#128

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─Ho-jae! Can you help me?! Crunch is gone!

It was right after Ho-jae had rung the doorbell of the thirty-first house and confirmed that Jung-hyun didn’t live there when he received the urgent call from Lucas.

─I came out with him to get a walk in before it started raining… I left him on a leash for a moment to go buy some coffee, and when I came back, Crunch was gone! Someone who saw it said he followed a passing hot dog truck… but I can’t see the hot dog truck or Crunch anywhere!

His voice was trembling violently.

─I shouldn’t have reduced his food if I knew this would happen. It’s about to rain; what if I can’t find Crunch? What if my dog catches a cold…

『Lucas. Calm down. I’ll be right there. Where are you now?』

Ho-jae barely managed to soothe the sobbing Lucas and rushed to where he was. Lucas’s face was a mess of tears.

『I lost Crunch once before. Back then, he was found next to the highway. He had a broken pelvic bone and had to have a pin inserted, and because I felt so bad and sorry for him, I gave him his favorite sausages often… Damn it, I shouldn’t have gone to buy coffee. Of all things, why did a hot dog truck have to pass by?』

『I’ll check the highway. Lucas, you look around near the house. Just in case Crunch comes back home.』

『I will… Thank you, Ho-jae. I just can’t bring myself to go toward the highway. I’m afraid I’ll see Crunch unable to get up this time…』

Ho-jae comforted Lucas and then walked with a light, jogging pace toward the highway Lucas had mentioned. Perhaps because of Lucas’s words, worry took precedence. He hoped that since Crunch was a smart fellow, he wouldn’t go back to a place where he had been hurt before, but the thought still crossed his mind.

Tap, tap.

Raindrops fell on the bridge of his nose about thirty minutes into his walk along the road. When he held up his palm to the sky, the rain began to pour down.

He pulled the hood of his windbreaker over his head and fastened it with the Velcro. Come to think of it, this windbreaker was a piece of clothing he had once lent to Jung-hyun. It happened during the training camp in Canada.

In that moment of being lost in memories, a dark chocolate-colored dog caught Ho-jae’s eye. Just as Lucas had feared, it was in front of the intersection leading to the highway.

“Crunch!”

Ho-jae called his name loudly. Across the road, Crunch saw Ho-jae and wagged his tail slowly.

“…….”

However, a six-lane road blocked the way between them. Now that he had called his name, Ho-jae worried that Crunch might recklessly cross the road. As he looked at the occasional cars with an anxious face, Crunch suddenly changed direction and began walking toward the village.

Ho-jae followed him from the opposite side. Crunch kept glancing back as if checking if Ho-jae was following well, trotting along toward somewhere. In the meantime, the raindrops grew thicker, making the hood almost useless.

Is he going home? I hope so. Ah, come to think of it, it would be better to call Lucas, who must be worried, and tell him that he’d found the dog. Just as Ho-jae was pulling his phone out of his pocket—

“Crunch!”

Someone called Crunch. Ho-jae snapped his head up at the sound of a voice that sounded familiar.

Across the way, he saw someone holding a black umbrella, lowering their posture and opening their arms toward Crunch.

Crunch, looking delighted to see him, ran quickly and jumped into his arms. Ho-jae watched the scene blankly in the pouring rain.

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A steaming white mug was placed on the table.

“…Thank you.”

Ho-jae gave a small word of thanks and looked up. Jung-hyun turned around across the table.

“…….”

To think that Jung-hyun was right in front of him. Unable to believe it easily, Ho-jae lightly touched the surface of the mug with the back of his hand. It was hot. It seemed it wasn’t a dream… but still, it was hard to believe.

As he awkwardly scratched the surface of the mug, Crunch shook himself vigorously right next to Ho-jae. Water droplets splattered everywhere. Not only on him, but all over the table and the floor. Without a word, Jung-hyun left his seat and brought a fresh towel from the bathroom. Ho-jae knew immediately because he had been following his movements while pretending not to look. Ho-jae quickly stood up.

“I’ll do it.”

Without giving Jung-hyun a chance to refuse, he snatched the towel from his hand and approached Crunch. Crunch was scratching his ear with his hind leg.

Ho-jae crouched on the floor and wiped Crunch’s body with the fluffy towel. He had heard the dog weighed nearly 40 kilograms, and since that massive body was entirely covered in fur, it seemed one towel wouldn’t be enough.

“I gave it to you to wipe yourself, Ho-jae.”

“Huh? Ah….”

“Let’s do it together.”

Before he knew it, Jung-hyun had brought two more towels, handed one to him, and sat on the opposite side with the other. He was fine, but… instead of saying that, Ho-jae took the towel and pretended to wipe his already dry cheeks.

For a while, only the sound of fur being wiped was heard in silence. Perhaps feeling good from being wiped with the soft towel, Crunch lay quietly on the floor.

Along with the smell of a dog’s wet fur, there was a subtle scent of dried grass. Ho-jae secretly licked his lips. Perhaps because he now knew this scent was his pheromone, his entire body felt an indescribable tingle.

Since it was very subtle, was he controlling it in his own way? Ho-jae thought it must be so, as he was originally sensitive to other people’s pheromones and could feel them even when they were suppressed.

“Why are you in America?”

Jung-hyun asked. Ho-jae, moistening his dry mouth, answered.

“I came briefly for a tryout with an American club.”

In truth, he had scheduled the tryout to coincide with his search for him, but he didn’t say that. He knew from past experience that such stories would only make him feel burdened.

“To play in America?”

Seeing the profile of his face as he nodded, as if accepting it easily, Ho-jae felt glad that he had come up with a proper reason.

“I’m thinking about it. Of course, passing the test comes first.”

At those words, Jung-hyun smiled faintly. Without realizing it, Ho-jae stopped his hands and stared blankly at his smiling face. Soon, a justified reprimand followed.

“Your hands stopped.”

“Ah.”

He quickly moved his hands to wipe the moisture off Crunch’s back. Crunch, seemingly in a great mood, flopped over and exposed his belly. It looked as if he wanted his belly wiped too, which was funny, but since it didn’t seem like the atmosphere for such a joke, Ho-jae just quietly wiped Crunch’s belly.

“If it’s Player Shin, the NHL wouldn’t be a dream.”

Jung-hyun whispered in a low voice. Though he didn’t stop his hands this time, the area below his cheeks turned slightly red.

Was praise from someone you liked always this embarrassing? If Ji Min-chul had said something similar, he would have just bragged about it as a joke.

“It’s thanks to Peter’s introduction. He said he showed my videos to the scouts here.”

He cleared his throat and spoke. There was no better topic to break the awkward air than talking about Peter.

“Ah, I don’t know if you know, but Peter is currently traveling in Korea. He seems to have become completely close with the players and is traveling with a few of them. I’m not just saying this because he’s the coach who led us to victory, but everyone sincerely….”

“You won?”

Jung-hyun’s eyes widened as if he hadn’t known.

Ho-jae didn’t feel hurt by that. He smiled and nodded.

“Yes.”

“Belatedly, congratulations.”

Ho-jae said a small “Thank you.” With that one word of congratulations, he felt as if the arduous journey to victory had been rewarded. Now that the awkward atmosphere had eased somewhat, it was time to ask the question he was curious about.

“But why is the CEO here…?”

“Ah, hold on a second.”

A phone rang. Since it wasn’t his, it was naturally Jung-hyun’s. Jung-hyun draped the towel over the chair and answered the phone immediately.

『Lucas, have you arrived?』

At the sound of the familiar name, the moment Ho-jae looked up, Crunch, who had been sprawled on the floor, flipped his massive body up in one go and ran toward the entrance. When the door opened, a man with ash-colored hair could be seen calling the dog’s name loudly.

『I was so worried! I’m sorry! I’ll never put you on a diet again!』

It was Lucas. He hugged the dog’s thick neck and petted him for a long time. Whether Crunch knew his owner’s heart or not, he just sat with his rear on the ground and wagged his tail like a dog wanting praise.

『Phew. Thank you so much. Hugh saved Crunch. I don’t know how to repay this favor… Huh? Ho-jae?』

Lucas stopped thanking Jung-hyun and widened his eyes.

『Why is Ho-jae at Hugh’s house?』

At those words, Jung-hyun looked back at Ho-jae. Jung-hyun also seemed flustered.

『…Do you two know each other?』

『Of course. He’s a guest in our house.』

『Ah….』

Jung-hyun nodded a beat late. Now it was time to resolve Shin Ho-jae’s curiosity. As he stared at Lucas, Lucas seemed to read his gaze and said, “Ah,” while pointing at Jung-hyun.

『I told you yesterday, right? The Asian man that Crunch likes. That’s Hugh.』

“…….”

Ho-jae’s brow furrowed strangely.

The Asian man that Crunch likes.

‘I’m sorry, but wake up from your dream. That person is an Omega who is already taken and is pregnant.’

The pregnant Omega Lucas mentioned… was Jung-hyun?

129 – PUCK DROP