The Genius Hitter Who Conquered America - Chapter 27

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 27
Final score: 4-12.
It was an overwhelming victory for the Quakes.
As the final out was called, Quakes players poured onto the Ground, exchanging high-fives.
Soo-ho also shook hands with the opposing team’s players before heading toward the Quakes Dugout.
In that moment, his teammates rushed toward him as if they’d planned it.
The large Third Baseman approached first and asked.
“Hey, number 79! What was your name again? Soo, Soo…?”
“Soo-ho. Oh Soo-ho.”
“Yeah. Soo-ho, you were absolutely insane today.”
Then someone else playfully slapped Soo-ho’s back.
“Your exit velocity was insane! We thought your hit would rip our gloves apart!”
“You look so frail, but where does all this power come from? What exactly do you eat? You’re not taking anything illegal, are you?”
Everyone’s attention poured down on him.
Among them, his roommate Casey also tossed out a comment as he passed by Soo-ho.
“You weren’t bad today. Especially that timing you stole from the pitcher in the third inning—that was clever.”
Perhaps sensing the other players’ enthusiasm, Mark came rushing over as if to monopolize Soo-ho, embracing him like a bear.
“Wow. What are you?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re completely different!”
“Ah… I guess I improved. I was just lucky.”
Soo-ho attributed it to luck.
In fact, that’s what I genuinely believed.
If I hadn’t met Alex, a performance like today would have been nothing but a dream.
Then Manager Taylor gestured toward Soo-ho.
“Come here for a moment.”
Soo-ho escaped Mark’s embrace and stood before the Manager.
“You called for me?”
“Yes. You played well today.”
Taylor was sincere.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that today’s victory came from Soo-ho’s hands.
My chest swelled with emotion.
I couldn’t even remember how long it had been since I’d heard praise from someone in the organization.
“Go wash up quickly. There’s someone waiting for you.”
“Someone waiting for me?”
Taylor jerked his chin toward the Outfield stands.
My gaze turned toward Alex in the Stands.
‘Ah. He’s still watching the game.’
Soo-ho bowed respectfully to Manager Taylor.
Soo-ho bowed toward Taylor.
“Thank you for the accommodation.”
With that, he left the office.
A smile bloomed at the corners of Manager Taylor’s mouth.
‘Look at that kid. Exactly. A rare type these days.’
That respectful bow just now felt unusual even to Taylor.
Which of these kids nowadays spoke to their manager like that? Carried themselves with such an attitude?
Most of them just said what they wanted and turned away without a care in the world.
‘It’s too easy to dismiss this as Asian culture, but that’s genuine humility ingrained in his bones.’
The kind that knows how to respect elders.
An old virtue that had nearly vanished in this age.
Taylor found himself chuckling without realizing it.
He couldn’t help it.
Setting aside his undeniable talent, how could he not find such a diligent and courteous kid endearing?
* * *
Soo-ho gathered his belongings from the Locker Room and headed straight to the Parking Lot.
Alex stood beside a black sedan with his arms crossed.
Soo-ho hurried over and bowed respectfully at the waist.
Alex shook his head at the sight.
“Skip the formalities.”
Soo-ho was clearly offering him a bow of gratitude.
But Alex didn’t yet believe he’d done anything worthy of thanks.
Perhaps from Soo-ho’s perspective it made sense, but not from Alex’s—an authority on mechanics himself.
‘Gratitude is what I deserve after I’ve personally rebuilt you from start to finish flawlessly. Handing you an axe and offering some coaching doesn’t warrant a bow.’
He was a man of both pride and self-respect.
Still, he didn’t resort to dishonesty despite his American directness.
“You did well today, anyway. You know that, right?”
“I did my best.”
“Not your best. I asked if you did well.”
Alex added with exasperation.
“You of all people should know you can’t survive in this world on effort alone, right?”
Soo-ho nodded quietly.
“You’re right.”
Alex clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘Geez. He’s really something else.’
Honestly, there was something a bit frustrating about it.
Because most American guys in his position would be quick to boast—’Of course! Did you see?’
Teaching an Asian who believed humility was a virtue was a first for Alex.
‘This is hard to get used to.’
And truthfully, the most important thing lay elsewhere.
Humility was naturally good to have.
But now that he’d said it, I couldn’t deliver the sharp rebuke I’d prepared.
I’d meant to remind him once more not to be arrogant.
Since there was no need for that anymore, I changed my approach.
“Anyway… honestly, if your swing was worth twenty points before, I can guarantee it’s worth thirty today. But you’re not planning to stop at thirty, are you?”
I didn’t mention it directly, but the implication was clear—shouldn’t you move to the next level?
Soo-ho shook his head firmly.
“I appreciate that, but… I don’t want to rush.”
“Why?”
“I want to make what I learned today completely my own before moving to the next stage.”
I was momentarily at a loss for words.
‘…What?’
It might sound old-fashioned, but that’s how the times are.
Most prospects barely master one technique before they’re itching to jump to the next level.
Because there’s no time.
All they think about is stepping onto the Major League field one day sooner.
In a world where every single day is competition.
Waste one day, and you fall behind.
Especially with hitting—mastering one mechanism doesn’t mean you’re done.
Stance, swing form, launch angle, pitch recognition, timing, balance, bat control, weight transfer.
When you break it down, there are dozens of crucial elements that make up a swing.
‘And the mechanism Soo-ho learned is the ultimate itself, so it requires even more work.’
Above all, since he can’t use a single element from his previous approach, it will inevitably take more time to become complete.
‘But this guy isn’t rushing at all—he’s the complete opposite?’
He was refusing to advance until he could execute one thing perfectly, even with his eyes closed.
‘This is actually the right way… but isn’t he in a hurry?’
Suddenly, all the pieces clicked into place in my mind.
‘Ah… this kid failed once before.’
So this was a resolve carved into his bones—never to experience that failure again.
It was the wisdom of someone who’d already felt firsthand how utterly a castle built on shaky foundations crumbles.
His poison had become his medicine. Perfectly so.
‘Poison becoming medicine. That’s exactly what this is.’
I couldn’t help but let out a short laugh.
I really liked this kid.
‘And honestly, even without doing anything more right now, he’d probably sweep through Low-A.’
Didn’t he prove that in today’s game?
Of course, this is the professional stage, and the opposition will come with countermeasures.
‘This guy’s baseball sense is really exceptional. Even if he hits a wall, he’ll find a way through.’
So right now, rather than continuing to teach him,
it might be better in every way to let him enjoy it a bit.
“Well. If that’s what you want, then that’s how it’ll be. I’ll show up again when the time comes, so keep doing well until then.”
Alex left those words behind, climbed into his car, and drove off in a hurry.
Left alone, I was bewildered.
I reached out toward the receding car, but it was futile.
“Wait, just a moment! I… thank you.”
I hadn’t even properly expressed my gratitude.
But soon I clenched my fists tightly.
My professional baseball career in the United States.
The start had been excellent.
* * *
When I returned to the dormitory, I found Mark sprawled across the living room sofa.
“Mark. Should we eat Korean BBQ tonight?”
It was only natural that I craved Korean food, being Korean.
“What? Korean BBQ? Are you paying?”
“Of course.”
I was in an exceptionally good mood today.
After wandering so long.
Especially since I’d finally found my batting feel, the one that had even led to a home run.
It was only natural that I wanted to treat everyone—that’s human nature.
Korean BBQ in the United States was expensive, but with my spirits soaring this high, it was absolutely worth the expense.
At those words, Mark sprang to his feet.
His fatigue seemed to have vanished to the far reaches of space.
“You bastard! You’re in an amazing mood today! Okay! We absolutely have to go!”
Mark seemed to understand my mood as well.
In moments like this, attending was simply what a friend should do.
I chuckled and gestured with my chin toward the staircase leading to the second floor.
“We have one more person in our house. Should we invite him along?”
In an instant, Mark’s face darkened.
“Who? Casey? Ugh… I feel like I’d get indigestion eating with him.”
I wanted my other roommate, Casey, to come along too.
Even if he did have a somewhat aloof personality.
‘He’s genuinely exceptional at baseball.’
Today, Alex had shown me direction.
But in today’s game, Casey already seemed to stand at the end of that path.
The way that genius casually swung the bat.
His timing in selecting pitches—each of these could teach me more than any textbook ever could.
‘If I get closer to him, I could learn so much more.’
Moreover, he’d given me praise today, however taciturn, for my performance.
Mark sighed and then shook his head repeatedly.
His expression was somewhat reluctant, but he seemed to have resigned himself to it.
“Fine. I’ll go ask him.”
Mark grumbled as he climbed to the second floor.
Knock, knock.
The sound of him rapping loudly on Casey’s door echoed through the space.
Moments later, Mark descended the stairs with heavy, agitated steps.
His face was flushed crimson with frustration.
“Damn it! He won’t go!”
“Why?”
“I don’t know! He just won’t go! Says he won’t go with me. What the hell? He’s completely disrespecting us, isn’t he?”
Soo-ho stared at Casey’s open door.
Rock music was still leaking out from within.
‘Should I close the door for him?’
Since they were going out anyway, Soo-ho headed upstairs to close the door, only to collide head-on with Casey, who was just closing it.
His languid blue eyes, framed by the headphones draped around his neck, fixed on Soo-ho.
“What?”
His tone was as abrasive as Mark had described.
But Soo-ho paid no mind and asked anyway.
“We’re going out for dinner. Korean BBQ—it’s delicious. Want to come?”
He’d already come up to close the door anyway; asking once more wouldn’t change anything.
But what was this?
Casey looked Soo-ho up and down, then blurted out.
“Fine.”
“Huh? You’re coming?”
Didn’t he just say he wouldn’t go?
“Yeah. I’m coming.”
Whether the answer carried down to the first floor or not, Mark came bounding up the stairs in a frenzy.
“Hey! You bastard! You just told me you wouldn’t go! Why are you making me out to be a liar?!”
Casey glanced at Mark with indifference and answered flatly.
“Yeah. I said I wouldn’t go with you.”
“But why are you suddenly changing your mind?”
“Because he asked.”
“What kind of ridiculous nonsense is that?!”
Mark was momentarily speechless.
But then a hollow laugh escaped him as he pointed back and forth between himself and Soo-ho.
“Don’t tell me… I’m treated like garbage while Soo-ho gets the royal treatment?”
No answer came.
But that silence was a more powerful affirmation than any words could be.
Mark finally exploded.
“You bastard! I hit a home run today! I’m not garbage!”
Of course, the three roommates’ performances today had been starkly different.
Four at-bats, four hits, three home runs, five RBIs.
Casey Meyer dominated the game with an overwhelming performance today.
And I went 4-for-4 with 3 hits, 1 RBI, and 3 runs scored.
I opened every scoring avenue for the team and completely controlled the game.
So 4-for-4 with 1 hit, 1 home run, and 2 RBIs.
Mark’s stats weren’t bad at all.
In fact, they were quite good, but compared to the two of us, they were undeniably ordinary.
I hastily opened my mouth to break through this atmosphere.
“Ha ha. Anyway, let’s go eat.”
Somehow, the three of us headed to a Korean BBQ Restaurant nearby.
Even after ordering food, Mark continued to grumble.
“Because of this guy, what should be a joyful occasion is….”
Casey didn’t bat an eye at the complaint and simply watched the meat cook.
“I’ve never seen this before. Is this Korean food?”
“Korean BBQ. It was written right there on the sign when we came in!”
Despite Mark’s outburst, Casey turned a deaf ear.
So instead, I spoke once more.
“Yeah. It’s Korean food.”
“I see. It looks delicious.”
Seeing the veins bulge on Mark’s forehead, I calmed him down.
“M… Let’s just enjoy the meal.”
As the meat finished cooking, Casey asked.
“How do you eat this?”
I demonstrated various ways to eat Korean BBQ.
Sometimes eating it plain, sometimes dipping it in salt, sometimes wrapping it in lettuce.
Mark ate skillfully in his own way.
Casey followed the way I ate.
It was certainly a quiet meal.
But each of their inner thoughts burned like an active volcano.
First, Casey.
‘I must have misjudged him.’
Originally, my eyes had never been wrong since childhood.
At least not when it came to baseball.
Those who looked incompetent truly were incompetent.
Those who looked skilled truly were skilled.
But today, my judgment was wrong for the first time.
I thought Soo-ho played really well today.
He led the team to victory single-handedly.
The method was different, but ultimately the result was the same as what I do.
So I became curious about what made Soo-ho different from the other guys.
On the other hand, Mark felt something quite different.
‘I, I shouldn’t be treated like this….’
My career, even if I bring it up now, is worthless.
I won the MVP at the highest amateur tournament.
Yet I’m being benched….
Of course, there were reasons for it.
‘Casey. I hate to admit it, but this guy is a true genius.’
And Soo-ho was growing day by day in ways I could see with my own eyes yet still couldn’t believe.
As if only I was stagnating, Mark ground his teeth.
‘I can’t accept this. At least I need to stand shoulder to shoulder with these two.’
Mark could feel it.
These two would climb even higher.
And if I could stand alongside them.
I believed I could also rise to greater heights.
And finally, Soo-ho was simply enjoying himself.
Having dinner with friends who played baseball well.
It was different from the past when I always ate alone.
‘Of course, it would be nice to talk about baseball at a time like this….’
Actually, the original plan was for that.
But given the atmosphere, today didn’t seem to be that day.
Casey was completely ignoring Mark.
Still, well.
‘Next time I’ll do well and create another opportunity like this. Then I’ll bring up baseball. Well.’
Soo-ho reflected on the long day.
‘When I think about it, I’ve received quite a bit of recognition from these geniuses.’
Alex too.
And Casey next to me.
‘People’s hearts are truly like that.’
Once I received recognition, I wanted to keep receiving it.
And not just from these two, but from even higher.
Someday I’ll earn it from the Dodgers Organization.
Soo-ho made promise after promise to himself.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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