Chapter 28: This moment is everything

Even with her slump in May, Su-hyeon’s mentality was not affected.

She didn’t try adding new pitches or changing her pitching form.

Su-hyeon’s interest was elsewhere.

A company.

What they also call a management or agency.

There must be companies in Korea and the US that want Su-hyeon, not just in Japan.

But rather than doing someone else a favor, she thought she should pay off her debt this time.

The screen door at the arrival gate of Fukuoka Airport opened.

And a welcome face, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, waved.

“Ms.

Su-hyeon.

I told you that you didn’t have to come pick me up.”

“Sari!

I missed you!

You say that, but you’re waving so unhonestly.”

“Ms.

Su-hyeon!

Putri is here too!

Why are you only giving Sari such a warm welcome…

sniffle…”

“Huh?

Putri?

Are you here for sightseeing in Fukuoka?”

It was the historic founding moment of Rahman Entertainment.

The CEO was Sari Widya.

Putri was…

well, they say the position makes the person, so she’ll do well at whatever it is, right?

“Boss.

I look forward to working with you.

Until the day Rahman Entertainment surpasses Rahman Holdings!”

Until now, she had been using informal speech with Sari, who was older, but Su-hyeon decided to use formal speech when talking about work.

“But Ms.

Su-hyeon.

The holding company has a 90% stake.

You and I each have 5%.”

Does that matter?

There’s nothing you can’t do with money in this world, Sari.

Su-hyeon’s dream of growing Rahman Entertainment into a giant empire that dominates the world’s media.

Su-hyeon was planning to persistently brainwash Sari until she joined her ambition.

Even if I disappear, my dream will not disappear.

June in the NPB is when interleague play takes place.

Interleague games between teams from the Central League and the Pacific League.

And Su-hyeon’s team, the SoftBank Hawks, was a historic interleague powerhouse, with the most interleague titles.

And Su-hyeon was like a grim reaper, no less than the prime Darvish Yu, to opponents she was facing for the first time.

SoftBank Hawks 2-0 Chunichi Dragons.

Winning Pitcher: Jeong Su-hyeon (7 wins, 2 losses, 9 innings, 2 hits, 0 walks, 0 runs, 13 strikeouts)

Home Run: None

Another feature of interleague play.

Giving priority to the rules of the Central League, which does not have a designated hitter system, the pitcher also takes a turn at bat.

“Base on balls!”

Batting 9th, Su-hyeon just clicked into the open stance she used to use against Nam Geon-woo without even thinking about swinging the bat.

And she was automatically walked.

The 2-hole hitter Sasagawa brought Su-hyeon, who had reached first base, home, and that first run became the game-winning RBI.

SoftBank Hawks 3-0 Yomiuri Giants.

Winning Pitcher: Jeong Su-hyeon (8 wins, 2 losses, 8 innings, 4 hits, 1 walk, 0 runs, 14 strikeouts)

Home Run: Jose Osuna (7th inning, 1 run, SoftBank)

Su-hyeon, who had also defeated the Central League’s strongest team, the Yomiuri Giants, without any trouble.

Su-hyeon’s last game of this interleague series was an away game against the Hiroshima Carp.

It was a Tuesday evening when the red moon hung low.

Hiroshima Carp 0-7 SoftBank Hawks.

Winning Pitcher: Jeong Su-hyeon (9 wins, 2 losses, 8 innings, 0 hits, 0 walks, 0 runs, 17 strikeouts)

Home Runs: Ishiyama Keiichi (4th inning, 3 runs, SoftBank), Watanabe Riku (4th inning, 2 runs, SoftBank)

With a perfect game out of reach due to first baseman Ishiyama’s early error.

Su-hyeon threw 94 pitches to complete 8 innings and came off the mound without any regrets.

“Now you don’t care about perfect games or no-hitters?

You’re such a difficult senpai.”

“I have my reasons, kid.

Does a record put food on the table?”

What Su-hyeon feared most was an unexpected injury.

Whether it was her chest or her shoulder, if she couldn’t play in the fall baseball due to injury.

She wouldn’t know what to do with her life.

2030 Interleague Champions

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks

2030 Interleague Most Valuable Player

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks

No.

17 Jeong Su-hyeon

3 wins, 0 losses, ERA 0.00, 25 innings, 6 hits, 1 walk, 0 runs, 44 strikeouts, WHIP 0.28.

It wasn’t a human’s performance.

And during all that, Su-hyeon filmed two TV commercials.

But no one criticized Su-hyeon.

No, they couldn’t criticize her.

Clunk, clunk, clunk.

“Hmm~ mm mm hmm~”

A time when I don’t want to be disturbed by anyone.

After all, concentration starts before the game.

Whoosh-

Thwack!

“Swing, batter out!”

Change-up time in everyday life.

SOMY noise-canceling headphones, SCP-173.

“Huh?

Kiriyama?

No, not today.

I have something to do.”

Today is the day to plant the seeds harvested yesterday.

Heave-ho.

Orchard complete!

I’ll buy all the turnips with the rest of the money!

-The next day.

“Sigh, it’s a total bust.”

Meme-tendo Switch 2, Animal’s Forest.

On sale now.

“Maybe I should have filmed a few more, boss.”

“I know.

Right now, even if Ms.

Su-hyeon stood in the middle of Shibuya Crossing naked, people would understand.”

“That’s a good concept for a commercial.

Not naked, but a bikini is possible.”

Su-hyeon’s eyes were not wrong.

Sari Widya was a person born to manage.

Does Sari have some kind of trait like me?

Management (EX) or something.

“Sari, have you ever thought about going back?”

“Going back?

Do you mean Bali?”

“Yes.

Wherever it is.

I was wondering if there’s a place you want to go back to.”

With an enigmatic smile, Sari replied.

“You have a place you want to go back to, don’t you, Ms.

Su-hyeon?”

“Huh?

N-not really.”

“I worked for Mr.

Ricky, and now I’ve decided on you, Ms.

Su-hyeon.

Mr.

Ricky will be coming to Japan soon, so I think this is where I belong.”

If a third party had heard this conversation, they would have envied me.

But Su-hyeon envied Sari Widya.

The fact that she had a firm goal in life.

Even if I go back, I don’t know what to do after that.

Su-hyeon was promoted from the 5th starter to the 3rd starter and welcomed July.

After a month, the batters in the Pacific League had to readjust to Su-hyeon’s Boing Boing.

3 wins, 1 loss, ERA 1.80, 30 innings, 18 hits, 7 walks, 6 runs, 34 strikeouts, WHIP 0.83.

It was an excellent performance, but the overwhelming dominance of April and June never returned.

August.

2 wins, 2 losses, ERA 3.34, 24 innings, 24 hits, 9 walks, 8 runs, 26 strikeouts, WHIP 1.38.

September.

1 win, 2 losses, ERA 3.52, 23 innings, 25 hits, 8 walks, 8 runs, 22 strikeouts, WHIP 1.43.

As her performance declined, the Hawks’ coaching staff, especially Dae-joon, were deeply troubled.

But Su-hyeon herself seemed unfazed and continued to appear in the media.

16 wins, 7 losses, ERA 1.95, 171 innings, 108 hits, 43 walks, 37 runs, 219 strikeouts, WHIP 0.88.

Debates were taking place in the Hawks’ front office regarding Su-hyeon’s regular season report card.

“There’s even talk of malingering.

People are saying she’s more interested in being a celebrity than playing baseball.”

“That’s because Su-hyeon is too pretty.

Those baseball illiterate fools.

Can they even say that after looking at these stats?”

General Manager Shirakawa didn’t want to renew Su-hyeon’s contract.

And owner Son Yumi was opposed to that.

“Have you ever turned on the TV?

Do you know how many commercials Jeong Su-hyeon appears in during one episode of a drama?”

“I can’t argue with that.

But isn’t that all beneficial to our team too?”

Son Yumi was planning to squeeze as much as she could out of Su-hyeon after the season, so she had readily agreed, thinking, “How many commercials can she film during the season?”

But Son Yumi was also feeling resentful towards Su-hyeon, who had suddenly received investment from Indonesian capital and established a one-person agency.

“If it’s not malingering, then it must be the limitations of being a woman.

Can a pitcher who is struggling to even complete the regular season be expected to perform in the postseason?”

“Is that something you should say in front of a woman?”

Although it was his true feeling, Shirakawa realized it was a clear blunder and bowed his head.

“It’s clear that there will be offers from Major League teams, and to keep her, we’ll have to offer at least $5 million annually.

My opinion is that we can’t spend that money on a player who only shines at the beginning of the season.”

Of course, Son Yumi couldn’t defend Su-hyeon’s August and September performance.

She could only pray that Su-hyeon would rebound in the fall.

This damn baseball season is too long.

It was Son Yumi’s long-held belief.

October, the start of the NPB playoffs, the Climax Series.

The First Stage between the Pacific League’s 2nd place Nippon-Ham Fighters and 3rd place Orix Buffaloes.

Nippon-Ham defeated Orix 2-1.

And in the Final Stage, the regular season 1st place SoftBank Hawks were waiting.

As the 1st place team, the Hawks would start the stage with a one-win advantage.

The first team to win 4 out of 6 games would advance to the Japan Series.

If the score was tied, the 1st place Hawks would advance.

And even a 6-game home-field advantage at Fukuoka Dome.

There was only one reason why the regular season 1st place team was given so many advantages.

It was because upsets, or reversals, happened so often even with all these advantages.

Su-hyeon, who had been in a slump all summer.

Su-hyeon was to start as the 1st starter in the first game of the Climax Final Stage.