The Manager's Decision
Ha Sunmoon mulled over Harrison's words. [That old man was right. I was too careless yesterday.]
"I never expected something like this to happen in Spain, let alone Barcelona. It's not like I've been to places like that before."
Still, he couldn't bring himself to refuse Annie when she suggested they go out together, so he kept his thoughts to himself.
[Think of it as a valuable lesson. From now on, don't wander around carelessly.]
"Hmm. That feels a bit suffocating, though."
[Suffocating? You're a first-team player now. With the kind of salary you're on, you need to be careful.]
Ha Sunmoon nodded. Harrison was right. The club was paying him a substantial wage, and as a professional, he had to show the corresponding level of responsibility.
[Even if it feels restrictive, there's no helping it. Dangerous places exist everywhere. The Rio de Janeiro you lived in certainly had its share of risks.]
"That's true. The areas near the favelas are dangerous."
Of course, passing near a favela didn't always mean danger. Like Lucas that day, sometimes people simply chose a shortcut and happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when the shooting started. Lucas had lost his life because of it.
Ha Sunmoon thought of Lucas for a moment, then nodded at Harrison.
[Exactly. The moment we arrived there yesterday, I had a bad feeling about the place…]
Seeing that Ha Sunmoon understood, Harrison decided not to press the matter further.
[Still, you were incredibly lucky. It wasn't an outright robbery or mugging, and you didn't get seriously hurt.]
"And it happened right in front of an Espanyol fan's house, so we got help. That was fortunate."
While Ha Sunmoon and Harrison were discussing the previous day's events, his phone vibrated.
Beep—
What are you doing? You haven't contacted me in ages.
Oh no! Ha Sunmoon was startled when he saw the message. After getting injured, he'd been so caught up playing around with Annie that he'd completely forgotten about Diola. He was supposed to discuss the inverted fullback tactic and other tactical ideas with her, but he'd carelessly let it slip his mind.
Sorry. I got injured for a bit… There were circumstances that kept me from reaching out.
He quickly typed out an excuse. The message showed that Diola had read it, but no reply came.
[Why? Again?]
"Diola sent me a message. I just realized I haven't been in touch with her at all."
Harrison looked slightly taken aback by Ha Sunmoon's words. Now that he thought about it, the boy who used to get all flustered whenever Diola was mentioned had completely forgotten about her.
[Don't you feel like you've been having too much fun?]
"Ugh. She seems pretty upset. What should I do? I still have things I need to ask her…"
[Is that really all that's left? Are you sure?]
"Ahem…"
Ha Sunmoon pretended not to hear Harrison's remark.
You couldn't contact me because of circumstances? Ah! You mentioned an injury, right?
Yeah! I had a bit of trouble dealing with that. I'm fine now, though. I even played a match.
Really? So when are you thinking of meeting?
Today's fine.
Fortunately, Diola didn't seem upset, and Ha Sunmoon let out a sigh of relief as he arranged to meet.
How about this evening? You have training in the morning anyway, right?
Yeah! As expected, you know me well.
It's not that I know you well. It's just common sense.
Ha Sunmoon felt a slight chill in Diola's tone and grew sullen, but her next message lifted his spirits again.
Want to meet at the beach for old times' sake?
The beach? That sounds great.
The thought of meeting Diola at the beach made his heart race again. It was the place where they'd first met. Just thinking about it improved his mood.
"Hehe."
[Ah, we've got another problem on our hands. You really like her that much? Whatever. Just get ready for training first.]
"Yeees."
Ha Sunmoon stepped outside with a cheerful heart.
* * *
"Ha! Could you come to my office for a moment? I'd like to talk."
"Yes? Understood."
When Ha Sunmoon arrived at the training ground, Abelardo Fernández called him over. The manager's office looked quite tidy, likely because he'd only recently taken over.
"Have a seat over there."
"Yes."
"How's your condition lately?"
"Good. My weight's normal, no injuries, and my form feels sharp."
Though Ha Sunmoon claimed to be in good shape, Abelardo wore a somewhat uncomfortable expression.
"Hmm. Well, the thing is…"
"Yes?"
"As the manager, I have to make more stable choices. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
[Huh? What the hell. This doesn't sound good. When people start talking like this, it's never good news.]
Harrison reacted immediately to Abelardo's words. He'd sensed that something unpleasant was coming for Ha Sunmoon, and his tone carried a hint of anger.
"I'm not sure I follow."
Despite Harrison's fury, Ha Sunmoon answered first.
"I know David, the interim manager, made you a promise."
"Yes. And?"
[It's becoming clearer now. Kid, this is him making excuses in advance so he doesn't have to use you. Damn it.]
"The interim manager's thoughts and mine may differ."
"So which promise are you planning to break?"
"Well, you know. The cup competitions are yours, but the league goes to Villa."
"You want to remove that condition, then."
"Yes. That's it."
[I can see where this is going. He wants you to quietly drop down to the B team. This is ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. If he'd just said he wanted to start a proper competition for the starting spot, I could understand, but his intention is obvious.]
With Harrison translating the manager's intent so clearly, Ha Sunmoon was starting to feel angry too.
"There are three left-backs on this team right now. Do you want the three of us to compete, or are you telling me to just go down to the B team?"
"No, no. You can stay with the first team. You're a player the club has high hopes for."
But to Harrison, Abelardo clearly looked like he wanted to send Ha Sunmoon down to the B team.
[It's over. What's the point of arguing with someone who's already made up his mind? The manager makes all the decisions. He won't even say the word 'competition.']
"Understood. It seems you've already decided, so do as you wish."
"Good. Let's do that, then. Thank you for understanding."
[Understanding my ass.]
Ha Sunmoon and Harrison left Abelardo's office feeling more than a little heated.
"I can slack off in training today, right?"
[Of course. He won't say anything if you just go home after this.]
"Nice. Tch."
* * *
The cold weather in Barcelona had passed, and a gentle warmth was beginning to return. Though the area near the beach was never particularly cold, the long stretch of golden quartz sand somehow made the day feel even cozier.
Ha Sunmoon gazed at the calm waves, the sky, and the shimmering light reflecting off the sea, trying to calm his mind.
"Hey. It's been a while."
While he was staring blankly at the ocean, Diola greeted him.
"Hey! Long time no see, Diola."
"Hmm. You don't look that happy to see me."
"Oh. Do I?"
After hearing the news that Abelardo had pushed him aside, Ha Sunmoon wasn't doing a great job of controlling his expression.
"Sorry. Something unpleasant happened, that's all."
"Yeah?"
"Mm. Still, we've got a lot to talk about. Want to walk along the beach while we chat?"
"Sure, let's do that."
Diola found Ha Sunmoon's slightly changed reaction a bit odd. Normally, he was always tense around her, but today he seemed more natural, almost as if being with a woman was something he was used to.
What happened recently?
"Is something bothering you? You look like you're in a terrible mood. You're acting different from usual, too."
"Is it that obvious?"
Ha Sunmoon answered with wide eyes.
"You're always obvious. Right now your mood is at rock bottom. You'd have to be an idiot not to notice."
"Ahaha. Actually, I don't get along with the new manager."
"You don't get along?"
"Yeah. Abelardo took over, and I guess he doesn't like me. The only time I really got to play properly was when we used the inverted fullback. Once I moved inside, he subbed me off right at halftime."
"Abelardo! Ah. He's a decent manager, but… yeah, that figures."
Diola frowned at the mention of Abelardo's name.
"Why? Do you know something?"
"Yeah. He prefers 4-4-2."
[I knew it.]
"But he said he'd play 4-3-3. Or maybe 4-2-3-1."
"You need to know his managerial history. He got Sporting Gijón promoted as a young manager, but he used 4-4-2 back then. After that, he didn't get good results with 4-4-2 in La Liga, switched to 4-3-3, and got relegated. He's mostly managed in the second division since."
Ha Sunmoon and Harrison both let out heavy sighs after hearing Diola's explanation. It felt like they had terrible luck with managers.
"Ha. It was better when David was interim manager."
"David? Ah. That makes sense. This is Espanyol's fault. Hiring a manager who's good at getting teams relegated, someone suited for the second division… It's like they're saying they want to go down."
Diola's words were harsh, and Harrison looked slightly appalled.
"What should I do when I don't get along with the manager?"
"What do you mean, what should you do? Either stand out by performing much better, or protest."
"Protest?"
"Yeah."
When Ha Sunmoon stood there with a blank look that clearly said, How do I even protest? Diola sighed.
"Either talk to the manager directly, express your opinion to the press, or have your agent convey your thoughts."
[Uh. Sounds like she's teaching him something a bit dangerous.]
"The first option won't work. I already met with the manager. So I'd have to do one of the other two… and conveniently, my agent is here right now!"
"Then just have your agent apply pressure. It's no big deal."
[It is a big deal, kid! If you do it recklessly, it could backfire.]
Harrison was horrified by Diola's suggestion, but Ha Sunmoon took her words to heart.