Big Clubs Come Calling
Clara, who had been shopping with her friend, was taking a short break at a nearby café. She showed her friend the message from Sunmoon, and the two of them were now trying to figure out how to respond.
“Ah… so what should I do? I told him I’d go on a date if he played well against Real Madrid.”
“Do you want to, or don’t you?”
“It’s a bit ambiguous.”
“Then just say the match ended in a draw, so he didn’t actually do well enough. Problem solved.”
Clara nodded at her friend’s suggestion.
“That’s not bad. I’ll go with that. Oh, right—I also told him I’d be watching from the stadium today.”
“What? But you didn’t go?”
“Of course not. Why would I watch some guy I barely know when I could be shopping with my friend?”
“Aww~ Still, that was a little cold.”
Yet her friend’s expression clearly said she thought Clara had done the right thing.
“By the way, what’s with ‘Diola’?”
“Ah~ That. I hadn’t told you the whole story.”
“As expected—so thorough. Yeah, that’s exactly like you. Listen, you cannot mess around with Real Madrid or Espanyol players. I mean it. Be careful.”
“So… what do I do about this situation?”
“You haven’t replied yet?”
“No. It’s tricky. Feels like a waste to just shut the door completely.”
“You’re so greedy. Then at least tell him he did well. Wait, I watched the clip—he really was good.”
Clara’s friend spoke honestly after viewing Sunmoon’s highlights.
“The way he dribbled against those Real Madrid players reminded me of Ronaldinho or Messi.”
“Come on! It wasn’t that good!”
“See? How can you even think about meeting an Espanyol player after watching that?”
“Hmm… but it still feels like a waste.”
“Then for now… tell him he did well and leave a little wiggle room.”
“You think?”
Clara sent Sunmoon a message.
“How’s that?”
Her friend nodded in approval.
After receiving a hero’s welcome at Raul’s restaurant, Sunmoon returned home feeling pleasantly full and a little heavy. He was still digesting when Felipe called.
“Sunmoon~ You doing okay?”
“Yes! Uncle Felipe.”
Felipe often called when he was away on agent business, but today his voice carried a different tone.
“Uncle, did something good happen?”
“You’re the one who did something good. Because of how well you played today, my workload just exploded.”
“Ah! So that’s it? I did play well, didn’t I!”
Sunmoon answered proudly. He knew Felipe’s words were genuine praise for his performance.
“Do you know what happened because of the show you put on today?”
“Um… not really. What happened?”
Felipe’s voice brimmed with unmistakable delight. It was clearly good news, yet Sunmoon felt a flicker of worry—Felipe rarely got this excited.
“Sunmoon, do you know what’s been the hardest part of my job all these years?”
“Hmm… having to fly all the time?”
“Haha, that’s part of it. But even after all those flights, the hardest thing was when the big clubs wouldn’t even return my calls. I represent my clients, but the teams I can reach depend on my players’ level. I’ve worked hard to open doors to the top clubs, but it rarely worked out.”
Felipe was a respected agent, especially for sending promising Brazilian talents to Europe. Yet “promising” was still far from “elite.” He had never represented an A-list superstar, so his influence didn’t reach the absolute top tier, and his players rarely landed at the very best clubs. His most successful client had only just broken into the lower half of the Premier League. That was why Felipe was thrilled now.
“I thought getting you to Espanyol was already a solid success by my standards, but I clearly underestimated your potential.”
That was why he couldn’t contain his joy—multiple top clubs had reached out within hours.
“A lot of teams have asked about you. Is there any club you’d like to join?”
“A club I want? …Did Madrid call?”
“Madrid? Ah, Real Madrid didn’t. But Atlético Madrid did make an inquiry.”
“Hmm… that’s a little disappointing.”
“You want to go to Real?”
“Of course! Marcelo is there!”
“Hahaha. I see.”
Felipe laughed, reminded for a moment of his own son Lucas, who had once dreamed of playing for Real Madrid. Sunmoon, having come from Fluminense where Marcelo had once played, had every reason to feel the same pull. But Felipe knew it would be difficult. Real already had Vinícius and Rodrygo—two Brazilian attackers—and the limited non-EU quota in La Liga wouldn’t favor a South Korean like Sunmoon. Not wanting to crush the boy’s dream, Felipe changed tack.
“Still, we have plenty of other opportunities. The Premier League’s financial power has grown enormously. You could get better wages and world-class training facilities. Have you thought about any other teams?”
“Then maybe Manchester City or Liverpool.”
Gasp!
Clive was genuinely startled. It had been a long time since Sunmoon named specific clubs so decisively.
“Those two are extremely competitive. They haven’t contacted us yet. Wolverhampton and Tottenham have made inquiries, though.”
“I figured they wouldn’t. Any other teams?”
“Napoli, AC Milan, and Dortmund have also asked about you.”
“Whoa…”
Sunmoon was surprised so many big clubs were interested, yet at the same time a little sad.
“But I don’t want to leave yet. I’ve just started to feel attached to this team… it feels wrong.”
“I understand. Still, as your agent, I’ll keep you updated on any clubs that show serious interest.”
“Okay.”
“And if the club ever treats you unfairly, you must tell me immediately. I won’t stand for it.”
“Got it!”
Sunmoon nodded firmly.
Still feeling unsettled after Felipe’s call, Sunmoon checked the new message from Clara.
“Gasp! Listen—Clive! A message came from her.”
Contact?
“Ah… looks like the date will have to wait a bit longer…”
Clara’s reply wasn’t exactly enthusiastic, and Sunmoon’s shoulders drooped.
“But this is still a good sign, right? It means if I play well next time, she’ll meet me.”
Clive answered vaguely. It was obvious Sunmoon had been hoping for an actual date and was disappointed.
“Yes…”
“Yes, I am.”
“I suppose so.”
Sunmoon felt confused as Clive suddenly grew serious.
Sunmoon was startled.
“No? How could I? We’ve barely even met… I don’t really know her at all.”
Sunmoon didn’t quite understand.
“Why? Isn’t it good to make friends?”
Clive spoke with solemn weight.
“Hmm… I don’t want to. I’m already giving football plenty of attention. I think this much is fine.”
This is trouble… He’s completely fallen for that girl.