#krushing

let's all be cool about this, because this is just for my enjoyment, and also, like. not serious, lmao. keep it cute, okay? that said, off to the races we go!

the minor leagues

so, this is were things begin. unfortunately, i did pay barely any attention to dalton and hyeseong with the comets but a few things can be derived from it anyway, that remain meaningful in the long run. after hyeseong and dalton both were included in spring training, they were sent down together and were also, coincidentally, called up roughly around the same time, in early may. hyeseong struggled during spring training while dalton had been steadily working his way up the ranks to finally make it to the majors. with the comets, dalton played pretty much daily in left field and posed much better stats, in 2024 he was named minor league player of the year and he was sent to the 2023 all-star futures game. dalton, as a prospect of the dodgers farm, is far away from being sent away imo because they will train him to remain as backup catcher and cover first base once freddie will need a few more days off, if smitty won't be moved to first base, that is. anyway, so, those two spent around two months together slumming it in the minors, which, apparently. huh! also, hyeseong was a catcher in korea before an injury put a stop to that.

so, that must have, inevitably, built a connection between them because they came to the majors thick as thieves. one can only wonder what went down on long bus rides, in hotel rooms in the middle of fuckass nowhere, and on the field.

the majors

once hyeseong entered the majors, everybody lost their mind, like. literally everybody. it was a beautiful thing to witness. suddenly, everybody wanted a piece of hyeseong, who, at times, appeared somewhat flustered and at a loss, wondering what to do with all that attention. yoshinobu seemed an easy in, who was more than happy to fawn all over hyeseong (boy, oh boy), and soon enough the korean and japanese media caught wind of the dugout besties. what about dalton in all of this? well, you see, the thing about dalton is that he had to suddenly learn how to get really cool with a lot of easy, physical affection between the guys in the dugout. he is no stranger to baseball team dynamics but he seemed reserved, mostly, if it weren't for hyeseong, of course.

enter: the backhug that was seen all around the world (making waves in korea, too, lmao) and a few more aggressive hugs in the dugout, and whatnot. from feeling up each other's forearms, over cuddles, to dropping pretty much everything to be with each other upon hyeseong's return from his brief stint on the IL. turns out that, when it comes to hyeseong, dalton is like a territorial tomcat staking claim. it is actually kind of crazy how dalton has offered no one but hyeseong that treatment. with yoshinobu, he is somewhat affectionate too, but that is due to the fact that they have to navigate their work on the field together. with hyeseong, that is not the case. dalton and hyeseong were hardly on the field together and, yet, that did not stop dalton at all. or ever, really?

what do you even want me to say about this. happy for them, etc.

and then, the day they clinched the post-season happened.

do i have to say more?

the dynamic itself

actually, there are a few interesting factors at play here, in between dalton and hyeseong. age difference is a little curious, and i am dying to know how they navigate it, considering hyeseong is usually either around people he treats as same age friends (yoshinobu and junghoo), or older guys that he treats with an expected degree of respect, while dalton is younger than him. young enough to put him, mentally, below him in age order.

now, dalton is actually so interesting to me. in many ways, dalton seems like he would live a much happier life as a gay man but, y'know, that is a white man from tennessee. in a way, baseball offers the perfect space for dalton: here, he can be openly affectionate with other men without being branded as homosexual, without it being frowned upon. it is even welcomed and supported, after all, this is what you do when you celebrate! you ride or die for each other, here. this space, that only exists within the realm of (cis) men, with no outsiders, is perfectly set up to foster these relationship, urges, and desires. i could go on at length about this subject but that would burst the seams of this already dreadfully long text.

that said, if you have noticed how overly excited and comfortable dalton is with other men, especially, specifically hyeseong, it does make one, well. pause a little! no one's playing favorites except that dalton is absolutely playing favorites, and his favorite is hyeseong. bar none. it's like these two have magnets in their pockets; if you will look for hyeseong, you will usually find dalton within arm's reach of him. and dalton does treat hyeseong like a prized possession. my god, have you ever seen him so happy around anyone? do not worry, i get it. i would also lose my cool around hyeseong.

and then you have hyeseong, who is so openly and easily affectionate with The Guys but with dalton, he is just so... purely elated. it is actually so sweet to watch them interact with each other, like. dalton is like an eager, oversized puppy who cannot help but show-off around hyeseong, while hyeseong is so happy to entertain him. he loves hanging out with dalton. there is, like, half of a language barrier between them but that has never deterred them, not at all. i imagine it is partly what has facilitated all that physical affection between them.