Chapter 3

Chapter 3. Regret

Good morning.

Chris greeted him with a brighter face than ever. It resembled the smile of a victor. To him, everything—the damp dawn air, the pleasantly cool weather, even the sun just beginning to rise—felt welcome. But that wasn’t the case for Jung Jiheon. Without a doubt, today was the worst day. Even worse than the day a few days ago when he was pulled in the second inning.

Don’t play around with Jaehee.

Jung Jiheon glared at Chris as if he could kill him. But Chris scoffed as if it were laughable.

You’re the one who played around. Ten years of unrequited love, right? And now what? Why now? What, too precious to give her to someone else? Makes sense.

Don’t speak so lightly.

It wasn’t that she was too precious to give away. Yoon Jaehee was someone too precious even for him to have—so he didn’t want to step back.

If the person she was seeing wasn’t just a one-night stand, not someone like Chris who didn’t even seem serious, but someone more decent, he might have stepped aside. Wishing for her happiness. Wasn’t that why he rejected her confession in the first place?

Doesn’t seem like unrequited love, though.

Chris chuckled as if amused. He already knew Jaehee liked Jiheon, and judging by Jiheon’s attitude, his feelings weren’t any different. If Jiheon really thought of her as just a friend, he wouldn’t have stood outside her door all night or glared at him with undisguised hostility. From Chris’s perspective, they clearly liked each other.

But they had already missed their timing—and that gap was enough for him to slip into.

Then step aside if you know.

Why? Jaehee said she’s going to forget you.

At the word forget, Jiheon flinched. Chris let out a low laugh at the sight.

It’s over. Ten years—you had more than enough chances, didn’t you?

Whether it’s over or not… we’ll see.

Don’t cling now like a loser. Don’t stir up someone trying to move on. Jaehee’s doing just fine with me.

Jiheon knew it too. That he had wasted time under the excuse of wanting to stand proudly in front of her. But he also realized, even if late, how foolish that had been. And he couldn’t give up over something like this. It was a feeling he had protected so carefully. Besides, Jaehee hadn’t clearly rejected him yet. He hadn’t even been given the chance to be rejected.

Doing well together, you say… like you’re lovers or something. But in the end, aren’t you just sleeping together?

What?

Chris hadn’t expected Jiheon to know the nature of his relationship with Jaehee. She had tried hard to hide it. Still, it didn’t matter how he found out. It was just a little irritating.

So what? You can’t even do that. If you’re just a friend, stay in your place.

Chris tapped Jiheon’s shoulder and walked past him, lips curling up naturally. His mood had never been better. The thrill right now felt similar to hitting a walk-off home run in the World Series. And the opposing pitcher being Jiheon—the ace of Korean baseball soon heading to the major leagues—made it even more satisfying.

Jaehee—

But Jiheon’s voice stopped him in his tracks.

If she said she’ll forget me… that means she hasn’t yet.

…

Then doesn’t that mean there’s a higher chance she’ll come to me? At least more than to you.

Chris’s soaring mood dropped instantly. Irritation surged.

Damn it… he was right.

A hit he thought was a home run had been caught just in front of the fence. Otherwise, how could it feel this awful?

What are you saying? I can’t hear someone who ruined today’s game.

He knew it was childish, but he didn’t care. In the end, he was the one who slept with Jaehee. And Jiheon took the bait perfectly.

I just messed up one game after doing well. You’ve been bad all along and just had one good game, haven’t you?

Even though Jiheon used polite honorifics, the content easily surpassed Chris’s provocation. Chris also fell right into it.

Hah. Feeling good being treated like an ace in a tiny Korean league? I’m heading back to the majors next year. Try your best here.

Haven’t you heard? Major league scouts come to watch me pitch.

Not sure you’ll survive there.

Even if I fail and come back to Korea, it’s fine. I’ll just be with Jaehee.

…

The argument between the two men continued in front of Jaehee’s house.

The one suffering was Jaehee.

The noise outside was loud, but she was too exhausted to open her eyes. She just pulled a pillow over her head with sleepy hands.

Jaehee had fallen into such a deep sleep she didn’t even hear her alarm. Fortunately, Chris rang the doorbell like crazy and kept calling her, which woke her up. Otherwise, she might not have gotten up until evening.

…I’ll get ready and come out.

Don’t fall asleep again.

Yeah…

She replied with a hoarse voice.

She desperately wanted to take a day off and go back to sleep, but forced herself up. Standing under the shower helped wake her little by little, but her body still felt heavy from last night. She didn’t even have the energy to pick clothes—she just grabbed anything.

Sleep in the car.

I won’t refuse that.

She knew it was rude to sleep in the passenger seat. But she felt like she might die—what did manners matter? She needed at least a nap to survive the day.

The moment she buckled her seatbelt and leaned her head back, she fell asleep. She only woke when they were almost at the stadium.

You’ll have coffee, right?

A cup from a famous café sat in the holder.

After drinking it, caffeine spread through her body, clearing her head a little.

Thanks… I feel like I can live now.

It’s nothing. I’m the one who made you like that.

…Can’t deny it.

Last night had been longer and more intense than their first time.

And she felt like she was getting more addicted to sex.

Half of her regretted not accepting his offer sooner.

The other half feared she might get too addicted to escape.

Still, I loved it. I feel even better today. Think I’ll play better.

That won’t produce anything.

It wasn’t exactly a compliment, but hearing a teammate say he’d perform better still felt good.

Chris had already been the best player yesterday—if he played even better today, how good would that be?

No, a home run.

A home run? You know that’s way harder than a hit, right? If I hit one, what do I get?

…If you hit a home run, come to my room after the game.

Chris smiled.

Deal.

The game began.

Chris was unstoppable again.

Like proving yesterday wasn’t luck, he showed the dignity of a major leaguer—hitting effortlessly.

And eventually—

A home run.

He circled the field, high-fived his teammates… and even went to Jaehee and whispered:

See you later.

…

From there, everything spiraled.

Jaehee, Jiheon, and Chris—

Their tangled emotions, desires, and choices collided all at once.

Confession.

Jealousy.

Regret.

Possession.

Jiheon confessed after years.

Chris refused to let go.

And Jaehee…

She stood in the middle—unable to fully accept either, yet unable to push them away.

Because for the first time in her life—

She was being loved by two people.