R9's Approval
After the Copa del Rey victory, Espanyol enjoyed an impeccable season. With Ha Sunmoon back in the side, his blistering pace and pinpoint crosses tore through every defense they faced. The club finished first in La Liga 2 and secured automatic promotion. “At this rate, we should be able to return to La Liga,” Carlos, Espanyol’s vice-chairman, said during a meeting with the Mingsing Group.
“Hmm…” Chairman Tian looked far from satisfied. “Is this really the best we can do?”
“Of course it is. Winning the Copa del Rey and earning promotion—what more could anyone ask for right now?”
“Even so…”
“Yes?”
Tian finally spoke his mind. “You know the club’s finances are in trouble, don’t you?”
“I do. But once we’re back in La Liga and competing in the Europa League, the broadcasting revenue alone should bring in substantial income.”
“No, no… the situation is worse than you think. After the pandemic, the club’s losses are severe, and our parent group isn’t exactly flush with cash either.”
Carlos’s face hardened. To deliver results like this and still be told they won’t invest… Still, he held his tongue. Every club had suffered from the lingering effects of the outbreak.
“That’s why we’ve decided to withdraw the investment we had planned.”
“What? Then even if we reach the first division, we could be relegated again immediately. And without that money, we won’t be able to keep the squad together. How can you cut funding after everything we’ve achieved?”
“Didn’t we spend a fortune on a certain player?”
“Excuse me?”
“He’s been performing exceptionally well, hasn’t he? The one who came from Korea.”
Carlos felt his teeth grind. Ha Sunmoon is no ordinary talent… Anyone with half a brain could see what was coming next. A world-class player like him… without him we’ll never survive in the top flight again… Yet he also knew selling Sunmoon at this exact moment would be idiotic.
“You’re talking about Ha Sunmoon? We can’t sell him. Even if we did, it should be after next season at the earliest.”
“The club has no tomorrow. How are we supposed to keep him?”
“Even so, if the Mingsing Group could provide at least some of the promised funds—”
“I’m in the same position. Why haven’t you been playing Wu Lei as a regular starter? Did you really think the owner would keep investing when Wu Lei isn’t even getting minutes?”
Carlos was speechless. “Wu Lei’s injury kept him out for a long time. That’s the only reason his playing time dropped. Is that really a problem?”
“No! I was told he’d recovered, yet all I hear is that he still isn’t playing. Anyway—sell that noisy Korean and run the club with the proceeds. If he’s as good as you say, use the money to buy players who can actually keep us in the first division.”
The meeting ended with that one-sided decree. Carlos let out a long sigh as he left. Explaining this to the staff, the manager, and the players was already giving him a headache.
“Damn it. We’re supposed to be preparing the Copa del Rey victory parade…”
* * *
Espanyol had earned promotion. Automatic promotion as champions of La Liga 2. A parade through the streets of Barcelona—not for Barcelona, but for Espanyol—began, and Ha Sunmoon was etching an unforgettable memory into his mind.
[Look at all those people out there.]
“We’ve never had anything like this before. It’s nice to see everyone so happy.”
La Liga was usually a two-team league—Real Madrid and Barcelona. Of course, the Copa del Rey had never been kind to Real Madrid, but for any club outside those two giants, lifting the cup was something fans could truly celebrate.
[Those kits look good.]
At Harrison’s remark, Ha Sunmoon glanced at the white-and-blue shirts rippling along the roadside and silently agreed. As the star of the cup run, he waved to the fans, who roared back. Especially the female supporters sending him flirtatious looks—Harrison chuckled.
[Enjoy it while it lasts. You’re quite popular.]
Ha Sunmoon, unused to the attention, simply pretended not to notice. While he was enjoying the parade and the party that followed, a message arrived on his phone.
“Hmm?”
[What’s wrong?]
The sender was Marcelo, Real Madrid’s legendary left-back.
“Marcelo just texted. He’s asking if I want to go on holiday with him again.”
[Do you really have to? You’re busy with your conditioning.]
“Whoa—I think I should go!”
Harrison sighed at Ha Sunmoon’s suddenly sparkling eyes. That reaction made it obvious he was already planning to accept.
[Why? What’s so special about this trip?]
“Roberto Carlos is coming too. I can’t miss that!”
[Roberto Carlos?]
“Yes! The greatest Brazilian left-back of all time. Well, Marcelo is incredible too, but imagine what I could learn from both of them!”
Harrison sighed again, then nodded.
[Just don’t overdo the partying. I saw how you reacted to all the girls in swimsuits last time. Don’t tell me that’s the real reason you want to go.]
“Of course not! What do you take me for?”
[Fine. Do what you want. Resting properly is a skill too.]
“Yes!”
And so Ha Sunmoon once again began planning a holiday with Marcelo.
* * *
“Ha!”
“Marcelo!”
They greeted each other enthusiastically at the airport.
“Man, you’ve grown so much in just a year. In person you look even bigger than on camera.”
“Haha… even I was surprised by the sudden growth spurt. By the way…”
Ha Sunmoon glanced around.
“Looking for someone?”
“Ah…”
“I know who you’re waiting for.”
“He hasn’t arrived yet, has he? I forgot Brazilians tend to take their time. Must be the Spanish water getting to me.”
“No, he got here two days ago and has already been enjoying himself. I guess you also forgot that Brazilians can be quite diligent when it comes to having fun.”
Marcelo chuckled at Ha Sunmoon’s quick reply.
“Perfect timing—the driver’s here. Let’s head straight to the villa!”
“Yes, sir.”
Ha Sunmoon climbed into the waiting car and was driven to the villa Marcelo had prepared. They were in Ibiza, Spain—an island south of Mallorca and one of the world’s premier holiday destinations.
Wow… this place is incredible too.
The coastline, dotted with yachts and breathtaking scenery, delighted his eyes. When they arrived at the enormous villa, he was stunned once more.
[This is no joke. Money really is everything, huh? How much does a place like this cost per day?]
“What do you think, Ha? Pretty impressive, right?”
“Yes, it’s amazing!”
“We’re staying for two weeks. If I told you how many hundreds of millions of won it cost to rent the whole thing, would you be surprised?”
“Hundreds of millions?”
“Yeah. They said short-term rentals weren’t available, so I booked the entire place. Haha.”
“Whoa…”
While Ha Sunmoon was still marveling, the player he had always dreamed of meeting appeared—Roberto Carlos.
“Roberto!”
“Marcelo!”
The two Brazilian left-backs who had both starred for Real Madrid embraced warmly.
“Ah, and this must be Ha.”
“Hello!”
Ha Sunmoon greeted him brightly.
“Anyway, it’s getting late. Let’s have a quiet drink and chat tonight. Starting tomorrow we’ll be bringing the ladies along!”
“Hahaha!”
Ha Sunmoon stayed politely quiet in the middle of their laughter.
“Oh, right! Ha, I’ve got a question for you.”
Roberto Carlos turned to him.
“Yes? What is it?”
“You did that interview after winning the Copa del Rey, right? In front of Valdés.”
“Yes, I did.”
“If you weren’t an Espanyol player, who would you have chosen between Messi and Ronaldo?”
“You mean ignoring the local rivalry?”
Roberto Carlos nodded.
“Obviously Ronaldo. Why do you ask?”
Ha Sunmoon answered without hesitation.
“Haha, definitely not the type to play for Barcelona.”
“But you really think that Ronaldo is the best?”
“Ronaldo? You mean the Portuguese player?”
Both Marcelo and Roberto Carlos flinched.
“Hold on… so you weren’t talking about CR7?”
“Of course not! The real Ronaldo—R9—is the greatest footballer of all time.”
The two Brazilians grinned.
“You pass. This kid actually knows his stuff.”
“He’s in. That’s why we invited him on holiday, right? Pretty good choice, Roberto?”
Roberto Carlos nodded.