A New Beginning
The new season was about to begin when Clive Harrison asked Ha Sunmoon about his plans.
Clive expressed strong regret that Sunmoon would be playing in the second division instead of the top flight.
Clive’s disappointment was clear, and Sunmoon knew it well. He simply nodded quietly.
“Still, I’ll get to play a lot of matches, right?”
The squad reorganization moved quickly. Even though Sunmoon had agreed to a fifty-percent pay cut while in the second division, keeping both him and López proved too much for the club’s finances. After much deliberation, López surprisingly chose to leave. It wasn’t the best look for the captain to depart right after relegation, but López understood the club’s tight budget and knew his exit would open opportunities for younger players. He cited those reasons and moved on.
With that, at the end of the season, both Nolito and López departed. Two veteran center-backs left the team, replaced by Wasim and Kedari from the B team. Changes also came to the left flank where Sunmoon played. The club recalled the loanee strikers Facundo and Jonathan, then decided to use the young left-winger Puado—who had been loaned out because of those two—as backup to Tomás. Pedroza shifted to left wing to serve as backup for Vargas. At left-back, Sunmoon was confirmed as the starter with Villa as backup, officially making him the club’s first-choice left-back.
“Now that I’m the starter, I’ll play a lot of games. That alone is a huge help. Honestly, playing a full season with the senior team last year would have been unlikely anyway. So I think it’s important to use this chance to gain proper experience over a whole season.”
Clive nodded, acknowledging the logic in Sunmoon’s words.
“So first, I think I should take a short break and then focus on building my fitness properly. And since I’ll be playing a full season in the second division—which is a step down—it should let me experience the first division in a more prepared state. I don’t think the current situation is all that bad if you look at it that way.”
Clive nodded again at the reasonable opinion.
Clive began going over what he had been thinking about.
“That’s true. But if I don’t lose possession, it’s fine.”
Clive looked startled by Sunmoon’s response.
“I don’t really get it. Why would I lose it? If one guy stupidly rushes in, isn’t it easy to shake him off?”
Clive was extremely flustered by Sunmoon’s apparent lack of understanding.
That’s right… now that I think about it, I’ve never seen Sunmoon lose the ball during build-up from the back. How do I convince him of this?
It was pure talent. Sunmoon, who more than deserved to be called a Brazilian, could easily shrug off pressure and tackles from attackers who weren’t specialized defenders.
“Do I really need to add more techniques? Wouldn’t it be better to focus on what I already do well?”
At that moment, Clive’s eyes sparkled.
“I guess you’re right.”
“That seems correct.”
After Clive’s repeated persuasion, Sunmoon finally nodded in understanding.
“All right. Then I’ll practice long kicks too.”
And so Sunmoon gave up half of his vacation and headed to the training ground to begin work.
“I’m going to rest today.”
Although they had trained intensely for two weeks, the results were disappointingly poor. They practiced long kicks every day, but progress was just as slow as it had been with his earlier crossing drills.
Is it because there’s no actual pressure or urgency?
Even now, Sunmoon still struggled to deliver ordinary crosses properly. He only produced quality crosses when at least one opposing left-back was tightly marking him.
Does this need the same treatment? It’s not easy to artificially create those situations… I guess I’ll just have to hope he performs well in actual matches.
While Clive was lost in thought, Sunmoon decided to treat himself to something delicious to lift his mood. He checked his list of recommended restaurants. Among the many places he had learned about thanks to Annie and Clara, there was only one he had never visited. It was the most expensive one with a strict dress code—the place he had been thinking of visiting with Clara someday when the opportunity arose.
With Clara? Absolutely not. Then with Annie…? It feels too different from the usual spots we go to. It might be awkward to suggest it.
After some hesitation, Sunmoon decided to go alone.
“Yes! If I dress according to the code, it should be fine to go alone. I can just say I came to enjoy a quiet meal at an expensive place, right?”
“Sure, sure.”
Sunmoon put on the stylish outfit Clara had picked out for him earlier and headed to the best restaurant in the heart of Barcelona.
“Um… are you dining alone?”
“Yes. I’m by myself.”
The host at Sortida, Barcelona’s four-star restaurant, looked slightly flustered. Although Sunmoon was dressed decently, he still gave off the unmistakable impression of a young student. The fact that such a guest had arrived alone clearly caught the man off guard.
“May I ask why you’re dining alone? Most of our customers come in pairs, or sometimes groups of four…”
“Ah… I just wanted to enjoy a quiet meal by myself at a nice restaurant.”
“Hmm…”
At that moment, a passing waiter noticed the situation.
“What’s going on?”
“Ah… we have a guest who came alone, and it’s a bit tricky.”
“Wait, isn’t that…?”
The waiter was an Espanyol fan and immediately recognized Sunmoon.
“Ah… I see. I’d like to eat quietly by myself. Is that all right?”
“Of course! This gentleman can dine alone. He may look young, but he’s a first-team player for Espanyol, so there’s no need to worry about the bill.”
“I see… Then I’ll show you to a private room in the back.”
“I’ll handle it.”
In the end, Sunmoon was escorted to one of the restaurant’s finest private rooms.
The private room was quite luxurious. It was designed for eight people, so sitting there alone felt a bit awkward.
“I didn’t expect it to be this much…”
“Ah… this is suddenly a bit overwhelming.”
Still, since he was already there, Sunmoon decided to simply enjoy the meal. After waiting a short while, the waiter returned. But the man wore a slightly troubled expression.
“Is something wrong?”
“Ah… it’s not that… Hmm… Would it be all right if another guest joins you at the next table? It’s not just anyone, though.”
Sunmoon actually found sitting alone in such a large room more uncomfortable.
“That’s fine! This room is bigger than I expected, so it felt a bit awkward. Having another guest nearby might actually be better.”
“Ah! That’s a relief! Then I’ll bring them here. All the other tables are full, and this was the only remaining spot in one of the more private areas, so we were in a bit of a bind.”
“Really? That’s fortunate, then.”
“I’ll give the other guest similar instructions. If you’re okay with it, they’ll come in.”
“Yes, please do.”
“They’ll probably be very happy about it.”
The waiter left with an expression that was both relieved and strangely expectant.
“What was that about?”
A short while later, footsteps echoed from the hallway. Two more guests entered the room where Sunmoon was seated.
The other guests who had entered the four-star restaurant Sortida were Pep Guardiola and his wife, Cristina Serra.