What We Can and Cannot Do
Harrison believed it was important to clearly separate what could be done from what could not. He had confirmed that Ha Sunmoon could not deliver long kicks on the level of Alexander-Arnold or Robertson. In that case, there was no point forcing the issue. Instead, he offered a different path. The Premier League matches Sunmoon watched most closely were Liverpool and Manchester City. What he was trying to achieve now was closer to the passing range of Kevin De Bruyne or Fernandinho at Manchester City.
[Now you understand what I’m saying, right? Just tell me what kind of pass is needed in any given moment, and do exactly that. Of course, whether you can actually make that pass is another matter.]
At Harrison’s words, Sunmoon nodded.
“Got it. I’ll give it a try. I think I can do it.”
Especially since Sunmoon often took up positions beside the defensive midfielder when playing as an inverted fullback, there were moments when he played almost like one himself. And Fernandinho, who played for Manchester City, was Brazilian—the nationality Sunmoon preferred.
[But there’s a problem with this kind of play. These passes also look extremely difficult. In particular, you’ll need a high understanding of the pitch. Ankle strength will be crucial as well…]
Long kicks hadn’t worked, so there was no guarantee this attempt would succeed either. Still, once a limitation was confirmed, the only option was to find and apply a Plan B.
“And these are high-difficulty passes, so the failure rate will be high too, right? If I fail, I might draw disapproving looks from the other players or the crowd.”
[That’s true. But there’s no helping it. You have to take the risk.]
High risk, high return. If one wanted both stability and creative passing, risk was inevitable. This was also close to the advice Pep Guardiola had once given Sunmoon.
“By the way, Brother Harrison, you’re moving on to something else faster than I expected. I thought you’d keep drilling the long balls before giving up.”
[You mean the long passes? Unfortunately, we can’t do everything. Since we’ve confirmed it doesn’t work, we need to find a new alternative and compensate.]
“Ah…”
[Always remember this. Having a Plan A is good, but it’s also important to prepare a Plan B. When you hit a wall, instead of staying stuck, it’s better to find another angle and compensate. That way you can position yourself in a much better situation.]
It was a lesson learned in brutal war, yet these lessons applied to real life as well.
“Understood.”
Sunmoon nodded seriously at Harrison’s words.
[Hmm…]
Harrison left the sleeping Sunmoon behind and stepped outside. He looked up at the night sky. A few bright stars shone beautifully in the dark heavens.
[Hmm… It’s dark. There used to be so many more stars…]
Harrison had looked at the night sky since he was young. His father was often away from home, so whenever he missed him, he would look at the sky. That habit remained even when he became a soldier. When he was in another country and missed his family, he would look at the night sky. Now, even as a ghost, Harrison looked at the night sky. He missed his father and mother. Perhaps they were still alive, or perhaps they had already passed away.
He tried to recall their faces. They were blurry.
[Damn it. Still can’t remember… Hoo…]
This was his limit. Harrison had tried to remember who he was—dozens, hundreds, thousands of times. But every time the memories remained hazy, and he could never clearly know who he was. All he had were fragments. The fact that he had a mother and father. The fact that he was a Liverpool fan. The fact that he had once played football. The fact that he had been a soldier. And the fact that he had died in war. That was everything Harrison knew about himself.
The problem was… Clive. The information H. Harrison had about himself.
[Bloody hell… I don’t even know my own name properly.]
The name Harrison was actually a surname he had hastily made up.
[Hoo… What do I do now…]
Harrison looked northwest—toward England, his country. But it was a place he could not go right away. There were restrictions on Harrison. Surprisingly, he could not stray far from Sunmoon. When he had tried to leave the hospital in Korea and go elsewhere, he had been unable to move past a certain point and instead felt himself being pulled back. Already driven mad by being a ghost, now he was being dragged to strange places—it was unbelievable. But once he came to his senses, Harrison moved toward wherever he was being pulled and saw the child who seemed to be able to see him returning from the hospital to his house. He met Sunmoon, and through their conversations, he gradually felt his once-dark memories returning. When he learned Sunmoon played football, football-related memories came back. When Sunmoon mentioned speaking multiple languages, the languages Harrison could speak increased. In the end, Harrison realized that being with Sunmoon slowly restored his memories, and he decided to stay by Sunmoon’s side to recover them.
Time passed, and they had now been together for over a year. Little by little, information about himself was coming back, but unfortunately, progress was very slow.
[This is frustrating. Maybe I should try to get Sunmoon to take me to England somehow? No… The season’s started, so suddenly suggesting England would be awkward… Going on holiday for sightseeing would also feel off… How should I convince him…]
Harrison let out a small sigh and looked at the house.
[Whoa… You startled me.]
He had looked toward where Sunmoon was, but Sunmoon was not lying down—he was standing at the window, which surprised Harrison. Sunmoon stood at the window, head raised.
[Tsk… Just like me.]
Not knowing who his father was, and having a mother who did not want to see him—Sunmoon felt like someone who existed but did not. It was similar to Harrison’s own situation.
Harrison approached Sunmoon.
[Why are you up again? Don’t you have a match tomorrow?]
“I just can’t sleep.”
[There’s no such thing as “just can’t sleep.” Want me to teach you something I learned when I was a soldier?]
“What is it?”
[A technique that lets you fall asleep in just five minutes. This is really important. Eating, drinking, and sleeping are all essential for our survival.]
“Wow… Soldiers even learn how to sleep?”
[Of course. We never know when we’ll get to sleep. There were times I went a whole week without sleeping. My mind would lose focus, my judgment would blur, and I’d start seeing things, but I endured it.]
“But that’s how not to sleep. You were supposed to be telling me how to sleep.”
When Harrison suddenly went off on a tangent, Sunmoon cut him off. A memory had returned, and Harrison, excited, had started rambling before growing embarrassed.
[Ahem… What I mean is, if a person doesn’t sleep, it puts a strain on the body. If you can’t sleep for long, you get insomnia, become fatigued, and like I just said, start seeing things and lose judgment.]
“So what’s the way to sleep?”
Harrison looked at Sunmoon for a moment.
‘He already knew this… Does he not remember…’
[Wait a second…]
Harrison searched his memories. Another memory surfaced instead.
— Clive. Can’t sleep?
— No…
— Do you miss Dad?
— Yes… I wish he’d come home soon.
— If you sleep for just a few nights, he’ll be back.
— But I still can’t sleep…
— Mom will help you. Want to lie down?
Harrison recalled the sleep method his mother used to do for him. It wasn’t something he had learned in the special forces, but it felt similar.
[Sunmoon, climb onto the bed and lie down.]
“Lie down? That’s easy.”
Sunmoon lay down on the bed.
[First, relax your entire body.]
“Hmm… How do I do that?”
— Imagine your body is on a cloud. Starting from your feet, slowly surrender your body to the cloud.
[Imagine your body is on a cloud. Starting from your feet, slowly surrender your body to the cloud.]
Sunmoon closed his eyes and seemed to be trying to follow Harrison’s words.
“Hmm… I’m trying.”
[Don’t speak. Reduce your thoughts and just follow my words. You’ll fall asleep slowly.]
— Your head becomes light~. Your body becomes light~. Your legs become light~.
[My head becomes light… My body becomes light… My legs become light…]
Before Harrison finished speaking, Sunmoon’s face relaxed into peace.
[It works well… That’s enough.]
Once Sunmoon appeared to be asleep, Harrison tried to leave again.
“It doesn’t work?!”
[Ah!]
But Sunmoon, with a mischievous expression, startled Harrison, who frowned.
[You little rascal! I went through all that trouble to help you sleep!]
“Okay! I’ll sleep. I’ll use what you taught me properly. I really will sleep. I just wanted to play a little prank, hehe.”
When Harrison looked ready to get angry, Sunmoon returned to a sleeping position on the bed. He seemed to have used what Harrison taught him well, as he soon fell asleep.
[Hoo… Taking care of a kid is tough.]
After confirming Sunmoon was asleep, Harrison went back outside to look at the night sky.