The Extra in a Baseball Novel

Chapter 32

Lee Siha is officially recognized by the author as the heroine, but you can’t help but wonder, is she really a heroine?

She barely has any presence, and even up until the end of StrikeHeart, there wasn’t a single description of Lee Jiho feeling any fluttering emotions towards her.

Even Seo Jia had a few moments like that…

In my opinion, the author only introduced her to serve as a financial backer.

Her role is probably to provide support when a situation arises that requires a lot of money without conflicting with the storyline. Maybe that’s why I always had the impression that she was a pitiful character.

“Excuse me.”

I snapped out of my thoughts at the sound of Lee Siha’s voice and turned my head.

“You’re Cha Taehyun, right? I know this is sudden, but could I have a moment of your time?”

Jin Myunghwan, standing next to me, gave me an envious look.

It’s not like that, Myunghwan…

“Sure, I can spare a moment.”

I didn’t ask why she wanted to talk. After all, I already knew.

Lee Siha, as the second daughter of the chairman of Nixon Sports, has the ambition to revive the failed baseball business with her own hands.

Part of her baseball business revival project involves finding an exclusive promotional model.

That’s why this chaebol daughter came all the way to Hyuksan to find me.

However… from what I recall…

“I’ve been pushing to select Lee Jiho as the model since a year ago. I saw the potential for stardom.”

I remember there was a line like this.

Since she had been pursuing this for over a year, I thought no matter how well I performed, would she change her plans? But…

She changed it?

Do business plans really change this quickly? I mean, she had probably already planned products with Lee Jiho’s name on them.

Regardless, I followed Lee Siha out of the lounge.

—

Escorted by men in black suits, we arrived at the coach’s office.

The coach was absent, seemingly informed beforehand, and we sat facing each other on the sofa.

After a brief exchange of greetings, Lee Siha spoke first.

“The reason I’m here today is to offer you the position of the exclusive promotional model for our Nixon brand. I saw the potential for stardom in you, Cha Taehyun.”

Lee Siha handed me what looked like a contract.

“Would you like to take a look?”

I nodded and skimmed through the contents.

It was a three-year contract with an upfront payment of 1 billion KRW (about 10 million USD) upon signing.

There were no additional incentives mentioned.

There were various other clauses, but the crux of it was the 1 billion KRW contract for three years.

Considering my future potential, the amount was ridiculously low, but looking at it from the current perspective of Cha Taehyun, it was a satisfactory sum.

In fact, it was surprisingly high. I mean, no matter how much they call me a monstrous rookie, I’m still just a second-year high school baseball player who hasn’t even been performing for a full year.

Lee Siha is probably the only person who would offer a contract with this amount for someone like me.

Interestingly, the original contract for Lee Jiho was set at 500 million KRW (about 5 million USD), not 1 billion KRW.

Anyway… this is really satisfying.

Now, Jihyun and I can live a little more comfortably.

“It looks good.”

Lee Siha smiled brightly at my words.

“Thank you. Did you read the points I highlighted?”

I remembered it now, at her words. This was the moment when Lee Siha first took an interest in Lee Jiho.

In the original story, Lee Jiho reviewed the contract and abruptly declined it.

The reason… is fitting for the protagonist.

“Looking at the contract, it might interfere with my training. I’m sorry.”

He rejected a 500 million KRW contract just because it could disrupt his ‘training.’

Thanks to that, he later catches Lee Siha’s eye with the cliché “Oh my, you’re the first person I’ve met who doesn’t obsess over money like this!” and receives her endless support and affection.

But as for me…

I only need the money right now; I’m confident I can earn big later on, and I certainly don’t want to catch Lee Siha’s attention.

“Yes, I’ve read it. No problems, let’s go ahead with the contract.”

—

The contract ended faster than expected.

Thanks to Cha Taehyun’s satisfaction with the contract.

From the start, Lee Siha herself thought the contract sum was excessive, so it was no surprise the deal concluded so smoothly…

Yet, she felt something quite fresh about this situation.

As a businesswoman, the type of person she disliked the most, ironically, was someone who displayed greed for money. Of course, she was well aware that business itself revolved around money.

Even knowing that, it was like a personality trait for her; something she couldn’t easily change.

That was who Lee Siha was…

“If I use the company’s products in real games, will there be any additional compensation?”

“Can we add a clause to reward for achievements during the contract?”

Normally, she would have been annoyed by questions like these from Cha Taehyun.

‘How curious…’

But why didn’t she feel any aversion to the man in front of her?

Her curiosity grew, but she stopped herself there. It wasn’t polite to zone out in front of someone.

“Thank you for your time. Please feel free to contact me if you need anything or have any questions.”

As they exchanged farewells and Lee Siha reached for the doorknob, a question popped into her mind.

“By the way… what do you earn money for, Cha Taehyun?”

She quickly shook her head. Questions outside of the contract were impolite.

She was about to apologize when Cha Taehyun answered first.

“Is there a special reason? It’s for me and my family. Isn’t that the same for you, Miss Lee?”

Lee Siha stared at him for a moment in a daze before nodding.

“Yes, you’re right… I’ll be on my way now.”

After exiting the coach’s office and getting into the car, she stared out the window and muttered.

“I really don’t get it…”

—

The Korean high school baseball scene was in a festive mood every day due to its unprecedented popularity.

The YouTube live stream viewership, which used to hover in the double digits, easily surpassed four digits for the finals now.

Even the TV broadcast ratings averaged 0.5% and peaked at 1.2%.

To those unfamiliar, it might not seem that high, but compared to the previous viewership, which used to linger around 0.05%, it was a miraculous achievement.

The association couldn’t afford to miss this opportunity and started to paddle hard.

No, they attached a motor instead of paddling.

They pushed the broadcasting team to create dozens of videos related to Cha Taehyun…

They did everything they could.

And yet, the team leader of the broadcasting team still wasn’t satisfied.

“Today, we’re heading to Hyuksan.”

An exhausted staff member who was editing like a zombie turned their head in surprise.

“Wha-what do you mean?”

“The President’s Cup is starting soon, right? Let’s interview Cha Taehyun before that.”

“But… boss, why interview before the tournament even starts? They don’t even do that in the professional leagues unless it’s a rivalry match…”

The staff member’s point was perfectly valid…

“But this is Cha Taehyun we’re talking about.”

The director simply answered.

It was absurd, but it actually made sense, so much so that they couldn’t argue.

It was true… an interview with Cha Taehyun would draw attention.

“Right? So what should we do?”

“…I’ll get ready.”

“Exactly! That’s the spirit. I like how quick you are.”

‘Ugh… I want to quit.’

—

-Who do you think will win the President’s Cup this year, Cha Taehyun?

-Hyuksan.

-That’s a very confident answer! Then, who do you think will be the MVP of this President’s Cup?

-I think I will be.

“Wha… How can someone be so irritating? No, this goes beyond irritating; it’s disgusting! Cha Taehyun, you’re just disgusting!”

Jin Myunghwan, sitting in the dugout and looking at his phone, gagged and overreacted.

“I only said what they asked for, you idiot.”

Even so, it wasn’t far from my actual thoughts.

Right now, Hyuksan’s strength was undeniably at its peak.

Ignoring another of Myunghwan’s nitpicks, I checked my phone as it vibrated.

[Taehyun, I’ve arrived! Will you hit a home run again today?]

I tried to suppress my smile as I replied.

[If you hug me again, then yes.]

Hmm… No quick reply.

It seems that getting a hug requires at least a five consecutive home runs, huh?

Just as I was feeling disappointed, I got a call.

It was from Miyeon.

“Teacher?”

-Y

-yeah… Taehyun, so… um…

After a moment of silence, Miyeon’s voice came through the speaker again.

-…There are a lot of people these days, right? I wanted to tell you this before the match because my voice might be too soft to hear. Taehyun, I’ll be cheering for you, so do your best!

I almost dropped my phone.

Otherwise, she might hear my stupid laughter.

Calming my wildly beating heart, I picked up the phone again.

“Thank you. But… if I hit a home run…”

-…Yeah. I’ll give you a big hug, so go hit a home run!

Today’s opponent was Hwachung High, wasn’t it…

I don’t have anything against them, but they’re in for a beating.

—

It was just the beginning of the first inning, but Hwachung High’s coach had a grim expression.

‘Looks like we’re going to be eliminated in the first round…’

As a coach, he shouldn’t think this way, but what could he do? Hyuksan was just that strong.

Moreover, they had already tasted defeat in the Blue Dragon Games…

Still, he couldn’t give up completely, so he devised a strategy.

-Just walk Cha Taehyun!

Whether or not there were runners on base, even if the next batter was another monster, Lee Jiho, Cha Taehyun should be walked the moment he stepped up to the plate.

It might sound like a ridiculous strategy, but…

After racking his brains, the Hwachung coach couldn’t think of anything else to counter Cha Taehyun…

Soon, the first batter, Jin Myunghwan, stepped up, and Hwachung’s pitcher, Kim Taehwan, threw the first pitch.

“Strike!”

‘Oh…? Taehwan’s pitching is pretty good today?’

It was just the first pitch, but it looked heavy and solid. Better than usual.

The second and third pitches were also cleanly controlled through the strike zone.

“Good!”

The coach clapped his hands in satisfaction.

Next up was batter number two, Ji Chanwoo, known for his strong contact.

However, Hwachung’s pitcher was having what they call a “lucky day.”

-Crack!

Ji Chanwoo hit a grounder, seemingly mistiming the swing. An easy out.

But in baseball, unexpected things happen.

“Ah, what bad luck.”

Due to an irregular bounce, the second baseman missed the ball, allowing Ji Chanwoo to secure first base.

The coach bit his lip and watched the third batter, Lee Taehyung.

‘…This is a nightmare. Ji Chanwoo is followed by Lee Taehyung? And after him is that monster?’

They’d only given up one hit, yet it felt like a crisis was brewing… The coach nervously glanced at the pitcher.

However, Kim Taehwan struck out Lee Taehyung cleanly.

“Oh? Taehwan’s really on point today…”

Despite the unlucky bounce that put a runner on base, he calmly took out Lee Taehyung. In any other team, Lee Taehyung would be a solid fourth batter.

The coach looked at Cha Taehyun walking to the plate and had a sudden thought.

‘Should I… trust Taehwan for once?’

The coach beside him seemed to be thinking the same as he asked,

“Taehwan’s pitching well today, isn’t he? Should we try going against Cha Taehyun?”

Just as he was about to say “Yes,” the scene of Cha Taehyun hitting a home run on the first pitch flashed through the coach’s mind.

‘I must have gone crazy for a moment…’

Shaking his head, the coach firmly replied,

“No… walk Cha Taehyun.”

“Huh? But… that might affect Taehwan’s confidence. He’s pitching so well…”

“It’ll be worse if he gives up a big hit. No… Just walk him! Walk Cha Taehyun!”

‘This really isn’t right…’

The coach sighed inwardly and nodded.

However, just as they were about to walk Cha Taehyun, Kim Taehwan shook his head.

The catcher signaled to walk him as instructed, but he refused.

The coach urgently stood up and shouted,

“Kim Taehwan! What are you thinking? Walk him! I said walk him!”

Brimming with confidence from striking out Lee Taehyung, Kim Taehwan threw the ball.

In fact, Kim Taehwan’s pitch wasn’t bad at all.

It was a “lucky day” for him, clocking in at 148 km/h, breaking his personal record…

The ball was precisely positioned at the inside borderline. Perfect control.

It was the moment his best pitch was thrown.

“Huh…?”

That is, if the opponent wasn’t Cha Taehyun.

-Crack!

Cha Taehyun swung his bat, and the ball soared high into the sky.

Kim Taehwan, realizing the hit was a home run the moment it made contact, collapsed on the spot.

The coach, staring blankly at the flying ball, muttered,

“I told you to walk Cha Taehyun…”

—