Announcing His Name
Ha Sunmoon walked out of the tunnel with heavy steps, making his name known to the world. Outside, broadcast crews were waiting for his interview, and the fans, realizing he was emerging from the tunnel, began chanting his name. Ha~! Ha~! Ha~! Ha~! It was a simple chant. At Espanyol’s home ground, the RCDE Stadium, Sunmoon’s surname echoed throughout the stands.
Whoa… what a spectacle. Don’t you think?
The stadium was a sea of blue and white uniforms and flags waving wildly. Sunmoon walked slowly, riding that wave of emotion. Finally, he reached the interview area.
“Today we’re joined by Espanyol’s hero, Ha! Nice to meet you.”
“Yes, nice to meet you too.”
Sunmoon felt a little awkward in these situations, but he offered a sheepish smile and looked straight into the camera.
“Congratulations. You managed to defeat your regional rivals, Barcelona, in today’s derby. How are you feeling right now?”
A regional rivalry derby against Barcelona. For Sunmoon, today’s match wasn’t simply about beating a rival. The ambush that had happened while walking through El Raval that evening flashed through his mind, along with the incident involving Diola’s acquaintances on the Barcelona beach.
“How do I feel? Fucking amazing, that’s how.”
When Sunmoon casually dropped the swear word, the on-site reporter looked visibly flustered.
Hahaha. Fix it quickly!
Clive Harrison found Sunmoon’s interview amusing, but he still stepped in to smooth things over.
“Of course it feels good. First of all, Espanyol is currently in danger of relegation. In such a crucial moment, securing three points against a strong team like Barcelona makes me very happy. Our goal is to keep producing results like this and escape the relegation zone.”
After the profanity, Sunmoon immediately delivered a textbook professional answer. The reporter’s stiff expression softened back to normal.
“Today’s performance from Ha Sunmoon has been described as pure ‘crack.’ He completed ten successful dribbles, scored one goal, and provided one assist, making a massive contribution to the victory. What are your thoughts on today’s stats?”
“Hmm…”
When Sunmoon hesitated slightly, Clive decided to help him out.
I think playing for the team is more important than the numbers. The small extra efforts to help the team, the mental strength to keep fighting without getting discouraged even after conceding the first goal—those are what I believe led to today’s victory.
“I think playing for the team is more important than the numbers. The small extra efforts to help the team, the mental strength to keep fighting without getting discouraged even after conceding the first goal—those are what I believe led to today’s victory.”
The reporter gave an impressed nod at Sunmoon’s mature response.
“Since there are no other matches happening right now, Espanyol has moved up to 17th place. What are your plans going forward?”
“As I’ve said before, our goal is to escape the relegation zone. There are still seven games left, so it’s more than possible.”
As the interview was nearing its end, the reporter hesitated over one final question. It was potentially sensitive, but he had been signaled from above to ask it.
“There have been recent rumors about Ha Sunmoon’s contract renewal. Negotiations are reportedly delayed due to internal friction. Do you intend to stay with Espanyol?”
Sunmoon paused for a moment, his face thoughtful. An awkward silence stretched on. Just as the reporter was about to cut the interview short, Sunmoon spoke.
“Something happened to me recently.”
“And through that, I realized something. Right now, I am an Espanyol player. I like this city of Barcelona, and I like this team called Espanyol. Contract renewal talks have made significant progress, and barring any major issues, I plan to keep wearing this badge on my shirt.”
Sunmoon looked directly at the camera and tapped the club emblem a couple of times with his left hand, the one not holding the microphone.
“Thank you for the excellent interview, Ha Sunmoon. That was today’s MVP, Ha Sunmoon.”
Though it had touched on a sensitive topic, the reporter looked satisfied with the answer he had received and wrapped up the interview.
When Sunmoon returned to the locker room after the interview, the entire Espanyol squad welcomed him warmly.
“Whoa~! I honestly didn’t think Espanyol would win!”
“World class. He was the very definition of a world-class player today.”
The atmosphere on the Spanish La Liga TV show was electric thanks to Espanyol’s victory. The host announcer and La Liga reporter Jimenez both wore delighted expressions at Espanyol’s fighting spirit—mainly because the face of Valdes, a former Barcelona player sitting opposite them, had gone completely rigid.
“Valdes, what’s your assessment of Ha’s movement today?”
It was a question that had to be asked, but Jimenez deliberately used a teasing tone. Valdes let out a small sigh.
“Come on! Is it right to look so down just because the team you once played for lost? We’re live on air, Valdes.”
When the announcer joined Jimenez in piling on, Valdes’s expression grew even more pained.
“Ah… yes. He was incredible today. Unlike the classic full-back I expected, Ha played like an inverted full-back throughout the match. In particular, he played a huge role in stopping Messi.”
Despite the bitter defeat, Valdes began to calmly share what he had observed.
“I never dreamed Messi could be shut down like that.”
At the announcer’s comment, Valdes nodded.
“Ha was incredibly smart. He didn’t hesitate to commit tactical fouls. I never once saw him waver.”
As Valdes spoke, the screen showed multiple clips of Ha Sunmoon tackling Lionel Messi. Nine tackles in total. He had even executed five solo sliding tackles.
“As you can see, most of the tackles happened before Messi could cross the halfway line. A few of them could have warranted a yellow card, but since they occurred before the halfway line, the referee was somewhat lenient.”
“Do you think the referee was overly lenient?”
“Well… it couldn’t be helped. Both teams played a very physical match. Honestly, one could argue that referee Lahoz allowed the atmosphere to get out of hand. When players react to his decisions with defiance, they get yellow cards, so the only response left is to answer with even rougher play.”
Because more cards had been shown for protests than for actual fouls, Valdes didn’t hesitate to criticize referee Lahoz.
“But there was one thing Lahoz did well. The final sequence.”
Jimenez immediately defended Lahoz while bringing up the decisive moment, and Valdes’s expression darkened. The screen showed Roberto tackling Ha Sunmoon.
“Wow! That was an extremely dangerous challenge. I have to agree with Valdes here. That moment should have been a straight red, but it was only two yellows.”
“However, Lahoz didn’t blow the whistle right away and let play continue.”
Then came the moment that would have every fan and every football supporter watching erupt in cheers. The footage showed Sunmoon being tackled and falling, yet his eyes never left the ball. Even as he went down, he fought desperately to get back up. The clip played in slow motion.
“What incredible tenacity. What astonishing concentration. How can such a young player be that tough?”
Sunmoon, glaring fiercely at the ball, managed to overcome his own falling momentum. He got up and sprinted toward the ball. Then came the perfect cross that everyone knew was coming, followed by the perfect header.
“It was flawless. Ha melted Roberto with a perfect dribble, then delivered the ball onto Raul de Tomas’s head. That ball shook the Barcelona net. In that moment, Ha Sunmoon carried out Barcelona’s execution on behalf of Espanyol.”
Jimenez continued to praise Sunmoon’s play without pause.
“I’ve mentioned Ha before, but he really is something special.”
“Valdes, do you have anything more to add?”
“That scene was the most humiliating part of the entire match.”
Valdes spoke through gritted teeth.
“Roberto’s mistake was huge. He couldn’t contain Ha all game, and in that final moment he made a stupid tackle. If he had at least tried a proper tactical foul like Ha did, maybe it would be different. Instead, he failed to clear the ball, followed it up with stupid protests and a stupid tackle, and got himself sent off.”
Valdes seemed to have more to say, but his throat was dry. He took a sip from the water bottle.
“And the scene after that was even more problematic. Even though the referee had the whistle to his lips, he didn’t blow it, so the players should have continued playing. Yet they lost concentration for a split second and let Espanyol’s striker, de Tomas, get free. It was a perfect free header, and Ter Stegen had no chance of saving it.”
After evaluating the moment from various angles, the two panelists turned to the most important topic.
“In the post-match interview, Ha mentioned news about his contract renewal. If he does renew, what kind of price tag are we looking at?”
“Ha is still a young player. But today’s match showed that he has world-class potential. Espanyol will have to pay a significant sum to keep him, and any club wanting to sign him will need to pay at least 60 to 80 million euros.”
Jimenez answered without hesitation.
“I agree with Jimenez. Full-backs are often a position where something feels lacking, but if Ha continues to develop like this, he is guaranteed to become world class. Any team wanting to take him will likely have to pay that kind of fee. One more thing—his buyout clause will probably exceed 100 million euros.”
Valdes spoke with confidence.