NHL 29

After finishing his payment, Joeon put on his coat, came outside, and looked up at the black sky before taking out his cell phone. After sending a short message, his footsteps crunched across the ground, which was frozen solid and covered in a thin layer of ice. His silhouette disappeared in a direction completely different from the subway station.

⛸️

After exchanging congratulations and encouragement for ending the exhausting 60-minute game with a victory, the players shared their joy with the audience. Young baby spectators, who had just learned to toddle and could not even run, let alone skate, wore loose-fitting uniforms and sat on their parents’ shoulders, joyfully waving both hands in the air.

For their sake, it was a relief that the game ended earlier than usual. If there were frequent penalties or if the game went into overtime, the game time would inevitably get longer, but today was thanks to both teams playing a clean game.

The position of the player with the most contributions naturally went to the star forward, Kevin, who had accumulated the most points with a hat trick. Dylan, who was on a different line from him, only managed to score a small number of points with just one assist.

Ever since he officially debuted in the highest-level league at the young age of just over twenty, he had consistently shown good results for several years, raising his salary, but since his injury, he had been somewhat inconsistent, and achievements like scoring in several consecutive games were not properly continuing.

It was premature to call it a slump. However, it was certain that he was not properly meeting the head coach’s expectations. His coordination with his linemates also often faltered. A game cannot be played alone anyway, and if he was not in sync with his linemates, it was difficult to lead to a goal, so it was natural for a slump and a lack of teamwork to be connected.

Still, relieved by the fact that he had accumulated points in another game, he passed through the hallway and headed to the locker room. Exhilarating music celebrating the victory was flowing from inside. Staff holding cell phones, broadcast cameras, and so on. There were many eyes watching. Dylan revealed his neat teeth and smiled at the camera. The intense gaze of the reporter, Emily, who was standing next to him, followed his face, but today there were many players who had scored more points than Dylan, so there was not going to be an interview opportunity.

As soon as he handed his stick and gloves to a staff member and entered the locker room, players who had thrown off their uniform tops caught his eye. Dylan followed their lead, unfastening all the suffocating pads that bound his body and tossing his sweat-drenched innerwear and uniform into the laundry cart. Right next to him, his linemate Jackson, half-naked, was performing a lewd dance, swirling his uniform in the air and suggestively rotating his hips. The atmosphere inside the locker room heated up.

“Everyone worked hard, and thank you for showing us a good game today. We have been busy because of the game schedule, so let’s take tomorrow off and see each other at morning practice the day after.”

Everyone cheered at the head coach’s decision. Dylan went straight into the training room to loosen his muscles. As he had a routine that he had repeated for a long time, it was not a task that required concentration, nor did he spend a lot of time on it.

As such, Dylan’s gaze was unfocused, like someone whose soul had left them, and withered like a dried-up, dead houseplant.

“Hey.”

At the touch on his shoulder, he turned his head, and Jackson asked with a peculiar expression.

“What is wrong?”

“What?”

“You are out of it, man.”

When Dylan just shrugged his shoulders and did not respond, Jackson threw something at him.

“Is this your cell phone? It was on the floor, I almost stepped on it.”

As soon as he saw it, Dylan stopped what he was doing and immediately checked his phone.

“Just so you know, I just picked up what had already fallen, so if there are any scratches, it is not my fault…”

Jackson, who had been rambling on, looked to the side and exclaimed in surprise.

“Where did that bastard go so fast?”

His linemate was already gone.

A car that had traveled a short distance at high speed entered the parking lot and came to a stop in its familiar designated spot. The driver’s desire not to waste time on precise parking was evident in the way the car was parked crookedly in the space. The man in a shirt who got out of the car took the elevator and immediately pressed the button to go up to the lobby.

The ornate and bright lights hanging from the high ceiling illuminated the interior as if it were daytime. As he looked around the lobby, the brightest spot immediately caught his eye. Although he had a black coat and black hair, for some reason, the spot where he was sitting was so dazzling it was as if a spotlight were shining on it. Dylan hurried toward that familiar back.

He had showered in a rush and left in a hurry, worried about making him wait long, so he had not even had time to put on cologne. He regretted that fact belatedly.

“Hello, Joeon.”

The man, who had been sitting politely with a straight posture on the lobby sofa, slowly turned his head. The trivial movements passed by slowly, as if in slow motion. Dylan saw the neat face that greeted him with a smile and secretly raised the corners of his mouth. His eyes, which had been so empty just a moment ago, were now filled with a warm emotion.

“Hello, Dylan. I am sorry for showing up so suddenly.”

“Not at all. Shall we go up first?”

Dylan guided Joeon to the elevator, avoiding the eyes of the concierge staff who were very interested in the residents’ private lives. He only opened his mouth after they were alone.

“It has been a while.”

“It has. Have you been well?”

“Of course. And you?”

“I have been a little busy with work. I am sorry I could not come see the game. Ah, and congratulations on the win.”

“Thank you. Did you watch the game?”

“Yes, only the latter part.”

They had only been apart for a little over ten days, but when the conversation broke off, an awkwardness suddenly filled the space between them. Joeon scratched his reddened cheek with his finger and stared at his reflection in the opaque elevator wall. He had been confident that he was of average height, but standing next to Dylan’s large frame, which was outside the category of an ordinary person, he felt like a child.

More than that, Dylan’s strange quietness today was on his mind. When he discreetly observed him, he saw that the corners of his mouth, which were always slightly upturned, had settled down quietly.

He was staring at the electronic display inside the elevator, eagerly waiting for the red number to change to PH. His gaze also occasionally swept over the security camera in the corner of the elevator ceiling.

Even in the midst of that, he was uncannily aware of the gaze directed at him, and he even showed the composure to smile at Joeon.

“Shall I ask for permission in advance today?”

“For what?”

“May I kiss you.”

“……”

Beep, beep, the signal sound the elevator made every time the floor changed sounded as if it were counting down the seconds. However, before it could repeat ten times, they arrived at their destination, and the two of them passed through the hallway and stopped in front of the entrance to Dylan’s home. Dylan, who was taking out his key from his pocket, said, “Um,” and then, holding the key in one hand, turned to look at Joeon.

“What is it?”

Then, without any explanation, he pulled Joeon’s waist and devoured his lips. The sound of their two breaths stopped for a moment. The signs of their presence that had filled the hallway changed to the sound of wet contact.

“I tried to hold back, but I could not. Time is up.”

Every time Dylan changed the angle, Joeon gasped for the breath he had been holding and whispered in a voice so small that only he could hear.

“Wait, hey, um, we are still in the hallway.”

“No one is here.”

“Still, we should go inside first…”

“Damn it.”

Dylan, still holding Joeon, spun around halfway, pushed him against the door, and then tried to find the keyhole. But since he was focused on something else, there was no way the key would go in properly. After unpleasantly scratching the area near the keyhole with the innocent key, he finally tried to force the key in, and Joeon lightly stopped him.

“You are going to break the key like that. Calm down.”

“I cannot.”

“Move aside.”

Joeon pushed Dylan away, took the key from him, and opened the door for him. As soon as Dylan closed and locked the door, before he even changed his shoes, he threw off his clothes and lunged at him even more passionately. His bag tumbled to the floor, and Joeon’s coat covered it like a shed skin. Dylan’s hand had already pulled his shirt out of his pants and begun to explore his bare waist, and his lips sucked at the thin skin of his neck as if to tear and eat it.

“Slo-slowly. Ah, and do not bite.”

“I cannot do that either.”

“Dylan, wait a minute. Why are you so… today.”

“You…”

Dylan’s hot voice, as he finally pulled his lips away, fell onto his shoulder, which was clearly visible in the darkness.

“You made me this way.”

“What did I do.”

“You avoided me as if you would never see me again.”

“What?”

“Was I wrong?”

“…It is not like that. I was really busy. I had to do the closing… My work is particularly busy at this time of year.”

“……”

Dylan, who had been briefly leaning his forehead on Joeon’s shoulder, let out a deep sigh and pulled his partner’s waist tightly. Joeon tilted his body and let himself be held meekly by him.

“…I thought you were regretting that night.”

This was something Joeon had not expected at all. He thought that a confident and sociable person like Dylan would not have any worries when it came to human relationships. It was both strange and amusing that the person he had believed to be like that was worrying about him of all people, over something so out of the blue.

Instead of pushing Dylan away to hide his ears, which must have turned red from his lack of control, Joeon meekly buried his face in his collarbone. The arm that had invaded under his clothes and wrapped around his back tightened, and the distance between them narrowed so much that there was no gap left. Instead of a kiss that resembled an explosion, his frozen body slowly melted in the embrace that warmly kindled a fire.

“I missed you.”

Dylan pressed his lips firmly against the soft hair and stared out the distant window with darkened eyes. In the darkness, his face looked as dazed as before, but he was definitely conscious now. In fact, his mind was racing faster than at any other time today.

Because he was contemplating how to make the person who, in the end, would not deny that they regretted it, completely his.

“…You do not smell like the cologne you usually wear today.”

Joeon’s whisper broke the silence, which was filled only with the sound of rough breathing. Dylan slowly backed away and answered.

“I am sorry. I was in such a hurry that I ran over without even showering properly. Do I smell?”

Although he often showered during intermissions to cool off, today he added a little lie to subtly show just how rushed he had been. Since all he had done after the game was wash off the sweat with soap, there was some truth mixed in as well.

“You do?”

The unguarded Joeon moved closer and gently nuzzled his nose against Dylan’s neck. He had just finished such a rough workout, so he should have smelled of sweat, but all he smelled was the faint scent of fabric softener soaked into his skin. His natural scent, mixed with his body odor, was also like the raw smell of the inner flesh when you peel off tree bark.