Chapter 32: Just Date Him Already
by GideonIt seemed the contract renewal talks had gone poorly.
“Should I come with you?” Jubin asked, his eyes fixed on Seo-rim’s retreating back.
CEO Moon Woo-jin let out a deep sigh and patted Jubin’s shoulder, as if to say there was no need.
“Go meet CEO Park first. I’ll see Seo-rim out.”
If CEO Moon Woo-jin says so… Jubin didn’t need to take the blame, but he was still worried.
“Don’t worry. Go on in,” he said, patting Jubin’s shoulder again.
“Yes, sir. I’ll be waiting.”
CEO Moon Woo-jin quickly walked away. The secretary, who had been quietly observing the situation, held the office door open with attentive care, his face a mask of feigned ignorance.
The moment the office door clicked shut, Jubin let out a soft sigh and instantly shifted his expression.
The time for acting had come.
The office boasted a soaring ceiling, its marble floors gleaming as they reflected the light streaming in through the floor-to-ceiling windows. A massive desk anchored the center of the room. The sleek wood and polished metal accents throughout the space felt like a deliberate display of wealth and status, a testament to the man’s social standing.
One wall was lined with a collection of trophies. Among them, the most prominent were the Aristos and Dunamis awards Zion had won.
Suddenly, a figure emerged from a doorway Jubin had mistaken for a wall.
The man’s face, defined by sharp, deep contours and a piercing gaze, was the very image of a confident CEO—a man who held absolute power over every decision in this company.
“Actor Cha Jubin. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
CEO Park Ji-bun’s aura was heavy as he approached Jubin, shaking the water from his hands. He carried a scent as intoxicating as a violet flower that blooms only at night—a fragrance that could bewitch a person before ultimately devouring them whole.
Behind the slight, practiced curve of his lips, a smile concealed a multitude of intentions and a hidden sharpness.
“Hello, sunbae. It’s an honor to meet you.”
Jubin bowed his head politely, showing the respect and deference due to a fellow actor.
“We’ve met before. Don’t you remember?”
We’ve met? Jubin was certain he had no memory of the man.
“Where might we have met?”
A strange tension filled the air. Park Ji-bun smiled again, his lips curving upward.
“Let’s sit and talk comfortably.”
He naturally guided Jubin to the seat beside the place of honor. Jubin waited for him to sit first, then carefully straightened his back as he took his own seat.
“I ran into you in front of the CEO’s office before BAY Entertainment shut down.”
Near the end of his contract, Jubin had been spending his days in a daze, suffering from something akin to depression.
“Ah, I don’t quite remember…”
“That’s understandable. You seemed busy back then, Actor Cha Jubin.”
Jubin offered a light smile and a soft apology, trying to brush off the awkwardness. CEO Park Ji-bun quickly returned to the main topic.
“Rumor has it you frequent a trendy bar near Gangnam.”
It was a place Jubin used like a restroom whenever he felt the itch for sex.
Where the hell did he hear that rumor? Bringing this up right before a contract negotiation was hardly a good sign.
“I heard you’re quite well-known there, with a pretty good reputation.”
So what? Jubin thought. If the mood’s right, you sleep together; if not, you don’t. I don’t care about that kind of superficial fame.
“I don’t think I was just going there to drink.”
The man’s intention to seize and exploit Jubin’s weakness was painfully obvious. Jubin’s temper began to simmer. Within minutes, he understood exactly why Zion had been so hostile toward CEO Park Ji-bun.
“I’ve never seen you there once, CEO Park. Did you hire someone to keep an eye on me?”
“Haha!”
The laugh was followed by a calculating gaze. Park Ji-bun was analyzing Jubin’s eyes, expression, and every subtle movement.
“I’m disappointed you’ve switched to such a formal title so quickly.”
His speech was brutally direct. He was the kind of person who used words like weapons—the kind who made people uncomfortable.
“I enjoyed being called sunbae for the first time in a while. You’re a difficult person to get close to, Actor Cha Jubin.”
Jubin deliberately didn’t respond, simply smiling back. Regardless of whether he signed the contract, this was a man he never wanted to see again.
He cut straight to the chase.
“Your talent, looks, filmography, the signing bonus you requested, the contract term—I’m happy with all of it. More than anything, your acting is so stable that I was ready to sign you without a second thought. But your private life…”
I had expected some issues to come up, but I hadn’t anticipated the words he would use.
“You’re not exactly promiscuous, but you’re not not promiscuous either. It’s a gray area.”
I completely understood why Lee Seo-rim had run out crying. He had been even more reckless with his private life.
“There are a few kinds of explosive scandals these days that are impossible for the public to forgive.”
Premarital pregnancy, corporate entertainment, drunk driving, school bullying, and pheromone-related incidents were all examples.
“If someone files a false accusation or a lawsuit with clear financial motives, we need to act quickly. But since you’ve been on a deliberate hiatus, I’m worried about where the next attack will come from.”
So, what’s your point? Are you going to sign the contract or not?
The decision wasn’t solely up to CEO Park Ji-bun.
“If you’re worried about my private life, you don’t have to proceed with the contract. I don’t want to tarnish the image of a major agency like yours and lose everything in the process.”
Jubin bowed politely.
“Thank you for your time today.”
Once he made his decision, the extreme anxiety and tension that had been building up instantly subsided.
Jubin rose from his seat without a trace of regret.
“Then, if you’ll excuse me…”
“Just start dating someone.”
The absurd demand stopped Jubin in his tracks. He stared, his gaze silently asking, What is that supposed to mean?
“I mean it. Seriously date someone.”
“Why are you meddling in my love life, CEO?” Jubin let out a short, dry laugh. Whether it was a ‘friends with benefits’ scandal or a full-blown romance, the outcome for an actor was always the same if things ended badly.
“If you’re worried about the fallout, a committed relationship is more stable in the long run than a fleeting scandal. Aren’t you at the age where you should be settling down?”
Jubin knew he had to draw a line here.
“I’m against marriage.”
“Ah, so that’s why…”
A judgmental look followed, as if asking, Is that why you’ve been playing around so much?
He’s just a young guy in his prime. It’s fine if he had a little fun, especially since it wasn’t during his acting career.
“You asked me earlier if I’d hired anyone, didn’t you? Sorry, I did.”
The apology was clearly there, but it was delivered with such a casual, breezy tone.
Jubin’s expression instantly hardened.
“I went ahead and called up some of the people you’ve been involved with—or even just brushed past—and did a little digging.”
Is he insane? Jubin gritted his teeth, unable to hold back his fury.
“Do you want to get sued? You’re just casually admitting to running a background check on me—”
CEO Park Ji-bun raised a hand, cutting him off and gesturing for him to calm down.
“Hear me out. I don’t know how well you treated them, but everyone I spoke to remembers their time with you as… well, a warm memory.”
He slid a thick stack of documents across the table, then jerked his chin toward them, urging me to read.
“I couldn’t get them all, but I’ve already taken care of the few I thought might be problematic,” Do Zion explained.
I flipped through the pages. They contained handwritten signatures from people Cha Jubin had casually slept with—even some of his exes.
“He really didn’t discriminate by gender, did he? He’s been around. The company has gone this far to prepare, so if a scandal still breaks out, we’ll just have to chalk it up to bad luck.”
His level of preparation was stifling, his thoroughness bordering on the terrifying.
As the air grew heavy, I found myself craving a cigarette. But the image of Zion calling me Sunbae kept swirling in my head.
“Anyway, this is how serious I am about you, Actor Cha Jubin.”
Do Zion had been working with this terrifying man for a long time. Who would have thought that fear would outweigh excitement before signing a contract?
When Jubin remained silent, CEO Park Ji-bun jumped to a conclusion.
“Do you prefer casual flings over serious relationships? You’re more of a coward than you look.”
This was a matter of trust and faith.
Jubin despised CEO Park Ji-bun’s way of working—his disregard for proper procedure and his overbearing attitude.
“Want me to shorten your thinking time? Our company has never once suffered a blow to its image.”
Because we’re that thorough.
It was a glimpse into how Zion had lived his life, tailoring himself to fit the company’s tastes, and it made Jubin’s heart ache.
“If you sign with us with that level of resolve, Mr. Cha Jubin, there won’t be any problems for the duration of the contract.”
The problem was what might happen after the contract expired.
Jubin stared at the documents he’d been handed and asked, “Is this the original copy?”
The man asked back, his expression incredulous. “Are you asking if there’s more?”
“What about a duplicate?”
“Should I make one for you right now?”
“No.”
Jubin took the papers and walked over to the shredder beside the desk.
He flipped the switch. A low, roaring sound filled the room as the pages were sucked in, shredded into confetti in mere seconds.
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