#52

It was actually better during training or matches because his mind would go blank, but on days like today, with a lot of traveling and long periods of solitude, those memories inevitably resurfaced.

‘There is someone I want to live up to.’

‘Even if it doesn’t work, if it’s something I can do, I want to do as much as possible. It puts my own mind at ease, too.’

Those words had been the catalyst. The story of striving to meet someone’s expectations had sparked a simple sense of kinship.

Perhaps that was why he hadn’t left the house immediately after the act, as he usually did.

Then, he had drifted off to sleep, only to be awakened by the sound of someone screaming.

Startled by the ominous tone of the voice, Shin Ho-jae bolted upright in bed. He quickly grabbed his clothes from the floor, dressed, and stepped out of the room. He didn’t know what was happening, but instinct told him he had to help.

Had he not heard Jung-hyun refer to her as ‘Mother’ just in time, Shin Ho-jae might have used force to pull the man and his mother apart.

She was an elegant and beautiful woman. The kind of person who would be accustomed to being called “Madam.” Her clothes, accessories, manner of speaking, behavior, and gait—everything was different from his own mother.

However, Ho-jae had discovered what kind of words she could pour out from behind that gently smiling face.

‘Can’t you just pretend not to notice and let it slide?’

And he had seen how soft and weak Kwon Jung-hyun became in front of such a mother.

Though he kept his back straight and his expression composed as usual, the emotions hidden within were visible.

He looked utterly exhausted, completely fragile. Like a dandelion seed that collapses even before a gentle spring breeze.

But in the very next moment, Jung-hyun smiled. Ho-jae couldn’t quite understand it. Wasn’t it natural to cry when sad, get angry when pissed off, and stiffen one’s expression when feeling bad?

So why was that man smiling? He wanted to violently pry open that brief crack he’d seen and look inside. What would be there? The lonely face he had witnessed on very rare occasions, or something else entirely?

That was why he couldn’t easily bring himself to leave, despite being told to go several times. Yet, he didn’t have enough conviction to pull back his hand from the gate and turn around.

The gap Kwon Jung-hyun had shown was too small, and it had closed too quickly.

Seeing a different side of him for a fleeting moment wasn’t enough to erase the Kwon Jung-hyun he had known from his mind. …Not yet.

Shin Ho-jae closed his eyes. Unlike usual, it took him a bit longer to shake off the distracting thoughts.

* * *

The two-day series against Winterbore had come to an end. The result was one win and one loss.

There were minor issues, such as Lee Sang-gon still refusing to pass the puck to Shin Ho-jae and Yuk Du-min, but the Blue Wolves, having secured one victory, made a stable start, ranking third in the league.

“Now then, to celebrate the successful end of the first week of the season, we will have a toast from the head coach!”

At the sound of Choi Yong-su’s voice, already slightly tipsy, everyone tapped their plates with their chopsticks, as if tapping the ice with hockey sticks.

Since they traveled frequently for away games, the players had regular spots they visited in each region. This izakaya, with group seating where one had to take off their shoes, was one such place.

At the end of four tables pushed together, Coach Peter, Coach Yoo, and Kwon Jung-hyun were sitting, and Shin Ho-jae sat at the furthest diagonal end.

It seemed Kwon Jung-hyun had only arrived in Japan this morning. He hadn’t been seen the whole time until Ho-jae spotted him talking to the general manager outside the stadium this morning, so his guess was likely correct.

『Everyone worked very hard yesterday and today. I know it is not easy to perform to your full potential during away games. That is why I believe today’s victory is even more valuable.』

While Peter continued his long toast, a server brought out draft beers. One of them was placed in front of Kwon Jung-hyun. Ho-jae watched as he naturally pulled the beer glass toward himself.

He always drank strong liquor, so Ho-jae hadn’t expected him to order beer. Or was he the type who believed one must drink draft beer when in Japan, like Yuk Du-min?

Since Ho-jae didn’t drink much, he didn’t know the difference, but he knew because Yuk Du-min had explained it to him until he was blue in the face.

Just then, Peter finished his toast and shouted a slogan with quite decent pronunciation.

『‘Let’s win’!』

“Let’s win!”

Everyone raised their glasses into the air. Shin Ho-jae followed a beat late, lifting the water glass in front of him, and drank it down since his throat had been parched.

It was only after every single drop had slid down his throat that he realized the water tasted strange.

“Huh? What the. Ho-jae, Ho-jae, this is alcohol. Did you drink it?”

Yuk Du-min, sitting across from him, looked at Shin Ho-jae with wide eyes.

Shin Ho-jae frowned and looked down at the completely empty glass. Belatedly, the pungent scent of alcohol rose up through his esophagus.

“What’s this? Are you feeling it today? Should we start mixing some drinks for you in earnest?”

“What? Is today the day Ho Jae-shin drinks?”

“…….”

“Huh? He’s not saying he hates it! Hey, hey, Cheol. Bring the sake over here. I guess today is that one day a year when Ho-jae drinks.”

“Awesome! Drink up, drink up! Let’s drink until we drop!”

As he spoke, Ji Min-chul poured sake—in a bottle nearly the size of a human torso—into Ho-jae’s empty glass.

Without a word, Shin Ho-jae downed the liquor poured into the glass. Since he had to return home tomorrow, there was no training, and the alcohol, tasted for the first time in a long while, was exceptionally sweet. Yuk Du-min and Ji Min-chul cheered noisily.

How much time had passed since then?

Shin Ho-jae was leaning halfway against the wall. Yuk Du-min and Ji Min-chul had long since disappeared from his sight to chatter at another table, and the people sitting in front of him had changed about four times, as far as he could remember.

Everyone showed interest in a drinking Shin Ho-jae, but upon seeing him become even quieter than usual, they quickly moved to other seats.

Thanks to that, Shin Ho-jae was now just taking up space like a forgotten bundle of firewood.

Lifting his eyelids, which had grown significantly heavier, Shin Ho-jae looked diagonally ahead.

Unlike him, the area around Kwon Jung-hyun was crowded with people. To be precise, it was because of Coach Peter, who was sitting right next to him.

Peter, who had grown much closer to the players recently, was talking to several of them using Kwon Jung-hyun as an interpreter. Jung-hyun didn’t seem to be enjoying the dinner party so much as blending in just enough not to ruin the atmosphere.

Just then, one of the players poured a drink into Jung-hyun’s glass. Jung-hyun accepted it with a smile, then subtly pushed the glass aside. A small crease formed between Ho-jae’s brows as he watched.

He’s doing it again.

Why isn’t he drinking? He’s not the type of person to refuse available alcohol.

Wasn’t that right? As far as he remembered, Kwon Jung-hyun always had a drink in his hand.

However, no matter how much he searched his memories, he couldn’t recall ever seeing him drunk. He must have a high tolerance, like himself.

Suddenly, he wondered what his limit was. Not that knowing it would change anything.

Regardless, the important thing was that Kwon Jung-hyun wasn’t someone who wouldn’t drink. Or was he sick somewhere?

In his slowly turning mind, a memory from some time ago flashed. It was the image of Kwon Jung-hyun asleep on the sofa.

“…Pheromones, is it because of that?”

“Huh? Ho-jae hyung, what did you just say?”

Park Hyeong-hun, who had been sitting next to him with his back turned, suddenly whipped his head around and asked. When Ho-jae just stared at him without saying anything, Hyeong-hun looked awkward.

“Uh…? I’m sure you said something to me? Or not?”

Seeing his flushed face, Park Hyeong-hun seemed quite drunk. Especially since he was asking someone who was just sitting still and thinking to himself.

Ho-jae’s eyes turned back toward the other side. Someone sitting in front of Kwon Jung-hyun was tactlessly shouting, ‘Representative, bottoms up!’ The crease in Ho-jae’s brow deepened.

If he wasn’t feeling well, he could just refuse, yet he was drinking again.

Why is he doing that? Acting so smart usually. Who is there to say anything if he refuses here? He’s the owner of the club.

Kwon Jung-hyun placed the empty glass on the table. Seeing this, Coach Peter poured more alcohol into the empty glass.

“Huh? Ho-jae hyung, where are you going?”

Shin Ho-jae bolted upright and strode through the crowd. With every step, Kwon Jung-hyun’s face grew closer.

As he suddenly moved, the alcohol seemed to surge, and he felt a wave of intoxication hit him. However, Shin Ho-jae didn’t stop; he pushed Coach Yoo aside and squeezed himself into the gap.

Then, he snatched the drink placed in front of Kwon Jung-hyun.

Only then did Jung-hyun, his eyes widening slightly, make eye contact with him. Shin Ho-jae stared straight into his eyes and downed the drink in one go.

Clack. As he set the empty glass on the table, he heard Coach Yoo, looking bewildered, speak in a reprimanding tone.

“Hey, you brat. If you wanted a drink, you should have just said so. Why are you stealing the Representative’s drink?”

“If you don’t want to drink, don’t drink.”

“What, you punk?”

Coach Yoo’s face crumpled in anger, while Kwon Jung-hyun simply stared at him without a word. Peter looked over, seemingly intrigued, a moment later.

『What? What did Ho-jae say?』

“Who’s going to say anything to the owner? Why are you walking on eggshells?”

“Wha—what? Shin Ho-jae, what do you think you’re doing to the Representative? How rude!”

As Coach Yoo reacted in shock, Jung-hyun’s lips curled into a smile.

“It seems Player Shin is a bit drunk.”

The masseter muscles in Shin Ho-jae’s jaw tightened. It was true that he felt a bit lightheaded since it had been a while since he’d drunk, but his tolerance hadn’t disappeared, and being framed as drunk when he was perfectly fine was slightly irritating.

“No. I’m perfectly fine.”

“Guys! Someone take care of Ho-jae. What’s gotten into this guy who never drinks to get this drunk?”

“I told you, I’m not drunk.”

“You brat. Now that you’re twenty-four, you should know your limit before you drink. What is this behavior in front of the Representative?”

“I’m fine, and I’ll remember everything tomorrow.”

Just then, Kwon Jung-hyun, letting out a soft sigh, stood up.

“Player Shin, would you like to come outside for a moment?”

Ho-jae’s gaze followed him as he rose, straightening his knees.

“Oh, Representative. I’m sorry. I’ll make sure this guy…”

“It’s nothing like that. I just want to let him get some fresh air. And I’ll have a cigarette while I’m at it.”

“Ah, yes. Then please, go ahead.”

Kwon Jung-hyun grabbed his jacket and phone from the coat rack and calmly left the noisy gathering. Shin Ho-jae, keeping his mouth shut, followed behind him and put on his shoes.

The gaze of the people sitting inside quickly shifted away from the two. Everyone was too busy tilting their glasses and chatting.

53 – Puck Drop