#66

“Pretty, isn’t it, CEO?!”

“It is. I think it’s a nice house.”

“Right? Ho-jae, Ho-jae. You should give me the answer I want, too, right?”

“Huh? Oh.”

“Look at him giving such a half-hearted answer. Did you even see the lights come on? You’ve been staring at the CEO’s face this whole time.”

At those words, Ho-jae looked down as if burned. He could feel the gaze following his cheek. At the right moment, Ji Min-chul held out a paper cup.

“Ho Jae-shin probably won’t drink, but you drink alcohol, right, CEO?”

Du-min had mentioned buying soju by the crate for today, but thanks to Ho-jae, the choice of alcohol had been changed to liquor. Jung-hyun smiled and took the paper cup.

Ho-jae had been slightly worried that his condition might not have improved, but seeing him accept the drink, it seemed he was doing better. Watching this, Ho-jae poured water into his own cup.

“Congratulations to everyone invited to the opening ceremony of Du-min’s second act in life.”

Du-min stood up and began a toast, using a spoon as a microphone. His face was utterly shameless as he referred to himself in the third person.

“I heard that only very special and carefully selected guests were invited to today’s opening ceremony. Everyone here is someone who sincerely supports and loves Du-min. Thanks to all of you, Du-min was able to throw wide open the doors to the second act of his life.”

Du-min, who had been speaking with his hand over his heart, sniffled as he finished. Min-chul, who was next to him, quickly tore off a piece of toilet paper and handed it over.

“Everyone is so moved that their eyes are welling up, but my snot is running without any tact, huh? It’s because I have rhinitis. Ah! This tissue is going to chafe my nose!”

Everyone laughed at the sight of Du-min throwing the tissue away with an annoyed tone.

“Anyway. You can all feel proud knowing that without you, there would be no second act for Du-min. I’m saying this like a joke, but you know I’m sincere, right? CEO, I was truly grateful back then. I’m really happy to be able to treat you like this.”

“Du-min-ssi. Sorry to cut you off, but our precious meat is burning right now.”

“Oh my! Alright, cheers~!”

“Cheers~!”

The paper cups clashed in the air with a hollow sound.

Having put nothing in his mouth since the match ended, Ho-jae was starving. For today, he planned to eat his fill without worrying about his diet.

Watching Du-min and Min-chul bicker like a comedy duo, Jung-hyun laughed out loud frequently. He looked far more relaxed than when he was alone with Ho-jae or at the club.

Not only was his posture slightly loosened and his laughter more free, but the muscles in his face seemed relaxed. Is that how he smiles comfortably in front of people he’s close to?

Ho-jae couldn’t help but realize once again how fragmentary his knowledge of Jung-hyun had been. He felt a bit ashamed that he thought he knew him entirely based on only those aspects. Hadn’t there been plenty of things about Du-min, a friend of ten years, that he didn’t know?

The reason he had viewed him only negatively was that he himself had only wanted to see that side of Kwon Jung-hyun. He had been too busy engaging in power struggles and sarcasm to avoid losing to him.

“Ah.”

While Du-min and Min-chul stepped away for a moment because the food had run out, a very small exclamation was heard from beside him.

Looking over, he saw Jung-hyun rubbing the back of his hand. It seemed oil had splattered on him. Only then did it occur to Ho-jae that the spot where he was sitting was close to the frying pan.

Furthermore, what about the clothes he was wearing? Unlike the other three, who were dressed in clothes that didn’t matter if oil splattered on them, he was the only one in a suit jacket.

“CEO.”

Shin Ho-jae immediately took off the thick zip-up hoodie he was wearing. It was a garment that showed signs of wear from long use, but it was quite warm due to the thick fleece lining inside.

“Take off your jacket and wear this.”

At those words, Jung-hyun’s gaze followed. Ho-jae hurriedly gave a reasonable excuse.

“I think oil might splatter on your expensive clothes.”

“And what about your clothes, Ho-jae-ssi?”

“I can just wash this, but suits are hard to clean.”

When Ho-jae reached out as if he would personally strip the jacket off if he didn’t take it off, Jung-hyun took the jacket off himself. His neatly tied tie caught Ho-jae’s eye.

“Loosen your tie, too. It’s suffocating.”

Jung-hyun gazed blankly at Ho-jae’s face, then slowly loosened his tie, folded it neatly, and put it in his jacket pocket. Then, he obediently put on the zip-up hoodie Ho-jae gave him.

Stopping Jung-hyun as he tried to sit back down, Ho-jae grabbed the zipper and pulled it up for him.

Even if he zipped it all the way, the neckline of the clothes was large, so it wouldn’t be too suffocating, but just in case, he didn’t close it completely, leaving about 5cm of space at the top. Since the hood was flipped inside out, he fixed that as well before taking a step back.

Only then did his appearance come into full view. Because the size was large, the sleeves slightly covered the back of his hands. Surprisingly, this hooded look suited him well. If he let his hair down, he would look like nothing more than a college student.

“I think you’ll be cold, Ho-jae-ssi.”

“I don’t get cold easily.”

“…Then I’ll wear it well. This is the third time you’ve given me your outerwear, Ho-jae-ssi.”

At those words, Ho-jae, who was about to sit, looked back at Jung-hyun.

Three times? Ah.

He had completely forgotten about giving him his outerwear during the training camp. He had forgotten because he hadn’t given it with the same feelings as now. But even counting that, it shouldn’t be three times.

“Isn’t it the second?”

“Ah, right. It was the second. I got confused.”

“……?”

How could he get confused about something like that? Ho-jae tilted his head and then suddenly frowned.

He must have mistaken him for someone else. There was no other reason to be confused. Who was it? Coach Peter?

Well, thinking normally, Peter was the most likely candidate. They were close enough to rub their faces together. His mood soured for no reason, and his lips tightened.

Just then, Du-min and Min-chul appeared noisily, carrying a large frying pan.

“Everyone! Did you wait long! The assorted grilled sausages are here~!”

As he set down the golden-brown, appetizing sausages, Du-min shivered.

“Wow. It’s really cold outside now that I’ve come out from inside. Aren’t you two cold?”

“Should we go inside and eat? We’ll have to sit on the floor, though. Is that okay, CEO?”

“Of course.”

In fact, because it was cold, they hadn’t turned off the portable burner. The four of them moved their seats inside.

In the space that served as a kitchen, living room, and bedroom, they unfolded a single-person folding table, transferred the sausages to a plate, and set up their spot.

Since it was warm inside, it seemed outerwear was no longer necessary. However, surprisingly, Jung-hyun did not take off the hoodie and remained seated in it.

Was he that cold? Ho-jae should have paid attention sooner. Because he himself didn’t get cold easily, that thought hadn’t occurred to him.

Since he was full, he didn’t reach for the sausages much. Jung-hyun seemed to be the same, only sipping the alcohol in his paper cup. Perhaps because he had suddenly entered a warm place from the cold, his eyes were slightly glazed as if he were feeling the effects of the alcohol.

He slid his fingers inside his shirt collar and rubbed. The moderately flushed skin was briefly revealed and then disappeared. The problem was that, unlike outside, the indoor lighting was bright, making it far too visible.

Like someone who had seen something they shouldn’t have, Ho-jae’s eyes urgently darted elsewhere. However, there was no way what he had already seen would be erased from his memory.

It was an irresistible force that an indecent scene flashed through his mind.

Himself, pushing Jung-hyun against the wall, spreading the shirt collar, and sucking on that soft-looking skin. It was something from the Tohoku away game that he remembered sporadically.

“Ho Jae-shin, are you hot? Your face is red.”

“Uh, it is hot.”

Snapping back to his senses at Min-chul’s words, Ho-jae stripped off the sweatshirt he was wearing. The white t-shirt underneath was pulled up with it, revealing his abs for a moment before they disappeared.

As he did so, he subtly sat with one knee raised so that the others wouldn’t notice. It was because he was starting to feel a reaction in his lower body.

“Oh, abs,” Du-min exclaimed in a voice that was unclear whether it was admiration or teasing, then suddenly asked Jung-hyun.

“CEO, do you know this? When Ho-jae, Ho-jae gets red, it’s not his cheeks, but the sides of his mouth that turn red?”

“Other people don’t notice it much, but if you look closely, it happens quite often.”

“Is that so?”

Jung-hyun tried to lower his head to check his own face. Ho-jae quickly turned his head away to avoid him.

“But CEO, should I give you some hand cream? The back of your hand is red.”

“Was I outside too long earlier?”

“Ah, it’s okay. It’s not chapped; it’s because I have a habit of biting the back of my hand.”

“The back of your hand?”

To Du-min, who asked with wide eyes, Jung-hyun replied as if it were no big deal.

“I had a habit of biting my nails when I was young, and I got scolded a lot by my mother. While trying to be clever to avoid getting scolded, I developed this strange habit.”

“Eh? Someone like you gets scolded by your mother? No way. Your mother just hasn’t raised a kid like me. If she saw me wearing a skirt and raiding the vanity, she’d realize her son is an angel.”

Facing Du-min, who burst into laughter, Jung-hyun just smiled without replying. The image of his mother, whom he had seen once, naturally came to mind.

Ho-jae glanced down at his hand. He had thought it looked exceptionally red every time he saw it, but it was a part he hadn’t paid much attention to.

Got scolded. He felt that such a mother wouldn’t have stopped at simply scolding him with words. Had she pushed him harshly or used a rod?

He felt pity for the version of him in childhood that he had never seen. Almost unconsciously, Ho-jae brought his hand close to the hand Jung-hyun had resting loosely.

His pinky finger touched Jung-hyun’s pinky finger. He felt Jung-hyun’s hand flinch just enough for only him to notice, but that was all. He didn’t pull his hand away and maintained the position.

The diameter of the contact point was less than 1cm, but warmth was felt gradually flowing through it. He couldn’t tell if his own hand was hot or if Jung-hyun’s hand was hot, but the point of contact was exceptionally warm.

Shin Ho-jae felt a sudden impulse to just grab this hand. Along with the desire to hug him back, just as he had hugged him at the funeral home.

He swallowed hard. However, in the end, Ho-jae couldn’t do it.

The thought that Jung-hyun might not want his premature consolation flashed before his eyes like an excuse, and also because his ten-year friends were right in front of him.

Even if it was under the table, holding hands would be obvious. The table was small enough that it would be visible if they looked down. In fact, he could see the two people sitting side-by-side across from him with their fingers interlaced.

Shortly after his father’s funeral ended, Min-chul briefly reported to Ho-jae, who was in rehabilitation, that there had been progress between him and Du-min. That progress was that they had decided to officially start dating.

Since it was something he had suspected since around the Tohoku away game, he wasn’t particularly surprised. Rather, he felt it was a bit later than expected. Seeing Min-chul’s belongings scattered around the room today, he figured they were halfway to living together.

“But our announcer. Doesn’t it seem like he’s interested in Ho-jae, Ho-jae?”

Du-min spoke up while dipping a chicken breast sausage deep into mustard sauce.

67 – Puck Drop