The Extra in a Baseball Novel

Chapter 45

“Cha Taehyun! Go explore Osaka right now!”

Though it was slightly off the mark, the coach kept his promise.

“Yes!”

Responding loudly, I quickly took a shower, then hurriedly walked while glancing around, and when I confirmed no one was around, I broke into a run, holding my phone.

“Where are you, Teacher?”

– I’m by the drink vending machine near the exit.

The drink vending machine by the exit.

I ran toward the exit until I was slightly out of breath, found the vending machine, but no one was there.

I caught my breath and asked, “Teacher, you’re at the vending machine by the exit, right?”

There was no answer. For a moment, I thought the call might have been cut off. The moment I moved the phone away from my ear…

-Thud, thud, thud…

I heard the sound of someone’s footsteps echoing near me.

I turned my head toward the noise and saw Miyeonrunning in my direction.

Seeing that strange expression on her face, not sure if she was laughing or crying, made me smile unconsciously.

She approached me, and just as I was about to greet her warmly, she dove into my arms.

Miyeon clung to me tightly, wrapping her arms around my waist, muttering something.

“…wanted to…”

“Sorry, what?”

Because her face was buried in my chest, her voice was muffled, making it hard to hear. She raised her head slightly, and I heard her voice, slightly trembling with emotion.

“I missed you…”

Why do these few words make me so happy? I hugged Miyeon back.

“I missed you too.”

We stood there for a while, holding each other without saying a word.

“Teacher, I only hit two home runs today. Is it really okay to hug like this for so long?”

Miyeon nodded her head while still resting her face against me, making my shirt move up and down with her.

“How long?”

This time, she neither answered nor nodded. Instead, her arms around my waist tightened slightly.

…Well, okay then. Let’s just stay like this all day.

When I had to retire from Major League Baseball unwillingly, I traveled abroad a bit.

There wasn’t really a particular reason. People around me kept nagging me that it was a waste not to travel when I had both time and money.

It wasn’t that enjoyable. Seeing traditional buildings or eating the country’s local food didn’t bring me happiness.

Honestly, I preferred staying at home, lying around reading web novels. That’s when I thought I wasn’t really the type for travel.

But now I realize it was probably because I was traveling alone.

“Taehyun, this pork cutlet is so delicious! It’s true that the original is different! Here, try some of mine too.”

Even though it looked the same, every food tasted uniquely delicious.

“Wow… how did they build that castle in the past?”

The castle that had felt bland before now looked magnificent.

“Oh! Congratulations! You’re the first to succeed at our betting center event!”

When I won a big stuffed bear and gifted it to Miyeon-seonsaengnim, I felt more proud than when I hit a home run, without exaggeration.

Yeah, now I understand why people say you should go on trips. It would have been nice if they had added, “Go with someone special!”

Well, I guess even if they had said that, it wouldn’t have mattered much. Back then, I didn’t have anyone I could call ‘special.’

I grew up in an orphanage and dedicated my whole life to baseball.

But right now, I have that special someone by my side. Someone who holds my hand and guides me somewhere.

I don’t have even the slightest resentment toward whoever sent me to this place.

“Taehyun, look at this flyer. It looks like they’re going to have fireworks. Let’s go! Shall we?”

Yeah. How could I resent anything?

“The coach said to be back by 10 o’clock…”

“…Then, I guess we can’t go… too bad.”

“Not listening to the coach for one day is fine, right? I mean, I hit a few home runs. Let’s go.”

My once-empty life is now filled to the brim.

The New York Mets secured their 10th consecutive win today.

Champagne was popping all over the locker room, and the players were shouting in excitement amidst this frenzy.

Kim Hosan was sitting alone, looking at his phone with a sly smile.

“Hosan! I heard Mac rented out an entire club to celebrate our 10-game winning streak. Are you coming? They say there are some amazing women too!”

Most of the team cheered at the invitation, but Kim Hosan gave a firm “No!”

The clean rejection startled his teammate, who turned to another teammate.

“Why isn’t Hosan coming to the party?”

“I heard that Hosan’s country won the Baseball World Cup. He said he wanted to celebrate that victory on his own.”

“Damn… Hosan’s patriotism makes me reflect on myself.”

They were a bit off the mark, but they were partly right. Korea’s victory was one of the reasons why he was rushing home now.

Once at home, Kim Hosan immediately turned on his smart TV and logged into NewTube, entering a Japanese NewTube channel.

“Did today’s analysis get uploaded?”

This was a Japanese channel that Kim Hosan regularly watched. It mainly posted analysis videos related to Korean baseball…

Although it claimed to be analysis, in reality, it was a Japanese channel riding on Korea’s national pride.

“…Darn. No subtitles yet? This channel offers the most impartial analysis.”

Kim Hosan wanted to watch this “impartial analysis,” but seeing that the subtitles weren’t available yet, he sighed softly.

After a brief moment of contemplation, he had an idea and contacted his teammate Sakazaki.

“Hosan! You called me? What’s up?”

Sakazaki gladly accepted Hosan’s invitation.

When he first entered the Major League, he had received a lot of help from Hosan, who was like a benefactor. So even though it was his day off, he rushed over at once.

“I have a small favor to ask. It might be a bit troublesome.”

“Of course! Just tell me!”

“There’s a Japanese video I want to watch, but it doesn’t have subtitles. Could you translate it for me?”

“A Japanese video? That’s easy! As long as it’s not an adult video, I’ll do it, haha!”

As Sakazaki joked, Kim Hosan laughed heartily.

“Why would I watch something like that? There are better videos in the world.”

Sakazaki started getting curious about what kind of video could be so important to Hosan that he invited him.

The video started playing, and Sakazaki began translating the Japanese to English skillfully.

“Korea is an amazing country. Their speed and batting are incredible! How does such a small country have so many talented players?”

“Japan really needs to learn from Korea… Look at how great and cool that swing is…”

While translating, Sakazaki sensed something was off and glanced at Hosan.

Focused intently on the screen with a joyful expression, Hosan urged him on.

“Keep going, Sakazaki!”

“Uh… alright, Hosan.”

“Looking at Korean baseball, Japan can’t even compete anymore! Korea is just so amazing…”

“Wait, Hosan, is this really an analysis video?”

“Of course. Even as a Major Leaguer, I think this guy’s analysis is excellent.”

‘There’s not much analysis here, though…’

“Anyway, keep translating for me.”

“…Okay.”

“Now, watch this final scene… Ryuji’s bat shattering signifies the downfall of Japanese baseball…”

“Truly amazing… Why doesn’t Japan have a player like Cha Taehyun?”

Sakazaki, his voice gradually lowering, glanced at Hosan again.

Hosan was smiling with a pure expression of happiness.

‘…I can’t even say anything.’

Though Sakazaki realized this wasn’t a real analysis video, knowing that Hosan was truly a good person, he continued to translate diligently.

‘Well… he might genuinely believe it’s an analysis…’

“He’s not just a star in Japan but will shock the whole world! A superstar has appeared. I’m so jealous that Japan doesn’t have a player like him…”

On the day of the promotional shoot after the Baseball World Cup ended, Lee Siha greeted Cha Taehyun briefly before taking him to a department store.

“This might not be enough to repay you, but if you need anything, just call for it. I’ll buy it for you.”

She felt that repaying him with money was too impersonal, and simply buying a gift might not match his taste. So she decided it was better to let him choose what he wanted, which is why they came to the department store today.

“Well… this feels a bit overwhelming.”

Lee Siha chuckled softly. Overwhelming? What was he even talking about?

“Do you know what the situation with Nixon Baseball is like right now?”

Cha Taehyun paused, then shook his head.

“I don’t really use the internet.”

“Thanks to you, Nixon Baseball is achieving unbelievable results.”

“Because of me?”

“Yes. You put up an incredible performance at the World Cup, so naturally, the equipment you used got a lot of exposure in the media and word of mouth.”

No matter which sports portal site in Korea, the US, or Japan you visited, you couldn’t avoid seeing Cha Taehyun’s photos. In those pictures, he was always holding a bat or glove with the ‘Nixon’

logo. He was already promoting the brand.

“More importantly, didn’t you give your bat to a young fan?”

“Oh… Yeah, I did?”

Seeing his nonchalant reaction, as if it had just happened, Lee Siha smiled softly.

‘So it wasn’t a promotional strategy.’

She had thought that it might have been some high-level marketing tactic, but his reaction showed otherwise.

It had been a genuine, heartfelt gesture.

“That story became quite a hot topic, adding to our promotional impact.”

“Really? I don’t really use my phone much, so I didn’t know. Well, at least things seem to be going well.”

“It’s more than ‘just going well.’ Our global pre-orders have surpassed expectations by dozens of times, and the Korean market is doing the same.”

This was no exaggeration. The results were so impressive that even the chairman himself visited the Nixon Baseball department and gave cash bonuses to the employees.

“Honestly, I’m worried if this is enough to repay you, so don’t feel pressured.”

Finally, Cha Taehyun grinned slightly and spoke playfully.

“Alright? Then I’ll take you up on it. I’m really going to buy a lot, okay?”

“Of course. I actually insist on it.”

Thus began their shopping spree with Cha Taehyun.

Time passed, and by now, Cha Taehyun was carrying quite a number of bags.

Since she was the one who had insisted he buy so much, she didn’t particularly mind, but there was something curious.

“Everything you’ve bought so far seems to be women’s items…”

Clothes, shoes, even cosmetics—all were women’s products.

Surely it couldn’t be that he had such preferences… Could it be for a woman he likes?

If so, she felt a bit disappointed.

Of course, it was meant to be a gesture of gratitude, so it didn’t matter how he used them, and Lee Siha was good at keeping work and personal feelings separate.

But for some reason, the thought of the things in his hands ending up with another woman made her feel a bit uneasy.

“This? I don’t really need much, so I’m just getting stuff for Jihyun.”

‘Jihyun…’

Hearing the casual way he spoke that name, Lee Siha’s eyes narrowed slightly, but then relaxed as he continued.

“She’s my sister. I haven’t done much for her so far, so I thought I’d take the chance now.”

She was surprised at how naturally a smile spread across her face, which she quickly tried to control, nodding her head.

It was strange why she felt this way, but now she understood one thing.

Why, despite their first meeting where he seemed to care about money, he hadn’t been unpleasant.

Perhaps it was because that goal was for his sister.

“You’re a good brother.”

“No, I’m a lousy brother. I haven’t done much for her until now.”

Lee Siha shook her head and replied.

“That’s not true. There are plenty of siblings who wouldn’t do something for their family, even if they could.”

Like my sister, she thought to herself, chuckling as she began to walk again.

Heading toward the exit, she suddenly asked Cha Taehyun,

“What are we, exactly?”

This had been troubling her lately.

Knowing it was a strange question, she still wanted to hear his answer.

Cha Taehyun thought for a moment before replying briefly.

“Business partners?”

Lee Siha nodded in silence at the matter-of-fact answer.

Normally, this would be the end of their conversation, and she’d go back to their business relationship, but…

Right now, she wanted to stay a little longer.

“Being business partners is fine, but… what about being a different kind of partner?”

“…Huh?”

The atmosphere turned awkward, and realizing what she’d just said, Lee Siha raised her voice.

“No, I mean friends! Friends! Business partners are too stiff…”

“Oh? Right, you’re right. Friend partners… haha. Let’s go with friend partners.”

“Yes, friend partners. That sounds good! We’re friend partners now.”

And so, Lee Siha managed to move beyond being mere business partners to becoming “friend partners” with Cha Taehyun.

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