The Sinful Liar - Shohei Ohtani x Reader.

Part 1: Why me?

PART I. "WHY ME?"

Chapter 1. "Nice to meet you"

"Shohei Ohtani is just like a big Teddy Bear! Look at his smile, it is so lovely and warm."

"Though I've never met him, but I think he is of great personality and sweet boy"

"The way he laughs and smiles at me is quite adorable!"

Goosebump bumped up and down my spine. The media always talked good about him. Everyone on this Earth was crazy about him. He appeared to be perfect, handsome, charming, sweet, gentle. A total sweetheart.

I hated the press, they always tried to portray him as perfect.

The truth was, Shohei Ohtani wasn't all that kind.

*****

3 months ago.

I was in my final year, with graduation on the horizon. Since my father's death, my family went bankrupt. The weight of student loans bore down on me. I struggled just to get by, and that meant a minimum-wage job at some shitty diner. Not even the cheapest burgers were filling up my stomach, let alone an income that wouldn't take care of our bills. I had to take out a loan to pay for everything from tuition to living expenses. If I didn't do something soon, I would have to end my studies.

The only thing keeping me sane was the thought that this might be my last semester of university, so I could spend it working my ass off to get into a good business, or at least making enough money so that I could repay the loan. After graduating from college, I could start saving towards my goal of owning a small business.

But right now I couldn't think about that. The tears had dried up, but I still felt emotionally drained, and my thoughts weren't clear. So instead, all I could think about was ways to save myself, my mom, my little brother, from the mortgage, the debt, and all of us from going back to living in poverty.

At that time, news of the Public Relations Manager internship at the Angels stadium swept through the university. It wasn't just a chance to watch games; it was a paid position, a ticket to the heart of sports journalism. I had been told that when you're young, your dreams aren't as big as they may seem, and they can turn into nightmares, but at that moment, I saw my opportunity and I jumped at it.

I would have a chance to be an intern in 5 months. After that, I would be able to work in that field, then I'd never have to worry about not getting a decent wage again. I knew I could make money doing it, because it was exactly what I wanted to do since the day I was born.

But I knew nothing about baseball and Angels team.

Still, that didn't stop me from looking. Even though I had no interest in baseball, I figured that as long as I stayed employed, I could help make ends meet. I applied to three more agencies in case I didn't get this job.

When I finally took the interview, I told them I was willing to work a full four days a week if that's what it took. They accepted the offer without hesitation, and that's how I entered my job with a promise of a future paycheck. But despite the fact that they were willing to hire someone like me to cover eight hours a day, it was clear that they were skeptical of my ability. But that didn't matter. They hired me anyway, and I would try.

For the first couple weeks, I tried to make sense of everything I learned.

I took the bus to go to work everyday, because it was cheaper than taking the train. On my first day at the stadium, a mix of nerves and excitement bubbled within me. As much as I hated being surrounded by sweaty, noisy men, I couldn't deny that the sport itself gave me something to look forward to every single day. At least I'd know that I could contribute to something bigger than myself, to the people I cared about. And I' ll do whatever it takes to make sure that I'm part of that. My new job was my way of showing everyone that they'd made the right decision hiring me.

The spokesperson of Angels, Marie Garvey, who was also my instructor, was kind to me throughout my time there. She introduced me to many interesting people on my first day, including Arturo Moreno, the owner of the Angels team. I was told alot about the team by Arturo, who explained the dynamics between players, what their strengths and weaknesses were, what made them different, how they competed with each other... It was really cool to learn all this stuff. And I enjoyed talking to him, too.

On the second day, I was introduced to the Angels players. After the game, Marie led me to the locker room, where she introduced each player individually to me.

"Guys! Attention please, we're having a new manager here!" she announced cheerily. "She will be responsible for managing the image of the whole team, and each of you individually, before the press"

All eyes turned to me. My stomach churned, and my throat closed in fear. For the first time ever, I truly understood what it meant to be on the other side of a camera lens.

"Nice to meet you guys. My name is Y/N Hawthorne," I greeted everyone in my best attempt at sounding confident. I hoped that it worked, as I held my breath, hoping to keep from fainting right then.

Then I heard a loud chorus of groans and cheers.

"That girl is gonna nail it!"

"She's so pretty"

And then the laughter. The laughters came from the guys. They were happy for me because I was gonna do great, which made me feel slightly relieved, but that feeling quickly faded away when I realized that I was supposed to be doing great. I started to feel the pressure.

It was around that time that a tall man with a sweet smile approached me.

"What are you gonna do? Do you want a drink with us?" he asked me.

"Don't try to flirt her like that, Pat!" said Marie. "She's still a kid"

Patrick Sandoval, only later that I remembered his name, looked apologetic, "Oh come on, Maria, that's not the way to talk about your new rookie." Then he addressed me. "You won't be able to tell, but you'll have fun here. Trust me, we have lots to teach ya."

"Alright guys," Marie said. "Let's leave Y/F/N alone for today. We'll see her tomorrow for orientation"

With that, Patrick and the rest of the guys left the locker room. The boys walked past me, laughing loudly, and high-fived me.

And that was when I noticed a man. He was a head taller than me, with dark hair and black eyes. When he faced me, there was a smirk on his face. His lips curled upwards slowly, almost seductively.

His incomprehensible smile and staring eyes, gave me vague fear. I was about to pull my hand back when he promptly caught my hand and held it. A spark shot through my body and I felt goosebumps form on my skin.

I pulled back from him and quickly wiped my hand on my pants, trying to rid myself of that strange feeling.

"Nice to meet you Y/N," he replied.

I knew him, he appeared on every flyer, poster and banner at this Angels Stadium. He was the unicorn of baseball, the guy who'd won every award for excellence.

"Nice to meet you, Ohtani" I said politely, trying to hide my fear.