#140

I pushed the wine glass aside and picked up a piece of garnish with my fork when I heard Shin Ho-jae’s excited voice.

“…I’m so happy right now. To be honest, I wanted to celebrate with you after the contract was finalized. It feels like you read my mind.”

I responded to his cute words by simply raising an eyebrow. After wetting his throat with some wine, Shin Ho-jae calmed his excited tone and spoke again.

“My dorm isn’t very far from here.”

“Is that so?”

“So, even after I join the team, I’ll come by often to give you my pheromones.”

Jung-hyun finished chewing the potatoes and broccoli before replying.

“Surely you didn’t decide to play in the US just for that?”

Even if it was narcissism, it couldn’t be helped. It was one of the things that had been subtly bothering him. At that, Shin Ho-jae spoke with a serious face.

“It’s not like I didn’t think about it. It’s just that the Canadian club that made an offer was in the second division, while the US club was in the first.”

“And if it had been the other way around, you would have played in Canada?”

“Of course.”

After saying that, Shin Ho-jae paused for a moment, as if there was more he wanted to say, and continued.

“I’m not going to do the thing where I give up the second-best option for the sake of the most important thing anymore.”

“…….”

“I also know now that the sacrifices I make can become a burden to someone else. So, I’m going to think of a way to do both.”

“…And if you absolutely had to give up one?”

“Then I’ll ask the most important person. Even if I think there’s no way on my own, it might be different if two people think about it. No, it definitely is. That’s what I’ve learned from living.”

Since Jung-hyun didn’t respond further, only the quiet sounds of eating followed. The sound of cutting meat, pouring wine, and drinking.

As the day grew longer, the sunset streamed vividly through the kitchen window. The warm glow worked a kind of magic, casting a special filter over familiar things.

The perfectly grilled meat was delicious, and the vegetables, sautéed in butter and seasoned with salt, crumbled softly between his molars. It was a relaxed and satisfying dinner, feeling almost peaceful.

“Next time.”

Jung-hyun spoke as he cut a large piece of meat.

“Could you teach me how to make shrimp egg porridge?”

At those words, Shin Ho-jae’s eyes widened. His cheeks were puffed out, filled with food. A quick glance at the plate showed that the meat was almost gone.

He had grilled more than twice the amount he usually ate; his appetite was impressive. Then again, for an athlete, food is fuel, so it was only natural.

“Ho-ppang wants to eat that porridge often, but when I make it, it doesn’t taste the same as it did back then.”

“Uh, when should I teach you?!”

He swallowed the food in his puffed cheeks in a rush and choked while speaking. Jung-hyun stood up and brought a glass of water for the coughing Shin Ho-jae.

“Thank you.”

“Drink slowly. You know there’s no cure for choking on water.”

Shin Ho-jae nodded as he took the glass, his cheeks flushed. The way his Adam’s apple moved as he drank slowly, just as told, was pretty. Jung-hyun sat back down and said,

“Anytime that’s convenient for you is fine.”

“I have a dinner appointment with a scout tomorrow, so the day after tomorrow is fine.”

“Alright. The day after tomorrow, then.”

Shin Ho-jae nodded, and after a two-beat pause, he looked up again and asked.

“By the way, are you hitting on me right now?”

“…No.”

It wasn’t a lie. He really did want to ask him to teach him how to make porridge if the opportunity arose.

However, he felt it wasn’t very mature to pretend not to notice words that sounded like flirting to anyone who heard them. Even if it was an impulsive remark, it was true that he said it to give Shin Ho-jae an opening.

But if he admitted that, it felt like his declaration that he didn’t want to live bound to anyone would have been nothing but empty words.

A heavy thud sounded from outside the front door. With his cheeks still flushed, Shin Ho-jae seemed to want to escape the situation and said, “I’ll go check,” as he headed to the entrance. Jung-hyun didn’t stop him and followed slowly behind.

If he had thought just a little more about what that sound was, he wouldn’t have let Shin Ho-jae go. He had been too thoughtless. The sound was none other than a delivery package arriving, and at the sound of “It looks like a package is here. Uh…?”, Kwon Jung-hyun remembered what he had ordered.

Damn it. Even if he cursed inwardly, he couldn’t take back what was already done.

“Your supplements are here, Hyung.”

Shin Ho-jae spoke while holding the boxes with a strange expression, neither smiling nor crying. Jung-hyun feigned a composed face.

“Oh, really? Just leave them there.”

“…When did you order these?”

Jung-hyun had no intention of continuing the conversation, but Shin Ho-jae asked while glancing at him. When there was no answer, he continued on his own.

“This is the brand I advertise for. You knew, right? Actually, I saw it a while ago when I borrowed your laptop. You had the homepage open….”

“Did you? I didn’t look closely, so I didn’t know. I just bought them because I needed supplements.”

As he lied smoothly with a brazen face, Shin Ho-jae suddenly wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him close.

“What are you doing?”

“You’re cute, Hyung.”

And then, a kiss landed right between his cheek and his lips.

“So this is the face you make when you’re flustered.”

What about my face? What’s wrong with it? As he frowned, lips descended there as well. He felt the grip on his waist tighten. Through the thin fabric, Shin Ho-jae’s hot palm rubbed cautiously.

He swallowed instinctively. Heat rose to his face. Shin Ho-jae stared intently at Jung-hyun’s face before finally kissing him. Soft, pliant lips pressed down like a seal, and a tongue licked the gap between his teeth.

As he opened his mouth, the tongue invaded without hesitation. Shin Ho-jae’s tongue tasted of wine. It was astringent and heavy, but sweet at the end. It tasted exactly like Shin Ho-jae.

His sexual desire had already been stirred once by Shin Ho-jae not long ago. Naturally, it surged as if it had been waiting for a single kiss. The hot body temperature and the pleasant pressure wrapping around his waist and back made the base of his spine tingle.

In a very natural sequence, he became hard below. As he tried to pull his lower body back slightly, the brat didn’t miss the chance and pressed his lower body closer. He felt a heavy mass near his pelvis.

Shin Ho-jae pulled his lips away, breathing heavily. Then, with his lips so close they were almost touching, he said:

“…Shall I suck it for you?”

His voice was thick with moisture. Jung-hyun pushed him away and said,

“Am I the only one who remembers what I said?”

“I remember. But now, I’m going to do what I want. Otherwise, I’ll just keep being pushed around by you.”

“What…?”

He was left speechless. Since he had continued to reject and impose his own thoughts despite knowing Shin Ho-jae’s feelings, the other’s words weren’t wrong.

“I understand your determination and your heart—that you don’t want to live bound to anything anymore. But is a life not bound to something necessarily a life where you achieve and solve everything alone?”

“…….”

“I don’t think so, but I want to respect your feelings. That’s why I’m trying in my own way. I want to show you. That a life built together isn’t bad, and that it might even be better….”

Jung-hyun couldn’t say anything and just looked into Shin Ho-jae’s eyes. Shin Ho-jae didn’t miss that moment.

Without any hesitation, he knelt and undone the buckle of the pants. As his hot hand lowered the underwear and touched his genitals, Jung-hyun’s eyes instantly heated up. Without giving him time to prepare, Shin Ho-jae tilted his head and took the cock in his mouth in one go.

“Haa…!”

Stars exploded before his eyes. Jung-hyun’s thighs trembled as he leaned his back against whatever was within reach. There was a clattering sound as his back hit the side table drawer.

Kwon Jung-hyun unconsciously gripped Shin Ho-jae’s hair. This cunning star player stared up at him, slowly sliding back and forth while swallowing the cock. The small mole on the bridge of his nose appeared and disappeared repeatedly behind the shadow of Shin Ho-jae’s eyelashes.

Who would believe that the man in this state had been a virgin until a year ago? He could clearly feel his penis swelling hard, as if he were about to ejaculate at any moment. Jung-hyun swallowed a curse.

Along with the sensation of climax, some boundary continued to blur.

141 – Puck Drop