Chapter 12

Chapter 12 — No-Hit No-Run

Kim Beomjin gave up trying to make sense of the situation.

He simply squeezed his eyes shut.

Choi Seong's two-run home run.

And the way Choi Seong casually rounded the bases as if it were the most natural thing in the world only made him even more irritating.

How the hell had he hit that pitch?

It had been a slider breaking completely outside the zone.

Yet Choi Seong had predicted its path perfectly, as if he had known exactly where it would go, and sent it over the fence.

"Was I too careless...?"

He retired all the other batters without much trouble.

Only the catcher came over and patted Kim Beomjin on the back as he sat on the bench wiping his sweat with a towel.

"The pitch went exactly where it was supposed to. Choi Seong was just a monster there. Besides, we're only down by two runs. We can catch up soon."

Unusually, even Coach Gu Byeongseok came over.

Standing beside Kim Beomjin, he calmly said,

"Watching from the bench, that wasn't a mistake pitch. That guy's batting form is simply at its peak right now. Don't worry about it."

Kim Beomjin was slightly moved by their words.

Besides, the home run had come in the first inning.

They could always score those runs back, and all he had to do was shut them down from here on out.

Saewoom High was a team that always finished at the bottom.

They had always been nothing more than easy prey for Jeil High.

"Strikeout!"

The problem was that Choi Seong's condition looked far from normal today.

He retired the side in order again in the second inning.

His fastball had always been his biggest strength, but now that he had added breaking balls to his arsenal, he had become much harder to deal with.

"From now on, don't swing until you have two strikes. I want you to see as many pitches as possible. And if a pitch comes into the zone, foul it off however you can."

Coach Gu Byeongseok went so far as to give the batters those instructions.

It was the first time Coach Gu had ever directly told them how to approach their at-bats.

He had ordered plenty of steals and bunts before, but never had he so openly instructed them to drag out the opposing pitcher's pitch count.

"Choi Seong really is in great shape today. If he was going to pitch like this, why couldn't he have done it last year...?"

Kim Beomjin's catcher and best friend grumbled.

Hearing that, Kim Beomjin felt strangely guilty.

On top of that, unlike last year, Saewoom High's batting lineup was proving much tougher than expected.

It wasn't only Choi Seong.

The other players were trying desperately to reach base, even if it meant bunting.

If they couldn't get a clean hit, they fouled pitches off just to increase Kim Beomjin's pitch count.

In other words...

"Why are they so desperate all of a sudden?"

Last year, those guys would shrink back just from seeing Kim Beomjin on the mound.

But now, they came at him with fire in their eyes.

Even when pitches came inside, they didn't try to dodge them.

"Hit by pitch!"

In the bottom of the third inning, Kim Beomjin's pitch struck shortstop Kim Jeongtae.

He had tried to jam him inside, but his control slipped slightly and the ball slammed directly into Kim Jeongtae's arm.

But Kim Jeongtae didn't avoid it.

Without showing even the slightest sign of pain, he immediately walked toward first base.

"Umpire! He didn't even try to get out of the way!"

Coach Gu Byeongseok, who had been watching from the bench, stormed onto the field to protest.

Of course, the home plate umpire simply sent him back.

Kim Beomjin also knew there was no way that protest would overturn the call.

It was clearly a hit by pitch.

What surprised him was the way Kim Jeongtae walked toward first without showing any pain whatsoever.

There was a flame in his eyes.

A tiny flame.

And that flame had spread to leadoff hitter Kwon Geonwoo.

"What the hell?"

Kwon Geonwoo immediately squared around to bunt on Kim Beomjin's very first pitch.

Kim Beomjin had expected it, so the moment he released the pitch, he charged forward.

Kwon Geonwoo sprinted.

Kim Beomjin fired the ball to first base with almost all his strength, but Kwon Geonwoo dove headfirst.

He practically threw his entire body onto first base.

His slide wasn't completely clean, though, and one of his arms bent awkwardly.

"Safe!"

The timing had been incredibly close.

Kim Beomjin bit his lip.

Saewoom High's Coach Park Seonghyeon rushed over to check Kwon Geonwoo's condition.

Kwon Geonwoo merely smiled and reassured his coach.

No outs.

Runners on first and second.

Then Choi Seong stepped up with runners in scoring position.

He calmly took a few practice swings before entering the batter's box.

At the same time, Coach Gu Byeongseok stood up from the bench and headed toward the mound.

It was only the third inning, so coming out this early was unusual for him as well.

"Walk Choi Seong."

There were already runners on first and second with no outs.

Doing that would load the bases.

"What?"

Kim Beomjin asked in confusion.

Gu Byeongseok calmly replied,

"Choi Seong is too hot right now. Walking him is the right decision. If we give up an extra-base hit here, this game could become impossible to win."

Kim Beomjin had never gone wrong by following Gu Byeongseok's instructions during a game.

He was a coach obsessed with winning, a man who treated his players like replaceable parts in a microwave.

When Kim Beomjin didn't answer immediately, Gu Byeongseok sighed.

"I know you've thought of Choi Seong as your rival since last year. But what comes first right now? The player or the team? It's the team. Follow your coach's instructions."

Kim Beomjin reluctantly nodded.

From what he had seen earlier, Choi Seong couldn't touch his fastball.

He could tell simply from the way Choi Seong had watched it pass.

There was clearly a weakness there.

All he had to do was exploit it.

But Kim Beomjin didn't bother telling Gu Byeongseok.

"Then I'll set up outside."

The catcher said that and returned to his position.

Choi Seong merely stared at Kim Beomjin.

Why did Kim Beomjin feel as though he had already lost?

He frowned.

This was another feeling he had never experienced before.

A fastball.

If he could put just one fastball into the strike zone, Choi Seong wouldn't be able to hit it.

The catcher was standing up, but that didn't matter.

He could block it somehow.

Sometimes, a little rebellion was necessary.

Sometimes, the judgment of the player standing on the field was more correct than the coach sitting on the bench.

• 153 km/h

Kim Beomjin threw the ball toward the strike zone instead of the catcher's glove outside.

Even then, he didn't throw it straight down the middle.

It was a fastball that barely clipped the inside edge of the strike zone.

The catcher would probably miss it, putting runners on second and third with no outs.

That was fine.

Kim Beomjin was confident he could still escape without allowing a single run.

His fastball.

That fastball had always protected Kim Beomjin.

Crack.

But that belief shattered instantly.

Choi Seong swung the bat.

As if he had known from the beginning that the pitch would enter the strike zone.

Earlier, Choi Seong had hit the ball to the opposite field.

This time, he pulled it.

The moment contact was made, Kim Beomjin knew.

He didn't even turn around.

There was no need.

The catcher had already ripped off his mask and was staring at him in disbelief.

Kim Beomjin's instincts had been completely wrong.

Choi Seong's second consecutive home run made the score 5–0.

And finally, Kim Beomjin was forced to admit it.

The game had slipped away.

I sensed someone approaching from behind, so I assumed they were planning to walk me.

Walking me with runners on first and second and no outs?

Did Coach Gu Byeongseok really think that was a reasonable strategy?

Well, I suppose he could.

His opponent was me, after all.

"You're refusing Gu Byeongseok's orders, Beomjin?"

I allowed myself a small smile as I rounded the bases.

About one percent of me actually liked that side of Kim Beomjin.

If you don't like something, you should fight back.

Rebel a little.

Otherwise, life becomes terribly boring.

Of course, after making such a terrible judgment today, Kim Beomjin would probably obey every word Gu Byeongseok said for the rest of his baseball career.

He had probably realized that his coach's instincts were quite good.

Looking at things that way, life really was an endless series of strange twists.

The score was 5–0.

Now what were they supposed to do?

My arm was in perfect condition today.

I had rested for two whole weeks, which meant I could throw aggressively without holding anything back.

From the beginning of the game, I continued shutting them down without allowing a single run.

Kim Beomjin's mentality hadn't completely collapsed.

Still, giving up five runs in three innings had to be a pretty big blow to him personally.

I managed to pitch safely all the way through the eighth inning.

No.

I hadn't allowed even a single runner to reach base.

I could hear countless cameras clicking away.

For some reason, those sounds always seemed much louder whenever I stood on the mound.

"One inning left! Seong! You can do it!"

"Let's completely destroy Jeil High this time!"

I could hear my parents cheering.

Of course, Mom and Dad.

Because if even one batter reaches base right now, I'm the one who dies.

For some people, saying they were betting their life on something was just an expression.

For me, it was completely literal.

With defeat practically certain, the Jeil High cheering section could only stare silently at us.

The real problem was the ninth inning.

I had to give our team credit for not making a single error throughout the game.

The more runs I scored, the more focused everyone became.

• 144 km/h

Bottom of the ninth.

Two outs.

My four-seam fastball made contact with Jeil High's ninth batter, Lee Seungwon.

Well, once someone saw pitches from the same pitcher three or more times, it was only natural that they'd eventually make contact.

The ball rolled slowly toward second baseman Kim Gyeongtaek.

Actually, the reason it moved so slowly was because my pitch had overpowered the bat.

Don't tell me I'm going to die here.

Countless thoughts raced through my head.

But only one thing mattered.

Backing up first base.

I sprinted as fast as I could for this single moment.

Kim Gyeongtaek charged forward and grabbed the ball.

Lee Seungwon was a fairly fast runner.

"Hurry!"

First baseman Park Byeonggyu shouted desperately.

This was a chance to complete a perfect game, something almost unheard of in the weekend league.

Kim Gyeongtaek barely managed to pull the ball from his glove and threw toward first.

But his body lost its balance as he released it.

The moment I saw that, I knew.

There was no way they were getting the out at first.

The ball sailed past Park Byeonggyu and came toward me.

"Safe!"

The first-base umpire made the call, and groans erupted from all around the stadium.

I didn't have time to care about those groans.

Because a strange mechanical sound suddenly began screaming in my ears.

• Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep-beep. Beep-beep-beep-beep. Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep...

It was going insane.

Complete either a perfect game or a no-hit no-run.

If that play wasn't ruled an error, I was dead.

Jeil High's Coach Gu Byeongseok came out and shouted,

"That's a hit, isn't it?! That's a hit, right?!"

He probably didn't want Jeil High to become the victim of a historic record.

But my life was literally on the line.

Just as I was about to say something to Gu Byeongseok, a booming voice came from our bench.

"Hey! A hit?! Didn't you see our guy make an error?! How the hell is that a hit?! Are you even doing your job as a coach properly?!"

"You bastard! How dare you speak to your senior like—"

"Being my senior means you can demand biased rulings?!"

The owner of that voice was Coach Park Seonghyeon.

Dragging his heavy body along, he charged toward the umpire like an enraged wild boar.

For a moment, even Gu Byeongseok seemed taken aback.

The home plate umpire looked at both of them before speaking.

"It's an error. Error on the second baseman."

At those words, the ringing in my ears slowly faded.

I really could have died.

Every cell in my body was trembling violently, as though countless time bombs had been seconds away from exploding.

For a moment, my legs lost their strength and I nearly collapsed.

But I quickly regained myself.

The next batter was their best hitter, Kim Beomjin.

Of course, I had already struck him out twice today.

Since Coach Park Seonghyeon had come all the way onto the field anyway, he spoke to me.

"We lost the perfect game, but if you get through just one more batter, you've got a no-hit no-run. You can do it, right?"

"Of course."

"Good. Our Seong always does well, so I trust you. Completely crush Jeil High's pride."

"Th... thank you, Coach."

There were plenty of things I had been grateful to Coach Park Seonghyeon for, even since my previous life.

But I had never properly expressed it.

So I turned my gaze away as I thanked him.

He grinned.

"What? You actually know how to say something like that?"

Even at the very end, he lightened the mood with a casual joke.

I adjusted my cap and looked toward Yun Jaejun.

Now that a runner had reached base, Jeil High's side began shouting loudly, trying to build momentum.

I had nearly died.

I had genuinely felt the fear of death.

• 134 km/h

My slider broke outside.

Kim Beomjin swung.

He attacked the first pitch, just like I had attacked his pitch earlier.

He swung anyway.

I had no idea why he made that choice.

The ball carried into the outfield, and the right fielder caught it.

Kim Beomjin, who had swung at the first pitch, let out a sigh loud enough to shake the heavens.

And that was it.

He hadn't put enough strength into the ball, so it lost momentum before it could reach deep into the outfield.

Still, the fact that he had tried to imitate my hitting was impressive in its own way.

I was smiling as Yun Jaejun ran toward me when I suddenly felt a heavy force from behind.

"Thank you, Seong. Thank you so much."

Kim Gyeongtaek was hugging me with tears streaming down his face.

Why was everyone on this team such a crybaby?

Were the players starting to resemble the coach?

Anyway, we had defeated the Jeil High players, who now stood there looking completely devastated.

With our second straight victory in the weekend league, we had firmly widened the gap between us.

Today, I could enjoy myself.

Because this had definitely been a day when I completely bombarded them.

[Sudden Mission Complete: Choi Seong Completely Crushes His Fated Rival!]

• Potential skill 'Sweet Revenge' has been acquired.

• Sweet Revenge: Activates during a game when Choi Seong is hit by a pitch, intentionally walked, or experiences similar situations. It activates when Choi Seong undergoes strong emotional agitation. All stats increase by 20%.

Twenty percent?

That wasn't a bad number at all.

If this activated, my four-seam fastball could temporarily reach 150 km/h.

I could examine it more carefully later.

For now, I enjoyed this moment with my teammates.

Several hours later.

Two men were having a conversation inside a dark, enclosed room.

"Someone threw a no-hit no-run in the weekend league?"

"Yes, sir. That's right."

"I see. I noticed a couple of articles about it. Who is this kid?"

"His name is Choi Seong from Saewoom High. To be honest, he wasn't a player we had very high expectations for."

The seated man burst into laughter.

"Kids these days sure develop fast, don't they? Keep watching him. Pulling off a performance like that while carrying last year's last-place team isn't easy."

"Yes, sir."

With that, the Busan Oceans scout left the room.

The general manager of the Oceans, last year's last-place team, began reading the articles about Choi Seong with an interested look in his eyes.