The Extra in a Baseball Novel

I’ve read quite a lot of web novels.

I’ve probably read around 50,000 of them?

While I particularly liked baseball-themed stories, I didn’t stick to just one genre, so I know most of the clichés in every genre.

That’s why I think…

I might have been possessed by the world of Strike to Your Heart (StrikeHeart).

My last memory before waking up here was exactly the classic cliché of a possession story.

A reader who disliked the ending of a work sends a lengthy message to the author. The author sees it and provokes the reader, and the reader accepts the challenge. Then, the next thing they know, they wake up, possessed?

This is basically a classic scenario.

“Then, would you like to try writing it yourself?”

Right, I did agree. The reply, “If you don’t like it, write it yourself,” was so irritating.

But… that didn’t mean they could throw me into the world of StrikeHeart, right…?

“Well, at least my legs are fine now…”

Certainly, I’m now standing on my two legs without any discomfort.

Even when I walk a bit, there’s no pain; it’s a sensation I haven’t felt in a long time.

I looked around and walked over to a mirror.

“Huh? This is…”

It’s me?

I mean, of course, it’s normal for my reflection to be me.

But in this situation, seeing my own reflection in the mirror was unexpected. I thought I would have been possessed by one of the characters in StrikeHeart.

“Is this… high school…?”

The reflection in the mirror was exactly how I looked during my high school days.

For a moment, I wondered if I had time-slipped instead of being possessed in the StrikeHeart world, but I quickly shook my head. I didn’t remember living in a house like this.

I continued to look around the room until I found a student ID on the desk.

[Cha Taehyun.]

It’s surprisingly the same as my name.

Just as I was about to flip the student ID over…

“Ugh!”

A stabbing dizziness washed over me as someone else’s memories flooded into my mind.

This is…

The memories of StrikeHeart’s Cha Taehyun.

Once the dizziness subsided, I was able to fully grasp the situation.

I left my room and went to the dining table, where breakfast was already set up.

Two fried eggs, Vienna sausages, and seasoned seaweed. These were dishes I hadn’t seen in a while.

There was a small note next to the meal.

[Oppa, I’m leaving first. Make sure to eat breakfast before you go.]

Unlike me, who was an orphan, the Cha Taehyun in StrikeHeart had a younger sister. However, he also had no parents, just like me.

“Tastes good.”

As I took a spoonful of rice, I organized my thoughts again.

First of all, my assumption that I’ve been possessed in the StrikeHeart world was almost correct. I could roughly tell when Cha Taehyun’s memories flowed into me.

But not all of Cha Taehyun’s memories had been transferred.

They were only fragments.

I know that I have a younger sister named Cha Jihyun and that I go to Hyuksan High School, the setting for the early part of StrikeHeart…

It feels like I’ve only been given the basic knowledge needed to live as Cha Taehyun. I don’t recall anything about family history or past memories.

“He’s not even an extra…”

Cha Taehyun is a character who never appeared in StrikeHeart. In fact, he wasn’t even mentioned.

I might have forgotten some of the novel’s content, but I’m certain that’s not the case. If there had been a character with my name in my favorite novel, I wouldn’t have forgotten it.

I’m guessing… the author hastily created this character when they put me into this world.

The fact that he has no parents and looks exactly like me in high school seems to support that.

Bzzz

At that moment, the phone on the dining table vibrated.

It seemed like the alarm I failed to turn off earlier went off again.

[School Time.]

By the way, this alarm went off exactly an hour ago.

“Well… I guess I should go…”

Even though the idea of going to school at my age makes me uneasy, it’s probably the right thing to do.

Though it’s a terrible thought, I might have to live in this world forever and never go back.

If I just stay cooped up in the house and lament my situation?

That’s the path straight to becoming a bum.

I once struggled desperately in the past to avoid living such a life, and I succeeded as a baseball player despite being an orphan.

I’ve walked this path before. What’s there to fear if I walk it again?

In fact, I’m even looking forward to it.

My body has reverted to youth, but all the baseball knowledge, experience, and instincts I’ve accumulated remain.

If I start playing baseball again in high school, how far could I go?

Yes.

Might as well treat this as my second chance at life.

I put on my uniform, grabbed my bag, and left the house.

As soon as the bell rang, signaling the end of class, the friends sitting in front of Shin Hayoon spun around in their seats.

Shin Hayoon was staring at something.

What could she be looking at to be so mesmerized?

Her friends followed her gaze and soon burst into laughter.

“She likes it. Shin Hayoon.”

“Do you like it, Hayoon? Huh? Happy to be in the same class as your boyfriend?”

Shin Hayoon quickly turned her head and raised her voice.

“What…! I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“Hayoon… Everyone knows but you.”

“…Knows what?”

“That your boyfriend is Lee Jiho.”

“I said he’s not!”

“Yeah, sure~ He’s not. You’ve been sticking to him like glue since elementary school, but you’re just friends, right?”

Just as Shin Hayoon’s face was about to turn as red as a ripe tomato…

“Hey… Did you see the class assignment chart?”

Another of Shin Hayoon’s friends approached, wearing a rather serious expression.

“Uh… Yeah, I saw it. Why?”

“Hayoon… your seat is next to Cha Taehyun…”

Shin Hayoon’s face instantly hardened.

“…For real?”

“Yeah…”

Her friends looked at her with concern before sighing.

“Ugh… Why does it have to be our class?”

“Seriously… Can’t the school just expel him already? Why do they let a thug like that stay in school?”

“Right… I don’t get it. They say he beats people up whenever he gets a chance.”

“Is that all? I heard he spends his time at hostess bars during self-study hours.”

Shin Hayoon grimaced and asked again.

“This is the first time I’m hearing about the hostess bar thing. Is it really that bad…?”

“It’s probably even worse. They say he’s a rich kid, so he spends tons of money at hostess bars and can’t be expelled.”

“Wow… He’s really hopeless. I heard he’s a thug, but he’s way worse than that.”

Her friends sighed again.

“I heard he even looks super scary… Ugh! Why does it have to be our class?”

“Is that really the issue? Hayoon is sitting right next to him. What’s she going to do…?”

“It’s fine. What… He’s not going to do anything to me at school, right?”

“Well, yeah… But Cha Taehyun isn’t just any crazy guy.”

‘Even if he’s crazy…’

He’s still just a person living within society’s boundaries.

Shin Hayoon murmured softly.

“If he tries anything crazy, I’ll just report him. What’s there to be scared of these days? He must’ve just been lucky to pick his victims wisely so far… I’m not the kind of person to just take it.”

Creak.

At that moment, the back door of the classroom opened.

Everyone’s eyes turned to the back door in an instant.

As soon as a man appeared, everyone turned away as if they were scared.

Only… Shin Hayoon kept staring at him, clenching her jaw.

I am standing at the back door of the classroom.

To an outsider, it might seem like I’m standing there as a punishment, but that’s not it.

Just as I was about to open the door, I overheard them talking about Cha Taehyun.

But seriously…

What kind of life did Cha Taehyun live for his reputation to be this bad?

Fine, I’ll give them a hundred excuses. Rumors that he beats people up whenever he can — if I try really hard, I might be able to accept that.

After all, I did hear quite a bit about how fierce I looked during my high school years…

But…

Changing girlfriends every week, spending time at hostess bars during self-study hours…

Acting like a spoiled brat because he’s a rich kid who relies on his parents’ wealth…

That’s complete nonsense.

Considering that I have no memory of Cha Taehyun’s past, there’s a slim chance these rumors could be true.

But no matter how I think about it, that’s not right.

For one, Cha Taehyun is far from being a rich kid.

Relying on his parents?

It’s already sad enough that he’s an orphan here too…

Anyway, listening any longer is just making me more annoyed.

After all, right now, I am Cha Ta

ehyun.

How could I be in a good mood when people are treating me like a criminal?

I slowly opened the door.

And right away, I saw the group of girls.

They’re probably the ones who badmouthed me.

I stared at one of them.

Her pupils darted around.

Did he hear…? was written all over her face.

Yes. I heard.

I heard it loud and clear.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

If you’re going to talk behind someone’s back, be more careful in the future.

At that moment, I felt a piercing gaze and turned my head to meet two sharp eyes glaring at me.

Those eyes…

I was caught off guard and stared for quite a while.

It’s…

Honestly, it’s kind of ridiculous, but…

She was just so pretty.

Her long, black hair, small face, and sculpted features made her look like a statue.

Is this what it feels like to see a celebrity in real life?

Anyway… Her appearance was so unrealistic.

That’s how I knew who she was, even though we hadn’t introduced ourselves yet.

One of the heroines of StrikeHeart and eventually the main heroine who ends up with the protagonist.

She must be Shin Hayoon.

She looked just like the illustration.

“You look pretty intimidating, huh? I don’t know if you’re trying to assert your dominance or something with that look, but I’m not going to back down like others, okay? If you try anything funny, I’ll report you immediately.”

My brain froze for a moment, trying to process what nonsense she was spouting.

Did she seriously think I was trying to assert dominance by staring at her face in a daze…?

It was so absurd that I let out a dry laugh.

Shin Hayoon flinched.

No, that’s not it.

Once you’re framed the wrong way, there’s no getting out of it…

I sighed and pulled out the chair next to Shin Hayoon.

“Is this my seat?”

Shin Hayoon’s face instantly twisted.

I don’t want to sit next to you either.

But what can I do if there’s no other seat…?

I didn’t get a reply, so I just sat down.

So my image is that of a thug delinquent, but am I being treated like an outcast?

“Let me just say this… I hate people like you the most, so leave me alone.”

Those were the words that came from Shin Hayoon.

I was going to ignore her, but had I already assimilated with Cha Taehyun’s personality?

Because that… annoyed me a bit.

“Don’t worry about it. I also don’t want to associate with someone who changes teams without any loyalty.”

“What, what!”

Shin Hayoon raised her voice, frowning.

I struck a nerve.

Of course, I did.

Shin Hayoon is set up as a lifelong Phoenix fan since birth.

I just denied the fan spirit she’s built up her entire life, so how could I not?

“What do you know to call me a team-hopper?”

Yes, you are a team-hopper.

You switched to the Dinos as soon as your boyfriend got drafted.

Sure, the novel describes how you can’t let go of the Phoenix until the end.

But a team-hopper is still a team-hopper.

Anyway… enough teasing for now.

The irritation had already faded upon seeing Shin Hayoon’s flushed face.

“Your face just looks like that of a team-hopper… Never mind, if not.”

“What… what did you say!!”

Shin Hayoon’s raised voice pierced my ears.

I smirked and laid down on my desk.

It’s wrong to judge people by their appearance.

But you judged me as trash based on how I look first, right?

So we’re even.

But seriously…

What did Cha Taehyun do last night to feel this drowsy?

If it weren’t for my clash with Shin Hayoon, I would’ve immediately laid down and slept.

That’s how exhausted my body was.

I was about to accept the sleepiness when…

Teacher Miyeon!

At someone’s call,

I was instantly wide awake.