Chapter 45: Let’s Do It, Partner
by Gideon“Office romances are forbidden.”
Fortunately, bringing up the contract clauses gave Jubin plenty of loopholes to escape through. He felt he should thank CEO Park Ji-bun for that.
“If I don’t renew my contract with CEO Park, can I date you, Sunbae?”
The unexpected question made Jubin’s head spin. Zion seemed determined to use yesterday’s events as leverage and had no intention of letting him go.
“Why would I risk my entire contract for you?”
“For you, I’d risk my whole life.”
Zion’s earnestness was so intense that it forced Jubin to act even more nonchalant, as if it were no big deal.
“We can’t date, but we can be fuck buddies.”
Zion stared at him for a long moment, his eyes wide with disbelief.
“…Seriously?”
“Yeah. Let’s do that.”
Jubin wasn’t sure if Zion wanted his body or his heart, but if a partner was all he wanted right now, then fine. He could do that.
As long as no one finds out, it’s fine.
I don’t know about love, but we like each other. And if we fuck whenever we want, we’ll be even closer.
As long as we kept this distance and these feelings, there would be no problem. Maybe Zion would even get bored and leave first.
I’d already accepted that possibility…
“But,” Jubin said, “if either of us ever questions the nature of this relationship or feels the need to redefine it, this arrangement ends. Can you agree to that?”
“Is that because you’re against marriage, Sunbae?”
Jubin shook his head lightly and replied, “It means you can leave at any time if you fall in love with someone else.”
Zion just stared at Jubin, as if choosing his words carefully.
“I have no intention of marrying anyone, nor do I have the slightest desire to start a family.”
That’s why we’re just fuck buddies, he concluded, irresponsibly rationalizing the situation.
Because I know all too well how terrifying and heavy that responsibility is. I never wanted to shoulder it in the first place.
I’ll hold back, struggle, and desperately resist letting anyone in, all to avoid falling in love. Even if it’s Do Zion.
“Fine. We’ll be partners.”
His easy agreement made Jubin swallow a bitter smile.
So he only wants my body, he concluded, though he wondered if that was actually for the best.
This relationship would probably end in three months anyway. After all, most people broke up with him before he could fall desperately in love.
The real problem was the project.
“Let’s not let this affect our work. We need to act like professionals on set.”
“Of course.”
Hearing his answer, Jubin realized his worry had been pointless. He felt a prickle of embarrassment for lecturing him on professionalism.
“I will.”
Zion’s short, cryptic words seemed to freeze the very air in the car.
“I’ll show you. Even if it takes years—no, decades.”
Show me what? Jubin couldn’t tear his eyes away from the man who had just declared he would prove something.
“That there is no end to what we have.”
The heavy finality of his words made Jubin’s eyes widen. He had no idea what kind of resolve Zion had just made, but his heart began to pound wildly.
This flirting is escalating into a full-blown confession.
A wave of exhilaration and anxiety crashed over him, leaving him unable to process the emotion.
“You just have to keep liking me the way you do now, Sunbae. I’ll take care of the rest.”
The word responsibility had no place in their relationship. It was supposed to be simple: just two people enjoying each other’s bodies, kissing, and having sex whenever they felt like it. That was all.
“But I have a condition.”
Jubin asked calmly, hiding his nervousness.
“…What is it?”
“Don’t ever run away from me again.”
Jubin let out a soft sigh, trying to clear up the misunderstanding.
“I’m only saying this because you keep misinterpreting things, but if you had been by my side when I woke up, I would have stayed.”
“This is a warning. No matter what happens, don’t ever ghost me again.”
The “running away” he mentioned clearly referred to Jubin’s sudden disappearance six years ago.
Did he think I ignored him because I vanished without a word? Did he spend all this time feeling anxious, not knowing why?
Back then, our relationship was too ambiguous to even warrant a proper explanation.
“We’re more than that now, aren’t we?”
A dull ache tightened in Jubin’s chest.
It felt as if he was confessing that his feelings had never changed all this time, making it hard for Jubin to even catch his breath.
Why am I seeing the young Zion who desperately handed me his number six years ago?
“Yeah, I guess we’re at that point now.”
Jubin nodded lightly, agreeing with his words. After all, we’ve already done everything there is to do.
He turned his head slightly and smiled at Zion. “Feeling better now?”
“Yes, much.”
Only then did Jubin let out a short sigh of relief, leaning back against the seat. “You’re kind of scary when you’re mad.”
“I wasn’t mad. I was just sulking.”
“You’ve never been like this before, so even if it’s just sulking, it’s still scary.”
Zion let out a soft, thoughtful hum—Hmm…—before turning and pressing a quick, audible kiss to Jubin’s lips.
“Next time I throw a fit or act out, just kiss me without thinking twice.”
What?
“Pfft, are you serious?” Jubin burst out laughing.
“If you initiate it, I’ll be so happy I might just die.”
“What is this? You’re saying I’m forgiven for anything I do?”
“Everything,” he replied with a smile, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Jubin laughed so hard his stomach ached. The sheer absurdity of it all was just too cute.
When his laughter finally subsided, the pitter-patter of raindrops against the window grew more distinct. A strange, charged silence settled between them, filled only by the sound of their quiet breathing.
He slid the passenger seat back as far as it would go to make room, then asked casually, “Want to come over here?”
Jubin let out a short, dry laugh at Zion’s bold proposition. “Are you trying to wreck the car? Look at the size of you.”
“I’ll bring my own car next time,” Zion replied, his tone dripping with a serious, challenging intent to go all the way.
Jubin drew a firm line, showing no regret. “I won’t do it in your car either.”
“You don’t like outdoor play?” Zion glanced out the window at the rain-streaked glass. “There’s no one around,” he added, his tone implying Jubin was being overly dramatic.
“This is the Han River, the number one spot for scandals.”
“Then why did you let me kiss you just now?”
“That’s…” Jubin reached for the candy in the cup holder, a sheepish expression crossing his face. “I have a good enough excuse for that.”
“Don’t tell me you’re planning to say you were practicing your lines?”
“I don’t know if they’ll buy it, but still.”
Jubin set the candy back down and let out a soft sigh.
“Since we share the same agency, if I prepare a narrative like this, CEO Park will find a way to shut down any rumors.”
“Sunbae, do you always prepare this thoroughly when you date someone?”
Zion wasn’t teasing. His tone was genuinely curious, as if he were trying to understand Jubin better.
“Well, yeah?”
Jubin chuckled, but a hint of self-deprecation lingered in his voice. “Why? Do I seem too high-strung and exhausted to deal with?”
“I just thought you were more considerate than I imagined.”
Once again, Zion had found a way to frame Jubin’s actions in the most flattering light.
“I was just thinking… the people you’ve dated must have been so lucky. I’d love to be on the receiving end of all that care. I want you to do more of it for me.”
“You’ll suffocate if I keep doing it.”
“No way.”
Jubin’s voice was a subtle warning, but Zion seemed more interested in the candy.
“You can have one.”
Zion unwrapped a candy from the cup holder, popped it into his mouth, and then pulled out his phone.
“I need to make a quick call.”
“Go ahead.”
He immediately dialed a number. In that brief moment, Jubin’s mind raced through a dozen worst-case scenarios, trying to shake off the most unsettling one.
“CEO Park.”
Why does my imagination keep becoming reality today? Jubin held his breath, watching Zion intently as he confirmed the person on the other end.
“I’m at the Han River right now. I’m about to practice a scene with Jubin-sunbae, so I’m calling to give you a heads-up in case any articles get published.”
I was hoping I was wrong, but here we are. His worst-case scenario had just materialized into reality.
“Hey…!”
Jubin tried to stop Zion, his voice a hushed, urgent whisper, but it was useless.
“If an article breaks, just handle it. I’m hanging up now.”
Zion had simply reported his location before shutting his phone off completely. Jubin stared, his mouth agape. Outside, the rain poured even harder.
“There. Alibi’s set,” Zion said, closing the distance between them in a single, sudden step.
“Wait—!”
A sweet, grape-flavored candy was shoved into Jubin’s mouth. Before he could even think to stop him, Zion’s tongue followed, pushing past his lips.
The air inside the car grew stifling, the warm, humid breath fogging the cool glass windows.
The kiss, laced with Zion’s pheromones, was sickeningly sweet. Jubin was terrified he would be completely consumed by them.
He’d never imagined this when they first met.
Never dreamed their relationship would turn into this kind of madness.
And it was raining just like this the day we met, he thought.
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