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There was nothing like the thrill of a well-fought victory on the ice.
Playing professional hockey had been Mingi’s dream since he could hold a stick, begging his parents for his own skates after the first time they took him ice skating. Years later, Mingi had been drafted into the developmental league, a challenging yet attainable pathway to the majors. What he lacked in speed and finesse he made up with in size and strength, pushing himself to the limits each and every game.
Winning was always better than losing, his teammates rushing together on the ice to embrace and celebrate a successful win. While he wasn’t chosen as the player of the game that night, Mingi still managed to lift his stick in appreciation during his lap around the rink’s perimeter, thanking the fans for their support and cheers through all three periods.
Once back in the locker room, Mingi made plans for a bite and drink at a nearby dive bar with a few other players, quickly changing to get there before it was too late to order his favorite food. All he needed was his wallet and he’d be all set, ready to have a fun and relaxing evening after a hard-played game.
***
While Mingi never considered himself the most put together person he knew, he certainly didn’t think he was as careless as the night before, waking up to find that he did indeed only bring his wallet home the night before, phone completely missing in action. With no way to contact anyone to check to see if he had lost it while out with his friends, he figured it’d be best to check the locker room at the arena first before retracing any additional steps.
After a brief drive from his home to the arena, Mingi parked in the secluded underground garage for the building, heading to the usual entrance. Waving a quick hello to the security station as he checked in, Mingi made his way down the hallway to the arena’s practice rink, stopping at the managerial desk to greet his favorite employee.
“Jongho!” Mingi smiled wide, palm hitting the well-worn brass bell placed on the surface. “It’s me!”
“What did you forget this time?” Jongho deadpanned, barely glancing up from behind the computer monitor that mostly obscured his stature from the other side of the desk.
“Me, forget something?” Mingi scoffed, folding his arms across his chest as he turned his back to the other man. “What if I just came by to say hello?”
“You have a scheduled practice tomorrow and you’re never here unless you have to be,” Jongho glanced up, watching Mingi carefully as he turned back to snatch a piece of hard candy from the bowl next to Jongho’s nameplate. “What is it this time, your wallet? Skates? Did San manage to get himself stuck in there overnight?”
“That was one time,” Mingi reminded the other with a proud smile on his face. “He won that dare.”
“That was a classic,” Jongho managed a smile as well, always in on the jokes the team liked to play out.
“I promise I’ll be in and out in a few minutes,” Mingi tapped the desk, snatching the keyring from Jongho’s hook on the edge before heading towards the locker room.
“Mingi, there’s already someone—”
“Thank you!” Mingi waved off the rest of Jongho’s statement, heading back down the hall to the team’s lockers, greeting the few members of the arena’s staff as he passed. Once at the room’s entrance, Mingi slotted the key in the knob before realizing the room was already accessible, shrugging as he shoved the ring in his pocket to return.
Taking a look around the room, Mingi noticed his locker slightly ajar, canvas fabric caught in the corner preventing it from shutting completely. After a quick readjustment of the lock and door, Mingi freed the stuck bag, checking to make sure his phone was inside before rearranging the remaining contents of the locker in order to shut it properly, spinning the lock dial just in case.
With all missing belongings accounted for, Mingi scanned the room in case he had improperly stored any other items, eyes falling on an unused locker with an unfamiliar lock on it. While it wasn’t unusual for the team to acquire new talent without notifying all players, Mingi wondered to himself who could be in the arena right after a played game if Jongho didn’t inform him of any changes.
Immediately forgetting to keep that thought in mind, Mingi simply shrugged, hoisting his bag over his shoulder. While his phone barely had a few percent of battery life left, Mingi scrolled quickly through his notifications, noticing messages piling up from his teammate, San. Not wanting to deal with a reply until he was out of the rink and on the way back to his car, he slid the device back in his pocket, made his way out of the locker room and headed back to say a quick goodbye to Jongho.
As if he had forgotten he was only visiting the rink to pick up his missing items, Mingi’s feet automatically lead him down to the practice rink itself, bright lights illuminating the entire small space. Craning his neck to see what player had decided to pop in for an off-day practice, Mingi watched as a flash of shaggy blond hair sped around the edge of the rink, tight black practice outfit accentuating lean muscles of the man’s legs.
Mingi didn’t think any of the other guys were into figure skating.
While the hockey player internally debated which of his teammates would be best suited for a double life as a figure skater, the mystery man came to a stop at the edge of the rink near Mingi, voice deeper than expected.
“Why are you staring?”
Looking up from the ice in a panic, Mingi gulped as he faced the other skater head-on, watching the blond push his bangs away from his piercing eyes.
“Me?” Mingi cleared his throat, searching the room for a better excuse. “I wasn’t staring.”
“That wasn’t staring?” The enigma of a skater barely moved an inch as he kept his line of sight directly on Mingi.
“No,” Mingi replied definitively. “I’m just looking at the ice.”
“The ice?”
“Yes, the ice.”
“What about it?”
Challenged by the stern tone from the other man, Mingi bit his bottom lip, chewing over multiple excuses he could give that sounded more reasonable than I think what you’re doing is so impressive. (And maybe something other than Oh my god, I didn’t realize how good someone could look in those outfits.)
“I’m… checking it,” Mingi nodded to himself, motioning across the short wall of the rink, “to see if it’s cold enough.”
The figure skater was too stunned to speak.
“Looks good!” Mingi firmly slapped the rink’s wall, forcing a huge grin across his face. “Nice and frozen, just the way we like to see it.”
Blinking once with a shake of his head, the other skater slowly moved backwards on the ice, acting as if Mingi had grown an extra head or started to speak in complete gibberish.
“Hey, wait!” Mingi tried to wave him over, visibly deflating as the blond man began to speed skate away. Afraid that he had lost a chance to make a new friend, Mingi collected his belongings, taking his phone out of his pocket to notice two new missed calls from San. As he tried to type a quick message to his teammate, the unknown skater readied himself for an impressive jump, landing perfectly on the ice and leaving the hockey player in complete awe.
“Whoa.”
“Good, right?” Jongho suddenly appeared at Mingi’s side, leaning on the rink’s wall while he filled out some paperwork attached to a clipboard. “His manager asked if he could practice here while his usual rink undergoes some maintenance.”
“I’ve never seen someone like this practice here,” Mingi’s gaze followed the blond around the rink, mentally reminding himself not to clap at each magnificent trick the skater completed.
“Well, considering how you guys treat outsiders, this is a first,” Jongho chuckled, standing up straight. “Isn’t there some saying about hockey players and figure skaters?”
“I think it’s cool,” Mingi’s amazement flowed to his words, Jongho simply shaking his head in amusement.
“Why don’t you ask him if you can pick him up, you know, do a lift?” Jongho wiggled his eyebrows, giggling as Mingi turned to face him with an eager grin.
“Do you think he’d let me?” Mingi beamed in response to the younger’s joke, missing the entire point.
“Oh, Mingi,” Jongho reached up, patting the player on the head. “Be kind to our guest, okay? We don’t need you scaring him off.”
“But—” Mingi went to argue, interrupted by the twinkling notes of his ringtone with an adorable selca of San filling the entire screen.
“Tell San to behave, too,” Jongho turned to return to his place at his desk down the hall, leaving Mingi to peel himself away from the beautiful theatrics displayed by the man on the ice.
***
The next morning, Mingi came to practice ready.
For what? He wasn’t sure, but he had a full night of rest and managed to make a complete breakfast before leaving for the rink—a personal accomplishment. Once he arrived at the arena and got dressed in the locker room, Mingi felt a rush of excitement to get out on the ice flanked by his cherished teammates. While a pretty nameless boy owned the practice area the day before, Mingi claimed the room as his that day, using his fascination with the delicate moves of the mystery skater to fuel his drive.
Towards the end of one of their final practice runs, Mingi caught a glimpse of a familiar blond figure watching from the edge of the practice rink, finishing his series of moves with ease before making his way over to the other man. Playing up his confidence in the performance he displayed that morning, Mingi smirked as he peeled off his helmet, running his hand through his sweat-dampened locks.
“Enjoy the show?” Mingi asked, grinning at the figure skater who hadn’t moved from leaning against the half-wall.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the man offered in reply with a shrug, eyes cast down towards the ground. “It’s my turn to check and see if the ice is cold enough.”
Missing the playful smile pulling at the other’s lips, Mingi scoffed at the reply, rolling his eyes as he went to remove his gloves.
“Duh, of course it is,” Mingi explained in between the sound of velcro peeling. “How else would we practice—”
“Yeosang,” the mystery guy stood up straight, holding out his hand in an introduction, biting his lip to keep back a goofy laugh.
“Mingi,” he took Yeosang’s hand in his own, careful to observe the much more delicate nature of the other’s handshake. Yeosang wasn’t dressed in the outfit from the day before but in plain, everyday clothes that reminded Mingi that a life existed for everyone outside of the rink. His hair was more dynamic from up close, Mingi admiring the longer style peeking from behind the other’s ears. From his perspective, Yeosang wasn’t as intimidating as he seemed with skates on, but maybe his brain was playing tricks on him after a long practice.
“You came all this way just to look at the rink?”
“Yeah,” Yeosang shrugged as if the action was completely normal. “That, and other things.”
Mingi didn’t miss the mischievous smile paired with a wink this time, feeling patches of prickly blush spreading across his cheeks. Suddenly very aware that he was being flirted with, Mingi dropped his gloves and helmet to the ice, leaning on his elbow where Yeosang had been watching him from earlier.
“You know, we have a home game tomorrow night,” Mingi brushed his hair back again, wishing his style was as long as Yeosang’s so he could twirl a lock between his fingers. “That’s when the real show happens.”
“Is that a formal invitation?” Yeosang cocked an eyebrow, hand on one hip as he took a step forward, Mingi nearly jumping back from his current pose.
“I’ll have Jongho put your name down for a free ticket,” Mingi smiled.
“Sounds like a plan.”
Apparently enjoying his pull on Mingi’s reactions, Yeosang picked up his bag and turned to leave in one smooth movement, waiting until he was near the hall entrance to turn back and give Mingi another sweet smile. Once he had exited through the double steel doors, Mingi let out a deep sigh, head tilted to the sky as his shoulders slumped. His teammates had already left for the locker room, leaving him alone with his thoughts for even a brief moment.
“Who is this guy…”
“Didn’t I tell you to behave?”
Jongho appeared out of thin air as usual, a single bag of snacks in his hand. Mingi groaned at the sight of his friend, bending over to fetch his discarded belongings from earlier.
“I am behaving,” Mingi argued back, hands full of his gloves and helmet.
“Maybe you should focus on tomorrow’s game instead of flirting with our visitors, hm?” Jongho suggested, smiling as he ate another handful.
“He’s nice,” Mingi said.
“I know,” Jongho replied.
The two friends stared at each other in comfortable silence, only interrupted by the crunching of Jongho’s mouth.
“He’ll have a ticket waiting for him at the box office,” Jongho stated, patting Mingi on the shoulder before motioning to the locker room entrance. “Go.”
“Thank you!” Mingi gleefully exclaimed, waving to Jongho as he skated off the ice, hopeful to see Yeosang in the flesh again the next day.
***
Mingi had felt anxious before games previously, but nothing like the way he felt the next night. While he knew his feelings had nothing to do with the game itself, it was hard to explain that to anyone but San, so he gave up trying. All he knew he could do was take the day a minute at a time, gear up and be ready for whatever his teammates needed from him in the moment.
He daydreamed about Yeosang the entire afternoon and evening after the previous day’s practice. Whether it was replaying the fantastic jumps and twirls the blond performed on the ice or the way his hand felt in Mingi’s firm grip, he couldn’t get enough of imagining what could come out of their chance meeting.
To pull himself back to reality, Mingi reminded himself that sure, he had invited others to his games before, but they didn’t always show. As it was, Yeosang didn’t usually visit the area as he was only using their rink out of pure necessity, so there was always a chance he could back out. If he couldn’t make the game, Mingi would have to understand and go about the three periods as he normally would—playing for a win for his city and team.
“Why don’t you text him?” San asked as they finished getting ready for the game in their locker room. “If he’s as sweet as you say, I’m sure he’d give you an honest answer.”
“I don’t have his number,” Mingi admitted with a sigh. “Our conversations have been… short.”
“Makes sense,” San giggled. “I can’t believe you managed a verbal invitation.”
“Yeah…” Mingi grabbed his helmet, checking the strap.
“I also can’t believe he gave you the time of day,” San laughed again, ducking out of the way as Mingi reached for his arm. “Our cute little Mingi, flirting with the figure skater…”
“Hey!” Mingi tried to hide his rosy cheeks, watching as San easily evaded his reach. “He’s amazing!”
“I bet he is,” San smiled, nudging Mingi’s side once he felt safe to stand near him again. “Just so amazing. Does he have any friends?”
Before Mingi could remind San that he and Yeosang were still simply strangers, the team captain was calling them all together for a final word before they’d be ushered out onto the ice, ready to put on a show for a nearly sold-out crowd.
Mingi crossed his fingers that at least one of those in the stands would be there for him only.
Warming up on the ice, Mingi focused his best on what was exclusively occurring on the rink. Sharpening the skills from the day before, he easily glided across the smooth surface, prepping for the next 60 minutes of game time. Once the teams were fully introduced and the first players were in position, Mingi switched completely into game-on mode, eyes narrowed and ready to make a name for himself as the best hockey player he could be. The visiting team wasn’t an official rival by any means, but Mingi knew better than to not take any competitor seriously, acting as if the season was on the line with this one game.
Maybe it had something to do with the possibility of Yeosang sitting in the crowd, too.
No one else could tell, but as Mingi would pass the area in which gifted seats were offered to friends of the players, he took an extra second to scan the group, searching for the pop of blond tresses. Without any success in finding the previous mystery man, Mingi gave up towards the end of the first period, not wanting to show any cracks in his confident persona he liked to play once in uniform. If Yeosang didn’t feel like coming to see him play, it was alright. How could his burly showmanship compare to what a figure skater could do with an elegant leap and twist of their body?
During the intermission after the first twenty minutes of play, Mingi gave himself a silent pep talk, rehydrating with his water bottle and listening to some pointers their coach needed to highlight after a scoreless period. Even San didn’t bother to ask what was keeping Mingi so quiet, offering an encouraging pat to his shoulder as the brief rest ended. As the team took the path back to the bench, Mingi listened to the roar of the crowd as colorful arena lights danced across the shimmering ice.
If only Yeosang was here to see if it was cold enough.
Refocused and ready to get his team on the board, Mingi took his position with his teammates, waiting for the first ripple of action. As soon as the puck hit the ice, he was off, flanking a player from the opposing team, stick in position to cut off any chance of a successful pass. Careful to not get tripped up by the other’s movements, Mingi floated close by, observing the upcoming curve in the glass wall at the end of the rink. Noticing as the puck was headed in the offensive player’s direction, Mingi spun to block the pass, unaware of another player to his left.
Anticipating a collision, Mingi turned his body another 90 degrees, opposing players checking him directly into the glass without a second thought. While moves on the ice were always played at double speed, Mingi suddenly saw the world in slow motion during the hit, using all of his strength to not get knocked down. The crowd nearest the pane of glass roared in delight at the action coming so close to their position, palms banging flat against the panel in encouragement to turn around and keep going.
As he nodded back to the fans in appreciation, the ringing in his ears went silent, crowd still cheering at half speed as his eyes landed on Yeosang sitting in the front row. Blinking twice to make sure the rough interaction wasn’t causing him to see things, Mingi swallowed any blood his teeth had forced out from his lip, attempting to make a second of eye contact with his special guest. Unlike the rowdy bunch surrounding him, Yeosang sat with his back straight and hands folded in his lap, gentle smile gracing his lips as he offered Mingi a knowing nod, leaning forward to press his hand gently against the glass where Mingi had hit.
He came.
He’s here.
Oh, game on.
Mingi felt the world come back to normal speed, pushing off any remaining players from the other team as he followed his teammates' positions across the ice. Making his one mission to create an opportunity for their team to score, Mingi kept pace with the other players, outmaneuvering them to steal the puck away and pass it to San. With one solid play, they managed to get the puck away from their own goal, supporting each other in order for the first goal of the game to be theirs, celebrating with a quick group huddle on the ice.
If anyone noticed Mingi pointing his stick in the direction of a certain beautiful spectator, they didn’t bother to mention it.
Victory, sweet victory.
With another win under the team’s belts, the locker room was filled with an invigorating buzz, each player cheerfully undressing and resting after a hell of a game. The only quiet came when the coach offered final words of appreciation and encouragement to keep the pace up, expecting that level of commitment from the guys each game from then on. Once the speeches were complete, Mingi resumed quickly removing all of his padding and uniform pieces, haphazardly stuffing them into his locker.
“Whoa, whoa,” San dodged one of Mingi’s socks, holding up his arms to block his face. “What’s the rush?”
“I have to see him before he leaves,” Mingi shoved another article of clothing into the locker, doing his best to get dressed in pedestrian clothes as quickly as possible.
“Oh, yeah,” San chuckled. “The cute blond in the front row? Lucky guy.”
“You saw?” Mingi smiled, t-shirt on backwards with a small cut on his bottom lip.
“He was hard to miss,” San reached over, helping Mingi to correct his clothing’s orientation, handing him his shoes once he was ready.
“Don’t wait up for me at the bar,” Mingi explained as he finished getting ready, giving San a big bear hug. “I’ll see you at the next practice.”
“Go,” San gave the taller boy a quick squeeze, pushing him towards the exit. “Have fun.”
Walking briskly towards the arena rink once again, Mingi paused near the team’s rink entrance, noticing how nearly every fan had already exited. It would be just his luck that Yeosang would do the same, apparently wanting to be as mysterious as possible to keep Mingi on his toes. The rows and rows of seating without fans felt cold and hollow, the complete opposite of how he liked to view the crowd during showtime.
With a dejected sigh, Mingi turned to head back to his locker to complain to San when a delicate but exaggerated cough echoed from the team’s bench.
“Who’s there?” Mingi whipped his head in the direction of the sound, smiling big once his gaze landed on the culprit.
“I like this view,” Yeosang sat where Mingi and his teammates had minutes before, posture proper and smile soft. “It’s like this arena is your kingdom.”
Rushing over to join him, Mingi leaped over a row of seats and took a spot next to Yeosang, knees clumsily bumping together.
“You stayed.”
“Your friend gave me no choice.”
“Friend?” Mingi’s face scrunched up as he pondered the options, noticing a certain small framed silhouette darting behind the announcers’ table in the stands. “Oh, Jongho.”
“He said you wanted to see me,” Yeosang smiled, turning to face Mingi to continue their conversation.
“Of course I did,” Mingi returned the smile, eyes unable to pick which part of Yeosang to focus on.
“You played great,” Yeosang complimented, motioning to the ice being resurfaced by a Zamboni. “I mean, you were good yesterday, too. Very good.”
“Thanks,” Mingi replied in appreciation, bowing his head. “I wasn’t sure if this was really your style. The crowd is a lot more…”
“Intense?” Yeosang laughed quietly, observing Mingi nod in agreement. “It’s definitely different from the kind of crowds I experience first-hand, but that’s not a bad thing.”
“Well, if I saw you perform, I would be screaming at the top of my lungs,” Mingi giggled, imitating an example of how he’d cheer the other on. “Go, Yeosang! Kill that jump! Destroy that spin! ”
Blushing as his quiet laughs turned into something much louder, Yeosang covered his mouth as he caught his breath, giggling as he held onto Mingi’s shoulder for support, “you’re ridiculous.”
“Ridiculous enough to ask for your number?” Mingi silently cheered himself on for such a smooth transition.
“Absolutely,” Yeosang smiled as he held his hand out to take Mingi’s phone, watching as the hockey player searched each of his pockets for the device.
“Oh, no,” Mingi groaned, standing up as he patted himself down. “I forgot it again!”
“Again?” Yeosang inquired, trying not to start up another fit of giggles.
“It’s gotta be in my locker,” Mingi sighed, motioning towards the hall. “I’ll grab it real quick.”
As he took one step in the direction of the room, Mingi felt the firm grip of slender fingers on his shoulder, forcing him to look back at a grinning Yeosang.
“Is anyone else still in there?”
“Probably not, so it’ll be super fast, they all go to this bar—”
“Let me help you,” Yeosang cleared his throat, his own blush sprinkled across his face, “look for your phone, I mean.”
“In the empty locker room?”
“Yes.”
“Where nobody else is?”
“Yes, Mingi.”
Confused by the skater’s insistence in joining him in an empty room at the arena, Mingi put on a smile, hoping to be a good host to the visitor like Jongho intended.
“It’ll be boring,” Mingi shrugged, letting Yeosang follow him at his side.
“Oh, I’m sure we can fix that, too,” Yeosang chuckled, fingers lacing themselves between Mingi’s strong grip.