Still Not Enough
The shrill blast of the whistle pierced the air. Even through the added time, neither side could force a winner. The match ended in a draw. Both teams walked away with one point, each nursing a deep sense of dissatisfaction. Manchester City, playing at home, felt the frustration keenly. Liverpool, facing a City side that was far from full strength, felt equally disappointed. It was that kind of game.
Hmm. Consistent as always. Ha Sunmoon thought. Criticizing Manchester City seems to be their full-time job. You're just the extra seasoning they sprinkle on top when they want to tear someone down.
After the match, Ha Sunmoon returned home and sat with Harrison, scrolling through the day's articles about the game.
“Yeah, you're right. There's nothing particularly sharp here. Like you said, I think I'll just stop reading this paper from now on. If they're going to write fluff like this, what's the point…”
“I don't know. I thought maybe there'd be some genuinely good pieces that offered real criticism about me or the team — something I could actually learn from.”
Hmm…
Harrison frowned at Sunmoon's words. The boy was maturing faster than he'd expected. It wasn't just about getting his name in the papers anymore. Sunmoon was now actively willing to accept criticism and use it to grow.
I'm the one who should feel ashamed.
In truth, Harrison felt guilty for being the one who had broken Sunmoon's concentration during today's match. But he couldn't help it. It was the Liverpool game — the one he'd longed to see for so long. And not just any seat in the stands, but one close enough to see the players clearly. In that moment, he hadn't been able to remain the coach looking down at Sunmoon. He'd become just another fan, eyes glued to the pitch.
Hmm…
It was pure praise for the match itself. Most of the column focused on the two managers. There was a brief mention of Ha Sunmoon later in the piece, but because he'd answered his mistake with an attacking contribution, there was no major criticism.
“Finally!” Harrison said, as if he'd found something truly noteworthy. “Hmm… it's a bit uncomfortable how directly they're coming at me.”
But since his name was mentioned so explicitly, Sunmoon had no choice but to read it.
Another left-back signed by Manchester City — H. He is a player of South Korean nationality, but spent his youth career in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. After his contract expired, he joined Espanyol. To those unfamiliar with La Liga, H might be an unfamiliar name, but despite his young age, he quickly established himself as a starter for Espanyol's first team. He can be considered a truly remarkable prospect.
What stood out most was his performance against Barcelona and Real Madrid. He showed solid form against strong teams.
But the question remains: is this player's arrival at Manchester City truly helpful? In the match against Liverpool, H's attacking abilities looked quite impressive. What is disappointing, however, is his defensive capability. In the relatively less physical La Liga, H's defensive shortcomings weren't as noticeable. But in the more intense Premier League, his defensive skills appear insufficient.
In that sense, this may not be a successful signing. Manchester City already has an abundance of attacking left-backs. Aggressive passes and crosses with the left foot are something Zinchenko can already do. Dribbling breakthroughs were primarily Cancelo's role, and Cancelo can also deliver excellent passes with his remarkable outside-of-the-foot kicks. Additionally, although currently imprisoned, Benjamin Mendy also demonstrated strong attacking threat from the left-back position with his powerful crosses.
So the arrival of yet another player with a strong attacking profile raises questions about whether it's truly a good thing. To take Manchester City to even greater heights, wouldn't they need a player like Walker who can fulfill a more defensive role? Or… once the center-backs return, using Ake at left-back might not be a bad option. After all, Ake can be seen as a left-back with high defensive ability.
Hmm…
This time, even Harrison was left speechless.
“So Ake can play left-back too. Does that mean my position is still insecure?”
Ake. A Dutch international but homegrown after coming through Bournemouth, the left-footed center-back had been acquired by Manchester City at a reasonable price when Bournemouth were relegated. Of course, in his first year he had looked quite disappointing compared to Ruben Dias and suffered frequent injuries, limiting his appearances. But gradually, his ability was being recognized.
Plus, they're framing your mistake quite nicely… hmm…
“This kind of thing actually helps…”
“It's written right there.”
Harrison didn't quite understand what Sunmoon meant.
“I just have to be better than all the players mentioned here.”
The two moved on to the next article.
Here it comes.
“Hoo…”
BBC. Britain's public broadcaster, known for delivering relatively objective news.
“What?”
But as Sunmoon read, he couldn't help but frown.
— There are reports that Ha Sunmoon currently has a poor relationship with his mother and is therefore skeptical about joining the Korean national team…
The content felt off.
“This is quoting a Korean article that mentions me. And why is there talk about my mom…”
What Sunmoon currently knew about his mother was very little. After persistently asking Lee Ji-seon, he had learned that they had located her. But there was a strong sense that she was avoiding contact, and Ji-seon kept dodging the subject. So it was strange that British media was suddenly bringing up negative stories about Sunmoon and his mother.
Sunmoon immediately opened his phone.
Without hearing Harrison, Sunmoon dialed Lee Ji-seon. The strange news about his mother had made him tune everything else out.
. . .
“Hello.”
“Hello.”
It had been a while since he'd heard a Korean woman's voice.
“Hello, this is Ha Sunmoon.”
“Ah! Hello.”
Lee Ji-seon immediately sensed unease. Usually when Sunmoon contacted her, he sounded unavoidably young. But today his voice was strangely cold… mature, and clearly angry.
“I have one question.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“What's going on with my mother? Why am I learning about her through foreign media?”
“Ah! You haven't seen the Korean articles yet, have you?”
“What?”
“You haven't seen them. Honestly, it's probably better that way.”
It was getting even stranger. When Ji-seon, who had been double-checking, spoke as if it were fortunate he hadn't seen them, Sunmoon's confusion only deepened.
“So… please explain in detail…”
“Right now, because you mentioned the Brazilian national team, the Korea Football Association is in complete chaos. They're ready to do anything to keep you on the Korean national team. Both I and Coach Kang Jeong-ho are working hard for you, but… the people above us don't care about that.”
“What?”
“Ah… it's complicated. The story about your mother… it might actually work out in a positive way for you. Please ignore all the Korean articles. And ignore any foreign articles that quote them as well…”
“But… then…”
“Please trust me. I've been helping you track down your family this whole time, haven't I? The reason I haven't been able to tell you much about your mother is because the situation with her is complicated. I want to help, but there's a wall on her side. Still, please don't think about it too negatively. If we handle this well, it might actually open her heart. While we're working on it, please focus on your football.”
He had called intending to vent his anger, but after listening to Lee Ji-seon, Sunmoon could only quietly hang up the phone.
“She told me to just focus on football.”
“I think I have to wait. For now.”
Sunmoon decided to trust Lee Ji-seon and wait.