#65

“Pardon?”

“Before, you treated me like someone who was just desperate to boost the club’s performance by selling out the players’ private lives.”

“…I apologized for that back then.”

“I did receive an apology.”

Jung-hyun let out a small smirk.

“But it wasn’t an apology for not believing me.”

Having been hit right where it hurt, Ho-jae’s mouth snapped shut.

The apology he had given back then was a forced one, intended solely to ask Du-min for a favor. He had been so transparently bad at lying that he’d been mocked, told he’d be great at being a politician.

As Ho-jae remained silent, staring straight ahead, Jung-hyun burst into a soft laugh.

“I’m just kidding. I think you’re getting a call. Answer it.”

The phone in his pocket was vibrating. Ho-jae checked that the caller was Du-min and answered.

─Ho-jae, Ho-jae! Are you on your way? I’m really sorry, but could you possibly pick up a small jar of gochujang on your way here?

“Gochujang?”

─Yeah. I just realized we have nothing to dip the meat in. Oh, and if you feel like having ssamjang, get some of that too! Ah, damn it. Ji Min-chul is next to me saying he wants instant rice too. This really isn’t me.

“Got it. I’ll be a bit late then.”

─Okay!

As soon as the call ended, Ho-jae saw Jung-hyun changing lanes. It was a different direction from where the navigation was pointing. Since the call had happened right next to him, he must have overheard the conversation.

“Shall we stop by a warehouse store nearby? Ask Du-min if there’s anything else he needs.”

Ho-jae’s eyes darted around.

A warehouse store was indeed the closest large mart, but the things Du-min mentioned were items easily found at a nearby convenience store.

However, instead of saying that, he sent a message to Du-min as instructed. Deep down, he was pleased that his time alone with Kwon Jung-hyun was being extended.

It took about ten more minutes to reach the mart. Ho-jae glanced at the remaining time on the navigation and brought up the topic that had been lingering in his mind since the interview with reporter Park Ha-na.

“I heard today that you once waited a long time to get my autograph on a jersey… Exactly when was that?”

At those words, Jung-hyun’s gaze, which had been fixed on the windshield, shifted back to Ho-jae.

“Ah. Did reporter Park Ha-na mention it? It was back when you were with the Montreal Highlights.”

“Did you get it?”

“I waited for a long time, but it turned out I was waiting at the wrong exit. Forget the autograph, I didn’t even see you leave work.”

“Ah…”

Feeling a sense of regret himself, Ho-jae let out a small exclamation. He truly felt it was a shame. If he had met Jung-hyun then, he might have remembered him even when he first saw him in Seoul.

“But I did get a signed jersey.”

Not expecting the story to continue, Ho-jae widened his eyes slightly and looked beside him. Jung-hyun steered the wheel with one hand, a small smile playing on his lips as if recalling the moment.

“I was lingering nearby because I was disappointed, and someone approached me and asked if I was a fan of player number 86. In Korean. You know how it is when you meet a fellow Korean abroad; it’s always a pleasure.”

“…….”

“Since they were also a fan of yours, we stood and talked for a bit. The topic of me not getting an autograph came up. Then, that person just gave me a signed jersey they had.”

“Just like that?”

“Yes. I insisted on paying for the jersey, but they firmly refused. They said they could just get another one. I think they were a Korean living in Montreal. It was a windfall.”

“Ah…”

Jung-hyun tapped the steering wheel with his fingers while waiting for the signal.

“I should get an autograph on a Blue Wolves jersey before the season ends.”

“…….”

Ho-jae turned his gaze to look at his profile again.

There had been a hint of bitterness at the end of that voice. As if he were talking about someone he would never see again once this season ended.

To extend the contract with MJ Sports, they would need to win the league championship, which wouldn’t be easy, but half the season was still left. It felt slightly unpleasant that he was speaking that way already.

“You’ll still be with the MJ Blue Wolves next year, so is there any need to rush?”

Consequently, his voice came out a bit grumpy. Jung-hyun only wore a peculiar expression and didn’t give a separate answer.

Upon arriving at the warehouse store, the two first gathered the items Du-min had requested. Pushing the cart was Ho-jae’s job. Since Jung-hyun had naturally started pushing it at first, Ho-jae had naturally taken the handle away.

Since Christmas was approaching, the mart was overflowing with all sorts of Christmas decorations and gifts. Shin Ho-jae leaned his elbow on the cart and walked slowly, admiring Jung-hyun’s back as he led the way.

Unlike himself, who was in comfortable clothes after the game, Jung-hyun in his suit looked exactly like an office worker stopping by the mart after work. The black coat that reached his thighs suited him well.

Suddenly, Jung-hyun turned around. Ho-jae quickly turned his head and pretended to look at the rolls of toilet paper on the shelf.

3-ply, 5-ply, fluorescent-free, dye-free… They all looked similar, yet there were so many varieties. Jung-hyun approached and asked.

“Did Du-min say he needs toilet paper too?”

“Huh? Yeah, well.”

As he answered, he put the cheapest bundle of toilet paper into the cart. A good idea suddenly struck him, and he didn’t forget to add:

“As a housewarming gift.”

“A gift?”

“Yes. People often give toilet paper for housewarmings. To mean ‘may everything unravel smoothly’ and things like that.”

“Ah, is that so…?”

With a slightly skeptical look, Jung-hyun glanced at the price tag that read 5,190 won and showed him what he was holding.

“Then let’s say you bought this too, Ho-jae.”

It was a high-end whiskey in a red checkered box, perhaps a Christmas edition. The price tag wasn’t clearly visible because Jung-hyun was blocking it, but it was clear that the number had six digits.

“He probably won’t believe me if I say I bought it anyway.”

“Why?”

“It’s too expensive.”

“Your friends helped you a lot on the day of your father’s funeral. If you say it’s a token of gratitude, they’ll understand.”

At the mention of gratitude, Ho-jae’s hand, which had been about to pull the box out, paused. Eventually, he placed the whiskey bottle back into the cart.

He was, of course, grateful to Du-min and Min-chul, but if gratitude could be expressed through alcohol, he wanted to do it for Jung-hyun as well.

“Then I’ll pay for this too.”

“Seeing everyone at the company dinner, they’re all heavy drinkers, so one bottle might not be enough. Shall we get two more?”

“What?”

This time, his voice grew louder. The price of the whiskey he had just checked was in the 300,000 won range. Perhaps finding his blatant reaction amusing, Jung-hyun burst out laughing.

“I’ll buy this one, so you get several bottles of something slightly cheaper.”

“…….”

“It’s because I was invited to a housewarming and didn’t prepare a gift.”

Shin Ho-jae kept his mouth shut and watched as he put relatively cheaper liquors into the cart. Seeing how decisively he chose them, it seemed he had tried them all at least once.

Come to think of it, was his condition okay now? He suddenly remembered Jung-hyun not touching a drop of alcohol during the Tohoku away game.

Because he was leaning his head slightly, the nape of his neck was visible from Ho-jae’s perspective. Perhaps he had cut his hair recently, as the back was very neatly trimmed.

Shin Ho-jae felt his mouth go dry for no reason and licked his lips. It was then that he suddenly caught the scent of dried grass in his nose. It was a familiar smell.

“You’re wearing your perfume today too.”

He hadn’t intended to ask, but the words slipped out unconsciously. Just as he was thinking he shouldn’t have asked, Jung-hyun straightened up and answered nonchalantly.

“I put it on this morning; can you still smell it?”

“Yes. It’s quite strong.”

“Ah, is it bothering you?”

“It’s not that, but…”

“It’ll be less once I take off my outer coat at the house. I tend to spray it on my clothes.”

“Yeah, well. Then…”

Not knowing how to respond, Ho-jae mumbled a vague answer. It wasn’t that he disliked it because it was strong. He was just curious if Jung-hyun had sprayed it again right before meeting him.

Looking back, he realized he was being negative. Or perhaps it was because of how he had acted in the past.

Ho-jae scratched his cheek for no reason and pushed the cart in the direction Jung-hyun was walking.

Yuk Du-min’s new nest was a rooftop room located not far from his previous studio. Unlike the officetel he had lived in before, it was a villa that looked a bit aged, so there was no elevator.

Because of this, the two had to carry the groceries in both hands and climb to the 6th floor. Ho-jae let Jung-hyun carry one roll of toilet paper and carried everything else.

Du-min’s room felt as if someone had taken only the romantic and sentimental aspects of the term ‘rooftop room’ and developed them.

It actually looked more spacious than his previous studio, and it even had a small separate room. Du-min said he used that as a filming room and studio.

Above all, the rooftop—which Du-min had emphasized was a ‘rooftop, not just a roof’—was quite spacious, and the night view from there was quite atmospheric.

It was a house that Du-min, who prioritized mood over practicality in everything, would love.

After looking around the house, Ho-jae felt a bit more at ease.

He had thought it would be a decent place since Min-chul had helped him look for it, but he had been worried because Du-min had practically been kicked out of his previous home.

In less than two minutes, the house tour ended, and the four of them crowded into the small kitchen to organize the groceries. Du-min spotted the bulkiest item, the toilet paper bundle, and snatched one out.

“Oh my, Ho-jae, Ho-jae. What is this cheap toilet paper? Good lord, if it didn’t say ‘toilet paper’ on it, I would’ve thought it was sandpaper. You didn’t bring this as a housewarming gift, right?”

“I did.”

“Hey, take it back! Don’t you know your butt turns red if you wipe with this? My butt is sensitive! Oh, Representative! Why did you buy all this? I told you to come empty-handed!”

Du-min, who had been speaking viciously, suddenly spoke to Jung-hyun in a coquettish tone upon discovering the whiskey bottle in the bag.

He was a total Jekyll and Hyde. Shin Ho-jae snorted and gestured with his chin toward the liquor bottles Du-min was clutching preciously.

“I bought those too. As gifts.”

“What? Johnny WalkX Blue? You did?”

“No, the other ones next to it. The Johnny WalkX was from the Representative.”

“Right, of course. Representative, I’ll enjoy it!”

“…….”

The neglected liquors would have added up to a significant amount if gathered, but saying that would make him look too pathetic in front of Kwon Jung-hyun, so he decided to stay silent.

Since there was nothing in the house that could be called a table, they decided to eat outside.

Outside, there was a blue plastic table like the ones found in convenience stores, four plastic chairs without backrests, and a portable burner and frying pan set up on the table.

It was the quintessential pojangmacha atmosphere. Feeling concerned for Jung-hyun, Ho-jae glanced at him while tearing open wooden chopsticks.

As far as he remembered, hadn’t Jung-hyun always sipped expensive-looking drinks in fancy places? It seemed as if he had never had the experience of grilling meat in a place like this.

If only it weren’t for this bright blue plastic table… Just as Ho-jae was blaming the innocent table, the surroundings suddenly turned yellow.

“Ta-da! How is it, how is it, how is it? Killing it, right? I’m telling you, the moment I saw this house, I wanted to do this!”

Du-min seemed quite satisfied, holding a switch in his hand and speaking with a triumphant huff.

Looking back, he saw that the string lights installed on the clothesline had been turned on. When he had looked at the rooftop earlier, it had been too dark to notice them.

A few string lights wouldn’t completely hide the crude atmosphere, but surprisingly, the effect wasn’t zero.

Jung-hyun’s face, which had been slightly awkward until now, had brightened up just like the lit bulbs.

The corners of his lips were slightly lifted, and the yellow bulbs seemed to sparkle within his eyes, which were curved into a gentle arc.

Ho-jae stared at that sight, entranced, until Du-min spoke to him.

66 – Puck Drop