#67

“The way she was looking at Ho Jae-shin during the MVP interview yesterday was something else.”

The two of them were talking about the female announcer belonging to the club. The one who had asked him where he went after the game during yesterday’s MVP interview.

Since the lingering afterglow of the frantic kiss in the restroom was still with him, he couldn’t even remember clearly what he had answered at the time.

“What’s this all of a sudden?”

He tried to show a slight hint of discomfort, but Du-min only grew more enthusiastic.

“No, seriously. It wasn’t just us; even Yong-su hyung mentioned it. The way she looks at him is completely different from how she looks at the other players.”

“Player Shin, who has been exceptionally popular with announcers since last year. How does it feel?”

“Pretty and intellectual. Ho Jae-shin likes that type, doesn’t he?”

The warmth that had been touching him slowly vanished. Pretending to shift his posture, Ho-jae glanced sideways. The hand that had been touching him until a moment ago had moved to a paper cup on the table.

He slowly drank the remaining alcohol in the paper cup. Unlike Ho-jae, who felt unnecessarily uncomfortable, no particular emotion could be read on Jung-hyun’s face.

“Does Ho-jae like that type?”

Having finished his drink, Jung-hyun looked at Ho-jae with a smile on his face. Instead of Ho-jae, whose lips were stiffened, the other two excitedly intercepted the answer.

“Oh, of course. Ho Jae-shin’s taste is surprisingly consistent.”

“We can tell just by looking. Remember, Cheol? When Shin Ho-jae was in seventh grade and liked that high school girl?”

“Ah. I remember. The one who was good at studying.”

“I don’t remember.”

“Don’t worry. It’s still vivid for us. Baby Ho Jae-shin, who used to freeze up every time he was in front of her.”

He was extremely flustered as stories from a past he didn’t even remember surfaced. Ho-jae frowned and glared at his damn ten-year friends. Beside him, Jung-hyun chuckled.

“Seventh grade? He was precocious.”

“Precocious? He was way late.”

“Anyway, I saw the whole thing when he was talking to her after the match yesterday.”

“Wow, our Ho Jae-shin is popular!”

“What did she say? Did she ask him to date? Did she say she likes him?”

“Just shut… stop it already.”

He had intended to tell them to shut up, but he only whispered it with a small movement of his lips. However, the two, moderately tipsy, seemed to have no intention of closing their mouths.

“No, I mean, our Ho Jae-shin has been too busy to date to his heart’s content until now. Now that he has some time and mental leeway, that’s why we’re saying it. Go date someone.”

“Yeah. Dating is so great!”

It was then that Jung-hyun suddenly stood up. The gazes of the three shifted toward him all at once.

“Ah, I’m just going to have a cigarette. Keep talking, don’t mind me.”

Jung-hyun gave a bright smile, grabbed his cigarette pack and lighter from his jacket, and walked out through the door leading to the rooftop. Shin Ho-jae’s gaze followed him.

Jung-hyun’s profile was visible through the window for a moment before quickly disappearing. Beyond the glass, only the yellow lights of the string bulbs were seen scattering in dots.

The room, which had experienced a brief lull, regained its moderate liveliness with Min-chul’s proposal for a toast. Du-min, who pushed aside the cold sausages and opened a bag of shrimp-flavored snacks, asked with wide eyes.

“So. What’s the truth?”

“…We didn’t talk about anything.”

“If you’re going to lie, at least do it with some sincerity. You must have at least said ‘hello.’ Does it make sense that you didn’t say a word?”

Ho-jae let out a light sigh and opened his mouth. It was obvious that if he didn’t speak now, they would keep pestering him until the end.

“She asked for my number, and I didn’t give it to her. That’s all.”

“Heol.”

“Heooool. Why?”

“Why ‘why’? Because he’s not interested.”

At Shin Ho-jae’s stiff tone, the two glanced at each other and spoke simultaneously.

“Do you perhaps….”

“Is there someone you’re seeing privately?”

Shin Ho-jae frowned once more.

“Ho-jae has been a bit strange lately. Zoning out whenever he gets a chance.”

“Constantly looking at his phone.”

“So we thought you were already hitting it off with that announcer?”

“…….”

Without answering, Ho-jae stood up. The heads of the two looked up.

“Where are you going?”

“To bring the CEO back.”

“Ah, right. Go bring him. He didn’t step away just to avoid us, right?”

“Huck, Cheol. Let’s do that. The NintenX game! Ho-jae, we’ll have the console set up for you!”

Leaving the two’s words behind, Shin Ho-jae pushed open the door to the rooftop.

A colder wind touched his cheeks. Without hesitation, Ho-jae walked toward where Jung-hyun had gone.

Soon, on the opposite side of the U-shaped rooftop, he could spot white smoke drifting into the black night sky.

Wearing the zip-up hoodie Ho-jae had given him, he was looking down at the neighborhood night view, which was thick with the feeling of everyday life. Noticing the sound of footsteps, he was seen turning around with a cigarette between his fingers.

Ho-jae moistened his lips and spoke.

“…Aren’t you cold?”

“I’m trying to sober up a bit.”

With hesitant steps, Ho-jae went and stood beside him. The yellow light from the string bulbs drew his profile like a line drawing made of light.

Jung-hyun sucked in the shortened cigarette filter and crushed it out against the railing. The corners of his mouth curved slightly as he exhaled the last of the smoke. It was an expression tinged with a bit of playfulness.

“A pretty and intellectual type?”

“…….”

“I guess athletes are naturally drawn to that type. Seeing how quite a few players marry announcers.”

Instead of answering, Ho-jae stared intently at his face. In the room earlier, he couldn’t look closely because he was mindful of his friends’ gazes.

“So, are things going well with that announcer lately?”

Ho-jae’s pupils meticulously scanned his face. To find even the smallest crack beneath the mask of composure. However, he was not an opponent who would easily reveal a gap.

“…And if I say they are?”

The words that flew out, as if testing him, were a momentary impulse.

“That’s great.”

“…….”

“You look good together. Just like your friends said.”

However, instead of a crack, a flawless smile hung on Jung-hyun’s face. A flash of disappointment crossed Ho-jae’s face.

Jung-hyun naturally shifted his gaze and pushed up the sleeve of the zip-up hoodie that had been covering the back of his hand. He checked the dial of his wristwatch, relying on the yellow light of the bulbs.

“Do you want to go back in first? I think I’ll call a designated driver soon.”

“It’s a lie.”

“What?”

“What I just said, it’s a lie. There’s nothing between me and that announcer.”

Jung-hyun’s face crumpled strangely.

“Why would you tell a lie like that?”

“I wonder. Why would I?”

Ho-jae answered blankly. However, he felt that he vaguely knew the answer.

All day today, he had asked Jung-hyun again and again.

Whether reporter Kim In-jung’s resignation was truly due to his influence, whether he had ever waited a long time to get an autograph, whether he had reapplied perfume right before meeting him.

In truth, those weren’t the things he was really curious about.

Whether your heart is still just that of a fan, or if there is something of a different color, and if so, whether it is a similar color to his own.

This was what Shin Ho-jae truly wanted to ask.

Just then, a shout of “Setup complete!” was heard from inside. Jung-hyun’s gaze turned inward. Feeling that he might step inside at any moment, Ho-jae instinctively grabbed his hand.

He felt the back of the hand, frozen cold from being outside for so long. Ho-jae gripped it tightly, as if covering the entire hand. A spot slightly rougher than the rest was felt through his thumb. It was the back of his hand.

Jung-hyun lifted his head and cast a questioning gaze at Ho-jae. The yellow string bulbs were embedded like stars in his pupils.

“…Can you not go?”

Ho-jae hesitantly brought his face closer to him. As if guessing something, he lowered his eyes slightly.

Ho-jae let out a light breath and placed his other hand on his cheek. Soon, their cold noses touched. He closed his eyes, and Ho-jae closed his as well.

And what finally touched were their lips, slightly rough and cold. Ho-jae pressed his lips firmly against his before slowly changing the angle.

His lips parted slightly. That small gesture of permission sent a thrill down to the end of his spine. Shin Ho-jae opened the hand he was holding and entwined his fingers between his.

This time, he wasn’t drunk, nor was he intoxicated by a come-from-behind goal. Shin Ho-jae was perfectly sober. And in that state, he had kissed Jung-hyun. He was precisely aware of it himself.

His tongue cautiously invaded the inside, and their bodies pressed together without a single gap. Ho-jae slowly sucked his tongue with his own. It was a very static kiss, minimizing the sound of tongues mixing to the extreme. However, that secrecy only fueled the excitement further.

His lower body, which had barely settled, swelled heavily. Feeling uncomfortable with it trapped in his pants, he shifted his posture slightly, and a faint moan escaped Jung-hyun’s lips, as if his own had been pressed.

“Mm…….”

At the same time, he felt the other’s hardness. As soon as he realized it, a wave of sexual pleasure hit him, difficult to describe in words. Shin Ho-jae somewhat urgently wrapped his arm around his waist and pulled him closer.

This time, a kiss began where their breaths mixed chaotically. Meanwhile, Jung-hyun grabbed Ho-jae’s waist and rubbed his lower body against him. It was when Shin Ho-jae moved the hand that had been holding his waist down to squeeze his buttocks.

Clang, the sound of the iron door opening rang out. Their lips parted immediately. Conversations like “What? Where are you?”, “I don’t see him,” and “Is he over there?” were heard in low voices, and footsteps grew closer.

The place where he was with Jung-hyun was the dead end of the U-shaped rooftop, so there was nowhere else to go.

Before long, Du-min popped his head over the wall and discovered the two. Ho-jae immediately stood in front, as if shielding Jung-hyun.

“Ah! You scared me. What the—if you’re here, just say so.”

“What are you doing there?”

“The CEO is too drunk.”

“Ah, really?”

The gazes of the two simultaneously shifted to Jung-hyun, who was standing awkwardly behind Shin Ho-jae. Ho-jae pulled him in, making him lean his face against his chest. Clumsily, Jung-hyun rested his forehead on Ho-jae’s chest.

“Yeah. I think I need to take him back.”

“Huck. CEO, are you okay?”

“I bought some hangover cures earlier. Should I give you some?”

Ho-jae pressed his shoulder even tighter, signaling him not to answer. A small vibration occurred, one that only Ho-jae could feel. He was burying his face in Ho-jae’s chest and laughing.

For a moment, he almost burst out laughing himself, but Ho-jae bit the inside of his cheek and endured it. He was glad the lighting was dim.

68 – Puck Drop