I left the locker room. As I walked down the passage, I saw the entrance flooded with light.
“Whew.”
I drew in a small breath, and Ryu Jaeyul, standing beside me, tapped my shoulder.
“Don’t be nervous.”
“I’m not nervous. I’m just excited.”
This was the place I had longed for so badly. The stadium I had only ever watched from afar—now I could set foot on that ground as a player.
“Let’s go.”
I strode toward the entrance with purpose.
Waaaaaah—!!!!
A tremendous roar of cheers erupted. Voices calling out the players’ names and cheering signs waved chaotically.
It felt like my breath had stopped. It didn’t feel real. The scene before my eyes was like a dream.
Tens of thousands of people were shouting toward the field. At the same time, a grand cheering song thundered through the stadium.
As I walked out in a daze, a camera followed along.
The camera, which had been capturing each player one by one, eventually caught me.
Ah. I should’ve told Mom and Dad to watch.
I wanted to show this to my parents first, after they had suffered through just as much heartache as I had. Even if I wasn’t playing in the game, I thought that if they could at least see me in the bullpen, maybe all the worry they’d endured until now would ease a little.
“Whew.”
My chest grew hot, and the corners of my eyes stung.
“Ryu Jaeyul.”
Ryu Jaeyul turned his head and looked at me.
“I think I’m gonna cry.”
“…You really are something else.”
With a look of disgust, Ryu Jaeyul lightly punched my shoulder.
“Enjoy it.”
“…How am I supposed to enjoy it? All these people came to see us.”
At my words, Ryu Jaeyul replied with a dry expression.
“Say that again. Not us—our team. And there are away fans too, so to be precise, about two-thirds are cheering for our team. Besides, among the fans, there probably isn’t anyone who knows you yet.”
Even at a time like this, Ryu Jaeyul was like a robot.
“…Seriously, are you a T? You have no emotions.”
“Just stand there.”
Dragged along by Ryu Jaeyul, I took my place.
A spot facing the spectators head-on. Among the ER Hawks players lined up in a row, there I was.
The moment I saw the cheering crowd, my heart, which had already been acting up, began pounding even harder.
“…Ryu Jaeyul.”
“Yeah.”
“Have you gotten used to this?”
Ryu Jaeyul kept his gaze fixed straight ahead as he answered.
“The crowd?”
“Yeah.”
“No. I’m still nervous as hell right now.”
The overwhelming feeling was the same for both of us. And probably for the players standing here with us, too.
“This must be why people go pro.”
I had never experienced this even once. The most I’d ever had at a game were parents, acquaintances, and scouts.
“I’m staying in pro baseball until I die.”
Playing as a player, then later as a coach, and then as a manager. If I could play the baseball I loved in a stadium while hearing these cheers—
Wouldn’t that be the very definition of success in life as a baseball player?
My excitement had gone far past its limit. I couldn’t remember what state of mind I’d been in during the national ceremony or the greetings.
When I came to my senses, I was sitting on the bench beside Ryu Jaeyul. Since it was my first time in a professional dugout, I found myself glancing around for no reason.
At the entrance of the dugout, Manager Yun Seonggeun sat staring out at the field. Beside him, Coach An Chunghui was waiting.
Unlike usual, neither of them had even the slightest hint of a smile on their faces. Manager Yun Seonggeun, in particular, looked exactly like the intimidating figure I had seen on TV.
“Ah, it’s starting.”