The First Team Call-Up

So, what about friends?

When the break ended and Espanyol lost 2-0 away to Real Betis in their first match back, the club wasted no time drawing their sword. They sacked manager Pablo Machín.

"What? You're sending me up to the first team?"

B-team coach David nodded.

"It's not just you. I'm going up with you."

"With me? Why?"

"Pablo Machín has been dismissed."

"Ah…."

Ha Sunmoon spoke as if he'd been expecting Harrison to call him up.

"For now, I'll be stepping up as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠interim first-team manager. And I'm bringing you with me. No matter how you look at it, you're a player who belongs in the first team."

"Hmm… But I want to keep playing for the B team."

Ha Sunmoon still needed more crossing practice, which meant he needed to play as many matches as possible. Since staying with the B team gave him the best chance of doing that, he made his intention to remain clear.

"What? Everyone's desperate to get into the first team, so why are you suddenly saying you want to stay with the B team? Didn't you tell me before that you could make it in a year? Let me hear your reason. Why do you want to stay down here?"

"Umm… I just want to play a lot of matches…."

"There are still cup competitions left, you know? The Copa del Rey and the Conference League. So you'll definitely get at least one game a week. Don't you want to play at a higher level?"

"What if Pedroza comes back?"

"Pedroza?"

There had been talk in the first team that Pedroza would soon be fit again.

"But… that's… um…."

David hesitated for a moment.

"See? I just want to play comfortably in the B team."

David had heard some news and was conflicted, but his desire to use Sunmoon was stronger. In the end, he decided to tell him about Pedroza.

"Even if Pedroza returns, he'll most likely play on the left wing."

"Really? Why?"

"We're going back to a 4-3-3 formation. A lot of players have been playing in positions that don't suit them, and that's led to quite a few injuries. The left wing in particular has suffered the most."

"I see…."

"Vargas, our left winger, is injured, and Puado has reached his physical limit. So I plan to put you there for now."

Originally, Ha Sunmoon had been tearing through the B team with pure individual skill. But once he started adding crosses into the mix, opponents struggled even more, and every match he played ended in a comfortable victory.

"Alright. I'll move up to the first team."

* * *

Harrison had been worrying quite a bit lately.

He wanted to guide Ha Sunmoon into becoming a principled, grounded footballer, but their conversations hadn't been going well. All those worries, however, were resolved after he met Marcelo.

Harrison had been born into a military family and carried a philosophy rooted in strict discipline. Marcelo, on the other hand, embodied the relaxed, free-spirited vibe typical of South America.

But the biggest piece of advice had been about women. The counsel Harrison had given and the advice Marcelo offered were completely different in tone.

The beginning was similar, but the rest was completely different.

Instead of sticking to one woman like an idiot, meet lots of them…

The choice is yours. Pick what you want… And if a girl gets pregnant? Become an even greater footballer, earn a lot of money, and take care of child support. Just make sure to use protection properly before that happens.

Their ways of thinking were completely different. But right now, Harrison was satisfied. Ever since Sunmoon heard Marcelo's advice, he no longer felt intimidated by the topic of girls and was training harder than ever.

Harrison admitted it cleanly. As long as Sunmoon grew well from now on, that was all that mattered.

But…

"Listen, hyung?"

"What? What's up?"

"Di… Diola contacted me."

'Fuuuuck, why again?'

Harrison's expression darkened instantly. Sunmoon was falling apart again.

"What… what did she say?"

"She just asked what I was doing."

'What should I do in this situation?'

After thinking for a moment, Harrison decided to follow Marcelo's approach.

"Hey… kid."

"Yes."

"Remember the girls at the beach?"

"Yes!"

"Are the girls from the beach better, or is Diola better?"

Sunmoon thought of Diola. Her beautiful blonde hair and pretty face came to mind. Then he recalled the women he'd seen at the beach during the break. Countless bikinis flashed through his head.

"Are you talking about faces? But I don't really remember the faces of the people at the beach…."

"Didn't Marcelo tell you? Women are…"

"Everywhere… and if you're lucky, you'll trip over them…."

"Exactly! If we're talking about pretty, the girls at the beach were no joke, right? They were pretty and had great ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bodies."

"But Diola… is different."

"How is she different?"

"She's the first person I fell for at first sight."

'Haa… This is fucked.'

Still, since Harrison was also a man, he could understand Sunmoon's reaction. The problem was that Sunmoon was still mentally immature.

'What should I do about this…'

Harrison thought about Diola. While negative thoughts kept coming to mind, there was one thing he acknowledged about her.

"Then… let's meet her for now."

"Really? You mean it?"

Sunmoon's eyes widened at Harrison's words. Normally, Harrison would have given all sorts of reasons why he shouldn't meet her.

"Yeah. But there's one important issue. It's your mindset."

"My mindset?"

"Yes. You want to meet Diola, right?"

"Yes…."

"Then you can't start thinking of her as a romantic partner from the beginning."

When even Marcelo's method didn't seem to work, Harrison activated Plan B.

* * *

Diola was sitting on a bench by the beach. She'd received a reply from Sunmoon, and he'd immediately suggested they meet.

'He's really coming right away?'

"Hey, Diola?"

"Yeah, hi."

"So why did you contact me?"

"I just… felt like I went too far last time… and I felt sorry. I wanted to see your face, even if just for a little while."

Thump.

There were times when an unavoidable power imbalance formed. Sunmoon was feeling that intensely right now. Neither Marcelo's advice nor Harrison's seemed to be working. He had a strong feeling that it had to be the Diola in front of him.

But Diola remembered the conversation she'd just had with Harrison and held on.

"Is that… all?"

"Uh… yeah. That's it."

Diola found Sunmoon's current state quite amusing.

"Sorry. I'm a bit bad, aren't I? Drawing such a clear line before and then suddenly contacting you…."

"No! It's not like that."

Diola smiled slyly at the sight of Sunmoon becoming vulnerable again. And Sunmoon liked that smile of hers.

"Not like that? Then… can I call you out like this sometimes?"

Before he even realized it, Sunmoon was nodding.

'Oops! Get a grip. He told me I shouldn't do this.'

Recalling Harrison's words, Sunmoon snapped back to his senses and looked at Diola.

"There's one thing I want to ask."

"What is it?"

"Diola, how do you know so much about football?"

At Sunmoon's question, Diola tilted her head.

"Women can be interested in football too. The more you watch and learn bit by bit, the more you end up knowing."

"Then… teach me."

"Wha… what?"

"Contact me from time to time, hang out with me, and teach me those things."

Diola was slightly flustered by the unexpected request.

"So far, I've only trained at the pitch and played matches. I don't know anything else, just like you saw before."

"Hmm…."

"So you teach me. What a footballer should do in his free time when there's no training. How to make friends, how to date women…."

At Sunmoon's last words, Diola's eyebrows rose slightly. Harrison had told Sunmoon to treat Diola as a friend rather than a woman, so he'd deliberately included that. And that part bothered Diola.

"What… what do you mean by that?"

"You know more about everything than I do. Football, food, clothes, literally ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠everything. So help me. It's not just about meeting up. Help me. I'm a lacking person who has a lot to learn."

Diola looked at Sunmoon. His strange words made her head spin. She'd called him out just to tease him a little, but Sunmoon was taking it in a completely different, serious direction.

In his eyes, she saw a young but passionate footballer.