Negotiations in Progress
The match against Osasuna had arrived. Since it was also a home game, Ha Sunmoon entered the stadium with a relaxed stride.
“Ha! What the hell is going on here!”
Raúl de Tomás and several other players were waiting for him with distinctly curious expressions.
“Yeah, I’d like to hear what’s happening too.”
Transfer rumors and stories like this were always hot topics, so inside the locker room Ha Sunmoon had become the center of attention.
He scratched the back of his head.
Hmm… They’re way too interested. I need to shake them off a bit.
“Um… well… so…”
Ha Sunmoon struggled to find the right words.
“That is…”
“Hurry up and spit it out already. You’re killing me with the suspense,” Vargas chimed in when he saw Ha Sunmoon dragging his feet.
“First of all, what exactly have you all heard?”
“We’ve heard all kinds of things. What do you want us to tell you?”
“The worst one has to be… the rumor about you transferring to Barcelona, right? It’s been all over the Barcelona forums, mentioned by some pretty well-known guy, so it’s been bugging me.”
Ah… So that’s where it got out of hand.
“Whoa, it can’t seriously be Barcelona, can it?”
“Nah… no way.”
The players’ murmurs filled the room.
“For now… I’ve just joined the first-team squad and I’m still getting used to playing with everyone. I have no plans to go anywhere.”
“So you’re not leaving in the winter transfer window?”
“What about the summer? Any thoughts of leaving after the season ends?”
“How many clubs have contacted you?”
The moment Ha Sunmoon spoke, Raúl de Tomás, Vargas, and the others bombarded him with questions again. He had no choice but to answer them one by one, slowly.
“Uh… I talked with my agent and told him I’m not leaving right now. So even if any clubs inquire about me, he’ll handle it and block them. And… I’m definitely not going anywhere in the winter. As for summer, I don’t know yet.”
“You’re thinking of leaving in the summer?”
Ugh…
Suddenly, a flicker of irritation rose in Ha Sunmoon.
“No! That’s not what I meant! I never made any plans like that in the first place! So I don’t know. I told you, there was never any such plan!”
The instant those words left his mouth, the interim manager David walked into the locker room.
“What’s all this noise about?”
“Ah! We were just talking about Sunmoon.”
“What… Oh! That rumor? Just ignore that nonsense. Everyone sit down.”
David quickly took control of the situation.
“We’ve got a tough match ahead and we’re already busy enough. Let’s focus on that instead.”
“But it’s a pretty interesting topic, isn’t it?” Vargas chuckled.
“Interesting… Just worry about playing well in the match.”
“Ooh~ The team might lose one of its best players and you’re still this firm about it?”
“If the team falls apart without him, then you lot deserve to drop dead, don’t you?”
“Heh heh. Fair enough.”
“Well, if he really had left we’d probably be in the relegation zone right now. So let’s just focus on playing a good game.”
When David kept shutting them down firmly, the center-back Lopez backed him up.
“Yeah, let’s do that. Today’s match won’t be easy either, so let’s all do our best.”
There was a reason David, the interim manager, could be so decisive. While he had been working inside the building, Ha Sunmoon’s agent had requested contract renewal negotiations.
Felipe, Ha Sunmoon’s agent, had said something that put the Espanyol staff at ease.
Ha Sunmoon currently has no intention of leaving Espanyol. He is satisfied with the club. If we renew his contract now, this atmosphere will settle down immediately.
He had also mentioned that there had been a huge number of actual inquiries about Ha Sunmoon and many questions regarding his buyout clause.
Well… In that case, Sunmoon has essentially taken our side. That’s a relief.
David, who had been slightly troubled by the persistent questions about Ha Sunmoon during the pre-match press conference, felt much more at ease thanks to this.
Time passed, and the match began at Espanyol’s home ground, the RCDE Stadium.
Today was the day Villa was starting, so Ha Sunmoon watched the game from the bench.
Hmm… This doesn’t look good. The momentum keeps leaning toward Osasuna.
David had explained everything thoroughly before the match, but the game refused to unfold easily. Unlike Eibar, who sat in 17th place, Osasuna was a 12th-placed side. With the season already halfway through, their team was well-organized and strong.
In contrast, Espanyol had recently reverted to a 4-3-3 formation and was still trying to regain their previous chemistry, so they were clearly being outplayed in terms of quality. As a team that had finished 7th the previous season, their tactical ability under interim manager David was lacking, and not all the starting players were on the pitch. The match was bound to be difficult.
They’re pushing up too high… If we get countered here… Oh no.
After being pushed back continuously, Espanyol finally raised their line and began to attack slowly. But a mistake in midfield led to a turnover, and Osasuna immediately launched a counterattack.
“Ah…”
“Damn…”
The players on the bench immediately sensed the dangerous atmosphere. Their faces hardened as they stared out onto the pitch.
The commentator’s voice rang out.
— The left-back position is empty. Garcia is cutting in from the right! It’s now three attackers against three defenders!
Villa, the left-back, had pushed forward for the attack and couldn’t get back in time. Osasuna’s right winger didn’t miss the wide-open space.
— Garcia crosses! Vasquez shoooots! Gooooaaal!
“Haa…”
“Shit.”
In the end, Espanyol conceded first. Both the fans in the stands and the players on the bench let out groans of disappointment.
I knew it would turn out like this. We overcommitted.
The team collapsed in an instant. Even Harrison shook his head, and Ha Sunmoon’s expression darkened. In the second half, Espanyol conceded again, and the match ended with a very unsatisfying 0-2 result.
After the match, Ha Sunmoon headed to the place where he had arranged to meet Clara.
Having lost the game, he was in a slightly bad mood, but the thought of seeing Clara lightened his heart a little. When he arrived at the appointed spot, she was already waiting.
“Hey, Clara.”
“Hi.”
The meeting place was a small café that seemed to stay open late. Ha Sunmoon stared at Clara absentmindedly for a moment. Today she had her hair tied back, and he found himself thinking that the line of her neck was rather pretty.
“What are you doing? Why aren’t you sitting?”
“Ah… sorry.”
Snapping out of his daze, Ha Sunmoon quietly took his seat.
“Um… should we order something to drink first?”
“I already ordered. You can just drink what comes out.”
“Aha… So my opinion doesn’t matter, I guess?”
Clara shot him a sharp glare.
“Well, you were a bit late today.”
“Ahem… That’s because of the match…”
“Then you should have told me right away, shouldn’t you?”
“Ahem… That is… After the team lost, it didn’t really feel like the right time to be checking my phone.”
At that, Clara’s gaze softened slightly.
“You lost today?”
“Yeah…”
“Then I’ll let it slide. And… this is a bit more important. You asked me to help you, remember?”
“I did, didn’t I?”
“Exactly.”
Just then, the server placed two drinks in front of them.
“Hmm? This smell is familiar.”
“Of course. You said you played in Brazil, so it should be. You know what this is, right?”
Ha Sunmoon recognized it immediately.
“Mate tea?”
“That’s right.”
“Ugh…”
Ha Sunmoon immediately scrunched up his face.
“That stuff tastes awful… I don’t want to drink it.”
“What?”
Clara looked slightly dumbfounded by his reaction.
“I’d rather drink a cold cola before a match than drink that…”
At those words, Clara’s eyebrows shot up.
“You little— You asked me to help you… and then you pull this crap!”
Whoa… Clara’s mouth is a lot rougher than I expected.
Clara immediately started swearing at him, and Ha Sunmoon shrank back.
“You’re a first-team player now, and you want to drink cola? What the hell is this nonsense?”
“B-but it tastes bad…”
Kid, saying something like that right now is dangerous.
Clara had far superior knowledge of sports nutrition, which was why even Harrison accepted her words without argument. But Ha Sunmoon’s childish remark only made her angrier.
“You came from South America and you’re saying you can’t drink this? All the famous players from South America drink it. Why? Because it’s the perfect drink for athletes. And you’re refusing to drink it because it tastes bad? Are you out of your mind?”
Harrison didn’t particularly like Clara, but every time something like this happened he felt an inexplicable sense of comfort. He quietly watched Ha Sunmoon.
“Do you have any idea how good this is for your body…? The ingredients inside are literally made for football players… and you’re calling it crap? Cola? Coooola?”
Being hit with a direct barrage of curses from the girl he liked left Ha Sunmoon looking completely broken.
“Of course, even the best player right now, Messi, used to… ugh. He drank cola in front of our coach, but once he realized he was wrong he quit that junk and started drinking mate tea properly. So when I tell you something, just drink it quietly. Got it?”
In a moment of heated anger Clara had almost said something she shouldn’t have. She let out a sigh and glared at Ha Sunmoon again.
“Fine! I’ll drink it!”
Ha Sunmoon immediately grabbed the mate tea in front of him and downed it in one go, calming Clara’s fury.
“Ugh. It’s bitter…”
“You’re supposed to drink it slowly, little by little, until you get used to it…”
“But I drank it, didn’t I? Did I do well?”
Ha Sunmoon asked as if hoping for praise.
“Sigh… Yeah, you did well.”
At Clara’s words, Ha Sunmoon broke into a bright grin.