A Rookie In The Baseball Team Is Too Good [EN]: Chapter 270

68. A Cup of Warm Cocoa (2)

Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays.

In the basement level 2 of this stadium were the following facilities:

An electrical room supplying power to the entire building, a pump room for managing heavy rain, and four warehouses used by various departments of the club.

The fourth warehouse, located in the far corner, was the newly assigned office for the Future Strategy and Planning Department.

Its official name was ‘Storage D’.

It was said to be where outdated inventory from the club’s fan shop had been stored until last year.

“……”

Jiseop, entering ‘Storage D’ for the first time with John Llama, was speechless for a moment.

‘Wow, you could play catch in here.’

It was incredibly spacious, likely due to its former use as a warehouse.

The problem was the mere two desks in the vast office.

Oh, wait. Looking closer, there was a curtained-off area on one side.

“What’s… that over there?”

Breaking the long silence, Jiseop asked John Llama.

And the club owner’s son’s answer was quite surprising.

“Ah, that’s my living space.”

“Living space?”

“Yeah, a bed, drawers, a wardrobe… stuff like that.”

John Llama scratched the back of his head.

“My father took back the house I was staying in.”

Since he was currently short on funds, he planned to stay there for a month. Once his next salary arrived, he’d immediately find a place and move his things.

The office was large enough to live in for three or four months without issue, but Jiseop couldn’t help but ask.

“Taylor, what on earth happened?”

Jiseop looked at John Llama.

“Wasn’t the season ticket issue resolved? You sold a total of 99 tickets. I heard the owner praised you highly?”

“Yes, he did.”

“Then what is all this? I understand the office being moved to the basement, but all the team members are gone, and you’ve set up a home here…”

What had transpired during his two days in Boston?

John Llama’s answer was entirely unexpected.

“Well… the external audit results came out.”

[External audits are common in US sports, where independent firms assess a team’s operations.]

John Llama continued.

“The Tampa Bay Rays conducts external audits every two to three years.”

He explained it differed from a typical financial audit.

A sports analysis firm specializing in professional clubs would inspect the club’s overall operational status.

They’d assess the prospect development plan, the effectiveness of power analysis, and the systematic management of players.

American professional sports clubs periodically identified their problems through these external audits.

‘Wow, America is definitely different.’

If he’d known about this service sooner, the KH Cannons’ dark age could have been much shorter.

Properly identifying the club’s problems could have led them to the Korean Series championship much faster.

Should he find the contact information for that sports analysis firm and inform Director Seo Chang-gi in Korea?

The thought briefly crossed his mind, but Jiseop decided to focus on the immediate issue.

“So, what were the results of that external audit?”

“Well, you probably guessed it…”

John Llama lowered his head slightly.

“The abolition or significant reduction of the Future Strategy and Planning Department… That’s what the audit results said.”

“No, what have you been doing all this time… Haa, never mind. Let’s not talk about it.”

There was no need to delve into the Future Strategy and Planning Department’s past.

With the main director, John Llama, running around catching alligators, what else could be expected?

The employees under him were simply being shuffled around to assist other departments.

In the eyes of the external audit firm, the Future Strategy and Planning Department was expendable.

“But, still… it’s the result of a negotiation with my father.”

John Llama said cautiously.

“My father was going to get rid of the Future Strategy and Planning Department right away, but I worked hard to persuade him, so I was able to salvage it to this extent.”

The price of the negotiation was the house John Llama had been staying in, the car he had been driving, and several cards he had been using lavishly.

In exchange for returning all of that to his father, John Llama was able to save the Future Strategy and Planning Department.

“But… why?”

It was an obvious question.

“I can understand the house, but weren’t the car and cards things you cherished? When did you ever throw a fit like you were about to die without them?”

Why give up all the comforts of being the club owner’s son?

Why protect this Future Strategy and Planning Department to such an extent?

John Llama’s answer was concise.

“Because I secured Kim.”

The club owner’s son even looked smug.

“While selling season tickets with Kim, I felt it for the first time in a long time.”

The feeling of everything falling into place.

The feeling of things going well.

John Llama said he enjoyed that feeling immensely.

“It’s rewarding to get rid of alligators, and it’s fun to drink heavily with friends… But it’s not as good as the feeling when things are going smoothly.”

“……”

“That’s why I thought I had to catch Kim, and I managed to keep Kim here with great difficulty. But if the Future Strategy and Planning Department disappears? Then I have to send Kim, who I’ve already caught, to another team.”

He continued.

“So I made a deal with my father. Even if I give up all the other conditions, I decided to leave the Future Strategy and Planning Department alone.”

John Llama looked determined.

“If I leave the Future Strategy and Planning Department alone and work happily with Kim here… I can easily get the car and card back.”

And Jiseop caught John Llama’s inner thoughts.

[If I do that, someday… won’t I be able to get recognition from my father? As someone worthy of inheriting the Tampa Bay Rays?]

A sly smile appeared on Jiseop’s lips.

‘I thought he was a sloth living without any thoughts… It seems he desires the Tampa Bay Rays.’

Yeah, that could be.

Even sloths, who live leisurely lives, are greedy for the branches they cling to.

To secure more delicious and healthier leaves, sloths compete fiercely.

With these thoughts, Jiseop quietly looked around the problematic ‘Storage D’.

“……”

The situation was undeniably dire.

It wasn’t about the office environment, but the fact that they were relegated to such a secluded place indicated the Future Strategy and Planning Department’s low standing within the club.

It meant people considered it unnecessary, avoided involvement, and therefore, producing plausible results would be difficult.

Honestly, the old Jiseop would have considered escaping immediately.

‘Of course, that’s true but…….’

But now, he felt like he could do it.

He felt he could win people’s support, make everyone want this place, and create surprising results.

Jiseop knew this confidence stemmed from his experiences with the KH Cannons over the past two years.

So, he spoke.

“Okay.”

Jiseop turned to John Llama.

“If you say so, Taylor, I will work hard for you. For this Future Strategy and Planning Department, for you, Taylor.”

“Oh!”

John Llama’s expression brightened.

“Really? That’s a relief. I was worried you’d leave after seeing the office…”

So, the office doesn’t matter.

Jiseop grumbled inwardly, but said with a serious expression.

“Instead, there are three conditions. If you accept them, I will work without complaint.”

“C, conditions? What….”

Jiseop raised a finger.

“First, I’m tired of adding the honorific ‘Mr. Taylor’. From now on, I’ll just call you Llama.”

“Ah, yes! Go ahead! I told you that from the beginning.”

John Llama beamed.

“Second, since you’ve decided to entrust me with the work, I hope you’ll follow my advice unconditionally. It’s cumbersome to explain everything.”

He set this condition to avoid revealing his mind-reading ability, but John Llama readily accepted.

“Yes, go ahead! There’s a high possibility I won’t understand even if you explain it!”

John Llama asked with the most innocent expression.

“What is the third?”

“The third is…”

Perhaps the most basic thing.

And what he wanted to point out since their first meeting.

“Alligator.”