Chapter 120: A Man Who Swallows His Pride
by GideonA strange smile touched Park Ji-bun’s lips.
“Cha Jubin, I’m not your son.”
Jubin always felt this way: for some reason, while CEO Park Ji-bun was awkward and uncomfortable to be around, he wasn’t scary.
“I’ll keep this short. Don’t you dare hurt CEO Moon. He’s a gentle and kind person.”
Park Ji-bun’s expression soured.
“Ha, do you know what? Cha Jubin, you think I’m bullying everyone within your inner circle.”
You actually are bullying them, Jubin thought, staring back with a gaze that demanded a rebuttal.
“CEO Moon isn’t someone you can just casually date.”
“To me, that sounds like you’re saying I’m a completely casual person.”
CEO Moon Woo-jin’s marriage had seemed trouble-free on the surface, but it ended in divorce after his ex-wife cheated on him.
It had been an inevitable parting. As an Omega, she had randomly encountered a compatible Alpha and succumbed to an irresistible attraction.
On their wedding day, he had beamed like a man who owned the world. After the divorce, he had suffered terribly. Yet, instead of blaming their dynamics, he blamed himself, agonizing over the fact that she had left because he was too busy to care for their home.
All I wanted was for CEO Moon to avoid repeating his painful past.
“You know how your marriage ended, don’t you, CEO Moon?”
One corner of his mouth slowly curled upward.
“I know. That’s why I’m even more captivated, isn’t it?”
He admitted to being lured in so easily. That only pissed Jubin off more. How did I end up with someone like you? He swallowed the words, forcing them back down his throat.
Only after suppressing his anger could Jubin gauge the sheer amount of resentment he felt toward the man.
“Why in the world…”
“Woo-jin is someone anyone would want to possess, isn’t he? He’s pure, selfless, and even devoted. He’s useful in so many ways.”
Why does that word ‘useful’ grate on me so much? It sounded like he was saying he could discard CEO Moon Woo-jin at any moment.
“Will you throw him away once he’s no longer useful?”
The man countered with a strange smile. “This is just a consumable relationship born of mutual need. Whoever lets go first wins, right?”
“You’ll be the one to let go first, like some thug, CEO Park.”
Jubin’s true feelings finally burst out.
“Hahaha!”
Jubin frowned at the man’s raucous laughter. This guy is a nightmare to talk to. I can’t stand him.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been called a thug.”
“That wasn’t a compliment.”
“Why do you assume everyone dates as cautiously as you do, Cha Jubin? There are people like me, too.”
His gaze remained cold as he added, “The kind who swallows you whole first.”
There’s not a shred of kindness or warmth in him. What the hell did CEO Moon Woo-jin see in this guy?
His ex-wife, CEO Park Ji-bun… why is everyone Moon Woo-jin falls for always the calculating, manipulative type?
“I’d like you to spit him back out, if you don’t mind.”
“I can’t do that. We’ve both gone too far to turn back now.”
Jubin knew that all too well.
Jubin knew he had no right to interfere in someone else’s love life—especially that of a fully grown adult. No matter how much advice people received, they ultimately chose the path they wanted. Romance was no exception.
“Just… please don’t let him suffer the same pain again. I’m asking you.”
Jubin bowed his head deeply. He was willing to humble himself, just as CEO Moon Woo-jin had always done for him in the past.
“You really do sound like a son entrusting his father with his child’s care.”
The CEO uncrossed his legs and leaned forward slightly. “Don’t you think Woo-jin is too good for you, Cha Jubin?”
Jubin was about to answer, Of course he is, but he caught the sarcastic undertone and pivoted. “And you think Zion is too good for you, sir?”
“Hmm… I wonder. My criteria for ‘too good’ isn’t based on affection, but on utility and value.”
The way he said it—as if Zion had suddenly become useless—left a bitter taste in Jubin’s mouth.
“So much for your big talk about never dating,” the other man drawled. “I guess Do Zion is the exception?”
Jubin couldn’t tell if he was just teasing or building up to bring up the penalty clause in the contract.
“I never expected to actually fall for someone,” Jubin admitted, his voice tight.
Even his teasing is infuriating…
Having bragged so loudly about his commitment to staying single, the jab hit home. But Jubin knew that getting angry would only play right into the other man’s hands. The best move was to set a firm boundary.
“He’s the only exception,” Jubin said.
“Can I trust you on that? Personally, you’ve lost a lot of my trust when it comes to your private life, Mr. Cha Jubin.”
Damn that big talk, Jubin thought, letting out a soft sigh of resignation. “If you’re going to oppose this relationship, I’ll gladly pay the penalty. I can’t bring myself to break up with him now.”
The sum was staggering, but Jubin figured he could just work himself to the bone until he paid it all back.
The real problem was CEO Moon Woo-jin, who had acted as his guarantor. It seemed best to settle this quietly with CEO Park Ji-bun now.
“In exchange, I’d prefer CEO Moon not to know about the penalty. I’ll take full responsibility for paying it back.”
“There’s no need for that,” Park Ji-bun replied. “I don’t particularly object to you dating Do Zion, after all.”
In other words, the double-penalty clause Jubin had signed was effectively void as long as he was with Zion.
What if it were someone else?
“What if I were dating someone other than Zion?”
“I would have opposed it unconditionally,” Park Ji-bun said. “I would have found any excuse to make it a public issue for professional reasons.”
Jubin recalled the words CEO Moon Woo-jin had spoken before.
“CEO Park may have a foul mouth and a calculating mind that makes him seem like an asshole, but he’s never betrayed anyone over a contract.”
Did that ‘betrayal’ include this kind of thing?
“It’s not just Do Zion,” CEO Park continued. “Woo-jin is the one who’s desperately hoping the two of you will get together.”
At this point, I couldn’t help but suspect the clause in the contract had been written specifically with Zion and me dating in mind.
More than anything, the decisive reason was surprisingly… human.
So, this man actually has a heart.
If that were the case, the only explanation for the double penalty clause was that it had been thrown in for a similar reason.
“Did you dig your own grave with that double penalty clause, CEO Park?”
CEO Park paused while refastening his watch, his gaze fixing on Jubin.
“Why is that my grave?”
Is he asking because he knows, or because he doesn’t? It’s hard to tell. This man is a complete enigma.
“You don’t seem to have any intention of collecting the penalty in the first place,” Jubin said. “Since CEO Moon is the guarantor.”
Click.
Park Ji-bun finished fastening his watch, a smirk playing on his lips as if he’d been caught off guard.
“Cha Jubin, you’re much more perceptive than Woo-jin.”
He swept back his bangs in a gesture of lament. “I can’t stand how that bastard acts like a real father to you, even though you aren’t his child.”
Talk about being blunt. He seemed to find hiding his true feelings inefficient, preferring to be utterly straightforward.
“The moment anything happens, he scampers off to solve it for you, forgetting whether he’s your manager or your CEO.”
Jubin nodded vigorously at this, a slight gesture of agreement.
Sometimes, CEO Moon Woo-jin’s kindness could be genuinely frustrating.
“It’s the same with Lee Seo-rim,” the man said, his voice laced with genuine bewilderment. “I have no idea what he’s so sorry for that his former agency CEO is covering all his medical bills.”
Jubin, however, understood. That was just how CEO Moon Woo-jin was.
“It can’t be helped. That’s just his nature. Don’t try to understand it—just accept it.”
“He’s so infuriatingly good to everyone that it makes me wonder if I even matter to him.”
A glimpse of his true feelings. Maybe CEO Moon Woo-jin doesn’t need to worry about being abandoned just yet, Jubin thought.
“You know what?”
The man, who had been staring off into space, turned his head.
“They say love is a curse.”
“If you just took out the word ‘love,’ I’d actually agree with that.”
“Those two words really don’t fit together.”
“The moment you fall in love, you’re only happy if that love is fulfilled.”
Fleeting moments of reuniting with Zion flashed through Jubin’s mind.
“Because when my precious, happy time is suddenly wasted waiting for the other person, I start to feel a bit miserable. It’s inefficient, isn’t it?”
CEO Park Ji-bun stared at Jubin, his gaze so intense it felt like an interrogation. It was so sharp Jubin almost mistook it for a glare.
“So, Mr. Cha Jubin, are you happy now that you’re cursed? Or are you miserable?”
“I’m as anxious as I am happy,” Jubin replied honestly.
He realized he had unintentionally formed a deep emotional bond with CEO Park Ji-bun.
“I’m anxious, but I’m still going to trust him and see where this goes. I don’t know where it’ll end, but if it’s Zion, I think it’ll be okay.”
A heavy silence descended.
The weight of this moment, pressing down on his heart, was quite striking. He was surprised by his own level of trust in Zion.
“Alright, enough with the jealousy,” he said, cutting through the tension and shifting the mood.
When he thought about it, the situation was actually quite absurd. Of all people, he was sharing the same anxieties about love and relationships with the formidable CEO Park Ji-bun.
“I have no intention of stopping you from dating Do Zion properly,” the CEO said, his gaze fixed on the bracelet Jubin was wearing. “But have you thought about how you’ll handle it if the rumors of your relationship get out?”
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