An Unsolicited Routine

The rehabilitation specialist trainer, commonly known as Director Yoon, was strong. Each time he pulled Hyun’s arm back and rotated it, or pressed on his shoulder blade, intense pain surged. Hyun felt a groan might escape if he wasn’t careful.

Hyun bit his lip and lowered his chin, thinking it was fortunate he could hide his expression thanks to being prone.

“Your shoulder’s range of motion is not as good as I expected. Does it hurt when you pitch?”

“I’m fine.”

“Really? That’s strange.”

Director Yoon, looking puzzled, patted Hyun’s back. Then he casually asked for permission.

“I’m going to climb up for a moment.”

The sound of two slippers dropping beside the bed was heard. Soon, a heavy weight was felt on his lower back. Director Yoon had climbed onto his back.

‘This is a bit dangerous.’ Behind the tense Hyun, Director Yoon asked.

“When did you have surgery?”

“About six, seven years ago, I think…”

“It was a simple suture, right?”

He subtly pulled Hyun’s left arm back. With his back restrained and his arm pulled, bad memories rushed closer. Hyun squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head.

“It was a patch repair…”

“Patch reinforcement immediately for the first surgery? How could that… Until then, no coach or manager knew?”

Director Yoon’s excited voice rose. Hyun, conscious of Cha Seok-young watching from the other side, replied softly.

“It wasn’t due to training, there was an accident.”

“No, what kind of accident could possibly tear your rotator cuff like this? It’s not an area that gets injured by contusions.”

By now, Director Yoon was almost angry. He seemed to think the condition was serious; his grip weakened, but his hands, constantly rotating Hyun’s shoulder and probing his back muscles, were persistent.

“I think I need to get some surgery photos from the hospital.”

Director Yoon’s hand, which had been continuously probing the tense muscles and assessing, stopped somewhere. It was the bulging area due to his rotated shoulder.

“Here, around here, it doesn’t rotate and keeps getting stuck. Are you really okay?”

He mumbled, pulling Hyun’s arm. Hyun’s words were heard faintly as he tried to regulate his increasingly short breaths. Before he could properly grasp the meaning of the words, his body was pulled back, and his shoulder was pressed.

‘Here, yes. This should do it.’

Suddenly, a voice he wanted to forget struck him like lightning. Hyun’s eyes snapped open.

The view in front of him was not dark like it had been then. There was no damp, fishy smell either. Under the blindingly bright lights of the training room, the first face Hyun saw was Cha Seok-young’s.

“Stop it. He’s hurting.”

A low, eerie voice pierced his muffled ears. Cha Seok-young was frowning as if his own shoulder was being pressed.

The startled Director Yoon released his arm and massaged his shoulder. As the throbbing muscles calmed down, he got off the bed. Hyun wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead and slowly sat up.

“Are you okay? Did it hurt a lot?”

“No, sir. It didn’t hurt that much.”

“Your face is as white as a sheet. Oh, dear. You just kept saying you were fine, so I really thought you were…”

Director Yoon stammered, handing him a sports towel and a water bottle. Cha Seok-young took the items instead of the bewildered Hyun.

Soon, the towel touched his neck. ‘Had he sweated that much?’ In his confusion, Cha Seok-young held the towel and broadly rubbed his damp skin.

“Isn’t it a trainer’s job to know without being told?”

The hand that bluntly retorted and delved up to his chest felt chilling. Hyun hastily grabbed his wrist.

“Hey, Cha Seok-young. Stop. I’m fine.”

He shot an earnest look, telling him to stop both his mouth and his hands.

Cha Seok-young let out a low sigh, then shook Hyun’s hand with a thwack and turned around. It seemed he intended to leave without a single apology, so Hyun quickly grabbed him again.

“What.”

“I thought you might have something to say to Director Yoon.”

Cha Seok-young’s downward gaze was chilling. ‘What about it?’ It was an immature stare that seemed to retort exactly that, yet it was beautiful enough not to be hateful at all.

‘No matter how handsome you are, if you leave like this, rumors will spread that you’re a rude jerk.’

Hyun, filled with concern, gently rubbed Cha Seok-young’s arm. Cha Seok-young, who had been looking down at his wrist with an irritated expression, closed his eyes for a moment. When they opened again, his eyes were directed at Director Yoon.

“My apologies. For interrupting suddenly.”

His gaze was still impudent, but it was Cha Seok-young’s best effort. Hyun smiled, about to release his arm, when a trailing remark was added.

“Though there shouldn’t have been anything to interfere with in the first place.”

Cha Seok-young, whom he looked up at with a pale face, had a brazen expression. He tilted his head as if to say, ‘Didn’t you tell me to?’ and again shook off Hyun’s hand. His steps, striding across the training room, showed no hesitation.

“I’m sorry, Director Yoon.”

In the end, as before, Hyun had to apologize on Cha Seok-young’s behalf.

After that, for nearly two hours, Hyun learned rehabilitation stretches and structured a program. Thanks to Cha Seok-young leaving, it was acceptable to express pain more honestly than before, but he still endured half of it. Otherwise, he wouldn’t even have the chance to step on the mound.

When he left the training room, everything was quiet. It was already a time when most players would have finished their training, and naturally, Cha Seok-young was nowhere in sight.

He rubbed the back of his neck unnecessarily and climbed the stairs. He walked around the round, curved corridor towards the dugout. He had a feeling that Jeong Hye-seong would still be there today.

As he entered the dugout, as expected, a familiar sound was heard. The noise of the fungo machine spitting out balls, the sound of fast running, and a gruff voice nagging someone.

‘Wait, a voice?’

Suddenly, Hyun’s eyes widened, and he ran outside. As soon as his feet hit the dirt, a familiar figure was seen.

“Did you abandon your defense between third and short1)? You lose your mind whenever the ball goes that way.”

Cha Seok-young, who had snapped coldly, turned off the fungo machine. Jeong Hye-seong, who took it as a sign that there was no more value in training, raised his voice loudly.

“I’m sorry! I’ll try harder!”

Jeong Hye-seong’s uniform was already a mess with dirt and grass stains. His face was also streaked with mud, completely covering his fair skin. Even in such a miserable state, Jeong Hye-seong shouted with spirit.

“Please, just one more time!”

It was such a desperate voice that even watching from afar, Hyun felt a pang in his heart, but Cha Seok-young mercilessly turned away. ‘He’s doing something he usually doesn’t, but of course.’ Hyun shook his head and approached Jeong Hye-seong.

However, he couldn’t go far before his feet stopped. Cha Seok-young was seen returning with a bat.

“I’m only going to hit towards third and short.”

He stood at home plate and casually tossed a ball up. The ball in the air hit the bat with a clang sound. The ball, flying at high speed, like a ghost, burrowed between third base and shortstop.

“You said you’d work hard?”

Cha Seok-young, resting the bat on his shoulder, stood askew.

Jeong Hye-seong, who belatedly understood the cold question, quickly took a step. His face was still dumbfounded. He seemed quite shocked by the scene of pitcher Cha Seok-young wielding a bat.

Of course, he had to be surprised. Even Hyun’s mouth dropped open at a sight he hadn’t seen since he was seventeen. After staring at Cha Seok-young in the batter’s box for a while, their eyes finally met. Startled, Hyun hastily made up something to say.

“Weren’t you gone earlier?”

“I’m here because I didn’t go.”

“…So why are you here?”

‘He left earlier, all temperamental, but what suddenly possessed him to look after Jeong Hye-seong?’ Hyun asked with his expression instead of words.

Cha Seok-young, following his old batting routine, marked the ground in front of the batter’s box with the tip of his bat. After lightly tapping the straight line formed in the dirt, he swung the bat once broadly.

“I’m going to do fungo training too.”

“Hey, why are you doing fungo…”

“You said a pitcher is an infielder after throwing the ball.”

As expected, his victory yesterday was a false one. Cha Seok-young, who hit the ball with a fierce sound, lowered the bat.

“A defender wants to practice defense, why? Can’t I?”

He met Hyun’s gaze with a truly victorious smile. Cha Seok-young’s typically arrogant eyes sent a shiver down Hyun’s spine.

The training transformed into a strange form. Hyun would toss the ball, and Cha Seok-young would hit it. Even with a light swing, the ball easily pierced between third and short, and each time, Jeong Hye-seong desperately ran.

“Let’s stop now. You’re going to kill the kid.”

“…Just one last one.”

‘So stubborn until the very end.’

Hyun swallowed a sigh and tossed up the last ball. The ball, struck by Cha Seok-young’s bat, again made a crisp sound as it flew.

Jeong Hye-seong, now completely exhausted, ran on sheer willpower. It was admirable how he forcibly dragged his tired legs and finally managed to catch the ball. Hyun smiled with a sense of relief and patted Cha Seok-young’s shoulder.

“You worked hard. Go on in.”

Then he headed towards Jeong Hye-seong, who was lying sprawled. The ground around him, gagging from exhaustion, was filled with scattered balls.

“I-I’ll, ugh, I’ll do it.”

“It’s okay. Rest a bit and then get up.”

Hyun dissuaded the squirming Jeong Hye-seong and started picking up the balls. As he dragged a large box and put balls into it, he felt a presence beside him. Cha Seok-young, who had approached silently, held out balls in both hands.

“At least buy me a meal.”

“…Huh?”

“It’s not polite to send me away empty-handed after all this hard work.”

His brazen tone was enough to make Hyun wonder. Had he asked him to look after Jeong Hye-seong’s training? Hyun blinked rapidly.

1. Third and short: Refers to the area between third base and shortstop.