A Heavy Heart and a Red-Haired Storm
I was a car. The next day, after finishing training at the club, Ha Sunmoon arrived at Uncle Raul’s restaurant.
“Sunmoon, how did training go?” Raul greeted him warmly, but Ha Sunmoon didn’t look particularly cheerful.
“Mm… It was okay, I guess.”
“Why do you seem so down? Did training not go well?”
“Uh… yeah. It was just average.”
“I don’t know what’s going on, but this is exactly when you need to pick yourself up.”
Yet Ha Sunmoon barely reacted to Raul’s words.
“Hmm, you must be a bit tired today.”
“Ah! No… it’s not that. I’m just… feeling a little off.”
Raul could tell something was wrong with Ha Sunmoon, but since the boy insisted he was fine, he decided not to press further.
“Since you’re here, eat something delicious and get your energy back. You’ll have paella again today, right?”
At the word paella, Ha Sunmoon grew even gloomier.
This sucks… Just hearing about paella made me even more depressed.
Harrison, noticing the boy’s mood, looked at him with a touch of pity.
“Um… Instead of paella… could I have what you gave me before?”
“What you had before? You mean the sausage and steak?”
Ha Sunmoon nodded. Raul found it quite surprising that the boy would choose something other than paella.
“Actually… could I have chicken or fish instead?”
“Chicken or fish? Hmm… We’re not really a place that specializes in those, so chicken might be difficult. But fish… I could ask the chef to make something special for you.”
“Really? Then I’ll have the fish dish, please.”
“Alright. I’ll speak to the chef today.”
“Thank you.”
But why the sudden change in what he eats…? Did something happen?
“Is this because you want more protein?”
“Uh… yes. That’s right.”
“Aha! So that’s why you asked about the previous dish?”
“Exactly.”
Raul sensed that Ha Sunmoon was managing his diet. Since the boy was now an important player for Espanyol, Raul wanted to do whatever he could to help.
“If you need a lot of protein, I can prepare various pork and beef dishes for you. Should I start getting those ready from now on?”
But Ha Sunmoon shook his head firmly.
“No, that’s okay.”
“Hmm… Not a fan of meat? Then how about octopus?”
“Octopus?”
Ha Sunmoon thought about octopus dishes. Since Diola had never mentioned anything about octopus, he pondered for a while.
“If you want good protein, seafood is usually the way to go. Octopus is excellent too.”
“I see. Then octopus should be fine.”
Something must have happened during training today! Could it be that he hasn’t recovered and won’t be able to play in the cup match?
“Are you suddenly eating more protein because of the cup competition?”
“It’s not that. I’ve been left out of the cup squad.”
Kid, you shouldn’t just tell outsiders things like that. No matter how close they are or how big a fan they might be.
Ah… right.
Although Ha Sunmoon wasn’t actually too upset about being excluded, Raul was now certain that the exclusion was what had drained the boy’s energy.
That’s it! He played so well against Real Madrid, but they left him out because his recovery was slow. That’s why he’s so down!
To confirm his theory, Raul asked one more question.
“So are you planning to stop eating paella completely from now on?”
“Mm… No, not really.”
“Not really?”
“Yeah. Paella is my favorite food, and I can still eat it before matches.”
Just as I thought! He loves paella so much, but he’s forcing himself to manage his diet! In that case, I have to make sure he can perform at his best.
“Understood. Then tell me anytime you want something. I’ll speak to the chef and have special menus prepared for you every time. I’ll get chicken ready for next time too.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Of course. You’re a precious player for our Espanyol. And our chef is quite talented. As long as we have the ingredients, he can make anything.”
Raul pointed toward the kitchen as he spoke.
“So just wait a little. I’ll have your dish ready soon.”
With that, Raul headed to the kitchen to request the special order, and Ha Sunmoon waited for his food.
Chew chew.
While Ha Sunmoon was slowly eating the dish that had arrived, an unwelcome guest walked in.
Thud, thud.
Oh no… Of all the times…
Harrison muttered as if something that shouldn’t have come had arrived. Ha Sunmoon paused mid-bite at Harrison’s words and looked around.
In Ha Sunmoon’s eyes, he saw the red-haired girl entering Raul’s restaurant.
Ugh… Why did she have to show up now? And why is she even here? I wish she’d just keep her mouth shut today.
Ha Sunmoon stared at Annie as she entered. Annie also spotted him.
“Hmph!”
The moment Annie saw Ha Sunmoon, she responded with full force.
“What’s with her again? Hello, Sunmoon.”
Unlike their daughter, Annie’s parents greeted Ha Sunmoon warmly. The whole family were Espanyol fans, so Annie’s parents liked him.
“Hmph! No need to say hello. That guy’s a bad player.”
“Annie? You can’t say things like that.”
This time even Annie’s father couldn’t hold back and firmly grabbed her.
“That’s right, Annie. You shouldn’t do that. Hello, Sunmoon!”
Vegas, who played for the B team, had come along today as well and scolded his sister the same way.
“Apologize right now. He’s a very important player for Espanyol. He’s not someone who should be hearing this from you.”
“Of course, that was true before too, but today we’re not letting it slide.”
Whoa. Now both father and son are on your side. The red-haired girl should finally shut up, right?
But contrary to Harrison’s hopes, Annie’s attitude didn’t change at all.
“Sunmoon is a bad player.”
“Stop changing the subject and just apologize.”
“But Dad said so. He’s a bad player.”
“What? When did I?”
Annie’s father looked slightly flustered at her words.
“You said it before, Dad. Any player who flirts with girls when he’s still so young is a bad player.”
“Ahem.”
Huh? What… Did she see me walking around yesterday?
“Yesterday, Mom saw it too! Ha was out playing with some girl!”
“Huh? Did you?”
“Yeah! They were walking around the shopping street together!”
“Uh…”
Annie’s parents looked somewhat confused by her words. Vegas rolled his eyes, wondering what was going on. Since it was a personal matter, both the parents and Vegas found it difficult to continue the conversation.
But at that moment, Ha Sunmoon’s voice rang out.
“It’s not like that.”
“Huh?”
“It’s not what you think.”
Ha Sunmoon spoke in a very small, gloomy voice.
“Sh-she’s not your girlfriend?”
“No. I don’t have a girlfriend.”
“Huh…?”
Ha Sunmoon told the truth, and at the words that he didn’t have a girlfriend, Annie froze.
“But I clearly saw you two. You were so close—how could she not be your girlfriend?”
“Yeah. So it’s not like that.”
“Uh…”
The bewildered Annie suddenly broke into a bright smile.
“Oh, really? I had no idea! Sorry!”
“Annie! Is that how you apologize? Can’t you do it properly?”
When Annie apologized with such a cheerful face, her mother stopped her.
“Umm… I’m sorry. I really am.”
Annie tried to sound sincere, but she was still smiling.
“Sigh… Sunmoon, I’m sorry. Annie keeps causing trouble.”
“Haa… It’s fine.”
Vegas apologized to Ha Sunmoon again, and Ha Sunmoon said it was okay.
“Annie! You have to apologize properly!”
“Sorry! I’m really sorry!”
Even though she kept apologizing, Annie was still Annie.
“Well, of course! There’s no way someone like you would have a girlfriend.”
Grind.
What? Kid…
Ha Sunmoon looked at Annie.
“Uh…”
The sight of Ha Sunmoon’s incredibly sad eyes left Annie speechless.
“I’ve finished eating, so I should get going. Enjoy your meal as a family.”
“Uh… yeah. Take care.”
“I’m sorry, Sunmoon.”
Ha Sunmoon quietly left Raul’s restaurant.
“Puuuueeeeng.”
Sniff, sniff.
Once he got home, Ha Sunmoon cried.
— You’ve become a bit cooler now. Keep it up. You might really become an amazing player.
— Th-then… will you meet me after that?
“Puuuueeeeng.”
— What? No. I already explained the reason all day long. The only reason I met you today was to keep my promise.
That was how the last meeting between Ha Sunmoon and Diola had ended.
— You’re not that great. I have no intention of seeing you again.
“Hic… Huuuuuh.”
As Ha Sunmoon continued crying at home, Harrison approached him again.
K-kid?
“Yes…”
Harrison could see that Ha Sunmoon was completely crushed.
Are you okay? Have you cried it all out?
“Do I look okay?”
Ha Sunmoon’s condition was terrible.
Wouldn’t it be better if you showed a cool side instead?
“I don’t know.”
In truth, the meeting with Diola had created a good situation for Harrison. Harrison had tried to instill what could be called fundamental discipline, but Ha Sunmoon hadn’t listened. Surprisingly, Diola had beaten the strict diet into him instead. So Harrison had felt a refreshing sense of satisfaction, but he never expected the ending to turn out like this.
Ugh… I didn’t think it would turn out like this… I believe that if you do well, an opportunity will come. For now, let’s focus on your work step by step. You can’t fall apart over something like this. At times like these, you need to stop thinking about that girl and concentrate on your daily routine.
Harrison gave Ha Sunmoon as much advice as he could, but it didn’t reach the boy.
“Puuueeeh… Diola…”