Hollywood Play
Hollywood acting? I'm pretty good at that.
[Ahem… Kid, isn't it about time you got up?]
Harrison spoke to Ha Sunmoon, who was still lying on the ground. 'Yeah… I guess so?' Just as Ha Sunmoon, feigning pain, started to rise, Naldo issued additional instructions from the pitch.
"No, wait a little longer. The medical team will be up soon to check on you. Let's buy ourselves some time until then. A lot of the lads are feeling it after all that running. Might as well let everyone catch their breath."
[Ha… Honestly… This is…]
Harrison didn't like the idea of deliberately wasting time, but Naldo's suggestion, while a bit underhanded, was ultimately about team play. In the end, he couldn't strongly object.
"Aha… So we're not looking too good, then?"
"Something like that. Half the squad's run themselves into the ground. The left-back spot's got three of you, so there's a bit of cover there, but other positions aren't so lucky."
Espanyol had finished seventh the previous season. That meant a heavy schedule across La Liga, the Europa Conference League, and the Copa del Rey. On top of that, a managerial change had shifted the preferred tactics, leaving some players overworked while others hadn't played enough. They were still working through the fatigue, but it hadn't fully cleared yet. At this moment, the veteran Naldo was reading the condition of his teammates and managing it on the pitch.
"So we just need to waste time?"
"That's right. Though we should do it in moderation."
"I'm good at wasting time. I know exactly how it's done—I've seen plenty of examples."
"Examples?"
Ha Sunmoon believed he could make good use of the situation. He knew the diving and feigning techniques of countless Brazilian players, and through Korea national team matches, he had also learned the art of time-wasting from Middle Eastern sides. He began preparing a fusion of South American dramatics and Middle Eastern bed football.
"Alright, nothing serious here."
The medical team sprayed on some pain relief spray, and Ha Sunmoon got to his feet.
[Hah… Seriously… Is this really the way?]
Harrison let out a deep sigh.
"This is the right call. If the other players aren't in great shape, what else can we do? It's teamwork."
Beep!
After thoroughly milking the clock, Ha Sunmoon jogged back to the left flank. He didn't think continuing as an inverted fullback was the smart move. If the opponent tackled hard and the referee didn't blow the whistle, losing the ball in that central position would be far too dangerous.
— Ha looked to be in pain, but he's back on his feet. Espanyol regrouping. When Ha Sunmoon rose, Villarreal striker Gerard wore a slightly relieved expression. He'd felt a twinge of guilt after tackling the young player quite aggressively.
— It's a free kick for Espanyol. Centre-back Naldo sends a long ball out to the left. With Villarreal's players pushed forward, Naldo found Vargas in a relatively free position. As Vargas received the ball, Ha Sunmoon made another overlapping run along the touchline. Vargas dribbled forward steadily before sliding the ball to Ha Sunmoon. The moment Ha Sunmoon burst past Pena, Gaspar launched a powerful sliding tackle toward him.
[Are you insane?! Dodge it—it's a sliding tackle!]
In that instant, Ha Sunmoon flicked the ball upward and deliberately let his foot catch on Gaspar's leg, tumbling to the ground.
"Aaaargh!"
Ha Sunmoon immediately grabbed his heel and rolled sideways.
"What the hell! Don't exaggerate! It barely touched you!"
Gaspar, convinced Ha Sunmoon was faking, stood up and shouted at him. Vargas immediately stormed over from behind.
"What the hell do you think you're doing? You make a tackle like that and then act innocent? Have you lost it?"
As tensions flared, players from both sides began to converge. Beep! The referee rushed in and pushed everyone back.
"Stop! Everyone back off!"
The referee debated whether to card Ha Sunmoon for Hollywood acting or Gaspar for the reckless tackle. Though it wasn't a red-card situation, he checked with the VAR room.
"I couldn't see it clearly. What do you think?"
At the same time, he tried to calm the players. "Everyone step back! Don't get worked up! Espanyol, bring the medical team on again."
Fortunately, the VAR room responded quickly. "There was contact. If the studs had been higher, it could've been a red. Ha had full control of the ball—if he'd jumped a split second earlier, it would've been a very dangerous attacking situation."
"Ah, that's enough. If contact is confirmed, that's all we need. Gaspar, come here."
The referee called Gaspar over and showed him a yellow card.
"No! That's ridiculous!"
"You're lucky. If the studs had been any higher, you'd have been off. You're saying there was no contact? Are you sure about that?"
Having already confirmed with VAR, the referee was confident. Since there had been contact, Gaspar lowered his head and walked away.
Beep!
Espanyol took the free kick from where Ha Sunmoon had fallen. Ha Sunmoon positioned himself slightly wide, waiting for the next clearance.
'Perfect. The clock's melting away nicely.'
Having fully anticipated the second foul, Ha Sunmoon hadn't taken any real impact. Still, wasting more time put him in an excellent mood.
'Seventy-five minutes now. About thirteen minutes left until the end?'
* * *
82nd minute. Only seven minutes had passed, but the situation had deteriorated rapidly.
"Huff… Huff… Huff…"
As Villarreal launched a fierce attack, Espanyol's players began to tire quickly.
[We're going to need to break this up again. The lads can't keep up.]
Watching from above, Harrison repeatedly saw Espanyol players struggling to match Villarreal's intensity and spoke to Ha Sunmoon.
'We'll have to use it one more time. The momentum's completely shifted.'
On the pitch, Ha Sunmoon felt the same unease—and he was certain the other players felt it too. After being tackled earlier, he was reluctant to go down again.
'So the only option left is the final trump card…'
— Ha! He receives the ball. After dealing with the pressure, he needs to launch another attack. Left winger Vargas, who had been running in sync with Ha Sunmoon, was drenched in sweat from exhaustion. Ha Sunmoon passed to Vargas and made another overlapping run. As he did, Pena and Gaspar closed in on him once more. This was the moment Ha Sunmoon decided to deploy his "soul-infused lie."
'Huh?'
Pena and Vargas were taken aback. Ha Sunmoon, who had been dribbling confidently, suddenly widened his eyes in alarm.
'What's going on?'
Then, instead of continuing his dribble, Ha Sunmoon simply stood still, took a few aimless steps, and shook his head. It was strange, but the players instinctively knew not to take the ball from him. As if confirming their suspicion, Ha Sunmoon kicked the ball out of play and sat down on the pitch.
— Oh! Ha Sunmoon has collapsed on the spot. Generally, time-wasting draws criticism—players feign injury, call the medical team repeatedly, and refuse to leave the pitch. But Ha Sunmoon had already been fouled twice, giving him plausible reason to act hurt. When a player voluntarily stops play and kicks the ball away like this, it's usually a sign of serious injury, so opponents tend to show respect.
Ha Sunmoon signaled to David, who looked startled and immediately began preparing Villa as a substitute. Since Gaspar also didn't look in great shape, they prepared to bring on Pedrosa, recently recovered from injury, on the left wing.
"Sunmoon, where does it hurt?"
"Hmm…"
[You're faking this, aren't you?]
"Ahem… My whole leg feels off."
"Your whole leg?"
The medical staff tilted their heads at Ha Sunmoon's words.
"Something… Something just doesn't feel right."
[For goodness' sake. You're doing well. Just wait—let's see if we can fool them somewhere believable.]
Ha Sunmoon quickly lied, and the medical team began testing his leg.
[Now's your chance—flinch.]
"Huh? Does it hurt here?"
When the medical staff pressed a specific spot on his knee, Ha Sunmoon flinched on cue.
"Yes, that's the strange part."
"Hmm… It might not be serious, but in the worst case, it could affect the cruciate ligament. Looks like you hurt it when you fell after the tackle. Substitution seems necessary."
The medical team immediately informed David, and they called for a stretcher.
— Ha! It seems his leg isn't right. He's being substituted. With Harrison's help, Ha Sunmoon's soul-infused lie was perfected. Villarreal could do nothing but watch the clock tick down. Meanwhile, Espanyol used the time to recover physically. After completing their substitutions, they comfortably saw out the remainder of the match.
'Hehe. We won.'
Ha Sunmoon, who had come off ten minutes early, sat in the locker room munching on a banana and celebrating the victory.