#143

Jung-hyun narrowed his eyes.

“Did you watch the movie because you didn’t want to talk to your teammates?”

“No… I can’t really say that.”

Jung-hyun chuckled slightly. Shin Ho-jae, looking a bit pouty, quickly added:

“But that’s really old news. You might not know, Hyung, but we’ve actually become really close lately.”

“Is everyone doing well?”

“They’re doing too well, that’s the problem.”

Having said that, Shin Ho-jae turned his head back toward Jung-hyun.

“Want to see photos? The group chat is incredibly noisy today.”

When Jung-hyun nodded, the phone was thrust toward him. It was a group chat with 22 Blue Wolves players. Just looking at the profile pictures and names brought back old memories vividly.

It seemed everyone was either on vacation for the off-season or undergoing rehabilitation and training. Photos of them wearing sunglasses appeared occasionally between messages, suggesting they hung out often. Every single photo showed bright expressions, which made the viewer feel good as well.

“Has the company taking over been decided?”

The Blue Wolves were preparing for a new start after their split from MJ Sports. He had read articles mentioning that several companies were interested.

“I think they’re still coordinating. There’s been talk about launching a community-owned club, too…”

“It would be better to have a proper sponsor than that.”

“I suppose so.”

Jung-hyun nodded and suddenly asked Shin Ho-jae.

“Player Shin, you don’t have an agency yet, right?”

Shin Ho-jae narrowed his eyes. Jung-hyun wondered why he was looking at him like that when it wasn’t a difficult question to answer, but what he said was absurd.

“Calling me ‘Player’ feels distant.”

“If I start a company, would you be interested in joining?”

Feeling no need to answer the previous comment, Jung-hyun ignored it and asked, causing Shin Ho-jae’s eyes to widen.

“A company? Are you talking about an agency?”

“I’m still conceptualizing it. I want to create a company that can both invest and act as an agency.”

Shin Ho-jae remained silent for a long while. Just then, the cabin shook violently along with an announcement to fasten seatbelts due to unstable air currents.

Startled, Jung-hyun fastened the seatbelt he had loosened. He had taken it off as soon as the seatbelt sign went out after takeoff. As he pulled the strap to fit tightly against his stomach, a slight wave of nausea hit him. It seemed that even though Kwon Ki-hyuk was gone, things like this remained.

“Hyung, give me your hand.”

“What?”

“Hurry.”

In a daze, Jung-hyun reached his hand over the partition. Immediately grasping his hand, Shin Ho-jae used the point of contact to slowly release pheromones. Gradually, the nausea in his stomach settled.

How long did that last? The air currents stabilized, and the seatbelt sign turned off again. Jung-hyun let go of his hand. Only then did he realize he had been gripping Shin Ho-jae’s hand very tightly, and he gave a slightly embarrassed smile.

“…Thank you.”

Instead of an answer, Shin Ho-jae grinned.

“I’ll think about it after seeing the terms.”

“Pardon?”

“What you asked earlier. About whether I’d be interested in joining if you start an agency.”

At those words, Jung-hyun looked at Shin Ho-jae with a peculiar expression. Internally, he had assumed that if it were Shin Ho-jae, he would have said yes without hesitation. As if reading his thoughts, Shin Ho-jae elaborated.

“You’re cool when you talk about work, Hyung. And you thought about this seriously for me. So, I’ll approach this seriously from a business perspective as well.”

“…Well. Good thinking.”

Saying so, Jung-hyun licked his lips, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Of course, he had no intention of lowballing a player of Shin Ho-jae’s caliber with ridiculous terms. However, it was true that while setting the goal of establishing a company, he had thought that having Shin Ho-jae there would make many things easier. He felt naturally shy, realizing he had jumped the gun while the other person hadn’t even considered it.

“I’m joking.”

Then, Shin Ho-jae added playfully.

“Of course I’ll do it. If it’s a company you’re running, I can trust it.”

There was even a hint of composure in his beaming face. Jung-hyun let out a hollow laugh, feeling as if he had somehow lost. Regardless of his reaction, Shin Ho-jae just kept grinning.

After the flight, they went to the office to pick up the rental car Shin Ho-jae had reserved. Only then did the local weather truly hit him; despite having intentionally packed a thick coat, the air touching his cheeks was cold enough to make him instinctively tighten his collar.

He had only traveled for five hours, but the weather felt as if he had gone back five months. Jung-hyun inhaled the air through his mouth and nose, which felt incredibly refreshing because of the cold.

After waiting a moment at the rental car office, an employee brought the car. As Jung-hyun turned his head without much thought, his eyebrows twitched upward and then back down.

The car Shin Ho-jae had rented was a high-end German sedan that Jung-hyun often drove in Korea. When he was in Korea, he tended to change cars as often as he bought clothes, but he had owned various versions of this specific series. It was because it fit him best and the seats were comfortable.

“I worried a lot about which car to rent, but I thought a familiar car would be best. I remembered you saying your back hurt when you rode in my car before…”

At those words, Jung-hyun smiled softly. He had felt clearly since the plane just how much the other was considering him. And that he was constantly mindful of the level of care so as not to be overbearing.

This must have been his first time coming here as well, but Jung-hyun wondered how much rehearsal he had done alone, as he didn’t look at a map once from the airport to the rental car company. Just as he was inwardly surprised that he had memorized everything needed for the trip, Jung-hyun noticed something.

Whenever he went to the restroom or stepped away for a moment, Shin Ho-jae would be glued to his phone. He thought about teasing him, but after seeing the face that tried to hide the phone as soon as he approached, he changed his mind and decided to pretend not to notice.

“Are you hungry, Hyung? Should we buy something simple to eat on the way?”

“Sounds good. But why are you getting in there?”

Jung-hyun asked, gesturing with his chin toward Shin Ho-jae, who was naturally opening the driver’s side door.

“Didn’t I rent a car I’m used to so that you could drive?”

“What? It’s not like that. I just wanted you to go comfortably, so please sit in the passenger seat.”

“I’m saying this so we can go comfortably, so you should be the one in the passenger seat, Ho-jae. I’ll drive.”

As he spoke, he grabbed the driver’s side handle.

“Hurry.”

Unable to resist the urging, Shin Ho-jae eventually nodded and got into the passenger seat. Seeing a drive-thru burger place near the airport, Jung-hyun didn’t hesitate and drove toward it.

Jung-hyun picked a set without much thought, while Shin Ho-jae pondered for a long time before ordering a burger and a Zero Coke.

As they started moving again after receiving the food, the sun was gradually dipping lower. Thinking it would be best to arrive before it got completely dark, Jung-hyun increased his speed.

The road to Lake Louise was truly a winter wonderland. Walls of snow, cleared from the road, stretched endlessly on both sides, and in the distance, forests of towering conifers unfolded.

The rental car employee had said they were lucky because all flights had been canceled yesterday due to heavy snow, and it seemed they truly were. Remembering what Shin Ho-jae had said with a shrug right after hearing that, Jung-hyun laughed softly.

‘It’s always like that when I travel. Yuk Du-min and Ji Min-chul always call me the weather fairy.’

A man so massive that he habitually bowed his head whenever he passed through a door calling himself a fairy. The gap was unbearably cute, and Jung-hyun had laughed for a long time.

Shin Ho-jae let out a “Wow!” of admiration and pulled his phone from his pocket. Jung-hyun also looked in the direction he pointed his camera.

The massive Rocky Mountains unfolded before them, feeling like a wall. No matter how much they drove, the mountains showed no sign of getting closer. Jung-hyun quietly caught his breath.

They say that in the face of great nature, the things you agonized over feel like mere specks of dust. It was a cliché expression, but it was truly so. Just as he began to think that coming here was a good idea, Ho-jae, who had been taking photos and videos for a while, looked at him and asked.

“Hyung, should I take over the driving?”

He seemed to feel guilty for enjoying the scenery alone.

“I can see it well from here too.”

After answering “Yes” obediently, Shin Ho-jae opened his mouth again after a brief silence.

“…Am I that bad at driving?”

Jung-hyun glanced at him, moving only his eyes. He could only see the side of his face, making it hard to read his expression.

“Well… you haven’t been driving for very long. Everyone is like that at first.”

“You can tell me honestly. I won’t be hurt.”

Hmm, after pondering for a moment, Jung-hyun decided to be honest. If he was going to say no, he shouldn’t have stubbornly pushed him into the passenger seat when Shin Ho-jae had volunteered to drive in the first place.

“If I had to say, you are a bit rough. Following the car in front too closely, or suddenly accelerating…”

“……”

“You said you wouldn’t be hurt.”

“I’m not. I’m not, but… am I really that bad? I thought I’d improved a bit.”

“Well… different people might feel differently.”

Jung-hyun simply thought that the fact that he played an aggressive sport seemed to show in places like this. Shin Ho-jae, staring at the windshield, asked.

“I’ve driven you a few times before.”

“Yes.”

“Was it because I was so bad at driving that you slept every time…?”

“……”

He should have said no, but he missed the timing awkwardly. Shin Ho-jae murmured in a cute voice.

“You’re good at lying, but you won’t do it for me at a time like this.”

“…Pfft.”

That strangely tickled his heart, and he burst out laughing. As he laughed, Shin Ho-jae also grinned, as if infected.

“But I like it when you tell me like this. Usually, you only tell lies or say things you don’t mean.”

Look at this. He’s grown comfortable enough to subtly voice his complaints. But Jung-hyun didn’t dislike that side of him.

“You must have had a lot built up, huh?”

“How could I not…?”

“Haha.”

“Now that I’ve laughed, I’m hungry.”

“You left your airplane meal, too. Take it out and eat.”

“Do you want some too, Hyung?”

“Yes.”

When he held out his right hand to ask for some, Shin Ho-jae didn’t give it immediately but rustled for a while. Jung-hyun wondered what he was doing, only to see him unwrapping the burger wrapper and folding it neatly.

“You could have just given it to me.”

“You’re driving, Hyung. I’ll feed you.”

“……”

“You promised to let me do whatever I wanted on this trip.”

“…Then give me a french fry first.”

“Okay.”

Giving up and opening his mouth, Shin Ho-jae grinned and popped a french fry inside. It was cold and soggy since it had been bought a while ago, but the saltiness whetted his appetite.

Since Shin Ho-jae waited for Jung-hyun to chew and swallow everything in his mouth before alternating between the burger, fries, and cola, it was easier for Jung-hyun to focus on the road.

The sun was slowly setting outside the car window. There were almost no cars on the road. Occasionally, a giant freight truck would drive on the outermost lane, and that was all.

Come to think of it, this was only the second time he had been in a car alone with Shin Ho-jae on a highway. Recalling the time they had gone all the way to the South Sea at a single word to run away, a part of his heart felt an ache.

And the things that happened after that came back to him sporadically. Jung-hyun suddenly spoke the thought that had entered his mind.

“I saw the article about Kwon Ki-hyuk.”

144 – Puck Drop