PUCKD Ch 29

Or perhaps he originally enjoyed having clothes made for others? After all, he himself had called it ‘his pleasure’.

“The Montreal uniform you wore before was really… well, it was kind of like a chick and cute in its own way.”

“……”

The uniform colors for the Montreal Highlights were purple and yellow. Purple was the main color, but the away uniform was based on yellow.

Especially the away uniform when Hojae had just joined was a bright yellow, so he was often ridiculed by the opposing home fans for looking like a duckling.

As if conscious of this, the away uniform was changed to white starting the very next year, so knowing this story meant he knew him from at least four years ago.

“…How long were you in America?”

Hojae slowly scanned Kwon Junghyun’s face in the mirror before, unable to contain his curiosity, he asked. Junghyun answered naturally.

“I was there for about 10 years. From when I was 16 to when I was 26.”

“……”

“I’m thirty this year. I came back to Korea 4 years ago.”

Thirty. Then he was 6 years older than him.

He knew he was older, but perhaps because the first digit of their age was different, the age gap felt larger than he thought.

And if it was 4 years ago… it was the year Chairman Kwon passed away. A thought lightly brushes past that his return to Korea might be related to that.

“The first time I saw you play, Hojae-ssi, was at a Canadian youth league game. Seeing a player with black hair among the foreign players, I looked up his name first. I became interested because it was a Korean name.”

“……”

“I thought I’d forget quickly, but strangely, I often thought of you. Perhaps because seeing a much younger friend struggling in that distant foreign land didn’t feel like someone else’s problem.”

Junghyun paused for a moment after saying that much.

Beyond the half-open fitting room curtain, lint from the fabric sparkled like gold dust in the light. A few of them gently landed on Junghyun’s hair.

“I found out later that you were a player sponsored by Chairman Kwon. No, it would be more correct to say I remembered. The one who chose Shin Hojae-seonsu was none other than… well, this story isn’t very important.”

Shin Hojae inadvertently moved his eyes, following the dust that sparkled like gold thread. The place his gaze soon landed on was his eyes.

In the sunlight coming through the window, Junghyun’s eyes were tinged with a warm color.

Those eyes, too, were quietly meeting Hojae’s eyes in the mirror.

The sound of the owner talking on the phone outside could be heard faintly, like TV noise.

Hojae swallowed without realizing it. He saw Kwon Junghyun’s lips, which were moderately colored. Having tasted them once, he knew what they tasted like.

“There’s a practice game next weekend. You’re going to Gangneung, I hear.”

“……”

“I don’t think we’ll have time to meet…”

He couldn’t quite hear what he was saying. As he just stared blankly at the man in the mirror, Kwon Junghyun smiled slightly.

It was a smile where only the corners of his mouth went up, his eyes not smiling as usual, but strangely, it felt very soft and ticklish.

Perhaps because of that, a sensation as if someone were tickling the area around his chest with a thin brush arose.

Shin Hojae, as if bewitched, turned his body towards him. He felt thin fabric on his fingers. It was the sleeve of his jacket. He slowly moved his hand up along his elbow before gently gripping his forearm.

He felt a short breath nearby, and saw the long eyelashes that were curled up inside the thin double eyelids.

Blink. When Junghyun closed and opened his eyes, his eyes, tinged with a golden light, met Hojae’s head-on.

He had felt it several times already, but when he saw his eyes this close, the person in front of him felt like a completely different person from the Kwon Junghyun he knew.

A strange feeling. A sensation as if the two of them were trapped alone in an isolated space.

Hojae’s face moved very slowly closer to him.

“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting for so long.”

At that moment, he suddenly heard a presence from outside. It was the voice of the owner who had finished his call. Shin Hojae gasped and immediately let go of him.

“There was a problem with some fabric, so the call went on for a long time.”

Junghyun answered the owner beyond the curtain.

“I haven’t tried them all on yet, can you wait a little longer?”

“Of course. Take your time. Oh dear, the tea has gone cold. I will bring some more tea.”

The owner, completely unaware of what was happening inside, answered in a normal tone and slowly moved away.

“The mood was good.”

“……”

“I should have sent the owner outside altogether.”

Junghyun whispered in a playful tone and gently pulled Hojae’s wrist. A lukewarm body heat touched the protruding round wrist bone.

Shin Hojae, as if he had been electrocuted, hastily shook off his hand and threw open the curtain. Shin Hojae’s face as he came out of the fitting room was completely stiff.

What was I trying to do?

To him, trying to kiss him. When the other person hadn’t even asked for it. He couldn’t believe it.

He was confused. The times he had kissed him so far were because he was his club owner and his sponsor. If he didn’t comply with his request, it could be disadvantageous for the club. It must have been like that.

He heard the sound of dress shoes coming down from the fitting room platform behind him, but Shin Hojae did not look back at him.

“I’ll have the owner and I choose the suit fabric arbitrarily. It must have been a hassle to change clothes, you’ve worked hard.”

“……”

“Change back into your original clothes inside. I’ll be outside finalizing the order with the owner.”

Kwon Junghyun passed by Hojae and left the reception room. Only after he was out of sight did Hojae slowly release the tension in his brow and take a deep breath.

Then he snatched the t-shirt he had taken off to put it back on. It was then that he caught sight of a familiar face beyond the large window of the reception room.

Pink hair, recognizable at a glance even from a distance. It was Yook Doomin.

Yook Doomin was crossing the crosswalk, affectionately linking arms with a companion. Coincidentally, the tailor shop Shin Hojae was in was right in front of the crosswalk.

Shin Hojae quickly hid behind a hanger. It was an instinctive action.

His heart pounded irregularly. How long had he been hiding like that?

Only after confirming several times that they were completely out of sight did Shin Hojae slowly straighten up. His palms were soaked with sweat, showing how flustered he had been in that short moment.

Hojae looked down at his hand. Instead of the elusive, uncomfortable feeling, he saw a crumpled t-shirt.

He had hidden.

In case Yook Doomin saw him and Kwon Junghyun together. In case he found out what he had been about to do just now.

In case he was caught trying to kiss a beta man, his club owner, his sponsor.

His whole body grew cold, and his chest pounded with a chilling sensation.

It was terrible.

He absolutely did not want Doomin or his family to know about that side of him. No, he didn’t want anyone to see it.

“Are you all dressed? We’re all done talking here.”

A moment later, Kwon Junghyun entered the reception room with the sound of his shoes. In the meantime, Hojae had changed into a t-shirt with a crumpled back.

Junghyun glanced at Hojae slipping on his sneakers and checked the time.

“We still have about 30 minutes. If you’re okay with it, shall we stop by the cafe next door? I’ve been there a few times, and the hand-drip is good.”

Hojae answered without looking at him.

“If I have to drink coffee, it would be better to drink it where there are no people.”

“It’s a small, quiet cafe. There won’t be many people at this time.”

“No. You don’t understand what I’m saying. I’m saying that I would prefer it if no one saw me with you, CEO.”

“……”

“Have you not considered that you might run into someone from the club? If rumors start to spread that the club owner is meeting a player privately, I think it would be bad for you, CEO, not me.”

Junghyun raised one eyebrow and looked at Shin Hojae.

“Well, you were just fine in my office, weren’t you? Same during the training camp. Is my memory wrong?”

Momentarily at a loss for words, Shin Hojae blinked rapidly before barely continuing.

“……It might have been like that then, but the situation is different now, isn’t it?”

“Different? What is.”

Junghyun let out a soft laugh and strode towards Shin Hojae. Shin Hojae’s mouth went dry. He came right up to Shin Hojae’s nose and looked up challengingly.

“Because you and I, Shin-seonsu, have started to ‘mix saliva’ often?”

“……”

“You’re being so damn prissy after just two times. If you’re like this already, how are you going to have sex with me?”

At his uninhibited remark, Shin Hojae flinched and checked outside the reception room. Fortunately, he couldn’t see the owner, but he was on edge in case he had heard.

Junghyun tilted his head and stared at Shin Hojae. Then, a few seconds later, he turned his back abruptly and said.

“Fine. As you say, Shin-seonsu, let’s not meet outside like this from now on.”

“……Thank you.”

Only after a long while did Shin Hojae say thank you in a small voice. He didn’t know if Junghyun heard him. He had already left the reception room.

Picking up his phone, which he had left on the table, Hojae swallowed dryly. His mind was in a mess. He couldn’t judge whether he had done well or done the right thing, but it was a relief that Junghyun had accepted his wishes.

It was then that he saw the missed call list in red letters on the screen he had inadvertently touched. For a moment, he thought it might be Yook Doomin’s call and felt a chill, but the caller ID was someone else’s. It was Shin Yeonjae.

The thoughts that had filled his mind just a moment ago immediately evaporated, and his heart sank with worry that something might have happened to his father. Hojae immediately pressed the call button. The call connected right away.

—Oppa….

“Hello?”

—Oppa, where are you…? Can’t you come pick me up?