This Flower, Why Is It So Unpleasant? - Wreaths Turned Into Violence [Cheonggyecheon Side Photo Studio]

Korean high school baseball, while sharing a formal resemblance to Japan's popular Koshien tournament, struggles to capture widespread public interest. The sport persists in South Korea primarily to foster the grassroots development of baseball, a tradition maintained for decades.

The author shares a vivid memory from their own high school days: attending the championship game of their school's baseball team. This was a significant event, especially considering the author was a high school senior with college entrance exams looming in less than 100 days. The journey to the stadium, then the Dongdaemun Baseball Stadium in Seoul (now the Dongdaemun Design Plaza), involved bus and subway rides, a considerable effort for students.

What made the memory particularly striking was the collective enthusiasm. It seemed as though a large portion of the student body, and even alumni, had turned out to support their team. The author recalls older alumni, identifiable by their enthusiastic cheering, standing slightly apart from the current students. One alumnus, with a flushed face, even approached the author and their classmates.

The author questions the current state and perception of Korean high school baseball, contrasting its subdued popularity with the passionate memories of past games. The piece implicitly asks readers to consider their own connections to the sport and the evolving cultural significance of such traditions.