191 - Upki Girl

<Where did you get this picture?> Two days later, in a baseball field in Paju, I met Yeom's junior. He mentioned that he still played amateur baseball. After demonstrating basic pitching form, he asked Hong to throw the ball. “Isn’t it too far? Should I come a bit closer?” “Oh, no. I think you can even move a little further back…” “Really? Then can you try throwing from the regulation distance? It’s marked there.” “Yes.” Hong stepped onto the mound and, following the instructions he was given, settled into his form without haste and delivered the ball gently. ―Whoosh ―Thwack! Wow. Despite the easygoing pitching style, as if he was just casually taking a stroll, the ball hit the glove with a force that was anything but light. It was faster and more precise than I imagined, landing in the mitt with a satisfying thud. “Wow…” Yeom was surprised, and even Eunbit, who knew nothing about baseball, seemed to notice something unusual. "Wow, Hong-hong unnie, you're really great at throwing. This is considered good, right?" We weren't the only ones surprised. Yeom's junior, who caught the ball, was so taken aback by the precision that he hesitantly questioned Hong. “Did you play baseball in school?” “Oh, no, I didn’t play baseball. I did shot put briefly…” “So that’s where you learned to use your strength. How hard did you throw just now?” “Just… uh…” “Didn’t give it much, right?” “Yes.” Yeom's junior addressed us watching from the sidelines with the expression of a coach discovering a promising rookie. “If she throws seriously, she could easily exceed 100 kilometers per hour.” Yeonhong, where exactly does your potential end? Surely, winning a national championship isn’t your dream, right? “Me too, me too!” Eunbit insisted on trying, stepping onto the mound. Whether she watched some YouTube videos or not, her wind-up form looked promising. “Close your elbow angle!” she shouted as she threw the ball. But the ball hit the ground heavily, not even a third of the way. “Aw, it’s messed up! This isn’t easy!” Yes, this is the typical accuracy for an average, ordinary woman. As planned, Hong was to pitch and Eunbit was to bat. Proper form adjustments and practice continued for about 30 minutes. Yeom’s junior seemed completely enamored with Hong, immersing himself unnecessarily by even teaching her how to throw curveballs. “Place your middle finger on the seam, thumb snugly against the gap! No need to flick your wrist when throwing, just chop it down, like a knife-hand strike. Try it!” “Like a knife-hand strike…” ―Whoosh! ―Thud! Not a single drop of sweat as the ball sharply changed course. "That's it! What you just threw was a curveball! Want to try again?" “Yes!” “Do you enjoy baseball?” “Yes!” “Then join our team! I’ll give you a starting position right away! Dae-soo, let’s sign a contract with Hong for our team!” Yeom joked about how many places had their eyes on athletic Hong, mentioning offers from the wrestling and tug-of-war associations. Eunbit, who was swinging a bat beside me in a practice motion, answered instead. “I want to do it! Baseball is fun! It's totally my style!” “Oh, Eunbit, do you want to join the team?” “Yes! I will become a player like Otawa! Teach me pitching too!” “You mean Ohtani, right?” “Oh, Ohtani! Haha!” “Alright, since Eunbit is cute, you get to be the special 10th batter.” “Yes! The top ten!” The perpetual jokester just wherever she goes. While Hong and Eunbit practiced, I searched for videos of women celebrities throwing first pitches. The legendary first pitchers were divided into three main types. The orthodox pitcher focuses on speed and control in modest attire, the sexy dresser captures attention with bold, provocative outfits, and the circus troupe dazzles with acrobatic pitching moves. Hong opted for the orthodox style. It seems like another legendary moment is about to unfold. *** First pitch and bat day. Though it would have been nice to relieve the stress from the Leaf Girl shoots and practice through baseball cheer, unfortunately, it overlapped with the mini-album title track recording schedule, so the remaining three had to head to the recording studio first. Having finished my preparations in the annex, I went over to the main building to take Eunbit and Hong to the hair salon. ―Beep beep beep beep, click As always, I pressed the door lock and entered without much thought, only to be taken aback! “Yoo Eunbit, can you get me a towel…!” "Oh, sorry." “What the heck!” I unexpectedly came face-to-face with Seowon, fresh out of the shower, in full naked mode on the first floor bathroom. I quickly turned my head, while she hurriedly covered herself with her hands and retreated back into the bathroom. Her ear-piercing scream echoed through the closed door. “Manager, are you insane!” “Sorry.” "You saw me!" “No, I didn’t see.” “Don’t lie! I clearly saw you ogling me from head to toe!” What nonsense! “I turned my head right away!” “But you saw something!” “Only your face!” At that moment, Eunbit came downstairs with a towel, looking alarmed. “What happened? Did Seowon unnie hurt herself?” “No, she just came out completely naked and ran into me…” “Wow, no way. My brother got an eyeful first thing in the morning.” “Yoo Eunbit, you’re dead! Give me the towel!” “Okay, okay, just open the door.” The towel was passed through a small crack in the door and I asked Eunbit, “Are you all ready?” “I was just drying my hair. Why are you here so early? We still have thirty minutes.” “I finished my preparations early and thought I’d grab a coffee. Where’s Hong?” “She’s getting ready in the basement.” No sooner had she finished speaking than Hong appeared from the basement entrance near the kitchen. The commotion from Seowon's scream must have startled her as well because she rushed up in just her bra and panties. I quickly turned my head, and Hong gave a startled shriek before dropping to the floor. "Oh my…" "Oppa, you really need to call before coming in." "Yeah, really. Hong, could you let the others know that I'm here?" "Yes, yes! Yona, the manager's on the first floor, so get dressed!" Hong shouted down, and I could faintly hear someone responding, possibly Riya or Yona. "Eunbit, are you all ready?" “Yeah.” "You should stay upstairs. It seems without me, everyone turns into naturists." "It’s normal for women living together. I was just in my underwear a little while ago, too." "I don't need to know that." As Eunbit and I climbed the stairs to the second floor, we heard heavy footsteps following us. It was Seowon, now dressed, glaring and demanding loudly. "Take responsibility!" "For what exactly?" "It’s the first time a guy has seen me naked! So you have to take responsibility for my life!" "I really didn’t see anything. Well, not on purpose." "Why didn't you look! Anyway, there's no getting away with this.” “Ugh, what do you want from me?” “Either take responsibility or show me your bare body too!” Just when I thought things were calming down, she found something to hold against me. Not wanting to engage further, I tossed her a half-hearted offer. "Okay, okay. Just barge into the annex next time I'm showering." “...You better not go back on your word.” “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Like my body’s ever been my own.” Seowon finally turned away, calming down. Once we reached the second floor, Eunbit giggled as she asked, "Oppa, you actually saw Seowon unnie’s body, didn’t you?" "I did. How could I not when she was right in front of me?" “Hahaha, not much to see, huh?” "Just looked like a girl's body." "Ooooh, pretending to be an experienced man~ acting all cool~" I held back the urge to say that Seowon didn’t affect me much, but Hong was quite shocking. My heart was still racing... hot! Hoooot! "I’ll be done once I finish drying my hair, so hang tight." With that, Eunbit disappeared into the room I used to occupy. A glimpse inside revealed her belongings and fan-given gifts neatly placed there. “What, you took over that room?” “Yeah.” “You sleep alone on the second floor?” “Sometimes Riya comes up too.” “Aren’t you scared?” “I got used to it.” “Wow, it feels like just yesterday you’d have nightmares and come to my room. You’ve really grown, Si-ba.” “Yep, all grown up, Si-ba.” Feeling both proud and a bit melancholic… Is this what it's like looking at your grown daughter as a father? Eunbit switched on the hairdryer, but then turned it off abruptly as she remembered something and called out from inside the room. “Oh right! While cleaning, I found 13 of your curly hairs and divided them among the members.” To heck with a father's feelings... “Why would you even distribute those?” “Maybe as a good luck charm?” “Oh, you little…” Giggling mischievously, Eunbit continued teasingly, “Guess what Yona unnie said when she got the hairs?” “Somehow, I don’t think I want to know…” “She said we should all pull out one of ours and give it to you. Haha, isn’t that hilarious?” "Yeah, hilariously gross..." “No joke, the unnies actually pulled one each. Hahaha!” "......" "But Riya and I don’t have any curly ones." "......If you have a brain, think about whether I’d want to hear this or not. Why should my Saturday morning, which should be refreshing, start with conversations about your hairs?” “It’s not about the hairs; it's that these things happened while you weren’t around.” “Seems like you guys are really comfortable with me not being here. Is it true?” “I don’t feel much difference. And with you practically next door, anyone would think you’ve moved out.” “Well, true…” Eunbit resumed drying her hair while I sat at the low table in the second-floor living room. Soon after, Riya joined me, providing company for my tea time. “Hello, EmGatMyeonMyeon.” “Hello.” “So you saw Seowon unnie and Hong-hong unnie nude? They’re quite pleased about it.” “Pleased? Seowon seemed ready to kill me.” “That’s because you don’t really know Seowon unnie yet.” “Yeah, and I’d prefer to keep it that way…” “So, was your preference the slender Seowon unnie or the curvier Hong-hong unnie?” “Geez, you know you guys sound like 40-year-old gossiping women sometimes?” “That's what's fun about it, you see. EmGatMyeonMyeon’s got this charm that makes people want to tease him.” “Guess I should stop pretending to be naive for your amusement then.” “Alia’s got every bit in the right place, you know. But since EmGatMyeonMyeon is uncomfortable with jailbait thoughts, I’ll show you when I turn twenty. So just wait two more years, okay?” “Goodness…” “See? This kind of reaction is what makes it all fun.” “How will you guys live without me?” “I'd die.” What’s this? I was just throwing it out casually, but Riya replied with an oddly serious face. “Alia’s already someone who can’t live without Emperor God God MyeonMyeon.” “Why are you being so creepy? Did you do something wrong to me?” “I was just being honest. As Yona unnie said, if we don’t express ourselves, we won’t know, so we should just say everything to each other.” “That was ages ago, but now…” “And honestly, without the unnies and Alia, you’d be too bored to stand it, right?” “Maybe not quite that far, just a bit lonely maybe.” “There, you’re acting tough again. Aish!” Riya playfully pinched my nose as she spoke. In that moment, locking eyes with her teal-tinted lenses, my heart inexplicably started racing, and I felt oddly sentimental, as if we were saying goodbye before a journey. “Is something going on with you?” “Me? No, why?” “Then why do you sound like someone about to go on a long trip?” “Trip? Where would I go? Unless MyeonMyeon wants to send Alia somewhere?” “If not, never mind.” “Oh, right. I have something to show you, MyeonMyeon. Come here.” There was a mischievous glint in her eyes as she pulled out her phone. “What are you up to now? Just show me from there.” “If you don’t want to see it, fine. It wasn’t easy to get.” “What is it?” “Aren’t you curious?” “Yeah.” “Hehe.” Riya swiftly flashed something on her phone screen in front of my eyes. “What was that, I didn’t see.” She did it a little slower this time—whoosh— Oh, this time I caught a glimpse! “How…? How did you get this?” Displayed on Riya's phone was a B-cut bikini photo shot by Yona. “Cash traced through some magazine contacts and directly got it from the editor involved back then. Want me to send it via chat? Do you want it?” “Doesn’t seem like a big deal. Just show it to me.” I found myself edging closer to her, drawn in despite my nonchalance. There were 12 photos in total, and they weren’t as risqué as I expected. They were more akin to a waterpark flyer level. Yet, here I was, swallowing nervously. Feigning calmness. “Eh, it’s not Maxim level.” “Of course, it’s not that intense. But the expression is quite sexy, right?” “It’s a bit different from now, yeah?” “Isn’t this your style, MyeonMyeon? The legs look beautiful, don’t they?” “Yeah… this one is pretty…” “What’s this? Where did you get these photos?” I froze! Yona had appeared behind us without a sound. “Ah, you startled me! It’s the real Yonna unnie!” “Hey, you scared me. Give us a sign you’re coming.” “Oh, well done, everyone, well done…” “Leader Yonna. Alia was just fulfilling MyeonMyeon’s request. He said nights at the annex were lonely and asked me to get these.” This little…? <Where Did You Get This Picture?> - End