The Repentance of Ace and the Fall of the Queen
by Outsider Ā· 2026-10-17
The school during exam periods was said to be like a temple.
In that temple, a figure that didn't quite fit was standing.
After school. In front of us coming out of the library.
Lee Jin-seong, wearing a baseball club jumper, was leaning against the wall with a box of drinks in his arms.
With that very arm that had thrown a threatening ball at 130 kilometers per hour on the dodgeball court.
Yuri: Uh, umā¦
Yuri's feet stopped at that spot.
The color drained slightly from her face.
Her body remembered where that ball had been flying.
As I was about to take half a step forward, Jin-seong moved first.
Thud.
He set the box of drinks down on the floor and bent at a right angle in front of Yuri.
It was a 90-degree angle, the kind unique to athletes, as if his joints might break.
Lee Jin-seong: Iām sorry!
The hallway echoed.
All the passing kids turned to look.
Lee Jin-seong: That day, that ballā¦ the ball that flew to you. I wonāt make excuses. I threw it, and itās my fault. Iām really sorry.
Yuri just blinked.
Like a kid who had never received an apology before.
Well, how many people in this school had bowed to Yuri until now?
Yuri: ā¦L-Look up. Itās uncomfortable.
Yuri managed to say that.
The end of her voice trembled just a little, but she stood her ground and accepted the apology without running away.
She had grown a lot, Baek Yuri.
Jin-seong straightened up and looked at me this time.
And again, 90 degrees.
Lee Jin-seong: Baek Seol-ah. To you too. If you hadnāt caught that ballā¦ just thinking about it is dizzying. Thank you, and Iām sorry.
I crossed my arms and looked him up and down.
Seol-ah: Apologies shouldn't be made only to us. There were more than a few kids who got hit by the ball that day.
Lee Jin-seong: Did it.
Jin-seong raised his head.
Lee Jin-seong: Our class, your class. All the girls who were on the court that day. I went to each one of them. This drink is the last box.
Beside him, Se-rin narrowed her eyes. The former information guru, who knows all the school gossip, casually confirmed the kill.
Kim Se-rin: It's true. These days, there are numerous sightings of him going on an apology pilgrimage during breaks. The first graders call him 'Apology Man.'
Seol-ah: ā¦Apology Man.
That nickname is brutal. Hanna, with her arms crossed, scanned Jin-seong up and down. The eyes of the judo club are honest. Whether to attack or to bow down.
Choi Hanna: Well, if he didn't run away and went around to everyone, I'll acknowledge it.
At Hanna's brief judgment, Jin-seong's shoulders relaxed just a bit. His ears turned red, but he didn't run away.
Lee Jin-seong: It's funny, but I can't help it. I've been thinking about it ever since that day.
He looked down at his fist and said.
Lee Jin-seong: Hye-jin said it was a joke. Just scare them a little. But... the moment I released the ball, I realized. Ah, this is a bean ball. The worst thing a baseball player can do in the world.
Seol-ah: I threw it knowing that.
Lee Jin-seong: Yeah. I threw it knowing that.
At the timing for excuses, acknowledgment came out. Ho. The Kim Cheol-soo inside me raised his head. It's the same in the ring. Those who say "I wasn't in good condition" after losing stay the same for life. Only those who say "I was wrong" have a different outcome in the next match.
Seol-ah: Since I heard that, it's enough.
I took one out from the drink box and opened the lid. It means the apology is complete. Relief spread across Jin-seong's face.
Seol-ah: But there are conditions.
Lee Jin-seong: What is it? Anything.
Seol-ah: Don't throw that ball at people again.
I pointed to the guy's right arm with my chin.
Seol-ah: Only throw it at the mitt. That's what that ball is for.
Jin-seong's eyes shook.
He looked like he had heard something profound, but in reality, it was common sense according to Kim Cheol-soo.
Whether it's a fist or a ball, there's a designated place for it to go.
Seol-ah: ...And one more thing. This is a service.
I casually said while sipping my drink.
Seol-ah: You only throw with your shoulder.
Lee Jin-seong: Huh?
Seol-ah: Your pitch that day was fast, but it lacked finish. Your upper body opens up first, so the power leaks out. The ball should start from your toes, not your fingertips.
Jin-seong stared at me blankly.
Seol-ah: Lower body rotation first, then the waist follows, and the arms last like a whip. Just changing the order will make the ball come alive.
Lee Jin-seong: ...Have you ever played baseball?
Seol-ah: No. But using your body is all the same.
Whether you're throwing a hook, kicking high, or catching a rat with a shovel.
The rotational power comes from the ground.
Jin-seong stared down at his right arm for a long time.
Then, with a dazed expression, he nodded and ran towards the playground.
He didn't even take his bag.
Yuri: ...Whatās up with him?
Yuri asked, looking incredulous.
Seol-ah: I don't know. He must be in a hurry.
Serin muttered as she took out her notebook.
Kim Serin: Should I register on the [Baek Sisters' Shared Grading Sheet]? Attitude A, Awareness C, Ejection D...
Seol-ah: Rejected. He's not like that.
That was not a love cell but a baseball cell ignited in his eyes.
* * *
The week after the midterms ended.
When the school became noisy again, the center of the commotion was an unexpected figure.
Park Hye-jin.
The catalyst was that dodgeball video.
Some sharp-eyed kid had played that video, which had circulated nationwide, at 0.5x speed.
[Things that can be seen when watched slowly.jpg]
Just before the ball flew, there was a scene where Park Hye-jin whispered to Lee Jin-seong in the corner of the court.
And a subtle chin gesture as if sending a signal.
The title of the clip was chilling.
[The mastermind who ordered the goddess to be targeted]
My father's legal team only deleted the photos of me and Yuri.
The clip of Hye-jin was someone else's business.
"Hey, was that girl the one who ordered it?"
"They said she made him throw it targeting the younger sibling. Creepy."
"Wow, that makes sense. The baseball club kid who was going around apologizing only said 'I was an idiot.' But he never revealed who ordered it until the end."
Even without saying it, everything came out.
0.5x speed doesn't lie.
From that moment, the queen's kingdom began to quietly crumble.
The law of strong and weak is brutally honest.
Those who were 'upperclass' because Hye-jin was next to them turned their backs the moment having Hye-jin next to them became a 'blemish.'
I confirmed that in the cafeteria.
At the very table where Yuri used to get her sausage stolen.
In that spot where seven or eight of us always sat laughing, now only Hye-jin and her lackey were sitting.
Even Kim So-young had long since quietly moved to another table.
The same was true in the hallway.
Park Hye-jin: Hey, Kim So-young! Let's go together!
At the sound of Hye-jin's call, So-young pretended not to hear and quickened her steps. Just a month ago, she would have run to the snack bar at the sound of that call. The temperature of power is measured like that. Not by the voice that calls, but by the speed of the response. And the funny thing is, that empty space was in the direction it flowed.
"Se-rin, is that true? That Hye-jin ordered it."
"Se-rin, you knew, right?"
All inquiries about school information were coming back to Se-rin. The once information-savvy person who used to hover around Hye-jin had now become the goddess's manager and the final checkpoint for rumors in this school. Se-rin was enjoying those inquiries very elegantly.
Kim Se-rin: Well, I'll only tell you what has been confirmed.
It seems that the former position suits her nature perfectly. And as is often the case with declining power, Hye-jin made the worst move.
Park Hye-jin: Hey, did you hear? That Baek Seol-ah, they say she manipulated that dodgeball video. She was originally pretending to be weak, right? There are also rumors that she had plastic surgery.
She started to spread new rumors. In their group chat, secretly. The problem was whose hands the information distribution network of this school was now in. Before lunch break was even over, Se-rin came to our table waving a printed sheet.
Kim Se-rin: I'm here.
Seol-ah: What is it?
Kim Se-rin: Park Hye-jin's last struggle.
The printed sheet had a clear capture of the group chat. Sender: Park Hye-jin. Time, date, and even profile picture.
Seol-ah: How did you get this?
Kim Se-rin: The three kids in that room sent it to me first. All three of them.
Se-rin shrugged her shoulders.
Kim Se-rin: On a sinking ship, the rat is the first to jump off.
The former information expert was not an information expert for nothing.
Seol-ah: So, what are you going to do? Legal team?
At my words, Se-rin shook her head.
Kim Se-rin: No. I'll do it.
There was a long-awaited ferocity returning to that guy's eyes.
Kim Se-rin: I got slapped by that jerk. While being called a thief. Back then, you stood by me.
Se-rin neatly folded the printed material.
Kim Se-rin: So this time, I'll go and tell them. Very politely.
During the next break, Se-rin really went to the adjacent class. According to the eyewitness accounts I heard later, the conversation consisted of exactly three lines. Se-rin placed the capture on Hye-jin's desk and said: "Spreading false information is defamation. It's worse than the false accusation you like, right?" Hye-jin turned pale and said: "W-what are you...?" Se-rin smiled and replied: "Last time it was Seol-ah, right? This time it's me. How do you feel?" That was the end of it. That afternoon, Hye-jin's group chat was blown up, and the 'manipulation theory' evaporated along with its origin. The last card of the queen, "It's my dad's law firm," was never even brought out. Even if it had been, it would have been useless. These days, that phrase in this school returns as a yawn: "So? They're a group." After school, as Yu-ri got into the car, she looked out the window. Hye-jin was leaving the school gate alone. The group following her, and the sounds of their laughter, were gone.
Yu-ri: ...Serves her right.
Yu-ri said quietly. Then she paused for a moment before adding.
Yu-ri: I thought so, but it's strange. It's not as refreshing as I expected.
Seol-ah: That's how it is.
I leaned my body against the backrest.
Seol-ah: The strong-weak-weak-strong pattern always ends like that. The ones who lose outside the ring lose without a sound, even if you don't do anything.
Yu-ri: ...Hmm.
Seol-ah: Why? Did you want to hit her?
Yuri: No. I've decided not to hate them anymore.
Yuri said, taking her eyes off the window.
Yuri: Hating takes energy. I've been busy lately. I have to study and maintain my grades.
Oh, Baek Yuri.
Now that she's entered the top ranks of the school, she speaks with confidence.
I secretly smiled, pleased with my sister's growth.
* * *
That Friday morning.
On our way to school, we witnessed a strange sight on the playground.
Since the crack of dawn, a baseball team uniform was running around the field with a tire tied around the waist.
It was Lee Jin-seong.
Choi Han-na: They've been doing that every day lately.
Han-na said nonchalantly.
Choi Han-na: Every time I see him during morning training for the judo club, heās just doing lower body exercises like crazy. Running, tires, squats. Even the baseball coach asked him, 'Did you eat something weird?'
And that day during lunch.
A loud bang! was heard from the direction of the playground.
A clear, tearing sound, like a catcher's mitt screaming.
It was different from the sounds I had heard before.
It was the sound of the ball coming alive.
"Wow!" followed the cheers of the baseball team.
Moments later, Jin-seong burst into the cafeteria.
Covered in sweat, he headed straight for our table.
Lee Jin-seong: Baek Seol-ah!
Seol-ah: I'm eating. Why?
Lee Jin-seong: My speed has increased by 7 kilos! The coach asked who I learned my form from, saying we should show it to the scouts...!
He said, panting, with the most serious face in the world.
Lee Jin-seong: It all started from the toes. That one line broke through three years of stagnation. Hey, I want to call you my master...
Gang Tae-yang: No!!!
Like a flash, Tae-yang jumped in.
Holding a spoon, he physically blocked the space between Jin-seong and me.
Gang Tae-yang: My master is my own master! You're late! You've lost your turn!
Lee Jin-seong: What? Hey, Gang Tae-yang. You're into martial arts. I'm looking for a master in baseball...
Gang Tae-yang: No matter the sport! I am the only disciple of my master!
Lee Jin-seong: Then... sister. I will serve you as my sister.
Gang Tae-yang: Sister is not allowed!
Lee Jin-seong: Who are you to decide that?!
Watching the two big guys bickering childishly at the dinner table, I quietly ate my soup.
The conclusion of that bickering came the next morning.
On the way to school, in front of us as we got out of the car.
All the members of the baseball team were lined up in two rows next to the school gate.
"Sisters! Good morning!"
The greeting of the nine erupted in chorus.
A 90-degree bow. Neatly arranged hats. Sparkling eyes.
Yu-ri: ...Why me too?!
Yu-ri gasped and took half a step back behind me.
Seol-ah: What are those guys doing? Did my sister tell them to do this?
Seol-ah: Am I crazy?
The one in front, Jin-seong, shouted energetically.
Lee Jin-seong: We, the baseball team, will not forget the grace of the two sisters! If anything happens on the way to school, please call us anytime!
Grace? It was just fixing one posture.
Manager Choi shook his head in disbelief while watching the scene from the driver's seat.
Manager Choi: Looks like the security personnel have increased. Unpaid.
During lunch, Se-rin whispered while flipping through her notebook.
Kim Se-rin: By the way, the baseball team made a group inquiry yesterday. They asked what the registration conditions are for the [Baek sisters' shared scoring sheet]. Nine people.
Seol-ah: Rejected. All rejected.
Kim Se-rin: I knew it would be like that. But their purpose is a bit different. It's not about dating... how should I put it, joining the team?
What is the initiation?
I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity.
The sniper of the dodgeball court became the Apple Man, and the Apple Man became the No. 1 God.
The queen quietly fell from grace, and my brother decided to use the energy he would spend on hating to maintain his grades.
The noisy spring was being sorted out like that.
And a few days after the midterm grades flew into each household.
In the once peaceful cafeteria, a mournful wail echoed as if a nation had lost its way.
Kang Tae-yang: It's over for me... Ugh! I'm done now.