The Tryout Pitch

“Cha Seok-young, player for the Changgeon Dragons, and Jung Hyun, actor! Please stand by!”

The young staff member, drenched in sweat and seemingly having searched for the two of them for a long time, roused the frozen Hyun.

Hyun used the staff member as an excuse to quickly move away from Cha Seok-young. As Hyun walked almost like he was running, Cha Seok-young easily matched his stride. He muttered from a distance close enough for their arms to brush, as if on purpose.

“Or maybe, now that you’re an actor, you’re just going to do baseball half-heartedly.”

He sneered, subtly curling the corner of his lips, then brushed past Hyun. A chill seemed to eman emanate from his broad back as he walked away.

Hyun barely suppressed a sigh and entered the indoor stadium. As soon as he quickly found an empty spot, an announcement for the physical fitness test began.

“We will now begin the basic physical fitness test. First, there will be a 50-meter dash, and second, a throwing ability test. Eight people will be eliminated at each stage, and only 16 will proceed to the final position test.”

After the announcement, a 30-minute stretching period was given. Hyun naturally joined Song Him-chan, who had come up beside him, to warm up.

“What should we do, hyung-nim? My heart really feels like it’s going to burst.”

“You say that, but I bet you’ll run just fine.”

As Hyun predicted, Song Him-chan took first place in the pitching group’s sprint. 6.39 seconds, a speed suitable even for a shortstop. Hyun performed reasonably well with 7.13 seconds.

He also passed the throwing ability test that followed immediately. There were opportunities to deliberately stumble or drop the ball, but each time, Cha Seok-young’s voice held him back.

‘So do it properly today.’

‘Or maybe, now that you’re an actor, you’re just going to do baseball half-heartedly.’

He didn’t want to leave that impression, especially on Cha Seok-young. It seemed a clean farewell would only be possible if he saw it through to the final test, even if he was eliminated.

With many applicants, and breaks, preparation time, and interviews at each stage, quite a bit of time passed. It was already past 7 PM, and the indoor stadium was filled with weary sighs.

“Wow, it’s taking so long. Why aren’t people coming out?”

Song Him-chan, who had maintained a bright demeanor throughout, also grumbled weakly. Now half the people were gone, and only the last stage remained, so he must have thought his turn would come quickly.

However, the final test was the core of the tryouts. It was where pitchers were evaluated on their pitching ability, batters on their hitting and fungo1) reaction speed, and catchers on their catching ability and throwing speed. With each person going in individually for an interview, the pace couldn’t help but be slow.

Furthermore, the pitching group even drew the last order in the group lottery. Among them, due to their lower baseball experience, Hyun and Song Him-chan were assigned the very last slots.

“Take it easy. It looks like it won’t be over until at least ten o’clock.”

“Ten o’clock? Wow, damn! Then my body will stiffen up, what do I do, hyung-nim!”

Song Him-chan, with a tearful face, clung to Hyun and whined. The feeling of his sweat-soaked body pressing against him made Hyun feel hot. Hyun lightly pushed Song Him-chan’s wrinkled brow and stood up.

“Then shall we get up and warm up a bit?”

“Hmph, hyung-nim is a genius! That’s a great idea!”

The two ran to a corner of the indoor stadium to warm up. As they repeated stretching and light catch-ball, their turn was almost upon them. The pitcher right before Hyun entered the testing area.

“Ah, damn. I’m so nervous. Hyung-nim, please do well.”

“You too, Him-chan.”

“Yes! Let’s definitely get a celebratory drink after we pass. There’s an amazing yangdaechang restaurant right in front here, you know?”

Song Him-chan’s chattering praises of the restaurant had the effect of relieving tension. Thanks to him, Hyun remained calm when his turn came. He patted Song Him-chan’s shoulder, who shrieked even louder than him, and slowly walked towards the testing area.

Inside the testing area, after opening the curtain, it looked like a small stadium. Perhaps used as a children’s baseball field, the condition of the spectator stands and the turf field wasn’t bad.

At the very front of the green turf, a small makeshift stage was visible. The coach, captain, starting catcher, two pitchers, and Cha Seok-young were seated there.

Hyun walked in quickly and stopped in front of the practice mound, which was built like a ramp. He deliberately avoided looking in Cha Seok-young’s direction.

“Hello, I am Jung Hyun, who quit baseball at nineteen and is currently working as an actor.”

As soon as he bowed, the banter between the starting catcher and ace pitcher began.

“Crazy, instant pass just for his face!”

“What, is this some kind of Super Talent K?”

“Is there a problem with me wanting to catch a ball from a handsome pitcher?”

Starting catcher Seon Dae-gyu leaned forward as if about to fall, scrutinizing Hyun. Then, a detailed assessment of his appearance, how tall he was, how his eyes were, flowed out embarrassingly long.

“His face is one thing, but look at his body. It doesn’t look like he’s maintained it for a day or two. His thighs, ugh, if he wears a uniform, the fans will go wild. Oh, how long has it been since you quit baseball?”

He knew they were deliberately speaking for the broadcast, but it wasn’t easy to react. It was a moment where he could only offer an awkward laugh, feeling like his entire body was being scrutinized. Cha Seok-young, who unexpectedly cut in, stole the answer.

“It’s been six years. He’s also from Jeongwon Jeil High, same as me.”

A momentary silence fell. The judges, exchanging glances, vied to add a comment.

“What, he was Seok-young’s alumni?”

“Wow, what is it? Does that school pick pitchers based on their looks?”

It was a story he didn’t want to reveal. Even if someone asked, he had planned to smoothly deflect it, but Cha Seok-young had revealed it himself, so there was nothing he could do. All he could do was send a look to stop him.

“Not just alumni, we were really close. Hyun was the one who first taught me how to pitch.”

“Ohh.”

“Then what was pitcher Jung Hyun like, as Cha Seok-young remembers him?”

“He was good. He could throw breaking balls well and had good control, even as a high school student.”

Cha Seok-young did not avoid Hyun’s gaze. Instead, he stared directly, as if to drive in a nail.

“Back then, Jung Hyun was the ace, not me.”

‘Cruel bastard.’ Hyun quickly averted Cha Seok-young’s gaze. Just then, Captain Baek Sung-joon turned a page and asked.

“If he was that good, his name would have been consistently mentioned in the draft list. Why did he quit?”

“I had an injury and surgery right before the draft.”

“It says here, a torn left rotator cuff. Did you have surgery?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Ugh, if he had surgery at 19, he must have been hurting constantly before that, right?”

Pitcher Myung Seong-won grimaced as if his own shoulder ached. Perhaps because he had been suffering from an elbow injury recently, he seemed to empathize deeply.

“You kept pitching despite the pain? It must have been obvious. Did no one stop you?”

At the question filled with worry and doubt, Hyun immediately looked at Cha Seok-young.

Cha Seok-young met his gaze coldly. His perfectly drawn lips were pressed into a straight line, creating a stubborn impression.

‘The game the day before you disappeared, four innings, no hits. And you quit baseball because of injury and declining performance? Did you learn acting just to use for such excuses?’

It felt as though he was being asked the same question again. His fists clenched involuntarily, and his breath hitched, but Hyun calmly composed his expression.

“Right before the surgery, my performance was quite bad too.”

“Still, you were young. If you had rehabilitated after surgery and kept at it, you would have made a comeback, so why did you quit right away?”

“At the time, the idea of not being able to play baseball for nearly a year sounded like a death sentence. More than anything, I couldn’t afford the rehabilitation costs. While I was drifting, I coincidentally met my current agency CEO and came to dream of becoming an actor.”

“Hmm, I see. And you haven’t been hurting again while preparing and getting in shape for the tryouts?”

“I started preparing two months ago, and I’m still fine.”

“Then, shall we see?”

Hyun nodded and picked up the rosin bag. In the space where the white powder spread and disappeared before his eyes, Cha Seok-young’s sharp gaze filled the void.

His gaze, surprisingly, carved away Hyun’s tension. Facing the judges to be evaluated was far better than confronting Cha Seok-young alone.

“Ah, please pitch well! Let’s go for a ‘Re-emergence Handsome Battery’2)!”

“Dae-gyu hyung, seriously, what’s wrong with him? Don’t try to sneakily include yourself in the ‘handsome’ category!”

Hyun smiled faintly and spun the ball in his glove. He rolled it until the seams found their familiar place, then gripped it with his index and middle fingers. This was accompanied by a calm declaration.

“I’ll start with a fastball3.”

The catcher sitting opposite settled into his stance. In the moment he took a breath, staring at the open mitt, no other sound was heard. At that moment, even Cha Seok-young’s sharp gaze didn’t bother him.

He raised both arms, then lowered them, bending and lifting his leg. As he extended his bent leg forward, he threw the ball with strong force. The ball, hidden in the glove, shot out like a bullet.

Thwack, the ball was sucked into the mitt with a sound.

“What, the first pitch was 143 km/h?”

“Yes! Handsome Battery, let’s go!”

Applause and cheers were boisterous. A thrill he had long forgotten began to wash over him.

The damp smell of sweat, the beating sun, the cheers and jeers of the crowd, the flags fluttering blue like youth, and his first love. Things he couldn’t help but love.

Amidst the rising old memories, Hyun took a breath and picked up a new ball. In the face of raw excitement he hadn’t experienced in a long time, elimination or acceptance was no longer an important issue.

“I’ll throw another fastball.”

He gripped the new ball in his glove and took a wind-up stance. Soon, the ball cut through the air and violently struck the catcher’s mitt.

The scoreboard showed a speed of 145 km/h.

Immediately, an even louder cheer erupted. His chest thumped with excitement, and he found it hard to suppress the smile that involuntarily escaped. Hyun’s eyes, shining with excitement and euphoria, instinctively sought out Cha Seok-young.

Amidst the stirring judges, Cha Seok-young was silently still. He sat without moving, merely letting out a cold, sardonic laugh.

His chilling smile told Hyun. The friend who used to smile back at him in moments like these was long gone.

1. Fungo: Refers to a person who hits the ball for practice or the defensive practice conducted by this hitting.

2. Battery: A term referring to both the catcher and pitcher.

3. Four-seam fastball: A pitch thrown by gripping the ball across four seams with two fingers.