“Do you want to throw the first pitch, my daughter?”
When I first heard the proposal from my father, I assumed it was just a familiar joke.
However, as he spoke with a less casual expression and shared more detailed thoughts, I began to take it seriously.
Ultimately, the conversation ended with his reassurance that there was no pressure and the choice was entirely mine.
“Um… are you worried about me?”
“Well, it’s a concern, I suppose.”
I found myself contemplating what it would feel like to be the center of attention for countless spectators.
When you think about it, being a Virtual YouTuber is also a job that attracts the gaze of many people.
It seemed reasonable to consider this an opportunity to prelude the tension I might experience as a Virtual YouTuber.
However, the tension I would feel while standing on the pitcher’s mound for a brief moment didn’t significantly influence my decision.
What impacted me the most was, without a doubt, the fact that my father was “worried about me.”
“…I’ll do it.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.”
I knew it was natural for a father to worry about his daughter, but I didn’t feel particularly grateful for it.
Could this also be a consequence of my past life?
Having experienced countless worries due to a life far from health, I seemed to have developed an allergy to the idea of being worried.
It felt unpleasant that anyone, regardless of their intentions, was concerned about me.
I wanted to show through a perfect first pitch that there was no need for my father’s natural worries and concerns.
Displaying a mix of confidence and anticipation for the first pitch was an extension of that desire.
“What if you throw so well that they scout you as a pitcher?”
“Come to think of it, the Sehwa Eagles’ pitchers have been struggling lately. They might actually scout our daughter.”
Then, with a brief pat on my head, my father’s familiar lightness returned to his voice, and I wiped the expression off my face.
Thus, I confirmed my decision to throw the first pitch.
As I practiced catch more frequently with longer durations than before, the day of the first pitch eventually arrived.
“Make mistakes if you need to, just don’t be nervous.”
“Yes.”
I parted from my parents, who looked at me with a mix of worry and expectation, and headed to the pitcher’s mound with the mascot of the Sehwa Eagles.
The vastness of the baseball stadium hit me almost simultaneously.
And for a brief moment, I felt the attention of countless people focused solely on me.
‘Hmm….’
Still, I wasn’t as nervous or shaky as I had imagined.
It seemed I benefitted from picturing all those spectators as potential viewers of my future broadcasts.
After all, they weren’t staring directly at me.
The only difference between the spectators at the baseball game and my broadcasting viewers is that the former were seeing me directly while the latter would see me on their phone screens.
From that point on, I kept telling myself I was only doing a very short broadcast that lasted about five minutes.
After locking eyes with the catcher beyond the mound, I mimicked the pitching styles of the pitchers I had seen on TV.
-Whip!
I successfully completed the pitch with a firm fastball without any issues.
It was simply the action of throwing the ball as hard as I could, something I had done countless times while practicing catch with my father.
Only when I high-fived the mascot standing right next to me did I think I had thrown fairly well.
It didn’t seem like I had any strange expressions since my mother’s digital camera was continuously capturing me.
However, just a few seconds later, the commentators’ voices praising me came through the stadium speakers.
-Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap─!!
“…Oh.”
The applause and cheers that came in louder than I had imagined flooded my ears.
I didn’t know what kind of expression I should show, so I pulled my cap down a bit further.
Yet, I didn’t forget to bow and thank the audience.
In some ways, it resulted in a good experience, creating a story I could share later in my broadcasts.
It wasn’t until I got off the mound and received compliments on my good throw from my mother, who looked extremely excited, that I had any thoughts about it at all.
The unexpected events began after the game had ended.
“Hey, excuse me!”
Just as I was about to get up from my seat, a man with an unfamiliar face approached me.
Soon, I was handed a business card.
And not long after, I heard a strange proposition.
“We’d like to have Ha Eun model for a children’s nutrition supplement commercial. Could you spare us some time?”
For some reason, I felt as if a turning point in my life had just arrived, even though I was only six years old.
*
When it comes to advertising a product, the most important thing is the advertising model.
No matter how dazzling the CG and production might be, if the product and model don’t create synergy, it’s hard for the ad to gain attention.
That is a kind of truth.
It’s common knowledge among those in the advertising industry, so there was no need to elaborate further.
Thus, for Kang Eun-tae, who was struggling to find an advertising model, Ha Eun was like a blessing dropped from the sky.
She made him feel certain with just one glance, a certainty he hadn’t found after reviewing dozens of profiles.
[42 km/h. An impeccably clean fastball. That was a textbook pitch.]
[Her expressions are as good as those of any adult. She has a strong charisma.]
Her stable pitching stance naturally drew praises from the commentators.
Her refined appearance, even hidden somewhat by a slightly large baseball cap, kept captivating Kang Eun-tae’s gaze.
She could easily be compared to the many child models he had seen on set.
Above all, her calm demeanor as she finished her greetings and walked off the mound amid the roaring applause was extremely impressive.
There was a quiet atmosphere around her, which couldn’t be entirely expressed by the word “nervous.”
“I can’t let her slip away.”
Currently, Kang Eun-tae was in charge of ads for a children’s nutritional supplement from a pharmaceutical company.
Since it was a nutritional supplement, it was crucial that the advertising model appeared healthy.
Ha Eun’s impressive pitching skills, which were beyond what one might expect from a child, would soon become a hot topic.
Her appearance was fitting for an ad model.
Her pitching stance was immaculate enough that one could easily believe her dream was to be a baseball player.
Her presence was not at all overshadowed by the thunderous applause.
If these three factors came together well, there would definitely be a satisfying ad for both Kang Eun-tae and the advertisers.
He hadn’t expected to find someone to work with in a baseball stadium, but what did that matter?
He was far more eager to bring that girl, Ha Eun, to the studio and in front of the camera.
“You won’t have to force yourself to act with emotions like professional actors. Ha Eun’s natural self will be the focus.”
What he wanted to capture on camera was simply Ha Eun’s healthy image.
If it were an average food ad, the performance would need to emphasize the taste of the product, but with a nutritional supplement, it would need to focus on imprinting the supplement’s efficacy into the viewers’ minds.
The profiles of child models that Kang Eun-tae had reviewed so far had a certain blandness.
Even though the shoot date was approaching, he had yet to finalize a model because he hadn’t found one that matched his vision.
It wouldn’t work if the child was too lively, nor would it work if they were too shy.
What Kang Eun-tae envisioned most was the serious demeanor of athletes preparing for the Olympics.
“As you know, most ads featuring child models tend to have a bit of a chaotic feel.”
He saw cuteness, which is an advantage held by child models compared to adult models, as playing a secondary role in this commercial.
In other words, while maintaining an element of cuteness, he wanted to portray Ha Eun in a way that brought out other qualities he was looking for.
“I intend to express Ha Eun’s calmness as confidence from the nutritional supplement. Because she has the supplement, she is confident in facing any adversity.”
Thanks to his careful explanation, which presumably made sense to Ha Eun and her parents, he wasn’t immediately rejected.
Just as he was about to cautiously say that he hoped to receive a reply soon.
“Um….”
“?”
For the first time, Ha Eun, who had been quietly listening to Kang Eun-tae’s words, opened her mouth.
The question that emerged slowly from her small mouth was both not very childlike and yet also somehow very childlike.
“How much is the advertising fee?”
“Oh dear, I forgot to mention the most important part.”
He started to write the amount that Ha Eun would receive on a blank white notepad, drawing the numbers one by one so she could understand.
As expected, as the zeros began to increase on the notepad, Ha Eun’s round eyes grew wider.
Although it wasn’t a sum that could be considered huge objectively, it was substantial money for young Ha Eun.
Given that the initial capital required for her goal of becoming a Virtual YouTuber was sizeable, this proposal felt quite sweet.
After turning her head slightly toward her father, Ha Eun said, “Can I earn money like you, Dad?”
With that slightly outlandish question, her father responded simply, “Then, I guess you need to open a bank account.”
His clear answer contained an implied permission.
With that, Kang Eun-tae extended his hand toward Ha Eun as a gesture of goodwill, and they ended up shaking hands a couple of times.
However, no one knew that the news of Ha Eun’s first pitch would lead to an adjustment in her market value, featured prominently in the next morning’s sports newspaper.
An interview with a citizen expressing a desire to see Ha Eun signed as a replacement for the struggling Sehwa Eagles’ starting pitcher would also be published at the end of the article.
