#19

At those words, Hyeong-hun asked back in a surprised voice.

“S-spy…?!”

『Yes. It seems this team needs special supervision to ensure they complete my mission properly.』

Soon after, Kwon Jung-hyun appeared. He had come because his name was suddenly called, but he looked quite flustered after hearing the conversation.

『Pete. I just came here for a walk.』

As if to prove his words, he was dressed in light athletic wear.

A black functional short-sleeved top and matching shorts. It was attire unsuitable for these mountain paths. Thinking this, Ho-jae couldn’t take his eyes off this side of him, which he was seeing for the first time.

It was the first time he had seen his hair unstyled; with his bangs down, he didn’t look much older than Ho-jae.

Come to think of it, how old was Kwon Jung-hyun? He had vaguely assumed he was older, but he had never heard the exact age.

Looking at him now, he had the impression that muscles were beautifully and appropriately placed only where they needed to be. I wonder what kind of exercise he does. Unlike Ho-jae, who was just pale, his skin tone looked healthy, making him even more pleasant to look at.

Ho-jae, who had been staring at the exposed skin as if possessed, looked away at Peter’s next words.

『Sigh, you need to get closer to your club’s players too.』

『What?』

『Hmm. It would be best to attach one member of the other coaching staff to each team. I’ll see you later then.』

Having decided on his own, he left the three of them and vanished somewhere.

Left behind were Shin Ho-jae with a stiff face, Jung-hyun with a troubled expression, and Hyeong-hun with sparkling eyes. Jung-hyun brushed back his bangs and let out a small sigh.

“If I had known it would turn out like this, I would have stayed at the hotel. I wonder if I’m just getting in the way.”

“W-wow. No! You’re not in the way! It’s an honor, Representative! I’m Park Hyeong-hun, the new forward who joined this time!”

“I believe we greeted each other at our company dinner.”

“Ah, you remembered that…?! There were so many people, I naturally thought you wouldn’t remember. Hehe.”

“Of course I remember. You’re on my team. By the way, where were you supposed to meet the others?”

“Ah…”

Letting out a small sigh, Ho-jae told Kwon Jung-hyun the truth.

He could feel Park Hyeong-hun’s desperate gaze, wanting to stop him every now and then, but if it had been decided that he would move with Kwon Jung-hyun, it was something that would be discovered soon even if he tried to hide it.

“Hmm.”

After hearing the story, Jung-hyun frowned slightly and curled the corners of his mouth as if troubled. The anxious voice of Park Hyeong-hun cut in.

“…Should I call the other hyungs now? If we say the Representative is joining, wouldn’t they come? Ah, but I don’t have Alexei’s number, what should I do? He’s not in the group chat.”

“No. Pete wouldn’t want someone who has already left the team to rejoin just because of me. Doing that wouldn’t suddenly create teamwork that wasn’t there.”

“But…”

“Don’t mind me and just do what you originally planned. I won’t tell Pete, so don’t worry.”

“…Weren’t you a spy?”

“I’ll just be a double agent, then.”

“Oh…!”

Ho-jae, who had been listening to the exchange between the two, checked the time. He could see that the other teams had departed long ago, and they were delaying too much here.

“Then let’s get started.”

Following Ho-jae’s words, the three of them set off with the map.

Park Hyeong-hun seemed to be walking on eggshells for the first few minutes, but he soon adapted and began chattering away with Jung-hyun.

It seemed he found it easier to talk to Kwon Jung-hyun, who listened well with a smile, rather than Shin Ho-jae, whose reactions were weak.

Of course, the desire of a player to look good in front of the club owner was also inherent.

“…That’s why the friends who were confirmed to join the Ice Nipers suddenly received notice of the team’s dissolution.”

Since all three were interested in ice hockey, the topic naturally flowed in that direction. Eventually, the conversation turned to the Ice Nipers, the dissolved ice hockey team from Incheon.

“They’ve completely given up and say they’ll just open a chicken shop, but I can’t even laugh. You know the feeling, right? Since then, it’s been awkward to see those friends, so I keep avoiding their calls… we were actually really close.”

Walking ahead, Shin Ho-jae frowned at the voice coming from behind.

The sight of Park Hyeong-hun pouring out his worries to the club owner as if chatting with a friend, despite them not being friends, was bothersome on a common-sense level, but there was something that bothered him more.

Anyway, wasn’t Park Hyeong-hun an Alpha too? Of course, Park Hyeong-hun was doing this out of a pure heart wanting to get close to the club owner, but what if he accidentally caught Kwon Jung-hyun’s eye?

He began to feel unpleasant.

At the same time, imagining how many Alphas around Kwon Jung-hyun had fawned over him in that way made him feel nauseous.

He must have lived like that to become who he is.

Mocking Alphas behind their backs, engaging in power trips and violence without a shred of guilt. And yet, pitying himself for not becoming an Alpha.

Despicable.

“Hmm… the Ice Nipers.”

Kwon Jung-hyun’s voice came from behind.

“It would have been nice if I had the capability to acquire both clubs. That’s unfortunate.”

“What?! Ah, no! I didn’t mean it in that way!”

“I know. I was just talking to myself.”

Hyeong-hun fidgeted with the back of his neck awkwardly before speaking cautiously.

“I saw the articles too. The ones saying that acquiring the Blue Wolves wasn’t particularly helpful from the Myeong-jeong Group’s perspective. They said that establishing a sports team and taking on the sponsorship would have been a difficult decision unless you truly cared for Korean ice hockey.”

“I didn’t do it with such a holy sense of mission. I’m grateful you see it in a positive light, but it’s embarrassing to hear.”

“Aren’t you being too humble, Representative?”

“Haha. Me?”

“……”

Ho-jae wondered what kind of expression Park Hyeong-hun would make if he knew what that man had demanded as a condition for acquiring the club.

Walking in front was good for one thing: he didn’t have to manage his facial expressions.

After walking for some time in that manner.

The sound of leaves crushing underfoot finally stopped. The three of them stopped walking and looked around.

Whether it’s because any place with trees and soil feels similar, the scenery looked no different from a hiking trail in Korea. Perhaps the only thing that looked exotic was the English on the signposts.

“Oh, Ho-jae hyung. Isn’t that it?”

Park Hyeong-hun pointed upward. All three of their gazes headed toward the same spot.

A blue flag with the Blue Wolves logo was tied to a high tree branch.

“Wow… how did they tie it there? You can’t even reach it.”

Park Hyeong-hun hopped up and down, swinging his arms wide to grab the flag, but as he said, it was tied too high.

Park Hyeong-hun let out a loud breath and began stretching his limbs.

“Should I try climbing the tree? I was pretty good at it when I was a kid.”

Shin Ho-jae shook his head. The spot where it was tied was too high, and there was a risk of the branch breaking. It would be a disaster if he got injured while climbing the tree for no reason.

“Do you want to climb on my shoulders? I think you’ll be able to reach it then.”

“A piggyback ride? I think I could reach it then… but hyung, I’m a total muscle-pig. I’m heavy.”

“It’s okay.”

“I’m not joking, I’m really heavy… Ah, why don’t you have the Representative climb on Ho-jae hyung instead?”

“…What?”

“Pardon?”

Kwon Jung-hyun, who had been leisurely looking at the map, looked up.

Hyeong-hun ran over to Jung-hyun and compared their height and arm length. Although it was a very slight difference, Kwon Jung-hyun was slightly taller and had longer arms.

“Look, hyung. The Representative has a longer arm reach than I do, and he’s definitely lighter, so it’s better if the Representative climbs up.”

“No. You two are a team, so for me to intervene…”

“What are you talking about! Of course the Representative is part of our team too! The coach told us to do this together. Right, Ho-jae hyung?”

Ho-jae hid his flustered expression and crossed his arms.

“Ho-jae hyung is the tallest among the three of us, and the Representative is the lightest. Anyone can see this is the most rational method, right!?”

Park Hyeong-hun looked at Ho-jae with sparkling eyes. It was a gaze seeking praise, as if saying, ‘I did well, right?’

He seemed very proud of himself for creating a golden opportunity to build intimacy with the club owner under the pretext of teamwork.

“……”

If nothing else, he could tell one thing. Whoever strongly refused here would look incredibly strange.

Shin Ho-jae let out a light sigh and lowered his body. Taking that as a signal, Hyeong-hun fussed and called Jung-hyun.

“Representative! Hurry!”

In his field of vision, he saw the indoor training shoes worn by Kwon Jung-hyun approaching with slow steps. Ho-jae, kneeling on one knee, bowed his head deeply to make it easier to climb on his back.

Soon, he felt thighs touch his shoulders. They were heavy and lukewarm. When Ho-jae instinctively frowned, the body heat quickly dropped again.

“I think it might be harder to balance than I thought. As expected, rather than me…”

“Shall I hold you?”

“Could you turn around and stand? I think it would be better if I lift you from behind.”

Kwon Jung-hyun obediently followed Ho-jae’s words.

Only after seeing the muscles faintly visible through the straight, bare legs did he realize he had to put his head between those legs. Strangely, he felt his lips going dry.

“Spread your legs a little more.”

“…Like this?”

“A little more…”

At Shin Ho-jae’s request, the legs standing on the soil spread a bit more. It was around then that Park Hyeong-hun, watching from the side, said something nonsensical.

“Strangely, the way you talk is erotic, hyung.”

“…What?”

Park Hyeong-hun grinned with a playful face. He also heard Jung-hyun laughing from above. Soon, a mischievous voice followed.

“How much more should I spread my legs?”

“Hahaha!”

“……”

Only then did he think that it was just a common joke between men and that he had overreacted.

Let’s just get this over with.

Without further delay, Shin Ho-jae pushed his head between Kwon Jung-hyun’s legs.

‘I’m going to stand up.’ After saying it softly but clearly, he gripped Jung-hyun’s thighs with strength. Because of the posture, the hem of Jung-hyun’s shorts was pulled up, and the bare thigh touched his palm directly.

As he straightened his waist and the feet lifted into the air, he felt the thigh muscles tense beneath his palms. A man’s thighs were unnecessarily soft.

20 – Puck Drop