A Promise Fulfilled
After the South Korean national team conceded five goals in the U-17 Brazil World Cup, their strikers played the ball back to midfield from the kickoff. Defensive midfielder Eom Hyun-mook saw Ha Sunmoon gesturing for it as he pushed forward and delivered a crisp pass.
- Ha Sunmoon is advancing! He's taken the ball and is surging up the pitch with real intent.
- Angelo's goal seems to have lit a fire under him.
As Ha Sunmoon nudged the ball forward and drove upfield, the entire left side of the team began to surge in support. The Brazilians, however, were not about to sit back. Their right-sided attacking midfielder stepped out to cut off his path.
Ha Sunmoon continued to dribble at pace, and Brazil's right winger closed in from his blind side to apply pressure.
From his elevated view, Harrison offered two excellent options. Ha Sunmoon ignored them both. He shaped as if to pass right, then suddenly cut left with a sharp dribble, leaving the attacking midfielder in his wake.
- Ha Sunmoon! He's beaten his man and raced past the halfway line!
- The left side is completely open! Brazil's defensive midfielder is rushing across to close him down.
Once the opposing defensive midfielder clamped onto him, Ha Sunmoon slipped a quick pass to the left winger and immediately continued his run into the space behind the right back. Kang Min-woo received the ball, took a touch, and began drifting inside, searching for an opening.
The Brazilian defensive midfielder, center back, and right back had cut off all the obvious passing lanes to the other forwards. When Kang Min-woo glanced left again, he spotted Ha Sunmoon ghosting deep into enemy territory.
Kang Min-woo threaded a precise pass. Ha Sunmoon took it cleanly and drove into the final third. The right back blocked his path, but this time Ha Sunmoon cut inside, slipped past him into the penalty area, and fired a shot.
- Ha Sunmoon shooooooots!
The Brazilian goalkeeper flung himself across goal. The ball arrowed toward the far post, but the keeper got a strong hand to it and punched it clear.
- Goalkeeper punches it away! The ball doesn't travel far enough, though, and a Korean forward is already charging in.
- It's loose! The second ball drops right in front of Kim Jun-ho!
Kim Jun-ho swung his leg.
- Shoooooooots!
The ball flew true.
- Goooooooal! Kim Jun-ho levels the score!
"Yeeeees!"
"Get in!"
"Nice one!!!"
Kim Jun-ho clenched his fist and sprinted toward the sea of red-clad Korean supporters. Ha Sunmoon and the rest of the team followed, roaring with them in shared celebration.
- South Korea is showing Brazil they won't be pushed around!
Ha Sunmoon steadied his breathing and jogged back into position. There was no time to bask in the moment. More than thirty minutes still remained. Even without Harrison's reminder, he ran a swift internal check on his condition.
"No time for that. I don't want to show a single bad moment today."
Though Ha Sunmoon held a deep affection for Brazil, he had no intention of handing them the trophy without a fight. That had been the promise between them: when they met, there would be no favors, only their absolute best.
The final whistle blew—peeeep—peeeep—peeeeeeeeep. Players across the pitch collapsed where they stood, utterly spent.
"Haa… haa…"
Ha Sunmoon dropped to the grass and lay on his back, staring up at the vast Brazilian sky.
- The 2019 U-17 Brazil World Cup has been won by Brazil.
The match had been ferocious. The tense, goalless first half had exploded into an all-out attacking battle after the break as both sides chased every possible goal. Brazil had shown moments of defensive control, but the Korean team simply could not contain Angelo's dazzling individual skill on the right.
After the final whistle, the awards ceremony began. Ha Sunmoon and his teammates stood on the stage and watched the Brazilian players celebrate wildly.
"Whooooaaa!"
"Yeeeeeesssss!"
The Korean squad observed Brazil's victory lap in silence.
"Tsk."
"So close…"
Runners-up received medals, but to the players it felt like nothing at all. They had come within touching distance of lifting the trophy themselves, and the disappointment showed.
Against a vastly superior squad and with their own stamina failing, a 5-3 scoreline against the tournament favorites was no small feat. Far from the predicted early exit, reaching the final meant they had already surpassed every expectation.
"Sunmoon, you worked incredibly hard."
Coach Kang Jeong-ho patted him on the shoulder.
"We all did. Sigh… we gave it our maximum, but this was our limit."
"Not at all. You played brilliantly. Without your constant drive from the back, we never would have come back into the game."
Ha Sunmoon had recorded one assist and two key passes. He had been at the heart of every Korean goal and defended with total commitment. The coach could not have asked for more.
"You covered the most distance and made the most sprints of anyone. What more could I possibly demand? Thank you. I hope you'll keep joining us for the national team. Thanks to you, the left-back position is no longer a worry."
"Yes, sir. I understand."
Ha Sunmoon bowed deeply to Coach Kang Jeong-ho.
"Right, then when we fly back… Ah, you're heading straight to Spain, aren't you?"
"Yes. But first… there's somewhere in Brazil I need to visit before I return."
"I see. Rest well."
Thus the intense three-week tournament came to an end. As promised, Ha Sunmoon did not board a flight directly to Spain. There was one last stop he needed to make.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Home of the towering Christ the Redeemer and breathtaking beaches. This was the city where Ha Sunmoon had truly learned the game of football and where his memories of Lucas still lived.
"Ha! It's been far too long! And Mr. Felipe has returned with you."
"Hello, Aunt Maria. Is Merona ice cream still selling like crazy?"
"Of course. It's as popular as ever."
"Good to see you, Maria. We stopped by briefly so Ha and I could visit my son's grave together."
Ha Sunmoon and Felipe made their way through the old neighborhood where they had once lived, heading toward the cemetery. In this middle-class district, the public graveyard sat peacefully alongside the houses. While such proximity might lower property values in Korea, many countries actually preferred having resting places close to the living.
The pair stepped through the cemetery gates.
Lucas's short life was engraved on the stone. Ha Sunmoon glanced at Felipe. The man who always spoke with such warmth now stood with a face already close to tears. When Felipe remained frozen in place, Ha Sunmoon stepped forward first.
"Hey, Lucas. I came with Uncle Felipe. I'm sorry I ran away from Brazil after you died."
Ha Sunmoon gently laid the flowers he had brought before the grave.
"Still, I managed to sign with Espanyol in Spain. Felipe is my agent, of course. Honestly, I probably wouldn't have gotten the contract without him. My situation was pretty bad back then."
Kneeling, Ha Sunmoon brushed dust from the headstone with his hand.
"And I kept my promise—I played in the Brazil tournament and we finished as runners-up. Brazil won, naturally. I saw Angelo there. He was still ridiculously good. If you'd been with us, the game would have been over by halftime. We would have been crushed."
Under his careful touch, the dust vanished and the smooth black stone gleamed.
"I kept every promise I made to you and Uncle Felipe. So… I finally have the right to stand here, don't I? I'm sorry it took me so long."
His throat tightened.
"Every time I'm on the pitch… I think about it. How much I wish I could play with you again. I think that's why I've been sulking and complaining during matches all this time."
Clear droplets fell one by one onto the polished stone.
"Now that I've kept every promise and seen you again, I'll stop the tantrums. I'll work hard—for myself, and for you."
Ha Sunmoon wiped his streaming tears and rose to his feet.
"So… I'll come back whenever the memories hit me. And I'll come back successful. I promise."