PUCKD Ch 1

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5…….

The countdown ends, and all the lights in the ice arena, which holds 20,000 people, go out.

Thump, thump!

Woofer sounds resonate underfoot, a dazzling laser show reminiscent of a rock star’s concert, and the DJ’s voice fuels the audience’s excitement.

Swish, swoosh!

Sharp skate blades cut through the ice. The rink is no different from a ring for the players. The puck flies up, and the players tangle. Armed with protective gear, the players throw themselves at their opponents without hesitation.

A disc used in ice hockey games. It’s 2.54cm thick and 7.63cm in diameter, made of hardened rubber or a similar material.

Bwooong—!

Finally, the foghorn signaling a goal blares. The standing spectators chant the player’s name and sing cheers at the top of their lungs. Goosebumps erupt all over their bodies, and their blood boils.

Someone said this is as popular as soccer in Europe and baseball in East Asia.

That doesn’t do it justice. For Canadians, ice hockey is culture, life, community, and existence.

Unfortunately, it’s hard to find that same status halfway across the globe in South Korea….

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[Sports Bulletin Board > Other Sports > Ice Hockey]

Title: Fucking Association Bastards

Two out of the only three ice hockey teams in South Korea are about to disband, and they’re just sitting there doing nothing? What the fuck?

You fucking bastards…

Comments

↳What happened?

↳↳[Following Incheon Icenipers, Suwon Blue Wolves also facing disbandment… Dark clouds over Korean ice hockey] Daily One reporter Kim Yinjung Read more

↳↳↳OMG

↳I saw that article today and was shocked, so I came here and saw this post… I’m so bummed out.

↳According to the article, the players have already heard the news about the disbandment ㅠ Apparently, there was a company that was going to acquire them recently, but the deal fell through at the last minute…

↳It seems like an inevitable outcome. The skill gap between the Tigers and the other teams has been so wide that watching live games has become boring. The only appeal of ice hockey was watching it live.

↳Blue Wolves are disbanding??? After they recruited Shin Hojae last season and made it to the playoffs for the first time in 6 years?? Shin Hojae was even the top scorer last year…

↳Seriously, what did Shin Hojae do to deserve this? lol. If they forced a player who was playing in Canada to stay in Korea, they should take responsibility, you fucking association…

↳↳22 So, they’re basically saying they’re going to ditch the first Korean player trying to make it to the NHL*? If I were Shin Hojae, I would have just naturalized as a Canadian. ㅡㅡ

↳↳↳3 Agreed… Honestly, he has no reason to stay.

↳Is there any proof that they forced him to come? Didn’t Shin Hojae come to Korea of his own free will?

↳↳Would you willingly go from playing for Tott*nham to the K League? And to a league that’s basically second-tier level? ㅡㅡ

↳↳↳Ouch… Take it easy ㅠ (Passing K League fan)

↳I feel so frustrated and upset for him, imagine how Shin Hojae must feel… ㅠ

↳Skill-wise, he’s honestly top-tier… If it were an individual sport, he could have won a gold medal and boosted the popularity of the sport, but ice hockey in Korea is just… ㅠ It’s not a sport you can do well in alone.

↳There aren’t even many articles about it. It sucks to be a fan of an unpopular sport. ㅠ

↳But even if the team disbands, can’t Shin Hojae just go back to Canada??

*The highest professional ice hockey league in North America.

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“A comment?”

Absentmindedly answering a call from an unknown number turned out to be a mistake.

—Uh, yeah, this is Kim Yinjung, a reporter from Daily One. I was hoping to get a comment from Shin Hojae, as the Blue Wolves’ player representative, regarding the recent disbandment.

“…….”

Shin Hojae let out a listless sigh into the phone.

This was what happened when he didn’t have an agency. These calls came every now and then. Should he have listened to his friends’ advice that he’d need one in Korea, even if he didn’t in Canada?

“Hojae, over here.”

Just then, a man with a strong jaw and a sturdy build came into Hojae’s view, waving his hand.

It was Choi Yongsoo, the captain of the Blue Wolves. Shin Hojae gave him a look and briefly answered the phone.

“I don’t think I’m in a position to comment on this. I’m busy, so I’ll have to hang up.”

—Uh, wait a minute, Mr. Shin…!

Click.

Hojae cut off the increasingly urgent voice with a single touch and looked up.

He saw Choi Yongsoo, dressed in a suit, scanning Shin Hojae’s attire from head to toe. Shin Hojae was wearing a white short-sleeved t-shirt with a sports brand logo, black sweatpants, and a black cap.

It was an outfit that couldn’t be called appropriate for the occasion, even as a joke. A slightly embarrassed expression flickered across Choi Yongsoo’s face before quickly disappearing.

“Didn’t have time to stop by home, huh?”

“I came straight from physical therapy.”

“Ah, I see. Your shoulder?”

Shin Hojae gave a short nod.

“Well…. It’s their fault for asking to see me so suddenly. It’s not a big deal that an athlete is wearing athletic clothes.”

Choi Yongsoo patted Hojae’s shoulder and grinned. It was a dependable smile, befitting a captain, but the missing front tooth made it look somewhat comical.

Following him, Hojae stepped into a high-end restaurant located in Cheongdam, Seoul. The entrance, lit only by indirect lighting, was dim, and instead of the smell of food, a pleasant fragrance wafted from somewhere.

“Hojae.”

Standing in front of a private room, Choi Yongsoo tapped his own forehead while looking at Hojae.

“……?”

Hojae blinked, furrowing his brow.

His forehead? Was he telling him not to frown?

It seemed like he was telling him to manage his expression since it was an important meeting. He’d often been misunderstood for his perpetually sullen expression.

He was well aware of the whispers behind his back. It wasn’t as easy as it seemed to control his expression.

Shin Hojae carefully kept his brow smooth as he waited for Choi Yongsoo to open the wooden lattice sliding door. Finally, with a rattle, the closed door opened. Choi Yongsoo politely addressed the people inside.

“Coach, Coach. I’ve brought Hojae.”

Head Coach Yoo Goohwan, his voice slightly slurred, greeted Hojae warmly.

“Ah! You’re here! Director Kwon, this is Shin Hojae, the player you wanted to see. Isn’t he handsome? He’s the best in our team, both in looks and skills. But hey, kid. Why are you wearing sweatpants?”

“Coach Yoo, Coach Yoo. Let him greet them first.”

“Oh, right. Okay, Hojae. Say hello.”

Coach Yoo was startled as Shin Hojae bowed his head and quickly added,

“Oh, my boy. You should take your hat off too.”

“Ah.”

Letting out a silly exclamation, Shin Hojae quickly removed his hat and bowed his head again.

So Yongsoo hyung was pointing at his hat, not his forehead. The belated realization made his hand self-consciously smooth the hair that had been flattened by the hat. With the blind spot created by the brim gone, his vision was clear.

It was a fairly large room with a table for six. Like outside, the lighting was somewhat dim, and the flower arrangement placed in a recessed wall, like a framed picture, created a luxurious atmosphere.

Starting from the side closest to the door, Head Coach Yoo Goohwan and Coach Park Nam-woong were seated, and furthest inside sat a young man he’d never seen before.

He knew who it was without being introduced. This was the main character of today’s meeting, the person who had summoned Shin Hojae. A member of the owner family of Myeongjeong Group, a third-generation chaebol, and Chairman Kwon’s grandson.

Their eyes met briefly. Shin Hojae unconsciously held his breath and stared at him. The man also stared back at Shin Hojae without blinking.

“I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Kwon Junghyun.”

“Ah… Yes. I’m Shin Hojae.”

The man extended his hand first for a handshake. Since he offered his hand while seated, Shin Hojae had to bend over quite a bit.

Unlike the slightly upturned corners of his mouth, which hinted at a smile, his thinly double-lidded eyes held no mirth as they looked at Shin Hojae. Feeling the slowly dissipating warmth of the other’s hand, Shin Hojae slightly furrowed his brow.

Trying to assess someone within seconds was a habit formed from years of being an athlete.

On the ice, he had to anticipate the movement of the puck by observing the opponent’s eyes, the subtle tilt of their skate blades, and sometimes just by gut feeling. But this man wasn’t easy to read.

Shin Hojae took the seat offered by Choi Yongsoo and glanced again at the man in the suit.

He was a handsome man. And probably a Beta.

People with secondary genders could generally recognize each other.

It was a sense unique to those with secondary genders, difficult to explain scientifically. Some people might say it’s proof that Alphas and Omegas are closer to animals than humans, but anyway.

Kwon Junghyun had the appearance people typically associated with “Alphas.”

His neatly styled hair and suit fit him perfectly. He had broad shoulders and good posture. The muscles visible beneath his clothes suggested he worked out regularly.

He looked relatively small surrounded by current and former athletes, but his height wasn’t by any means short.

While there were plenty of Alphas who were short or average-looking, if someone were to picture a stereotypical Alpha, they would likely imagine someone like Kwon Junghyun.

A Beta man who looked like an Alpha.

It wasn’t a type that Shin Hojae, who lived in a world full of Alpha athletes, encountered often. Perhaps that was why he found him difficult to read.

Coach Yoo exclaimed “Oh dear!” just as Kwon Junghyun was about to pour alcohol into his own glass.