PUCKD Ch 19

At those words, Hyonghoon asked back in a surprised voice.

“A s-spy…?!”

『Yes. This team looks like it needs special surveillance to see if they complete my mission properly.』

Presently, Kwon Junghyun appeared. He came because his name was suddenly called, but he looked quite flustered after hearing the story.

『Pete. I just came out for a walk.』

As if to prove his words, he was in light workout clothes.

A black, functional short-sleeved top and shorts of the same color. It was an outfit unsuitable for a mountain trail like this. Thinking so, Hojae couldn’t take his eyes off this new side of him.

It was the first time he had seen his hair unstyled; with his bangs down, he didn’t look much older than himself.

Come to think of it, how old was Kwon Junghyun? He had vaguely thought he was older than him, but he had never heard his exact age.

Looking at him like this, he got the impression that his muscles were beautifully and appropriately placed only where they needed to be. What kind of exercise did he usually do? Unlike his own pale self, his healthy-looking skin tone was even more pleasing to the eye.

Hojae’s gaze, which had been staring as if mesmerized at his exposed skin, was broken by Peter’s next words.

『Hyoo, you also need to get a little closer to your club’s players.』

『What?』

『Hmm. It might be better to assign all the other coaches to one team each. I’ll see you later, then.』

Having made the decision all by himself, he left the three of them and went off somewhere.

Left behind were Shin Hojae with a stiff face, Junghyun with a troubled expression, and Hyonghoon with sparkling eyes. Junghyun swept his bangs back and let out a small sigh.

“If I knew this would happen, I would have stayed at the hotel. I don’t know if I’m just getting in the way.”

“W-Wow. No! You’re not in the way! It’s an honor, CEO-nim! I’m Park Hyonghoon, the new forward who just joined!”

“I think we greeted each other at the company dinner.”

“Ah, you remembered that…?! There were so many people, I thought for sure you wouldn’t remember. Hehe.”

“I remember. You’re on our team. By the way, where did you agree to meet the others?”

“Ah……”

Sighing softly, Hojae told Kwon Junghyun the truth.

He could feel Park Hyonghoon’s anxious gaze trying to stop him from time to time, but if it was decided that they would move together with Kwon Junghyun, it was something that would be revealed soon enough even if he tried to hide it.

“Hmm.”

After hearing the story, Junghyun frowned slightly and raised the corners of his mouth as if troubled. Park Hyonghoon cut in with an anxious voice.

“……Should I call the hyungs now? Don’t you think they’ll come if I say the CEO is joining us? Ah, but I don’t have Alexei’s number, what should I do? He’s not in the group chat either.”

“No. Pete wouldn’t want people who have already left the team to rejoin just because of me. It’s not like that would create teamwork out of thin air.”

“But….”

“Don’t mind me and just do what you were originally going to do. I won’t tattle to Pete, so don’t worry.”

“…Weren’t you a spy?”

“I’ll just be a double agent.”

“Oh…!”

Hojae, who had been listening to their conversation, checked the time. He could see the other teams had already started a while ago, but they were being held up here for too long.

“Then let’s get going too.”

At Hojae’s words, the three of them took the map and set off.

Park Hyonghoon seemed to be cautious for the first five minutes or so, but he quickly adapted and started chattering away with Junghyun.

It seemed that Kwon Junghyun, who listened well with a smile, was easier to talk to than Shin Hojae, who had a weak reaction.

Of course, his desire as a player to look good to the club owner was probably also a factor.

“…And so, the friends who were confirmed to join the Ice Snipers were suddenly notified of the team’s disbandment.”

Since all three of them were very interested in ice hockey, the topic naturally flowed in that direction. Eventually, the conversation turned to Incheon’s disbanded ice hockey team, the Ice Snipers.

“He was completely enlightened, saying he’d just open a chicken restaurant, but I couldn’t laugh. You know what I mean, right? After that, it felt awkward to see those friends, so I kept avoiding their calls…. We used to be really close.”

Shin Hojae, who was walking ahead, frowned at the voices coming from behind.

The sight of Park Hyonghoon confiding his worries to the club owner as if chatting with a friend, even though the owner wasn’t his friend, bothered him on a common-sense level, but there was something that bothered him even more.

Wasn’t Park Hyonghoon an alpha, too? Of course, Park Hyonghoon was probably doing that with the pure intention of getting closer to the club owner, but what if he happened to catch Kwon Junghyun’s eye?

He started to feel bad.

At the same time, imagining how many alphas around Kwon Junghyun must have fawned over him in that way made his stomach churn.

He probably became that way because he’s lived like that.

Flirting with alphas behind the scenes, committing abuses of power and violence without a shred of guilt. And on top of that, pitying himself for not being able to become an alpha.

Detestable.

“Hmm…. Ice Snipers, you say.”

Kwon Junghyun’s voice came from behind.

“It would have been nice if I had the ability to acquire both clubs. It’s a shame.”

“What?! Ah, no! That’s not what I meant!”

“I know. I was just talking to myself.”

Hyonghoon, looking abashed, fiddled with the back of his neck and then carefully opened his mouth.

“I saw the news articles too. The ones saying that acquiring the Blue Wolves wasn’t very helpful for Myeongjeong Group. They said that your decision to sponsor the team, even creating a new sports division, was a difficult one to make unless you genuinely cared for Korean ice hockey.”

“It wasn’t done with such a holy sense of mission. Thanks for looking at it favorably, but it’s embarrassing to hear.”

“Aren’t you being too modest, CEO-nim?”

“Haha. Am I?”

“……”

He wondered what kind of expression Park Hyonghoon would make if he knew what that man had put forward as a condition for acquiring the club.

Walking ahead was good for one thing: he didn’t have to manage his expression.

How long did they walk like that?

The sound of leaves crushing underfoot finally stopped. The three of them stopped walking and looked around.

The scenery that came into view was not much different from a hiking trail in Korea, as if any place with trees and soil gives a similar feeling. Perhaps the only thing that seemed exotic was the English on the signposts.

“Oh, Hojae-hyung. Isn’t that it?”

Park Hyonghoon pointed his finger upwards. All three of their gazes turned to the same spot.

Tied to a high tree branch was a blue flag with the Blue Wolves logo.

“Wow…. How did they tie this? It’s out of reach.”

Park Hyonghoon jumped up and down, swinging his arms wide to grab the flag, but as he said, it was tied too high.

Park Hyonghoon snorted loudly and began to stretch his arms and legs.

“Should I try climbing the tree? I was a pretty good climber when I was a kid.”

Shin Hojae shook his head. The place where it was tied was too high, and there was a risk of the branch breaking. It would be a huge problem if he got injured trying to climb a tree.

“How about you get on my shoulders? I think you can reach it then.”

“You want me to get on your shoulders? I think I could reach it then… But hyung, I’m a total muscle-pig. I’m heavy.”

“It’s fine.”

“I’m not kidding, I’m really heavy…. Ah, how about the CEO gets on your shoulders instead, Hojae-hyung?”

“…What?”

“Huh?”

Kwon Junghyun, who had been leisurely looking at the map, looked up.

Hyonghoon ran over to Junghyun and even measured their height and arm length. Although it was a very slight difference, Kwon Junghyun was a little taller and his arms were longer.

“Look, hyung. The CEO has a longer arm reach than me, and he’s definitely lighter, so it’s better for him to go up.”

“No, it’s fine. The two of you are a team, for me to interfere is….”

“What are you talking about! Of course you’re on our team too, CEO-nim! The coach told you to do it with us. Right, Hojae-hyung?”

Hojae crossed his arms, hiding his flustered expression.

“Among the three of us, Hojae-hyung is the tallest, and the CEO is the lightest. Anyone can see this is the most rational method!?”

Park Hyonghoon looked at Hojae, his eyes shining. It was a look that begged for praise, as if saying, ‘I did well, right?’

He seemed extremely proud of himself for creating a golden opportunity to build camaraderie with the club owner under the pretext of teamwork.

“……”

If nothing else, he knew one thing. The person who strongly refused here would look very strange.

Shin Hojae let out a light sigh and lowered his body. Taking that as a signal, Hyonghoon made a fuss and called for Junghyun.

“CEO-nim! Quickly!”

In his line of sight, Kwon Junghyun’s indoor training shoes approached with slow steps. Hojae, kneeling on one knee, bowed his head deep to make it easier for him to get on his shoulders.

Presently, he felt a thigh touch his shoulder. Heavy and lukewarm. When Hojae instinctively squinted his eyes, the body heat quickly dissipated.

“I think it’ll be harder to keep my balance than I thought. Maybe it’s better if I don’t…”

“Should I hold you?”

“Could you turn around and stand? I think it would be better for me to lift you from behind.”

Kwon Junghyun obediently followed Hojae’s words.

Only after seeing the muscles faintly visible on his straight, bare legs did he realize he had to put his head between those legs. He felt his lips strangely go dry.

“Spread your legs a little wider.”

“…Like this?”

“A little more….”

At Shin Hojae’s command, the legs standing on the dirt spread a little wider. It was around then that Park Hyonghoon, watching from the side, made a nonsensical comment.

“The words sound weirdly erotic, hyung.”

“…What?”

Park Hyonghoon grinned with a mischievous face. He also heard Junghyun laugh from above. Soon, a teasing voice followed.

“How much wider should I spread my legs?”

“Hahaha!”

“……”

Only then did he realize he had overreacted to what was just common horseplay among men.

Let’s just get this over with quickly.

Without further delay, Shin Hojae pushed his head between Kwon Junghyun’s legs.

“I’m standing up,” he said, small but clearly, then gripped Junghyun’s thighs firmly. Due to the position, the hem of Junghyun’s shorts rode up, and his bare thigh directly touched his palm.

As he straightened his back and his feet left the ground, he could feel the thigh muscles tensing under his palm. A man’s thighs were needlessly soft.