3 – Complete Shambles

The talk show filming location was the seminar room of the hotel where they were currently staying. As soon as Je-rim finished breakfast, he put his utmost effort into grooming himself. He would wear casual clothes, so he didn’t want to look like he tried too hard, but just enough to look distinctly superior compared to the guy he’d be caught with on camera.

However, no matter how much he struggled to groom himself, since he had never applied makeup in his life, all he could do was shave thoroughly and slick back his hair with wax, so he wasn’t very satisfied with the result. Normally, the club provided a stylist, but it seemed they hadn’t come along for this visit to Korea. Instead, he put as much care as possible into his clothes and headed to the seminar room.

In the seminar room, YouTuber Han-seong, one interpreter, a few staff members, and Aaron, dressed in a tracksuit, were already sitting there. In fact, everyone except Aaron was in comfortable attire. It was the moment Je-rim, who had come dressed like a male peacock, became a fool. As soon as Han-seong saw Je-rim, he jumped up and ran over.

“Hyung! Why are you so dressed up today? Are you shooting a pictorial?”

“…I’m not dressed up.”

“Liar. Look at your hair. Wow, it’s so stiff. How much did these shoes cost?”

The keen-eyed Han-seong teased him, touching the tips of his hair that he had struggled to set to achieve a ‘natural yet groomed’ look. He immediately pointed out the limited-edition sneakers he had worn, which wouldn’t even be captured on camera. Feeling unnecessarily embarrassed, Je-rim just shook his head.

“Damn it, I dressed up to make you look good. Happy now?”

“As expected of my Hyung! …But seeing Reyes in person, he’s really scary. His aura is no joke.”

Han-seong whispered softly while glancing at Aaron. Je-rim also stole a glance at Aaron and agreed.

“Do you need to see him in person to know that? Even his visual is subpar.”

“Hey, honestly, his face is similar to yours, Hyung. His physique is better than yours, though…”

“You, don’t make any more videos with me. If I see you, I’ll sue.”

“Hyung-nim! You’re really something, just for a little joke! Sit, sit.”

Pushing Je-rim’s back, Han-seong asked in an even lower voice than before.

“But Hyung, are you really on bad terms with Reyes?”

“…Are you saying that too? I’m seriously sick of this…”

“No, I wrote the whole script thinking I’d be filming with Fritz, but it changed suddenly… Now it’s a total rush job. I wrote it in a hurry, so I can’t afford to step on any landmines.”

Je-rim thought Han-seong was asking purely to satisfy his own curiosity like everyone else, but surprisingly, a reasonable concern followed. Despite appearing infinitely light, as someone who made a living through personal broadcasting, he seemed to think deeply about these things. Thus, Je-rim gave a serious command with a face devoid of laughter.

“Edit it to make us look as friendly as possible.”

In short, it was true that they were on bad terms, but he didn’t want it to show on the broadcast. Han-seong, who easily grasped the hidden meaning, nodded.

“Okay. But then you have to play along to some extent, Hyung. I’ve minimized the interviews and changed the format to games. We’re going for a cheerful atmosphere, okay?”

“Yeah, I trust you.”

The channel Han-seong ran was the most subscribed and credible football-related channel in Korea. If he showed himself chatting friendly with Aaron there, as Han-seong promised, the rumors of discord would be easily resolved.

…Though he didn’t know if he could do it. While Je-rim gulped, the filming began.

“Hello. Ban Je-rim-ssi, Reyes-ssi. It is truly an honor to have two world-class players on our channel at the same time.”

“Hello.”

“Man, to think a visit to Korea was arranged right after such a big signing. For football channels like ours, it’s totally the season right now, the season!”

As soon as the camera turned on, Han-seong’s tone and manner of speaking completely changed. Watching his close younger friend, a natural broadcaster, Je-rim steadied his heart. It would be terrible to ruin work because he couldn’t suppress a single personal emotion. Even if he had to pretend to be close with the guy he had fought with yesterday, calling each other sluts and such, he had to face it calmly.

He said interviews were minimized, and indeed, the Q&A session was very short. Once Aaron’s interview ended, Han-seong gestured with his chin toward the staff behind him. Immediately after, boxes of unknown contents were placed in front of Je-rim and Aaron.

“You’re probably tired of interviews since you’ve done so many yesterday, right? So we’ve prepared a slightly new format.”

Tada! With a cheap sound effect made by his own mouth, the contents of the boxes were revealed. It was a crudely made round machine. Aaron’s eyebrows rose slightly as if he had never seen such a thing in his life. However, to Je-rim, who had a habit of leaving Korean variety shows on even at his house in England because he hated being lonely, it was a familiar object.

A lie detector. A toy that determines heart rate, showing a blue light if the truth is told and a red light if a lie is told, sending a weak electric current or vibration as a penalty. The current would probably be similar to the tingle of static electricity when wearing a sweater in winter, but still…

‘I’m screwed.’

He couldn’t even ‘pretend’ to be close like this. Did this guy Kim Han-seong come determined to bury him today? Because he didn’t buy him a meal last time he came to Korea? Je-rim glared at the younger friend he thought he was close with, his eyes filled with confusion.

But that close friend ignored the rotten expression of his older brother and did his job. Explanations about the lie detector followed, along with a request to make a cutting gesture if there was a question he really didn’t want to answer. After hearing the explanation, Aaron nodded with interest and readily placed his finger on the metal part.

When asked whether vibration or current was preferred for the shock, Aaron answered ‘current’ before Je-rim could even respond. His reasoning was valid: wouldn’t that be more interesting? Han-seong also seemed to secretly hope for the current for the sake of the spectacle.

Having no choice but to agree, as soon as Je-rim placed his hand on the machine, the sharp questions began.

“Now, first question for Ban Je-rim-ssi! I am glad that Reyes-ssi transferred here. You must answer within 5 seconds.”

“…Sigh, of course I am. Isn’t he a godsend, a godsend!”

It was before the answer even finished.

Beep beep! Along with a loud buzzer, a red light flashed, and a tingling current immediately flowed. Startled, Je-rim threw the machine away and let out a short scream.

“…….”

“…….”

“What was that just now? Godsend? What is a godsend?”

Perhaps everyone was flustered by the unexpected situation, as a strange silence flowed for a while. Only Aaron, who hadn’t received the translation for the word ‘godsend,’ expressed doubt by clumsily mimicking the Korean pronunciation. However, no one had the mental capacity to answer him.

Je-rim also kept his mouth shut and picked up the lie detector he had slammed down, placing it back on the table. Contrary to its crude appearance, it seemed the durability was quite good as it wasn’t broken.

‘I thought it would judge it as truth.’

Regardless of his personal dislike for Aaron, he believed the transfer itself was a good thing for the team, so there was no lie in the answer ‘godsend.’ But perhaps the expression ‘glad’ was the problem. Because he couldn’t say he was glad even if he were beaten to death…

Honestly, he hadn’t expected a piece of machinery to grasp a human’s innermost feelings so well. Je-rim rubbed his eyes gloomily, looking down at the detector that was unnecessarily high-performing. He was truly screwed. The one who salvaged the chilled atmosphere was Han-seong, who held the role of MC.

“…Haha, it seems you’re not just glad, but toooo glad.”

“…….”

Even for a professional, there was a limit to salvaging. Embarrassment leaked through his awkward tone. With a twitch in the corner of his mouth, he quickly shifted the topic to the next question.

“Now, the next question is for Reyes-ssi. I believe that I am the best striker in the world.”

“Wouldn’t that be the case? I believe there is no room for doubt.”

Why such an easy question for that bastard? No sooner had Je-rim felt dissatisfied than a blue light flashed along with a very arrogant answer. Han-seong shouted, waving his hand as if he had finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Wow, I love the confidence.”

He should have asked me who I think the best midfielder in the world is. Did he really come determined to screw me over? While he was grumbling intensely inside, it was his turn again.

“Back to Ban Je-rim-ssi’s turn. Do you agree with Reyes-ssi’s answer just now?”

“…Yes. I don’t think anyone would have a different opinion regardless of who you ask.”

“Oh, it’s a blue light. The camaraderie right after the transfer is just… fan, fantastic!”

That bastard Kim Han-seong just stuttered. But since he was the one who had shown ‘fantastic’ camaraderie ironically, Je-rim just stayed still with a face like he had chewed something bitter. It was also because he was somewhat afraid to tell a lie after having already tasted the surprise of the electric shock once.

It couldn’t be called pleasant, even as a white lie, to have a tingling shock applied without warning to his already sensitive fingertips. It wasn’t painful, but it was enough to want to avoid it. Just as he resolved to answer honestly from now on, an easy question was finally asked.

“Then Ban Je-rim-ssi, let me ask one more question. Who is the most handsome player at Sefton?”

“Me. It’s awkward to say this myself, but my face is… Ack!”

“Oh, it seems there’s a player he internally admits is more handsome than himself. Could it be Reyes-ssi?”

“No, damn, no way… Ugh!”

Contrary to his resolution, Je-rim, who suffered two consecutive electric shocks, felt his spirit worn out. He glared at the machine with eyes full of hostility, while from behind, the sound of laughter that sounded like sobbing continuously flowed. One staff member had completely run to the corner and was crouching down. Their back was shaking.

Even Aaron was grinning as if it were unexpected, scratching at Je-rim’s nerves.

“I’m honored that you evaluated my skill and face so highly.”

“…I’m not doing this anymore.”

Unable to take it, Je-rim pushed the machine back and started complaining. However, Han-seong, a skilled broadcaster who knew Je-rim’s usual personality well, let those complaints go in one ear and out the other.

“Hey, it’s fun. I’ll ask Reyes-ssi the same question. Who is the most handsome player at Sefton?”

“Je-rim.”

At the crisp assertion and the blue light proving it to be the truth, Han-seong’s eyes grew as wide as lanterns. ‘I’ve secured a great part,’ his excessively sparkling eyes seemed to say. Wondering why this guy was suddenly giving a compliment, Je-rim’s gaze also turned toward Aaron.

Despite receiving two pairs of obvious stares, Aaron was not intimidated and continued speaking.

“If he just keeps his mouth shut, he’s more handsome than anyone. Especially his smiling face is as bright as the sky after the rain. Ah, of course, this only applies when he’s just smiling quietly.”

“…….”

“…….”

The problem was that he wasn’t intimidated enough. Flustered by the excessively honest answer, Han-seong’s lips flickered like a goldfish waiting for feed.

To hide his reddened face, Je-rim pretended to wipe his face with his hand and exhaled a hot breath. Part of it was because he was angry, confused whether that was a compliment or an insult, but it was also because the voice murmuring ‘Cielo’ was unnecessarily familiar.

‘Je-rim, my sky.’

Cielo, sky in Spanish. It was a nickname Aaron often used. It was a common nickname between lovers in Spain, but even before they dated, Aaron used to mutter that Je-rim was like the sky whenever he saw him. What he said was exactly the same as now. That his smile was just like the sky.

At this point, Je-rim began to wonder if Aaron was intentionally bringing up old things to tease him and see his reaction. It couldn’t be that he wanted to make things right again with the person he had called a slut until yesterday.

And except for the cringeworthy description like ‘sky after the rain,’ it was a sentence close to sarcasm. What kind of crazy person would tell an ex-lover they want to get back with that they’re handsome as long as they shut their mouth, and call it a compliment?

Anyone could hear it was a compliment, and it wasn’t that he was twisting a perfectly fine compliment just because he hated Aaron so much. That was evident just by looking at Han-seong’s expression, as if his common sense had left the building. Having barely regained his composure, Han-seong gave a big thumbs up.

“Haha! That, Hyung… ah, no. Ban Je-rim-ssi’s smiling face is indeed cool. I’m not sure about the sky part, though… Wow, you two seem to have a re, re, lation— cough! A very good relationship.”

Han-seong, do you have a microphone plugged into your head? If there weren’t cameras, he would have asked that. But this was a video that would be broadcast worldwide with subtitles in seven languages. Je-rim constantly reminded himself of the camera’s presence and suppressed the profanity that wanted to burst out.

A few more questions followed after that. During that time, Je-rim suffered three more electric shocks, while Aaron slipped through all of them like an eel. As the filming finally seemed to be ending, Je-rim, driven by a petty heart that couldn’t bear to be the only one suffering, clung to Han-seong.

“Ah! It’s unfair to end with only me suffering. Please ask one more question that can show this guy the bitter taste of electric shock.”

“That’s because Reyes-ssi answered everything honestly…”

Glaring at Han-seong with cold eyes, he whispered with his lips, ‘No monetization from my video.’ Quickly changing his attitude, Han-seong answered politely.

“Yes, then would Ban Je-rim-ssi like to ask the question directly?”

Finally getting the opportunity he wanted, Je-rim rubbed his palms together. What question should he ask to make this guy taste a tingling shock? Should he ask something like ‘Go to hell’? Like, ‘I have cheated before’…

If he answered yes, he’d be cursed, and if he answered no, the red light would flash, so he’d be cursed that way too. Since he could also show him the taste of electric shock, it was killing two birds with one stone.

But in the end, he reached the conclusion that it would be like spitting on his own face, so he changed his mind. If a teammate was caught up in a scandal, it would be a loss for the team as well. Moreover, even for a variety show, it was obvious that asking such personal questions would only leave Han-seong and the staff struggling to clean up the mess.

Then what question should he ask? As Je-rim pondered, an impulsive question slipped from his lips. It was because the headline of an article he had read until his eyes nearly popped out on the way to the airport suddenly came to mind.

“…Is it true that there really wasn’t any particular reason for this transfer?”

He brought up the question he had put off because his pride wouldn’t allow him to ask it seriously, pretending it was lighthearted under the guise of the variety show. It was also a gesture of kindness, having decided against openly screwing him over. However, Aaron instead clicked his tongue.

“I don’t think this is a topic for a game. You’re still devoid of any seriousness… Ugh!”

While he was speaking, a loud buzzer sounded, and Aaron’s smooth forehead furrowed. Watching Aaron pull his finger away in surprise, Je-rim wore a mysterious expression. Judging by the way he kept his mouth tightly shut as if displeased, he didn’t seem to have any intention of continuing his answer.

“Ah, time’s up! Still, it looks like our player Ban Je-rim got his wish.”

So, was there a reason or not? He had gone through the trouble of asking, but he didn’t even get a basic answer. Even though he had already achieved his original goal of ‘letting Aaron taste the bitterness of an electric shock,’ a strange sense of regret welled up. It was similar to the emptiness felt when a match ends in a draw.

After chewing over emotions he didn’t need to feel, Je-rim realized that he was more curious about Aaron than he thought. It was an obvious, yet unwelcome, realization. He and Aaron were no longer in a relationship where they should be curious about each other. In the end, all of this would just be another waste of time.

‘…I shouldn’t have asked.’

Since even the rush of familiar regret was a repetition of the past, he suppressed his curiosity once again.

Unable to get a proper answer, a busy schedule continued even after the filming ended. Thanks to the itinerary that followed without a moment to breathe, the unpleasant aftertaste was quickly forgotten.

Having eaten dinner earlier than usual for the open training starting at 7 PM, Je-rim was dragged away to film a promotional video for the club’s SNS. He was finally released only after repeating a few ridiculous motions, such as clenching both fists and appearing to shout.

Once he changed into his training gear and came out, his teammates, who had returned after finishing their respective schedules, began to gather one by one. Although everyone looked exhausted, the atmosphere was good. Since it was an open training session ahead of a light friendly match, they didn’t seem very nervous. Coach Verdi also encouraged the players, telling them not to overtrain and to enjoy themselves, focusing on fan service.

Before stepping onto the pitch, Je-rim, who stood at the front, rotated his ankles and subtly glanced behind him. The sight of Aaron wearing the same design of training gear felt completely foreign. After ending his youth career at Tavarona, he thought he would never play in the same league as that guy again….

“Please prepare for entry.”

Just then, along with the announcement signaling the start, thunderous cheers began to be heard from outside. Je-rim quickly cleared his mind of distracting thoughts and ran onto the pitch. Even though it wasn’t an official match, the stands were packed with people. He occasionally saw fans holding embarrassing banners.

Je-rim sincerely expressed his gratitude to the spectators who were waving their arms and chanting his name. While the visit to Korea itself was burdensome, he liked events like this. Unless he entered the country for an A Match, he couldn’t meet the fans of his home country often. Even in the middle of training, he frequently went near the stands to show himself warming up or to drink water.

Going out to drink water often was partly for fan service, but more accurately, it was a matter of survival. No matter how late it was in the evening, exercising in the sweltering heat and humidity made his body wither naturally. Water was essential to prevent dehydration. His teammates also panted and looked for water whenever they had a chance.

“It’s still hot even though the sun has set.”

“Man, I’m dying….”

“Take it easy. Drink water frequently in small amounts.”

Je-rim encouraged his teammates while being careful not to overdo it himself. It wasn’t even a demanding workout, yet sweat poured like rain after just a few shooting practices. Je-rim, clicking his tongue, had just stepped outside the line to drink water again.

As he took the water bottle offered by a staff member and brought it to his lips, a heavy forearm was once again draped over his shoulder. Hot breath puffed against his ear.

“Water for me too.”

“Ask the staff.”

Since he could guess who it was just by the shape of the tattoo on the arm, he didn’t bother turning around to check. Je-rim touched his unusually ticklish ear and replied bluntly in a voice small enough not to reach the stands. Meanwhile, for the sole reason that the fans were watching, the corners of his mouth maintained a cheerful arc.

As the two most popular players currently at Sefton shared a friendly arm-over-shoulder pose right next to the stands, an enthusiastic reaction poured out. As if they had planned it, Je-rim and Aaron smiled brightly and waved, then continued their conversation via ventriloquism.

“I’m not going to drink much. Didn’t you say to drink small amounts frequently? Just give me the one you’re drinking.”

“Now you’re even coveting my water?”

“Are you really being this petty over water? Captain, please be a bit kinder to the newcomer.”

As he said this, Aaron glanced toward Coach Verdi. Judging by the way his eyes narrowed mischievously, it was a clear threat that if he wasn’t given the water, he would tell the coach that the captain was bullying him. Despite being nearly thirty, his thinking was more childish than a kindergartner’s.

“Fine, sure. Drink. Drink your fill.”

So, Je-rim adjusted his own mental age to match the other’s. Aiming the pointed nozzle of the water bottle at Aaron’s face, he squeezed the body of the bottle hard. The bottle, designed similarly to a squeeze-pop, shot out a cool stream of water the moment pressure was applied.

Right onto Aaron’s face.

“Ha, fuck….”

The guy, who had been showered with water unexpectedly, wiped his dripping chin with the back of his hand and let out a hollow laugh. The curses lingering in his ear were nothing short of sweet. Feeling an inexplicable sense of pride, Je-rim wrapped his arm around Aaron’s shoulder affectionately.

“Oops, my mistake. Want me to wipe it for you?”

“I won’t decline. Wipe it nicely.”

However, Je-rim quickly shuddered and backed away when Aaron rubbed his water-soaked face against his shoulder. His clothes were already drenched in sweat, and the added water made the unpleasant feeling indescribable.

He was also appalled by Aaron’s spirit of self-sacrifice, enduring his own discomfort just to screw someone else over. To think of wiping his face on someone else’s sweat-stained sleeve—it was an idea Je-rim could never conceive.

Seeing Je-rim genuinely disgusted, Aaron seemed to think this was the moment and pulled Je-rim’s hand over to rub his wet face against it. Forgetting that he was the one who had sprayed the water, Je-rim was horrified by the squelching sensation blending with the warm body heat.

“You crazy bastard!”

Just like the filming that ended with a lingering unpleasant taste, he had fallen for his own trick. Je-rim, who couldn’t stand losing anywhere, expressed his frustration openly. Aaron let go of Je-rim’s hand and chuckled.

“In other people’s eyes, you’re the crazier one for spraying water on a teammate’s face, Je-rim.”

So what. Making the most obnoxious expression he could, he shrugged his shoulders. Unaware of a future where a fancy modifier would be added to his ‘rat’ nickname because of this sly expression, Je-rim kept looking for an opportunity for revenge until the open training ended.

✲✲✲

The friendly match with the K-League ended in great success. Under the pretext of an adjustment period, Aaron played only the first half and was substituted. However, during the first half where four goals were scored for Sefton, he scored two on his own. He would have scored more if he hadn’t been substituted. Looking at the way he played, it seemed he wouldn’t suffer from the slump that players often experience when changing leagues.

“That guy is a monster…. Ban Je-rim, congratulations in advance on winning the Champions?”

After the match, Song Yeo-bin, the captain of the Korean National Team, spoke with a pronounced pout, offering words that were hard to tell if they were congratulations or sarcasm. Even though it was a friendly and the National Team’s starting players were absent, it was understandable that he was upset after losing by an overwhelming score of 7 to 3. Je-rim pinched his same-age friend’s protruding lip and patted him.

“We don’t know that yet. Don’t you know the ball is round? Put your lip back in.”

“Ah, damn it, with your filthy sweaty hands!”

Despite his easygoing appearance, he was incongruously sensitive and picky about cleanliness. Yeo-bin, who had taken a water bottle to wash his face, asked while rinsing his hands with the remaining water.

“Are you free today? We’re having a team dinner, so join us.”

“Today? I can’t. I have a team dinner too.”

“What? Not on your first day back?”

“Everyone said they were tired that day, so we postponed it.”

“Ah, true. Just the flight time from England to here…. Take good care of your body.”

Along with the word ‘you,’ Je-rim felt a gaze looking down toward his knees. It was only the season before last that Yeo-bin, who had been playing in the Bundesliga, was forced to return to Korea as his form dropped due to frequent A Match call-ups and the resulting accumulation of fatigue.

Instead of comforting him on that painful road back home, he vividly remembered how all sorts of media had swarmed to tear Yeo-bin apart.

The premature fall of a young captain. Je-rim had been so disgusted by articles that featured such headlines in giant letters, analyzing Yeo-bin’s future whereabouts and blathering about his private life, that he hadn’t accessed the internet for a while.

Yet, despite all that, Yeo-bin did not quit football. Even now, having been hacked to pieces by interest filled with low-grade curiosity and receiving less than half the weekly wage he got in Germany, he is still running hard. Je-rim couldn’t even add a joke as usual to his same-age friend’s bitter concern and smiled weakly.

“Yeah, thanks.”

If I were to end up in the same situation as Yeo-bin… would I be able to quit football with a sense of relief then? Leaving behind his unsettled heart and the grass of the Seoul World Cup Stadium that he stepped on for the first time in a while, he returned to the hotel. Since the team dinner was scheduled for later than usual, everyone’s steps were hurried.

After dropping his luggage roughly in his room and heading to the lounge, he saw teammates who had arrived early gathered in small groups, drinking sparkling water poured into champagne glasses. They seemed to be desperately struggling to create an atmosphere since they couldn’t drink alcohol.

“Jerry, over here!”

He went and sat next to the guy on the right among the center back duo who had his hand raised high—William. As soon as he sat down, the fluffy beard tempted him to pluck it again. Unable to resist the temptation, Je-rim gave William’s beard a long tug.

“Seriously, what’s with the beard? Doesn’t your daughter cry when she sees you? Doesn’t she say she hates a dad like this?”

“Don’t pluck it! Bella recommended that I grow it! Don’t pluck it!”

“Bella has very unique taste too.”

“Did you just insult my wife?”

“What’s wrong? Why do you take everything I say as an insult?”

This guy, seriously—did the hot-tempered nature that had softened a bit after marriage return? Je-rim put strength into the hand gripping the beard with a feeling of genuine unfairness.

“Aaaagh!”

At the same time William let out a shrill scream, a few strands of hair remained in Je-rim’s palm. As he quickly shook them off so no one would see and put on a disappointed expression, the other center back, Robin, who had been watching and giggling, calmed Je-rim down.

“Jerry, just bear with him. This bastard is just stressed because he’s gained weight.”

“Ah, definitely. His thighs have gotten thicker.”

Je-rim slowly scanned William in his seated position. He hadn’t noticed when he was standing, but the area of the thighs pressed against the chair was noticeably wider than before. Hearing the sharp evaluation as if he were grading meat, William slumped over the table and muttered miserably.

“I’ll lose it…. Once the season starts, it’ll go away automatically….”

“Just how many delicious things did you eat during the vacation?”

“Bella started home baking….”

“If it’s something like that, you have to eat it without complaining.”

Robin, who had married at a young age and built a cozy family instead of Je-rim, who had no intention of starting a family yet, empathized with a sincere voice. To Je-rim, it seemed absurd to eat lumps of sugar and butter without complaining just because a wife made them, but he tactfully kept quiet.

To help his friend’s diet, Je-rim poured a full glass of sparkling water, which was his advertisement product. It was zero calories and tasteless, but poured into a transparent champagne glass, the bubbles rose, making it look quite like alcohol. Then, he filled his own glass with sparkling water and lifted it.

“A toast to Will’s marital bliss and his terrible beard.”

It was the moment Robin burst out laughing and lifted his glass instead of the discouraged William. A familiar hand suddenly landed on William’s shoulder, and a relaxed voice descended from above.

“What’s the matter. In my opinion, it suits him quite well.”

“As expected of the top striker! You actually know… huh?”

William, who had received nothing but terrible evaluations of his beard and was excited to receive his first compliment, let out a confused sound as soon as he shouted in excitement. It was the same for Robin, who was next to William. With wide eyes, Robin stammered.

“You said you couldn’t speak English….”

“To be precise, I said I lacked confidence. I can understand.”

If the world only had shameless bastards like that, scams would never end! Appalled, Je-rim just silently listened to the excuses Aaron made with a calm face.

Reman had a personality that didn’t dwell on things and was young, so he let it pass quietly, but the experienced center back duo was different. Like the guys who stand firmly at the back and cling to the opposing striker however they can to prevent scoring, a barrage of questions for Aaron began.

“No, you’re speaking just fine right now.”

“It’s because I’m not confident in my pronunciation.”

“It’s just a bit of a Spanish accent? It’s not to the point of lacking confidence.”

“Thank you. Thanks to you, I’ve gained a bit of courage. Now, shall we toast? To your wonderful beard.”

Not only was the glass in his hand snatched away, but Je-rim also became a support for Aaron’s arm. Aaron, who had stolen the glass with a fluid, natural motion, proposed a toast to William while resting one arm on Je-rim’s shoulder. Flattery, which was surely a blatant lie, was a bonus.

However, William fell for that blatant flattery as if to show off.

“Reyes, you’re a great guy. Cheers.”

“Aaron is fine.”

Wow, what kind of bastard is he really…? Je-rim, with his mouth agape, could only watch as his precious sparkling water went down Aaron’s throat without a single drop remaining.

To think that a spineless guy who falls for that level of flattery immediately is our team’s center back and vice-captain. To think that a guy who consistently acts slippery, like a snake crossing a wall, is the striker who will be responsible for our team’s scoring in the future. His vision turned dark even before the official league opening.

But unlike the captain who was worrying about the club’s future, the other teammates were buzzing with excitement, surrounding Aaron.

“What? Reyes speaks English well? Why did you keep your mouth shut for a few days?”

“I’m a bit shy. But I’ve adjusted now. Thanks to our captain here.”

At the part where he said ‘our captain,’ a strong grip was applied to his shoulder. It was a silent pressure telling him not to say anything reckless for the sake of the team’s atmosphere. In response, Je-rim revealed his neat teeth and simply lifted the corners of his mouth into a smile. He couldn’t bring himself to smile with his eyes.

“…Everyone, please take good care of this bastard. As you can see, he seems to be! incredibly shy.”

“Just call me Aaron. I look forward to working with you all.”

As soon as the brief introductions ended, a line of people asking for handshakes followed. The only ones missing from that line were Reman, who had already had dinner and felt sick, William, who had already toasted, and Je-rim, who simply disliked Aaron. William whispered in Je-rim’s ear.

“Jerry, did you guys make up after hanging out for a few days?”

“Do you think we did? Go and finish your toast with that ‘great guy’.”

“Come on. You’re not the type to get sulky over things like this.”

“Get lost, Teddy Bear.”

Je-rim chuckled as he put William in a headlock. His tone was rough, but his actions were nothing but playful. William, who was being held in the headlock, also had a smile spreading across his lips even as he tapped Je-rim’s arm with his hands. Since such pranks were common among teammates, no one stopped them.

However, by Aaron releasing the arm wrapped around William’s neck, it resulted in a teammate stopping them. He had only just met William, yet he seemed to cherish him so much that he personally removed Je-rim’s arm, dropped it onto his own leg, and even patted him as if telling him not to do that in the future. Then, he quickly preempted any protest about what he was doing.

“Je-rim, there’s something I’m curious about.”

“What.”

“Isn’t there an initiation rite? I came prepared, thinking you’d obviously make me do one.”

“For someone who’s so shy, how do you plan on handling the initiation rite?”

Most clubs have a culture where new players are expected to perform a talent show when they transfer in. This is collectively referred to as the initiation rite. It wasn’t the kind of question to be asked by a guy who, by his own account, was so socially anxious and overwhelmed by transferring to a new league that he was on the verge of tears. Normally, he should have been trying to dodge it.

When Je-rim replied in a sarcastic tone, William, who had been cautiously reading the room, stepped in at the perfect timing to explain.

“We don’t force people to do it. Reman, you didn’t do one either, right?”

“Yeah.”

Reman, a prime example of the ‘guy who dodged it because he didn’t want to,’ nodded while eating some thin soup.

Back when he first transferred, Reman had followed Je-rim around like a baby duck, asking with teary, frightened eyes if the initiation rite was mandatory. That was the first time he had ever spoken before Je-rim addressed him.

For players who were that shy, the initiation rite was an event more terrifying than diving into a blazing hellfire. That was why Sefton had abolished the culture of initiation rites internally. If there was someone who genuinely wanted to do it, they reformed the bad habit by taking volunteers and simply letting them hold the spoon.

Of course, on the day Je-rim transferred, he had climbed onto the table, danced, and sung Uptown Funk. Since Newham had made him do it, he assumed Sefton would too, so he had gritted his teeth and prepared—it would have been a waste not to show it off.

However, based on past experience, very few people volunteered unless they were a special case like him, so there had been no initiation rites for nearly three years. The last volunteer had been Edson. Je-rim pulled a fresh glass instead of the one Aaron had drunk from, poured some sparkling water, and spoke indifferently.

“There haven’t been any initiation rites for a few years anyway. You won’t have to do anything.”

“That’s a shame.”

“If you’re going to act shy, at least do it properly…”

Naturally, he muttered the last part in Korean. There was no benefit in letting the other teammates know that Aaron was acting. However, Aaron, who had a supernatural knack for picking up on a grumbling tone, sat down right next to Je-rim and pressed him immediately.

“Did you just badmouth me?”

“No. If I were going to, I’d do it in English or Spanish so it hits your ears directly. Why would I waste my precious mother tongue to curse you?”

Since he hadn’t used explicit slurs like ‘what kind of bastard’ or ‘what kind of guy,’ Je-rim responded confidently to the interrogation.

He could have delivered those kinds of curses in three languages: Spanish, English, and Italian. He had naturally picked up the Spanish and English insults while moving between leagues, and the Italian phrasing was something he’d learned from the managers he’d dealt with over the years.

Coach Verdi wasn’t the type to openly curse at his players, but the managers at Newham, the club he had been with previously, had terrible tempers. At the time, Je-rim thought all old Italians were hot-tempered psychos. Strangely, every manager he met after transferring to England had been Italian.

‘Come to think of it, Sefton is a really decent club…’

A rational manager—though a bit scary—and teammates who got along without jealousy or envy. A Big Club with stable performance that always stayed within the top four and a comfortable financial situation. For these reasons, he had decided to retire at Sefton. And now that Aaron, whose skill was undeniable even if he hated to admit it, had joined…

As he reminded himself of Aaron’s value and felt his heart soften just a tiny bit, the guy, who had been smirking annoyingly, lowered his voice in a perverted, sinister way and asked back.

“Hit my ears directly?”

“Let’s just not talk.”

This bastard had a talent for ruining his own reputation. Je-rim huffed and downed the bottle of sparkling water in one go. As the liquid went down his throat, a massive amount of carbonation exploded, and he nearly sprayed it all over Reman’s face, who was sitting opposite him, but he barely managed to avoid it. If he had, the kid would have choked again.

Wiping the moisture from his lips, Je-rim coughed as quietly as possible. Watching this with amusement, Aaron picked up the empty bottle, spun it around, and muttered.

“This sparkling water tastes terrible.”

“It’s a sponsored product. Just drink it.”

“Did you advertise it? Don’t you taste things before you advertise them? Or do you actually find this tasty?”

“Then just drink regular water. Why are you making a fuss over nothing…”

Just as he was about to continue, he felt a loud thwack on his back. Reflexively turning around, Je-rim immediately put on an innocent smile, like the neighborhood idiot. It was the manager.

“Jerry! I trust you’re taking good care of the newcomer?”

“…Of course! As you can see, I’ve got him right here by my side, looking after him like a newborn baby.”

“Good, good. Gentlemen, are you having a nice evening?”

As soon as Coach Verdi passed by, Aaron’s annoying mouth started flapping again.

“If I were a newborn, you’d be headline news for infant abuse and confinement.”

“A newborn who is 6’4″. You’d be the one in the Guinness World Records.”

Je-rim snapped back without backing down. Their whispered bickering only stopped after William, unable to listen any longer, poked him in the side and warned him that the manager was looking.

After a brief welcome to the new transfer, Coach Verdi passionately explained the goal for this season.

Winning the Champions League. His tone of assertion was crisp. It was a goal they set every season, but this time, the teammates’ reactions were more fervent than ever. It was likely because they all held onto the regret of narrowly finishing as runners-up last season.

“It’s been seven years since our last Big Ear, so it’s time we held it again.”

He spoke as if they were simply reclaiming something that belonged to them. At that confident declaration, the teammates all let out cheers. Je-rim also steeled his resolve. Since Sefton had failed to win the Champions League exactly from the season he transferred in, his determination was exceptional.

It wasn’t because Je-rim was lacking. He had showcased his presence at Newham, a mid-to-upper tier EPL club, before transferring to the Big Club Sefton, and had long since established himself as the core of the team by possessing the intelligence for creative passing, kicking ability, and activity—all the talents a modern midfielder should have. Sefton fans jokingly said that without Je-rim, the ball just played by itself in the midfield.

And Sefton wasn’t the only club that had grown distant from the Big Ear about seven or eight years ago. After Aaron began to exert full influence on his team and Tavarona’s era of dominance was completed, every club entering the Champions League found themselves one step further from the Big Ear.

‘Unlucky bastard. …No, he’s on our team now.’

Mind control, mind control. Je-rim constantly reminded his brain that the annoyingly talented guy was now on his team, trying to be merciful. When he thought about how rare a hexagonal striker was, and how slim the chances were of getting such a striker for free, a Buddha naturally descended upon him.

…The problem was that with one flick of Aaron’s tongue, the soul of the Buddha dwelling in Je-rim bolted away.

Should I just glue his mouth shut? If he just kept his mouth closed, I might be able to view him as quite precious and cute, though not as much as before. While having such thoughts, Je-rim saw a menacing forearm resting on the table and deleted the word ‘cute’ from his mind.

While he glanced with disapproval at the tattoos stretching from Aaron’s arm and likely up to his back, Coach Verdi’s speech had come to an end. With a benevolent smile, he told the players to enjoy themselves and exited with the coaching staff. As soon as the manager left, the gathering turned back into a party.

“Did you ever achieve a Treble?”

It was a sudden curiosity. Leaving the boisterous teammates behind, Je-rim asked Aaron, who was diligently picking at mashed potatoes sprinkled only with pepper. The sight of him eating the pale beige food in small forkfuls didn’t suit his size. Aaron answered only after chewing and swallowing what was in his mouth.

“No. Putting the Super Cup aside, Tavarona didn’t have much of a connection with the Copa del Rey. It was a team jinx.”

“Tsk…”

Je-rim accidentally clicked his tongue. It was because the premise that he had obviously won the Super Cup was just so annoying.

“What’s with that reaction? You didn’t even achieve a triple runner-up last season.”

Aaron asked back, placing his fork down neatly. The way his rich-boy upbringing showed in such trivial details remained unchanged.

“Shut up. I already have way too many nicknames because of that.”

Je-rim clenched his fists, remembering that more than a paragraph had been added to the list of his nicknames on the wiki site. He even already had a nickname for the mean expression he made during yesterday’s open training. It was after a video of him squirting water at Aaron, filmed by some spectator, had gone viral.

On the internet, a meme was being consumed by stitching together the sharp expression he made while shaking off Aaron’s hand in the Champions final and the mean expression from the open training. They called it the ‘dignified appearance of the Sefton captain’…

Anyway, as a people of humor and satire, their talent for naming and mocking others was exceptionally high. Seeing Je-rim’s indignant face, Aaron shook his head as if he knew exactly what it was.

“Another mouse-related nickname? Your countrymen are too much. Why a mouse? You’re a bunny.”

“Is this guy crazy…”

A small, cute small animal and Ban Je-rim. There was truly not a single thing in common. As he muttered hollowly, genuinely creeped out, Aaron’s eyes narrowed. His amber pupils sparkled. Like a cunning wolf from a fairy tale who only thinks of ways to screw others over.

Je-rim’s anxiety was correct.

“I’m serious. You’re so white, you look just like a rabbit. Right, everyone?”

Fuck! Before he could stop him, Aaron shouted loudly. The teammates who overheard Aaron’s question all collapsed, clutching their stomachs in laughter.

“Jerry is a bunny? Other than being white, there’s nothing in common! That’s creepy!”

“What? Pfft, who’s a bunny? He must be crazy.”

“Jerry, should we call you Bunny from now on?”

As expected, responses filled with horror and ridicule flew from all directions. Even Reman dropped his spoon from laughing. Je-rim’s face ripened redder than a well-ripened tomato. He truly, sincerely wanted to kill Aaron Reyes.

Around the time he first joined the Tavarona youth team, instead of his current nickname Jerry, he was often called Bunny, a variation of his surname ‘Ban.’ Je-rim had hated that title then and still hated it now. Calling a sturdy young man of Korea a bunny, a bunny…

Moreover, since the people calling him that always made bunny ears with their fingers and giggled, it was clearly a nickname intended to mock him. It even carried a slight nuance of racial prejudice. Though he didn’t see such intent from the teammates mocking him now.

Still, it was enough ridicule to remind him of a shitty past, and just as Je-rim was about to lower his voice and growl, Aaron suddenly stepped in, his face devoid of laughter, throwing cold water on the excited atmosphere.

“Bunny is a no.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Je-rim hated it when other people called him that. I’m the only one allowed to call him Bunny…”

“Uh, you want more potatoes? Eat mine too.”

Before any weirder words could come out, Je-rim quickly preempted him. He scooped a large amount of tasteless mashed potatoes with a spoon and stuffed them into Aaron’s maw. Aaron, whose mouth was open to speak, couldn’t offer much resistance and accepted the potatoes like a baby.

A handful of dry potatoes entered his throat, and he began to cough, clutching his Adam’s apple. Je-rim kindly fed him one more spoonful, then poured sparkling water glug-glug-glug into a transparent glass.

“Throat dry? Here, some delicious sparkling water.”

Even while choking, he seemed unwilling to drink the sparkling water he had called terrible. Facing the narrowing of those slender eyes with thick eyelashes, Je-rim twisted the corner of his mouth. Finding the scene incredibly heartwarming, the other teammates whispered around Je-rim and Aaron.

“He really is taking care of him like a newborn.”

“Of course. He’s our precious, top-tier newcomer.”

If you say anything useless, you’re dead. Je-rim pointed alternately at the remaining mashed potatoes and his own mouth. It meant that for every word spoken, he would feed him a spoonful of potatoes. Whether the warning worked or not, Aaron didn’t open his mouth further. It was a relief for Je-rim too.

Because if the fact that he had allowed only Aaron to use the nickname Bunny was revealed, they would both perish together.

During his youth days, he used to smack every guy who called him Bunny so they would never mock him like that again, and the only one who escaped that rain of knuckle-sandwiches was Aaron. Because Aaron had called him by his name, Je-rim, with correct pronunciation, both before and after they became close.

Perhaps that was why. At a point when no one else called him Bunny, after he started dating Aaron, he specifically allowed him to use the nickname. At the time, that childish act created the illusion that they had become the most special couple in the world.

‘Crazy bastard.’

The more he thought about his relationship with Aaron, the more it was nothing but a dark history. This is why adults tell you not to do reckless things and just study when you’re young. So you don’t build up a useless dark history… Je-rim shuddered to bury those memories back deep in his mind. It was then.

“Jerry! Come over here and show your face.”

Edson, who had brought a selfie stick and was filming himself, urgently called Je-rim. Je-rim turned toward the voice.

“What now.”

“The fans want to see you.”

“Did you start an Insta Live again?”

“What does it matter, it’s not banned. Hurry, hurry! Korean chats are coming up.”

“Honestly… Hello.”

Quickly tidying his hair and meticulously checking if his face looked okay, Je-rim stood next to Edson.

As he greeted them in English and Korean, the chat window, a mix of various languages, began to scroll up rapidly. Among them, the proportion of Korean was overwhelming. Edson’s cheekbones rose with satisfaction at the speed of the chat.

“Wow, there’s more Korean in the chat than English or Portuguese. As expected of our captain. What are they asking?”

“If I’ve had dinner. Yes, I’m eating right now. To be honest, the taste is just so-so.”

Je-rim answered by picking out only the Korean chats that caught his eye. Since the chat window updated so quickly, it was impossible to read everything.

“Hotel buffet? Of course I can’t. The manager would kill me. This isn’t alcohol, it’s sparkling water.”

As he tilted the champagne glass as if making a toast, the chat window was flooded with laughing emojis and glass emojis. At the fans’ gesture to toast together, a look of satisfaction spread across Je-rim’s face. But that warmth didn’t last long.

“Aaron! You want to come too? The fans are looking for you.”

“Really?”

It was because Edson, who always loved attention, called Aaron over to gain even more spotlight. The way he readily stood up and walked over suggested he had completely given up on acting shy. Je-rim sent a displeased look toward the approaching Aaron, but first, he finished his part.

“Well, I’ll be off then. I hope everyone has a great this Season….”

The trailing words, ‘I’m counting on you,’ were drowned out by Aaron’s farewell.

“Bye.”

Standing beside Je-rim, Aaron murmured in his characteristic languid tone and waved his hand, sending the chat window into an absolute frenzy. Messages in various languages and all sorts of loud emoticons filled the white background until it turned black.

The chat scrolled so fast that Je-rim couldn’t even read a single character properly. Amidst that chaos, Aaron had the knack of picking out and reading the most provocative comments.

“Asking if I really fought with Je-rim? Hmm.”

“Hey, don’t read those.”

He hadn’t just played for a year or two; why was he acting like this? Just as a flustered Je-rim was quietly warning him—

Aaron wrapped an arm around Je-rim’s neck and pulled him close. Until that moment, Je-rim thought he was just trying to show a friendly shoulder-hug to put the rumors of discord to rest. If that was the case, Je-rim was more than willing to cooperate, just as he had during the open training, so he stayed still.

The problem was what happened next.

Chu. An ominous sound effect echoed beneath his face. Not on the forehead, not the cheek, not the chin, but around the neck, close to the ear.

Even as he saw dark hair, smelling wonderfully fragrant, fluttering beneath his chin, Je-rim denied reality for a while.

Because unless this guy was a fucking crazy lunatic, something like this couldn’t possibly happen. It wasn’t a situation where adrenaline was surging mid-match and he’d lost his reason, nor was it a situation where a mosquito had landed on his neck and needed to be crushed with lips, and he certainly wasn’t in a relationship with him like he was ten years ago!

Unable to bear looking at the chat window, he cast his gaze downward. Those few seconds felt like an eternity. Then, as his nape was lightly bitten, his eyes met Aaron’s, who had lifted his chin after finishing his task. Seeing Je-rim trembling with extreme rage, Aaron smiled as if he were dying of amusement.

“Why so surprised? We used to do this often back then.”

If he had calculated that the fans were watching and Je-rim wouldn’t be able to openly beat or kill him, this bastard was a strategist who would put Zhuge Liang to shame. The Spanish Zhuge Liang murmured languidly into the camera on behalf of Je-rim, who couldn’t even lift his head.

“As you can see, we are on very close terms.”

Je-rim didn’t even need to look at the chat to know its state. Edson, who was holding the phone, had already burst into laughter.

Je-rim’s mind raced more fiercely than it had during the last Champions League final, when he had agonized over the positions of his teammates, how to break through the opposing team’s defensive line, where the ball would roll, the routes for passes, and whether to shoot directly or pass it off.

First, was this something that would blow up? He could say with certainty that it wasn’t. Physical touch between players was very common and free, so fans didn’t typically suspect someone of being gay just because men kissed or patted each other’s butts.

The fact that he went beyond a kiss to actually biting… might be a problem. But from the camera angle, they likely wouldn’t know he had bitten him. Unless someone with X-ray vision was watching the broadcast… and it wasn’t as if a tooth mark had been left on his nape.

Still, just in case, Je-rim felt the bitten area and only straightened his neck after confirming there was no rough texture.

‘Don’t panic. If I panic, it’s exactly what this bastard wants.’

It would have to be a full-on deep kiss on the lips for people to actually suspect something, and even then, if it happened after lifting a trophy like the Big Ear, people would just shrug it off. Sure, he’d be labeled as ‘the guy who deep-kissed his teammate’ for the rest of his life, but it meant no one would seriously suspect their sexuality.

That was how much the adrenaline surging immediately after a match or a victory could drive a person crazy.

‘Everyone does it… so I can too.’

Even the timid Reman would often roar and throw himself into a hug on days he scored a goal from Je-rim’s assist. Not to mention other teammates who had played together longer. Je-rim himself found his teammates so adorable when they converted his passes into goals that he would often rub their heads or pat their cheeks and butts.

The problem was that this wasn’t during a match or an awards ceremony.

If it had happened during a game, it would be a level of skinship that wouldn’t even make the news, but because it happened during a live broadcast where there was no reason for adrenaline to be surging, it was a problem. Even if gay rumors didn’t spread, the current issue was that it was enough to prompt mischievous questions later, like, ‘Was it not a feud, but actually a romance?’

Of course, if he actually received such a question, Je-rim would handle it slyly without hesitation, saying something like, ‘I don’t know. Regardless of what it was, wasn’t it passionate?’ But he simply felt uncomfortable with ticklish words like ‘romance’ getting between him and Aaron. Because, by past standards, it would be a statement of fact….

“I’m going crazy. Is he actually insane?”

“Aaron, thanks! My followers are skyrocketing thanks to you!”

“Jerry, you should do something crazy too while you’re at it. Ah, my stomach hurts from laughing so much.”

Before he knew it, the surroundings had turned into a sea of laughter. While feeling betrayed by his teammates who were rolling on the floor instead of comforting their captain who had suddenly suffered a calamity, a thought flashed through Je-rim’s mind.

Something crazy.

Yes, since ancient times, it was said that a beating was the only cure for a madman. But since he couldn’t openly hit him in this situation, couldn’t he just pay him back with an equally crazy act? A pretty good method occurred to him.

The moment the idea hit, Je-rim put it into action. He knew better than anyone that in a time-sensitive situation like this, a split second of hesitation—wondering whether to do it or not—could ruin everything. Deliberate, but decide quickly. That was how Je-rim had survived in the Premier League until now.

He firmly gripped Aaron’s cheek, pulled it down, and pressed his own cheek against it with a chu sound. And before Aaron could react, he did the same to the other cheek.

“I heard in Spain, you do it twice like this. Why the hell was he making a fuss over just one cheek…”

“…….”

“I learned the Spanish way of greeting from this guy a long time ago. It’s a greeting, a greeting.”

He squeezed out a laugh while patting Aaron’s stiff cheeks. Both were in a position where laughter didn’t come naturally, but he had to laugh here. Only then would it be dismissed as a common bisou, and the ticklish talk of romance would vanish.

Sure enough, the chat window was already filled with fans unfamiliar with bisou culture, questioning if people in Europe really greeted each other that way. Je-rim nodded nonchalantly.

“Yes, many people do cheek kisses as a greeting. I was flustered at first too, but now, well, I’m used to it.”

Honestly, it wasn’t that common between men…. And cases where they actually pressed their lips like Aaron just did were almost non-existent…. Moreover, Aaron hadn’t kissed his cheek but his neck earlier…. He had even bitten him as if he were foreplaying….

Anyway, from behind the camera, the cheek and the neck would look more or less the same. He could just insist it was the cheek. Taking it a step further, he called over Jesus, who shared a similar culture, and mimicked the action. Jesus complained that it was gross but played along, and thanks to that, Je-rim breathed a sigh of relief.

The heat from the fans cooled down instantly once they realized it was a simple greeting rather than a clingy expression of affection. Only after seeing that things had settled did Je-rim hand the camera focus over to other teammates who had joined in and made his exit.

Everyone was so absorbed in the broadcast and giggling that no one noticed him leaving. Je-rim, who had quietly stood up, dragged Aaron out of the room. Aaron, who was unusually compliant as he was dragged out, murmured coldly as soon as the door closed.

“…You’re really annoying.”

The way he glared at Je-rim as if looking at something filthy was quite absurd. There’s a limit to how much the one who farted can get angry. Je-rim answered by grabbing him by the collar and dragging him all the way to his guest room.

When he opened the room door, the luggage he had just tossed in was scattered in a mess. After pushing a large duffel bag aside with his foot to make space, he shoved Aaron into the room and closed the door.

After thoroughly confirming that the thick steel door was shut tight and they were in a space completely isolated from the outside, Je-rim opened his mouth.

Or rather, he tried to. Until Aaron lunged at him like a rabid dog and bit his neck.

“Ugh! Crazy, what the hell are you doing!”

Unlike the light bite from before, a stinging pain flared in his nape along with a crunch sound of skin tearing. Je-rim pushed Aaron away and ran his hand over the bitten area. Exactly where he had been kissed earlier, sticky blood was now slowly seeping out.

“Didn’t you drag me to the room to have sex?”

Aaron sneered, wiping the blood from his lips with his thumb. Because he wiped it carelessly, the blood smeared long past the corner of his mouth, making it look like smeared lipstick. His face already radiated a dangerous aura, and with the bright red blood spreading from the corners of his naturally erotic lips, it was the finishing touch.

Je-rim just watched the scene in silence for a moment. He momentarily forgot to retort that he was talking absolute bullshit. It was because a very significant abnormal reaction had been detected in his lower body.

…Perhaps it was because it had been a while since he last had sex, or maybe a minor problem had occurred. Or perhaps extreme anger had caused an adrenaline surge, speeding up his blood flow.

‘Yes, this fucking goddamn adrenaline.’

If he thought of it as a phenomenon similar to getting an erection immediately after a match, it made sense. To avoid hitting his own dick for getting hard in a situation where he should be grabbing the other’s collar, he had to rationalize it that way. Je-rim tried to ignore the fact that he hadn’t felt sexual arousal looking at a man since he broke up with Aaron and sang the national anthem in his head.

Right now, it’s the World Cup Round of 16 deciding match… no, the Asian Games final where military exemption was on the line…. He imagined himself listening to ‘A Private’s Letter’ until just before exiting the tunnel… and saluting the Taegukgi with a solemn heart while singing the national anthem before the match started, and his dick finally calmed down.

“Sex my ass, is biting a person’s neck until it bleeds your idea of sex?”

Je-rim spat back, wiping the blood from his hand. A quick glance down revealed that, fortunately, everything was fine except for a slight bulge in the fabric near his left thigh.

However, there was nothing he could do about his face, which had turned bright red from the sudden rush of blood. Je-rim took pride in being a handsome man with a cool impression, but he hated his pale skin, which made it obvious whenever blood rushed to his face.

Because it often created very awkward situations.

“This isn’t sex, it’s a greeting. You said it was a greeting. Sex comes after.”

“…….”

“But Je-rim, what’s with your face? Aha, is it because it’s been a while since you ‘greeted’ a man that you’re excited?”

A large hand cupped Je-rim’s entire cheek. The cold body temperature touching his skin seemed to tell him exactly how flushed his face was. Those glistening yellow eyes also held a mocking glint of laughter. Je-rim tried to breathe slowly and slapped Aaron’s hand away.

“Yeah. I’m so fucking excited that I feel like I’ll go crazy if I don’t beat you right now.”

“Since when did your taste lean that way…. Well, I’ll play along. I’ve already figured out that you’ve been playing around with your dick quite a bit.”

“Bullshit.”

As the guy tried to bury his lips in his nape again like a beast grinding its teeth, Je-rim grabbed the back of his neck and lifted him up. It was true that the visual stimulation had made him somewhat aroused, but he had no hobby of having sex with an ex-boyfriend. Once you break up, it’s over; don’t be pathetic, fuck.

Moreover, Je-rim was a civilized human being to have sex just because he got hard during a fight. If he couldn’t control this level of desire and lost his sense of judgment, he’d be a beast, not a human.

And the guy in front of him with those unnecessarily brilliant eyes should also be a civilized human. The tone that sounded like teeth grinding and the crookedly upturned corner of his mouth looked to anyone like he was angry. Rather than being aroused, his stubbornness to make the other person pissed off seemed stronger.

Je-rim was simply puzzled as to why the one who started the fight was now making it so obvious that he was the one more upset. Even if he understood why, he had no intention of accepting this brazen attitude. He didn’t have that kind of personality. He let go of Aaron’s neck as if slamming him down and asked.

“What exactly are you trying to do?”

Originally, he hadn’t intended to ask anymore. What he was thinking when he transferred, why he started picking fights as soon as he arrived, and with what nerve he acted so brazenly.

He had regretted it once ten years ago, and once more including what he experienced during the talk show filming; twice was enough. Aaron would probably ignore him anyway, and knowing that, Je-rim didn’t want to make a gesture that looked like he was reaching out first. He had his pride, even if they were no longer dating or anything.

He strictly declined to recreate the past. His pride had already been damaged beyond repair back then, so he had to cherish the little that remained for the rest of his life. In the first place, half of what made up Ban Je-rim was pride, and the other half was a sense of responsibility. A significant portion of that half had been trampled by this guy in their youth.

‘…I’m sick of your frivolous attitude. You’re annoying.’

Along with the line that had decisively shattered his pride, he suddenly remembered the words his most recent ex-girlfriend had said when she dumped him.

‘It’s strange. We’re clearly lovers, but it feels like a relationship worse than sex partners.’

He had heard those words while lying in bed together. Not stopping there, she followed up by saying that no matter how much they mixed their bodies or flirted whenever they had a chance, she felt she couldn’t see into the depths of his soul, and that she only felt lonely even when they were together, so they should break up.

At the time, Je-rim had been twisting her long hair around his finger and teasing her by tickling her back. He had naturally never expected to be dumped in such an atmosphere.

When faced with such an unexpected situation, most people would probably ask if they had done something to upset the other person. But even then, Je-rim didn’t ask for the reason and quietly replied, ‘Right, if that’s how you feel, it can’t be helped. You have a lot of luggage, so I’ll take you home,’ only to be slapped in the face.

The reason he didn’t ask was similar to the reason he decided to kill his curiosity about Aaron. He was curious, but asking wouldn’t change anything, and rather than looking pathetic by clinging on, it was better to give up cleanly without wasting time.

It would be accurate to say it was just that level of emotion. He wasn’t particularly sad whether they broke up or not, and since protecting his pride was more important than resolving immediate curiosity, those actions were possible.

But currently, Je-rim was genuinely curious about the mind of his ex-boyfriend, who only performed unpredictable actions. The curiosity that he could have ended by asserting his pride—claiming he didn’t really want to know—had long since crossed that line. So, he finally let the question escape his lips.

“I’m asking what the hell you’re trying to do with me.”

At that, Aaron touched his own smooth, unscarred nape and sneered.

“I told you, I’m greeting you.”

“Are you kidding me? Do you not understand words? I’m asking why you transferred and why you’re acting like a piece of shit to me.”

“You only realized it was a joke now? It seems your ability to grasp the situation is a bit lacking. It’s disastrous that the level of the midfielder for the team I’ll be playing for is this low.”

“…….”

When his anger reached its peak, he couldn’t even speak properly. This was the first time he’d experienced this since the day he confirmed Aaron’s cheating through press photos. That meant it had been ten whole years. Originally, Je-rim was the type to tease others, not the type to lose his reason because of someone else’s actions.

Why bother pouring the most energy-draining emotion, anger, into another person when it’s such a waste of time? If the opponent made him pissed, he could just make them twice as pissed. That was far more rewarding and productive than getting angry alone.

But then and now, this philosophy didn’t work on Aaron. In the past, he had liked him quite deeply for a first love, so he couldn’t even think of revenge, and now… he had simply lost to Aaron’s brazenness and lunatic side.

‘I’m no match for him.’

He was never the type to lose to others in this regard, but he had to admit it. He lost. If Je-rim was like a weekly magazine that wrote the most provocative headlines after a minimum fact-check, Aaron was like a tabloid that didn’t care about photoshopping or spreading rumors.

It was at a moment when Je-rim, facing his own limits, was chewing over a mixture of anger and helplessness. Aaron acted like a man determined to pour gasoline on a house fire, blowing air toward Je-rim’s face.

“Whoa, whoa, don’t get angry when the weather is this hot. I’ve heard it from you often, but Korean summers really are humid. Ah, is that why you have such a temper?”

“I’m not about to lose it because of the heat, but because of the bastard standing right in front of me…?”

“I’m honored. I feel exactly the same way. You have a real talent for getting on people’s nerves. …To the point where I’d shove you in there right now if I could.”

Je-rim let out a hollow laugh as he saw Aaron’s sharp eyes glance toward the wardrobe. He had at least locked the guy in the bathroom, considering his size, yet here was this man wanting to lock someone in a closet. At this point, Je-rim felt he had nothing left to lose. He messily ruffled his bangs and blurted out whatever came to mind.

“Hey, did you come here because you want to try doing something with me again? Is that why you’re trolling me?”

“And if I did?”

“What do you mean, ‘and if I did’? The guy who’s supposed to give the treat isn’t even thinking about it. Suck a dick.”

He raised his hand, thumb tucked between his index and middle fingers. It was a gesture that served as an insult in both Korea and Spain. However, Aaron responded nonchalantly, as if he hadn’t even seen the middle finger.

“I feel like I showed it to you quite often in front of you. Ah, do you want to see it after all this time? But too bad. Unfortunately, I don’t really feel like showing you my dick right now.”

“You crazy pervert….”

Je-rim felt acutely once again that he was no match for the man. Instead of getting an answer to his question, it seemed he would end up hearing nothing but vulgar jokes. Aaron languidly brushed the back of his hand against Je-rim’s cheek, which had turned pale as if the flush of anger had vanished instantly.

“Relax. I told you I have no intention of doing that. If anything, you’re staring at me so fervently that I’m a little scared you might pounce on me.”

“Oh, you’re right. I’m actually holding back the urge to pounce on you and snap your dick right in half.”

“What a savage joke.”

“Why… do you think that’s a joke?”

“You loved my dick.”

Je-rim’s patience snapped at the utterly unfair accusation of being a pervert. He grabbed Aaron’s wrist with a grip that looked like he might break it and shouted.

“When did I! You’re the one who was fucking obsessed, always saying things like, ‘How is it so pretty here too’…!”

Suddenly regaining his senses mid-sentence, Je-rim covered his mouth with both hands. It was closer to a slap than a cover, and a crisp, slapping sound echoed cheerfully.

“…….”

“…….”

Flustered, the two fell into silence, stopping their movements as if a segment of the film had been artificially cut out. Je-rim’s face flared bright red again, and Aaron avoided his gaze, looking awkward. But that only lasted a moment; Aaron, recovering his composure first, asked with a smirk.

“…Is it still pretty?”

“Fuck!”

Je-rim violently kicked an object in his path. Aaron was laughing so hard, clutching his stomach, that he didn’t even let out a groan when the flying bag struck his leg directly. The sound of breathless laughter filled the room that had been silent just a moment ago.

Listening to that cheerful laughter, Je-rim desperately hoped that the man would choke to death right now, Big Ear be damned. Wasn’t this the exact moment the amulet his mother gave him should have taken effect? A man who was the embodiment of a past ill-fate was right here in front of him, grating on his nerves.

Please, let a bolt of lightning strike him. Je-rim was so desperate that he sought out superstitions he didn’t even believe in. But naturally, such an absurd wish was not granted. Aaron stopped laughing, breathing normally as he wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes.

“Ha, this is crazy. Je-rim, why are you so consistently funny? This is exactly why I transferred to Sefton.”

“What?”

Words that contradicted everything came out of the mouth of Aaron, who had insisted there was ‘no particular reason for the transfer’ even while being electrically shocked. The phrasing ‘This is exactly why’ meant that there was, in fact, a reason for the transfer. Furthermore, it wouldn’t be a coincidence that the reason sounded like, ‘Because I thought the reaction of my ex would be funny.’

If that was the reason he transferred, Je-rim secretly vowed that instead of waiting for an accidental death, he would kill him himself. He asked back fiercely. However, Aaron wasn’t intimidated at all. Instead, he countered with an arrogant attitude, as if granting a favor.

“The reason I transferred. Weren’t you curious about that?”

“Weren’t you the one who didn’t want to tell me?”

“I told you, it wasn’t the kind of thing to ask while playing a game. If you had asked seriously like this, I would have told you, of course. It’s not like I’m some kind of sociopath.”

“You must lack self-awareness, because you definitely are a sociopath….”

“You’re joking again.”

Je-rim swore he hadn’t made a single joke, but instead of denying it, he simply grabbed the back of his neck. Knowing that talking was useless, he decided to just loosen his stiff muscles. For some reason, since Aaron transferred, he had been frequently getting knots in his shoulders and stiffness in his neck.

“More importantly, as captain and teammate, I’d like to have a conversation.”

It was just as Je-rim stopped massaging his stiff neck and frowned when his finger touched a scar left by a bite mark. Because Aaron requested the conversation in a tone devoid of playfulness, Je-rim unconsciously nodded. To be precise, he complied because the title appealed to his sense of responsibility.

“Speak.”

Even after receiving permission, Aaron hesitated for a long time before opening his mouth. His tone was entirely different from before, when he had been doing nothing but cracking jokes.

“…Do you still find football fun? Like when you were a kid. Does your heart still race just looking at the ball, do you instinctively gauge if a patch of grass is good for kicking a ball, and are you still excited to step onto the pitch tomorrow even after running for 90 minutes?”

“…….”

Wasn’t he supposed to tell him why he transferred? Je-rim hesitated, unlike his usual self, at the sudden, random question. No matter how he tried to move his tongue, the answer wouldn’t come out, as if a round ball were filling his mouth.

Because, whether as a child or now, he had never once thought that football was ‘fun.’

Caring for Sefton and wanting to win matches was a separate issue from finding football fun. The reason he cared for Sefton was that he liked the teammates, the manager, the staff, and the fans he played with; the reason he wanted to win was that it was the best way for a football player to prove their own worth.

Knowing full well that failure to do so meant becoming obsolete, and since no human likes losing, Je-rim always did his best. There was no room for a reason like ‘because football is fun.’

Then and now, to Je-rim, football was simply ‘the thing he was best at.’

‘It would be a national loss not to let a kid like Je-rim play football. Do you think I’ve taught only one or two kids? It’s clear that Je-rim is a talent who will eventually play in England. Do you know how much the salaries of the starting players there are? You should think about the child’s future rather than the immediate costs. If you are parents.’

As is often the case, Je-rim had started football in earnest after Ju-han—the youth academy coach who recognized his talent early on and who is now the CEO of his agency—persuaded his parents. His parents, especially his mother, spared no support for their naturally gifted eldest son.

He grew up monopolizing the support and attention that should have gone to his two younger siblings, and his father, who was an ordinary office worker, worked as a substitute driver after hours to afford the football academy fees.

After divorcing against his father’s wishes, his mother followed him all the way to Spain and opened a Korean restaurant, despite not even knowing basic Spanish greetings. This was because the overseas transfer of a minor was prohibited unless the parents immigrated for the purpose of making a living.

He hadn’t just sacrificed his entire family; he had ruined them. That alone was more than enough reason for Je-rim to make football his profession. The only saving grace was that his innate talent wasn’t so fleeting as to vanish after childhood.

Je-rim was good at football. Very good.

Since it was a hundred times better than having neither interest nor talent, he was always grateful for his gift. Thanks to that one talent, he was able to pay his parents back several hundred times the amount invested in him, buy his siblings whatever they wanted, and since he was currently living well, he was in no position to complain about whether it was ‘fun’ or not.

‘…Or maybe not. I think I felt it was fun when I first started football.’

Though he was muttering with an indifferent face, the point of the question was that the young Aaron had found football that fun. In the words describing a past where he didn’t know what to do with himself because football was so fun, there seemed to be a glimmer, like sparkling gold dust.

So, Je-rim wondered if he, too, had been excited every day, at least when he first started, as Aaron described. But it was so long ago that he couldn’t remember. Since he first kicked a ball at the age of six, it was only natural. In the end, he couldn’t bring himself to speak.

Aaron watched Je-rim with a strange look, waiting for an answer. But as soon as he saw Je-rim’s lips part and then press shut, he continued as if he had expected it.

“I was like that back then. Every single day, I couldn’t sleep because I wanted to wake up quickly and kick a football.”

“Are you bragging again?”

“The fact that this sounds like bragging to you means that even as a kid, football itself wasn’t that fun for you.”

“…….”

Having been hit right where it hurt, Je-rim avoided his eyes. Aaron shrugged with an indifferent attitude.

“Whatever. Everyone has their own different reasons for becoming a professional. Anyway, that’s how I was.”

“But.”

“But lately… it’s not fun. Everything is tedious. Boring and tiresome days just flow by, one after another. Regardless of my will.”

From the Aaron speaking those words, a deep and sticky sense of boredom and depression emanated, making it hard to believe he was the same sly man. It felt like he was seeing the true form of the player Aaron Reyes for the first time. Thanks to that, he knew that these words—and the act he had maintained since transferring—were neither a performance nor a lie.

Je-rim’s expression instantly became serious. As captain, he had a duty to properly care for a teammate who expressed difficulties. Even if that teammate was a hateful bastard he had fought with every time their eyes met for days. Je-rim sat Aaron down on the bed and asked cautiously.

“Are you in a slump?”

“No. For a slump, aren’t I doing too well?”

As soon as he heard the answer, Je-rim regretted worrying for nothing, but he didn’t show it. Although the answer itself was incredibly arrogant, the underlying depression remained. Je-rim roughly pulled over a nearby chair and sat in front of Aaron. The conversation continued in the meantime.

“I’ve been doing this my whole life because I found football fun, but that reason suddenly vanished. In a way, is it more serious than a slump? Since the very driving force of my life has been lost.”

“Why suddenly? It can’t be without a reason.”

“I’ve thought about it, and I think the absence of a sense of purpose played a big part.”

The absence of a sense of purpose. It was a plausible reason.

Basically, all athletes prove their value by crushing their opponents and seizing victory. Whether that opponent is another team or a teammate in the same position. It is a world where one can only survive consistently by doing so. Among them, the arena where astronomical amounts of capital move, like football, was exceptionally brutal.

A player who fails to prove themselves is replaced without hesitation. In the next season, they end up sitting on the bench, endlessly waiting for a substitution while watching another teammate take their place, or they find themselves transferred to a lower-tier club as if they were being sold off.

After drifting from transfer to loan, once no club seeks them anymore, they are pushed into retirement. It was safe to say that 99% of football players followed this sequence.

In such a brutal competitive system, a sense of purpose was essential to endure without breaking down mentally. Something like, ‘The reason I continue to play football despite everything,’ or ‘I will absolutely survive to achieve this goal.’

The man who had been acting like a lazy delinquent was, for once, spouting something reasonable and productive. Readily convinced, Je-rim tilted his chin as if telling him to go on and listened intently. Aaron groaned, fingers interlaced.

“Right? I no longer have any goals to achieve as an individual. Assuming I retire in my mid-thirties, I’ll accumulate more individual awards like the Ballon d’Or by then, but that’s not new. It doesn’t give the same pleasure as the first time.”

“You piece of shit, are you intentionally being arrogant just so I’ll hit you?”

Even when he tried to listen seriously, his good intentions didn’t last a minute. Je-rim, who had to be satisfied with being a nominee for the Ballon d’Or, flared up in anger.

His own individual career was quite brilliant, but what did that matter? He didn’t have the most important one, the Ballon d’Or. And in his tournament records, the Big Ear was the only thing missing…. He excluded the World Cup victory since he didn’t even dare to dream of it.

Compared to that, listening to the pampered complaints of a man who was the best player of the era, having grabbed the Ballon d’Or, the Big Ear, and the World Cup trophy, made Je-rim’s fists tighten again. Seeing Je-rim’s fist curl, Aaron subtly shifted his body and continued.

“No, I’m serious. This is a really big problem for me. You’re a player too, so you know. The reason we keep running until the match ends, even if our lungs feel like they’re tearing, our legs are screaming, and our soles have lost all sensation, is—.”

“Because everyone has their own reason why they must run. I know.”

Je-rim cut Aaron off and answered indifferently. It was a phrase he had heard until his ears bled during his time in the Tavarona youth system. Whenever he was collapsed and panting after high-intensity training, Coach Louis, the youth team leader at the time, would always shout at him to remember his ‘reason why he must run.’

The reason to keep running even when he wanted to give up. For Je-rim, it was guilt and responsibility. To add to that, it was an obsession that he must not show himself falling, for the sake of his mother who lived and died by her son’s reputation. He suspected that most people who started elite sports in Korea continued for similar reasons.

Unlike himself, who ran for such common reasons, Aaron held a very simple yet primal reason. Fun. The problem was that the ‘reason,’ the fun, had disappeared. This was definitely a serious matter. He also wondered why Aaron had bothered to transfer to Sefton now that he had lost the motivation to keep running.

Je-rim softened his tone as much as possible and asked.

“But if that’s the case, you should get mental care. Why transfer to Sefton….”

“Seeing you in the last final reminded me. An achievement I failed to reach.”

Je-rim’s brow furrowed slightly at the cryptic words. He couldn’t fathom what achievement Aaron had failed to reach that would be reminded by looking at him. A Treble, perhaps? But to achieve that goal, it would have been better to stay at Tavarona.

Was he serious when he mentioned that the team’s jinx was having no connection with the Copa del Rey? Transferring to another club to break that jinx? But that was an idea he could have come up with without specifically looking at Je-rim. To Je-rim, who looked completely clueless, Aaron kindly threw him a hint.

“I realized I couldn’t keep the promise I made to you.”

The moment he heard the word ‘promise,’ a fragment of an old memory flashed back.

‘We’ll lift the Big Ear together. And if we kiss with the falling confetti and fireworks in the background, wouldn’t it be romantic enough to remember for a lifetime?’

‘Are you saying we should let the whole world know we’re dating right now?’

‘It probably won’t become that big of a topic. As long as you’re okay with it, I really don’t mind letting it be known.’

‘I hate rumors. But that sounds good, lifting the Big Ear together.’

When they were young, what promise couldn’t they make? Especially when they were head over heels for each other. Even if they couldn’t promise to pluck the stars and the moon from the sky, they could easily promise to lift the Big Ear together. Even if it meant making an unrealistic future plan to play for the same club for the rest of their lives.

Back then, Je-rim loved the boy who spoke such dreamlike words with a similarly dreaming face. The way he looked at him with eyes that sparkled more than the stars in the sky they were watching, begging him to make a promise, was so lovely that Je-rim had agreed on the spot without even thinking about the future.

But to keep that promise now… wasn’t it a bit too much? Since they were now on the same team, they could ‘win the Champions League together,’ but they were no longer in a relationship where they would kiss while holding the trophy.

Moreover, how long had it been since they broke up, and he transferred just to keep a single promise they made as children? And the reason was that he wanted to lift the Big Ear with someone else this time—a trophy Je-rim had heard about as often as he’d had meals? There were too many points that were difficult to simply accept and move past.

“…Don’t tell me you’re saying let’s lift the Big Ear together?”

When Je-rim asked with a skeptical look, Aaron’s expression also became subtle. Whenever Aaron narrowed his eyes like that, Je-rim felt his heart sink, wondering what the hell this bastard was annoyed about this time and what kind of crazy stunt he was planning to pull.

Fortunately, Aaron only muttered a small curse and didn’t take any further action. The way he ruffled his hair and sighed in disbelief made it seem as though he had been hit by a massive wave of futility. His bangs, which had been neatly swept back, became a mess after a few gestures of Aaron’s hand, falling in strands over his forehead.

With his hair down like that, he looked a bit like he used to. The moment Je-rim’s eyes instinctively drifted toward Aaron’s face, Aaron snapped his head up, and their gazes met head-on. He replied in a somewhat drained voice.

“…That was one of the promises, too.”

“It couldn’t be… kissing while holding the Big Ear. What else is there?”

Why is this bastard reacting like this? He looked so defeated that Je-rim felt a pointless sense of guilt, even though he hadn’t committed any crime. No matter how much he searched his memories, the only promise that came to mind was ‘lifting the Big Ear together,’ which left him even more in the dark. Then, words dripping with sarcasm flew toward Je-rim.

“Right, I figured you’d have forgotten. You were always so indifferent. I’m truly honored that you’ve managed to remember the part about lifting the Big Ear together.”

“Stop being sarcastic. Then just tell me what it is.”

“No. You’re the one who said it, so you figure it out.”

“I’m telling you, I can’t remember anything! It’s frustrating, so just tell me.”

What kind of grand promise is it that he’s hiding it? As Je-rim grumbled to himself, Aaron must have caught it with pinpoint accuracy, as a vein popped on his forehead.

“Captain, surely you haven’t developed dementia already? That would be problematic. How are we supposed to win the Champions if I’m playing with a midfielder who has dementia?”

“You sure have a way with words. Out of gratitude, I’ll make sure I never remember.”

“…I really want to kill you.”

“Yeah, me too. Deal with it.”

The sound of their heavy breathing echoed as they glared at each other. Je-rim was the first to regain his composure. The fact that he was the Hyung, born about six months before Aaron, and the responsibility derived from his position as captain woke him up.

Seeing Aaron stubbornly keeping his mouth shut in protest, Je-rim gave up on prying for now, sensing he would never tell him. Instead, he voiced the doubt he had held from the beginning.

“Anyway, you’re saying the promise to lift the Big Ear together played a part? But you really transferred for a reason as trivial as that?”

“Trivial? For me, it’s a goal I barely managed to find for myself. Other than that, there’s really nothing I haven’t achieved.”

“You said you didn’t achieve the Treble, you arrogant prick. Why didn’t you aim for the Treble at Tavarona?”

“Why bother? I can easily aim for the Treble at Sefton too.”

That was true. After watching Tavarona fans, whose feelings had soured due to Aaron’s transfer, constantly curse Sefton as a piece of shit club, hearing Aaron—the ace of Tavarona—acknowledge Sefton made Je-rim feel a bit more lenient.

“So the conclusion is, you were going crazy because football became boring, then you realized the promise you made with me was your only unachieved goal, so you came here to fulfill it? And while you’re at it, aim for the Treble at a new club?”

As Je-rim summarized his understanding, Aaron nodded readily.

“Exactly. Since you’re currently floundering without having lifted the Big Ear even once. I thought it would be interesting in its own way if I came and led Sefton to victory.”

Interpreted kindly, it meant that since they had a promise from the past, he came to challenge himself to break his own mannerism and bring a trophy to Je-rim. And apparently, there was one more promise that Je-rim couldn’t remember.

Despite it being something he should have been touched by, the mood was completely ruined, and Je-rim only pursed his lips. If being able to say the same thing in such an obnoxious way was a talent, it was certainly a talent. So, instead of saying thank you, he took the opportunity to ask the things he was curious about.

“Then why were you delaying your contract renewal?”

“Because I was considering retiring. And my relationship with the club… had already soured.”

Since someone who got along well with their club wouldn’t opt for a free transfer, the latter part was within the expected range. However, the fact that he had considered retirement was unexpected, so Je-rim replied grumpily while calming his surprised heart.

“…You should have just done that.”

From that answer, Je-rim understood enough about how much skepticism Aaron felt toward his playing career before choosing the drastic move of transferring. However, after fighting the whole time, it felt awkward to offer comfort now, so he just threw a jab. Aaron chuckled out loud at the trivial joke.

Watching him, Je-rim suddenly realized something. He had thought that all the elements that made up Aaron had naturally changed over the long years, but they hadn’t. That smiling face was exactly the same as the afterimage in his memory.

The slender eyes that curved softly as the corners of his mouth curled up, the slight crinkle of the bridge of his nose. Even the way his characteristic decadent impression transformed into that of a mischievous boy.

It was a face he had truly loved. It was so unchanged that looking at it made him think of the old days, so Je-rim turned his gaze away as if he weren’t interested.

“For a guy who says everything is boring, you sure as hell know how to smile.”

“I told you. You’re interesting. Ah, I’m proud of myself for choosing to transfer to Sefton instead of retiring. Otherwise, when would I have been able to smile like this again?”

“Whatever. Smile all you want, and let’s set some rules.”

Now that he had confirmed their goals overlapped in winning the Champions League, it was time to call for a temporary truce. If he kept bickering with Aaron like this, they would ruin matches that should have gone well. Above all, he was the midfielder primarily responsible for build-up, and Aaron was the striker responsible for finishing that attack. As Coach Verdi said, if their chemistry didn’t fit, they had to force it to fit.

Aaron, who had been laughing as if there were a hole in his lungs, winked at Je-rim’s words.

“What rules?”

“I need rules if I’m going to play with a bastard I broke up with ten years ago for the next few years.”

“Hmm, sure. Tell me.”

Fortunately, Aaron seemed to agree readily. Before Aaron’s mood, which was as fickle as the British weather, could twist again for some unknown reason, Je-rim quickly folded his thumb and spoke.

“First, no more of those tricks from earlier. Physical contact is only allowed during goal Ceremonies.”

If he suffered another crazy stunt like suddenly being kissed on the neck or bitten, Je-rim didn’t know what he would do. He feared he might slap the other’s face regardless of disciplinary action and end up on the front page of the newspaper the next day.

And for some reason, this guy’s lower half… seemed to react regardless of his owner’s will…. To avoid walking the path of a beast, it was right to fundamentally block unexpected physical contact. Goal Ceremonies were an exception since other teammates would be tangled together, and it would be unclear who was hugging whom.

However, Aaron reacted indifferently to the first condition Je-rim had carefully considered.

“You were the one pulling tricks. I wasn’t.”

“What, you bastard?”

“From what I’ve seen, you pull tricks quite well with Reman and William too. Are you in a relationship with a man? Still, as the captain, you shouldn’t be muddying the waters like that.”

Despite having told him he hadn’t dated any men since breaking up with him, Aaron kept picking fights over nothing. Moreover, the lineup was so absurd to be considered targets of ‘tricks’ that the back of Je-rim’s neck stiffened.

“Crazy. Reman is six years younger than me, and Will is a newlywed with a daughter. What the hell do you take me for….”

“You’re light, lighter than a dandelion seed.”

Why does this guy keep calling me light, both then and now? It was a false accusation that could make one jump with frustration. The number of times Je-rim had dated was few for a successful football player, and since he had messed up every relationship he’d had, he hadn’t seen anyone since two seasons ago.

Since his relationships always ended with him being dumped, he knew there was a problem with him. However, even through those disastrous relationships, Je-rim swore he had never cheated. Unlike someone currently standing in front of him.

“Ha! That would be you. I’ve never looked elsewhere while seeing someone.”

“Who looked elsewhe—ah.”

Aaron, who had been responding indifferently as if the scandal with an actress—which had been quite a topic despite the protagonist being a young player who had just joined the first team—was someone else’s business, suddenly let out an exclamation. Aaron narrowed his eyes and asked back with a suspicious look.

“…I guess you were bothered by my scandal back then? You said you weren’t curious. So even then….”

As he said, Je-rim was the one who had said he wasn’t curious and that there was no need for excuses since it was a relationship that ended long ago. Despite that, he had uselessly mentioned the past first, like someone who had been anxious because he cared. Realizing his mistake, Je-rim quickly added.

“Do I look like I’m asking because I’m curious right now? I’m being sarcastic, you idiot.”

“I don’t think you’re in a position to be confident enough to be sarcastic with me. In terms of the relationship itself, you were always lighter than I was.”

“What do you know to be talking like that? Why the hell do you keep framing me as some light bastard?”

“If you had been even half as serious as I was, you shouldn’t have ended it like that.”

“What more was I supposed to do with you after seeing those photos?”

At that, Aaron’s expression, which had been frowning as if there were something unpleasant, changed instantly. It was a complete blank expression that made the viewer shudder. Je-rim’s face also froze cold as he recalled that time.

The scandal began with an article that featured silhouettes of Aaron and the actress with a low-brow headline. When Je-rim first saw it, he thought it was just a common third-rate tabloid and didn’t pay attention. However, not long after, photos of the two dating at a private equestrian club were released, moving beyond the level of a third-rate tabloid.

And as the grand finale of the show, the final photo was released: Aaron lightly hugging Delgado, stroking his cheek with an expression dripping with worry and affection.

That decisive photo was released a few days after the initial article. Until then, Aaron had offered no explanation, and Je-rim had smashed his phone in a fit of rage. After that, there was no contact between them until they met at the World Cup. In Je-rim’s memory, it was something that had just fizzled out.

“…Fuck, right. Of course you would.”

Aaron ruffled his bangs in irritation and chewed on a curse. It was as if he were saying, ‘What would I expect from someone like you?’

“Why the cursing, you fucker? You think I can’t curse too?”

When Je-rim snapped back, Aaron didn’t respond further. They had fought their fill and barely managed to create a tiny bit of a warm atmosphere, but Je-rim secretly regretted it in the silence that returned.

He had tried to call for a truce. That’s why he suggested setting rules. By bringing up unnecessary words, he had recalled bad memories and cooled the atmosphere. He thought he was fine now since it was already ten years ago and he had no lingering feelings, but the more he thought about it, the more the emotions of that time seemed to revive.

‘I shouldn’t be like this.’

Whether he liked it or not, could the team function well if he held deeply personal grudges and resentment toward a teammate he had to share a meal with?

After pouring out his stale emotions, Je-rim suddenly snapped back to his senses. I am the captain. Our goal is to win the Champions. If he didn’t keep repeating that, the thread of his reason would snap because of Aaron’s way of speaking. Instead of getting angrier, he managed his emotions by imagining the shape of the Big Ear, which was clearly drawn even when he closed his eyes.

“Hey, enough. Don’t mention it anymore. I won’t mention it either. Why would I keep thinking about something so unpleasant?”

“…….”

“Thinking back, we were practically broken up even then… and I was very young. It’s more ridiculous to keep getting emotional over that problem when we’re old enough and it’s not like we’re going to try again. Let’s just forget it coolly.”

It was a statement closer to one he was making to himself. To get along with Aaron as a colleague, he had to forget the past. However, even though the victim was offering to forget coolly, Aaron suddenly looked displeased.

“…You really are.”

“What.”

“Exactly the same as before. Very… cool. That’s a compliment.”

He’d gladly believe a compliment given with a face like he’d chewed on shit. Barely swallowing a curse, Je-rim recited the next rule.

“Second rule, don’t provoke people. That includes sniping in interviews.”

“As long as you don’t provoke me first, I won’t do that.”

“When did I ever provoke you?”

“Right now again.”

After I went out of my way to call for a truce first…. At this point, isn’t my very existence just annoying to him? But since Aaron’s existence was equally annoying regardless of his utility, he didn’t press further. After that, Je-rim recited a few more rules.

No showing that they had dated. No using old nicknames. No pretending to be excessively close. But also no distancing themselves to the point that rumors of discord would arise. No being sarcastic to reporters during interviews. No excessive provocation toward opposing players. No teasing the coach or teammates. No lying.

The more he spoke, the more Je-rim himself became confused as to what the word ‘forbidden’ exactly meant. It must have felt even more tedious to Aaron, who had been listening quietly. As soon as Je-rim folded all ten fingers, Aaron clicked his tongue loud enough to be heard.

“A club where the captain reigns like a tyrant. I didn’t realize Sefton was a monarchy.”

“If I were really a tyrant, I would have cut your head off long ago.”

“If you cut my head off, what happens to the Big Ear?”

“…….”

“I guarantee you can’t get rid of me. Just watch.”

The way he snorted confidently and puffed out his chest was incredibly annoying. Je-rim issued an eviction notice by throwing Aaron’s phone, which had been on the table, back into his arms. This time, Aaron didn’t stubbornly linger and stood up.

As he cheered inwardly that he was finally leaving, Je-rim looked at the back of him standing at the door and cleared his throat. It was because there was one curiosity left unresolved.

“…Hey, but.”

“What now? Give it a rest, will you?”

“No, fuck, what is this other promise I supposedly made!”

Seeing Aaron click his tongue as if truly fed up, irritation flared up again. In the first place, if he had acted modestly and politely like someone who had just transferred, there would have been no need to set rules. Moreover, to bring it up meaningfully first and then refuse to tell him until the end—was he trying to drive him crazy with frustration?

Aaron turned around toward the fuming Je-rim. Immediately after, a hand reached out and tapped Je-rim’s chest. It was exactly on the position of the golden crown emblem of Sefton on the short-sleeved shirt Je-rim was currently wearing.

“Since I’ve gone so far as to transfer for you, you figure this part out on your own. It’s no fun if I spill everything at the start, right?”

“Are you playing a game? You’re so great that everything except football seems like a joke to you, huh?”

“It’s not a joke. It’s no different to me. Whether it’s football or this.”

At the surprisingly serious tone, Je-rim’s gaze also sank. The moment the two pairs of black and yellow eyes met as if to devour each other, the fabric of Je-rim’s clothes that had been held was suddenly pulled, narrowing the distance.

Aaron grinned as he gripped the small crown logo as if crumpling it, hiding it in his palm. With that same confident, boyish face.

“Whatever it is, I hate losing more than death. This is a game I absolutely have to win.”

✲✲✲

Although a few minor issues occurred, the visit to Korea ended successfully. That could be seen just by looking at the expression of Chang-sik, who had gone out of his way to visit the hotel the day before departure. In particular, he left after praising Han-seong’s editing skills endlessly, saying he had seen the talk show video in advance and it was very funny.

To Je-rim, whose only memory of talk shows was being hit by electric shocks, that impression of it being ‘funny’ felt infinitely unsettling. However, due to the schedule, he departed without checking the edited video. The talk show video filmed with Aaron was released a week later.

“What the hell.”

When he woke up, he found a massive amount of messages from his national team teammates. Every single one of them had sent a video of him jumping in surprise from an electric shock and throwing the lie detector. Some even sent photos labeled as ‘The dignified appearance of Sefton’s captain.’ Je-rim became extremely anxious.

No way, no way…. Our Han-seong didn’t actually upload the footage of his Hyung being thoroughly humiliated, did he….

That “what if” turned out to be exactly right. With his devilish editing skills, Han-seong edited out the potentially problematic parts while keeping everything he could save. For example, from the line, “Je-rim is handsome. As long as he keeps his mouth shut,” he deleted the latter half and spliced in the line, “His smile is like the sky.”

However, “Lucky Charm!” was too funny to cut, so it was left in. Along with a half-hearted excuse like, “He’s not just good, he’s too good ^^.” Je-rim screamed silently after checking the video, the comments, and the reactions posted on football communities.

Why did they become a comedy duo after getting back together;;

Are they comedians instead of Football Saints?

⤷ Yeah, looks like they changed careers.

⤷ Fuck, then where am I supposed to get my National Pride from now?

Lucky Charm!

(Photo)

Why didn’t he just answer honestly? Why lie and create another immortal meme before leaving? T_T lol

⤷ How could he answer honestly? “Aaron’s transfer? It’s fucking awful.” He can’t say that.

⤷ Looking at what Je-rim-ssi is doing, it doesn’t seem awful… they just look like total besties.

⤷ What kind of besties give each other kisses? In my opinion, they’re dating.

⤷ This is it.

Have you guys ever looked at a friend’s smile and felt it was like the sky??

What… am I just a loser who doesn’t understand this??

⤷ It’s normal not to understand.

⤷ If that’s a friend, then everyone in the world is a hikikomori.

⤷ Let’s not abuse the sacred name of friendship.

I mean, they look so close, so why the interview;

Wasn’t it a total attack on Je-rim-ssi;;

⤷ Aaron tends to be a bit rude when talking to reporters anyway haha.

⤷ Since the transfer news broke, they kept asking questions linking him to Je-rim, so he probably got annoyed~

⤷ They might have made up after the interview, who knows what’s in their hearts.

Was that kiss really on the cheek?

Look at this, I took screenshots from different angles, and no matter how I look at it, it’s the neck.

⤷ Come on, the neck is impossible. Aaron isn’t a lunatic; why would he suddenly kiss the neck?

⤷ He even said they did it often lol. Unless they were actually dating, guys don’t kiss each other on the neck often.

⤷ It’s not a kiss, it’s a greeting lol. Football Saints do bisous quite often.

⤷ Hey, look at the number of GIFs. Just how much did you dissect the video? Use that passion to study.

OP: This IS studying for me ^^1 Fuck you

Are Spanish greetings always like that?

Wow, should I go to Spain too? Do they do that greeting between opposite genders?

⤷ So pathetic tsk. Thinking of going to Spain just to get a bisou.

⤷ If you act like you do in Korea, they won’t even treat you like a human in Spain.

⤷ You are not Ban Je-rim…

⤷ Haha, I’m traveling in Spain right now, and the women I encounter greet me with cheek kisses (I heard it’s called dos besos in Spanish)… I’m over 180cm and occasionally hear that I look like Ban Je-rim haha. Maybe that’s why? I haven’t really experienced any racism either haha.

⤷ The comment section is about to explode;; I can’t breathe. ⤷ I feel like the person above got pickpocketed… check your wallet.

If you’re going to use that face and physique like that, I wish you’d just give them to me.

And the way he splashed water on Aaron and laughed so smugly T_T seriously Hyung, why are you like this?

⤷ I relate fuck. If he just kept his mouth shut, he’d be a towering handsome man radiating coldness, so why always…

⤷ Hahaha I like that Je-rim-ssi has such expressive faces. It’s funny.

⤷ He seems to have a bit of a knack for public embarrassment…

⤷ Jerry… just shut up and play every game like your life depends on it, please.

“Aaron is the world’s best top striker and is more handsome than I am.”

Isn’t this basically a public confession from Je-rim-ssi?

⤷ Ah, so that’s why Aaron gave the kiss on the live stream…!

⤷ It wasn’t a greeting, but a return kiss? So romantic, as expected of someone from the land of passion.

⤷ Transfer – Rumors of discord – Dating, all in just three days;; Wow, Europe really is different.

⤷ What, is this an In-House Romance?

⤷ In what sense is it an In-House Romance? ⤷ It could be in any sense ^^

Je-rim immediately closed the internet window and sent a barrage of curses to Han-seong. He argued that he asked him to edit it so it wouldn’t be obvious that he and Aaron were on bad terms, not to turn him into a clown or make it look like they were dating.

However, unable to even make an excuse to the reply that came back, he simply threw his phone onto the sofa.

Han-seong:

I only have the crime of editing it entertainingly, Hyung T_T Isn’t the fact that you look like you’re dating a problem between you and Reyes? That’s what I think haha. Why not take this chance and actually date? If he looks more handsome than you in your eyes, isn’t he your true ideal type? haha Reyes also says your smile is like the sky after the rain. You’re a match made in heaven.

He hated everything about it. After lying face down on the sofa and punching the cushions for a while, Je-rim realized it was time for morning training and trudged up. He felt like the most pathetic man in the world as he fished his phone out from the corner of the sofa, meticulously checked for any cracks, and picked up his car keys.

Just before leaving the door, a long sigh escaped him. It was because he suddenly remembered that he would have to keep seeing Aaron’s face—the man who caused this disaster—from now on. During the pre-season, after the league opened, and continuously. For the next few years.

“…”

It’ll… be fine. Je-rim rubbed his eyes while looking down at his lower half, which had shown an odd reaction. He had absolutely no feelings left, so why did he almost get an erection just seeing the blood smeared around the other’s lips? What the hell is so pretty about that bastard.

Of course, Aaron’s decadent face and the blood smeared like lipstick suited him incredibly well, so as an ex-boyfriend, it hit him as a visual stimulus that was hard to handle. But still, to almost get hard just by looking at the opponent’s face in the middle of a fight…

At that moment, the message mentioning his ideal type came to mind, and he desperately shook his head. No way. Absolutely no way. It was true that he liked Aaron’s face in the past, but wasn’t that when they were young? Since breaking up with that guy, he hadn’t felt sexual arousal toward a man once, and the appearance of his other lovers…

“Uh…?”

Realizing they were all tall, had great bodies, and possessed slightly dark skin and hair, Je-rim felt as if the ground were collapsing beneath him. Come to think of it, they all seemed to have a similar vibe and smile.

‘…From now on, I’ll only shower after Aaron comes out…’

Only after prescribing such an extreme measure to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances did he move his feet weakly.

Large-scale signing contract

Germany’s first division professional football league

A cup competition where the winning clubs of two competitions face off

The FA Cup of the Spanish La Liga