#91

Shin Ho-jae quietly stepped back in response to the sharp reaction.

“…I became the vice-captain starting today.”

After a moment, he spoke softly.

“It’s my first time being vice-captain, but Seung-yeol hyung and Sang-gon hyung trust me a lot. Surprising, right? This was unimaginable last season.”

Shin Ho-jae gave a slight smile as he spoke.

“But on my way here today, a thought occurred to me. That none of this would have happened if you weren’t there, Representative. There’s a high probability that I still wouldn’t be getting along with my teammates, and I wouldn’t have become vice-captain today, nor would we have beaten the Tigers.”

“…….”

“Do you remember? During the training camp, you kept calling the injured Dong-ju hyung and Seung-yeol hyung ‘our players.’ And when Dong-ju hyung fell, you got hurt quite a bit while trying to protect him.”

“…….”

“You even hired a lawyer to help with Du-min’s situation. You even brought in a mental coach.”

Shin Ho-jae paused for a beat, then let out a sigh.

“That is the Representative we know.”

“…….”

“What I want to say is, please don’t worry about us.”

Ho-jae continued speaking slowly, but without a single moment of hesitation or pause. Like someone who had been rehearsing these words in his head.

“Just as you said at the inauguration ceremony, our team is strong in the face of crisis. The fact that even Lee Sang-gon gives me the puck says it all.”

Jung-hyun stared blankly at Shin Ho-jae’s face with sunken eyes.

“We will definitely win the championship.”

Shin Ho-jae spoke in a serious tone.

“Because that is the only way to ensure the Blue Wolves remain ‘MJ’ Blue Wolves next season, and the season after that.”

“…….”

Jung-hyun’s gaze slowly dropped. Facing a hopeful face and listening to those words was harder than he had expected.

He tried to distract his mind. He focused on the status display of the dryer as the time slowly ticked down, the sound of the wind outside, and the water pooling on the floor as the snow on Shin Ho-jae’s sneakers melted.

“So, you can come back whenever you want. I feel sorry for the new owner, but… to me and the team, you are the only owner we recognize.”

Because of this, the following words reached his ears a beat late. Jung-hyun raised his head and asked back, startled by the unfamiliar statement.

“……What did you just say?”

“Huh? That to me and the team, you’re the only owner….”

“No, there’s a new owner for the Blue Wolves?”

As Jung-hyun asked quickly, shaking his head, Ho-jae nodded.

“Yes. Kwon Ki-hyuk, the Vice President of Korea Aviation.”

“…….”

“He’s your brother, right?”

Ho-jae explained cautiously, watching Jung-hyun’s reaction, that the club had informed him verbally after today’s game and that the official article would be released next week.

Jung-hyun’s face slowly stiffened. His mind raced so fast it felt like a motor was running.

Kwon Ki-hyuk as the owner. It seemed it was already too late to keep the two of them from intertwining. But why take the owner’s position at a time like this….

Jung-hyun’s gaze shifted to Shin Ho-jae. Shin Ho-jae was looking down at him with a slightly flushed face.

A sudden premonition made his entire body turn cold.

…Does Kwon Ki-hyuk know about the relationship between me and Shin Ho-jae?

How? Had he ever let it show? No, it wouldn’t be very difficult to find out. Shin Ho-jae had been coming in and out of his house regularly. Right now, how he found out wasn’t the important part.

The important part was why Kwon Ki-hyuk had seized the owner’s position. A conversation with Ki-hyuk automatically surfaced in his mind.

‘Why are you going this far?’

‘Little brother. You see, I hate it when you have things.’

‘That’s why I destroy them, Jung-hyun. Everything you’ve achieved.’

His fists clenched instinctively. Jung-hyun looked up at Shin Ho-jae’s face. It was a face that knew nothing, only warmth and kindness.

Why had he thought this was merely a plot targeting his own status or honor?

If, by any chance, Kwon Ki-hyuk intended to destroy ‘Shin Ho-jae.’ If Shin Ho-jae’s career as a player ended because of him.

The mere thought felt as if all the blood was draining from his heart.

He wanted to believe it was an unnecessary worry, but the opponent was Kwon Ki-hyuk. Just as he had swung a golf club at Kim In-jung without blinking, he could easily do something similar to Shin Ho-jae.

It became increasingly difficult to breathe. What should he do? Should he warn him to stay away from Kwon Ki-hyuk? No, doing that would only arouse unnecessary suspicion in Shin Ho-jae. The very thing he feared would happen.

The options available to Jung-hyun right now were practically set.

Worsen the relationship with Shin Ho-jae to the point where Kwon Ki-hyuk would think he had miscalculated, and ensure that Shin Ho-jae never learned about his circumstances.

No better method came to mind. To Jung-hyun, Kwon Ki-hyuk had been that kind of existence for a very long time. A line that must never be crossed.

Like a flea trapped in a glass cup jumping much lower than its actual ability to avoid hitting its head, Jung-hyun had set his own limits long ago.

He must not provoke Kwon Ki-hyuk. Ki-hyuk had Myeong-jeong and their father. And Myeong-jeong and their father had their mother.

“I am not returning to the club.”

Jung-hyun spoke in a voice that had frozen cold. Thinking that he was worried about the articles, Shin Ho-jae spoke immediately.

“Don’t worry too much about the articles. Reporter Park Ha-na will surely….”

“No. I’m saying that even if the articles are settled well, I am not returning to the club.”

“…….”

“The club’s affairs are no longer important to me. I don’t care whether they win the championship or not.”

Shin Ho-jae shut his mouth tight, then spoke in a voice that tried to sound indifferent.

“Do you remember when I achieved the hat trick?”

Jung-hyun frowned.

“Do you know what you told me that day? You said we might actually win the championship. With a very happy face.”

It was a story from the time they had hurriedly kissed in the restroom, intoxicated by the heat.

Thanks to that unwelcome memory, his mind cleared further. Jung-hyun let out a smirk and spoke.

“That was when I was the owner. It’s not my achievement anymore.”

Shin Ho-jae looked down and clenched his fists, as if suppressing a surge of anger.

“No. You aren’t that kind of person, Representative.”

“I’ve always been this kind of person.”

Jung-hyun continued in a chilling tone.

“It was you, Player Shin Ho-jae, who liked me because you arbitrarily misinterpreted and misunderstood who I am.”

Shin Ho-jae’s face began to crumple.

“……Why are you talking like that?”

“Because it’s frustrating. What you’re doing right now. I thought I explained everything clearly before, so I don’t know why you’ve come all the way here. Surely you haven’t forgotten everything?”

“……I remember. That you said I was someone you… liked.”

Unexpectedly, a voice filled with heat followed.

Jung-hyun raised one eyebrow crookedly.

“I must have made you misunderstand something.”

Shin Ho-jae looked at Jung-hyun with a blank expression.

“Saying I was someone I ‘liked’ is literally in the past tense.”

“…….”

“It ended a long time ago.”

“…That may be true for you, but I—”

“The most important thing to me right now is my upcoming marriage.”

Jung-hyun cut Shin Ho-jae off.

“That this marriage is successfully completed without any problems. That is the only thing.”

“…….”

“Unlike you, Player Shin Ho-jae, I am a human whose essence is hideous, so I am a person for whom it matters what clothes I wear and what food I eat.”

“…….”

“To be honest, since things turned out this way, I’ve become even more desperate. Covering up a single article is nothing to that family. With their wealth and background, they can only be a partner far more perfect than I deserve.”

Jung-hyun looked straight up at Shin Ho-jae’s face and breathed out the final words quietly.

“You can’t give me things like that, Mr. Shin Ho-jae.”

Shin Ho-jae’s face finally distorted completely.

His eyes, clearly wounded, were wavering as if tears would spill out at any moment. Jung-hyun looked away from that face.

Just then, the notification sound from the dryer rang, signaling it was finished. It was a sound that had once woken him from sleep. Along with the savory smell of porridge.

“A man I’ve slept with once coming to visit in the middle of the night is extremely disruptive.”

Jung-hyun spoke in a sharp tone, as if trying to ignore the memory of that time.

“Looking at your expression, I think you understand. I’m glad you’re a reasonable person, Mr. Shin Ho-jae.”

“…….”

“Leave carefully so you don’t get caught by reporters and make things worse. Oh, and take your coat.”

With those final words, Jung-hyun turned his back. The utility room was dark, so he couldn’t see what kind of expression Shin Ho-jae was wearing as he looked at him.

Jung-hyun opened his eyes around the time dazzling light was filtering through the blackout curtains.

Jung-hyun slowly pushed himself up. His body felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, and he had chills. His condition had worsened since yesterday.

He figured he should put something in his stomach today. Wondering if there was any instant rice left at home, he left the bedroom.

The house was quiet. As if no commotion had occurred last night.

Only after stepping into the kitchen did he notice a large pot, which he didn’t usually use, sitting on the induction stove.

When he lifted the heavy lid, the dew that had gathered on the inside of the lid poured down all at once. Small droplets fell pitter-patter into the contents filling the pot.

It was a yellow porridge filled with eggs and shrimp.

Jung-hyun closed the lid of the pot and walked toward the back door. The utility room, which he had opened somewhat roughly the night before, was empty.

From outside, he heard a tapping, clicking sound. Jung-hyun opened the back door to find the source of the noise. It was a white plastic bag hanging from the door handle, fluttering in the wind.

The bag was full of various medicines. They were all cold medicines containing antipyretics.

Jung-hyun quietly looked up.

In the backyard, the snow that had fallen overnight was piled up softly.

* * *

At the same time, Advisor Park Nam-woong was searching for Shin Ho-jae’s contact information with an excited face.

It was good news for a change. Hoping it would be the same for Ho-jae, who must have suffered a lot from the consecutive misfortunes, he pressed the call button.

─Yes, hello….

Shin Ho-jae’s voice was exceptionally devoid of energy, but Park Nam-woong didn’t notice and went straight to the point.

“Is that you, Ho-jae? Listen, I finally found the business card yesterday!”

─Business card…?

“I’m talking about Lawyer Myeong-jeong, the one you said you met at your father’s hospital. The benefactor who paid your father’s hospital bills!”

─Ah…. Yes.

“I told him that you really wanted to greet him, and he said he’d try to arrange a meeting. Do you have any days you’re free?”

92 – Puck Drop