#139

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After that, whenever Shin Ho-jae had time, he would contact Jung-hyun in advance and come over to provide pheromones. As it had been from the start, the method involved Ho-jae sitting with his back turned while Jung-hyun leaned his shoulder against him to receive the pheromones.

After spending a few sessions just staring blankly, Ho-jae seemed to get bored himself and began bringing work to do. He would place paper and a pen on the table to scribble something or watch NHL game footage on his laptop (he started bringing his own laptop after the first day).

Since he wore earphones, Jung-hyun only realized he was watching game footage quite a while later, but once he woke up, he occasionally watched Ho-jae in silence.

Ho-jae’s shoulder would flinch at decisive moments, and he would rewind the video to rewatch impressive plays. It seemed Ho-jae liked a legendary Russian player in the NHL. After watching his plays intently, he would scribble something like a doodle with his pen.

Jung-hyun had caught a glimpse of it once, but it was a doodle consisting only of circles and arrows, making it difficult to decipher. He could only guess that it was a record of some strategy or play. When asked, Ho-jae said he often watched NHL videos alone in his spare time. Jung-hyun felt as if he had peeked into a part of Ho-jae’s daily life he hadn’t known about.

Jung-hyun woke up to the sound of a whispering voice. Shin Ho-jae was on the phone in a very low voice.

Judging by the fact that he was speaking English about contracts and conditions, it seemed to be an important call. He could have moved away to talk comfortably, but he remained pressed firmly against the sofa, steadily releasing pheromones.

Jung-hyun gently pulled his shoulder away from Ho-jae’s back. As Ho-jae turned his head, Jung-hyun simply mouthed, “Go take your call.” Ho-jae paused the conversation for a moment and replied, “I’ll be right back.” Then, he stood up and left the living room.

Jung-hyun remained lying on the sofa, turning his head toward the window. Thanks to Ho-jae arriving in the late afternoon today, the sun was still out. After making things inconvenient by raining every single day, the weather had been great lately. So great that it felt almost unfair to stay inside the house.

In a hazy, sleep-drunk state, Jung-hyun blinked slowly. Ho-jae’s voice drifted from a distance like white noise.

His physical condition was currently at its peak—so much so that he wondered how he could feel this good. Even the hospital had rescheduled his next check-up for a month later instead of a week. He had been getting weekly check-ups to finalize the date for entering the incubator, but thanks to Shin Ho-jae’s pheromones, that was no longer necessary.

Now that his worries about Ho-ppang were eased, he could finally turn his attention to other things. For example, the fact that the time he spent with Shin Ho-jae was quite comfortable.

It was a bit ambiguous to say they were “spending time together.” They were simply in the same space, each doing their own thing. However, for Jung-hyun, who felt uncomfortable when someone entered his territory, it was a rather surprising discovery. After his belly grew, he had felt uncomfortable even when his mother stayed with him for too long.

Jung-hyun slowly rose from the sofa. It was because Ho-ppang had begun to assert itself with a rumble. Checking the time, it was nearly 6 PM. He wondered why he was so hungry, and realized it was simply because dinner time was approaching.

Walking into the kitchen, he saw Shin Ho-jae leaning against the sink on the phone, straightening up as he noticed him. Jung-hyun gestured for him to continue his call comfortably and then opened the refrigerator.

Jung-hyun’s fridge was full of fresh ingredients. While pondering what to eat, he realized he was too lethargic to stand and cook for an hour, so he took out the simplest ingredients.

“What is the housing provided for the players like? Yes, location is the most important. A detached house would be better. Ah, is there nowhere a bit closer?”

Jung-hyun inadvertently looked at Ho-jae. Perhaps misinterpreting Jung-hyun’s gaze as a request for silence, Ho-jae covered the bottom of his phone with his hand and moved toward the living room.

Of course, that wasn’t why he looked at him. He knew Ho-jae was undergoing tryouts, but he wondered if the conversation had progressed far enough to be discussing housing already.

Jung-hyun fell into thought as he melted butter in a moderately heated pan with tongs.

The team name he had overheard in Ho-jae’s call, the New Jersey Devils, was a team based in the region where Jung-hyun lived. In fact, it was only about an hour and a half drive from Jung-hyun’s house. Ho-jae had mentioned going all the way to Canada for tryouts not long ago, but it seemed he had decided to play here.

Using the hand not holding the tongs, he took out his phone and quickly scanned the New Jersey Devils’ recent records and the owner’s financial situation. Although they had been eliminated in the second round, it seemed they had made it to the playoffs the previous season. The team’s strength didn’t seem bad. However, the source of the owner’s capital was a bit disappointing. Jung-hyun’s eyes naturally narrowed.

…Is private investment possible? Who should I ask about this? Or perhaps becoming a shareholder would be a good idea.

Thinking that far, Jung-hyun stopped. A frown formed between his brows. He found his own thoughts absurd.

Hadn’t he said he wanted to build his life on his own strength? It was only a few weeks ago that he said he wanted to escape from his mother, Myeong-jeong, and Shin Ho-jae.

And yet, here he was, thinking about investing in Shin Ho-jae’s new team as if it were nothing.

Jung-hyun tore open a plastic pack and placed a thick piece of beef in the pan. Sizzle—the sound of the surface searing quickly filled the air. Seeing the smoke, he belatedly turned on the vent.

Shin Ho-jae returned to the kitchen just as Jung-hyun had set the perfectly grilled steak aside and was sautéing vegetables in the remaining butter.

“Are you eating? Ah, is it already this late?”

“Is your call over? Sit there.”

“I was on the phone for too long. I thought it would end quickly, but it took longer than expected… Ah, let me help you. Should I get the plates?”

“Get one more.”

“Pardon?”

“I can’t eat this much by myself.”

“Ah… then should I eat it for you?”

“No, I mean it was two servings from the start.”

“Ah…” Shin Ho-jae let out a foolish sound, his cheeks flushing. Jung-hyun deliberately avoided looking at him and placed the steak—perfectly rested with juices slightly seeping onto the surface—onto the plate. Garnishing it with appetizingly cooked vegetables made it look quite professional.

Before getting pregnant, he had preferred fish over meat, but his tastes changed after pregnancy. He was still clumsy with dishes that had complex cooking processes like Korean food, but he felt quite confident in simply grilling meat. All he had to do was leave it in a heated pan until it looked delicious.

Meanwhile, Shin Ho-jae opened the kitchen drawer and brought out the cutlery. Jung-hyun let out a small laugh.

“How did you know they were there?”

He asked because it was absurd that Ho-jae found them in one go without asking or searching. Shin Ho-jae scratched his cheek and replied.

“…Usually, these things are kept in similar places.”

“Hmm. Could you get two wine glasses as well?”

“Are you drinking? …Hyung, are you allowed to drink?”

“They said having about one glass a day is no problem. Thanks to someone, both Ho-ppang and I are in great condition.”

“Uh…”

“If you’re going to stare at me like that the whole time I’m eating, just drink water.”

“No, no. Please drink. I saw on YouTube that it’s most important for the mother not to be stressed. I wasn’t staring for any other reason than worrying you might get sick; I absolutely didn’t think it was wrong.”

“I get it, so just sit.”

Feeling that Ho-jae would repeat the same thing three times over if left alone, Jung-hyun first made him sit. Then, he brought out a bottle of vintage wine that had been sleeping quietly in the basement.

Commendably, Shin Ho-jae sat quietly in his seat without a single word like “Shall I help?” or “I’ll do it for you” until Jung-hyun brought the wine from the basement and popped the cork. Of course, his eyes looked a bit anxious, but compared to when he used to escort him to an excessive degree, it was a huge improvement.

“I’m good at pouring wine. So I feel more comfortable doing it myself.”

“…That’s cool. If I did it, I would have broken the cork. That always happened when I drank with my friends.”

Jung-hyun chuckled, held the wine bottle high to let the air in, and poured the red wine into Ho-jae’s glass.

Perhaps because Jung-hyun had firmly stated his dislike for it, Shin Ho-jae had begun to self-censor the escorting behavior that used to come to him as naturally as breathing. It felt a bit sorry to restrict behavior that was natural for him, but that was also one of the reasons Jung-hyun began to feel comfortable spending time with Shin Ho-jae.

After pouring wine into his own glass and sitting down, Shin Ho-jae asked cautiously.

“Isn’t that too little?”

“I’m just going to do a toast.”

“Why? If it’s because of what I said earlier, you don’t have to.”

“I just felt like doing it. I’m sorry for eavesdropping on your call, but it sounded like you signed a contract. In celebration.”

At that, Shin Ho-jae’s expression instantly softened. After a light clink of the glasses, Jung-hyun only touched the wine to his lips. He licked the wine that touched his lips with his tongue. Perhaps because it had been so long, he only felt the strong scent of alcohol. His brow furrowed instinctively. Even if it weren’t for Ho-ppang, it seemed he would avoid alcohol in the future.

140 – PUCK DROP