WOPE Ch 10

Then what is important? Maybe my appetite had returned, because the sandwich in my mouth tasted delicious again. The tomato was so fresh that it crunched with every bite.

“Here, look at this.”

I did not think Junwook would point out my shooting form… Junwook pressed play again and then paused it. On the screen, Hooyoung was raising both hands to throw a shot.

“What do you think?”

What was the problem? It was an extremely ordinary free throw that went right into the rim, a shot he made without missing.

“That, that right there. What do you think?”

“Ah…?”

The destination of Junwook’s fingertip was my armpit. The armpit that was visible when I shot the ball. As always, it was white and clean.

“I was so dumbfounded watching this. I almost ran onto the court right then and there.”

Junwook’s face was murderous as he spoke through clenched teeth.

“Uh, but that’s something I can’t really help…”

The uniform design is sleeveless, and my armpits are bare, so isn’t it a part I cannot possibly fix? No matter how I throw the ball, I have to raise my arm. Hooyoung quietly sipped his juice. It was not made from just one type of fruit, as it was sweet and sour and so delicious.

“So you’re saying there’s no problem?”

Junwook came closer and nipped Hooyoung’s ear. Ah, I let out a sound, but it was not that painful.

“And why is the side of the uniform cut so low? Crazy, if someone looks from the side, they could see everything inside.”

To Hooyoung’s eyes, it was a very ordinary basketball uniform.

“They can’t see anything. And there’s no one looking from the side.”

“No, and you, why.”

Junwook pressed play again and then paused. This time, a different player from today’s opposing team was on the screen.

“Why don’t you wear something like that?!”

The player on the screen was fully dressed in functional compression wear under his uniform. Both the top and the bottom. Hooyoung swallowed the sandwich in his mouth with a gulp and looked at Junwook. Should I tell him or not?

“Well, that’s…”

“I’ve seen some players on the Big Whales wear them, so why are you the only one not wearing anything, just showing off your bare skin like that.”

The people on Hooyoung’s team who wore them had all bought them personally with their own money.

“What about it.”

“…The team does provide them.”

“They do.”

How should I say this so it does not sound like a complaint? Hooyoung racked his brain, trying to find the right words.

“Stop racking your brain and just tell me. I was going to say something as soon as I saw it, but I couldn’t because someone just had to be sly and kiss me first.”

“Those kinds of functional clothes, well, the famous brands definitely make them well… They absorb sweat much faster, and they support your muscles more comfortably and snugly.”

After mulling over Hooyoung’s ambiguous words, Junwook’s face lit up with an ah, as if he understood.

“The ones the team gives out are crappy?”

“No! They’re not crappy, nothing like that! They’re good, they’re good, but I find them a bit uncomfortable…”

He could not directly say, the ones the team gives out don’t support your muscles, they just constrict them, and they are so flimsy that you can’t wear them again after a few washes.

“Hooyoung-ah.”

“Yes?”

“Do you want to use a wish?”

“No.”

Hooyoung said firmly. A wish was something he was supposed to use only when he did exceptionally well.

“Why not?”

“…Are you going to grant one every time I win?”

Junwook sighed and looked at Hooyoung. He seemed very displeased about something, but Hooyoung ignored it and focused on eating diligently.

“Forget it. I’m going to do this my way.”

I wanted to ask what he was going to do his way, but Junwook was lost in his own thoughts and seemed to have no intention of listening.

“Can’t they make uniforms with short sleeves? No, to show that place, that fair and soft place, to everyone like that…”

…I am not the only one without hair there. Just looking at the team, Hooyoung knew that three or four players, including himself, got waxed, so he now felt at ease and picked up the salad. Perhaps because he felt relieved, it was a very satisfying meal, even if it started a little late.

“Now that I think about it, you, ah, ah!”

Junwook suddenly shouted, who knows what he was thinking, but Hooyoung did not look back. It did not seem like a matter serious enough to turn around for.

A few days later, Hooyoung received a huge package at the dorm. Two boxes, each half his height, had arrived. Junwook had sent compression wear from all sorts of brands. It was too excessive a gift, so I was about to send a message saying I did not need this much, but Junwook beat me to it and sent a message first.

[You better not even think about not wearing it. Especially that short-sleeved one, that one’s a must. I saw the broadcast, just you try showing that pale white place on camera one more time.]

Looking through them, the tops were all short-sleeved, reaching down to the biceps. Hooyoung suppressed a burst of laughter and just sent a message saying thank you. It was the moment he understood what Junwook meant when he said he would do whatever he wanted, wish or no wish.

But Junwook’s eccentricities were not over yet.

“…What is it, why is it so noisy today?”

As I was just entering the training facility, it was noisy all around, as if some kind of construction was going on.

“Oh, they said they’re renovating our entire shower and bathing facility. They told us to just put up with it since it’ll be done by morning.”

“The shower room?”

“Yup. Said it was too old or something?”

From that day on, the shower rooms at the Big Whales’ clubhouse training facility and home stadium were completely transformed. Normally, they were designed for many players to go in and wash up in a crowd, but after the renovation, they were neatly changed so that each person could shower with a partition for privacy. Hooyoung finally understood why Junwook had suddenly shouted.

…Even if he does this, it will be the same when I shower at other stadiums. I decided not to point out this fact. For some reason, Hooyoung found himself smiling faintly all day long.

However, as good as he felt, he wished his basketball skills would improve as well. Despite the team owner stepping up to provide enthusiastic support, by the latter half of the second round, the Big Whales’ ranking had dropped to third place.

When a team that was running in last place rises to the middle of the pack, they receive tremendous anticipation and praise, but in sports, if a top-tier team drops even one spot in the rankings, people make a fuss. As the HG Big Whales, who had at least maintained second place, finally lost in the last game of the second round and fell to third, sports news and articles one after another began to predict that the playoffs might be difficult for them this year as well. This was the case even though they were only in third place in a battle where teams up to sixth place advance. According to the laws of sports, it was much easier for a team like the Big Whales, which had consistently been in the lower ranks, to fall apart.

After an away game in the metropolitan area, Hooyoung, who arrived at the dorm late at night, immediately picked up his phone. When he sent a message to Junwook saying he had arrived, a reply telling him to come over came soon after. Hooyoung scrambled out of the dorm. It was a dark night where it was hard to see well unless you were under a streetlight, but it was a path he had walked so many times that he could now navigate it with his eyes closed.

Actually, since there was training tomorrow, it was right not to meet Junwook today. Normally, the day after a game would be a rest day if possible, but because the recent game results were so bad, there were hardly any days off these days. They would just sleep, wake up, and practice their coordination at the training facility, but honestly, it was not very effective.

“You’re here?”

As I naturally keyed in the passcode and went inside, Junwook was just coming out of his room.

“…Yes.”

I want to be held. I want to ask him to hold me. Hooyoung thought to himself as he took off his shoes. Not only had his stress reached its peak, but his physical fatigue was also at an extreme from trying to adjust to the ever-changing game tactics. His average points and number of assists had noticeably decreased. He had never had such a hard time playing basketball. Even when he won a game, he was dissatisfied with the content, and it was a series of days where he did not even know what he had done.

“Your eyes are incredibly sexy and moist.”

“Huh?”

I was just looking at him. Hooyoung raised a hand and wiped his eye area.

“They’re still the same. Ah, I get it. Want me to hold you?”

Junwook walked over, opening his arms wide. Hooyoung, who had been pursing and relaxing his lips shyly, did not refuse and immediately clung to him. These days, the only joy in Hooyoung’s life was Junwook. Just a short while ago, his mindset was that if basketball was hard, he would just practice more and overcome it, but for the past few days, he could not even stand the sight of basketball.

The team revolved around Taehoon, and I was nothing more than a pedestal supporting him from below. I endured it, remembering what the coach had said during our meeting, that we should wait and see whether Taehoon would swallow or spit it out, but as if things were meant to go wrong, Taehoon had swallowed it ambiguously. He was in a state of some inconsistency, doing well on some days and poorly on others. Accordingly, my physical and mental energy was being consumed more and more.

“…Did you get off work early today?”

Hooyoung said anything that came to mind, wrapping his arms around Junwook’s waist. He just blurted out whatever he thought of because he wanted to stay like this. He tried not to look, but articles about him were being published. Headlines like He seemed to be meeting expectations at first, but he’s not as good as we thought, or Was he not really the first pick material? were floating around on communities and social media.

“Yeah, I waited for you patiently at home. How are you busier than me? Training tomorrow too?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Hooyoung shook his head. If he said he had training tomorrow too, it was obvious that just like before, they would just sleep in the same bed today. He did not want that. No matter how he thought about it, the only time he could completely forget about basketball was when he was having sex with Junwook. When he was a complete mess, out of breath to the very end, he could not think about his performance, the team’s ranking, or anything else besides the pleasure of his body.

“Um…”

Hooyoung lifted his head and opened his mouth.

“Yeah.”

Today, too, Junwook was looking down at me with a face that said I could tell him anything. Could it be that our relationship is only a sponsorship in name? He’s looking at me so affectionately like this. It seemed like if we just continued like this, we could slyly gloss over the definition of our relationship.

“Go on.”

Junwook prompted him without being overbearing, touching the area between his waist and buttocks.

“Well.”

“Say it, it’s okay.”

Hooyoung slightly stood on his toes and pressed his lips against Junwook’s. It was a kiss that lightly touched and pulled away a few times.

“The service is good today. Makes me want to grant whatever you say.”

My lips were parched. Usually, after this much, he would be stripping off my clothes and touching my body, making a big fuss, but today, for some reason, Junwook seemed to have no intention of doing so.

“Well, …let’s do it.”

Hmm. Junwook’s face, which had a faint smile, changed strangely. He was still smiling, but his brow was slightly furrowed and his eyes had narrowed a little.

“Do what, sex?”

Hooyoung buried his face without answering. He did not dislike Junwook’s usual wordplay, but today, something else was more urgent.

“Ugh.”

Junwook’s hand squeezed Hooyoung’s butt, a little painfully.

“You’ve only learned the bad things.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. So that’s what you wanted to say. That you want to have sex?”

Hooyoung glanced at Junwook and nodded. He did not want to talk about how badly he was playing basketball, and they usually talked about other topics when they exchanged messages. When he received the compression wear a while ago, he had even shown him how it looked on a video call.

Junwook stared intently at Hooyoung.

“…You don’t want to?”

“No way.”

Phew, what a relief. Hooyoung was inwardly relieved. For a moment, he worried what he would do if today was one of those days for Junwook, just as there were days when he himself did not want to do it for reasons like body management.

“You seem to have lost some weight.”

Why did he know I lost weight by kneading my butt of all places? Nevertheless, Hooyoung pressed his body closer to Junwook.

“…Everyone loses a little weight during the season. That’s why building up your body well in the off-season is the most important thing.”

Junwook’s feet began to move slowly.

“The bed? Or somewhere else? Is there anywhere you want?”

“…The bed.”

Since I have practice tomorrow, the bed is probably the best option. I’ll have to say that practice suddenly came up when I wake up in the morning. I’ll have to say it naturally, like ‘I should get going now’.

Just as he had thought, Junwook did not let Hooyoung go until dawn. As always, Hooyoung whispered one more time, just a little more, and Junwook lived up to his expectations, holding him until he was completely drained. And the next morning, as usual, he prepared a simple but wonderful breakfast, and he did not say anything to Hooyoung’s awkward acting as he looked at his phone and said that a practice session had come up, and just let him go.

The incident happened at the next game. It was a weekend afternoon game held after two full days of training without a day of rest. The past two days had been a time of struggle for the coach and coaching staff to somehow revive the team’s chemistry, but the players, including Hooyoung, were physically exhausted. Moreover, weekend afternoon games were tough for many because they had to wake up early in the morning, disrupting the biological rhythm they had set for weekday evening games.

“You sons of bitches! Wow, fuck, did you all take drugs together yesterday?!”

The coach, who came into the locker room at halftime, grabbed whatever he could see and threw it on the floor. Perhaps because the energy he had when he commanded the court as a player still lingered, none of the players could properly lift their eyes. The first half’s performance was enough to make the coach furious. On top of that, it was one of those days where nothing went right. The ball would circle the rim and pop out, and a ball thrown for a free throw would do something bizarre like getting stuck between the rim and the backboard.

“It’s a fifteen-point difference, you bastards! It’s not like we were unfairly denied calls or we’re missing our foreign players, but it’s fifteen points!”

Today’s opponent was a team playing with only domestic players because both of their foreign players were out due to misfortune. The Big Whales, with two foreign players and healthy starters, were behind by fifteen points. In fact, the point difference should have been reversed. If it continued like this, it was obvious it would become a garbage game¹) even before the fourth quarter.

“I’ve been letting you guys off easy, but is basketball a joke to you? Huh?! Aren’t you ashamed to play like that while getting paid all that money?! If it were me, I would have already jumped off a bridge, you bastards!”

The coach spewed out verbal abuse, panting with rage. Hooyoung, who had missed every shot except for one three-pointer throughout the first half, also lowered his head and bit his lip hard. His condition was terrible. He strongly felt that his body’s overall balance was off, and no matter how straight he went up, his shots missed the rim. As his stamina ran out, he could not support Taehoon as patiently as he wanted to. Moreover, no matter how he tried to pass the ball to him, Taehoon also failed to properly capitalize on it today. The outcome was obvious. When the ball came to me, I played my own way, and when it went to Taehoon, he played his own way. It was a complete mess.

“Lee Hooyoung!”

“Yes!”

Nevertheless, it was during a game, so Hooyoung tried to pull himself together and answered in a loud voice.

“Aren’t you going to get your head in the game? If the point guard on the court isn’t focused, does the game go well? Huh? Answer me, you bastard!”

“I’m sorry!”

Hooyoung answered in a voice full of discipline. He forced himself to down the sports drink he was holding. It would be a relief if this could replenish even a little of his lacking stamina.

“Lee Taehoon!”

“Yes.”

Taehoon, who had been covering his face with a towel, removed the towel and answered. Just like Hooyoung, his face was scrunched up in a frown.

“Can’t you feel that the guards, the foreign players, everyone is catering to you? You son of a bitch, if you’re going to ruin the team chemistry, go do an individual sport, not basketball, you bastard! You like the ball that much? If you like it so much, why don’t you be the point guard, huh? Because I was being nice to you, do I look like a pushover to you?!”

“…No, sir.”

The coach pointed a finger at Taehoon.

“If you want to play your own game but it doesn’t go your way, you punk, that’s a lack of your ability. Haven’t you realized that after trying for the entire second round? What, you think the team will wait for you for the third and fourth rounds? Why should the team give up its ranking for you?”

Hooyoung was a bit surprised inside. He did not expect the coach to call out Taehoon like this so openly in the locker room. Taehoon was not a veteran, but he was not a rookie like himself either.

“Did you forget what I said during our meeting? The coach’s words mean nothing, you just thought it was all good because they created a pattern for you? Huh?! Is that it, you bastard!”

It was a roar so loud that it could be heard by the players in the hallway outside. In the midst of it all, Hooyoung, who was startled in an unseemly way, made eye contact with the foreign player next to him. The foreign player was not the one being scolded, and he could not understand the words anyway, so he was just reading the room and matching the mood, but he seemed to find it funny seeing Hooyoung tremble. Then he started joking around by scrunching up his face.

‘Hey, stop it.’

Hooyoung mouthed the words and tried to convey the seriousness by closing his eyes and shaking his head, and the foreign player, while saying he understood, smiled slightly. It was a sorry thing to do to the angry coach and the scolded Taehoon, but thanks to him, he felt a little less tense.

“Lee Taehoon.”

“Yes.”

“I told you during our meeting, and I’m telling you one last time here. If you want to play your game, respect the team. Got it?!”

Taehoon, with his eyes lowered, bowed his head even further.

“Are you not going to answer, you bastard?!”

“Yes.”

“Everyone get out!”

Out of the 15 minutes of halftime, they were scolded for a full 5 minutes. The players’ footsteps as they sluggishly got up were as heavy as a thousand pounds. Other foreign players and senior players tapped Hooyoung on the back once as they passed by. It was a gesture of comfort for being scolded and a message to do well.

Hooyoung resolved to play properly in the second half. The opposing team had no foreign players, so he thought they could easily catch up by 15 points. So he walked very slowly at the very back. He was planning to make up with Taehoon, who would come out late. The word ‘make up’ was a bit funny since they had never fought, but anyway, since he was the junior, it seemed right to apologize and say he would do better.

But Taehoon made the difficult resolution worthless.

“…Fuck.”

Taehoon, who strode out, muttered a small curse and brushed past Hooyoung without giving him a chance to grab him. Watching Taehoon’s back as he walked away, Hooyoung had a strong feeling for the first time in a long while that something was wrong. A powerful warning was ringing in his head to be careful, to get away. However, basketball was a sport where unless you were injured, you had to play if the coach told you to. After the third quarter began, Hooyoung and Taehoon were still standing on the court together.

Tweet! The referee’s whistle blew.

“Foul! Number 8!”

An agitated Taehoon began to play aggressively. He did not care if his path was blocked or not, he just tried to drive through and was called for an offensive foul. It seemed to have passed the stage where other players could handle it, but even when he looked at the bench, the coach just stood there with his arms crossed. He did not call a timeout or make a player substitution, as if he was going to see how far he would go. Hooyoung just wanted to cry.

Tweet! The whistle sound spread through the gymnasium again.

“Foul! Number 8!”

This time, Taehoon committed a foul during a defensive play. And it was a foul where he touched a player shooting at the 3-point line, giving away three free throws. The point difference was now approaching 20. The foreign players, the senior players, everyone’s face was stiff and dry. It was then.

“Ah, fuck.”

Taehoon, who was picking up the ball with an aggrieved expression as if to say it was not him, slammed the ball on the floor with great force. The highly elastic basketball bounced with a loud impact, TANG!, and shot up to the ceiling. The sounds of the startled audience, afraid the ball would fly at them, immediately followed. Hooyoung was also startled. This was, without a doubt…

Tweet! Tweet! The referee in front did not hesitate to blow the whistle again and made a simple hand signal.

“Ejection! Number 8!”

The arena grew chillingly silent. A situation occurred where the audience was watching the player and coach’s reactions, even though the player was one hundred percent at fault. The reporters in the press box were busy tapping their fingers.

Ha. Taehoon stood there for a long time with a dumbfounded look on his face before finally turning around for his ejection. Unfortunately, Hooyoung was standing closest to him, and their eyes met exactly.

“…Ah!”

Taehoon, walking off in a rage, forcefully bumped Hooyoung’s shoulder as he passed. At the strong impact, Hooyoung, forgetting that this was a real game and being broadcast, let out a startled sound unfiltered. The reporters’ fingers moved even faster. It was obvious that even before the game ended, headlines about Taehoon’s ejection and team discord would dominate the basketball news sections. The game, not worth watching anymore, was lost as a garbage game.

It was the greatest trial Hooyoung had faced since starting basketball. After the game ended, neither Taehoon nor the coach was in the locker room. To a distraught Hooyoung who did not know what to do now, the senior players advised him to go home and rest for now, and to absolutely not answer any calls from reporters before talking to the front office.

But a message from someone more powerful than the front office or the reporters had already arrived.

[I sent a car, so come straight here.]

There was no kind explanation about who was sent, or how he should get in the car. Just in case, he turned the screen off and on again, but that one message was all that had arrived. Normally, he would have replied that the team bus seemed better today, or asked what kind of car he should take, but he could not. The short message had a power that could never be refused. Hooyoung, coming out of the locker room, first looked for the team manager. He had to tell him that he would not be taking the bus today.

“Bbi-bbi-ya!”

The team manager, who was the busiest person on a day like today, fortunately saw Hooyoung first and approached him. It was obvious at a glance that he was incredibly busy, as if the front office and the reporters were all badgering him.

“If you go outside, you’ll just get your picture taken and they’ll make comments about your expression and what not, so don’t take the team bus today, just go to my car in the basement. Let’s take my car home.”

“Hyung, I was just about to tell you that. I’m not taking the team bus, I’ll just go by myself.”

“Huh? You didn’t bring your car today.”

“I asked a friend if he could come pick me up…”

“You did?”

The manager looked at Hooyoung with a sympathetic face for a moment and patted his shoulder.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, but… what about the coach? Taehoon-hyung wasn’t in the locker room when I got there either.”

“Taehoon came in after his ejection and left in his own car as soon as the game ended, and the coach was talking with the coaches in his office for a while and they all just left together. He probably went to the team office because the general manager summoned him. So you shouldn’t go to the dorm today if you can help it. You might run into him again if you go.”

“Okay, hyung. Thank you.”

The manager, with his good-natured smile, walked away while answering his constantly ringing phone. Hmm, now what should I do? I’m going to the basement anyway, so should I go there? Maybe a call will come before I go.

“Hey, Hooyoung-ah, over here!”

As he was vaguely thinking and about to turn his steps, someone called Hooyoung. When he looked back, someone was waving their hand from a spot where players’ acquaintances were gathered.

“Huh?”

At first, he thought it was a stranger, but looking closely, it seemed he had seen the person somewhere before. He was wearing a hoodie and jeans with a baseball cap, but strangely, only his face looked familiar.

“…Who, ah?”

“Let’s go to the parking lot.”

The man next to him, who grabbed his shoulder and started walking as if they were close friends, was someone he had seen next to Junwook. He was the person who had come with Junwook to the locker room on the day of the opening game and handed over the envelope with the bonus money. He had not recognized him right away because his atmosphere was completely different from when he was wearing a suit.

“Sorry for speaking informally to you on our first meeting. The situation called for it, so I hope you weren’t offended.”

Once the two of them were alone in the elevator, the man immediately became polite.

“No, it’s okay.”

“The Director’s orders were given, but this was the only suitable method I could think of. By any chance, did the Director mention anything specific about how he would pick you up?”

“He said he sent a car and to come right away…”

“That’s it? ‘I sent a car, so come right away’?”

“Yes.”

The man shook his head from side to side and muttered under his breath.

“What kind of person just says something and expects you to figure it out? When he’s in a bad mood, he’s a total tyrant, sheesh. When he glares like that, everyone walks on eggshells around him. He knows full well because he’s quick-witted, but he’s just so mean-spirited.”

Then, seeing Hooyoung unable to keep his lips still and looking anxious, he laughed out loud, hahaha.

“Well, shall we get off?”

A car he had never seen before was parked in the parking lot. It was not Junwook’s car that he usually saw in front of his house. Suhwan was about to open the back seat door for him, but Hooyoung, surprised, stopped him and got into the passenger seat.

When they got outside, the team bus was gone and the area was quiet with no people, as if it had already departed. Instead, since it was a weekend afternoon, the roads were completely jammed. Hooyoung, sitting awkwardly, thought for a moment and then spoke to Suhwan.

“…Excuse me, but.”

“Yes. Speak comfortably.”

“May I ask where we are going right now?”

“Aha.”

Suhwan laughed as if he found it amusing.

“To the Director’s house. Despite it being the weekend, he was working hard at home today. And it was work that was a complete jumble of public and private purposes. Thanks to that, I’m also working on the weekend like this… No, that’s not something I should be saying to you, Hooyoung-ssi. Anyway, our destination is Samseong-dong. The traffic is a bit heavy, but it’s close, so it won’t take long.”

Ah. So we are going to that house he went to back then. Perhaps feeling relieved at the thought of it being a place he knew, Hooyoung’s shoulders, which had been raised with tension, finally relaxed a little.

“Have you been to the Director’s Samseong-dong house before?”

“What?”

Hooyoung looked to his side with a startled face. He did not know whether it was okay to reveal that he had been there or not. However, the man driving looked at him with an expression that said he knew everything without being told.

“You have been there, haven’t you? It’s okay, where would I ever talk about that? I’m the Director’s secretary.”

Feeling a little more at ease with Suhwan’s words, Hooyoung looked out the window again. Of all the things that had happened today, this moment was the quietest. The evening news and the internet were probably on fire, but not looking at them would at least help him calm his mind.

He had never imagined something like this would happen in his professional career. If he had not been a rookie who had only debuted a year ago, would he have come up with a more plausible solution? I should have just let Taehoon do whatever he wanted. I shouldn’t have been greedy on the court. If I had just patiently endured, who knows how the team might have changed in the fourth or fifth round.

Hooyoung let out a deep sigh and turned on the phone he was holding. It was still quiet. The manager-hyung had said that reporters might call, but he had no reporters he knew in the first place. That was a kind of connection you made after building up some years of experience and doing interviews.

“Are you worried?”

“…Yes. Since I haven’t talked to the team or the coach about anything yet, I don’t know when they’ll contact me.”

Hmm? Suhwan smiled again and furrowed his brow. He had an expression that said, ‘What did I just hear?’

“Well, shouldn’t you be more worried about the Director than the team or the coach? You’re going to the Director right now, aren’t you?”

“What?”

Hooyoung turned to look at Suhwan next to him.

“…Is he very angry, no, is he very upset? Because of what happened today?”

Well, the discord between players was broadcasted so openly, so it was understandable that he would be angry. The team’s performance had dropped so much, too.

“Well, he is angry, but…”

The car took exactly twice as long as it had on that weekday night before it entered Junwook’s apartment complex.

Hooyoung, in the elevator, was getting more and more nervous as the floor number rose. Since a major incident had occurred and he had not yet contacted the team, the thought that he was meeting the team owner, not the Junwook he had been meeting until now, was much more prominent. The fact that Suhwan had come to pick him up was also one of the factors making him nervous. It felt more like he was officially visiting a house he had once come to alone, now being guided by someone and going through a formal procedure.

“Please exit.”

At Suhwan’s polite gesture to exit first, Hooyoung bowed his head to express his gratitude and got out. Today, since he had not come alone, Junwook was not there waiting with the door open.

“Director-nim, we have arrived.”

After Suhwan rang the doorbell and spoke, a few seconds later, the door opened with a click. Hooyoung, feeling strangely like a sinner, had his head bowed, but upon seeing Junwook’s feet, he slowly raised his head.

The moment their eyes met, Hooyoung felt his heart drop with a thump. Junwook was standing there with a face he had truly never seen before. It was a cold face he had not even seen when they first met in Korea. It was so different from when he laughed and chatted with me that the seriousness of the situation hit him hard.

He had really caused a huge accident. He regretted it again. If only I had just done everything Taehoon wanted from the beginning, something like today wouldn’t have happened, and I wouldn’t have caused harm to the team. Hooyoung timidly followed behind the advancing Junwook. Until then, Junwook had not said a single word to him.

“Director-nim, I’ll just…”

“Be on standby.”

At Junwook’s firm words, Suhwan, with his lips pouting as if he had intended to do so anyway, went out.

The living room was quiet. He had heard Junwook was working, but there were no documents or a laptop; the living room was tidy. Junwook went to the sofa, sat down, and looked at Hooyoung. He did not take off his bag for him like he usually did, nor did he tell him to sit. The house was not even cold, but Hooyoung felt a strange chill on the soles of his feet.

“Still have nothing to say?”

Junwook said after staring at him intently. At the same time, Hooyoung swallowed with a gulp.

“…I.”

“Go on.”

Even with just a few words, Junwook’s age and position could be felt. Sweat began to form on Hooyoung’s hands.

“The team atmosphere has been bad for the past few days… Um, because I’m the junior, I should have accommodated him well, but I couldn’t. The coach also told me to compromise a little for the sake of the team atmosphere…”

As Hooyoung spoke, he started to feel a bit sorrowful. Of course, it was not that he was without fault, but he was resentful that the result turned out like this even though he had tried his best. The cause and the result were all started by Taehoon, so why was he unluckily entangled in it?

Moreover, the more he spoke, the more murderous Junwook’s expression became. He also snorted and made many expressions of disbelief. If nothing else, he was most disappointed that he had let Junwook down with basketball. I thought just working hard was enough.

“I’ll make sure nothing like this happens again. I think I’ll talk with the general manager and the coach when I get back to the dorm. I’ll reflect and do better so that I’m thoroughly aligned with the team from now on. I will never cause harm to the team again…”

“Lee Hooyoung.”

Junwook cut off Hooyoung’s rambling, who was completely intimidated and mumbling like a student being scolded by a teacher.

“Is that all? Are your only words that you were wrong and you won’t do it again?”

I thought being sworn at with this bastard, that bastard like the coach did was the scariest thing, but it was not. Junwook, asking quietly without any highs or lows in his voice, was much scarier. Hooyoung froze completely and shut his mouth. It seemed that no matter what he said here, he would not be able to say anything that would satisfy Junwook.

“Is that all?”

Junwook asked one more time, but Hooyoung’s lips would not part.

“So that’s really all.”

As if he was not expecting an answer, Junwook brought the phone in his hand to his ear. The call was not long. Junwook only said one thing, come in, and not long after, Suhwan opened the front door and appeared on his own. He had taken off the baseball cap and hoodie he was wearing at some point and was now wearing a plain shirt and something like jeans, holding a palm-sized tablet.

“Did you get the report?”

Even while speaking to Suhwan, Junwook did not take his eyes off Hooyoung.

“Yes. The general manager, the front office staff, and the coach are currently on standby at the team office. Articles are also starting to come out one by one, and some are beginning to approach it from angles like why Lee Taehoon acted that way, why he bumped into Lee Hooyoung, team infighting, and the reasons for the drop in performance.”

“So what’s the reason.”

Suhwan glanced at Hooyoung, then let out a small, unnoticeable sigh and began to speak.

“According to a combination of what various players and the coach said, Lee Taehoon-ssi had a bit of a big desire to control the play, so he apparently put a lot of pressure on Lee Hooyoung-ssi, who is the point guard and his junior, to push the ball to him. In that process, there was talk that there was also that unique thing between Korean seniors and juniors, that… what should I call it? Harassment? Something like that.”

Junwook’s head tilted slightly as he kept his eyes on Hooyoung. His expression clearly showed, ‘What is this story?’ Hooyoung’s mouth went dry. He had not expected that the stories about Taehoon’s greed or his harassment would go straight to the top.

“Anyway, they said the reason for the recent poor performance was because they were in the middle of reorganizing and creating a new team strategy due to those reasons. But…”

“But?”

Suhwan glanced at Hooyoung for a moment.

“Lee Taehoon-ssi was angry because he felt he wasn’t being fully supported, and he thought the reason for not being fully supported was the existence of Lee Hooyoung-ssi. That’s why what happened today happened. To relay the general manager’s words exactly, he said, ‘They’re both young players, you know.’”

“Is that right?”

Junwook, whose lips briefly pursed before returning to their original position, asked Hooyoung.

“…Yes.”

It was relatively true. It was too pathetic to talk about all the detailed things that happened in that process. But as if even this was not to his liking, Junwook let out a smirk and muttered lowly. What do you mean, is that right. This is making me lose my mind.

“So what’s the general manager’s proposed solution.”

Ahem, ahem. Suhwan, who had been watching Junwook’s expression, cleared his voice.

“The general manager’s opinion is that the most realistic option is to seal the internal conflict and aim for a decent performance this year. He’s saying, wouldn’t it be better to do this, even if we don’t get the expected results, rather than making a fuss with articles and taking other follow-up measures?”

Hooyoung hung his head low. He felt like he was going to cry. A decent performance? It doesn’t matter if we don’t get the expected results? Shouldn’t they be saying they’ll seal the internal conflict and try again with renewed strength? How can they talk so easily about losing if they go on like this?

“That is the general manager’s opinion, which is Plan A.”

“They gathered after it was over and made a whole damn fuss. Is there a Plan B?”

“There is. This is the coach’s opinion. The coach is very ambitious about performance, so he said he’s tried everything he could at this point, and since there’s nothing more to do, he just wants to make a choice and focus.”

Hooyoung wiped the sweat flowing down his hands on his clothes. He felt like he knew what was coming next. He knew what kind of choice a team usually makes when it comes to this point.

“The coach wants to trade Lee Taehoon.”

Huh? Hooyoung snapped his head up and looked at Suhwan with a surprised face. Taehoon, not me?

“It’s been quite a while since the team atmosphere soured, so it seems trade offers have been coming in little by little from several places. For both Lee Taehoon and Lee Hooyoung. But the coach is firmly stating that Lee Taehoon is the one to be traded.”

Hooyoung could not take his eyes off Suhwan. He could not believe it. He had thought that since they had given Taehoon all the patterns and tested all sorts of strategies on him, they would naturally want to keep Taehoon.

“Why would he be crazy enough to sell the first pick? I guess I don’t have to fire the coach.”

“What should I do?”

“Tell the general manager to put his life on the line and make the trade. Tell him to get it done within two days and submit a report.”

“Yes.”

Suhwan nodded and checked the time on his phone. It was Saturday afternoon now, so within two days meant submitting the report on Monday morning. The front office would have to pull all-nighters with their asses on fire, but that was none of his concern.

“And tell him to be prepared if word gets out that two players were on the table in that process.”

“Yes.”

“If the trade isn’t done properly and we don’t get good results this year, then next season, either the general manager gets fired or the Big Whales basketball team goes up for sale, one of the two.”

“I will relay that as well.”

What is happening? Why did it turn out like this? Hooyoung just blinked and looked ahead. But Junwook’s face was still icy. The sly smile he used to give him, the jokes, the affectionate gaze, none of it was there. In that moment, he realized. The situation was resolved with Junwook’s help, but a problem had arisen in their relationship. It was his fault.

In sports, the most valuable player is the one who succeeds in the clutch. Whether it’s basketball, soccer, or baseball, the player who delivers when you think, we just need one big play right now, has mostly risen to the rank of a star. Hooyoung always wanted to be that kind of player. A player who can read the flow of the game and make a shot at the most necessary moment. A player who can jump up without fear in the most intense moments. That kind of player was his dream.

Right now, Hooyoung felt like he had failed in the clutch. A player who takes a clutch shot is praised if he succeeds, but if he fails, he receives twice the criticism. It should be seen as not just criticism, but a barrage of blatant insults. The player has to accept the criticism pouring down on him and, at the same time, regret for a long, long time why he missed that chance, why that shot did not go in. For days, nights, and for a very long time.

Hooyoung, who had been making eye contact with Junwook, lowered his head again. It was hard to look straight into the eyes that were piercing through him.

“Lee Hooyoung.”

An answer did not come easily. Even in this situation, the cold tone he used to call him was upsetting. You’re really, really like a child.

“You said you hated being sponsored. You said it with your own mouth, right? That you hated it.”

That was still the case now. He hated it.

“But you were the one treating me like a sponsor. You had no intention of telling me anything, whether something happened or not, and just wanted to have sex.”

There was nothing wrong with what Junwook said. He did not want to talk about basketball, but he wanted to be comforted, so he clung to him and acted clingy. It was also true that he did not want to think about anything related to basketball, but he had no intention of sharing it with Junwook either. Because it was his own business. He remembered something Junwook had once said.

‘I don’t need a lover who doesn’t talk about himself and doesn’t lean on me.’

A wave of sorrow rose from deep within his stomach. It was not sorrow towards Junwook. It was just sorrow over why things had turned out this way, why he had acted so foolishly, why his personality was like this. He knew that the person who had the most influence on his basketball lately was Junwook, yet when it was truly important, he thought of Junwook and basketball separately. And he avoided it.

“You’re the one who ultimately turns our relationship into a sponsorship. What am I supposed to do when you say you want to do it?”

Suhwan, seeing Hooyoung’s face, which anyone could tell was welling up with emotion, was just reading the room. It seemed his work was done, and if they were going to have such a raw conversation, it seemed better for him to leave. Well, it was something he knew and expected to some extent. It was when Suhwan was about to slink away.

“Bae Suhwan.”

“Yes! Director-nim.”

With a sound of oops, Suhwan stood at attention.

“Did you greet Lee Hooyoung-ssi on your way here?”

“Ah, well, sort of? I saw him at the opening game too. Wow, he was incredibly good, you know? I became a fan instantly that day…”

Suhwan, with an awkward smile, said whatever came out of his mouth. The youngest son of a chaebol family, who had been coddled all his life, was usually easygoing and would say, it can happen, even if a mistake was made, but once he got angry, he was the type to be reckless. Of course, he would not trample all over that shivering little lamb Hooyoung over there, but if he made one wrong move, there was a high possibility he would get hurt.

“From now on, receive and report all information related to Lee Hooyoung-ssi that comes up from the team without leaving anything out.”

Yes, yes. Suhwan was about to nod his head and say he would be going now. Junwook, who was still looking only at Hooyoung, opened his mouth again.

“I have to do at least that much to be able to meet him.”

Aww, in the end. Suhwan crumpled his face and turned his head to Hooyoung, then was startled. A single tear, like a big drop of chicken poop, was falling from Hooyoung’s eye with a drip.

“Uh, then I’ll be going now. Please contact me if you have anything else for me to do.”

Haha, hahahaha. Suhwan laughed awkwardly and quickly left the house. He looked like he did not want to be there for even a moment longer.

Regardless of whether Suhwan left or not, Hooyoung just kept his head down and let the tears fall, drip, drip. He resented Junwook for having to say it like that, but he did not have the courage to look at him again.

“Why are you crying.”

The last time he cried, he held him and comforted him. Today, all he got was a blunt, why are you crying.

“What did you do right to be crying.”

He had not done anything right, only things wrong. He did not think to say what was going on and only wanted sex. He said he hated being treated like that, but it might be true that he was the one who treated Junwook like a sponsor instead. He tried to hold it back, but more tears fell with a pitter-patter. Why am I crying? I’m crying because I did wrong.

“…Because I didn’t do, anything right.”

At Hooyoung’s choked-up words, Junwook, who had been staring intently, let out a short, disbelieving laugh, huh. As he leaned back deeply into the sofa, his face seemed to have relaxed a little.

“For now, go upstairs and rest. Or take a nap.”

He desperately needed a rest. He was so tired he could fall asleep the moment he lay down.

“I’ll finish up my work and come right up.”

Hooyoung turned away listlessly. Junwook’s eyes followed him, but he was too scared to turn around and see what kind of expression he was wearing. He trudged up the stairs and took off his bag haphazardly. Lying alone in the bed where he had tumbled around with Junwook felt even more depressing, but he was not in a state to plead to be together right now.

Hooyoung flopped onto the bed, burying his face in the pillow. The words Junwook had said floated above his head.

‘You’re the one who ultimately turns our relationship into a sponsorship. What am I supposed to do when you say you want to do it?’

It had hit too close to home, so he could not even make an excuse. No, it might be more accurate to say he had nothing to say.

As Hooyoung was pouting into the pillow, his phone rang just then. If he had his way, he wanted to just ignore it, but in case it was the team or the coach, Hooyoung forced his body up. His exposed face was a mess with tear stains and tangled hair.

The message was not from the team or the coach, but from his grandmother’s hospital. Hooyoung slowly read the message, got up from the bed, and put on his bag again. The message said it would be good for him to visit the hospital regarding his grandmother’s affairs. It was actually for the better. He had been worried about how to face Junwook, who had said he would come up in a little while.

As Hooyoung came down the stairs again, he heard Junwook’s voice on the phone.

“Ah, I’ll handle it well, so don’t worry. Things like this happen. Ah, really, just worry about yourself, hyung. Worry about yourself.”

Thinking he should not interrupt the call with his hyung, Hooyoung decided to wait for a moment on the last step. It was always nice to see Junwook talking on the phone with his hyung. Even when he grumbled, it was easy to feel how much he liked his hyung.

“And since when did you care so much about basketball to call me right away like this? Anyone who sees this would misunderstand and think you wanted the sports team but I snatched it away. Ah, I’m just saying. Does it hit a nerve? Is it true?”

Then Junwook, who was talking on the phone while slowly walking, spotted Hooyoung standing on the stairs. He frowned for a moment upon seeing him standing there with his bag on his shoulder, then raised a hand to signal him to wait a little. Hooyoung just nodded his head.

“I’ll handle it without any problems, so don’t worry. Ah what are you talking about, if I do well and change the team’s constitution, that’s also a harvest for this year. And don’t you and I both know we shouldn’t be meddling in things like that? Why are you overreacting?”

It seemed to be because of what happened today. He did not want to, but Hooyoung automatically became sullen. To think that the team that was told they would make it to the championship finals if they did well was now being told that just changing the team’s constitution was a harvest.

“If you know so much and are so frustrated, why don’t you try playing yourself? Ah, you said you played some basketball, right? Anyway, I’ll make sure there’s nothing to worry about, so just watch. I’m hanging up. I’m busy.”

Sheesh, what an overreaction. If he’s going to monitor every single thing, he should just not assign the work in the first place. After hanging up, Junwook threw his phone onto the sofa, venting all sorts of frustration to himself. Even that, Hooyoung felt was his fault, so he could only shrink further into himself.

“Why did you come down.”

Junwook strode over to Hooyoung with heavy steps.

“…I thought I should go.”

Junwook’s face hardened rapidly.

“Where? What, did the team call you?”

“No, it’s not that.”

Honestly, the message from the hospital was an excuse. It was not a request to come right away because it was urgent, but a message saying they would appreciate a visit sometime soon, but his desire to leave this house was strong. He was a little scared to keep seeing Junwook, and a little burdened as well. The feeling of helplessness that he could not become the person Junwook wanted came to him with unusual strength today.

“Then where.”

Junwook asked with an attitude that said he would not let him go unless he told him honestly.

“I got a message from my grandmother’s hospital asking me to come… It’s been a while since I’ve seen my grandmother, too.”

Today, he wanted to be by his grandmother’s side. Although she could not even hold his hand once, today he needed his grandmother more than Junwook.

“It’s true… Should I show you the text?”

Junwook just looked at him with a displeased expression without saying anything. He could say he would go tomorrow, but Hooyoung steeled his heart. He needed time to be alone.

“I’ll get the car keys, so wait.”

“What? No, no! I can go by myself! If I take the bus from here, it only takes an hour!”

Hooyoung, surprised by the sudden words, protested, but Junwook ignored him and brought the car keys.

“You’re going to take the bus with your face plastered all over the sports news? Forget it and follow me.”

That was also true, so Hooyoung, with a tearful face, followed behind Junwook.

By Junwook’s car, it took less than thirty minutes to get to the hospital. But to Hooyoung, that short time felt as uncomfortable as three or four hours. Junwook just drove silently, making it obvious that he was displeased, and I was also busy just watching his expression. This was why I wanted to go alone, I do not know why he said he would take me. But it was not like he was in a position to refuse, saying he did not want to or that it was okay.

“Contact me after you’re done at the hospital.”

“…I’m planning to sleep next to my grandmother tonight.”

At those words, Junwook’s face turned even more grim.

“You’re really getting on my nerves today.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Do you think I wanted to hear that right now…”

Junwook, as if suppressing his anger by himself, stopped talking and tapped the steering wheel with his fingers, then forced his voice to calm down and opened his mouth. I wish I did not know, but it was obvious.

“You’re saying you’ll go to the dorm tomorrow.”

“Yes.”

“If I say I’ll come pick you up.”

…He could not refuse, but it was not a story he particularly liked.

“Take a taxi to the dorm.”

“…Okay.”

“Don’t try to lie. Take a taxi. Got it? If it’s a lie, tell me now. I’ll have someone bring your car here.”

“No, I’ll take one.”

Hooyoung quickly bowed his head in farewell and got out of the car. He was so tearfully grateful to the hospital that had sent the message just in time. Today, I’ll hold my grandmother’s hand and cry my eyes out, then sleep next to her. My body might be uncomfortable, but my heart will be the most at ease.

As he opened the hospital’s revolving door and went inside, he could see Junwook’s car still parked by the window, but he had no desire to look back. It was a mess.