#142

＊＊＊

Daybreak arrived. As expected, he hadn’t slept soundly, but he felt decent. Jung-hyun opened all the windows to ventilate the room. The air rushing in was quite warm, as if early summer were beginning to set in.

He hadn’t heard any birds for a few days. He leaned his upper body out the window and looked closely at the rain gutter. It wasn’t just his imagination. No matter how long he waited, no birds appeared. They had been practicing their flight near the gutter until recently, but it seemed they had grown into adults and left their familiar nest. Jung-hyun smiled faintly.

Just as he was about to set up a ladder beneath the gutter, a voice called out.

“Why are you out there?”

Shin Ho-jae was holding a yellow paper bag. Inside, there were likely shrimp and eggs.

“I was thinking of clearing away the nest.”

“Ah….”

Ho-jae looked up at the nest with a cute expression. After a brief pause, Jung-hyun held out the work gloves he was wearing toward Ho-jae.

“Ho-jae, would you like to help me?”

Despite the sudden request, Shin Ho-jae beamed with a wide smile. He climbed the ladder, removed the nest that had been blocking the gutter, and went through the process of restoring the gutter to its original state.

“Be careful. Don’t fall.”

“I won’t fall.”

“I fell doing exactly that.”

He said it seriously, but Shin Ho-jae only laughed, his cheeks flushing. The work was all finished in less than an hour. Perhaps because he had been moving around, Shin Ho-jae seemed very hungry.

“I’ll make this for you quickly.”

“How long will it take?”

“To make it properly, I have to start with the rice, not the instant kind. That would take about 40 minutes….”

“40 minutes is too long. You said you were hungry.”

“I can wait. It’s okay.”

“I’m hungry too. Then shall we just eat something simple? I have instant rice and Korean ramen.”

“…You have ramen? What kind?”

“Just the spicy bagged kind.”

At those words, Shin Ho-jae’s eyes suddenly lit up.

“Then I’ll eat that. I’ll make something else for you, Hyung. Stir-fried shrimp as a side dish.”

“Did you want ramen that badly?”

When he asked with a chuckle, Ho-jae nodded immediately.

“I went to a French restaurant last night. Ah, for a dinner appointment with the scout. It really wasn’t my taste at all.”

Shin Ho-jae shook his head, emphasizing the words ‘really wasn’t.’

“Since yesterday, I’ve been craving ramen broth so much.”

“Hmm.”

Jung-hyun’s response was a bit delayed as he tried to hide the corners of his mouth curling up. Not knowing what to make of it, Shin Ho-jae, who was following behind him, quickly mumbled in an apologetic tone.

“Ah, but of course, I didn’t let it show and I ate everything that was served. I paid the bill, too. He’s someone who helped me a lot until I signed the contract, so it wouldn’t have been polite otherwise….”

“You did well. Since it was the last time, the scout probably took you to a nice restaurant on purpose.”

“Exactly. There was even a dress code. It’s a good thing I brought a shirt and dress shoes for meetings, otherwise, it would have been really awkward.”

“Ah, for meetings.”

Jung-hyun nodded, finding the story perfectly understandable. His expression must have softened. Shin Ho-jae glanced at his face and suddenly gave his cheek a quick peck. When asked what he was doing, the only answer was a nonchalant, “Just because.”

The ramen was finished in exactly five minutes. Since Shin Ho-jae said he could eat it all, he cooked the entire five-pack. It had become a habit to buy Korean food whenever he saw it out of nostalgia, and seeing Ho-jae eat so heartily made him feel it was a good decision.

For some reason, Jung-hyun’s appetite had returned as well, and he ate more than usual. Perhaps it was still a bit lacking, as Shin Ho-jae even heated up some instant rice and mixed it thoroughly into the broth. After gulping down the orange juice provided as a palate cleanser, Shin Ho-jae spoke.

“I’m thinking of visiting Korea before the training officially begins. To spend time with my family and pack my things.”

Ah. Jung-hyun reacted softly. It seemed Shin Ho-jae’s off-season was coming to an end.

Shin Ho-jae toyed with the glass cup that had held the orange juice and carefully opened his mouth.

“I heard from the scout yesterday that in Canada, there are lakes that stay frozen even during this season.”

“Even in May?”

Ho-jae nodded. He said that in a place called Lake Louise, the official skating season ends around mid-April, but locals enjoy skating there until May.

“Even when I lived in Canada, I never got to skate on a lake, but I was always curious. My Canadian teammates always have memories of playing hockey on lakes when they were kids. I think anyone who skates has that kind of romantic longing.”

“So, about that,” Ho-jae continued. “I want to go there with you, Hyung.”

“Sure.”

Perhaps not expecting an immediate answer, Shin Ho-jae’s eyes widened.

“……Really?”

“Anyone listening would think I trick you every single day.”

“I thought you’d obviously refuse. …Are you really going on a trip with me? Why?”

“Because it sounds like it would be fun. And when Hopang is born, there’s a high probability they’ll like skating. Wouldn’t it be good for me to learn a bit too?”

At the nonchalant voice, Shin Ho-jae’s pupils wavered. His brow furrowed as if he couldn’t believe it, then he let out a deep sigh, covering his twitching lips.

“…How can you say things like that so casually?”

“What things?”

“My heart is beating so fast I feel like I’m going to die.”

“That’s enough of the cute talk.”

“…Am I cute?”

“Did you think you weren’t?”

“I really love you.”

Faced with this sudden confession attack, it was now Jung-hyun’s turn to furrow his brow. Shin Ho-jae slowly reached out and carefully grasped the tips of his fingers. It was a very small contact for someone who, just a few days ago, had knelt and sucked his cock, declaring he would do as he pleased from now on.

“When you asked me how to make porridge a few days ago, when you ordered supplements, and when you left the nest removal to me today…. I’ve actually been interpreting it very positively in my head, thinking that you’re unconsciously giving me a little bit of space, Hyung.”

Jung-hyun chuckled.

“I didn’t want to ask the reason properly because I thought you’d put up a wall again…. but this time, it’s a bit different. I’m not the only one who thinks so, right?”

As he asked, Ho-jae lightly stroked the back of his hand. It was a spot that had always been red and irritated. Surprisingly, the skin had grown back and covered the wounds. It was because he hadn’t had any reason to bite the back of his hand since coming to the US.

“You said it before. That if I stay still, I’ll just be swayed by you.”

After staring intently at that spot, Jung-hyun spoke.

“After hearing that, I reflected a bit. I think I didn’t consider your position or feelings at all because I believed my decision was right.”

“…….”

“So, I’m thinking of letting myself be swayed by you properly for once. Because as you said, it might be better for both of us.”

“……Really?”

Jung-hyun could even hear the sound of Shin Ho-jae swallowing. Jung-hyun nodded. As if he still couldn’t believe it, Shin Ho-jae asked for a pledge once more.

“You won’t say later that you thought about it wrong, or that you shouldn’t have said we’d go, right?”

“…….”

“And you can’t say we’ve seen enough and should go back as soon as we arrive.”

The tension in his brow relaxed, and Jung-hyun’s eyebrows slanted downward. He had committed many sins. It wasn’t unreasonable for Shin Ho-jae to not trust him immediately and demand a pledge. Hadn’t those been the very words he himself had used? On the other hand, he felt sorry that the shock must have been great enough for Ho-jae to remember his words so precisely, without missing a single syllable.

“I won’t. I promise.”

“…….”

Shin Ho-jae’s expression didn’t seem inclined to soften much. Jung-hyun abruptly held out his free hand, raising his pinky finger. Shin Ho-jae hesitated and then held out his pinky as well. Hooking their fingers, Jung-hyun said:

“Promise.”

It was a childish gesture, but it worked. Only then did the corners of Shin Ho-jae’s mouth slowly curl up.

＊＊＊

They decided to use a plane and a rental car to get to Lake Louise.

It was about five hours by flight from New Jersey, USA, to Calgary, Canada, and then about two hours by car to the lake. At around seven hours, it was relatively short for a North American trip, making it less burdensome.

For three days after the trip was mentioned, it seemed Shin Ho-jae had gathered information related to the trip without even sleeping. Every time he came to give pheromones, he excitedly listed the newly updated information. He seemed to be trying not to show it, but his excitement was evident, which was cute.

As if Shin Ho-jae’s anticipation had rubbed off on him, Jung-hyun found himself looking forward to it more and more. Had he ever properly gone on a trip? It wasn’t that he hadn’t, but for some reason, the feeling he had now felt very unfamiliar. It was probably because this was the first time he was leaving on a trip feeling light, without a heavy burden on his heart.

“What do you usually do on planes, Hyung?”

Shin Ho-jae, sitting in the next seat, craned his neck to ask. Since they were in business class, there was a partition between the seats, so he couldn’t see his face unless he did that.

Although he had never said he wouldn’t fly unless it was business class, Shin Ho-jae had naturally booked the expensive seats. When asked if it wasn’t too expensive, his answer was, “I have a lot of money.” He then subtly appealed, saying, “I only have earning left to do from now on.”

He already knew that. Shin Ho-jae’s market value was likely at its lowest right now. Once the next season began, as the first Korean NHL player, his value would increase several times over. Considering that his treatment in Korea would improve the more he succeeded abroad, trying to estimate it now was meaningless.

And to utilize that effectively, he would need a trustworthy sports management team.

“Usually, it was either working or sleeping. What about you, Ho-jae?”

“I always watch movies. You can watch the latest movies on a plane even if you don’t go to the cinema.”

It was funny and cute how he spoke as if it were a pro tip. Come to think of it, he had seen Shin Ho-jae sleeping with earphones in several times when they went on away games. He had thought he was just sleeping, but it seemed he had fallen asleep while watching a movie.

“What are you going to watch today?”

“I’m not watching anything today. I’m with you, Hyung.”

143 – Puck Drop