Saturday morning.
The sky was clear without a single cloud.
The players from Hanseong Little League had gathered at the field earlier than usual.
Today wasn't just a practice game.
It was the opening game of the regional league.
For the first time, an official record would be kept.
Other teams' players and parents had gathered at the entrance to the field, and the scoreboard displayed the schedule for the first game.
Hanseong Little League VS Gangbuk Little League
Junho slowly looked around the field.
The stands.
The dugout.
The outfield fence.
Everything was the same as usual, but the atmosphere was completely different.
Minjae approached carrying his catcher's gear.
"Didn't sleep, did you?"
Junho gave an awkward smile.
"A little."
"Me too."
Minjae shrugged as he put on his helmet.
"Official games make me nervous no matter how many I play."
Just then, Coach Oh Sejin called the players over.
"Circle up."
The players gathered in a circle.
Instead of a whiteboard, the coach pulled out a small sheet of paper.
It was today's starting lineup.
"Batting first, shortstop Kim Jinwoo."
"Batting second, catcher Seo Minjae."
"Batting third, center fielder Kang Junho."
The moment Junho heard his name, he let out a long breath.
Third in the batting order.
He knew what role the coach expected him to play.
Get on base.
Keep things moving.
And score.
"Batting fourth, pitcher Yoon Sunghyuk."
After announcing the entire lineup, the coach folded the paper.
"Our opponents are strong today."
Gangbuk Little League had finished second in last year's regional league.
They were known for their solid defense and aggressive baserunning.
The coach looked around at the players and continued.
"But being a strong team doesn't make them perfect."
A brief silence passed.
"Don't focus only on beating them."
"Play the baseball you always play."
The players answered with energy.
"Yes, Coach!"
Warm-ups began.
Junho loosened up in center field, catching fly balls.
The ball felt heavier than usual.
It was because he was nervous.
Seongmin noticed and walked over.
"You're gripping too tight, right?"
Junho smiled honestly.
"Is it that obvious?"
"Very."
Seongmin smacked his glove lightly as he spoke.
"That's how the first game always is."
"I dropped an ordinary fly ball in my first official game."
Junho looked surprised.
"Really?"
"I thought Coach Oh was going to chew me out."
Seongmin continued with a grin.
"But he said this."
'Being nervous means you take it seriously.'
At those words, some of the tension left Junho's shoulders.
A little while later.
The umpires entered the field.
The players from both teams lined up along the baselines.
The captains shook hands in front of home plate.
Junho looked at the opposing players.
They were the same age, but their eyes were sharp.
The opposing center fielder in particular looked highly experienced just from the way he warmed up.
Minjae moved beside Junho and spoke in a low voice.
"Don't chicken out."
Junho snorted.
"I'm not."
"Liar."
"A little."
The two of them laughed briefly.
At that moment, Coach Oh Sejin called the players over one last time.
"Junho."
"Yes, Coach."
The coach looked at Junho for a moment before speaking.
"It's okay if you don't get a hit today."
Junho looked puzzled.
"It's okay if you make a mistake, too."
The coach smiled.
"But."
"Don't let one mistake make you miss the next play."
Junho quietly lowered his head.
Those words connected to the advice he'd heard in Episode 9.
A mistake wasn't the end. It was the beginning of the next choice.
The umpire raised the ball high.
"Play ball!"
With that spirited cry, the regional league officially began.
Junho slowly walked to his position in center field.
The wide-open outfield.
The quiet tension.
And the beginning of his first official game, with no one having set foot on this stage yet.
He tapped his glove once against his chest, then slowly settled into his defensive stance.
In today's game,
Junho was about to encounter another important lesson.
Bottom of the third.
The game was still tied, 0–0.
Both teams had gotten runners into scoring position, but neither had managed to deliver the final blow.
A taut tension enveloped the field.
No one in the dugout raised their voice.
The players silently waited for their turns.
From center field, Junho watched the opposing batter's movements closely.
At the plate was Gangbuk Little League's third batter.
He had produced hard-hit balls in both of his previous at-bats.
'He won't pull the ball hard this time, either.'
Junho watched the batter's toes.
His right foot was opened slightly.
His hands were gripping the bat farther up.
'He'll go the other way.'
Junho shifted two steps to the right.
Minjae gestured as if something seemed strange.
'Why are you moving over there?'
Instead of answering, Junho raised his palm slightly.
Yoon Sunghyuk threw with force.
Crack!
Just as expected.
The ball flew deep to the right of center field.
From where he'd been standing moments ago, it would have been impossible to catch.
But Junho was already moving.
Two steps.
Three steps.
He reached the landing point first, twisted his body, and stretched out his glove.
Thump.
The ball dropped precisely into the glove.
A murmur of admiration rose from the stands.
"Wow!"
A small cheer erupted from the opposing bench as well.
Minjae took off his mask and shouted.
"Junho! How were you already there?"
Even Junho had trouble explaining it.
It had simply felt as though the batter's body was telling him what would happen.
In the dugout, Coach Oh Sejin closed his scorebook.
'Did he read it?'
The coach's eyes wavered for a moment.
It wasn't mere instinct.
He had predicted the batted ball by watching the opponent's stance and habits.
It was an ability rarely seen in an elementary school student.
Top of the fifth.
Neither team had scored.
The game was heading into its final inning of offense.
The leadoff batter was Minjae.
He reached base on a walk.
No outs, runner on first.
Junho stepped into the batter's box.
The opposing pitcher had been paying particular attention to Junho ever since giving up a hit to him in his previous at-bat.
First pitch.
Outside fastball.
Ball.
Second pitch.
Fastball inside.
Strike.
Junho choked up on the bat.
The pitcher kept checking the runner, conscious of him on first.
His rhythm was beginning to waver.
'He's getting impatient.'
Third pitch.
High fastball.
Foul.
Two strikes.
The stands fell silent.
The opposing pitcher prepared for the final showdown.
Windup.
The moment the ball left his fingertips.
Junho knew instinctively.
'Off-speed pitch.'
But it had less spin than usual.
The ball failed to drop below the strike zone and hung over the middle.
'He missed.'
Junho's bat came around without hesitation.
Crack!
It was the cleanest hit of the game.
The ball split the gap in left-center and drove deep into the outfield.
Two outfielders chased after it, but they were already too late.
Minjae passed second and rounded third.
Junho also sprinted and touched second base.
Everyone in the stands rose to their feet.
"Keep going!"
The third-base coach's arm spun wildly.
Minjae touched home.
Hanseong Little League's first run.
Junho stopped at second and clenched his fist.
The players in the dugout erupted in cheers.
Seongmin was the first to run out and shout.
"Nice!"
Coach Oh Sejin didn't clap.
Instead, he quietly watched Junho.
'He didn't hit the ball.'
'He waited for the mistake.'
A faint smile touched the coach's lips.
Bottom of the fifth.
The final defensive inning.
Gangbuk Little League wasn't going to go down easily, either.
Two outs, runner on first.
The fourth batter stepped up.
A single big hit could give them the lead.
Yoon Sunghyuk's first pitch came in high.
Crack!
The ball soared high, heading between center and right field.
Junho started running.
But this wasn't an ordinary fly ball.
Sunlight poured straight into his face.
The ball disappeared from view for a moment.
His heart dropped.
'I lost it.'
But he didn't lower his head.
The wind.
The spin on the batted ball.
The trajectory he'd seen until just a moment ago.
He reconstructed it in his mind.
Then he took one final step.
Thump.
He felt the ball enter his glove through his fingertips.
"Out!"
The game was over.
The score was 1–0.
Hanseong Little League had won its opening game.
The players hugged one another in celebration.
Minjae laughed as he took Junho's cap off.
"You're the MVP today."
But Junho was looking up at the sky.
The ball that had vanished in the sunlight.
The fact that he hadn't given up until the end.
And the trajectory he'd found again at the last moment.
Those few short seconds had been the biggest lesson of the game.
Before leaving the field, Coach Oh Sejin wrote one last line in his scorebook.
『Kang Junho has begun reading the game even when he can't see the ball.』
That single line would one day become the most important starting point in the birth of a playmaker who read the game—not the ball—even on the soccer field.