The Weight of an Old Friendship

Surprised by the sudden attack, Hyun’s lips hastily opened.

“What do you mean, ‘something’? We’re just classmates.”

“Can I believe that?”

“Yes. We just went to school together, played baseball. That’s all. Nothing special.”

“You won’t go back on your word later, right? I’m going to call and accept right now, huh?”

Kwon Hyuk-won shifted his hips, urging him on. He looked ready to jump up and run to his phone the moment an answer was given. Hyun was grateful to the CEO for asking his opinion first, despite having waited for this so eagerly, instead of accepting right away.

“But CEO, you know that program is a survival show, right? If I don’t do well, I’ll be cut quickly. Don’t expect too much.”

“This kid is starting with bad luck again. Geez, so are you doing it or not?”

He had no right to refuse. Hyun knew how much Kwon Hyuk-won had invested in the new van, baseball training facility, and equipment. For him, it was an astronomical sum, too much to refuse just because of a first love.

Moreover…

‘Do you really want to be eliminated?’

‘No.’

‘Right? You actually want to keep playing baseball, don’t you?’

His unintended true feelings, revealed by alcohol, were the biggest problem. Hyun replied with a long sigh.

“I’ll give it a try for now.”

“Yesss!” the CEO shouted loudly, jumping up. As expected, he dashed to his desk and made a call.

Things moved swiftly. The production team of <Hit & Run Again> was just as eager as the excited Kwon Hyuk-won. With just a five-minute phone call, the casting was confirmed.

Kwon Hyuk-won returned to the sofa, proudly waving his arm like a victor. He plopped down, making the leather sofa sigh, and gave Hyun a sly wink.

“What are we going to do, Jung Hyun-ah. You’re going to hit the jackpot now.”

‘Well, thinking about clashing with Cha Seok-young, my stomach might burst before I hit the jackpot.’ Hyun swallowed the unspoken reply and forced a smile.

Unable to refuse the CEO, who insisted on driving him, Hyun got into the van. The CEO hummed a tune even as they got stuck in heavy traffic.

“Hey, Hyun-ah. I’m not just saying this. The rumor that Cha Seok-young is appearing on <Hit & Run Again> has already spread. Changgeon fans are going wild.”

‘Is that so?’ Hyun tilted his head and logged into ‘Changgeon World.’ It was the Changgeon Dragons’ long-standing fan cafe, which he had joined in elementary school.

As Kwon Hyuk-won said, related posts boasted the most views and comments.

[Are there any Re-emergence Dreamers fans in our Changgeon World? ^^
I heard some happy news from an acquaintance today.
Our Changgeon’s son, Cha Seok-young,
will be appearing as a pitching mentor for the Re-emergence Dreamers…
It was boring since Changgeon slid out of fall baseball, haha–;;
I guess I’ll have to cheer for the Re-emergence Dreamers now to soothe my disappointment~~]

There were a total of 80 comments, which was an explosive reaction considering the relatively older demographic of the cafe. ‘Is it true? What is Re-emergence Dreamers? What kind of program is Dahireon?’ The string of questions was quite cute.

[Dahireon is short for <Hit & Run Again>. It’s the name of a baseball variety show, and the first episode airs tomorrow.]

Hyun kindly typed out a reply and muttered.

“Cha Seok-young’s popularity isn’t a one or two-day thing. Don’t expect too much from him, CEO.”

“Hey, they’re the ones making a fuss about wanting to be involved first, so why can’t we benefit a little? Huh? Ah, right, first, let’s not get too excited and calmly prepare. They said they’d send the training schedule by tomorrow, so check the sponsorships according to the schedule.”

While saying not to get excited, the CEO’s voice, muttering to himself, was full of excitement. Hyun chuckled hollowly and looked at the comments again.

The reactions of fans proudly treating Cha Seok-young like their own son were quite amusing and heartwarming. Hyun’s flushed face, which had been engrossed in reading the comments, sank as soon as he saw a notification pop up at the top of the screen.

[Cute Him-chan: Hyung-nim! Catch-ball at eight again today, right?]

He had been playing catch-ball with Song Him-chan for half a month since the tryouts. He would have to tell him the news of his acceptance when they met today…

“CEO, do you know who the other pitcher was?”

“Huh? Oh, the Thunderhawks ace who recently retired. Yoon, what was his name, that bearded guy.”

“Ah, Senior Yoon Jung-ho?”

“Yeah, I think it was him.”

It seemed Song Him-chan had ultimately been eliminated. He was such a desperate kid who wouldn’t give up baseball even while working two or three part-time jobs every day. Hyun, who was bitterly scrolling up the screen, suddenly raised his head.

“CEO, about the road manager. Are you really going to hire one?”

“Of course! My schedule will increase tremendously soon, and I can’t keep following you around forever. If I want to use someone when things get busy, I need to hire and train them in advance.”

“Then, by any chance… are there any necessary conditions or anything for a road manager?”

“Conditions? Hmm, well, someone physically healthy and good at driving should be fine.”

“What if they’re good at driving and know a lot about baseball?”

“Then that’s perfect! Why? Do you have someone to recommend?”

The CEO poked his head into the rearview mirror. At his cartoon-like appearance, Hyun chuckled lightly and adjusted his cap.

“Perhaps. I’ll talk to him and let you know.”

Hyun, who replied with an awkward smile, soon got out of the car. He arrived at the park earlier than planned and sat on a bench near the basketball court. Inside the court directly in front, two high school students were practicing post-ups against each other.

Watching their fierce struggle, he sent his location to Song Him-chan. The reply came back with an airplane emoji.

[My part-time job ends soon too, so I’ll be there quickly! I’ll fly over!]

Hyun chuckled softly and tapped the screen. Suddenly, the screen changed midway through typing a reply to tell him to come slowly. A call was coming from an unknown number.

By the time he realized it, his finger had already pressed the accept button. Hyun, surprised, quickly brought the phone to his ear.

“Yes, this is Jung Hyun.”

– What if it’s a sasaeng? Why are you giving your name first?

The caller was an unknown number, but the voice wasn’t unfamiliar. Hyun froze for a moment at the voice that felt so familiar yet strange.

“…Cha Seok-young?”

– Where are you?

“What? Why suddenly that?”

– We have to train.

“…Now? With you?”

– Haven’t you received the notice yet? Or are you confident you’ll do well even without training?

Even after exchanging a few words, the flow of the conversation made no sense. Hyun opened his mouth with a bewildered expression.

In front of him, high school students cursed loudly and bounced balls, people ran, and the glittering night view beyond the river unfolded.

It was a realistic and familiar scene, yet strangely, this moment felt dull, like a dream.

‘What is this situation?’ After flapping his lips for a long time, an answer was reluctantly pulled out.

“Uh, I’m already out to play catch-ball.”

– Catch-ball? Where, and with whom?

“At Han River Park.”

– Which Han River Park? With whom?

“…Ichon Han River Park.”

– I’m asking for the third time, who are you with?

Just as he was about to retort, ‘Why do you care who I’m with?’ a loud shout came from behind.

“Hyung-nim!”

In the distance, Song Him-chan waved his arm widely. As Hyun stood up, acknowledging him, the large figure suddenly started running towards him.

He was like a puppy reunited with its owner after a long time. With a speed befitting a player who could run 50 meters in 6.39 seconds, it was tremendous.

“Him-chan, wait a second, ugh!”

Song Him-chan, even more ferocious with the acceleration from the downhill, lunged into his arms. Hyun was suffocated by the surprise hug.

It was a good thing he managed to catch him; otherwise, they would have tumbled onto the bench together. A sigh of relief belatedly escaped him.

“Hey, kid. We both almost got hurt. Are you okay?”

Even after getting a flick on the forehead, Song Him-chan grinned. He merely rubbed his shiny forehead.

“Hehe, yes, but were you on the phone?”

Before he could answer the innocent question, Cha Seok-young burst in from the other end of the phone.

– I guess you’re with that brat.

It came with a sudden derogatory term. Hyun, surprised, asked, ‘What?’, and the innocent Song Him-chan replied again.

“I asked if you were on the phone, hyung-nim!”

“No, Him-chan. Not you.”

“Oh, hyung-nim, then please go ahead and finish your call comfortably! I’ll warm up first.”

– He was worse than a ceremonial first pitch at the tryouts. What kind of training can you do with a guy like that?

Voices overlapped from both sides. Hyun, worried that Song Him-chan might hear, quickly turned and walked away. Cold sweat ran down his back.

“Why do you speak so badly? He’s just a kid who was nervous.”

Hyun sharply retorted in a low voice, heading towards the empty grassy area.

“And I’ve already received the notice. I’ve agreed to do it. But the official acceptance hasn’t been announced yet, has it? It doesn’t seem like a situation where I can openly train with you.”

– Why can’t you? You and I have trained together for six years. If you hadn’t run away, it would have been twelve years. Can’t friends like that even throw a ball together?

He thought he had defended himself flawlessly, but he was struck in a sore spot. Hyun stood isolated on the empty turf field, looking up at the dark sky. For some reason, everything felt dark before his eyes.

‘Should I have given up on this program after all?’

– That’s bullshit, Jung Hyun. You’re throwing balls with some brat you met at the tryouts, but you can’t train with me unless it’s for the broadcast?

“……”

– You’re just running away again. Like a habit.

A gasp, as if he’d been stabbed, choked his throat. He knew he shouldn’t panic whenever this topic came up, yet he couldn’t bring himself to speak.

Hyun gnawed at his innocent lips for a long time, then finally managed a smile.

“…I’m a pitcher, so I can’t steal bases.”

– Are you kidding me right now?

Hyun, who awkwardly smiled only with his mouth, scratched the back of his head.

For a brief moment, it felt like they were exchanging jokes as in the past, and he felt strange. The corners of his mouth twitched shallowly without his control.

‘Pathetic, Jung Hyun. Are you happy?’

When he quickly shook his head and turned around, his eyes instantly met Song Him-chan, who was warming up. There was anxiety in his eyes, subtly glancing this way, pretending not to.

He felt as if he had left the kid standing there and gone to another world by himself. The embarrassed Hyun quickly walked towards Song Him-chan, steadying his wavering heart.

“Anyway, today is difficult, it’s late. Him-chan and I have something to talk about.”

– What?

“We’ll train when the broadcast starts. I’m hanging up.”

Before he could waver any further, he quickly pressed the end call button.

The phone immediately rang again, but he completely turned it off and shoved it into his bag. Song Him-chan, realizing the call had ended, scurried over.