Home.
In that space that was always so comforting, Dad—the Creator—was glaring at me with a troubled expression.
"Dad, why are you home at this hour? What about work?"
"I took half the day off. And shouldn't you be at school right now? What about training? Why are you wandering around at this time?"
"Huh?"
"You know your card transactions get sent straight to my phone, right, Hyun-jun?"
"Oh..."
"Spit it out. Why'd you spend so much? And what's with all the Grandma's Soup House orders?"
The atmosphere was definitely sour.
I needed to come up with an excuse fast, but nothing good came to mind.
"I'm in a growth spurt... I was hungry..."
"You didn't buy meals for your friends or anything?"
"Huh? Yeah, that would've been a better answer."
"So you're saying you ate three bowls all by yourself? Does that even make sense?"
Clearly, Dad had gotten worried enough to take half a day off work just to check on me.
As if to prove it, he grilled me relentlessly about my schedule today.
"Song Hyun-jun!"
"Yes."
"What the hell have you been doing instead of training at school?"
"Well..."
"Son, until you turn eighteen, you're still a minor who needs protection from your guardian—me! So tell your guardian: what the heck is going on?"
Dad's face was deadly serious.
"Did you... quit baseball?"
"No."
"Are rivals like Shin Su-ho too much for you? Do you want to quit baseball? Is that why you're wandering around?"
"No, that's not it."
He didn't seem to believe me, his eyes—the Creator's—growing misty with sadness in an instant.
As a baseball team member, I was Dad's pride and joy.
A lifelong Devils fan, he'd been over the moon when I showed talent for the game.
"If that's not it! A guy who should be training at school is out buying Orange Na? Eating soup? Do you even want to be a pro baseball player?!"
Dad finally raised his voice.
The situation was pretty bad, to be fair.
At a time when I should have been training, I'd been out buying soda and ordering three bowls of soup.
No wonder he was furious.
I'd been so fixated on the Velocity Enhancement Potion that I hadn't thought about Dad monitoring my card in real-time via text alerts.
How was I supposed to wriggle out of this one?
"Ah!"
Then it hit me.
I immediately pulled out the Devils business card that Assistant Manager Seo Ji-hoon had given me.
"Don't even think about lying or making excuses, Song Hyun-jun. Just answer your father: what happened today?"
"This."
"Oh, come on. You think I'll just let it slide because of whatever this is?"
"Just look at it, Dad."
"...What's this?"
Finally, the Creator examined the card I'd handed him, his angry expression lingering.
And there, clearly printed:
[Devils ScoutAssistant Manager Seo Ji-hoon]
Dad's eyes widened impossibly as he read the card.
"What the hell is this?!"
"A Devils scout's business card."
"So why do you have it, Hyun-jun?"
"There was a game today. He gave it to me after it ended. Said congrats on being the winning pitcher."
"Winning pitcher? There wasn't a game scheduled today."
Even after seeing the card, Dad was still skeptical.
"We had a practice game against Deokyang High."
"...You sure?"
"Don't believe me? Call the school."
"The coach put you in as the starter against Deokyang High?"
"The starter was Shin Su-ho, but he hurt his fingernail..."
"So you went in second?"
"No, Park Jin-woong was second, and he blew the game, so I was third."
"...Comeback win?"
"Yeah."
Finally grasping the situation, my Creator flipped the business card over and squeezed his eyes shut.
Then came the last question.
"Okay, fine, but what about baseball practice? Why'd you leave school early?"
"The manager let me go home early to celebrate being the winning pitcher."
"Really?"
"Yeah. And he said I might start in the weekend league game, so I need to get my body ready by then."
"Start?!"
"Yeah. It just kinda happened."
Having heard the full story, Dad's eyes snapped open.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, the Creator pulled me into a tight hug.
It was warm.
"Good job, my son!"
"...It was nothing. Assistant Manager Seo came for Shin Su-ho originally, but I caught his eye during the game, so he gave me the card."
"That's even more impressive! A scout who came for nationwide prospect Shin Su-ho noticed you. Haha!"
Was that how it worked?
Whatever. As long as Dad was happy.
"My son got a business card from a Devils scout! And you're starting in an official game!"
"Still just a candidate. Gotta compete with Park Jin-woong, so it's not set."
"Either way, you get to pitch in a game!"
"Probably?"
Dad was genuinely thrilled.
"Hyun-jun, my boy! Need anything? Want some pocket money from your dad?"
"Pocket money? Come on."
"Hahaha, whatever you need, just tell your old man. What's a guardian for?"
I got a wad of cash from Dad—way more than usual.
Whoa, thanks, Creator.
Doing well at baseball really pays off.
Anyway, Dad became my biggest supporter after that.
Bonus: he promised to come watch the weekend game.
...Nice.
One more reason to crush the weekend matchup.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The next day.
I checked the time discreetly.
9 a.m. When Jiwon Mart opened.
"Dad's watching my card alerts in real-time. Going to the mart during school hours might be pushing it."
I'd barely scraped by yesterday with the scout's card, but I couldn't make a habit of it.
Couldn't lose my staunchest backer.
Instead, I pulled out the cash he'd given me.
"Hm... Cash is precious. Gotta spend it wisely, unlike Dad's card."
They wouldn't track cash spending, but I pocketed the bills anyway.
"Baseball practice first."
I'd grab the Velocity Enhancement Potion after practice.
Better play it safe and stick to school today.
But from the get-go, that proved tricky.
It started innocently enough: a few light practice tosses to loosen up.
Thwack!!
Shoulder relaxed from yesterday's live pitching, I threw easy.
The catcher reacted.
"Huh? Why's it feel so heavy?"
Heavy? Sounded like mumbling, but the punk had no filter with seniors.
Then the catcher passed the ball to another sophomore catcher nearby.
"Wanna try catching one?"
Time to butt in.
"You little punk, doubting your senior?"
"No, Senior, it's not that... Deok-gu's got great fingertip feel. Mind tossing one to Deok-gu?"
Deok-gu? If it's Deok-gu, I trust him.
"Fine, let's do it."
Light toss again.
No effort to ramp up velocity.
Just casual bullpen stuff, not my new form.
But...
Thwack!!
Once more, the heavy smack filled the indoor practice field.
"..."
Deok-gu stared silently at the ball in his mitt for a long moment.
Face full of disbelief.
"Senior."
"Yeah, Deok-gu."
"Your power's improved."
"...Really?"
"Yes, definitely. The ball feels heavier than a few days ago."
I fought back a grin at Deok-gu's praise, forcing my lips down.
Hard to hide the smile.
The effects of Power Enhancement Potion level 3—gorged on soup till my stomach nearly burst—were showing.
"How much better?"
"Hard to say exactly... But in terms of spin rate, maybe 40 to 60 rpm higher."
"40 to 60 rpm?"
"Yeah. Your four-seam used to spin around 1,800 rpm. Now it's forming at 1,840 to 1,860."
What? Deok-gu's a monster?
"You can feel that much change catching with a mitt, not barehanded?"
"I've got sensitive fingertips."
Sensitive? That's genius-level talent.
While I marveled at Deok-gu's unknown gift, the pitching coach approached.
"What's up? Something happen?"
Deok-gu answered Coach Jo's question.
"Hyun-jun sunbae. His ball feels heavier."
"Heavier? By how much?"
"Around 40 to 60 rpm."
"What? Let's check it properly with the tracking system."
Led by Pitching Coach Jo Jong-hoon, we moved to measure accurately.
Our school's pride: the TrackMan pitching tracking system.
Doppler radar and high-speed cameras tracked my every motion as the coach gave the order.
"Alright, Hyun-jun. Throw one."
The coach's pitch command.
I cleared my mind of clutter.
To a pitcher, a "throw" command was life itself.
I dug my foot into the rubber and launched into my motion.
Whoosh!
This time, full new form.
Coach was watching, and this might get reported to the manager. Had to give it everything.
The ball slammed home.
Thwack!!
A heavy four-seam smacked Deok-gu's mitt.
The coach's eyes widened at the results.
[141.9 km/h]
Fastball Spin Rate: 1,857 rpm
Hyun-jun's power, confirmed in numbers. Coach Jo blinked at it.
"...You're right. Your average was just under 1,800, but now you're hitting mid-1,800s?"
Plus, velocity was solid too.
Considering yesterday's live game pitching, it was impressive.
"Throw a few more, Hyun-jun."
The pitching coach's order.
"Yes, sir!"
I responded energetically and fired off several more.
Fastball Spin Rate: 1,858 rpm
Fastball Spin Rate: 1,852 rpm
Fastball Spin Rate: 1,855 rpm
Fastball Spin Rate: 1,857 rpm
Consistent spin rates in the 1,850s on four-seams.
The coach, arms crossed watching, stopped me and asked.
"Hyun-jun."
"Yes."
"How'd you do it?"
"Pardon?"
"How the hell did you boost your power like this?"
I froze, no answer ready.
"Not only did you jack your velocity up 7-8 km/h in days, but now power too?"
From a lifetime pitcher like the coach, this growth was unnatural.
Plenty of reason to suspect something.
"What trick did you use?"
The coach's gaze turned suspicious.
I swallowed hard and scrambled for an excuse.
"Well..."
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