A Dangerous Player Emerges
Diola watched the final whistle blow with a serious expression, then began typing furiously into his laptop. He's insane…
Diola reviewed the notes he'd jotted down about Ha Sunmoon. Fast runner. Takes an enormous number of sprints. Contributes well both in attack and defense. Yet he maintains that intensity for the full ninety minutes. That was where Diola first glimpsed the monstrous side of Ha Sunmoon. It reminded him of the player nicknamed "Z" from Manchester United whom he'd faced in the Champions League years ago.
Didn't they say his nationality is South Korea? Do players from that region run this much? Come to think of it, Tottenham's "Min" was the same way.
Diola continued noting the finer details. He hadn't seen Ha Sunmoon get beaten on defense once. During build-up play, he drifts inside to link up with the midfield. And his crossing… Diola found this part particularly unbelievable. He delivers crosses while sprinting. That makes him extremely difficult to defend against. You'd expect accuracy to suffer when crossing on the run, yet his delivery is pinpoint. The way he beat two defenders to whip in the cross for the opening goal was absurd, and the trajectory of that ball was absurd too. Based on that goal alone, Ha Sunmoon looked like a world-class full-back.
Diola pictured Ha Sunmoon's future in his mind. What if he continued receiving proper nutrition and elite coaching? The image of a world-class full-back formed instantly. Ha Sunmoon was a player who belonged at a club like Barcelona. With their starting left-back Alba currently injured, Barcelona's left-back situation was dire, which only made Ha Sunmoon more tempting.
The problem was that Ha Sunmoon played for Espanyol. Transfers between derby rivals were extremely rare. Of course, exceptions existed—like Figo moving to Real Madrid. Something truly dramatic had to happen for a player to make that leap.
So I'd really have to charm him… He'd come if I made a good enough offer. No… it might even be possible right now…
Using the notes he'd taken, Diola began posting on the FC Barcelona fan forum.
A flood of replies appeared moments later.
Diola was a fairly well-known figure on the Barcelona fan forum. He occasionally posted tactical analyses about football, and because he'd sometimes shared inside information from within the club, many forum members suspected he had connections to the organization. That was why the replies came so quickly.
Thanks to Diola's post, the Barcelona forum grew noticeably lively.
"Hahaha! In the end, Real Madrid or Barcelona will win the league again this season too."
On a Spanish football broadcast, the panel was deep in discussion about La Liga. The topic of league winners was predictable—Barcelona or Real Madrid—so the conversation moved on quickly.
"Ah! Do you remember the topic I brought up last time?"
Jimenez, a journalist covering La Liga and a regular panelist on the show, spoke up.
"Which one are you referring to?"
"Espanyol in crisis!"
"Ah~."
"It's the same topic again. Espanyol in crisis."
"That's strange. I thought they won their match. Why are they in crisis?"
Jimenez smiled at the audience and the host, gesturing for them to wait.
"Because a savior has appeared at Espanyol, and he might soon be taken away."
With that, Jimenez displayed an image of Ha Sunmoon on screen.
"Ooh! Who is this player?"
"Sun-moon Ha. A player with South Korean nationality who featured for Espanyol against Real Madrid and Eibar."
Highlights from those matches began playing.
"What do you think? He's quite something, isn't he?"
"He does seem impressive. Very dynamic player."
"Hold on, I feel like I've seen his name somewhere before."
Valdes, another panelist and former Barcelona goalkeeper now working as a pundit, spoke up.
"Of course you'd know the name. He's been performing so well in La Liga recently."
"That's not what I meant… There were rumors that Barcelona was going to sign this player."
"What?"
The host looked genuinely surprised at Valdes's words. Click! Jimenez snapped his fingers and nodded.
"That's exactly what I was going to talk about today. Espanyol's other crisis. A savior who could lift the team out of relegation trouble has appeared… but his price tag is far too low."
The screen displayed the numbers 10–30 million.
"What we've just shown is Ha Sunmoon's estimated market value. If his buyout clause is even lower than that…"
"Plenty of clubs will come running."
Jimenez nodded at the host's remark.
"And I heard something through my sources."
"Sources?"
"I have a very attractive female colleague who's a journalist."
"Ooh~ A sexy female reporter sounds wonderful."
Jimenez chuckled at the host's comment.
"I'd love to have a friend like that, but fortunately she's a woman."
"I see!"
"This friend went to Mallorca during the break…"
"Mallorca?"
"Yes~ Mallorca's summer was quite warm this winter."
"Hmm… So she spent her vacation there."
"Exactly. And do you know who she saw there?"
"Who?"
"She saw Ha Sunmoon together with Marcelo."
"Ooh…"
The host and Valdes both looked quite surprised at Jimenez's words.
"I think he's closer to Real Madrid than Barcelona."
"Just because he met Marcelo doesn't necessarily mean that."
"True. But Ha Sunmoon and Marcelo do have something in common."
"Left-back? Is that all?"
"Fluminense. They're both from Fluminense."
Valdes's expression showed reluctant acceptance.
"So this is what I think. Espanyol could lose Ha in the next summer transfer window. He's clearly a player who could save them… Though it's also possible he moves this winter."
"Ooh! Then Ha Sunmoon's agent might be receiving an enormous number of calls right now."
"That's entirely possible. Espanyol should probably push for a new contract with Ha as soon as possible."
This news was unwelcome to Espanyol fans.
"So you're saying Ha might already be leaving? For Barcelona or Real Madrid?"
"Nah… no way."
"Still, I'm worried. Players who rise this fast from the youth team to the senior squad… you never know what might happen."
The same program was playing at Raul's restaurant, and the customers discussed it with anxious faces.
"Maybe… if Sunmoon comes to the restaurant, we could ask him?"
"Come on…"
A few regulars who knew Ha Sunmoon visited often glanced toward the entrance.
"Oppa, have you heard anything?"
"No, nothing… How would I know?"
"Tsk. You don't know anything. And you're even on the same team."
Annie glared at Vegas.
"Look, Sunmoon's playing with the senior team now. How am I supposed to know anything when I'm still in the B team? I haven't even spoken to him."
"You should've at least gotten his contact info by now."
"Yeah… I'll admit that's my fault. But… what can you do…"
"Hmph! 'What can you do' my ass."
"Actually, I think there's a high chance he'll leave because of you."
"Huh? Why because of me?"
"Every time you see him you call him ugly and insult him…"
Annie's eyes wavered at Vegas's words.
"Think about it. If Ha Sunmoon leaves, you'll have to apologize to all the other Espanyol fans."
Annie's face looked like she might burst into tears as the memory returned. Just then—
"Hello, Mr. Raul!"
"Ha! You've finally come!"
Ha Sunmoon appeared at the restaurant. Every customer turned to stare at him.
"Uh… huh? Why is everyone looking at me like that? Is it just my imagination?"
[It doesn't seem like just your imagination?]
Ha Sunmoon grew flustered as all the customers watched him with surprised expressions.
"Sunmoon, hello!"
"Hi, Vegas. What's going on…"
"Waaah! I was wrong. I'll apologize for everything—just don't go to another team."
Annie suddenly rushed at him, and Ha Sunmoon was caught completely off guard as she threw herself into his arms.
"Wh-what are you talking about?"
"You said you're leaving for another team… waaah."
Ha Sunmoon was even more bewildered by Annie's intense reaction.
"What… where am I going… What are you even saying?"
"Don't pretend you don't know. We heard everything."
Flustered, Ha Sunmoon looked around for an explanation. The customers simply stared at him in silence, clearly waiting for his answer.
What is this? Why are they all looking at me like that? Someone just explain properly.
Ha Sunmoon felt cold sweat running down his back.