Chapter 57: Special Skinship
by GideonJubin’s throat was parched, and he was desperate for a sip. But Zion just shook the milk tea, straw already inserted, as if daring him to come and get it.
“Ugh, seriously…”
Jubin reached out, his gesture a clear warning: Stop messing around and give it to me. But Zion only upped the ante, pulling the drink back out of reach again.
Conscious of the curious glances from people around them, Zion deliberately kept his voice calm. He wore his signature sly smile.
“Just say ‘Ah,’ and I’ll give it to you. It’s much easier.”
He mockingly thrust the milk tea back toward Jubin’s face. Jubin tried to snatch it, but Zion lowered his interlaced fingers and hoisted the drink high above his head. The blatant taunt sent Jubin’s temper boiling over.
“Ah! Do Zion!”
“Not Do Zion, just Zion.”
No matter how high Jubin stood on his tiptoes, the difference in their height and build was so vast that he ended up just clinging to the other man.
“What are you two doing?”
Actor Seo approached them, munching on a cookie.
“Ah, well, Ji-soo…”
Jubin felt a strange prickle of discomfort as her gaze flickered between him and Zion.
“Ji-soo, isn’t Senior Cha just the cutest?”
Zion said it with a smile, acting as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He seemed completely oblivious to the fact that Actor Seo had feelings for him, which only made Jubin’s face burn with embarrassment.
For a fleeting moment, a flicker of hurt crossed Actor Seo’s eyes.
Rather than let the atmosphere grow awkward, Jubin decided to just give up on the milk tea.
“You’re cute, alright. Here, you drink it.”
Jubin forced a smile, pretending to offer the milk tea as he averted his gaze.
As if sensing that split-second of hesitation, Zion followed closely behind him, his eyes wide with a hint of surprise.
“Senior, are you mad? Seriously?”
He’s driving me crazy, refusing to let go of my hand. Jubin had already learned during Action School training that Zion was on a whole different level when it came to raw strength. Since he couldn’t win by force, he had to create an excuse to escape.
“Aren’t you going to get your coffee?”
Zion glanced back at the growing distance between them and only tightened his grip.
Let go! Why are you holding on tighter?
Jubin shot him a glare, silently demanding he release his hand and go get his coffee. But Zion just smiled and started to speak.
“Let’s go—”
“I’m not going.”
This time, Jubin shot him down with an iron wall of a refusal.
“You’ll still wait for me for a moment, right?” Zion asked gently, handing back the milk tea he’d been holding.
Jubin snatched the drink from him. “No. I’m leaving.”
He deliberately kept his tone curt. Over Zion’s shoulder, he could see Actor Seo stealing glances, her attention clearly fixed on them. He didn’t know why he was even paying attention to her, but the thought made him sigh in frustration.
“Alright, I’ll stop teasing you,” Zion said, letting go of Jubin’s hand. He reached out and plucked a hydrangea leaf from Jubin’s hair. “Now, stop being mad.”
His voice, soft and soothing, was so low and sweet that Jubin’s irritation began to unravel like a loosened knot.
“Go on ahead. I’ll catch up with the coffee.”
He waved and headed back to the coffee truck.
I simply watched as he exchanged a few casual words with Actor Seo on his way.
Zion was genuinely kind to his people. He was different from me, who only performed kindness.
His kindness was always sincere, and the more he showed it, the more even his lighthearted jokes felt like a flutter in my heart.
Perhaps his playful teasing was just another expression of his affection.
The jokes, born from the trust that the other person would enjoy them, instantly closed the gap of tension and distance between us.
It felt strange to find myself accepting this growing sense of stability and trust as affection.
Wary yet attracted, Jubin constantly fought the urge to misinterpret Senior Cha’s special treatment as something more. He had to remind himself: Don’t let this get to your head.
The playful banter from earlier was just a positive sign, nothing more.
“I guess you’ve gotten a lot more comfortable with me,” he’d said.
Yes, just brush it off like that.
“Senior.”
Lost in thought, Jubin missed his chance to make a graceful exit. He didn’t even notice the man approaching with a coffee in hand.
“Were you waiting for me?”
The smile directed at him held Jubin’s gaze. The feeling he’d tried to dismiss as mere fondness now had a dash of fluttering excitement mixed in.
He was terrified. The wall he’d built to guard himself was crumbling under the waves of emotion, threatening to sweep him away completely.
Jubin pushed aside his true feelings for a moment and forced a smile.
“Yeah, I’m just scared I’ll get in trouble again.”
He tried to laugh it off with a casual remark, hoping to brush the situation aside.
“Good job. Don’t go calling just anyone,” Zion said. He naturally draped an arm around Jubin’s shoulders, pulling him close before whispering in his ear, “Use me while I’m here. I’m free, after all.”
This guy’s getting more shameless by the day…
“Get off me,” Jubin muttered, pushing him away as he walked ahead.
“Sunbae, from now on, you have to use the smoking room, no matter how crowded it is. Okay? Are you even listening?”
Jubin waved a hand dismissively over his shoulder, pretending to pay attention.
Do Zion is definitely the nagging type.
Yet, even his nagging felt strangely endearing, and Jubin couldn’t help but smile.
After their meal, the cast and crew who had scattered separately gathered back in the large conference room.
“Alright, we’ll schedule the next reading separately to focus on character chemistry. Managers, please stay behind.”
Joo-won, who had been keeping a respectful distance from Jubin, stepped forward with a composed air. Jubin felt a swell of pride; it was Joo-won’s first day on the job, yet he was already handling his duties like a seasoned pro.
As Jubin watched him with a fond smile, Do-won approached.
“Bini-Bini-Cha-Jubini. Let’s get along well from here on out.”
Do-won raised his hand for a high five, and Jubin returned the gesture, their palms meeting.
“I look forward to working with you.”
This level of physical contact was fine. As long as Do-won didn’t suddenly decide to pull him into a crushing hug out of sheer excitement, Jubin could tolerate it.
“I heard Do Zion’s been bullying you.”
How did the rumor get so twisted?
“Oh, it was just a joke,” Jubin said, playing it down to avoid any misunderstanding.
“That’s strange. He jokes around with me sometimes, but he never gets physical.”
Suddenly, Jubin felt the man’s sharp intuition. Zion never engaged in physical horseplay, even with his closest colleague, Do-won.
Zion wasn’t the type to blur personal boundaries, nor did he do things he knew others disliked. He certainly wasn’t the kind of person to confuse intimacy with harassment.
In that sense, the physical jokes Zion reserved only for Jubin could easily seem special to anyone else.
“I guess he’s just gotten comfortable with me,” Jubin replied.
Thinking he might be watching for any signs of tension between him and Zion, Jubin forced himself to sound overly casual.
“…Jubin.”
Do-won placed a hand on Jubin’s shoulder, his expression feignedly stern as he called his name in a low voice. The unfamiliar warmth made Jubin tense up.
“How much of a pushover have you been as his senior? You need to put him in his place. You’re way more senior than he is.”
Fortunately, this was the wrong person to be giving advice to. Jubin relaxed and forced a smile.
“There’s no place for me to put him in.”
How could I possibly put that star in his place? He’s a junior who surpassed me ages ago.
“If you keep letting him get away with things like this, he’ll never learn to respect his senior. He’s just going to keep walking all over—”
“Walking over what?”
Zion suddenly appeared.
“Whoa! You scared me!”
Do-won scrambled to hide behind Jubin. Zion sighed softly, his brow furrowing in clear disapproval.
“This is why you shouldn’t talk behind my back. Especially when you can’t even say it to my face.”
“You startled me!”
“Do you really think hiding behind Jubin-sunbae is going to save you? Come out.”
“No! Don’t be jealous of the bond between BiniBini and me!”
Do-won subtly wrapped his arms around Jubin’s neck from behind. The moment he felt the grip, Jubin had a bad feeling.
“What are you doing?” Zion snapped, his voice uncharacteristically sharp.
“What am I doing? I’m protecting my friend!”
“What friend? Jubin-sunbae hates this. Let go of him. Now.”
“Get lost, you tyrant!”
“I—!”
Zion’s voice exploded, his tone turning harsh. But he cut himself off before he could finish.
“I—what?” Do-won challenged, his voice calm as he pressed Zion to continue.
“Say it,” Do-won urged.
Zion took a deep breath before continuing. “He’s my concubine. Let go.”
“Oh? Using your power to crush me, are we?”
A wave of disappointment and relief washed over Jubin. What was I even hoping for? Even if he’d admitted it, he would’ve just called me his partner.
Joo-won, who had just started his first day today, could only watch from the sidelines, unable to intervene.
If their managers hadn’t called them away, urging them to hurry up, they probably would have kept bickering with Jubin caught in the middle.
“BiniBini! See you next time!”
Just go already. I can’t take any more of this energy-draining drama.
Jubin flashed Do-won a fake, beaming smile. “I’m leaving now, Senior.”
“Yeah, go ahead.”
“See you the day after tomorrow.”
“Sure.”
Just then, Zion quickly scanned their surroundings before leaning in to whisper softly in Jubin’s ear.
“I’m going to miss you.”
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