The Small Hero
"Ah… so now you and I have something to do together?" Marcelo said, stopping mid-stride as he walked with an arm around Ha Sunmoon's shoulders.
Uneasy. This feels uneasy.
"I was really impressed by your performance today. Not many players can play that well against Real Madrid. And there aren't many left-backs as good as you."
Marcelo peeled off his jersey and held it out. "Here. Sunmoon. Take it."
"Whoa…"
Ha Sunmoon froze the moment the jersey touched his hands.
"In return, could you give me yours?"
"Me? Of course."
After a brief moment of flustered hesitation, Ha Sunmoon hurriedly stripped off his own jersey and handed it over.
"Anyway… welcome to La Liga. I hope you keep improving and we get to see you at Real Madrid someday."
"Huk! Yes! I'll work hard and make it to Real Madrid!"
"I'm joking. For now, just enjoy the draw with your teammates. Your fans really like you."
"Yes!"
Marcelo pointed toward the stands, and Ha Sunmoon nodded in understanding.
"And… if you ever come to Madrid, give me a call. I'd like to invite you over sometime."
"Really?"
"Of course."
Marcelo gave Ha Sunmoon's shoulder a couple of friendly pats before heading back to the locker room.
ZZZZZEEEEENNNN— NO! Absolutely not! Who the hell is this guy? I can't let Real Madrid steal him!!
Harrison's distant scream echoed in his mind, but Ha Sunmoon could only stare blankly at the jersey in his hands.
Everyone has a different answer when asked who their most admired player is. For most, it's Ronaldo at Real Madrid or Messi at Barcelona. But if you asked Ha Sunmoon, his answer was always Marcelo of Real Madrid.
Once his conversation with Marcelo ended, Raúl de Tomás came looking for him.
"What, you got a jersey?"
"Yeah… it feels like a dream."
"Why? Was he your favorite player?"
Ha Sunmoon nodded.
"Well, congratulations. Shall we go greet the fans?"
"Ah! Yes! Let's go."
Still dazed, Ha Sunmoon headed toward the home supporters. Fans who had been impressed by his performance cheered loudly whenever he passed, and he responded with applause.
"Vamos! Sunmoon!"
Back in the locker room, an excited Raúl de Tomás, still buzzing from his goal, greeted him again.
"Uwaaaah!"
"You were brilliant. You're getting the MVP today."
"Haha… thank you."
Just as he finished talking with Raúl de Tomás, another voice called out from behind.
"You were outstanding today! Really. Without you, we wouldn't have even earned that single point."
It was manager Pablo Machín. The draw against Real Madrid had put him in an excellent mood—especially since it had come at a time when the team's atmosphere was far from ideal. His job felt a little safer now.
More players trickled into the locker room, each stopping to tell Ha Sunmoon he'd done well. The attention was a little overwhelming, but he was slowly trying to blend into the team.
* * *
When Ha Sunmoon got home, he collapsed onto his bed. Everything that had happened today still felt unreal—especially exchanging jerseys with Marcelo and even swapping contact details. That alone was an enormous achievement.
Damn… I've completely fallen for Marcelo. What am I supposed to do now?
Watching Ha Sunmoon beam happily at the jersey, Harrison fell into deep thought.
…I guess I have no choice. I didn't want to use this method, but…
[Kid?]
"What is it, Harrison hyung?"
[That… girl. Apparently she came to the stadium. Did you see her?]
"Ah! I completely forgot! What do I do?!"
Only then did Ha Sunmoon remember Diola and shot upright.
"Uh… what should I do? I didn't contact her at all or even try to find her in the stands…"
[So contact her!]
Harrison had no choice but to cover one problem with another. The pretty blonde girl might slow Ha Sunmoon's growth, but it was still better than letting Real Madrid snatch him away so easily. At least this way, his attention could be diverted elsewhere for a while.
Following Harrison's advice, Ha Sunmoon quickly checked his phone.
"Hmm… no messages yet. What do I do?"
[It's after the match. She probably went home by now, so maybe she'll message you soon? Or… maybe she's waiting for you to reach out first?]
How could I forget something like that? I even skipped the celebration and went straight to the center just to look good for Diola… Ah! Maybe she's not replying because we only drew? I should've played better and won…
Ha Sunmoon sank into worry.
— Hey? Diola?
He sent the message just in case, but no reply came.
"Huu… Harrison hyung. I did pretty well today, right?"
[Of course! If you hadn't played well, none of your teammates would've either!]
"Huu… I said we'd win, but we only drew. Do you think that's why she's not replying?"
[No way! You were incredible!]
Seeing Ha Sunmoon looking glum, Harrison reluctantly came up with another idea.
[Kid, aren't you hungry? You ate after the match, but you need more food than that!]
Grumble.
Perhaps because of his insane work rate during the game, the moment Harrison mentioned food, Ha Sunmoon's stomach growled loudly. He stood up.
"Uh… I guess so. I'm hungry."
[Good! So where should we go?]
"Raul's place!"
[Exactly! Go to Raul's restaurant and show off a little. Most of his customers are Espanyol fans, right? Those parrots will go crazy when you walk in.]
"Got it!"
Since he was hungry anyway, Ha Sunmoon headed to Raul's restaurant as Harrison suggested. It was better than sitting around waiting for Diola's message like an idiot.
* * *
"Everyone seems to be in a good mood today?"
"Of course! Raul! You saw the result!"
Raul was in high spirits, and so were the customers who kept coming in. Espanyol had lost to Real Madrid for a long time, but today they had finally managed a draw. On top of that, a youth player named Ha Sunmoon had made a surprise start, provided an assist, and played a huge role in earning that precious point. When the youth team did well, everyone felt even better. Raul and the customers inside the restaurant exchanged cheerful greetings while eating.
"Hello, Raul!"
"Sunmoon!! Our hero came to my restaurant today!"
Raul greeted him enthusiastically.
"Sunmoon?"
"Huh?"
"You mean that kid who played left-back today?"
"Whoa! It's really him!"
The restaurant instantly grew noisy. Ha Sunmoon scratched his cheek, a little overwhelmed by the much greater attention compared to before.
"Haha… hello. By the way, I'm really hungry, sir. I ran a lot today!"
"Hungry!! I'll make you anything you want today!"
"Just paella is fine…"
"Paella!? No way! Wait right there! I'm going to prepare something really special today. Sit over there for now."
"Okay!"
[Whoa… they're treating you really well today.]
"Uh… yeah."
Ha Sunmoon was flustered by Raul's over-the-top reaction. Soon he could feel every customer in the restaurant staring at him.
"Um… it's a bit much, all this staring…"
[You'll have to get used to it. You're a pretty famous player in this area now. Instead… coming to places like this often isn't a bad idea. Communicating with local fans is good for you.]
Harrison was used to this sort of thing. Especially in England, where it had once been common for footballers to have a drink with fans at the pub. Though modern players avoided it more for fitness reasons, in Harrison's era it had been another way for players and supporters to show mutual respect and enjoy the culture together.
"Mmm… still, it's a lot of pressure."
Just as Ha Sunmoon was barely managing to endure the attention, Raul came bustling over with a loud clatter.
"Sunmoon! Take this!"
He placed a smaller-than-usual portion of paella on the table.
"Hmm? This isn't much…"
"I know! More is coming. The chef is preparing something amazing right now."
"Really?"
"After playing such a tough match, replenishing your energy is the most important thing."
Soon the waitstaff brought over several more plates—enormous sausages, octopus dishes, and beef, all prepared in generous portions.
"Uh… Raul?"
"What is it?"
"Isn't this too much?"
"You can leave some! It's fine!"
"Uh… okay. Then, thank you for the meal."
Though a little overwhelmed, Ha Sunmoon decided to enjoy the food since they'd gone to so much trouble preparing it.
* * *
"Whoa! They say Real Madrid drew today!"
"What?"
Diola, who had gone shopping with a friend, was startled by what her friend said.
"Don't lie. How could the 19th-placed team draw against the 1st-placed team?"
"It's true! Real Madrid drew at Espanyol's home!"
Diola immediately opened her phone to check the result.
"Oh! It really happened! At this rate, we might win the league. I never imagined Espanyol would help us like this."
"Ah~ what a shame. The forum says Espanyol completely dominated in the second half. Tch, if only they'd played a little better and won."
"Such a waste."
"Oh! They say the new youth player did really well?"
"Youth player?"
Diola's eyebrows twitched at the mention of a youth player.
"Yeah. His name is pretty funny. Something like 'Ha'? Apparently he got an assist today and played really well."
Bzzt.
Diola checked her phone after receiving a message.
— Hey? Diola?
"By the way…"
"Huh? What?"
"Would you believe me if I said I know that player?"
"No way~"
Diola showed her friend the message with a satisfied smile.
"Whoa~ you're crazy! He's an Espanyol player!"
"Well~ we're just acquaintances who said hello once."
Diola grinned, looking pleased with herself.