The Scout's Call
The phone on Felipe's desk wouldn't stop ringing. Ziiiing. Ziiiiiiing. As Espanyol's scout, he glanced at the screen. I only gave my card to one person… Could it be? He picked up immediately.
"Hello? This is Ha Sunmoon. I'm calling the scout from Espanyol."
Yes!
"You called sooner than I expected. Do you want to sign with us?"
"Um… I'd like to, but… my situation isn't great, so I'm not sure if it'll work out."
Ha Sunmoon had already been turned down several times, and his confidence was starting to waver.
"What do you mean by your situation?"
"Well… I've heard the same thing from other scouts. Right now I don't have parents, so…"
"You don't have parents?"
Felipe thought back to their meeting. Come to think of it, the boy had shown up alone, muttering to himself the whole time before focusing entirely on football. Most of the kids had come with their parents, but Ha Sunmoon had been by himself.
"Ah… that could be a bit of a problem. What exactly do you mean by not having parents?"
"I've never seen my father since I was born, and my mother… she basically abandoned me."
"I see… Would you mind waiting a little? I'll talk to the club and see what we can do."
The phrase I'll talk to the club was something Ha Sunmoon had never heard before, and it sparked a flicker of hope in him.
"Yes, I understand. I'll wait."
The moment he hung up with Ha Sunmoon, the Espanyol scout called the club right away. Fortunately, even after learning about the boy's circumstances, the club remained eager to sign him.
"Damn it, this kid is the real deal! And he's exactly the left-back you've all been looking for! A left-back!"
But as the conversation dragged on, the scout's voice grew louder and louder.
"For fuck's sake! You can't even imagine what kind of player he'll become! Just listen to those of us who actually saw him play! If you don't believe me, go ask that bastard Coach Ron!"
The Espanyol scout kept shouting at the club's head of recruitment.
"Listen, Felipe! I've heard everything you said. But there's no way around it!"
From the other end of the line came a voice desperately trying to reason with scout Felipe.
"This is the best chance we're going to get! Do you even realize all six teams were fighting over him? That's how talented he is!"
"But the problem with that boy is exactly why all six teams gave up. He has an issue that prevents us from signing him. How are we supposed to work around that? We can't break the rules just to bring him in."
The head of recruitment stood his ground, refusing to back down.
"Then we find a way. It's an unavoidable situation."
"Sigh… Felipe. You know how it is. Think about the two Korean cases in Barcelona. Either wait until he's older to sign him, or tell him to look at other European clubs. Does it have to be us?"
"This is driving me crazy. That kid was Ronaldinho out there today, you know? He's Asian but plays like a South American! Talent like that is almost impossible to find."
"Shit. Fine, Felipe. I'll ask the legal team. In the meantime, you dig up any information that could work in the kid's favor."
"Thank you."
The Espanyol scout was doing everything in his power to get Ha Sunmoon on board. Finding real talent in Asia was incredibly difficult. The population was enormous, yet discovering players with genuine footballing ability was rare. Having finally found one, Felipe simply couldn't give up. Without a doubt, Ha Sunmoon was the best prospect he'd discovered since taking over the Asian region.
Damn it. We need something more.
Espanyol scout Felipe waited anxiously for word from the club.
"Felipe?"
"Please, tell me you've got good news."
"Assuming the boy really is an orphan. If there's someone who lived with him, we might be able to make the contract work."
"Really?"
"Yes. First, ask if there's such a person. That adult must live with him in Spain without exception. If that's not possible, we give up. There's no other way. This is the absolute limit of what FIFA will accept."
"Understood! I'll ask right away."
Scout Felipe contacted Ha Sunmoon immediately.
"Hello, this is Ha Sunmoon."
"The club seems to have found a possible solution."
Yes!
Ha Sunmoon looked at Harrison, exaggeratedly letting out a sigh and wiping his forehead. It was a gesture of relief, and only then did Harrison's expression soften a little.
"What do I need to do?"
"First, you have to prove that you've done everything possible to find your family. We need evidence that you currently have no family and have been actively searching for them."
"Um… how do I do that?"
"Contact the place I told you about. It's an organization that works worldwide, and they have a branch in Korea too. They'll help you go through the process of searching for your family."
"Really?"
Ha Sunmoon's heart suddenly fluttered. The thought that he might actually get to see his mother filled him with emotion.
"Finding my mom is really important to me… So I just need to contact them?"
"That's right. But first, for our purposes, you need to file a request with them to be officially recognized as an orphan. And… this part is extremely important. Is there any adult who has taken care of you in the meantime?"
"An adult who took care of me?"
"Yes. If there's an adult who has lived with you for at least a year, you can settle in Spain as a football player on the condition that you live with that person in Spain. This is only after you're recognized as an orphan, of course."
"Then I can go to Spain?"
"Yes. The problem is, if no such person exists… we'll probably have to give up on the contract."
Ha Sunmoon stared blankly at the phone for a moment.
"Is there anyone? Someone who could live with you in Spain…"
"Hmm…"
Ha Sunmoon's face clouded over.
Harrison tried to comfort him.
"There is. One person."
"There is?"
"Yes… When I was in Brazil… the person I lived with…"
"Ah! When you were at Fluminense?"
"Yes. I'll contact him. Please wait."
For some reason, Ha Sunmoon's voice was filled with melancholy.
Harrison said, looking at him. Ha Sunmoon nodded quietly.
And then… Ha Sunmoon dialed the number of the person he knew in Brazil.
"Hello?"
"Hello."
A middle-aged voice came through the line. Ha Sunmoon swallowed hard, finding it difficult to speak.
"Mr. Felipe, hello?"
"This voice… Is that you, Sunmoon?"
"Yes, sir. It's been three months, hasn't it?"
"Ah… All I can say is that I'm sorry. After my son died, I should have pulled myself together."
Son. Ha Sunmoon knew Felipe's son very well. His teammate from Fluminense's youth academy, the boy he'd lived with in the same house. His precious friend from Brazil. Lucas, the left-winger for Fluminense U13, was his son.
And Ha Sunmoon had been the left-back for Fluminense U13. The two of them had formed a devastating partnership, tearing through Brazil's U13 league together.
"I'm sorry, kid. Please accept my apology."
"No. I was the one who made mistakes too. You must have suffered much more than I did."
When Ha Sunmoon had gone abroad to train, he had stayed in Mr. Felipe's apartment. As a well-known agent who represented many Brazilian footballers, Felipe lived in a rather nice place. Thanks to that, Sunmoon had been able to stay safe. And since Felipe's son Lucas also played football there, the two boys had become precious friends.
They spent several years like that. But just as the time approached for Sunmoon to return to Korea, a terrible tragedy occurred.
Rio de Janeiro. The city with the giant Christ the Redeemer statue was far more dangerous than it seemed. The beaches made it appealing for tourists, but in certain areas, shootouts between police and gangs were common.
The favela. Brazil's slums—shantytowns that could be compared to Korea's old hillside villages—had terrible security.
Lucas and Ha Sunmoon had been racing each other home. To beat Sunmoon, who had taken a slight lead, Lucas chose a shortcut through the favela instead of their usual safe route.
But that day, of all days, there was a clash between police and gang members. Lucas, running to get home quickly, never made it out of the crossfire.
This was the real reason Ha Sunmoon's mental state had shattered when he returned to Korea. It wasn't just because his family had abandoned him. Before he could even accept that fact, he had lost his one and only precious friend.
For a boy as young as Ha Sunmoon, the combination of that death and the pain of abandonment had been far too much to bear.
"Sunmoon, you called because you need help, right? Whatever kind of help you need, I will help you. Just tell me anything."
"Sir… Do you remember the promise we made back then? That if I ever made it to Europe, I would definitely hire you as my agent."
"Of course I do."
"I want to keep that promise. I'm going to hire you. I've been given the chance to sign with a Spanish football team."
"Congratulations. So you're heading to Spain."
"But there's a problem. To become a player in Spain, I need to live with family… In Korea, I was abandoned. I don't have any family, so I can't sign the contract. To go to Spain, I need your help—the person who fed and housed me."
"My God… So that's what happened."
Mr. Felipe's voice trembled continuously over the phone.
"Yes… I'll help you as much as you need. Honestly, many of the players I represent have gone to Europe, and I've been wanting to go there myself."
"Thank you."
"No need to thank me. Sunmoon, you were family to us too. Family helps each other no matter what."
Tears streamed down Ha Sunmoon's face.
"Sir… I miss Lucas."
"So do I, son. Next time you come to Brazil, let's visit his grave together. You can tell him you signed with a European team."
"Of course."
Ha Sunmoon cried for a long time, unable to put the phone down.