I loved baseball.
The reason was simple. My father was a famous baseball player.
In my earliest memories, I only vaguely understood that he was an athlete. Of course, I didn't know what kind of player he was.
My entire experience was going to the ballpark with Mom, eating snacks, and watching her point at the field saying, 'There's Dad.'
I don't remember the games themselves, but I remember having fun every time. Naturally, I grew to like going to the stadium, and eventually, I grew to like baseball itself.
And when I reached the fifth grade of elementary school, I started playing.
I was about a year behind the kids who started early, but it couldn't be helped. Since my dad was a pro, it took time to make the decision.
Once decided, I took baseball seriously.
As I started playing, I slowly began to understand the weight of my father's influence. Everywhere I went, I was called 'Kim Jeong-seok's son' rather than Kim Jeong-ui.
At first, it was pretty nice.
It's a pleasant experience when people approach you kindly, saying they know your father. The baseball team life was good, too.
Because Dad was such an influential figure in the baseball world, I received a lot of consideration in various ways. Or maybe the manager and coaches were just walking on eggshells because Dad had a fiery temper.
Anyway, thanks to that, I kept getting playing time and even advanced to middle school as a special athletic student, spending good times there.
But…
As I played year after year, my thoughts began to change.
Baseball was a harder sport than I thought, and my father's fame slowly turned into poison for me.
Kim Jeong-seok.
The man who skipped the KBO and went straight to the MLB.
The man who bombarded the Minor Leagues and got called up to the Majors in just two months.
The man who achieved a perfect inning in the Big Leagues. The owner of two World Series rings.
And the man called KB, short for Strikeout by the Book, because he racked up Ks so easily.
Unable to live up to that name value, I eventually quit baseball in my third year of middle school.
I didn't have that level of talent.
Not as a batter.
And not as a pitcher.
So, from the end of my third year of middle school, I stopped being a student-athlete and became a regular student.
Fortunately, I managed to get into high school.
Seoul Jeonsan High School, where I enrolled, is a bit unique.
It functions as a normal academic school but also accepts various athletic and artistic specialty students.
Maybe it was because I used to be an athletic student, but I was lucky enough to get in. However, having spent my life playing sports, I couldn't keep up with the general classes at all.
My role here was simple: don't disturb the class, anchor the bottom of the grading curve, and quietly graduate.
And just like that, one year passed.
( ❋ ❋ ❋ )
I walked past the school gates and headed toward the classroom with a tense face.
Just the fact that it was the first day of my second year made my shoulders stiffen.
The thought of having to adapt to a restarting daily life, seeing new faces in a new classroom, filled my head.
I had spent the last year living as invisibly as possible, and there was no need to change that now.
If I stayed quiet, I wouldn't get swept up in useless drama, and I wouldn't have any reason to be tired.
I headed toward Class 2-5, where I had been assigned.
Phew…
Approaching the classroom made me more nervous than I expected.
I paused in front of the door to catch my breath, then opened it and walked in.
There were already a few students inside, but I didn't see any familiar faces. The awkward air peculiar to strangers hung heavy in the room.
I naturally headed toward the back, where fewer eyes would land, and took a seat.
As I put down my bag and leaned back in the chair, my heart settled a little.
Looking around slowly, I didn't see anyone raising their voice or making a scene. It was a generally calm atmosphere, which gave me a sense of relief.
It looks like this class will flow quietly.
Yeah, let's just go with the flow this time, too.
I organized my thoughts like that.
There was no need to strike up a conversation first, and no reason to step up more than necessary. Just listening to classes and getting through each day safely would be enough.
Thinking that way loosened my tension a bit.
I gazed out the window for a moment and pictured the day ahead.
I thought about going straight home after class, dropping my bag, lying comfortably on my bed, and watching anime.
( ❋ ❋ ❋ )
The first day went by lighter than expected.
Back home, I started binge-watching the anime from the first quarter of 2028 that I had put off.
The thought of "just one episode before bed" didn't last long, as always. Every time the ending credits rolled, I hit the next episode button until the window turned faintly bright.
Uh… Is it this time already…?
I checked the clock. It was an awkward time to sleep.
Already 5 AM…?
If I slept now, I would definitely be late. After deliberating for a moment, I reached the conclusion that it would be better to go to school early and sleep there.
I finished the remaining episodes, and when the clock hit 6:00, I washed my face roughly, grabbed my bag, and left the house early.
The nearly empty streets and the quiet school atmosphere put my mind at ease.
I arrived at school an hour before the start time and quickly headed to the classroom.
But then, an unfamiliar sound caught my ear.
Hmm? What's that sound?
I stopped and listened.
Ah… This is…
A recent anime I watched came to mind. There was a similar sound in that orchestra-themed show.
Is this… a violin?
I thought no one would be here since it was so early…
Wondering if I had heard wrong, I stopped walking and checked the classroom sign.
[ 2 – 5 ]
It was definitely my class.
I quietly walked inside. Since the door was already open, I didn't need to open or close it separately.
As I entered, I saw a girl standing in the middle of the classroom, playing the violin.
Ah! She must be an arts specialty student…
Worried I might disturb her, I held my breath and moved quietly.
I took great care not to even make a sound dragging the chair as I sat down. Fortunately, the chair was already pulled out quite a bit, so it didn't make a loud noise.
I put my bag down and buried my face in my arms on the desk.
The sound is nice…
I decided to use that violin melody as a lullaby.
My eyelids were heavy from staying up all night, and as I surrendered my body to the music, my consciousness quickly faded.
I don't know how much time passed, but the music suddenly stopped. A voice pierced clearly through my drowsiness.
"Phew~ It really goes better in the morning."
The next instant, a sudden scream filled the classroom.
"Kyaaaaaak!"
Startled by the noise, I snapped my eyes open. When I lifted my head, the girl who had been playing until just a moment ago was looking down at me with wide eyes.
Her face was full of genuine shock.
"What the? When were you here?"
Still half-asleep, I hesitated before answering honestly.
"Well… I came in while you were playing."
The girl let out a sigh, grumbling.
"You should have made a sound. You scared me."
Then, she made a slightly apologetic face.
"Was it loud? You looked like you were frowning."
"No. I enjoyed it. I was trying to sleep listening to it, so it was actually a shame it stopped."
Instantly, the girl's expression brightened. She looked at me with a radiant smile and asked lightly.
"Really? Then, can I play a little more?"
Uh…
The moment I saw that smile, just for a brief second, my thoughts stopped.
I sat there blankly, losing my mind for about two seconds.
"Uh… No?"
The girl's smile disappeared.
"No, no. Please play. I'm just sleepy… my reaction was slow."
Flustered, I answered quickly, and soon the sound of the violin filled the classroom again.
I closed my eyes again, listening to the melody.
When I opened my eyes a while later, the atmosphere in the classroom had completely changed from before.
I heard the sound of chairs dragging here and there. It seemed it was time for class to start.
I sat up and yawned quietly. It was true that I was still tired, but thanks to getting a little shut-eye, my head wasn't completely foggy.
My eyes stung, but it was bearable.
Then, suddenly, the girl I saw in the morning came into view. The very same girl who had been playing the violin.
She was gathered with a few other girls now, chatting. The way she laughed and talked looked different from before. I tried not to stare too long, but I ended up glancing at her repeatedly.
That morning scene came to mind.
The fact that I had fallen asleep without knowing her name, her class number, or anything else left a belated regret.
Ah, I should have at least asked for her name.
It was then.
The violin girl spoke with a slightly serious expression.
"Did you hear? They say our school's baseball team might be disbanded."
At those words, the girl next to her reacted with wide eyes.
"Really? They accepted specialty students, but is it okay to just disband it?"
The baseball team?
I held my breath, pretending to be indifferent while straining my ears.
Memories of our school's baseball team naturally surfaced in my mind.
It was a team with mediocre results, always hovering in the lower-middle ranks of regional tournaments. It was hard to say they had a big presence.
"They say recruiting is too hard. They lack the numbers to run a roster, and since there are fewer applicants every year, it's practically on the verge of closing. Usually, the third years are the smallest group, but I heard the incoming first years are the fewest right now?"
"Oh my… Then do they have to go to another school?"
"Probably…? It's a waste. I wanted to go watch a game if our baseball team made it to a high level."
Another girl playfully interrupted.
"Right! You always liked the Ace or Captain types in baseball or soccer."
The violin girl didn't deny it and just nodded.
"True. We don't have a soccer team, but we have a baseball team, so I was secretly looking forward to it. It's a bit of a shame."
…
It was that moment.
The girl's words lingered in my ears for a strangely long time.
I stared straight ahead with my hands on the desk. The noise of the classroom felt like it was suddenly drifting far away.
Baseball.
Once, it was my everything.
And now, it had become nothing.
I have no intention of going back. It's a finished story.
But the moment I heard those words, my resolve began to shake.
(End of Chapter)
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