#148

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It was a clear mistake for Jung-hyun, whose heart had softened, to say, “It was good, so I’ll take that into consideration.” This was because Shin Ho-jae, having instantly regained his confidence, refused to let Jung-hyun go for the rest of the night.

Using the “hoppang” as an excuse to escape worked once or twice, but the intelligent Shin Ho-jae quickly figured out the trick and burrowed between Jung-hyun’s legs.

Of course, if he had truly hated it, Jung-hyun wouldn’t have just taken it lying down. It was simply because Shin Ho-jae—who had spent a long time searching for things like “sex positions during pregnancy” on a phone with poor internet reception—had resumed sex using safe positions to be considerate of the hoppang, meaning it wasn’t the same aggressive sex as before.

However, he eventually hit his physical limit. Jung-hyun often dozed off while held in Shin Ho-jae’s arms, and whenever he opened his eyes, he found himself in one of two situations: either his genitals were wrapped in a hot tongue, or a tight member was sliding in and out of him.

Even when he pretended to be asleep, he was caught almost immediately. Shin Ho-jae’s pheromones were like a custom-made aphrodisiac for him, and his awakened nerves faithfully felt the pleasure. In the end, it always concluded with his member becoming erect, and upon seeing that, Shin Ho-jae would joyfully accelerate his thrusting.

Even when Jung-hyun spat out curses in his sleep, Shin Ho-jae would only shower him with kisses as if he were cute, so eventually, even cursing became a chore.

‘Do you usually have sex until someone actually dies?’

‘I don’t know. This is my first time with a hyung.’

‘…….’

That seemed to be the last conversation they had. About three hours after falling asleep like that, Jung-hyun woke up to the sound of low whispering.

“Thank you.”

“Yes. The breakfast menu you ordered: warm tomato soup and a sandwich, fruit, and an avocado smoothie. Is that correct?”

The cheerful, high-decibel voice of a middle-aged woman snapped him awake. Sleep vanishing, Jung-hyun blinked and lifted his eyelids. Soon, an urgent “Shh!” was heard.

“My partner is sleeping inside right now. Also, could I receive the breakfast intended for the upstairs room here as well?”

Jung-hyun, rustling in the bedsheets, immediately furrowed his brow. ‘Partner’?

“Oh my, I’ve already sent it up, but I’ll go bring it back down right away.”

The woman’s voice dropped significantly in volume.

“Ah, then I’ll go get it.”

“I can’t let a guest do that. Please wait a moment.”

“Thank you.”

Following the sound of the door clicking shut, the sound of footsteps walking away could be heard. After waiting a moment, he felt one side of the mattress tilt.

“Hyung, eat breakfast and then sleep.”

Pretending to be defeated by the savory scent of bread, Jung-hyun pushed himself up. The menu the woman had mentioned was laid out appetizingly on a wooden tray. Perhaps because they had been having sex all night, he was incredibly hungry.

Jung-hyun licked his lips and picked up a spoon. He took a scoop of the tomato soup, where mascarpone cheese had melted smoothly, blew on it, and brought it to his mouth. The tart taste of tomato spread through his mouth. An involuntary moan escaped him.

Just as he was about to take a second spoonful, he locked eyes with Shin Ho-jae. For some reason, Ho-jae looked delighted, staring at Jung-hyun with his cheeks puffed up.

“What about you, Ho-jae?”

“I can just eat yours. Please, go ahead.”

On the tray, in addition to the bread that came with the soup, there was a rye bread sandwich packed with bacon, tomatoes, and lettuce. Jung-hyun pointed to the sandwich.

“I’m fine with just the soup and bread, so you eat the sandwich and the rest.”

“I’ll enjoy it.”

At those words, Ho-jae didn’t refuse further and took the sandwich. He seemed to have been hungry deep down as well.

They spent a leisurely breakfast time. The resort, which had felt like a cabin, felt a bit different in the morning. It was likely because the deep blue sky and coniferous trees were visible through the window.

Suddenly, Jung-hyun narrowed his eyes and glared at a specific spot on the glass window. It was the exact spot where those terrible marks had appeared yesterday. However, as if what he had seen last night was a dream, the window was perfectly clean. It seemed that after acting fussily around the time they fell asleep last night, Ho-jae had tidied up the surroundings and even wiped the window.

Perhaps interpreting Jung-hyun’s gaze toward the window differently, Shin Ho-jae’s voice sounded slightly excited.

“Did you hear the owl sounds at dawn?”

“The owl taking commemorative photos?”

“No, a real owl! I heard it hooting really loudly.”

“I bet. This resort has no soundproofing.”

“…Hyung, are you angry? You said you liked it yesterday.”

Jung-hyun paused to choose his words. Hadn’t he said he liked it yesterday because he found it cute that Shin Ho-jae, with a body the size of a door, was walking on eggshells around him—and hadn’t that led to this disaster?

“I don’t really like that kind of sex. Don’t do that in the future.”

He seemed to like it, though, the profile of the man muttering beside him was irritating. Just as Jung-hyun was about to say something, Shin Ho-jae asked first, his eyes sparkling.

“But does that mean there is a ‘future’?”

“…….”

A small buzzer sounded. Shin Ho-jae placed the sandwich he was eating back on the tray and quickly stood up and headed for the door.

He eats so neatly. Even though he had been biting into a sandwich full of oats and grains, the remaining portion was as tidy as a model.

Jung-hyun thought he would return quickly, but contrary to expectations, Shin Ho-jae returned after a long conversation with the owner. The breakfast tray that was originally his portion was in his hand.

The menu composition was the same, except the drink had been changed to warm chamomile tea. Drinking the tea, which had turned lukewarm because he had stopped by the second floor, Jung-hyun casually asked what he was curious about.

“What did you talk about for so long?”

“Ah, she said I looked familiar, so I told her I play ice hockey.”

“Hmm. Maybe she was a Montreal Highlights fan?”

“She said she wasn’t… And I asked about the lake ice conditions today. She said it’s in a state suitable for skating.”

Shin Ho-jae chattered excitedly, saying that during the winter season, there is someone who resurfaces the lake like a real rink and measures the ice thickness, and that one side is made into an ice hockey zone that local teams often use.

He was usually quiet, but seeing him talk excitedly about the skating he loved was cute. Jung-hyun wondered how much he must have looked forward to this. In Korea, playing ice hockey while feeling the atmosphere of nature would have been unimaginable.

Therefore, Jung-hyun decided to say what he wanted to say after they had completed all of today’s schedule.

After finishing breakfast, the two dressed warmly and left the room. As they walked slowly toward the parking lot, they heard a voice calling them from behind. It was the caretaker who had brought breakfast. She approached them with a bright smile.

“You asked about the skate rental shop earlier, right? Here is the pamphlet for that place. Since it’s the off-season starting in May, they’ll give you a small discount from the price listed here, so make sure to get the discount.”

He had thought the conversation earlier was long, and it seemed he had asked about the rental shop as well. Ho-jae thanked her and took the pamphlet.

“And, wouldn’t you believe I finally remembered where I saw you two?”

“Pardon?”

“Around this time last year! You were at the poolside bar of the OO Hotel in Canada, right?”

“Eh…?”

Shin Ho-jae looked at Jung-hyun in surprise. Jung-hyun’s eyes also widened slightly. This was because the hotel name she mentioned was the one the Blue Wolves had stayed at when they came to Canada for training camp last year.

“You two might not remember, but I remember clearly. Albert and I were across from you, and we watched you, thinking you were a very well-matched couple. I have a great memory; I even memorize the faces of our guests.”

The middle-aged woman smiled brightly as she spoke.

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Neither of them spoke until they got into the rental car and started the engine. Even after the owner’s words, Shin Ho-jae seemed to have no memory of it at all. The middle-aged woman shrugged as if it were a pity and waved them goodbye, telling them to have a good trip.

“I don’t think we need to stop by the rental shop. I’ll just look around today.”

It was Jung-hyun who broke the silence. He spoke after seeing Shin Ho-jae enter the address of the skate rental shop into the navigation.

“What? Why? You said you wanted to learn how to skate.”

“I want to, but I think I have to postpone it. I can’t put strength into my legs, and I’m afraid I might get hurt if I do it wrong.”

“What? Ah… Right.”

Shin Ho-jae, seemingly understanding the meaning behind Jung-hyun’s words, nodded with his cheeks flushing red. It was exactly as he said. Walking was no problem, but skating was a completely different matter. It was certainly not a sport a person who had been tormented all night by someone should be learning.

“Then I won’t skate either. Shall we do something else today? I heard there’s a nice trekking course nearby called Lake Agnes. Ah, since your legs hurt, hyung, it’s okay if we just go for a drive and come back.”

“I want to see you skate for the first time in a while, Ho-jae. You brought your own skates, so you can just go right away. Let’s go.”

“……Then I’ll only skate for 30 minutes. After that, let’s do something else.”

“We’ll see.”

149 – PUCK DROP