PUCKD Ch 8

Period 1

“Who would have predicted Blue Wolves’ performance last season?”

A pleasant voice echoed through the speakers. Shin Hojae looked up at the podium.

“Others call it a miracle, but we know it’s not a miracle, but the result of sweat and effort. Blue Wolves is a strong team. And even stronger in a crisis.”

In the luxurious banquet hall of the MJ Hotel, Kwon Junghyun, elected CEO of MJ Sports, was giving his address. After today’s launch ceremony, Blue Wolves would have a new name: ‘MJ Blue Wolves.’

“Let’s beat HI Tigers this year and bring home the championship trophy.”

Thunderous applause erupted from the players and coaching staff gathered below the podium. Shin Hojae joined the applause half a beat late.

The pose of lightly clasping his hands in front of the podium, the confident tone, the confident expression. Kwon Junghyun on the podium looked disgustingly perfect.

No one would think he was the kind of person who would offer sponsorship to a player behind the scenes and unhesitatingly touch a man’s lower body.

As the applause subsided, Kwon Junghyun, with a soft smile, brought his face close to the microphone again.

“Although it’s a conditional acquisition, since Myungjeong Group is the main sponsor, I promise to provide the players and coaching staff with the best treatment in the industry.”

This time, even louder applause and cheers erupted. For the players who had been receiving poor support without even proper accommodation, these must have been the words they had been waiting for the most.

After that last comment, Kwon Junghyun stepped down from the podium and was shaking hands with the coaches and coaching staff one by one. The corners of Coach Park Namwoong’s eyes, who stood right next to him, were already moist.

“Player Shin Hojae. Can I look forward to your performance this season as well?”

“Ah… Reporter Kim.”

“You made the right choice not to give me that comment last time, right?”

A small, thin man, reminiscent of a weasel, suddenly extended his hand towards Shin Hojae. It was Reporter Kim Yinjung from Daily One, who had recently tried to get a comment from Hojae regarding the disbandment of Blue Wolves.

Shin Hojae shook hands with the man, whose hand was lower than his chest. Personally, he found him a bit rude, but he was indeed grateful to him for the team and the sport.

Most media outlets don’t assign dedicated reporters to unpopular sports like ice hockey. Yet, he always came to the scene and showed interest.

“I asked Captain Choi Yongsoo earlier what he wants from the new owner, and he said he has nothing to wish for as long as they take care of the meals and hockey equipment. Seriously, the new owner is Myungjeong Group, can they really be so unambitious? Don’t you think so?”

A wry smile appeared on his face. During the time when Daeyang Shipbuilding was the parent company, in the last year, support for equipment was not smooth, so players had to ship protective gear from overseas at their own expense. Considering that time, Captain Choi Yongsoo’s remark must have been sincere.

“So, Player Shin, as the top scorer last season, tell me frankly. If the comment is good, I’ll feature it. Player Shin Hojae, is there anything you want from the new owner?”

A small recorder with a microphone attached was suddenly thrust in front of his face.

Something he wants? Well, he hoped that during the upcoming ‘personal time’, he wouldn’t be subjected to anything unreasonable or demanding.

“…I’ll do my best so that the team can be formally acquired in a year.”

“Eh. Player Shin, your comments should be as interesting as your face, but that’s always a pity. You should ask for something like a dedicated team plane! Okay, cheese! I’ll take a picture!”

Kim Yinjung took several pictures of Shin Hojae with the camera hanging around his neck. Then, without giving him a chance to say anything, he shouted, “Oh, Coach Yoo! You must be relieved now!” and went off to somewhere else, making a commotion.

Shin Hojae looked in the direction where the man had disappeared, then turned his head. Players in suits were busy taking pictures against the backdrop of the luxurious banquet hall or getting catering food.

The players looked very happy. Although there was a difficult condition of winning the league for the formal acquisition, they must be relieved for now because of the luxurious launch ceremony and the sense of stability that the name Myungjeong Group provided.

“Myungjeong really bought our team?”

Except for one person.

“Hojae, is there anything you haven’t updated us on?”

Yuk Dumin, with his pink hair slicked back, clung to Shin Hojae. He was holding a plate piled high with Korean beef steak and a glass of champagne in each hand.

“Did our Hojae lose his virginity…? Did he offer his ass to that crazy chaebol?”

“Thanks, Hojae-shin. Thanks to you, I get to eat king crab at a hotel.”

“…….”

Shin Hojae remained silent, following the others and putting the freshly steamed king crab on his plate.

“But he looks much more normal than I thought? I thought he’d be a completely grim-faced guy like our middle school coach.”

“Shit! Cheol-ah, do you really have to talk about that bastard in front of the sacred king crab? I lost my appetite for about 0.1 seconds.”

“I thought he’d be like that coach, someone who has an inferiority complex towards alphas, since he picks and chooses only alphas to fuck.”

“Cheol-ah. Look at that face and wealth. Our owner was born without the need to have an inferiority complex towards alphas.”

“Oh? Busted. ‘Our’ owner?”

“Ah, then what should I call our owner if not our owner?”

Listening to the two bickering, Shin Hojae returned to the table first. It was a round banquet table covered with a white tablecloth. He placed a plate on it, barely filled with food, and pulled out a chair, glancing inadvertently towards where Kwon Junghyun was.

Director, no, Owner Kwon Junghyun was still going around the tables, clinking champagne glasses with the coaching staff. At that moment, his eyes met Kwon Junghyun’s.

“…….”

He stopped pulling out the chair and froze, and the other person looked away first, naturally.

It would be troublesome if he pretended to be friendly to him, and fortunately, he didn’t seem to have any such intention.

Well. Unless he was a fool, he wouldn’t act like he was favoring a single player. It wasn’t like he was advertising the sponsorship.

Soon, the two returned to the table with their plates piled high with food. Dumin and Mincheol began eating their food aggressively. They didn’t forget to add words of praise in between.

“There’s a reason why they call it Myungjeong, Myungjeong. The food tastes like a conglomerate.”

“I’m getting more king crab.”

“Me too.”

Yuk Dumin and Ji Mincheol, who had finished their first plates in an instant, stood up with determined expressions. Waiting for them to move away from the table, Shin Hojae quietly put down his fork.

He wasn’t planning to tell Yuk Dumin and Ji Mincheol about Kwon Junghyun.

It felt awkward to have secrets from his friends, who knew each other’s family histories inside and out, but he didn’t want to worry them needlessly when they had just been relieved that the team had been acquired.

Soon, Yuk Dumin, who had returned with his hands full of king crab, widened his eyes at Shin Hojae’s plate.

“What? Hojae, are you sick? Why are you leaving food?”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Hojae-shin… Don’t tell me you already ate…?”

“Oh, he’s such a fool. If he had seen that the launch ceremony was being held at the MJ Hotel banquet hall, he should have starved himself from the day before! Like me!”

“As expected of Dr. Jjeopjjeop.”

“Dr. Nyamnyam needs to work a little harder.”

Shin Hojae simply shrugged and drank plain water. It wasn’t that he had already eaten, but that he had no appetite.

Today was the first day of the contract with Kwon Junghyun. He couldn’t possibly eat when he didn’t know what would happen after the event.

Bzzz. Shin Hojae’s phone, which was placed face down on the table, vibrated. Shin Hojae quickly tilted the screen towards him to check the contents.

+82 10-XXXX-XXXX

The concisely written message was from an unsaved eleven-digit number. Shin Hojae memorized the room number and immediately deleted the message.

“Who is it that you’re hiding your phone like that?”

Startled, he looked up to see Ji Mincheol staring at him. Momentarily flustered and frozen, he heard a reply from Yuk Dumin sitting next to him.

“He just got a DM. Hiding what? Don’t overreact, Cheol-ah.”

“What DM?”

“Ah, I just uploaded a story about the launch ceremony, and our Dumingies are curious.”

‘Duming’ was the nickname for subscribers to Yuk Dumin’s YouTube channel. Shin Hojae secretly sighed and drank water as if nothing had happened.

Hotel room.

The fact that there was no specified time meant he was supposed to go up as soon as the event was over.

Was he supposed to be alone in a room with that man again, like last time? An unpleasant feeling washed over him, but it was fortunate that there was a time limit.

Two hours. He just had to endure for two hours.

“Oh. They said the event is over after we take a group photo? I came to Seoul after a long time, do you want to hang out more?”

Ji Mincheol asked after the entire schedule was over. Hojae lightly shook his head.

“I’ll pass.”

“Okay. I didn’t expect anything from Hojae-shin anyway, what about Dumin?”

“Ah… Cheol-ah. Something came up for me too.”

“Huh?”

“Sorry, Cheol-ah. A superstar’s life is busy. Then, see you at the physical test next week! Adios!”

Yuk Dumin left those words and quickly packed his things and left the banquet hall. Mincheol, watching his retreating figure, also muttered that it was suspicious.

After sending Ji Mincheol off first, Shin Hojae headed for the emergency exit. The main elevators were already full of players and staff, so he was planning to use the stairs.

Climbing up to the 14th floor wasn’t that difficult. The problem would be what happened next. Hojae let out a heavy sigh in front of room 1402.

He took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. A small sound of footsteps could be heard from inside, and soon the door burst open. Shin Hojae’s eyes widened slightly.

He naturally expected CEO Kwon Junghyun to come out, but it was a short man with an unfamiliar face who emerged from the room. The man greeted Hojae with a friendly smile.

“You’re Shin Hojae, right? I’m the one who will be helping you with pheromone collection today.”

“…Pheromone collection?”