The Extra in a Baseball Novel

When I opened my eyes, surprisingly, there wasn’t a single student left in the classroom.

Did I sleep until the end of the day again? No, judging by the bright sunlight, that wasn’t the case.

“It’s lunchtime.”

In that case, an empty classroom made sense.

There was still plenty of time left in the lunch period, so I could probably still grab a meal if I went now.

“Cha Taehyun, you’re really something…”

It turned out that Cha Taehyun hadn’t even signed up for school meals, trying to save every last penny.

Not that I was disappointed. It actually worked out better for me.

To build a body fit for baseball, I’d need to manage my diet. It was much more efficient if I took care of it myself.

I took my phone out of my pocket.

Since I was awake, I figured I’d send the message I couldn’t send last night.

The message was simple.

I was quitting half of the part-time jobs that Cha Taehyun had packed his schedule with every day.

When I was a pro athlete, my body was so strong that my nickname was “Indestructible.” Working two part-time jobs a day wouldn’t be a problem.

I had undergone much harsher training than that.

But it wasn’t efficient, and I’d need to set aside time for when I joined the baseball team.

“I had about 10 million won saved up, right?”

It was money that had probably been saved up little by little for Jihyun, who was going to be a college student…

But I guess I’d need to start using it now.

If I quit half of the part-time jobs, I wouldn’t be able to get by without breaking into that savings.

I’ll make sure to succeed with this money and pay it back…

After sending the message, I lay back down.

To withstand the grueling schedule, I needed to sleep as much as possible at school.

I was just about to fall back asleep when…

Tap tap

Someone tapped on my shoulder.

I intended to ignore it, but soon, a voice I couldn’t disregard reached my ears.

“Taehyun, it’s lunchtime. You should go eat.”

I slowly lifted my head.

“Did you sleep well?”

Right in front of me was Teacher Miyeon, smiling faintly.

Startled, I pushed my chair back.

Teacher Miyeon chuckled softly, then reached out and patted my shoulder.

“Still half asleep? Snap out of it and go eat. You must be hungry.”

Was it because I really wasn’t fully awake? My face suddenly felt hot.

“…Well, I didn’t sign up for school meals.”

Teacher Miyeon’s eyes widened.

“Huh? Why…? You must be really hungry.”

I hesitated, wondering how to respond…

“I don’t have parents… so I try to save as much as I can.”

I just decided to be upfront.

It felt a bit impulsive, but I figured it would be okay to tell Miyeon.

“…Oh, no… I…”

Her face went pale, and she didn’t know how to continue.

“I’m sorry… I asked without thinking.”

“It’s okay. I was the one who said it.”

She glanced at me nervously before asking in a quieter voice,

“Did you… not sign up for after-school study either because you have to work?”

With that question, she started asking me various things.

It suddenly felt like a counseling session, but it didn’t make me feel uncomfortable.

I could tell that she was genuinely concerned for me.

When I finished telling my story,

Miyeon wiped her slightly teary eyes and handed me something.

“It’s a lunchbox… you eat it, Taehyun.”

“Huh…? Isn’t this yours, Teacher?”

“I-I already ate the bread that the third-period teacher brought, so I’m fine!”

Just eat it!

She left those words behind and fled the classroom.

I stared blankly at her retreating back, then opened the lid of the lunchbox.

Inside were white rice and sausages cut to look like octopuses.

I picked up a piece of sausage with the wooden chopsticks included in the lunchbox and, for some reason, felt indignant.

“You chose Shin Hayoon over someone like Teacher Miyeon?”

I really don’t get it.

Even though I said I’d keep working until they found a replacement, the barbecue restaurant owner replied that I didn’t need to come in anymore starting today. He even left a message wishing me success wherever I went, so he seemed like a pretty decent person. 𝙍Á₦ꝊΒЁṧ

Thanks to that, I was now at a park near the school.

I had this precious free time, so I couldn’t waste it.

“Let’s start with some light jogging.”

Nothing beats building basic stamina.

As I was stretching and getting ready to run, I noticed a flyer lying on the ground.

[Phoenix Batting Center! Now Open!]

“What’s with this tacky flyer?”

The font was ridiculously outdated, with decorations like confetti and other gaudy effects.

Still, the facility looked decent.

The sheen on the machines in the photos made it look like they were showing off how new they were.

I kept reading, but when I reached the last line, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

[Grand Opening Event! Hit the target 3 out of 10 times and win a premium bat signed by 7 Phoenix players (ZZET brand)!]

No professional players allowed!

“They clearly don’t intend to give away the prize.”

I didn’t know how far away the target was or where it was positioned, but hitting it 3 out of 10 times?

Even for a professional level player, that wouldn’t be easy; for an average person, it was practically impossible.

Sure, it’d be doable if they threw fastballs to the same spot every time… but there’s no way they’d do that.

The part that said “No professional players allowed” made it obvious that this was less of an event and more like…

“A Phoenix fan bragging about their signed bat.”

I had planned to avoid batting practice until I got my body back in shape…

But this? I couldn’t let it slide.

I followed the map to the batting center.

—

Already on the bus, Miyeon turned on her phone.

She quickly tapped into the Phoenix Gallery, an online community for Phoenix fans.

Since the team was almost always at the bottom of the league, the community was often nicknamed the “Bottom-ix Gallery.”

But checking out the top posts on the Phoenix Gallery was one of Miyeon’s small joys.

She chuckled as she read through the popular posts until one caught her eye.

[Batting center next to Hyuksan Park is having a huge event!]

“Hyuksan Park?”

That was only two stops away.

She clicked on the post as if hypnotized.

[Author: Anonymous]

I found this flyer while walking, and OMG, look at the prize!

Seriously, is this for real?

[Upvotes: 32 | Downvotes: 78]

└ “It really is crazy, look at the conditions, lol.”

└ “Is this even an event?”

└ “Must be loaded if they’re running an event like this, lol.”

└ “‘No professionals allowed!’ is hilarious, lol.”

└ “I’ve been playing amateur baseball for ten years, so I’ll give it a shot, lol.”

└ “Good luck with that.”

Miyeon’s eyes widened.

“A bat signed by Phoenix players!”

The bat itself was already quite expensive, but a bat signed by seven Phoenix players? Was this for real?

All seven players were ones she cheered for passionately.

“The next stop is Hyuksan Park. The following stop is Hyuksan Ipa…”

“Oh… Sir! I’ll get off here! Sorry!”

Miyeon was not only a fan of baseball but also good at it.

She had been the fourth batter on a little league baseball team when she was young.

Although her dream of becoming a professional player faded as she grew up, she continued to visit batting centers as a hobby.

“I can do this…”

She was fairly confident.

When Miyeon entered the batting center, she was surprised by how crowded it was.

“Who would even do this…?”

It seemed that every Phoenix fan who had seen the post had shown up.

Worried that someone else might win the prize, Miyeon quickly headed to the second floor where people had gathered.

But once she got there, she realized there wasn’t really a line.

People seemed to be standing back, just watching.

“How do I participate in the event?”

As Miyeon looked around, a middle-aged man who seemed to be the owner approached her.

“Would you like to participate in the event?”

“Oh! Yes!”

The owner stroked his chin and asked,

“It’s 10,000 won per try… is that okay?”

“T-Ten thousand won?”

“That wasn’t mentioned on the flyer…”

Seeing her hesitation, the owner quickly added,

“For women, the machine is set to be easier. It’s a new model, so I can adjust it in real-time.”

“…Really? …Then I’ll try.”

The people around her started murmuring, “Ooh,” making Miyeon feel slightly embarrassed.

She hurried into the batting area, and the owner went into the control room.

For female participants, the speed was set to 80 km/h.

As he moved the gauge to 80, the owner paused as he observed Miyeon’s stance in the batter’s box.

“…Her form looks pretty decent.”

Ahem.

The owner discreetly added 20 km/h to set it to 100.

“For men, the speed is set

between 120-140 km/h, so setting it to 100 isn’t exactly a lie.”

Click.

As soon as the settings were finalized, the machine made a whirring sound, and the ball shot out.

Whack!

“Huh?”

The owner’s eyes widened.

Not only was her batting form polished, but she also hit the ball cleanly, striking the center of the target.

“But I set it to 100?”

Just as he was about to double-check the speed…

Whack!

Another sharp sound filled the room, resonating through the owner’s body.

She missed the target this time, but still made solid contact.

Gulp.

“…She probably just got lucky.”

Whack!

Whack!

Whack!

When Miyeon finally struck the target for the second time in a row, a bead of cold sweat formed on the owner’s forehead.

Now came the last, 10th ball…

His hand sneaked toward the mouse.

“I never said I wouldn’t use breaking balls…”

He had only thrown fastballs for female participants up until now, but he hadn’t promised to throw only fastballs, had he?

Click.

Whoosh.

In the end, Miyeon’s bat cut through the air as she missed a forkball.

The sound of sighs came from outside, while a sigh of relief echoed through the control room.

The owner exited the room and approached Miyeon.

“Oh dear… that was close. You did really well.”

“Hey, why did a breaking ball come out suddenly? You gave only fastballs to the other women.”

Miyeon glared at the owner, who laughed awkwardly and replied,

“Well… Breaking balls were part of it. The other participants must have been lucky. Anyway, thank you for coming to the Phoenix Batting Center. Would you like to try again?”

“…Excuse me?”

“Would you like to try again?”

Miyeon’s voice became sharper.

It wasn’t just about losing the prize; it was frustrating to have fallen for the forkball.

“I got struck out… by a forkball…”

How could she complain while watching broadcasts now?

“Haha… Miss, it’s 10,000 won per try. Are you sure?”

“Please just give up and go!”

“It’s fine, let’s start again.”

The owner entered the control room with a bitter smile.

He briefly considered increasing the speed but then shook his head.

“I should maintain some semblance of fairness. I’ll just increase the rate of breaking balls…”

Although he had already crossed the line long ago, the owner seemed to be oblivious to that fact.

With that, Miyeon’s challenge resumed.

This time, she didn’t swing helplessly at the breaking balls.

“Ah… So close, it barely missed.”

“Right… But the owner is something else. How do you expect us to hit the target with breaking balls?”

Hitting the target with a breaking ball was proving to be difficult.

“One more try!”

“One… more.”

“One… more…”

The owner’s face beamed with joy as he earned an easy 40,000 won, while Miyeon’s face grew darker.

“Ah…”

As the bat sliced through the air, Miyeon let out a sigh.

Thus, her fifth attempt ended in failure.

“Oh dear… So close! You only needed to hit two more. Would you like to try again?”

During the first attempt, he had acted nervous, hoping she would leave, but now he was so confident he was almost smug.

Miyeon bit her lip, bowing her head.

If she didn’t, she might not be able to hold back her frustration.

“Well? Are you going to try again or not?”

The owner goaded her, oblivious to her feelings.

She was about to shout in frustration when…

“What are you doing here?”

A familiar voice came from behind her.

When she looked up, she saw Cha Taehyun standing there.

“Should a teacher really be gambling like this?”

“No, it’s not gambling, it’s… an event.”

“What event? It’s 10,000 won per try. Give me the bat.”

“…Huh?”

Before she could react, Taehyun took the bat from her hands.

“Taehyun? Are you going to try it… too?”

Miyeon looked at him with concern.

Taehyun was in a situation where he was even skipping school meals to save money. Spending 10,000 won on a single attempt might affect his daily life.

“The bat is nice… Yes, it’s certainly tempting… But it’s too difficult. I don’t think I should do it.”

“I don’t really want the bat.”

“…What? Then why?”

“I felt sorry seeing you lose money. I’ll win it back for you.”

Miyeon felt her face heat up and bowed her head slightly.

“I-I didn’t lose that much!”

Taehyun chuckled softly, placing his hand on her shoulder.

“T-Taehyun?”

He pushed her gently out of the batting area.

Gazing at her briefly from behind the door, he closed it and left her with a parting comment.

“Three balls. Just wait for me to hit three. I’ll get that bat.”