Chapter 142 – Episode 140. Precursor. (2)

[Ah, AT Thunders, a shocking 5-game losing streak. You get a sweep against NV Rex. The score is 7:5. Today’s game ends here.]

[The AT Thunders, who changed their lineup today and put a lot of pressure, but in the end, they couldn’t win. Too bad. AT Thunders.]

“If you’re going to do this, listen to me.”

Director Yoon sighed and turned off the TV. In the end, my head was pounding because of coach Sands, who replaced the player only after giving the winning series to NV.

2 wins 9 losses. Miserable grades. The difference in performance with the Volcano Falcons, which are in last place every year, is only one win. It was also lagging behind. And at this point, even at the beginning of the season, it was impossible not to come under pressure from the top.

Not the successor Chun So-young, but the real superior.

-“Commander Yoon. The president is very uncomfortable these days. Do you know why? If this is the case, shouldn’t you think of an extreme method? Losing is not a problem, but they said that my performance was so terrible. Can you please the fans with this performance? It’s been a while since the president came for an outing, and I’m not talking about it.”

Words that clearly imply a change of director. Unlike the matches that have been tossing and turning, the home game against NV Rex was a miserable defeat. In particular, today, the last game, was self-defeating due to mistakes and walks, and it was a performance that I couldn’t bear to open my eyes to.

To think that the president would come to watch a game like this. Sweat drips from your back. Just then, Captain Yoon’s phone rang. It was Chun So-young.

“Ah, Chief Cheon.”

– “Commander. Are you in the office right now? Did you leave work on a day like today?”

If the president came to watch the game, it was only natural that Cheon So-yeong would be next to him. Originally, the leader himself had to see it, but after Chun So-young joined the company, it was Chun So-young’s job to serve the president.

– “Captain?”

The voice stood firm. If this voice was a knife, wouldn’t it have already been decapitated? Captain Yoon, who had a terrifying imagination, soon came to his senses.

“Sure, in the Oval Officehaha.”

Honorifics came out in that cold voice, but Director Yoon continued the conversation with Chun So-young without noticing.

– “You don’t need our conversation, do you? Please gather all the team leaders. Director Sands and coach Lee Soo-hyun in the 2nd division. We need to change the atmosphere.”

“… All right.”

What is to come has come. It was said to be a meeting, but the meaning of a sudden meeting during the season was clear.

‘Maybe they won’t fire director Sands right away. Wouldn’t we see it before the volcano? If the performance was like this before the volcano….’

After hanging up the phone, General Manager Yoon sent a text message to his team leader level staff and second team coach Lee Soo-hyun, and finally called Sands coach.

“[Director, I am the leader.]”

-“[Yes.]”

“[Isn’t the situation in the team very bad right now? I think the front desk and the director need to get together and talk.]”

– “[The story? What are you talking about? I did as the front desk told me. Kang Hee-seok was asked to be removed, so I removed it, and Yoon Seong-tae was added. By the way, is it a story?]”

Subtracted subtracted Although it was today. However, following the words of the front desk when losing is already confirmed is just a shame. Director Yoon and director Sands knew that.

“[Under…. Wasn’t that too late? I should have changed at least from Tuesday, so I won’t take the director’s side. Let’s meet and talk.]”

-“[Ha…. All right.]”

“[Sorry. Director. Well…. The upper line is about to run out of patience. I think the volcanic transition is probably important.]”

Still, Captain Yoon gives one last favor to his partner, who has been working together for two years.

– “[It’s done. A team like a volcano, can’t they win? I will catch the atmosphere before the volcano and go up.]”

“[I wish I did, too. Ha. Wouldn’t that require close cooperation between the front desk and the field? We also need to change the atmosphere of the team. Let’s talk about the players we will bring to Daejeon.]”

-“[Ha…. Oh yeah. I’ll get it right away. I will go to the office.]”

*

It’s cold. It wasn’t that the spring breeze was cold, it was too cold on the way home from work. In fact, there were quite a few people who came to get autographs in the first match against NV Rex, but today was so desolate.

I was the youngest among the first team players, so I came out later than the other players because I had to organize this and that, but if it was normal, it would have been more than this….

‘One, two, three. Are the three the end?’

On the day I hit the end, I even went to the parking lot, but on my way home from work without fans, I looked a little lonely.

“Fire Tiger! Well done today!”

“Aww, you’re doing well. I should have won, sorry.”

“But these days, because of Maengho, I enjoy watching it! If I wasn’t a real fierce tiger player, I would have given up baseball this year.”

“Even if it’s not me, please support me a lothaha.”

“Here, under the number, please!”

“Yes Yes.”

“Will you win against the volcano? If I get swept away by that real volcano, I will write AT Thunders in my suicide note and commit suicide.”

Oh, the face is pretty and the mouth is rough. When I sign autographs, I realize all over again that there are all kinds of people.

“I will try to win one.”

“One win?”

“… 2 wins?”

“I believe. Jimen.”

“Jimen?”

“A rookie debuted at second base, which had been vacant for 20 years. It is a god for the fans.”

… There are definitely a lot of weird people out there. Nice to hear

“It’s nice to hear. Okay, the signature is done.”

“Then, have a good time at work.”

‘Since there are not many fans, we have plenty of time to talk. Maybe something like this wouldn’t be bad.’

“Mr. Maeng Ho, please sign me too.”

“Yes.”

“It was a bit disappointing today, but from tomorrow you will start the home run again, right?”

“Well, I will try.”

For me to share more than two words with a male fan…. I definitely felt that no one was there.

Finally, I signed an autograph for a male fan and looked around again, but no one approached me anymore. As I trudged to the parking lot, I saw Woo Kwan-hyung smoking a cigarette in front of the parking lot.

‘Why is that incarnation of self-management smoking?’

It was the first time I saw Woo Kwan-hyung smoking, so the reason was a little surprising. While preparing for the season, I approached Woo Kwan-hyung because I had never seen him even though I had been around for almost two months.

In fact, the dinner party on Sunday was also a team meeting disguised as a dinner party, so I drank alcohol.

“Sir, did you smoke? I had no idea.”

“Oh, is it Maengho? You came quickly.”

“Yes. Maybe it’s because there aren’t many fans in front of me, so I came right away.”

“It’s good that there are no fans.”

“What is that… ?”

A man who loves AT fans as much as he loves AT Thunders, would say something like this?

“You’re on a losing streak, don’t you know what it means when there are fans gathering on the way home from work?”

“I do not know? Does that mean the fans are that passionate?”

“It means it’s fucked up. The team is on a losing streak, and the fans are gathering and screaming on the way home from work. Eww….”

Suddenly, Wu Guan-hyung shuddered. It must have been that kind of experience. Well, I’ve been playing for 20 years and it’s more strange that nothing like that has happened.

“I guess so. I should say I’m glad I’m not at that level yet. By the way, senior. What about cigarettes… ?”

“Do you not smoke?”

“Yes. What.”

It wasn’t that I hated smoking, but I didn’t smoke because I had no reason to smoke.

“Who is that senior? You don’t normally smoke.”

“I also smoked a lot in my twenties.”

“Then you hung up? I haven’t smoked one in almost two months.”

“Cut off. Be patient. Then, on a day like today, I only smoke one.”

Right wing…. This filthy bastard. I’ve heard that it’s harder to smoke once in a while than to quit completely. No, in the first place, when I was in my twenties, I smoked a lot and stopped smoking was poisonous. Is that why you’ve been playing baseball for over forty?

‘What’s so great about playing baseball until 40?’

‘How long has Mr. Rossby been doing this?’

‘Forty one if you count the things you did while supervising in your later years? In this country, it would be about forty-two or three.’

The fact that Rossby played while coaching was more surprising than the fact that he had played baseball for over 40 years. Is this ancient major league?

“You don’t smoke in the first place. Cigarettes are poison to athletes.”

… A regular line of people who smoke came out. But for some reason, it feels like Woo Kwan-hyung is giving me some advice, is it because of my mood?

“By the way, aren’t cigarettes poisonous to ordinary people too?”

“Ha, talk back to him. There is no way to say ‘I understand’ when a senior says it.”

“Senior, you really look like an old man.”

“Hey, let’s not talk. You’re being cocky just because you’re doing well these days.”

“Ah, I’m playing well these days. I hit it well.”

“Yeah, good. I used to fly when I was your age too. Oh yeah.”

“Yes, well, you must have.”

“Eh. You…. Done. Just go What’s good about sniffing cigarette smoke?”

“You are curious. Why do you smoke? Come to think of it, what day is a day like today? Lost day? So you didn’t quit?”

I don’t know, but how many consecutive losses have the AT Thunders had over the past 10 years? I don’t know, but if I smoked every time the team lost in a row, it would have been no different from just smoking.

“What day is it? Hey. Did you go to the club office as soon as the coach finished today?”

“Is it?”

Even after the game was over, I wasn’t free enough to pay attention to the coach, so I didn’t know that until then.

“Do you know how many coaches I have seen in my 20 years of professional life? There are twelve twelve people. If you look at it on average, you can’t hold out for 2 years and leave all of them. Most of them voluntarily resigned.”

The voluntary resignation of a professional baseball manager was synonymous with dismissal. Since he started playing baseball in Korea, the final destination of his dream is to become a professional baseball coach. Even a man who said he would step out of the baseball world after retiring was a professional baseball coach who came running to the question, “Do you want to coach the KBA?”

There are only 10 jobs in Korea. Professional baseball manager. It was natural that a person who had played baseball for a lifetime could not voluntarily resign from such a dream position, and the word voluntarily resigned was just a word to protect the honor of the manager.

And there was only one reason why Woo Kwan-hyung was bringing up these words.

“Then, the director… ?”

“Yes, it is probably dangerous. Whoa…. Until last year, he was a decent director….”

“Do you usually cut this fast?”

“Because if it’s too late, the season will end. We are not a club that is rebuilding. If you’re stuck at the bottom like this, you can’t help but be angry at the top. Well, what can I do?”

“You’re not going to cut it right away, are you?”

“Maybe Volcano War or the next series, JT War, will be a watershed. So, shouldn’t we do better tomorrow? Let’s do it well. Don’t get sick like today.”

“Ah, that was just unlucky. Go in a straight line. Other than that, he had two hits.”

“Yes, yes. Well done.”

Just in time, Woo-gwan-hyung’s cigarettes were all burnt out. Perhaps, like this cigarette, director Sands’ speed is burning?

‘I have to do really well tomorrow. Director Sands. He trained a little, but he didn’t seem like a bad person.’

‘How do you know if he’s bad or not?’

‘I put a rookie as my main player, but he’s a good person. Of course.’

Compared to bastards like Lee Ki-cheol, Sans is an angel. Angel.

‘Tsk, do you know what kind of manager is a good manager in the baseball world?’

‘What is it?’

‘He is a winning manager. 사람이 좋아 봐야 경기에서 지면 천하의 개새끼가 따로 없는 법이지.’

‘Then we should work hard tomorrow to make our boss.’

… However, when I saw today’s performance, I had an ominous feeling that I would probably become an asshole.