The Extra in a Baseball Novel

Chapter 43

Usually, when traveling abroad, people plan ahead and book their flights and accommodations early. It’s more cost-effective that way.

On the other hand, if you plan at the last minute, you’ll naturally end up paying a lot more.

So what about Lee Miyeon?

She didn’t just plan late; she made her decision on the day of the trip, paying an amount that made the concept of “cost-effectiveness” irrelevant.

She booked a one-way flight and a one-night stay, which cost over 400,000 won.

If the average person found out about this, they’d foam at the mouth, but…

‘Taehyun will be so surprised, right?’

“I can’t wait!”

Lee Miyeon was sitting in her airplane seat, grinning to herself. She was so excited that she even started humming without realizing it.

“Oh, I need to reserve my seat for the game.”

[Infield: 19.76 USD, Outfield: 8.99 USD…]

Since it was a foreign website, the prices were listed in dollars. After conversion, the infield seats were a little over 20,000 won, and the outfield seats were just over 9,000 won.

“That’s so cheap!”

Excited, Miyeon snapped her fingers in delight and immediately pressed the reservation button.

[Tickets can be reserved starting at 12 PM on the day of the game.]

It wasn’t time to book yet. Feeling disappointed, she browsed the seating chart and spotted a seat that caught her eye.

Front row on the first base side.

‘If I sit here, Taehyun might be able to spot me.’

Of course, it was a different stadium, and he didn’t know she was coming, so the chances were slim. Still, she wanted to sit in that spot.

After a moment of deliberation, Miyeon’s face lit up with an idea.

“I can just ask my friend to book it for me!”

Isn’t that a brilliant idea? She felt proud of herself, but then a realization hit her, and her mood turned somber.

‘I should have made more friends…’

She had no experience with dating and only had one friend since she focused solely on her studies to become a teacher.

“I’ll ask Hyuna first… Mom, Dad, and my cousin… they probably won’t, right?”

For the first time, Miyeon regretted being an only child as she sent messages to her one friend and her parents.

‘I mean, I have four people to ask, so maybe I’ll get lucky, right?’

With high hopes, Miyeon closed her eyes, thinking of a certain someone.

In the locker room before the game, Kim Yoobin approached Taehyun.

“You know, you’ve got a pretty unique routine.”

“A unique routine? Waving my bat twice over the plate?”

“No, that’s not so unique.”

“Then what?”

“You always look toward the first-base stands. Why is that?”

I can’t exactly tell him it’s because that’s where Miyeon sits…

“I don’t know. I didn’t even realize I was doing that until you pointed it out.”

And it was the truth. Standing in the batter’s box, he would unconsciously look for Miyeon’s seat, even here in Japan where she wasn’t present.

I guess it became a habit.

“It’s kind of fascinating. Anyway, today’s game is going to be intense, right?”

“No need to make it sound so dramatic.”

“Nah, it’s because you haven’t seen the YouTube live chat.”

“The chat?”

“Yeah. I rewatched it, and the chat was legendary. There was talk of ‘chopping down the Japs’ and everything. It was a literal war zone. Think it’ll be the same today?”

“If you’re curious, just take a look before the game starts.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that.”

I was a little curious myself, so I took a peek at Yoobin’s phone.

? Here we go, lol.

? Today, Taehyun-shin is setting the Japanese straight~

? Guys, be careful; they say the legendary ‘first team’ will appear today, lol.

? What’s with ‘legendary first team’? If it’s the first team, it’s just the first team.

? Don’t you know Thunder Eleven? We’re screwed, lol.

? Thunder Eleven is soccer, isn’t it?

? Exactly. It means it doesn’t exist, lol.

? Ah, lol.

Maybe because of their previous defeat or the mockery in interviews, there weren’t many anti-Korean comments in the chat this time.

“It doesn’t seem too bad today. Let’s go check the lineup.”

“Yeah, it’s about time.”

From the moment we entered the dugout, there was an odd buzz, and I immediately understood why when I saw the opposing team’s lineup.

[Starting Pitcher: Yamada Ryuji.]

“What… what the hell? He really is a two-way player?”

Kim Yoobin stared at me wide-eyed, as if demanding an explanation.

“Well, I only said that because he seemed good at baseball.”

I couldn’t believe it myself, but it looked like Yamada Ryuji had unlocked his talent for both pitching and hitting early on.

If that’s the case, what level is he at?

In his prime, Ryuji was known as Asia’s best pitcher, with a top speed of 164 km/h in the major leagues.

The problem was that even throwing like that, he would still get hit by the main character, Lee Jiho.

Anyway, even if he had unlocked his talent early, he wouldn’t be throwing at that speed already.

He quickly embarked on the path of a two-way player, but if he’s that good this early, that would be problematic.

Wait, is he not fully a two-way player yet? He’s starting as a pitcher, so maybe not.

“I’m curious to see how he pitches.”

“Really? I’m more terrified… I feel like he’s going to be really good…”

Yamada Ryuji initially started playing baseball because he wanted to be a pitcher.

The pitcher, standing in the middle of the baseball field, controlling the game, looked incredibly cool to him.

He had some talent, too. His speed was much higher than that of his peers.

But in the end, Ryuji switched to being a batter because of his persistent control issues.

He had no choice, and since he had the talent for batting, he decided to live contently as a batter.

However, when he joined the national team due to Japan’s focus on international baseball, he met an old pitching coach, which became his turning point.

“You not becoming a pitcher is an insult to those who lack the talent.”

The coach persistently pushed Ryuji to become a pitcher. Under his guidance, Ryuji eventually refined his pitching form and naturally regained control.

When Ryuji said he wanted to repay the coach for helping him fulfill his dream, the coach replied:

“If you become a pitcher representing our country, that will be repayment enough.”

Yes.

To repay the old coach who had made his dream a reality and raised his value as a player…

Yamada Ryuji was determined to make his pitching debut today a victory.

“Whew…”

Ryuji closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

– Keep your release point steady!

– Make your body remember this. Always plant your lead foot here.

– Create your own routine, and stick to it, no matter what.

It was almost as if the coach was right beside him, giving him advice.

‘Are you watching, Coach? Yamada Ryuji, your masterpiece, is throwing his first pitch now!’

He drove his lead foot forward sharply, yet precisely to the distance he had set. His left shoulder dropped as his right shoulder rose to lead the motion.

Lifting his hand high, he threw the ball as if slashing downward.

The ball shot forward in a heavy, direct line.

-Smack!

It slammed into the center of the catcher’s mitt.

“…Strike!”

-Wooooaaaahhhh!!!

It was only the first pitch, yet cheers erupted from the stadium.

Were they cheering because their country’s pitcher threw a strike?

Maybe, but it wasn’t enough to explain the level of excitement. The crowd wasn’t even watching Ryuji; their eyes were fixed on the electronic scoreboard.

[158 km/h]

“Haha… what the hell, from the first pitch?”

The first batter, who had checked the scoreboard, shook his head in disbelief.

The second pitch came inside, close to the batter.

-Swish!

The batter swung the bat fiercely, but he missed. A whiff.

The third pitch was another bold fastball, right down the center.

“Strike! Out!”

The batter had no choice but to watch as he was struck out.

It was the same for the second batter.

“Strike! Out!”

Another three-pitch strikeout.

The third batter, Jin Taehyun, managed to make contact with the first pitch, but it went foul. Then, he swung and missed the next two pitches.

“Strike! Out!”

In just nine pitches, Yamada Ryuji had erased the top of the first inning, marking the birth of a new star.

-Wooooaaaahhhh!!!

The crowd went wild.

Back in the dugout, Jin Taehyun shook his head.

“It’ll take me some time to hit off him.”

“Is it that bad?”

“You saw it…”

Well, to be fair, even I had to admit that his pitching was unbelievable. His velocity was similar to that of Trigeris, the top American prospect, but his control seemed even better.

At this point, it’s clear that whoever brought me here is intentionally raising the difficulty level.

I don’t particularly mind, though. It’s not unreasonable yet.

Now, I wonder if Changhyun-senior’s mentality is holding up.

After seeing the shocking pitching from the opponent and realizing that our hitters might struggle to score, it would be natural for him to feel a bit shaken.

Though it’s Changhyun-senior, so he’ll probably be fine.

“Changhyun-senior, what do you think your scoreless innings streak will be today?”

He smirked and replied.

“The ace always pitches with the intent of not giving up any runs.”

“Got it, zero runs confirmed.”

I guess I was worried for nothing.

“Strike!”

Changhyun-senior’s first pitch was a solid inside fastball clocking in at 152 km/h. He looked to be in good form today.

Yamada Ryuji might be abnormal, but Changhyun-senior’s pitch is by no means easy to hit.

-Smack!

Just as I thought that, the first batter swung at the ball.

I anticipated the direction of the hit based on the sound and prepared to move, then visually tracked the ball to move more accurately.

It looked like a bouncing ball, so I positioned myself to catch it a bit farther back.

It’s not over yet. You always have to consider an unpredictable bounce in your mind. Baseball is a game of surprises.

-Thud!

See? Like this.

The ball, with a bit of backspin, veered off in the opposite direction of what I had expected.

I stayed as calm as possible, turned my body, extended my arm, caught the ball, and spun around for a strong throw.

“Out!”

It was close, but we managed to get the first out.

“That’s it, Cha Taehyun!”

Changhyun-senior shouted, giving me a thumbs up.

-Smack!

The next batter also hit the ball on the third pitch.

I jumped and snagged the ball headed toward the left field.

-Smack!

Another ball came flying my way.

…Why does it feel like the ball keeps coming over here today?

Not that I mind.

-Woooaaaahhhhh!!!

The cheers that come when the ball is in flight.

“Not gonna happen.”

“Out!”

-…

The moment everything goes quiet is the most satisfying.

Since the game was being held in Japan, Miyeon had expected that most of the crowd would be Japanese.

But… this was way beyond her expectations.

“Ganbare! Ryuji-san!”

“Ryuji-san! You can do it! Strike him out!”

“Ryuji-san, please stop Taehyun!”

Everyone around her was Japanese. She had hoped to at least see one Korean person nearby…

As a result, Miyeon had felt small and intimidated the whole time.

However, the moment Cha Taehyun stepped into the batter’s box, she jumped up and started shouting without a care for the stares around her.

“Taehyun-ah!!!”

Cheering her heart out, Miyeon wiped the tears forming in her eyes.

“Why am I crying…?”

Was it because of the overwhelming emotions? She sniffled and resumed cheering loudly. Then, her eyes widened.

“…Taehyun-ah?”

He shouldn’t know she was here…

But just like always, Cha Taehyun’s eyes naturally turned in her direction.

For a moment, she stood there in a daze, staring into his eyes, then found herself shouting without even realizing it.

“Taehyun-ah!! I missed you!! I really… really missed you so much!!!”

These were the words she had always wanted to say but had held back out of embarrassment. Now, they poured out without hesitation.

After all, he wouldn’t hear her.

No one around knew who she was.

So, right now, she could finally express the feelings that a teacher shouldn’t have.

That’s what she thought as she shouted, but…

Cha Taehyun nodded as if he heard her and flashed a bright smile.

Then, as if to promise a home run, he raised his bat and pointed to the outfield.

Taehyun adjusted his stance and swung his bat fiercely.

-SMACK!

It was the highest-speed pitch of the U-18 Baseball World Cup.

Yamada Ryuji’s fastball, clocked at 160 km/h, was sent flying to the back screen.

Following the ball’s flight, Miyeon turned her gaze back to Taehyun, who was already looking right at her.

His lips curved into a gentle smile, and naturally, Miyeon found herself smiling back.

—