PUCKD Ch 63

The Blue Wolves seemed to take the lead by scoring the first goal, but the Rats Swarm immediately caught up by creating a Power Play situation.

Every time one side scored, the other invariably created an opportunity. At the end of the second period, the score was tied at 3:3. Two of those goals were Shin Hojae’s.

The atmosphere among the spectators was highly charged. The density of the cheers was different, likely because the stands were quite full.

However, as the third period began, the players started to tire slightly. Their energy was quickly being drained from fighting a close match while trying to fend off the Rats Swarm’s aggressive body checking.

Furthermore, the anticipated PP situation was not materializing easily. Hojae was panting on the bench and looking at the referee. The referee was the problem. Situations that warranted a penalty were repeatedly being overlooked.

Then, with 2 minutes and 30 seconds left in the third period, the score remained tied at 3:3. Even the spectators’ cheers seemed to have lost a bit of their strength.

At that moment, a Rats Swarm defenseman swung his stick toward Doomin’s face while trying to block him. Doomin dramatically fell backward, putting on a show, and loud boos erupted from the stands.

Even the referee could not ignore this. All the players looked only at the referee’s hand.

And finally, the referee announced a 2-minute penalty against the Rats Swarm player.

While the opposing player headed to the penalty box, Peter sent out the PP unit consisting of five forwards.

The game resumed with the puck drop by the referee at the face-off circle.

Choi Yongsoo won the face-off and raced toward the goal. The opponents were also formidable. They had replaced all four players with forwards, seemingly aiming for a shorthanded goal.

*A goal scored when the team is at a numerical disadvantage.

The puck quickly passed in sequence from Choi Yongsoo, to Moon Seungyeol, to Park Hyonghoon. Hyonghoon was momentarily blocked by an opposing defenseman, but Doomin swiftly snatched the loose puck.

Since Hojae was blocked by opposing players, Doomin sent the puck to Moon Seungyeol. Seungyeol attempted a shot with that puck, but it unfortunately did not result in a goal.

The puck instantly belonged to the Rats Swarm. Peter anxiously crossed his arms, watching the Rats Swarm charge up the ice with a rapid rally.

Just then, Yook Doomin, the fastest among the players, broke out from between the others. Doomin used his acceleration to body-check the opposing player who had the puck.

Thwack—! A sound of protective gear colliding was heard, and the smaller Doomin staggered, but he successfully stole the puck from the opponent as intended.

The puck flew precisely toward Shin Hojae. Though the moment lasted less than 0.05 seconds in reality, Hojae experienced his surroundings slowing down like a slow-motion film.

The moment he swung his stick, he knew instinctively. This one was going in.

Poweok—!

The blade of the stick scraped the ice and struck the puck perfectly, and ice crystals flew up like white sparks.

The 7.62cm diameter black vulcanized rubber was clearly visible shooting away at a speed of 150 km/h.

The goalie desperately stretched out his hand, but Shin Hojae’s slap shot* was sucked into the net by a hair’s breadth.

*A powerful shot made by hitting the ice just behind the puck with the stick blade.

Booooooooom—!

Whoaaaaaah!

The sound of the ship’s horn announcing the go-ahead goal, and the roar of the crowd hit his ears simultaneously.

Yook Doomin, Park Hyonghoon, Choi Yongsoo, and Moon Seungyeol all embraced Shin Hojae and cheered.

Hojae, surrounded by his teammates, looked toward the bench. Amidst the cheering players, Kwon Junghyun was visible. Shin Hojae stared at his face as if he were possessed by something.

In the meantime, the penalty time ended, and the players were substituted. Only 30 seconds remained.

“Hojae God’s hat trick was insane!”

“Crazy!”

“Wooow!”

“Great job, guys!”

Players on the bench stood up and high-fived the incoming players. Shin Hojae took off his helmet and stepped inside the bench area.

He quickly leaned his stick against the wall, covered the blades of his skates, and removed his gloves and mouthguard. All the while, his eyes kept scanning the interior. He soon spotted the person he was looking for.

It seemed Junghyun had gone to get drinks. Kwon Junghyun held out a player’s water bottle. He had a strange expression—looking somewhat like he was smiling and somewhat like he was crying. Their eyes met.

“That last goal gave me chills.”

Junghyun smiled, his brow slightly furrowed.

“Are we actually going to win?”

At that moment, the final whistle blew, signaling the end of the game.

The players on the ice, those on the bench, the coach, and the general manager all cheered triumphantly toward the rink.

Hojae, with his back to them all, grabbed Junghyun’s hand and abruptly darted out of the bench area. He pushed open the iron door leading to the hallway and simply strode forward.

The audience’s cheering song gradually faded away behind him. The place he headed to was the restroom closest to the bench.

Since it was for players only, no one used it at this time. Junghyun, dragged along without knowing the reason, called Hojae’s name.

Shin Hojae didn’t answer and pushed Junghyun into an empty stall. It was a rather cramped space for a hockey player wearing protective gear and a sturdy adult male to fit into at once.

Thud, went a sound.

It was hard to distinguish whether it was the sound of the door closing, his back hitting the wall, or both.

This was because as soon as Hojae roughly closed the door, he almost spilled over Junghyun, covering his lips with his own.

Their lips parted somewhat urgently. Without anyone taking the lead, they intertwined their tongues and exchanged saliva. Their legs tangled in the confined space, and their chests pressed tightly together.

In the dark restroom, only the sounds of wet moans and the occasional body hitting the wall were heard. Their minds were instantly filled with humid heat.

It was a kiss, hot and fierce, as if the intensity of the match had been directly transferred.

🏒

Title: The Rats Were Trash

Ice hockey is fun,,,

Title: Does a hat trick normally happen in ice hockey, too?

Hojae God

(Comment)

└ Yes, it was insane ㅠ

Title: Want to see Hojae God’s MVP interview?

Why did he leave without waiting even 30 seconds? lolol After the game, the interview wall, the announcer, and all the cameras are there, but our MVP is missing lolol

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The scene where Yook Doomin and Ji Minchul rush to drag Hojae God back is so cute

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The Doomin-Chul combo even flashes a V-sign in front of the camera, lol

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This is the expression he made when the announcer asked if he was surprised to be selected as MVP and where he went after the game, and he said he went to the restroom lolol Well, our boy might have had an urgent need to use the restroom… I was also blown away…

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Shin Hojae wiping sweat 2. Red-cheeked Shin Hojae 3. Shin Hojae wiping sweat again

He must be hot right after the game.. That’s what it is, right?

(Comment)

└ He’s handsome;

└ Am I the only one who gets a slightly strange feeling from the last gif? lol

└└ Me too?

Title: Maybe winning is actually possible…

Current standings

HI Tigers

Red Falcon Hokkaido

Sakhalin Rats Swarm

MJ Blue Wolves

But the league is only half over. There’s hardly any difference in points. I think from now on, the team that scores even one more goal will have the advantage. But the mad dog has Shin Hojae…

Do you agree?

(Comment)

└ Agree, don’t know this

└ Last year, I only saw Shin Hojae, but when he was resting due to injury this time, I realized the player base is actually solid

└ The new coach seems to strategize well, and the rookies are decent

└ They said the coach was from the NHL, right? I saw an article that the club owner persuaded him to come over.

└└ What should I search for?

└ └ └ (Link)

└└└└ Thanks thanks

└└└└ Just passing by, the club owner is handsome and more serious about ice hockey than I thought, and handsome…

└ MJ stock price went up, lol

🏒

Meanwhile, at Kwon Junghyun’s main family residence in Seongbuk-dong.

Min Gwirahn, Junghyun’s biological mother, paced down the hallway in a narrow satin skirt.

Her husband, Kwon Minchul, the current president of Myeongjeong, who usually secluded himself in his study, often skipping meals once inside, had urgently summoned her for some reason.

A look of nervousness appeared on her beautiful face. Her pulse pounded so rapidly on her wrist that it felt as if it might pierce her skin and jump out at any moment.

Her husband was a man of few words and a serious disposition; he rarely called her late at night like this unless the matter was very urgent.

Hadn’t the only similar incidents since she entered this mansion all related to her son, Junghyun?

When he announced ten years ago that he was abruptly sending Junghyun to America, and four years ago when he announced that Junghyun had to take the blame for Gihyeok’s crime.

Gwirahn knocked on the thick wooden door with trembling hands. A slightly heightened voice from inside told her to enter. Gwirahn carefully opened the door and stepped inside.

The smell of old books filled her nostrils. Despite the employees wiping dust from the book spines daily, the sheer volume of books made it so.

The wooden bookshelves, reaching from the floor to the ceiling, were packed with books. Gwirahn had never looked, but she was told that ancient books collected by the first chairman since the Japanese colonial era were also stored there.

This was likely why the mansion often felt like the Myeongjeong family’s museum.

Her husband, Kwon Minchul, gestured for her to sit in the chair opposite, and Gwirahn perched on the sofa.

“I heard something unexpected today at the meeting with the Vice Minister. You’ll be surprised, too, when you hear it.”

Gwirahn nodded obediently and focused on the next words.

Minchul continued, a faint smile playing on his lips, as if the memory of the event itself made him chuckle.

“The Vice Minister’s youngest son knows Junghyun.”

“Junghyun…?”

“He said he was very impressed with his actions since the launch of the MJ Sports Group. He’s also interested in MJ’s stock price.”

“Yes… That’s very kind of him.”

Gwirahn replied, slightly bewildered. What was the point? That kind of conversation was always exchanged during mealtime greetings.

However, she couldn’t help but be surprised by the next words, just as her husband had predicted.

“He said he would like to meet Junghyun with the premise of marriage, if we were agreeable.”