The Extra in a Baseball Novel

“Is no one home?”

Shin Hayoon’s house was dark, with not a single light on.

“My little brother didn’t want to be alone, so he went to a friend’s house and said he’d come back when Mom finishes work. Mom has been helping out at a relative’s store on weekends, so she’s not back yet. She should be here soon.”

Click.

Shin Hayoon turned on the light, revealing the interior of the house. It was a typical home, around 34 pyeong in size.

Except for the uniform with my name on it hanging on the living room wall.

“It looks a bit strange, doesn’t it? My parents really like you. I tried to stop them, but they insisted on hanging it up…”

It was certainly odd to see my uniform on the wall, but it also meant they liked me that much.

“Well, I’m thankful.”

“Why?”

“The other day, when you were in a commercial, she bought a Nixon bat and was thinking of getting your autograph to hang it on the wall. If she hears that, the bat will end up on the wall too.”

The image of that scene made me laugh.

We managed to keep the conversation going up until this point…

But it was inevitable that the atmosphere turned awkward with just the two of us alone in an empty house.

The sound of the clock ticking echoed noisily.

“Uh… want to take a look at my room?”

Shin Hayoon seemed to dislike the awkwardness as well, so she spoke up first.

“Sure, let’s do that.”

As soon as she opened the door to her room, she froze.

I wondered if there was something in there that shouldn’t be seen…

“You seem to like having things on your walls too.”

While it wasn’t uniforms, pictures of me hitting were plastered all over.

I glanced over, and Shin Hayoon hurriedly explained.

“Well… uh… it’s for your batting form! I’m always trying to keep the adjustments to your batting form in my head! I can’t afford to forget, as your coach.”

“Thanks. Others might think it’s a bit weird, though.”

I meant it. At her age, she should be into decorating her room, but instead, she had covered it with pictures of some guy swinging a bat for coaching purposes.

Then, I noticed the pile of files stacked on her desk.

It wasn’t just the number of files but also their thickness, which was comparable to that of a college textbook.

“Don’t tell me you analyzed all of this for my coaching?”

With a slight smile, Shin Hayoon nodded.

“Some of it is from studying, some is data recording, just everything all together…”

“Mind if I take a look?”

“Go ahead.”

The corners of Shin Hayoon’s mouth twitched. As expected, she loved talking about coaching the most.

As soon as I opened the files, I couldn’t help but exclaim in awe. Most of it was handwritten, and even at a glance, it was clear that the content was detailed and well-organized.

I skimmed through the materials for about 30 minutes, but still, her family had not returned.

“Mom and Dad are quite busy these days. It seems like it will take them a while to get back. Are you okay? Actually, you must be tired. You should probably head back after signing a few things.”

She said I should go, but disappointment was written all over her face.

She’s not very good at acting either.

“Then I’ll wait. I don’t go to bed right away even if I go home. Might as well rest here as at home.”

The corners of Shin Hayoon’s mouth twitched again.

“Really? Then… how about we watch a movie while we wait?”

“Okay, let’s see what movie you pick, Shin Hayoon. If it’s boring, I’ll fall asleep in 30 minutes, guaranteed.”

“I’m going to play a really fun movie, so don’t whine about not wanting to go home later.”

“Sounds good. Please play a movie like that.”

—

“You really fell asleep…”

I had put on the movie The Kid with a Bike, and Cha Taehyun had leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes precisely 12 minutes later.

To be honest, I knew this movie was boring. I’d experienced it firsthand.

So why did I play this movie?

Shin Hayoon felt her face heat up.

‘Am I crazy…?’

She couldn’t tell anyone that she wanted to see Cha Taehyun sleeping.

All she did was play the movie. It wasn’t like she did anything else…

Shin Hayoon moved a little closer to Cha Taehyun’s sleeping face.

She suddenly remembered the first time she saw him asleep.

During a softball game, he randomly hit a home run and then went to sleep in the stands.

‘Back then… I was really mean…’

Even now, she felt only guilt toward Cha Taehyun.

In fact, the reason there was so much data analysis on her desk was partly due to that guilt.

She wanted to help Cha Taehyun in any way she could. She studied late into the night, trying to make up for her mistakes.

But now, none of that mattered.

Even if he forgave her…

“I’m sorry… No matter how much you forgive me… I’ll live my whole life repenting.”

Because she didn’t mind being with him, even if it was just for these fleeting moments.

—

Shin Hayoon said it was a super fun movie…

When I came to my senses, more than an hour had passed.

“Sorry, I must’ve been more tired than I thought.”

For some reason, Shin Hayoon flinched and shook her head.

“No, no! You must’ve been tired; I’m the one who should apologize. My parents seem to be really busy. They’re still not back.”

“Really? Well, that’s good.”

Shin Hayoon looked surprised, her eyes widening.

…What is she thinking?

“It means their work is going well.”

“Oh… yeah. I guess they’re busy because things are going well.”

“Well, I should head back soon. If you have anything like a uniform, bat, or home run ball, bring it over. I’ll sign them before I leave.”

Shin Hayoon quickly dashed out of the room and came back, her arms full of a bat, uniform, and other items.

“Thank you, really…”

“Thank me? You’re participating in the Phoenix’s winning project for free.”

“Well… I told you it was my way of apologizing.”

“I told you, I didn’t care about it from the start… So please, just accept your salary already.”

I subtly brought up the topic of her paycheck, but she shook her head firmly.

…Why does she refuse to accept money when it’s offered?

I don’t get it.

I signed the things she brought and got ready to leave.

“Thanks for today, really.”

After hearing her thank me again, I quickly left the house.

Since it was on the third floor, I just took the stairs.

Then I heard footsteps behind me.

“Hey! Cha Taehyun! Wait a minute!”

Hmm?

Shin Hayoon came running, panting. She was even wearing a Phoenix uniform.

“There’s… something I want to say. Can I walk you to the bus stop?”

“Well… sure.”

Even though she said she had something to say, she remained silent as we walked quite a distance.

Feeling a bit awkward, I spoke up first.

“Come to think of it, you really didn’t change teams, huh?”

“You’re the Phoenix.”

“….”

I was hoping for a reaction like, ‘I’m not changing teams!’ but I ended up feeling like I got hit with a counter.

Sensing my silence, she hurriedly added.

“No… I don’t mean anything by it! I’m your coach. I do like Phoenix, but… I should go wherever my player goes.”

“I see. That makes sense.”

I spotted the bus stop in the distance.

As I passed under the streetlamp, which formed a yellow circle with a bench beside it, Shin Hayoon grabbed my sleeve.

“Don’t cut me off…”n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

“What are you suddenly talking about…”

“If you go to another team… I’ll wash up and follow… So don’t cut me off.”

It was said as if it were a joke, but there was a slight tremble in her voice. It sounded like she was genuinely worried.

I don’t know what I did to make her worry… but seeing this usually cheerful girl look so deflated wasn’t good.

“Don’t worry. I’m a Phoenix fan too. I won’t cut you off until we win the championship.”

Even after my reply, she kept holding onto my sleeve.

“Not just with words…”

“So what then?”

She lifted the hem of her uniform, smoothing it out.

“Sign it… here, to say that you’ll keep using me…”

Despite her bold words, her face was slightly flushed, even under the yellow streetlamp.

I watched her for a moment, then extended my hand.

“Give me the marker.”

—

So this is what she wanted to say?

She pulled a marker out of her pocket, as if she had it ready.

I took the marker and slowly signed.

It felt… strange.

She glanced at the uniform, then looked up at me with a smile.

“No taking it back, okay? I’m really going to follow you to the end.”

Before I could say anything, she turned and ran back home, as energetic as ever.

The light on the first-floor stairs turned on, then the second, and finally, the third. Soon, her face appeared in the window.

“You signed it! You can’t take it

back!”

Shouting that, she grinned widely and waved.

As I thought about paying her properly in the future, I waved back and turned around.

—

The new Phoenix pitching coach, Goo Minsung, was watching the team’s intrasquad game.

Since he had reviewed the footage of the exhibition games multiple times before coming to the team, the players’ capabilities were almost exactly what he expected.

Except for one player. A player who made him tilt his head in curiosity.

The pitcher currently on the mound, consistently throwing fastballs over 155 km/h.

Cha Taehyun.

It wasn’t that Goo Minsung didn’t know who Cha Taehyun was.

Even though he was overseas for training, there was no way he wouldn’t know Phoenix’s top prospect, Cha Taehyun.

The problem was that this was the first time he had seen Cha Taehyun pitch since his high school days.

And it was hard to believe how well he was pitching in this condition.

“Strike—out!”

That was the sixth strikeout. He had retired all batters in order through four innings, striking out half of them.

Phoenix might not have the strongest team overall, but their team batting average was decent. They even signed Lee Joon, an 8-billion-won hitter, to strengthen the lineup.

But against that lineup, Cha Taehyun was pitching almost perfectly…

Coach Goo Minsung couldn’t help but ask the manager beside him.

“If he’s this good, shouldn’t we try using him in crucial games as a two-way player, or maybe as a starting pitcher?”

The manager replied with a smile.

“Of course, we should.”

The coach, momentarily startled, asked again.

“Then… why didn’t you use Cha Taehyun in the exhibition games?”

“Well… it’s for Phoenix’s championship.”

For Phoenix’s championship.

It sounded nice, but the explanation was lacking.

“Coach Goo, did you check the schedule for the opening game?”

“Yes. It’s an away game against the Incheon Dragons.”

“Right. The Incheon Dragons. They were a top team last year, and unless something drastic happens, they’re a team we’ll compete with for the title.”

“Yes… that’s… Ah?”

The coach’s eyes widened in realization.

“Don’t tell me… You’re hiding him to secure even one win?”

“Coach Goo, you catch on quickly, don’t you? You know how important every win is in the final stretch of the championship race. Especially an away win.”

The coach nodded. The idea of Phoenix winning the championship seemed far-fetched, but he understood the importance of each win.

“Have you heard of ‘Welsh Corgi Day’?”

The coach tilted his head at the sudden question.

“It’s a saying that Phoenix always loses one game out of three, even against a weak team like a Welsh Corgi.”

The coach smirked bitterly. While it sounded like a joke, it was sadly true about Phoenix.

“So… winning even on that ‘Welsh Corgi Day’ would be a huge help, right?”

“Exactly. Breaking that jinx has great significance. Got it?”

“I understand, but still… shouldn’t we try using him in at least one exhibition game? He’s still a rookie, and if we send him out right away, he might crumble.”

The manager raised his voice confidently.

“No, he’s not the type to crumble. If anything, he’ll shake up the opposing pitcher. Don’t worry about him.”

“Understood… So when will he pitch in the three-game series? It’s not the opening game this week, right? It’s only a two-game series.”

The manager looked at the coach, as if wondering why he even asked.

“He’s the starting pitcher for the opening game, of course.”

“Excuse me…?”

—