Roaming Coach...?
I left home and headed to Daejeon Eagles Stadium. It was the same road I always took, but today my heart felt strangely unsettled. It was my first commute not as a player, but as a coach.
I made my way to the operations team in the front office. With the season still underway, the place buzzed with activity. Luckily, my time as a bullpen catcher had gotten me acquainted with a few folks there, so I approached one. "Hye-young, hey."
"Oh? Lee Jin-ho the player... wait, Coach now, right?"
Yoon Hye-young, the agent working operations, greeted me back. She'd clearly heard the news already. I scratched my head awkwardly. "Ah... yeah... somehow it ended up like that..."
"So you're here to sign your first contract today?"
"Yeah...?"
"We were just prepping it. Want to go see the manager first? We'll let you know when it's ready."
"Sounds good. Thanks."
"No biggie. Fighting?!"
The short-haired, cute Yoon Hye-young clasped her hands together to cheer me on.
"Haha, thanks."
It really felt like I was becoming a coach now. Seeing the operations team gearing up for my contract in earnest made it real.
I left operations and headed to the manager's office. Knock knock!
"It's Lee Jin-ho. May I come in?"
I cleared my throat and knocked.
"Yeah. Come in."
Han Seung-chan's gruff voice came from inside. As I entered, he spoke while staring at the TV. "Sit there."
I sat on the sofa as instructed, and only then did he swivel his chair around to face me.
"Ha... Look, Shin Hyun-kyung kept pushing for me to make you a coach, so I'm doing it... but honestly, since it came up—coaching isn't for just anyone, you know?"
"No, sir."
Han Seung-chan didn't seem all that thrilled about me.
"Fine, whatever. You work hard, that's one thing, but coaching's another. Go learn and bust your ass. Got it?"
"Yes, sir. I will."
"Good. Get out."
That was it. I hadn't expected a hero's welcome or anything, but being treated like dead weight still left a sour taste.
"Uh... Manager."
"Hm? What?"
"What'll my coaching position be?"
"Your what?"
There were all sorts of coaching roles: chief coach, pitching coach, hitting coach, battery coach, baserunning coach, and more. I just wanted to know what mine would be.
Han Seung-chan looked like he hadn't even thought about it, pondering for a moment.
"Eh... just roam between first and second army, help the players out. That's it."
"Ah... so, roaming coach?"
Roaming coaches weren't standard on every team. They weren't fixed to first or second army, handled general coaching without specializing like pitching or hitting—focusing intensive training wherever needed, even mental coaching for players. Usually, ex-managers or chief coaches took those roles. Not something for a rookie coach like me.
"Roaming coach? Yeah... something like that."
"Really?"
"Yeah, yeah. Out. I'm busy."
He brushed me off and turned back to the TV, which was playing a variety show rerun. Our team's manager, but not one I could fully trust.
Could a brand-new coach like me really handle roaming coach? I'd just have to check with operations.
Back at operations, I found Yoon Hye-young. "Agent, what does my coaching title say?"
The manager's word felt shaky, so I wanted the official line.
"Huh? Didn't the manager tell you? I sent you to him for that."
She looked puzzled.
"Ah... he did."
"Oh, good. What'd he say?"
"Roaming coach...?"
"What? For real? Wow... Jin-ho, you've got some pull. Guess we need to bump your salary then."
"Huh?!"
"Roaming coaches get more than regular ones. Not a ton since you're at first-year pay, and we'd renegotiate yearly... but yeah."
For a second, I wondered if this was legit.
"So, what's my salary looking like?"
As a bullpen catcher registered as a second-army player, I made a measly 20 million won—barely minimum wage. Coaching should bump it up a bit.
"We had you at 35 million, but roaming coach? At least 60. I'll run it by the team lead."
"Got it."
60 million? Was this for real? Maybe the manager had just tossed it out casually, and I was getting ahead of myself.
Yoon Hye-young went to the operations head and chatted. Suddenly, he scowled, made a call somewhere, hung up, and said something to her. She nodded and headed back my way.
I just stood there, blankly watching it unfold.
"Roaming Coach Lee Jin-ho, looking forward to working with you. The team lead called the manager—it's confirmed."
"Ah... okay..."
Shit... this is real? For real?
"We don't have a roaming coach right now, so we can sign right away. 60 million won good? With experience, it could hit 100 million, but for a first-timer, this feels solid."
"More than enough. Let's do it."
"Great. Should wrap up quick."
Was the club loaded or just sloppy? Handing a roaming coach spot and 60 million to me left me stunned. But soon, Yoon Hye-young and the operations head brought the contract. I inked my thumbprint, and it was done.
Just like that, I took my first step as the Daejeon Eagles' roaming coach.
......
After signing, I went to thank Shin Hyun-kyung—he'd pulled a lot of strings for me.
"Hey! Jin-ho! Contract done?"
"Yeah."
"What position? Figured second-army coaching or something."
"Roaming coach."
"What?"
"Roaming coach."
He double-took like he'd misheard. I repeated it.
"This is insane... for real? That guy's lost it..."
That felt like the right reaction.
"Just came from signing at operations."
"Salary...?"
"60 million."
"Holy shit! Barely less than me!"
"Really?"
Shin Hyun-kyung slapped my back enviously.
"Gotta introduce you to the other coaches, right? Around 1 PM, I'll round everyone up—players and coaches. Say hi then."
"Thanks, Coach."
"Thanks my ass... treat me when you make it big."
"You got it."
He laughed and slapped my back again. His encouragement fired me up.
Yeah. Coach? Piece of cake. Let's do this right.
......
By 1 PM, just as Shin Hyun-kyung said, the auditorium filled with players and coaches from first army, second, and even the farm team.
Players sat in seats; coaches flanked the sides. Most first-army guys were my seniors; the young ones were in second or farm. The coaching staff eyed me with bored indifference—like, the bullpen catcher's suddenly a coach?
Shin Hyun-kyung welcomed me warmly and helped me to the podium.
"Everyone! Here's Lee Jin-ho, starting his new baseball life as a coach today. Give him a hand!"
He amped up his tone to cut the awkward vibe.
Reluctant applause rippled from players and coaches. But the ones I'd helped clapped harder—especially Lee Dong-gun, grinning and pounding it out.
"Ahem..."
I cleared my throat on stage. "As of today, I'm your new roaming coach, Lee Jin-ho. Nice to meet you all."
I started my greeting and resolve, but murmurs erupted—not from players, but coaches.
"What'd he just say? Roaming coach?"
"Yeah, sounds like it? What the hell? Why's he roaming coach?"
I caught the issue from the whispers. Roaming coaches were for vets—basically third in line after manager and chief.
Kwak Min-su, the chief coach, stormed up. "What the hell are you saying? Roaming coach? Why you?"
"Pardon?"
"You know what that job is? Spouting nonsense! Coaching ain't a joke!!"
He blew up at me out of nowhere. I was dumbfounded. The manager assigned it, I signed the contract—why chew me out?
"The manager told me to, and that's what I signed for."
"What? Ugh, that idiot!!"
He spun and stormed off. Most first-army coaches followed.
Left standing alone, I was baffled.
"Okay, things got weird, but let's wrap the intro."
Shin Hyun-kyung smoothed it over. Somehow, I finished greeting the players.
From the jump, things weren't smooth. I could feel it.