The First-Team Call-Up
Just as he had spoken with David, who had become the interim first-team manager at Eibar, Ha Sunmoon was called up to the senior squad.
"Hmm~ Ha! Long time no see. You went down to the youth team on purpose, but sure enough, you're back up again?"
"I wanted to improve my skills a bit more, but Coach David promoted me."
"Hmm~ Anyway, you must have some good news? Your expression is ridiculously bright."
Raúl said with a smiling eye. Ha Sunmoon felt slightly flustered under that gaze.
"Nothing special, really."
"That redhead?"
Ha Sunmoon squeezed his eyes shut.
"I told you it's not like that."
"Sure it isn't~ I can tell what your type is now."
Ha Sunmoon let out a deep sigh.
"Hmm~ Still, a bit disappointing. Didn't feel that amazing."
"We are absolutely not in that kind of relationship, so please don't misunderstand."
"Kekeke. Got it. Feels like some misunderstanding got cleared up, so I'll look forward to the next match."
As Ha Sunmoon grimaced at Raúl's words, Coach David walked in.
"Everyone, focus."
David immediately began the briefing.
"You all did well in the previous cup match. We're returning to the 4-3-3 formation, and it was the right decision. We've been back to 4-3-3 since the last match, and today we'll also play in the 4-3-3 shape."
Then David showed the starting lineup.
"Tomás up top, Vargas on the left wing, and Wu Lei on the right wing."
Ha Sunmoon glanced at Vargas for a moment. Since he had seen Puado play so often, he didn't know Vargas's playing style in detail, and that might prove crucial in today's match.
"In midfield, Sánchez starts as the defensive midfielder, Roca in central midfield, and Darder as the attacking midfielder."
The positions filled up, and Ha Sunmoon waited for his own name to be called. Since Villa had played in the cup, it was now Ha Sunmoon's turn.
"Fullbacks are Ha and Kiko, center-backs are Raúl and Calero."
When the coach said that, Villa put on a slightly dissatisfied expression.
"What's wrong, Villa? Got a complaint?"
"Well… I can play in the league too…"
"You played in the cup match."
"But I'm fit enough to play this match as well."
David felt a twinge of irritation at Villa's words. 'How should I handle this…? Or should I smooth it over…?'
Whoa~ suddenly getting checked? Harrison found it amusing that Villa seemed to feel a sense of competition toward Ha Sunmoon.
He's afraid of you right now. Rancho knows he's below him, but you're different. He's feeling the end of his career. Pretty grim story, really.
Harrison had seen similar situations a few times before. In comparable circumstances, a veteran whose skills had declined had confronted the coach over the same issue, and the coach had sent him down to the youth team. Harrison still remembered the look in that thirty-something veteran's eyes. The player had retired soon after, unable to bear the shame.
"Hmm…"
Ha Sunmoon still couldn't quite grasp how he felt, so he wore a slightly awkward expression and looked elsewhere.
"Sunmoon?"
"Yes."
"Don't worry too much about that conversation over there. It's nothing."
Raúl and López, the center-backs and senior players, wondered whether they should intervene, but David handled the matter wisely. Instead of getting angry, he began persuading Villa by discussing the schedule.
"What's today's date, Villa?"
"January 15th."
"A Wednesday."
When David suddenly mentioned the date, Villa looked a bit flustered.
"What does that have to do with this conversation?"
"I'm saying it because you aren't looking at the schedule properly. Do you think the coaching staff and I haven't thought about it? A bit disappointing, isn't it?"
David pressed Villa.
"No… so what does the schedule have to do with this right now?"
"Clearly you haven't checked it properly. After today's match, we play Osasuna on the 19th, Sunday. Eibar is 17th, Osasuna is 10th. So which match should I put you in?"
"Ah…"
"And there's another cup match on the 22nd, Wednesday."
That meant if Villa played today, he would become the cup competition player from then on. Villa now understood what David meant.
"So let me ask again, Villa. Do you want to play today?"
"No. I'm sorry. I was short-sighted."
"Right. You worked hard in Wednesday's match, so take it easy today. Of course, if something happens to Ha, you'll need to be ready to come on immediately."
"Yes, I understand."
Villa's attitude quickly became compliant. He also looked slightly embarrassed, as if he had made a fool of himself as one of the older players.
Whoa~ David's pretty flexible after all. He convinced him with the schedule.
Such cases weren't common in England. When Harrison had played, a hot-tempered manager would have snapped, "This bastard dares talk back to me?" and either thrown a fit or refused to play the player. Especially since Villa wasn't a guaranteed starter, the likelihood was even higher. Moreover, with youth resources like Ha Sunmoon and Rancho rotating in, it was even more so.
"Then let me explain again. We're returning to our old tactics… The opponent is using a 4-2-3-1 with two defensive midfielders…"
David's explanation continued, and Ha Sunmoon and the other Espanyol first-team players listened attentively.
* * *
Ah… How did it come to this?
Diola secretly turned on the TV in her room. She also opened her laptop, ready to type a few things. On the TV was a match featuring a team she didn't usually watch. Espanyol.
Knock knock.
"Oh! Mom!"
Diola's mother suddenly entered the room.
"What, watching football again? There's no Barcelona match today, right? What's this, Espanyol?"
Oh no. If she sees me watching Espanyol, she'll definitely say something.
Diola's mother frowned slightly when she saw her daughter watching Espanyol.
"You shouldn't do that either."
"Ah… What? What… shouldn't I do?"
Diola was a bit flustered by her mother's words.
"No matter how badly the rival team is doing, you shouldn't go out of your way to watch them lose."
"Huh?"
Europeans love football. Among those who follow it deeply, there's another team they watch besides their own: the "rival team's" matches. The reason is simple—to mock the rival fans when that team performs poorly. Knowing that more and more Barcelona fans had started watching Espanyol matches just to tease them, Diola's mother was warning her daughter not to do something so cruel.
"No… it's not like that."
"Sure it isn't… Do you think you're the only one mocking them for being in the relegation zone?"
"Mom, I'm really not doing that. There's a threatening player at Espanyol, so I'm checking him out."
"Really? Are you sure? You're not watching with bad intentions?"
When Diola's mother still looked suspicious, Diola pulled out her phone.
"Look here. My friend said our U19 team lost badly to Espanyol's U19 team. Our youth team never loses. So I checked, and there's an amazing player."
"Oh… really?"
Barcelona's youth system, known as La Masia, was extremely strong. Regardless of age group, it always fielded outstanding players. If such a youth team had suddenly suffered a heavy defeat to Espanyol, it was something worth paying attention to.
"Hmm~ All right, I get it."
Diola's mother left the folded laundry in Diola's room and left. Diola let out a deep sigh. She turned her laptop back on, ready to take notes about Ha Sunmoon during the match. By now, the Espanyol versus Eibar match had begun on TV.
I've never seen a full match… Will he do well? Was the Real Madrid game a fluke? Or real skill?
Diola began watching the match intently. Thanks to her family background, even at a young age she could analyze football, and today she was watching Ha Sunmoon play in earnest for the first time.
— Ha takes the ball from Eibar's right winger, León. He exchanges passes with Roca and moves the ball forward in an instant.
Diola started jotting down notes about Ha Sunmoon.
Fast feet and good defensive intelligence, so the right winger can't get past him. Looks like he's faced high-level wingers before. His defending is excellent.
— Darder receives the ball from Ha. He tries to pass to Wu Lei, then switches back to the left. Vargas, who has drifted slightly inside, gives the ball to Ha. At that moment, Ha Sunmoon begins his familiar play. He suddenly accelerates along the left touchline and delivers a quick cross.
— Ha puts in the cross! Eibar right-back Tejero rushes to close him down, but Ha delivers the cross at his own tempo. The whip-like cross flies into the center. Espanyol forward Tomás and Eibar center-back Bigas contest it, but Bigas heads it clear. The second ball falls to Espanyol's Roca, who immediately plays it back to Ha Sunmoon. With the ball at his feet, Wu Lei and Darder both make runs into the penalty area, and Ha Sunmoon repays them by beating the opposing right-back once more and crossing again.
Thud!
This time, with three Espanyol players making runs, the penalty area is in chaos.
— It hits Darder's head, but the ball goes over the crossbar.
He's fast and has his own crossing timing! And he skinned the right-back twice in a row. At that age? Even so, the opponent is a La Liga player.
Diola stared at Ha Sunmoon on the screen with wide eyes.
Am I even in a position to give him advice? He's already a mid-to-upper table level player.