Chapter 318 - 318

Chapter 318

The most difficult period since debut is finally over.

We made a comeback, went on a tour to Japan, came back to Korea to film , and even held a domestic fan concert, making it a great success.

When we were doing this schedule, I didn't feel tired much, maybe because of the adrenaline.

Right after the Korean concert, it felt like all the tension and fatigue that had been building up hit us all at once.

As a result.

Chae Eun-gyu, Yoo Min-ha, Ji Yoon-chul, and others who already love to sleep set an incredible record of sleeping for 16 hours a day.

Kang Si-yoon and I, who don't usually sleep much, passed out on our beds for 10 hours.

After spending about three days like this, I felt like the energy I had used up was slowly coming back.

I took the time to exercise slowly, loosen up my body, and check out the reactions that had been posted on SNS.

' was the most difficult time, but I handled it well afterwards so there wasn't much talk.'

It was also useful to naturally join Yoo Min-ha's Star Us Live, and the fact that it was our first domestic concert immediately caught the attention of fans.

I smiled while watching the members' reactions to the special stage that we had ambitiously prepared.

It's definitely best to figure out the needs of Seleves in advance and decorate the stage.

The dorm was quiet thanks to the members who were still sailing in dreamland.

I was thinking about sitting alone on the sofa and playing a game for the first time in a long time.

At that moment, a message from someone popped up on my phone.

'Huh?'

I thought it was Owen who was impressed by the Korean concert, but when I checked it carefully, the person in the message was none other than Jung Moo-hyuk.

That's it.

I sat up straight after seeing the unexpected name.

That weekend, when we appeared on the entertainment show , I exchanged numbers with Jung Moo-hyuk, one of the regular cast members.

Jung Moo-hyuk, who really likes working out, liked me because I showed off my solid physique during the mission.

He is also my senior in the entertainment industry, and I didn't know if we would meet in the future, so I got his number.

After exchanging numbers, aside from a message to say hello, this was the first time I received a direct call from Jung Moo-hyuk.

'What's going on?'

If he had asked me to appear on again, he probably wouldn't have contacted me.

After thinking about various possibilities, I read Jung Moo-hyuk's message.

The content written in it was something completely new, completely different from what I had expected.

'...This is a chance to pitch a professional baseball game.'

I read Jung Moo-hyuk's message a couple more times with a very interested look on my face.

Among the people I know, there is a player who plays for a professional baseball team called Dosan Bricks, and I have thrown the first pitch twice. This time, the Dosan Bricks PR team is looking for an idol pitcher.

So I am thinking about recommending you there. If you are interested in throwing the first pitch, please let me know.

And if you are a fan of another team besides Dosan Bricks, please tell me which team it is. I will contact that team as well.

I don't know how well Jeong Moo-hyuk has connections in the sports world, but it seems to be quite extensive.

I thought about combining the two words, idol and pitching.

'...... I have occasionally seen events where idols go to baseball stadiums and throw the first pitch on SNS.'

What I need to check here is the topicality.

Is there enough benefit for me and our team if I throw the first pitch?

I went straight to YouTube and looked for a few videos of idols throwing the first pitch.

Some people step on the pitcher's plate and throw really well, some people hit the ground, and some almost hit their teammates who were pitching.

Since each idol has different athletic ability, there seem to be a lot of different pitches.......

Looking at the videos with high views, it seems that those who show off visuals that look great in baseball uniforms or those who throw the ball really fast get a lot of traffic.

That means it's a great opportunity for me.

I left a message to Jung Moo-hyuk thanking him for contacting me and asking the members.

Since I can't be the only one pitching, I need a member to pitch with me.

Of course, there has to be at least one person among the six who likes baseball, which is a popular sport in Korea.

As expected.

"Me! Hey, did you know that my family is a die-hard Dosan fan!"

"I'm sorry, but I had no idea."

As soon as he heard my story, Kang Si-yoon got up from the sofa and got really excited.

Kang Si-yoon said he had something to show and looked through his gallery.

"Look, it's a picture of me when I was a baby."

On the phone screen, Kang Si-yoon was seen as a child, smiling brightly and touching his baseball cap.

Judging from the white and navy baseball uniform he was wearing, it seemed like he really liked Do-san since he was little.

"You can show these things on the data screen when you hit the first pitch. Been a fan since young."

"Hmm, hmm. And I brought Karis here to sell."

"Is that how the story goes......."

"The story is important no matter what."

Kang Si-yoon wiggled his finger at me.

"Wouldn't it be much better to say 'I became a Dosan fan because of my friend!' than 'I got recruited by the team!'?"

"Hmm. That makes sense."

"Right?"

"You are so quick-witted for some reason-."

"What, bro? This won't work. Come here."

While Kang Si-yoon ran to grab my arms, Yoo Min-ha let out a deep sigh.

"Ha....... I can go throw the first pitch at a basketball game someday, right?"

"Should I ask Jung Moo-hyuk later, Min-ha? Does he had any connections in basketball?"

"That would be really great! I'm worried I'm bothering you too much."

"If you think so, so! Just come back to and make a good episode!"

"That sounds good!"

I put Kang Si-yoon in a headlock and subdued him while answering Yoo Min-ha's question.

Kang Si-yoon, who was completely under me, declared his surrender by hitting the floor.

"Surrender! Surrender! I was wrong!"

"You won't mess with me again?"

"I won't! Never!"

"Hmm, then I'll let you off the hook."

"Thank you!"

As I let Kang Si-yoon go, Chae Eun-gyu, who was watching the two of us, burst out laughing.

"It was Karis who provoked you first, so why is Si-yoon asking for mercy?"

"No, that's right! I told you that guy is a total tyrant."

"Oh. Am I going to show you what a tyrant really is?"

I sent a message to Jung Moo-hyuk that Kang Si-yoon and I wanted to do a first pitch and first hit.

I also told manager Hyung, so that Sigma Entertainment and Dosan Bricks could coordinate schedules.

"You're not going to do variety shows, you're going to do documentaries, right?"

"Hmm?"

"You're not going to throw the ball funny, are you going to throw it well?"

"You're asking the obvious, Si-yoon."

"Then shouldn't we practice beforehand?"

Kang Si-yoon and I returned to our room and had a short conversation about preparing for the first pitch.

According to Kang Si-yoon, usually before the game starts, a professional player teaches the pitcher how to throw the ball.

However, since there's not enough time to learn all the tips, we decided that it would be better for us to practice beforehand.

"Then we can find a place to practice separately."

"I'm just asking in case."

"What is it?"

I looked at Kang Si-yoon's serious face.

His eyes were so serious that I wondered if he was talking about something important.

"You shouldn't hit people with a baseball? That's a hardball, and it really hurts."

"Are you saying that because you think I might hit you?"

"You definitely can do it."

"...... I didn't think so until just now, but now that I hear you say it, I feel motivated."

"No! No! I'm sorry! I was wrong!"

"It's already too late."

"Yaaaah!"

***

Our first pitch date was set for August 10th, which was earlier than expected.

Since we don't have any other schedules for the time being other than preparing for our first regular album, which is targeted for early September, we were able to focus on baseball practice until then.

My natural physique helped me learn all sports quickly.

Jung Moo-hyuk, who came to watch the practice, stuck out his tongue at the sight of my fastball hitting with more power than he could have imagined.

"Karis, when I start a social baseball team later, you have to come no matter what. Okay? You're definitely a good candidate to be a starting pitcher."

"Haha..... not that much."

"How fast is the speed right now?"

"The ball just went about 100km/h."

"1, 100km/h?"

That's it. I also naturally developed connections in the sports world.

Former player Heo Seong-min, who taught me various skills in preparation for the basketball game last time, introduced me to his friend Yoo Jong-wook, a former professional baseball player and current coach of the C High School baseball team.

Thanks to him, I was able to receive help with basic pitching mechanisms and specialized equipment such as a speed gun.

'It feels like the scale has gotten a bit bigger for just throwing one pitch.'

Still, it is the perfect environment for my desire to perfectly throw my first pitch in life, with all Seleves and baseball fans watching.

Jeong Moo-hyuk was shocked to hear that my pitch exceeded 100 km/h.

"Isn't this really incredible talent?"

"If I throw hard, I'll get the speed, but the control is a little shaky."

"Hey, you're just starting out, but if you can control your pitches with this speed, you should be a real player. Not an idol."

Well, I've heard that a lot recently.

I've seen a lot of similar comments since the Crown Prince's fraudulent physique was unsealed during .

I smiled awkwardly and waved my hand at Jung Moo-hyuk.

"You're overpraising me, senior."

"Hey, I practiced really hard and barely managed to go over 100 km/h...... How many days did you practice?"

"It's been about 6 days now."

"This..."

Somehow, the more we talked, the more I felt like I was giving Jung Moo-hyuk a sense of relative deprivation.

I quickly changed the subject.

"Thank you so much for helping me have such a great experience, senior."

"No, you should live by helping your juniors like this, that's how you're a good senior. I bought tickets to the baseball stadium for the day you throw the first pitch, so let's meet then."

"Yes, go in safely."

You're coming to see my first pitch in person.

Let's see. Our members said they'd come that day, so only a few celebrities will be coming to Jamsil Stadium that day.

I laughed a little at the fact that I unintentionally received so much attention.

'I don't feel bad.'

After Jung Moo-hyeok left, I followed Yoo Jong-wook's instructions and increased the intensity of my practice.

"That's right, in the windup position, put your feet as far forward as possible. That's right, that's right."

Yoo Dong-wook, who had been carefully checking my pitching form, nodded with satisfaction.

"You can pull the ball forward much more because your legs are so long. Then you can increase your speed even more."

"At the same time, I have to control the pitch......."

"You just have to practice maintaining the arm angle. Okay, let's go again."

That's how my practice continued.

Just like when I was engrossed in basketball practice, I felt my mind clear and my concentration increased as I moved my body while concentrating on something.

I smiled while sweating profusely.

'Wait, mound.'

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