron was still there.

It was something I'd never noticed when I used to leave every part of my daily life to professional services.

Back then, they always prepared everything several days in advance and simply brought me the finished result.

"It smells really nice, Mom."

My mother looked surprised again.

Seriously.

Why was everyone in this house so easily surprised?

Whenever I did anything, my parents acted shocked.

It had practically become part of their daily routine.

"Do you think you'll be okay, son? It's your first interview."

"It's not a television interview. It'll just be printed in an article. I'll be fine, Dad. I'll go and answer everything properly."

"Right, right. You've really become mature. Don't make any mistakes, okay? Make sure you speak properly."

"Of course, Dad. Mom. I'm always grateful to both of you!"

I'd wanted to act spoiled for a change, but it wasn't going the way I'd imagined.

In the end, I simply showed them my mature side and left the house.

I wasn't used to acting like a child anymore.

I couldn't bring myself to do it.

The only thing I knew how to do was act dependable.

I stepped outside.

After neatly fixing my hair, I calmly headed to school.

"Whoa, what's this?"

As soon as I passed through the school gate, I heard students murmuring.

When I approached the crowd, I saw a vehicle belonging to Daehan Sports parked beside the athletic field.

"What? Who are they here to interview today?"

"Probably someone from the soccer team. I heard a lot of them are going pro next year."

"What about the baseball team?"

"Who's going to care about a team that only just got its first win? You have to keep showing results before reporters start coming."

High school sports definitely had many areas that didn't get much attention.

Reporters frequently came for our soccer team, and they already had plenty of media connections.

The baseball team, on the other hand, was only now reaching the point where we had to make those connections ourselves.

"But isn't this the first time Daehan Sports has come here?"

"Yeah. Isn't that huge?"

They weren't wrong.

Daehan Sports was basically one of the biggest names in sports journalism.

Of course rumors would spread if one of their vehicles showed up at school.

Besides, even though the weekend league game was already over, news probably hadn't spread everywhere yet.

Which team we'd beaten.

How we'd beaten them.

Things like that.

"Choi Seong, are you here?"

As I casually looked over the vehicle, the reporter I'd met before quickly stepped out.

This time, she brought another cameraman with her.

"Huh?"

The moment she said my name, the other students all turned toward me.

I calmly gave them a slight smile and walked toward the reporter.

"I'm here."

"Your uniform looks pretty sharp. You look completely different from when you're playing baseball."

"Thank you."

I glanced behind me for a moment.

Everyone immediately avoided my eyes.

Coach Jo Byeongcheol was watching me from the field.

I felt like doing something.

So, with complete confidence, I raised my hand and waved at him.

Coach Jo shook his head and quickly walked away.

"You seem pretty popular."

"You could say that."

I went to the faculty office with her.

We needed permission from the principal.

Every time students passed us in the hallway, they stared.

None of them actually spoke to me.

They simply watched with wide, sparkling eyes.

It felt almost like admiration.

Feeling people welcome me as I walked through the school, I headed into the principal's office to greet him.

"Thank you for always bringing honor to our school."

The principal didn't say much.

He formally offered me his hand, and I shook it.

He was probably thinking very hard right now.

Trying to decide whether my presence would become a benefit or a problem for him.

"The interview will probably appear in tomorrow's paper."

"Oh?"

"Both my department chief and I have high expectations for this interview."

At Lee Yujin's words, the principal gave an awkward smile.

She seemed to notice immediately.

He wasn't exactly delighted about this.

"For Daehan Sports to have such expectations... In any case, thank you."

"I'm simply doing my job, Principal."

Lee Yujin bowed politely.

The interview soon began.

The first question was simple.

"Last year, you batted in the .100s without a single home run, and your ERA was in the 4.00s. But in your first game this year, you looked completely different. What's the secret?"

"It's simple. I got better."

"I happened to find videos of your batting and pitching forms from last year. They're both much simpler now, but you're actually generating more power. How did you change them?"

"It was instinct. When I picked up the bat lightly, I just understood which parts of my body I needed to focus on."

Reporter Lee Yujin smiled at my answer.

The cameraman was busy taking pictures of me.

"You completely shut down Bundang Yatap High, the team known for its Dynamite Lineup. This was their first shutout loss in two years. What do you think about that?"

"When you throw the ball, you can see certain things. I just picked up on them."

"That's a difficult explanation. Then what about the increase in your velocity...?"

"It went up because it was time for it to go up."

I answered honestly.

Or rather, I simply said whatever came to mind.

There was no real way to explain my sudden improvement.

I couldn't exactly announce that I'd regressed through time and had already been an incredible pitcher before.

"Was there a reason you chose to throw fastballs for every single pitch?"

"The guys had lost their confidence, so I wanted to build it back up. I wanted to show them that even a strong high school team could be completely shut down with nothing but four-seam fastballs. That way, they'd have some hope too."

If a team had some kind of catalyst or central figure, it could find a path toward victory.

And in reality, everyone's mood had been pretty good throughout the weekend.

"Then do you have anyone you'd consider a role model going forward?"

A role model...

I didn't really have one.

But there was someone I wanted to surpass.

"I want to surpass myself."

I'd already created all kinds of ridiculous records in my previous life.

But injuries had eventually dragged me down.

This time, I wanted to avoid repeating that path and become the greatest player possible.

"That's quite a difficult dream..."

Reporter Lee Yujin visibly hesitated.

Maybe she thought I was even bolder than she'd expected.

She quickly recovered and asked another question.

"Do you have a goal for this year?"

"A championship. We'll win the four major national tournaments or the weekend league. No matter what."

I didn't mention the fact that our baseball club would be shut down if we failed to win.

That was a battle between men.

And honestly, I thought we were going to win anyway.

Reporter Lee Yujin nodded.

Her fingers were flying across the keyboard.

"Then, aside from simply winning with your team, there's another important moment for every high school player, isn't there? I'd like to ask you about the draft. Is there a particular team you'd like to join?"

This was where I would state my conditions.

Because even after saying this, they'd still have no choice but to draft me.

I decided to approach it with a slightly American mindset.

Korean coaching staffs were often way too old-fashioned.

There was a high possibility they'd try to cut apart my pitching and batting forms and force me into whatever style they preferred.

"I want to go to a team that won't touch my pitching form or batting form at all. Money honestly doesn't matter much."

"Why do you think money won't matter?"

"Because no matter which team takes me, I'll be a first-round pick, and that team will give me the best treatment they can."

Lee Yujin finally couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.

I quietly stared at her.

"You've only shown what you can do in one game. Isn't that an incredible amount of confidence?"

"Do you think I'll perform worse from now on?"

"I'm not saying that, but don't you think it's a little early to say something like that so confidently?"

There was a youthful amusement in Lee Yujin's voice.

It felt like she simply wanted to tease me at least once.

"Why? Aren't you interviewing me because of what I've shown so far?"

"That's true... but all of your answers are just so..."

"Let's call it confidence."

"You're interesting. Don't blame me if people leave nasty comments, okay?"

I didn't particularly care about things like that.

The professional world was a place where people cursed at you for losing a game even after allowing only one run.

I'd already spent more than ten years living in that world.

"Then that would just mean that's as far as I could go. But I have absolutely no intention of stopping here."

She seemed to be worried about me, but I didn't mind.

"Honestly, I'm a little worried about how professional teams and baseball fans will react if I publish this exactly as it is. It'll probably get me plenty of views, but I don't want to cause trouble for you personally. And I think I just became Choi Seong's first fan."

My first fan?

The parents and teammates who'd already seen me pitch had become fans before her.

If she'd only realized it through this interview, she was way too late.

Still, I wanted to ease some of the burden she seemed to feel.

From now on, I wanted to live my life without worrying about anyone else's opinion.

No matter the situation, I would show people who I truly was.

"Print it exactly as I said it. Don't change a single word. You don't need to feel pressured, because this is who I am."

"Hmm... Honestly... if you shine brightly once and then disappear..."

"I won't shine just once and disappear."

I looked straight at her.

"I'll keep shining from now on."

My answer was filled with certainty.

Lee Yujin burst into loud laughter.

"Good. I like you even more now. I guess I'll have to keep following your games from now on. I hope you keep playing well."

I smiled.

I knew I'd barely shown anything yet.

So all I had to do was keep showing them.

And prove it.

[Saeum High's Choi Seong: "Any Team Will Take Me With Their First Pick"]

A photograph of me smiling crookedly appeared alongside the article on one of the country's most widely read sports pages.

The reactions were completely divided.

But the most important thing was that everyone now knew who I was.

After just one game.

—Why the hell is Choi Seong acting so cocky?

└ I think he's cute. What's wrong with being confident?

└ That's not confidence. That's just bluffing. What has he even shown yet?

└ Seems like he's doing pretty well, though? I heard Saeum High just got their first win.

└ That's only one game. Honestly, I prefer quiet guys like Kim Beomjin. He didn't suddenly blow up like this guy, and he doesn't run his mouth either.

└ Can't he just prove it from now on? He's still a high school kid. And honestly, he's handsome. Lick.

└ Face simp, get out. Choi Seong fanboy, screw off.

I couldn't help smiling as I read the comments.

Either way, I'd made an impression on the fans.

Now it was my turn to show them.

What condition I was in.

And what kind of person I was.

The executives of every professional club had probably read this interview too.

Even if they thought I was arrogant, I would make sure they clearly saw what I could do.

The article also had a subtitle—