Like Finding an Oasis in the Desert
While the Espanyol U19 team slowly prepared, they faced Ebro U19 in a match.
"You coming back here… I really didn't see that coming. After the Real Madrid game, I was sure you'd go straight into the first team," the U19 coach said, genuinely surprised that Ha Sunmoon had returned to them.
"I came because I wanted to play. Besides, they've got a solid player like Villa in the first team right now. How am I supposed to get minutes there?"
"Hmm… yeah, the manager would probably favor Villa… Still, you looked more than capable until Pedroza arrives… Wow…"
"There are still plenty of first-team games left anyway."
"True enough. Either way, welcome back, Sunmoon."
The U19 coach greeted him warmly. Many of the U19 players preferred spending the end of December with their families, so quite a few spots were open.
His lips are really curled up. Must have been rough here too. What place were they in again?
After the tactical changes, the U19 team's results had been poor. Having a first-team caliber player like Ha Sunmoon show up to play was nothing short of reassuring for the coach.
"Then I'll be counting on you. So how long will you stay before going back up?"
"Probably… I'll play here at least until the next match."
"Until the next one?"
The U19 coach's mood brightened even more. The Ebro match was nothing special, but the following fixture was against Barcelona U19—a much higher level of opponent.
"If you're staying until then, that's excellent. We'll run tactics similar to the first team's."
Tsk, their tactics are pretty terrible. Now I see why their results are so bad. Espanyol needs to overhaul their system from the ground up. They're still using the exact same tactics from my days…
"But would it be all right if I attack more freely? I'd like to push forward aggressively."
"Of course. You always get back anyway after going upfield."
The U19 coach had rewatched the Real Madrid match multiple times. He'd seen how Ha Sunmoon made devastating runs forward yet returned to position with incredible speed, so he decided to trust him.
Good. Time to cut loose.
Ha Sunmoon finished his preparations for the match.
We'll skip everything basic since you already do it properly. Our only focus is whipping in crosses until we drop. Got it?
"Got it."
The opponent is only U19. Their level is below the first team. Marking one guy and still crossing? That seems way too easy, doesn't it?
Harrison slowly prodded at Ha Sunmoon. He nodded.
So if you dominate from the first whistle, they'll stick two markers on you, right? Against U19 sides, let's always cross while dealing with two markers. Avoid cutting inside whenever possible. Stay extremely wide, hug the touchline, and torture them from the outside.
Ha Sunmoon nodded again as he absorbed Harrison's instructions. The whole reason he'd dropped down to U19 was to fix his chronic crossing issues. If this was the solution, then following Harrison's advice aggressively was the correct move.
* * *
While Ha Sunmoon was busy tearing through his match, Marcos's article began spreading rapidly through Korean online communities.
Ha Sunmoon's appearance is like discovering an oasis in the desert.
This article was written by Marcos, a reporter for Espanyol, on January 2nd, 2020. We sit in 19th place, deep in the relegation zone. The situation is truly desperate. We have reached the halfway point of the season, yet right now we feel as if we are walking through an endless desert. The sky burns overhead, our throats are parched, and hope feels nonexistent.
Amid that desolation, a sandstorm named Real Madrid was bearing down on us, and I fell into despair. But they say that within every crisis lies another hope. We endured Real Madrid's sandstorm and found our oasis.
Although we are a 19th-placed relegation-threatened team, the player who brought me the joy of finding an oasis in the desert came from the country called South Korea—like Valencia's 'Kang.' Anyone who watched the Real Madrid match will surely remember it. 'Ha' gave me joy. And I like him even more because, despite being so young, his attitude and actions are admirable.
The reason I like Ha isn't complicated. His performance against Real Madrid proved he had earned a place in the first-team squad. Yet after facing them in the first team, he clearly felt his own shortcomings. During the winter break—when every player spends time with family and enjoys vacation—Ha was granted special additional leave, but he returned to the training ground faster than anyone else. He voluntarily dropped down to U19 to address those weaknesses. It was a display of confidence that he would work harder than anyone to fix them.
Because Ha spent so long playing in Brazil, some might assume he is a free-spirited player who disregards rules. But the Ha I have seen is polite, calm, and remarkably self-disciplined despite his youth.
Korean fans, who had only been able to follow Ha Sunmoon through articles until now, gradually began to clear up their misunderstandings about him.
* * *
Derbies inevitably draw attention. While FC Barcelona's most famous derby is El Clasico against Real Madrid, their regional rivalry with Espanyol is also taken very seriously. Of course, the senior teams have a significant gap in quality, so Barcelona usually wins, but derbies are derbies—players go in extremely hard, and Barcelona sometimes suffers unexpected blows.
The youth teams don't attract the same level of intensity, so matches aren't quite as rough, but fans who watch football deeply still follow these games closely.
Diola's friend sent her the U19 match result. Barcelona U19 had suffered a shocking 7-2 defeat to Espanyol U19.
Wow… the youth team got crushed.
But when Diola checked the Espanyol goal scorers, Ha Sunmoon's name wasn't there.
Diola looked at the assist statistics as instructed. Ha Sunmoon's name was listed with seven assists—he had been involved in every single goal.
Yeah… he's clearly not at youth level. No wonder he played so well against Real Madrid.
Leaving her friend's angry messages behind, Diola immediately began searching for the match footage.
In the U19 game she found, a familiar face appeared. Throughout the first half, Ha Sunmoon toyed with Barcelona's right-back using dazzling footwork before delivering pinpoint crosses, which Espanyol's U19 players headed into the net. This pattern repeated the entire match.
Barcelona's right-back couldn't handle Ha Sunmoon alone. Realizing the problem, the Barcelona U19 coach tried adding a right-winger, center-back, or central midfielder to help mark him depending on the situation. But Ha Sunmoon seemed used to facing two players. He ignored the extra attention and continued whipping in crosses. Once the center-back was left isolated in the penalty area, Barcelona began conceding even more easily.
Completely dismantled on their right flank, Barcelona conceded three goals in the first half and four more in the second, ultimately losing to Espanyol. On Barcelona's forums, discussions began to grow about how they needed to be extremely wary of Ha Sunmoon. Even though it was a youth match, such total dominance suggested a clear gap in quality. When recalling his performance against Real Madrid, he looked genuinely threatening.
"Amazing…"
Diola recalled the last time she had seen Ha Sunmoon. After she had drawn a clear line and sent him away, he had looked utterly pathetic, wiping away tears as he left.
"He seemed to like me quite a lot…"
Then, suddenly, a question occurred to her. If she deliberately tried to shake him, would his performance drop?
Diola sent a message to Ha Sunmoon, who was no longer just a friend.