Thursday, 3:40pm {The First Game}

“Damn, can you believe that it’s only our first game, and we’re against them?” Chaeyoung frowned as she looked across the field and at the opposing team. Dahyun followed her line of sight at the team they would be competing with in twenty minutes. They were among the best teams in the league; furthermore, their jerseys were nearly all black, thus making them appear more intimidating.

“Black jerseys look so cool and badass,” Chaeyoung added.

Dahyun scoffed as she directed her attention back down to fastening her shoes, “Wear your white and red with pride.”

Chaeyoung sighed, “You’re confident we’ll beat them?”

“I am,” she said as she stood.

Chaeyoung gaped at the person who stood before her. She seemed taller than she last remembered. “That confident look suits you.”

At that comment, Dahyun’s face immediately flushed red. Chaeyoung chuckled at how Dahyun’s confident stature had broken down so quickly. Perhaps she had judged her prematurely.

“I-I’m just trying to keep myself together, you know, before I confess,” Dahyun mumbled.

“Or maybe you are more confident in yourself,” Chaeyoung said with a smile, “You are amazing, as I said.”

Dahyun returned the smile with one so sweet. “Bro,” she said as she opened her arms.

“Bro,” Chaeyoung responded as she stood and jumped into Dahyun’s arms.

As they “bro-hugged”, Jihyo entered the dugout. She chuckled to herself at the sight, causing the two to immediately pull away from each other.

“Dahyun-ah, please pick one girl,” Jihyo joked.

Dahyun blushed yet again, more intensely this time. “C-Coach!” Dahyun blurted out in embarrassment.

“Anyway, you two ready to win this?” Jihyo asked.

Dahyun—through her blush—and Chaeyoung nodded. “We won’t let you down, coach!” Chaeyoung exclaimed.

“Okay well, wait here while I gather all the players. I got two people ready to give you guys a pep-talk,” Jihyo said as she turned to exit the dugout.

Moments later, players flooded into the dugout, sitting shoulder to shoulder on the bench. Momo came in last, squeezing herself on the other side of Dahyun. As they sat restlessly, Jihyo entered the dugout, followed by Sana and a girl with a face so familiar. Upon seeing her, more than half the players stood in excitement. Dahyun and Chaeyoung were among the players who stood.

“Please, introduce yourself to the new players,” Jihyo instructed to her.

“Hello, I’m Yoo Jeongyeon. I was the manager of this team for the last two seasons,” Jeongyeon said as she bowed.

“Ya, Jeongyeon-unnie, I’ve missed you so much,” Chaeyoung said, tears forming in her eyes.

Jeongyeon smiled back at her before directing her attention to the rest of the players. She cleared , signaling the standing players to seat themselves. “So, it looks like you guys have been treated well in my absence. All thanks to Sana-ssi. I’m here at your first game to show you guys that I still support this team. Although I was not here during the whole duration of your training, know that a part of me will always remain a part of this team. Also, although I was not here, I can tell you guys have grown a lot more in this one season than in the time that I have spent with you guys. And you have Sana-ssi to thank for that. Please, remember to thank her for all her work. And with that, if you could direct your attention to her.”

Sana bowed to Jeongyeon, “Thank you.” She then turned to face the players, a serious look on her face. “Okay, ladies. The first game is upon us. Don’t be intimidated by them. Don’t compare yourself to them. Think only about yourself and your own performance. Remember what I taught each and every one of you. Have a reason to play. That’s all you need to win. A skilled team is no match for a united team filled with players who have that purpose. I’m so glad I got to have the opportunity to work with you guys. Do well!”

The players clapped in unison, encouraged by her words. Jihyo then clapped loudly, once. “Now, I may be your coach, but I really don’t have any pep-talk to give. I don’t think it’s necessary since I know you always excel in everything you do. So really, just work hard and do your best.”

The players, now motivated for the game, stood and clapped. Momo herself was nearly brought to tears. As the players scattered, Dahyun and Chaeyoung approached Jeongyeon, who was surrounded by a small crowd of players already. Sana, in the meantime, had only a few players surrounding her, all praising her words and thanking her for the past season. It was only a good opportunity for Dahyun to finally speak to Sana; maybe not confess, but at least talk. Dahyun gulped before adopting that confident façade she had earlier and then walking towards Sana.

“Sana, nice pep-talk you gave,” Dahyun said as soon as she stood before her.

At first, Sana seemed surprised by Dahyun’s presence. Then she smiled at her, a sight Dahyun had felt she had been deprived of for the past few days. “Thank you, I’ve never been good at pep-talks.”

“I think you really hyped everyone up for the game,” Dahyun said.

“Ah, good~,” Sana said, relieved.

“Also, thank you for managing this team for this season. You’ve done a good job,” Dahyun said whilst bowing.

Sana’s cheeks became lightly tinted pink. “No need to bow!” she exclaimed while waving her hands frantically in front of her face, “It was my pleasure!”

Dahyun stood straight from her bow and then nodded slightly, all with a large smile on her face. As Dahyun turned to approach Jeongyeon, Sana reached out and wrapped her fingers around her wrist. Dahyun felt the contact send goosebumps over the surface of her body, but she tried not to react dramatically. There was that touch again; soft, yet full of desire. Dahyun turned to see Sana with her lips curved up into a shy smile.

“Dahyun-ah, do well,” Sana said, her voice timid.

Dahyun nodded, “I won’t disappoint you, Sana-chan.”

The response was a bold one (or more specifically, how she ended that response was bold), and Dahyun found it hard to hold back the blush that attempted to creep to her cheeks. She quickly turned away and tried to take her attention off Sana and onto Jeongyeon. Sana, in the meantime, gaped at the response. Her name with that added term of endearment sounded so sweet on Dahyun’s lips. If only Dahyun would stop playing with her feelings.

“Jeongyeon-unnie!” Dahyun called. She immediately threw her arms around Jeongyeon, and the former manager only responded by trying to push her away. “I’ve missed you!” Dahyun exclaimed while trying to keep Jeongyeon within her embrace.

“Ya! Dahyun-ah! Get off!” Jeongyeon cried while trying to push Dahyun off. Dahyun reluctantly did, showing Jeongyeon her puppy eyes while pouting.

“Stop with the pouting,” Jeongyeon said as she lightly flicked Dahyun’s forehead. Dahyun yelped at the action and then went to rub her forehead with the back of her hand. “Ah, really. You guys are still the children that I raised myself,” Jeongyeon said, not able to resist hugging the smaller girl. Dahyun responded by wrapping her arms around Jeongyeon’s waist, pulling her into a large hug.

“Of course, Jeongyeon-unnie!” Dahyun responded into Jeongyeon’s shirt.

As Jeongyeon released herself from the hug, she placed her hands on either of Dahyun’s shoulders. “Don’t disappoint me, Dahyun-ah.”

Dahyun raised her hand to her forehead and saluted the taller girl. “I never have and I never will!”

“Good to hear,” Jeongyeon said, patting her head, “Now get up on that field and get ready to kick some !”

Dahyun, encouraged by the words of not only her former manager but also of her current manager, skipped giddily out of the dugout. Chaeyoung stood just outside, facing the opposing team, a worried look on her face. They were to pitch first, which meant Chaeyoung was to be depended on for a good start, as she was the pitcher. She glanced nervously at Dahyun, who pat her back softly.

“You got this, Chae,” she said with an encouraging smile, “Mina-unnie may not be in the audience, but she’s always supporting you nonetheless. Think of her as you play.”

Chaeyoung returned the smile, some of the worry lifting from her heart. “Thanks, Dahyun-unnie. Thank you for reminding me.”

With that, Chaeyoung walked forward. She walked towards the pitcher’s mound with an unexpected confidence. Her upright stature, even despite being a short player, was enough to make some players on the other team shiver with fear.

As Dahyun was about to take her spot at third base, a hand shyly tapped her shoulder. When she turned, Momo stood beside her, a surprisingly big smile on her face.

“You’re not nervous?” Dahyun asked, “This is like your first game ever.”

Momo shook her head, “If there’s one thing you and Sana taught me, it’s to always approach things with confidence.”

“I taught you that?” Dahyun asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I’ve always admired how you’re always so confident in your skills as a baseball player. You’re just a really confident person,” Momo said, ironically.

But Dahyun simply smiled, her hand reaching out to touch Momo’s cheek. “I really appreciate you, you know that?”

“Don’t have to tell me twice!” Momo exclaimed as she her heel and jogged towards her place in outfield.

Dahyun smiled. The setting was perfect for a good game, with how everyone seemed to be in a positive mood despite the circumstances. Dahyun approached her spot at third base and began a series of short stretches in order to get her body as ready for the game as possible. She began to focus her mind on the game that would commence, but she found herself also thinking about Sana’s perplexing words. She remembered the day that Sana had told her of the strongest weapon any player could use on the field. That was the day Dahyun had begun to notice Sana for someone more than wild and flirty. That was the day Dahyun had began to actually learn who Sana truly was. The words that left seemed so wise and philosophical, but when summed up to one word, it was simply: Reason.

Have that reason always in the back of your mind as you play.

Still, Dahyun wasn’t so sure what her reason to play baseball and win was. However, she could feel herself approaching this game differently than she had approached games before. It had nothing to do with what her mind thought, but instead how her heart felt. Her heart burned with the same intensity as the fire in Dahyun’s eyes. The new sensation that sparked in Dahyun’s heart made her feel more connected to the game that hadn’t even started yet. A truly good setting for a baseball game indeed.

Top of First Inning

As the game began, hearts began racing within each and every one of the players’ hearts. Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Momo couldn’t resist when their hearts began racing, but despite this, wouldn’t allow the confidence they had built up before the game to leave their hearts and minds.

Chaeyoung exhaled deeply through her lips, her eyes closed in focus. Behind closed eyelids, she saw Mina. It was weird how someone could pop up in your mind despite the tense atmosphere. But it wasn’t like Mina was going anywhere; not this time. Chaeyoung’s eyes then shot open, and the player opposite of her found herself shivering at the suddenly intense gaze she was met with. Taking advantage of the opposing player’s reaction, Chaeyoung swung her arm—without taking the time to prep. It was a quick motion, too quick for the opposing player to react appropriately. She swung the bat hastily at the ball, although it never came close to the flying ball.

“Strike one!”

The catcher tossed the ball back in Chaeyoung’s direction. So her weakness was the inability to properly respond in the case of fear, Chaeyoung thought.

With each batter that came up, Chaeyoung did the same thing. She would send a glare at her direction and then carefully analyze the reaction of the batter. If they were scared, she took advantage of this by releasing the ball from her hand as quickly as possible (meaning, nearly no prep) in order to further startle the player. If they weren’t fazed by the glare at all, Chaeyoung would take it more slowly. She took more time to prep, lifting her leg high and then comfortably lunging forward. This allowed her to throw faster and more accurate balls, thus alarming the batter in a different way.

The opposing team was able to snag one point before having to swap places.

Bottom of First Inning

Dahyun was the first to bat, although she had tried to convince Jihyo to make her go at least second. The stellar baseball player preferred to have been able to analyze the pitcher before batting. Not knowing how she tended to throw the ball made things that much harder. Despite this, Dahyun took the plate with that confidence she started out the game with.

She stared down the pitcher as she swung the bat over her shoulder. Dahyun kept her eye on each movement the pitcher made, from where her eyes looked to how she prepped to pitch. However, when the ball suddenly left her hand, Dahyun found herself astounded. The ball shot out of her hand like a cannon ball, with so much speed and force. Dahyun’s arms twitched as she nearly attempted to strike the ball, but the bat never left past her back shoulder.

“Strike one!”

A single sweat ran down from Dahyun’s hairline to her eyelash. She wiped the sweat to clear her vision.

The players who were next to bat quickly lost their confidence as soon as they saw that Dahyun, their ace player, had missed the first ball.

The catcher tossed the ball back to the pitcher. At least she knew now how the pitcher threw. She would take her time to prep, lifting her front leg oddly high. But when she went to throw the ball, it was a sudden motion. It was as if she threw the ball in the middle of prepping. The way her front foot stomped on the ground lightly as she lunged forward and threw the ball with such force was definitely intimidating. At first. Dahyun wasn’t about to let her play that dirty trick again.

Before the pitcher began to prep, Dahyun took a glance at where Jihyo, Sana, and Jeongyeon stood. Sana had a worried look on her face; her eyebrows curved upwards at the middle of her face, and her lips displayed a frown. She was more worried about Dahyun’s performance rather than how the team was faring now that Dahyun’s miss had sent a ripple of fear among them.

Ah, but Dahyun had told her before the game that she wouldn’t disappoint her.

Dahyun directed her attention back to the pitcher. She threw the ball in the same exact manner, and Dahyun was able to strike it this time. The ball flew past third base and into the outfield. Dahyun made it to second base before the play ended.

However, due to the fear now present in their team’s minds, they weren’t able to get a point before the second inning. It was so bad that the next three players after Dahyun were struck out.

End of First Inning: 0-1

Second-Fifth Innings

It continued like this until the fifth inning. Their opponent took a point at the top of each inning while they weren’t able to score even once during their turn to bat.

End of Fifth Inning: 0-5

Top of Sixth Inning

This caused them to be frustrated, thus further clouding each player’s judgment as they went into the sixth inning. It became harder to focus as frustration took over their minds. Therefore, Sana’s speech about having a reason became more and more irrelevant as time passed. Chaeyoung took it the worst. She began to blame herself for the way this game was panning out. Dahyun tried her best to reassure Chaeyoung that that was not the case, but the pitcher refused to listen to her. She took the pitcher’s mound with a mindset different from when she first took it at the start of the game. There was frustration, something a player should not feel during a game.

As a result of this frustration, Chaeyoung’s pitching became more sloppy. Due to the inaccuracy that was now present in her pitching, Chaeyoung allowed two batters to walk. The next batter was the pitcher herself. She approached the home plate with an arrogant smile on her face, seemingly annoying Chaeyoung. And so, Chaeyoung threw the easiest ball towards the batter. Of course, she hit it, and it was enough to send the players at the first and second bases home. Chaeyoung cursed herself silently, her anger obvious to her fellow teammates. She managed, still, to end the top of the inning without the opposing team taking any more points.

As she approached the dugout, she grabbed her cap and flicked it to the ground in anger. Dahyun jogged to her, putting her arm around Chaeyoung to pull her into a comforting embrace. The frustrated pitcher attempted to pull away, but was unable to with the strength Dahyun used to hold her. So instead, she stood still, hiding her face in Dahyun’s shoulder.

“Chae, this is gonna seem hard, but I’m gonna ask you to do something for me,” Dahyun whispered.

Chaeyoung shook her head, “Don’t you dare ask me to do that.”

“Chae... I want you to bat after me.”

At that, Chaeyoung pushed Dahyun off of her. She stared at her with eyes that displayed both shock and fear. “Why the hell would I agree to something like that?!”

Dahyun placed her hands on Chaeyoung’s shoulders, and she responded by quickly swatting her hands away. She refused to listen to what more Dahyun had to say and turned to enter the dugout. “Ch-Chae,” Dahyun called, following her into the dugout, “You have to bat after me. We’re not gonna make to back to home if anyone but you were to do it.”

“We have plenty of great batters!”

“But no one can run as fast you can! And no one else has as good of a reason to play as you do!”

As Dahyun’s final words settled in Chaeyoung’s mind, she stopped. Dahyun stopped just behind her, awaiting a response.

“We’re–... We