#59

“…….”

He had never imagined that the first time he would wear the suit he was given would be at his father’s funeral.

Ho-jae took off the clothes he was wearing and put on a crisp, white shirt and black trousers. They fit perfectly, with nothing tight around his shoulders or chest, and the texture against his skin was soft and light.

Ho-jae’s phone rang. It was a call from Du-min and Min-chul, who had rushed over as soon as they heard the news. Once he gave them the room number, the call ended with them saying they would arrive shortly.

He tied a black necktie in a knot, put on his jacket, and finally fastened the chief mourner’s armband to his left arm before heading out to the funeral altar. Du-min and Min-chul were already greeting his mother.

“Mother. It’s been a while.”

“Oh my goodness. Boys, I’m so grateful you came… but don’t you have a game tomorrow too?”

“How could you say such a heartbreaking thing! This is about Ho-jae; we’d rush here even in the middle of a game.”

“Oh… I’m grateful for the words alone.”

“We’ll go pay our respects to your father first.”

“Yes, go ahead. Honey, Du-min and Min-chul are here. They visited a couple of times when you were still at home. You remember, right? When Ho-jae was in middle school, they used to come over all the time.”

His mother spoke to the portrait where she was smiling brightly. Ho-jae stood against the wall, watching Du-min and Min-chul offer flowers and bow.

As if it were the most natural thing in the world, the two of them took their positions by the table in front of the altar. Since the family was busy greeting relatives who had come to visit, it was a great help.

Amidst the chaos, the two of them had also helped by spreading the news of the passing here and there.

“Peter and the coaches say they’ll arrive soon. The other players will probably trickle in today and tomorrow.”

“Thanks. But you guys should head back soon so you’re not late. You have a game tomorrow.”

“Ho-jae, Ho-jae. We’ll handle our own conditioning. If you have time to worry about us, take care of your mother and Yeon-jae!”

“Then go win tomorrow.”

“Ah… I’m not so sure about that. Those rats are absolutely brimming with venom.”

“Ho Jae-shin, are you doing okay?”

Ho-jae replied lightly to Min-chul’s question.

“Yeah, I took some neurosurgery medication, so I think I’m fine.”

At that answer, Min-chul and Du-min fell silent for a moment. They had naturally assumed he was asking about the concussion, but the reaction was slightly odd.

“No, I mean, the head is one thing, but…”

“About your father. Are you okay?”

“Ah.”

Ho-jae curled the corners of his lips into a smile and answered lightly.

“He just held on for a long time. That’s why I think Mom and Yeon-jae were actually more prepared mentally.”

“Hmm…”

While Yuk Du-min wore a subtle expression, a crowd of familiar faces appeared at the end of the hallway. It was Peter, the coaches, front office staff, and a few players.

Naturally, the atmosphere became boisterous. His mother greeted the staff, and the condolence money table where Du-min and Min-chul were standing became busy.

“Yong-su hyung.”

“Yeah, Ho-jae. It’s chaotic, right? You’re going through a lot.”

“Not at all. Please stay and take your time.”

Choi Yong-su gave a small nod and headed toward the dining area. Following him were Moon Seung-yeol and Lee Sang-gon. Without much conversation, the two silently paid their respects to the chief mourner and left the altar immediately.

Since they were teammates playing on the same team, their visit was expected, but it was surprising that they came on the first day despite having a game tomorrow. It was even more so since they were the type who barely even greeted each other normally.

“What’s up with Moon Seung-yeol?”

“What?”

“I mean, the envelope was so thick that I caught a glimpse, and he gave a huge amount of condolence money…?”

“Maybe he put the wrong amount in? Or maybe he gave the money for the other players too but only wrote his own name?”

“That makes sense.”

Hearing Du-min and Min-chul chatting, Ho-jae approached the table.

Just as they said, there were too many bills inside the envelope. Ho-jae took the envelope and stepped out into the hallway. He intended to return it if they were still nearby. It really could have been a mistake.

They weren’t in the dining area, as if they hadn’t stopped by at all. Ho-jae found one of them in a lounge area slightly away from the altar. Lee Sang-gon was sitting on a sofa, tapping away at his phone.

“Where is Seung-yeol hyung?”

His voice sounded slightly awkward. Since he hardly spoke with Lee Sang-gon even during games, it was rare for him to initiate a conversation like this. Lee Sang-gon only lifted his eyes and asked shortly.

“Why?”

“I think you gave the wrong amount of condolence money.”

Lee Sang-gon glanced sideways at the envelope Ho-jae was holding and spoke bluntly.

“I’m pretty sure he gave the right amount.”

“What?”

“His mother passed away from a similar illness a long time ago.”

Ho-jae could immediately tell that the omitted subject was ‘father.’

“If you can’t believe it, ask him yourself later. He already went home. I’m just waiting because a rookie said he’s arriving now.”

“Ah… I understand.”

“Yeah.”

Ho-jae, who had turned to leave, approached Sang-gon again. Lee Sang-gon looked up at Ho-jae with a ‘What now?’ expression.

“Thank you for coming today. I don’t think I got to tell you that.”

“…It’s nothing. It’s only natural.”

Lee Sang-gon replied in an awkward voice, scratching the back of his neck. A small chuckle escaped Ho-jae. Just as he felt awkward in this situation, Lee Sang-gon must have felt the same.

It was then that Sang-gon, after a long pause, muttered in a very sheepish tone.

“…You know. We were a bit… like that, weren’t we?”

“Pardon?”

“If I’d known your father was like that, I would’ve been less… ahem.”

Shin Ho-jae raised an eyebrow slightly. It seemed Lee Sang-gon wanted to apologize for picking fights with him in the past.

In particular, Lee Sang-gon had frequently enjoyed telling him to go back to Canada. Only after hearing the news of the death did he realize the reason why Ho-jae had stayed in Korea instead of going to Canada, and he must have been flustered. Even so, not explicitly saying ‘I’m sorry’ was very typical of Lee Sang-gon.

“Anyway, send him off well and do your rehab properly.”

“Yes. Win the game tomorrow.”

“Good grief. This player talks so easily about not coming.”

Bursting into a hearty laugh, Lee Sang-gon offered a handshake first. Ho-jae took his hand and gave him a light hug.

He saw him in a slightly different light. He had thought of him as nothing more than a petty person bundled with inferiority and jealousy, but it turned out he was someone who knew how to act decently.

It was a fresh realization. Especially since he had lumped him together with Moon Seung-yeol and thought of him only as a bad person. Perhaps Lee Sang-gon had thought the same of him.

It felt strange that the catalyst for this was his father’s funeral, but thinking of it as the power provided by an extraordinary place, it seemed understandable.

Lee Sang-gon, Moon Seung-yeol, and himself. Since they usually only saw each other during training or games, those fragmentary images must have hardened into their impressions of one another. In truth, none of them had really tried to get to know the other properly.

Ho-jae returned to the altar feeling slightly lighter.

“What? Did you meet him? What did he say?”

“He said it wasn’t a mistake.”

“…Really? What’s with that. Ah, Ho-jae, Coach Park is here.”

At those words, Ho-jae immediately took off his shoes and entered the inner altar. Coach Park Nam-woong had finished paying his respects and was in the middle of a long conversation with his mother.

Ho-jae waited a moment for their conversation to end and then shared a deep hug with Coach Park. He then led the coach to a seat in the corner of the dining area. Soon, staff brought out side dishes and soup on disposable plates.

Ho-jae poured soju into his glass, and he declined the drink the coach tried to pour for him, explaining that he couldn’t because of the concussion medication. Instead, they clinked glasses with water, and the coach spoke.

“You must be exhausted playing the role of the chief mourner, right?”

“Yes. I didn’t know so many people would come.”

“Isn’t that proof that your father and family lived well? It’s something to be grateful for.”

Ho-jae nodded slightly. The coach emptied the bottle while sharing various stories. It was around the time the food on the plates was nearly gone.

“I heard. That he was in the ICU. Why didn’t you tell me? It would have been good to visit at least once.”

“I was so overwhelmed that I didn’t even think to mention it.”

“Is that so?”

Coach Park Nam-woong asked lightly and took a drink. Ho-jae filled the empty glass again.

In truth, there was a part of him that had intentionally not called. It was because he thought the coach might pay the hospital bills again without saying a word.

Having already received such a grace once, he feared that calling him in a similar situation might be felt as subtle pressure to borrow money.

“Coach. I’ve been truly grateful all this time. It will take some time, but I will pay back all the money you lent me, so please wait for me.”

At Ho-jae’s words, Coach Park blinked his large eyes as if he hadn’t even remembered the matter, then let out an ‘Ah.’

“Didn’t I tell you that you don’t need to pay that money back?”

“It’s not a small amount, so I can’t do that. I didn’t have the leeway while taking care of my father, but I think I can start paying it back little by little now.”

This was something he had already discussed with his mother. Unexpectedly, a look of distress crossed Coach Park’s face.

“Coach?”

“Uh… no, the thing is.”

“Yes.”

“Well, your father has gone to a better place, so I suppose it doesn’t matter if I tell you now.”

Ho-jae blinked slowly. He had no inkling of what Coach Park was about to say.

Because of that, he couldn’t help but doubt his ears at the words that followed in the next moment.

“The one who paid your father’s hospital bills two years ago wasn’t me, Ho-jae.”

“What…?”

60 – Puck Drop