The Extra in a Baseball Novel

Chapter 36

In the final match of the Presidential Cup, Cha Taehyun, who stepped up as the closing pitcher, secured the win. With this, Hyuksan High School achieved a remarkable feat, winning the Golden Lion Tournament, Blue Dragon Flag, and Presidential Cup consecutively.

The main figure in this whirlwind? It was undoubtedly Cha Taehyun.

Thanks to his performance, Cha Taehyun became a household name among baseball fans, not just Phoenix supporters.

Interestingly, lower-ranked teams began to post discussions like this online:

“[Isn’t it better to finish last and get Cha Taehyun than to end up in 7th place?]”

To be honest, it’s annoying to see the bottom-ranked team bragging about having Cha Taehyun, but I have to admit I’m a bit envious. That guy is seriously amazing. This season is pretty much a bust anyway, so wouldn’t it be better to finish last for a brighter future?

[Upvotes: 129] [Downvotes: 152]

? “That’s exactly what the useless Dinos should do.”

? “From how they’re playing, they might end up last even without tanking.”

? “No, that’s impossible. The Volcanoes are pushovers, but the ‘Last Nicks’ are on a whole other level; no one can beat them.”

? “Why is the idea of not being able to win at being last so funny? Haha.”

? “Still, tanking is too much, idiots.”

? “You troublemakers, get out of here.”

? “Gosh, tanking enthusiasts show up every day, tsk tsk.”

Although there were more downvotes and negative comments, it was surprising that some fans were even open to such discussions.

Considering that the act of tanking—intentionally lowering your rank to pick top rookies—goes against the spirit of sports and is generally viewed negatively, this level of response was unexpected.

“Ha~ Those dinosaur bastards. Yep~ Cha Taehyun is our Phoenix ace.”

Shin Hayoon chuckled as she read the post.

They had always been teased for losing to the Dinos, mocked for their rank, and even their recent championship years were the subject of jokes.

Now, however, everything could be justified with just Cha Taehyun.

“Yeah, we’re in last place, but we’ll take Cha Taehyun with us~.”

As she typed the comment, Shin Hayoon’s younger sister looked at her pitifully.

“Didn’t you say you didn’t like him before, acting all coy…”

“No, I just meant it as a fan! I said it as a fan!”

Shin Hayoon hurriedly shook her head, trying to explain, but to her sister, it just sounded like an excuse.

“Unnie, with that attitude, you won’t even become friends with Taehyun oppa. Someone else might snatch him up first.”

“…What are you talking about? I’m just a fan. I don’t care.”

“Really…? If you say so.”

Having lived together for over 10 years, the younger sister could easily read Hayoon’s expressions. When she mentioned, “Someone else might snatch him up first,” she noticed Hayoon’s lips pout ever so slightly.

With narrowed eyes, the younger sister said to Shin Hayoon:

“Unnie, I hope you succeed in being with Taehyun oppa someday~.”

“Hey! I told you, it’s not like that!”

—

The office of the high school baseball broadcasting team resembled a scene from an apocalypse.

Employees wandered in a daze, clutching coffee. One collapsed on the keyboard, and another staggered around like a zombie.

Only the team leader seemed unaffected.

“…It’s not enough. It’s still not enough… We need so much more!”

The director suddenly shouted, causing a subordinate to sigh.

‘Here we go again…’

At this point, they were more than used to it. In a few minutes, the director would certainly demand another video featuring Cha Taehyun.

“There’s a big event coming up, the U18 Baseball World Cup! But we need a bang! We need more! We must make Cha Taehyun into an even bigger star!”

‘Isn’t he already famous enough…?’

The Presidential Cup finals broadcast had an impressive 1.1% viewer rating, and Cha Taehyun’s interview video had already surpassed 500,000 views. What more could the director possibly want…?

At that moment, the director’s eyes widened, and he shouted as if he’d just had a eureka moment.

“I’ve got it! I know what we need to do!”

“Sigh… What now?”

“We’ll film Cha Taehyun’s daily life!”

“No… What is he, a celebrity? You want him to film a vlog?”

“Tsk, tsk… And that’s why you still haven’t been promoted and are stuck under me.”

‘There’s over a 10-year age gap between us…’

“Think about it! That tear-jerking interview with Cha Taehyun! If we show how hard he works in his daily life…!”

“Didn’t they receive support to resolve that?”

“Aigoo… You just don’t get it. We can go with a reenactment. We can show how tough his life was with a flashback.”

The subordinate couldn’t help but let out an impressed “Oh.” As much of an old-school thinker as the director seemed to be, his creativity was undeniable.

“Well… That would be interesting.”

“Exactly… This will be a hit! Everyone, wake up! Starting today, we’re planning a reenactment video of Cha Taehyun’s life!”

—

With the U18 Baseball World Cup fast approaching, Japan was the first to confidently announce its ambitions during a press conference.

“It is true that Japan has shown a relatively weak performance in past Baseball World Cups. However, this was because we focused on the Koshien tournament and assembled our national team from second or even third-string players. Now, it’s different. We intend to showcase the true strength of Japan’s first-string, our very best.”

“Does that mean you’re confident about winning the championship?”

“Of course. This national team boasts an unprecedented golden generation with many outstanding players. Moreover… we have the best prospect, Yamada Ryuji, don’t we? I’m certain Japan will emerge victorious.”

This news quickly reached Korea, and given the fierce rivalry between the two countries, where even losing at rock-paper-scissors was unacceptable, Korea also held a press conference.

“Coach, there’s a widespread opinion that both the U.S. and Japan are fielding very strong teams in this U18 World Cup. Is this true?”

“Yes, it is. Both the U.S. and Japan have assembled historically strong teams. You can sense the so-called ‘golden generation’ from them. Furthermore, since Japan is the host country, they will have the home-ground advantage. This may become the most intense World Cup in history.”

‘This could be problematic…’

Unexpectedly acknowledging Japan’s strength, coach Jeon Hocheol caused the reporters’ faces to turn grim.

They had hoped for at least a bold assurance of victory, if not the outright statement, “We’re going to sink Japan.” Typically, patriotic articles were the most popular.

Observing the reporters’ expressions, Jeon Hocheol smiled knowingly and continued.

“But… you see, Korea isn’t an easy opponent either.”

A reporter quickly followed up with a question.

“Did you see the interviews from Japan and the U.S.?”

“Of course I did.”

“They all expressed confidence in winning. Could you please share a few words as well, coach?”

Jeon Hocheol responded with a smirk.

“They say Japan and the U.S. have a lot of talented rookies and a golden generation… Well, we’re in the same boat. I believe this generation will be recorded as a golden generation in Korean baseball history.”

Finally, the journalists began typing furiously on their keyboards.

The coach’s explanation of why the Korean team was strong continued for a while.

“And most importantly… we have a monster among us.”

This last remark was exactly the kind of headline the reporters had been hoping for.

—

In StrikeHeart, there are some differences from reality.

One such difference is that the Phoenix Tournament, which was abolished and then revived in real life, remains abolished here, and the U18 Baseball World Cup takes place before the draft.

That’s why I am now in Osaka, Japan, the host city of this year’s Baseball World Cup.

As soon as I got off the plane, Kim Shinhua, Jin Taehyun, and Kim Yoobin followed me.

I don’t know why, but these guys had been getting friendly with me since our intensive training before leaving.

Well, I can understand why Jin Taehyun is doing it, but…

“How about we unpack our luggage later and do a one-on-one batting contest with drinks on the line, using Kim Shinhua as the target pitcher?”

“Even if you have Cha Taehyun on your team, you still won’t be able to touch my pitches, so what kind of contest is that?”

“Wow, seriously, if Kim Shinhua hadn’t played baseball, he probably wouldn’t have had any friends…”

As for why Kim Shinhua and Kim Yoobin are sticking with me, that remains a mystery.

Just then, my phone vibrated.

[Teacher Miyeon: Taehyun, did you arrive in Japan?]

As soon as I saw the sender’s name, the corners of my mouth lifted involuntarily.

[Yes, I arrived safely. ?]

[No plane crash, right?]

[If there was, I wouldn’t be replying, would I?]

[Thank goodness. ? But what if there’s an earthquake in Japan

…? I heard a typhoon might be coming too…]

[Should I go to Japan under the guise of cheering you on during my trip?]

I’d like to reply, “Yes!” immediately, but after thinking about it, that wouldn’t be right. Teacher Miyeon should also rest during the vacation. Besides, she already came up to Seoul from Busan to support me. Asking her to come all the way to Japan would be too much.

[It’s okay. You should rest, teacher.]

[Well… it’s a trip anyway, and the yen is cheap these days.]

[And it’s easier to find cheap tickets if I’m traveling alone… I also want to go abroad…]

The more reasons she listed, the more it felt like Teacher Miyeon genuinely wanted to come. It strangely put me in a good mood.

While I was comforting Teacher Miyeon, who seemed to be seriously considering a trip to Japan, I was stunned by an unexpected message.

[Taehyun, don’t you… miss me?]

[I think I miss you… maybe a lot… quite a lot…]

Hmm…

I know I shouldn’t, but…

[I miss you.]

My hand disregarded my brain’s command and typed out the message.

Teacher Miyeon might really end up booking a plane ticket after reading this.

But isn’t this her fault?

How could I possibly reply that I don’t miss her? Only a crazy person would do that.

“Looks like we’ve found Cha Taehyun’s weak spot.”

Kim Shinhua suddenly made an odd comment.

“Right? He’s totally out of it right now.”

Kim Yoobin laughed and playfully slapped my shoulder.

“This guy… becomes a total softie around girls? Have you seen his face? I’ve never seen him smile so goofily like this before.”

Me?

I mean, sure, I’m smiling because I’m texting Teacher Miyeon, but I can’t believe they’re saying I looked goofy. That’s hard to believe.

Demanding the truth from Jin Taehyun:

“The GOAT (Greatest of All Time) of baseball, Cha Taehyun, being weak around women was something I already knew.”

Jin Taehyun casually nodded as if it were a matter of fact.

—

Taiwan has a reputation for playing tough matches or even beating Korea in international baseball games. This leads many to think Taiwan is a baseball powerhouse, but that’s not exactly true.

Their domestic league once faltered due to match-fixing scandals, and the league’s management was often criticized. Although they’ve been improving recently, they still can’t quite stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Korea, the U.S., and Japan.

However, they have been notably strong in the U18 Baseball World Cup.

So, it’s not surprising that Taiwanese fans held high hopes for today’s game.

? Korea in the first round? This is going to be tough.

? But don’t you think we have a chance? We’ve beaten them a few times before.

? Yeah, Taiwan always plays well against Korea for some reason.

? Plus, we have Lin Hao on our side.

? Right. Trust in Lin Hao, brothers.

? Who could hit Lin Hao’s rock-solid fastball?

Lin Hao, their starting pitcher, was a top prospect. Even though he was just a high school student, he could throw a fastball that clocked up to 153 km/h, so the anticipation was inevitable.

And so, with high hopes, the Taiwanese people watched as the game began.

-Thwack!

? Brothers? Something’s off. Lin Hao got hit right from the first batter…

? Stay calm, friend. Lin Hao seems a bit nervous.

? Lin Hao’s strength is his resilience! He’ll get back on track, don’t worry!

-Thwack!

? He got hit again?

? Brother, do you not trust Lin Hao? He’s a pitcher who has escaped jams before.

? Just wait for his 153 km/h fastball.

-Thwack!

? Something’s definitely wrong… It’s now bases loaded with no outs…

? Plus, the last hit by that Jin Taehyun guy could’ve easily been a double if the shortstop hadn’t made a diving catch. We would’ve been down in the score already.

? Where did all the ‘Trust in Lin Hao’ brothers go?

For a moment, the Taiwanese chat went silent, but soon they rallied, continuing their cheers.

? We just have to hope Lin Hao gets back in his groove.

? Lin Hao, stay calm! You’re not the kind of pitcher to get hit like this!

? That’s right. If he relaxes, his 153 km/h fastball will crush them.

Contrary to what the Taiwanese viewers believed, Lin Hao was not nervous at all.

He threw the ball just like he usually did, perhaps even better than usual.

Even now, with the bases loaded,

Even facing Cha Taehyun, who was highlighted in the analysis report as the player to watch out for,

Lin Hao was perfectly calm, trusting in his fastball.

Yes.

Lin Hao wasn’t at fault.

He really pitched well.

It’s just that…

-Thwack!!

? Brothers?

“The inside fastball is hit hard!! It’s going deep, deep! And it’s over the fence! A grand slam for Cha Taehyun in his first at-bat, driving a dagger into Taiwan’s heart in the first inning!!!”

The Korean golden generation was just a bit off, as coach Jeon Hocheol had mentioned.

—

TL Note:

Just wanted to take a moment to tell you we’ve just released a new sports novel (with a slice of pure romance), though it’s soccer this time around. If that’s interesting to you come check it out!

My Girlfriend Wants Victory