NHL 6

The center of gravity, which had been bouncing around, was suddenly pulled outward by centrifugal force. The world spun round and round. And in the middle of it all was Dylan’s face.

He executed a smooth and gentle turn, like a certain skater who was said to be a living legend in the figure skating world. Since there were two people, not one, it was closer to ice dancing than figure skating. It was an unexpected waltz in the middle of winter.

Joeon had no choice but to press as close as possible to his partner to avoid stumbling or falling. After a few more smooth turns following the expert lead, the spinning world suddenly came to a stop.

“Haha. You have to be careful. You might end up sprawled between my legs again.”

Even though he was wearing a thick padded jacket, a chill went down Joeon’s spine at the low voice echoing by his ear. His joke sounded like it had a double meaning.

Perhaps because he was aware that he wasn’t the type with a great sense of humor, Joeon thought that other people might have taken the joke differently. This time, however, he retorted with a joke of his own, feigning nonchalance.

“I know. If you don’t teach me properly, that could really happen.”

Dylan’s shoulders didn’t push back any further. He was angling the blades of his skates to brake. When Joeon looked up at Dylan with a quizzical expression, he saw a sculpted face devoid of its earlier smile. Chilly eyes swept over his face.

Joeon worried that he might have misspoken. Indeed, from a teacher’s perspective, it might be absurd for him to say he would just sprawl out, when he should be determined not to fall. Flustered, Joeon quickly added.

“Oh, I mean, of course I absolutely won’t do that.”

For some reason, Dylan’s eyebrows furrowed at those words.

“Absolutely?”

“Yes. Absolutely.”

Hmm. Rubbing his chin with the back of his hand, he stepped further back and held out his hand.

“Never say never. You never know what can happen in life.”

When Joeon took his hand, Dylan didn’t turn backward but stood facing the same direction as Joeon.

“Alright, then, I won’t hold you like before.”

“Pardon?”

“Shall we try holding just one hand this time?”

Skating side by side was much more difficult than Joeon had imagined.

When Dylan stood in front and held him, his center of gravity was pulled toward him, allowing him to move forward with the force of Dylan’s pull.

He had felt secure knowing that if an emergency arose, Dylan would have opened his arms to catch him like a moment ago, and then he could have stopped easily without getting hurt. It was because he had faith and trust in Dylan.

But when skating side by side, he could no longer rely entirely on his teacher to hold him. His unstable center of gravity kept Joeon on edge.

Despite this, he looked at Joeon, who was trying his best to match Dylan’s speed without a single word of complaint, with an appreciative gaze.

“You’re doing well. If you feel your body leaning forward, speed up a little more.”

“I’m scared I’ll fall again.”

“Once you get your balance, you can just slow down again.”

Dylan continued to skate with Joeon while giving him advice. He kept his arm stretched out wide to the side, just in case their skate blades might hit each other. Though it must have been cumbersome, he insisted on the new position.

“John, but do you know something?”

Joeon waited for the words that would follow, but when Dylan said nothing more, he turned his head to look for him. Dylan was standing a short distance away, waving both hands in the air.

“Huh? Huh?”

Joeon immediately snapped his head forward. He could hear Dylan’s light voice as he skated in circles beside him, performing steps with ease.

“You’re skating well on your own now without holding my hand. Very well done. You learn really fast, don’t you?”

“What did you say?”

Joeon, retorting in a tone of disbelief, moved his legs with all his might. Every time he lost his balance, he had to flap his arms like wings, but he was going too fast and had no choice but to keep moving forward. He didn’t know how to stop proficiently yet. After going several more meters like that, Joeon finally spoke.

“No, I want to stop, I’m going to stop. This is hard. Stop… help me stop. Please?”

“Try it on your own.”

As if to tease him, Dylan danced, carving a smooth S-shape on the ice that was like a blank sheet of white paper. If it weren’t for his large build, one might have guessed he was someone who had trained in figure skating for a long time, not hockey.

“Can’t you just grab me? Please? I feel like I’m going to fall.”

“Don’t be scared. You’re doing fine.”

“Dylan!”

Only when Joeon cried out desperately did the shhhk, shhhk sound of blades cutting through the ice become audible. Dylan, now standing in front of him, blocked his path and grabbed his shoulders, bringing his body, which had become as stiff as a block of wood, to a halt. Perhaps from skating so hard, Joeon’s terrified eyes were as bloodshot as his flushed cheeks.

“I’m going to stop now. I can’t do this.”

At the declaration of surrender, uttered with ragged breaths, Dylan’s expression, as he stood there silently, turned quite serious. He soothed Joeon in a low, quiet voice.

“Is it because I was teasing you? I’m sorry. Still, don’t give up.”

His expression changed to that of an uncle placating a pouting nephew. With his wrist still caught in the grasp of the man who kept trying to console him, Joeon exclaimed.

“That’s not it…. I don’t even run normally. I’m exhausted to death!”

“Ah…”

Dylan burst out laughing.

“It’s time for ice resurfacing. Everyone, please exit the rink.”

Just then, an announcement from a staff member was heard. Dylan supported the exhausted Joeon and headed for the gate. As soon as he managed to reach a bench after walking over the rubber mats laid on the floor, Joeon plopped down.

He was completely worn out from just a little skating. One look at Joeon was enough to see how stiff a person’s body becomes when they are tense. The moment he relaxed, he became as limp as an invertebrate. Joeon himself was surprised by the stark contrast in the state of his muscles.

The heat rising from his body made him hastily take off his padded jacket, and sweat trickled down his back. Steam was rising from his body and the muscles in his legs were cramping, a testament to how hard he had exercised.

“You’ll catch a cold like that. Keep this on, at least.”

Dylan stopped gathering his own bag and draped the padded jacket, which had slipped from Joeon’s shoulders, back over him. Then, with practiced skill, he took off his skates. After changing into his work boots in an instant, he sat on the floor and placed his hands on Joeon’s skates.

“It’s okay, I’ll do it.”

“Just untie the other one. We still have more to do.”

“More to do? What else is there?”

Since Dylan wouldn’t say more, Joeon silently changed into his snow boots. Even standing on the ground in flat shoes without skate blades, he still felt as if he would slip if he stood on his tiptoes. His body, having adapted to the ice rink, still only remembered the friction of the ice. It was a strange feeling.

After brushing all the ice from the blades and putting the skates in his bag, Joeon looked up at Dylan and adjusted his beanie.

“What do you mean, there’s more to do?”

Dylan tilted his head with a look that said he was asking the obvious.

“Aren’t you going to pay the lesson fee?”

“…”

One, Dylan was not smiling. This meant it probably wasn’t a joke. He really meant for him to pay a lesson fee.

Two, Tyler had said he was a pro, probably an athlete. If that was true, his annual salary must be quite high. Having taken up the time of such an impressive person, the fee would likely be considerable, even calculated at an hourly rate.

Three, Joeon was an ordinary citizen who earned a living from a monthly salary. Considering that the finances of a third-year employee who had just passed the newly-hired stage were not particularly abundant, it seemed he would have to tighten his belt for the rest of the month after paying Dylan’s lesson fee.

“I… uh, how much should I… In cash?”

After finishing his internal conflict, Joeon hesitantly asked about the going rate, and Dylan’s eyes crinkled as he burst out laughing. He laughed so hard he clutched his stomach, drawing the stares of the people changing their skates nearby. Flustered, Joeon pulled his beanie down and covered his mouth with his muffler.

“John, you’re really…”

Wiping away the tears that had formed in the corners of his eyes, Dylan finally composed himself and straightened his back. Even without skates on, he was a full head taller than Joeon.

“Cute. You’re so quirky, you remind me of Lucas.”

“Who?”

“My nephew. He’s five, though.”

“What? Your nephew….”

Was he saying he was like a five-year-old kid right now? Just as he was about to argue in disbelief, Dylan turned Joeon by the shoulders and pushed him from behind.

“Come on, let’s go! To collect the lesson fee.”

The soft crunching sounds of the two men’s footsteps echoed as they walked side by side toward the main road. The street was lined with quaint houses decorated with reindeer, Santas on sleighs, and nativity scenes in their front yards, all wrapped in warm-colored string lights.

There were houses built with red bricks, common in fairy tales, and houses clad in white wooden planks that looked like they might blow away in the wind.

These days, quite a few modern houses built with a rectangular frame had also appeared, reviving a more contemporary feel. After passing a block of townhouses that were identical in appearance, they reached a main road.

“Where are we going?”

“We’re here. Student first.”

Dylan held the door open and gestured inside with a nod of his head. The place he had taken Joeon to was a Tim Hortons. Although it was a café that represented Canada, its extremely low prices were both a strength and a weakness. Around this time of year, homeless people escaping from the cold would often beg for money, holding out Tim Hortons paper cups. However, perhaps because it was late, the inside of the shop was quite quiet.

“What would you like to drink? My nephew likes hot chocolate. Once kids get a taste of something sweet, they can’t seem to get away from it.”

“Wait a minute.”

Oblivious to the fact that he had just been put on the same level as a five-year-old nephew, Joeon turned and grabbed Dylan’s arm. Dylan, who had been staring up at the menu, lowered his head.

“If what Dylan meant by a lesson fee was something like this, we should at least go to a different café than here….”