NHL 23

The car turned into a secluded forest of evergreen conifers, as if purposefully selecting only the most deserted roads. As the surroundings grew dim, Joeon sharpened his senses, staying wary of his surroundings.

“Dylan, where exactly are we going?”

“We’re almost there.”

The winding path, lined with trees dozens of meters high, was neatly paved. However, because Dylan’s car was so large, it felt narrow enough to be a problem if another car were to come from the opposite direction.

The car’s speed slowed rapidly as brick pillars that looked like signposts began to appear. Only after approaching them did Joeon realize what they were.

They were the pillars of a gate equipped with a security system to prevent unauthorized vehicles from entering. It looked as if it had been built recently, as it was as clean as new, without any moss or fading.

Dylan stopped the car in front of it and rolled down the driver-side window. As he held his card to the black scanner, the gate opened with a mechanical noise, welcoming the two.

However, the car had to drive for quite a while longer even after passing the gate. This was the first time Joeon had seen a house with such a long driveway.

Finally, when the car slowed to a complete stop, Joeon rubbed his eyes, unable to believe what he was seeing before him.

“…Dylan, is this your house?”

“It’s my parents’ house. As I said, my parents are currently in Puerto Rico, so I’m the only one here. I’m also checking to see if there’s anything that needs attention.”

“I thought your parents lived in Midtown.”

Joeon asked, recalling the day he had accidentally reunited with Dylan. This was because he remembered Dylan saying he had his parents’ home nearby when he met him again at the public ice rink near his house.

“That’s right. They live in that neighborhood now, but after retiring, they wanted to live a bit more leisurely, so they started building this house. It just so happens that construction finished recently, so the family has been visiting by turns to check on things.”

Dylan explained the situation simply as he got out of the car. Carrying his arms full of items bought at the grocery store, he pointed to the house with a nod.

“Come on in. I’ll show you around the interior.”

“Is it alright for me to come in?”

“Of course. I’m inviting you in, after all.”

While taking some of his load, Joeon could not hide his bewildered expression. His conscience pricked at the thought of being invited into someone else’s home without any preparation.

If he had known this would happen, he should have bought something as a gift at the grocery store. Though, in the first place, he hadn’t imagined Dylan would invite him to his new house.

However, since his curiosity was strong enough to overcome his conscience, he followed Dylan without a word. Before Dylan opened the door, he looked back at Joeon for a moment, putting him under unnecessary pressure.

“You’re the first guest.”

“Well, I… I should have bought something….”

“You don’t need to worry about things like that at all.”

“Then…. Excuse me.”

As Joeon stepped hesitantly into the foyer, Dylan replied with a playful air.

“Welcome.”

Opening a door slightly larger than those in ordinary houses, a wide-open foyer came into view at once. A long hallway extended from it, and at the end, a portion of the drawing room could be glimpsed. To the right of the entrance, a small den was prepared, designed so that one could sit on a bench to change shoes comfortably and check their appearance in front of a full-length mirror.

Joeon hung his coat and stored his shoes in what looked like a changing room, then changed into slippers. In the meantime, Dylan moved the groceries to the kitchen.

“This is a really nice house.”

Following him inside, Joeon’s eyes explored the surroundings incessantly. Sculptures and frames that provided accents to the neatly painted walls, and bright-colored wooden furniture unified with a similar feel, gave the house a warm atmosphere.

As Dylan had explained, it hadn’t been long since the house was built, so there wasn’t a large amount of furniture. Gaps existed in every space, giving a sense of emptiness in some corners.

Arriving at the end of the hallway, Joeon slowly looked around the spacious drawing room. A fireplace was installed in the corner, and it wasn’t just an imitation; it was a real one connected to a chimney.

On one side of the wall next to it, an elongated panoramic window provided a clear view of the backyard. Because there was still snow piled up, he couldn’t fully grasp the landscaping hidden underneath, but he could certainly tell it was large enough to play ball in.

It was a house he couldn’t buy even if he saved every penny of his meager salary for his entire life. The gap was so vast that he didn’t even feel a sense of inferiority. It was just a sense of surprise that he’d actually lived long enough to see a house like this.

Then, he suddenly wondered why Dylan had brought him here.

“Wait, Dylan. Weren’t we going to the ice rink?”

Dylan, who had come up close behind Joeon as he stood by the panoramic window, placed a large palm on the shoulder of Joeon, who was wearing only a thin knit sweater. The heat and weight transferred to him pressed down firmly on Joeon. The moment he tensed his shoulders, Dylan smiled brightly and used his grip on Joeon’s shoulder to turn him around.

“Do you see that?”

A warm whisper was transmitted from Dylan’s lips, which had come close to his ear. Joeon’s eyes widened as he examined the corner of the backyard where his gaze was directed. There was a facility with a white fence that would at least come up to his waist, built in a circle.

“No way…. Is that an ice rink?”

“Yes. It’s just us two today.”

Exciting, right? Dylan, who asked that, looked even more excited.

“Wait, there’s something we need to do before we go.”

Dylan said that and grabbed Joeon, who had been shining with eyes as if he were about to run out to the ice immediately. Joeon followed behind him and stepped down the spiral staircase.

The lower floor was a ground-level area where one could go straight out to the backyard, as is the case with most houses. Since the mansion itself was built on slightly sloping land, there didn’t seem to be a risk of flooding, but the ground floor, which connected directly to the backyard, could easily become an entry point for bugs if one wasn’t careful.

Fortunately, the new McClain mansion was somewhat removed from such worries. The marble on the floor was so smooth and brightly white that it looked as if even bugs would be afraid to step on it.

The lower floor seemed to be a space solely for enjoying leisure. On one side, a home bar and a pool table were installed, and the fluffy, wide sofa—which looked more comfortable than most beds—and the giant screen were reminiscent of a typical playroom.

Dylan didn’t show much interest in that side and walked through the hallway behind the home bar. It stretched straight and had several doors, and the place they arrived at was the last room at the very end of the hall. When he thought that the door was much wider and larger than the others, Dylan opened it wide to show him the interior.

It was a room that resembled a professional team’s locker room. The place exhibited Dylan’s hockey history just like a museum.

From the uniforms, helmets, skates, sticks, and protective gear Dylan wore in his childhood. The size of the uniforms with different colors and patterns grew larger as they went to the right, and at the end, they changed into the official uniform of the Toronto Polar Bears he currently played for.

“Are these all uniforms and equipment you wore?”

“Yes. My parents kept them without throwing them away, and I’m storing them here.”

Dylan led Joeon in, hiding a smile as if secretly embarrassed.

“More than that, sit here.”

Joeon sat on the long bench in the middle of the room and just watched blankly as Dylan brought over an armful of equipment. Although Joeon was still a layman when it came to hockey, it clearly looked like hockey equipment no matter how he looked at it.

“Hmm. This should be about right, right?”

Dylan, who was kneeling on one knee in front of Joeon with the equipment on the floor, took off Joeon’s slippers and mumbled to himself while placing his own hand on the sole of Joeon’s foot. It seemed he was guessing the size.

“A comfortable 8 to 8.5 should be enough. They don’t fit perfectly anyway.”