#63

It seemed like the Blue Wolves had taken the momentum by scoring the first goal, but the Rats Swarm quickly caught up by creating a PP situation.

Whenever one side scored, the other inevitably created an opportunity. By the end of the second period, the score was tied at 3:3. Two of those goals were scored by Shin Ho-jae.

The atmosphere among the crowd was heating up. Perhaps because the stands were so full, the density of the cheering felt different.

However, as they entered the third period, the players began to tire. Their stamina was draining rapidly as they fought a close battle while fending off the Rats Swarm’s rough physical play.

Moreover, the expected PP situations were rarely created. Ho-jae gasped for air on the bench, staring at the referee. The problem was the referee. Situations that warranted a penalty were repeatedly overlooked.

And with 2 minutes and 30 seconds remaining in the third period, the score remained tied at 3:3. The cheers from the crowd seemed to have lost some of their energy.

Just then, a Rats Swarm defender, while blocking Du-min, swung his stick toward Du-min’s face. Du-min performed a “Hollywood action,” falling backward, and a loud wave of boos erupted from the stands.

No matter how lenient the referee was, this was something he couldn’t just ignore. All the players looked only at the referee’s hand.

And finally, the referee declared a two-minute penalty for the Rats Swarm player.

While the opposing player headed to the penalty box, Peter sent out a PP unit consisting of five attackers.

The game resumed with the referee’s puck drop at the face-off circle.

Choi Yong-su, who won the face-off, sprinted toward the goal. The opposition was not to be underestimated either; they had replaced all four of their players with attackers, likely aiming for a penalty-killing goal*.

*A goal scored by the shorthanded team during a penalty.

The puck moved quickly from Choi Yong-su to Moon Seung-yeol, and then to Park Hyeong-hun. Hyeong-hun was blocked once by an opposing defender, but Du-min quickly grabbed the loose puck.

Since Ho-jae was blocked by opposing players, Du-min sent the puck to Moon Seung-yeol. Seung-yeol attempted a shot with that puck, but unfortunately, it didn’t lead to a goal.

In an instant, the puck belonged to the Rats Swarm. Seeing the Rats Swarm surging forward with a fast rally, Peter crossed his arms anxiously.

At that moment, the one who broke through the other players was the fastest among them, Yuk Du-min. Using his acceleration, Du-min delivered a body check to the opposing player holding the puck.

Thwack! The sound of protective gear colliding rang out, and Du-min, who was smaller in stature, staggered, but he managed to steal the puck from the opponent as intended.

The puck flew precisely in front of Shin Ho-jae. In reality, it was a situation lasting less than 0.05 seconds, but Ho-jae experienced the surroundings slowing down like a motion picture.

The moment he swung his stick, he felt it instinctively. This is going in.

Whack—!

The blade of the stick scraped the ice and hit the puck perfectly, sending ice crystals flying like white sparkles.

He could clearly see with his own eyes the 7.62cm diameter black hardened rubber flying like an arrow at a speed of 150km/h.

The goalie desperately reached out, but the slap shot* fired by Shin Ho-jae was sucked into the goal by a hair’s breadth.

*A powerful shot made by hitting the ice directly behind the puck with the blade of the stick.

Bwoooooong—!

Waaaaah!

The foghorn announcing the go-ahead goal and the cheers of the crowd hit his ears simultaneously.

Yuk Du-min, Park Hyeong-hun, Choi Yong-su, and Moon Seung-yeol all hugged Shin Ho-jae, cheering.

Surrounded by the players, Ho-jae looked toward the bench. Among the cheering players, he saw Kwon Jung-hyun. Shin Ho-jae stared at his face as if possessed by something.

Meanwhile, the penalty time ended, and the players were swapped. Only 30 seconds remained.

“Ho Jae-shin’s hat trick was insane!”

“This is crazy!”

“Whoa!”

“Great job, hyungs!”

The players on the bench stood up and high-fived the returning players. Shin Ho-jae took off his helmet and stepped inside the bench.

His movements were swift as he leaned his stick against the wall, put covers on his skate blades, and removed his gloves and mouthguard. Even then, his eyes continued to scan the interior. Soon, he spotted the person he was looking for.

It seemed he had gone to get drinks. Kwon Jung-hyun held out a player’s water bottle. He had a strange expression on his face—something between a smile and a cry. Their eyes met.

“That last goal gave me goosebumps.”

Jung-hyun smiled, his brow slightly furrowed.

“Are we actually going to win the championship?”

At that moment, the whistle blew, signaling the end of the game.

The players on the ice, the players on the bench, the head coach, and the assistants all screamed cheers of victory toward the rink.

Turning his back on all of them, Ho-jae grabbed Jung-hyun’s hand and blindly left the bench. He pushed open the iron door leading to the hallway and simply strode forward.

The cheering songs of the crowd gradually faded behind them. The place he headed for was the restroom closest to the bench.

Since it was for players only, no one used it at this hour. Jung-hyun, who had been dragged along without knowing why, called out Ho-jae’s name.

Without answering, Shin Ho-jae pushed Jung-hyun into a stall. It was a somewhat cramped space for a hockey player in gear and a sturdy adult male to enter together.

Thump.

It was hard to tell if it was the sound of the door closing, the sound of a back hitting the wall, or both.

Because as soon as he slammed the door shut, Shin Ho-jae covered Jung-hyun’s lips with his own, almost collapsing onto him.

Their lips parted somewhat urgently. Without anyone leading, they tangled their tongues and exchanged saliva. In the narrow space, their legs intertwined, and their chests pressed tightly together.

In the dark restroom, only wet moans and the occasional sound of bodies hitting the wall could be heard. Their minds were quickly filled with humid heat.

It was a hot and intense kiss, as if the heat of the match had been transferred directly into it.

* * *

Title: The Rats were total pushovers

Ice hockey is fun,,

Title: Do hat tricks actually happen in ice hockey too?

God-Ho-jae

Comments

└ oo insane ㅠ

Title: Want to see God-Ho-jae’s MVP interview?

I mean, where the hell did he go, unable to even wait 30 seconds? lol After the game, the interview wall, the announcer, and the cameras are all there, but our MVP is the only one missing lol

(gif)

The scene where Yuk Du-min and Ji Min-chul drag Ho Jae-shin back is so cute

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The Du-min-Cheol duo even did a V-sign in front of the camera lol

(gif)

The expression he makes when the announcer asks if he didn’t know he’d be selected as MVP and where he went after the game is basically “I went to the bathroom” lol Right, our boy might have had an emergency… I almost peed myself too,,

(gif) (gif) (gif)

Shin Ho-jae wiping sweat 2. Shin Ho-jae with red cheeks 3. Shin Ho-jae wiping sweat again

He must be hot since it’s right after the game… right?

Comments

└ He’s handsome;

└ Am I the only one who feels the last gif is a bit weird? lol

└└ You too?

Title: Maybe we really can win the championship…

Current Rankings:

HI Tigers

Red Falcons Hokkaido

Sakhalin Rats Swarm

MJ Blue Wolves

But we’ve only passed the halfway point of the league. The point difference is almost nothing. In my opinion, from now on, the team that scores even one more goal has the advantage. But we have the mad dog Shin Ho-jae…

Agree?

Comments

└ Agree, who doesn’t know this

└ Last year, I only saw Shin Ho-jae, but seeing them while he was resting due to injury, the player depth is surprisingly solid

└ The new coach seems to be good at tactics, and the rookies are decent too

└ I heard the coach is from the NHL? I saw an article saying the owner persuaded him to come oo

└└ What should I search for to find that?

└ └ └ (Link)

└└└└ thx thx

└└└└ wait- a sec, the owner is handsome, surprisingly serious about ice hockey, and handsome…

└ MJ stock went up lol

* * *

At that time, at Kwon Jung-hyun’s family home in Seongbuk-dong.

Min Gwi-ran, Jung-hyun’s biological mother, walked briskly down the hallway wearing a narrow satin skirt.

Myeong-jeong, the current CEO of Hyeon and her husband, who often became a recluse and skipped meals once he entered his study, had urgently summoned her for some reason.

A look of anxiety appeared on her beautiful face. The pulse in her wrist beat so fast it felt as if it would burst through her skin.

Her husband was a man of few words and a serious personality, so unless it was a very urgent matter, he rarely called her to speak late at night.

Since entering this mansion, the only times similar things had happened were always related to her son, Jung-hyun.

Ten years ago, when he notified her that Jung-hyun was being sent to the US out of nowhere, and four years ago, when he notified her that Jung-hyun had to take the fall for Ki-hyuk’s crime.

Gwi-ran knocked on the thick wooden door with trembling hands. A slightly excited voice from inside told her to come in. Gwi-ran carefully opened the door and stepped inside.

The smell of old books rushed into her nostrils. Even though employees wiped the dust off the spines every day, there were simply too many books.

The wooden bookshelves, reaching from floor to ceiling, were packed. Gwi-ran had never looked for them, but she heard that ancient books collected by the first chairman since the Japanese colonial period were kept there.

It was because of things like this that this mansion often felt like a museum for the Myeong-jeong family.

Her husband, Kwon Myung-chul, invited her to sit in the chair in front, and Gwi-ran sat down on the sofa.

“I heard something unexpected at the meeting with the Vice Minister today. You’ll be surprised when you hear it.”

Gwi-ran nodded obediently and listened closely to his next words.

Myung-chul continued, a light smile on his lips as if just recalling the event made him happy.

“The Vice Minister’s youngest son knows Jung-hyun.”

“He knows Jung-hyun…?”

“He said he’s been very impressed by his activities since the launch of the MJ sports team. He’s also interested in MJ’s stock price.”

“Yes… that’s very kind of him.”

Gwi-ran answered, somewhat bewildered. What did that mean? That kind of conversation was always common pleasantry at a dinner meeting.

However, she couldn’t help but be surprised by the words that followed, just as her husband had said.

“He said that if we are okay with it, he would like to see Jung-hyun with the intention of marriage.”

64 – Puck Drop