Chapter 29: Don’t Touch Me
by Gideon“What?”
An unreadable emotion flashed in his eyes.
As Na Hyeon-mo approached, he wrapped an arm around Jubin’s waist and pulled him close, as if to show off.
The closer they got, the more his thick pheromones slammed into my senses.
“Don’t turn your head away.”
Stay just like this, he demanded clearly.
Whether it was the alcohol or Do Zion’s pheromones washing over me in waves, I felt a sudden wave of dizziness. My body was even reacting on its own. The sheer volume of pheromones was so overwhelming that I couldn’t think straight.
How can he smell so suffocatingly good? The urge to bury my face in his neck clashed with even more impulsive emotions.
I have a chip implanted. How is this even possible?
“You, what the hell are you—!”
He had released his pheromones on purpose. Otherwise… his body wouldn’t be reacting like this.
“Ugh…”
Flustered, Jubin frantically pushed at his shoulder.
But the sheer volume of pheromones that had already flooded over him drained the strength from his fingertips. His breath caught in his throat.
“Stop the pheromones…”
Jubin pushed him again, trying to make him stop. He pushed with all his might, just as he’d been taught, but the man wouldn’t budge.
The smooth, overwhelming pheromones coated Jubin’s clothes, hair, and skin without mercy.
“Smile at me.”
His tone was overbearing and commanding, just like the tyrant ‘Segyeom’ he played.
The pheromones clinging to him were too much to simply endure—they were practically a mark of ownership.
A warm hand cupped Jubin’s face. The touch sent a searing heat through his skin.
Jubin struggled to find his voice.
“…Do Zion,”
He let out a shallow breath, his head drooping as his upper body slumped forward. He squeezed his eyes shut against the dizzying sensation.
“…Stop,”
Even if he collapsed, he’d still be in Zion’s arms, so it wouldn’t make a difference. He clamped a hand over his mouth to stifle any strange sounds from escaping.
Right then—
“Cha Jubin.”
Why do the things I’ve always wanted to avoid in my life keep forcing their way in, threatening to shatter my ordinary routine?
“Sunbae, do you know him?” Zion asked, his tone surprisingly bright as he spoke for Jubin, who kept his head bowed.
A large hand gently stroked the back of Jubin’s head, who kept his gaze lowered. It was a deliberate gesture, meant for Na Hyeon-mo to see.
Jubin trembled slightly at the simple touch. With Jubin unable to answer, Zion stepped in, wearing a pleasant smile as he apologized.
“I’m sorry. I think my senior’s had a bit too much to drink today. Next time—”
“Could you give us a moment alone?”
Zion’s voice was polite and cheerful, but Na Hyeon-mo’s tone was as vicious and rude as a wasp’s sting.
Finally snapping out of his daze, Jubin raised his head and glared at Zion with resentful eyes.
You’re dead later. He shot Zion a warning look before pushing himself to his feet.
“Let’s talk outside.”
He needed fresh air, a cigarette, and a moment away from Do Zion.
More than anything, Jubin refused to let Na Hyeon-mo get his way. It would look wrong if Zion was the one to step aside.
Na Hyeon-mo strode ahead, feigning composure, but his ragged breath betrayed him. As Jubin followed, he whipped around to face Do Zion, his voice sharp with warning.
“You.”
His voice was breathless with agitation, but he didn’t care how he sounded.
“Don’t you dare go anywhere.”
He swallowed the word Wait. His finger, pointedly aimed at Zion, trembled slightly, but the warning remained unmistakable.
He didn’t know how long Na Hyeon-mo’s “talk” would take, but he was determined to make the man answer for unleashing his pheromones.
“Yes, senior.”
Unlike Jubin, who was flustered and anxious from being pushed into this situation, Na Hyeon-mo answered calmly. He even waved his hand with a bright, cheerful smile, as if telling Jubin to go on ahead.
That relaxed smile infuriated Jubin.
He spun around and stormed out of the room.
Pheromones, pheromones, pheromones. He needed absolute stability right now.
As soon as he stepped into the smoking room, Jubin lit a cigarette.
The pheromones sank deep into his lungs along with the smoke. As he exhaled a long breath, his agitated and flustered heart finally calmed down. Now I can think straight.
“I had a feeling,” Na Hyeon-mo said casually, having followed him into the smoking room. “I’d heard you were working on a project with Do Zion, but I never expected to see you two together in person…”
“Why? Is there some reason we can’t be together?”
Jubin took a deep drag of his burning cigarette, exhaling his confusion and turmoil along with the smoke.
The man who had walked into the bar with Na Hyeon-mo earlier—Jubin had caught a glimpse of him. He had a similar build, and his aura felt strangely familiar.
“Are you sure you’re allowed to be here with me?”
“…He’s actually my boyfriend.”
“Good for you.”
Cha Jubin replied curtly, keeping his words brief. A short silence hung in the air before the man’s voice filled the space again.
“He’s a good man.”
Then it’s even more disrespectful to his partner for you to be alone with me like this.
“You should get back to your boyfriend.”
Jubin’s response was indifferent, but the man added a strange note of pride. Seeing how he’s so understanding even in a moment like this, he must have really caught a pushover of a boyfriend.
“Even better then.”
After all, I always wish the best for those I’ve been entangled with. If I just wrap this up here, I can walk away cleanly…
“I still can’t get over you.”
His prediction had been spectacularly wrong. Jubin exhaled a cloud of smoke, his voice low as he offered a warning.
“…Isn’t that disrespectful to your partner?”
“They know,” Hyeon-mo replied. “They know I can’t get over you.”
Jubin’s disappointment in Na Hyeon-mo deepened. He had known the man was lacking in manners and consideration for those close to him, but he hadn’t realized he was this terrible.
He knew this wasn’t his problem to solve, but he couldn’t just let it go.
“Show your partner some respect.”
“And what about you?” Hyeon-mo snapped, his voice laced with resentment. “You’re the one who cut me off one day, telling me to find someone better.”
This was the point that needed to be addressed, Jubin thought. There could be no room for misunderstanding.
“You and I,” Jubin said, “were never in a relationship that would have been strange to end at any time.”
Hyeon-mo bit his lower lip, looking wounded.
“You said the person you’re seeing now is your partner. That means you’re dating them.”
Playing the villain was hard the first time, but the second time was easy. Jubin added firmly, “Don’t get the wrong idea. We never dated.”
He knew all too well that in moments like this, clarity was a greater kindness than ambiguity.
“So, I think there’s nothing left for us to discuss, especially not alone like this. There’s even less reason for you to cling to me.”
“I know, I know, but…!”
“If you know, you should have behaved properly.”
Oh, great.
Judging by the look in his eyes, Na Hyeon-mo had no intention of holding back the tears that were about to spill over.
“No matter how hard I look, there’s no one as sweet as you!” Na Hyeon-mo’s voice rose as his emotions flared. Jubin glanced around instinctively and sighed.
Sure enough, tears began to fall from his eyes. Patting his back and telling him not to cry was out of the question.
“Go find some affection from your lover.”
I brushed past the weeping Na Hyeon-mo, my voice cold. This is it. It’s over.
“…Did you already sleep with him?”
His words made me freeze in my tracks, my ears doubting what I’d just heard. If I hadn’t been holding a cigarette, I would have lost my temper and spewed a string of curses right then and there.
Had I ever been this angry in my entire life? I was certain I hadn’t.
“Don’t jump to conclusions,” Cha Jubin retorted, crushing his cigarette out. “I’m exactly the kind of guy who’d do that, but if you get caught spreading rumors like that, you’re asking for a lawsuit.”
Do Zion’s carefully cultivated image was flawless, and no one dared to tarnish it.
He was terrified that even the slightest mistake on his part might leave a permanent stain on Jubin’s flawless reputation.
“So don’t touch him.”
The warning, delivered with absolute sincerity, sent a heavy wave of tension through the air.
Hyeon-mo, who had been sobbing, swallowed his tears and muttered in a stiff voice, “This is the first time I’ve seen you angry…”
The pressure slowly spreading through the silence seemed to be too much for him; Hyeon-mo even tried to stifle the sound of his heaving shoulders.
“Anyone hearing this would think I was trying to do something to him.”
Hyeon-mo tried to lighten the mood, but Jubin’s expression remained completely unchanged.
“I’ve already hit rock bottom, so I have nothing left to lose. But you can see it’s different for you, can’t you?”
A complex mix of emotions—loyalty, affection, or perhaps something else—spread deep into the recesses of his heart, a nameless feeling he couldn’t quite define.
“Asking you to step down right then and there… that wasn’t polite of me either.”
Hyeon-mo wiped away a tear, a self-deprecating smile touching his lips.
“Cha Jubin, you’re really desperate, aren’t you?”
Jubin’s fingertips twitched. Only after Hyeon-mo spoke did he realize it. Right, it could look that way. He should have hidden his feelings, but now he felt exposed, as if a weakness had been laid bare.
“…You look like you’re trying so hard to protect your own people.”
“You’re right. I am trying.”
Because it was Do Zion—no one else.
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