Chapter 66: That Damn Marriage Talk
by GideonJubin rose from his seat, his expression one of pure exasperation, and headed for the room where Cheese was. Si-ha scrambled to keep talking.
“What if I rent out a whole restaurant, line the floor with rose petals, light some candles, and even sing you a serenade? Would you accept a proposal like that?”
Jubin feigned ignorance, pretending not to hear the absurd words.
“Hey, Cheese. Long time no see.”
“Meow~”
He’d much rather listen to Cheese’s purring welcome than Yeo Si-ha’s nonsense.
“Yeah, I missed you too. Want to nap with me?”
Cheese burrowed into Jubin’s arms. Ever since they first met, she had always taken to Jubin more than her own owner, Si-ha.
Jubin lay down, using a flat scratching post as a pillow, and placed Cheese on his stomach before closing his eyes. The soft feel of her fur beneath his fingertips seemed to melt away all the stress from the horror movie.
“Goodnight, Cheese.”
The cat’s warmth, felt for the first time in a while, was incredibly soothing. Soon, he fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
Jubin had always been a heavy sleeper. He slept when he was stressed, and he slept when he was relaxing alone.
The problem was… once he fell asleep, he fell deeply.
“Mmm…”
When he opened his eyes, the room was dim. Instead of the warm body that should have been on his chest, a blanket was draped over him.
As he stared blankly at the ceiling, the phone in his pocket lit up, illuminating the dark room.
“…What time is it? I think I slept too much.”
His back and shoulders were stiff from sleeping on the hard floor. Still groggy, he checked his phone first.
A pile of paid messages from Zion had accumulated.
They were still full of sweet flirtations, and a faint smile broke across Jubin’s lips the moment he saw the selfie attached to one of them.
I ordered jjimdak because I wanted some, and of course, I ate it all. It’s a shame it wasn’t enough.
The photo showed a portion far too large for one person to eat alone.
“It’s a shame you’re always on a diet when you eat so well.”
After checking all his paid messages, Jubin saw that Zion had contacted him several times in the interim.
Did you finish the Do Zion Jjimdak? Sunbae, what are you doing? I’m bored. Why aren’t you answering? Is something wrong?
He must have been worried since I didn’t reply… Well, I did sleep like a log.
To put Zion’s mind at ease, Jubin quickly typed back: Sorry, I was asleep.
He heard footsteps approaching—thud, thud. The door opened, and a bright light spilled into the room.
“Did you sleep well?”
“…Yeah, I slept great.”
“You’re more like a cat than Cheese is.”
Jubin stretched his arms wide as he stepped out of the room. Cheese, who had also taken a long nap, was zooming around the living room, chasing a mouse-shaped toy.
“Sit down. You said you wanted to make those sticker emoticons or something, right?”
Si-ha drained his can of beer in one go. He’s such a lightweight, I thought, the empty can still bothering me.
“So, what do I do?”
“Just sketch out a rough draft first.”
The fact that he wanted a draft right away, without even letting me practice, made me unexpectedly nervous.
“By the way, why are you drinking?”
“Sometimes you need a little liquid courage to get work done.”
“You’d better not get drunk and start acting out. I’ll kill you.”
I tossed him a casual warning before pulling out my phone and searching for Zion’s name.
“I want to make him look like a character.”
“Just draw his eyes similarly, and you’ll get the vibe.”
“His eyes…”
Staring intently at Do Zion’s eyes on the screen, I realized all over again how much their expression changed his entire aura. When his face was blank, his sharp features gave him a cold, sophisticated look. But when he smiled, the gentle curve of his eyes completely captivated me.
“Did you pick a photo?”
“Yeah, this one.”
Si-ha expertly imported the photo onto a tablet layer and even handed over a stylus.
“Go ahead and draw it. I’ll just refine it while keeping your style.”
“Okay, got it.”
Though his tone was nonchalant—as if he had zero expectations for someone with Jubin’s lack of artistic talent—Jubin took the pen with a determined nod.
He poured his heart and soul into the drawing for over thirty minutes, munching on melon as he worked.
When Si-ha finally looked up from his own work to review Jubin’s creation, his critique was brief.
“You really phoned it in, didn’t you?”
Jubin’s spirit crushed. He’d put in his best effort, yet the brutal honesty stung.
“…That’s the best I could do.”
Even between close friends, the truth hurt. Jubin slumped over, hiding his face in shame.
“You said you’d fix it.”
He slid the tablet toward Si-ha.
“I’ll see what I can do.”
With a serious expression, Si-ha began to swiftly modify Jubin’s drawing, transforming it into a piece with a distinct mood.
“You drew the eyes well. I’ll leave those.”
Even just cleaning up the facial lines and refining the disastrously wrong body proportions made the figure look much more like Zion.
“Wow…”
A pro really is a pro.
It felt like he’d changed almost everything except the eyes, but Jubin was grateful he’d helped this much. He took the pen back.
He deliberately colored only the key areas, worried that fully coloring it would expose his lack of skill.
Still, the drawing had come to life under the expert’s touch, and it felt great.
Si-ha rested his chin on his hand, a faint smile playing on his lips. He looked strangely pleased.
“Satisfied?”
“Oh, thanks so much. I’ll email this to—”
Just then, Si-ha’s gaze fixed on the nape of Jubin’s neck.
“Hey, Cha Jubin.”
His hand shot out, gripping Jubin’s collar and yanking it open.
“What’s this mark?”
His voice was low and strained, his eyes burning, his grip on the fabric tightening. The tension between them was electric.
Jubin gently pried his hand away, feigning indifference. “Oh, you scared me…”
“Did you get marked? When?”
So the fact that it happened is less important than when it happened?
“Before I met you.”
A flicker of shock crossed Si-ha’s eyes.
“Why? Am I not allowed to do that?”
Jubin deliberately ignored the hurt expression on Si-ha’s face.
“Why are you so surprised? It’s not like this is new.”
It wasn’t surprising. Si-ha knew that out of all the people Jubin had played around with, he was the only one who had never been allowed to mark him.
But now that I’ve allowed it, he must be wondering what the hell is going on, Jubin thought.
“Are you going to marry Do Zion?”
“What are you talking about? Why would I get married?”
“Then… are you going to start dating him soon?”
“I’m not. Even if I wanted to, I can’t. The contract forbids in-office dating.”
A heavy silence fell between them. The suffocating tension was too much for Jubin to bear, so he reluctantly broke the silence.
“He’s just a partner. Who cares about marking these days?”
A wave of futility washed over him. Why was he even explaining this to Yeo Si-ha? The guy usually went along with whatever anyone said, yet today he was being unusually difficult.
“You’re acting a little too… intense today, don’t you think? You’re making me nervous.”
Whether it was a protective instinct born from knowing him too well, anxiety that I’d drift away again, or simple jealousy and a sense of isolation—whatever the reason, the conversation felt like an interrogation. The pressure was suffocating.
Clack.
He set his pen down on the desk and leaned in close.
“I don’t care about anything else, but you’re marrying me, Jubin.”
That damn marriage talk again.
I couldn’t hear a word he said after that.
Maybe it was the familiarity bred from our stagnant relationship, but I realized we’d been stuck in this ambiguous limbo for a painfully long time.
Jubin wasn’t blind to Si-ha’s possessiveness and controlling nature, but this time, it went beyond mere discomfort—it was suffocating.
It’s time to clear the air, he thought. No more room for misunderstandings.
“Are you possessed by the ghost of someone who died without getting married?” Jubin retorted. “If you’re that desperate to wed, go on a blind date.”
“Ha… fuck…”
Si-ha stormed into the kitchen, snatched a can of beer from the fridge, and tore it open. The man couldn’t even hold his liquor, yet he still insisted on losing his temper like this.
When it came to Jubin, Si-ha often expressed his emotions with the clumsy volatility of a child. His inner turmoil was complex, but before he could ever articulate it calmly, his feelings would erupt, leading him to jump to conclusions and lash out.
Jubin deliberately ignored Zion’s outburst again.
Sighing, he checked his phone to find a reply from Zion.
Do Zion: With who?
The read receipt vanished instantly. Then, another message popped up…
Did you finally think of me?
Normally, he would have taken it as flirting. But with his mind in such a mess, a few simple words weren’t enough to decipher Zion’s true feelings.
You’re smoking right now, aren’t you?
Another message from Zion flashed on the screen. Sensing a misunderstanding, Jubin replied quickly.
“No, I haven’t smoked since we broke up.”
“I won’t tease you if you failed to quit, Zion. You can be honest.”
Jubin bristled slightly at Zion’s provocation and stood up from his seat.
Si-ha, who had approached with a beer in hand, instinctively pointed to the terrace. “If you’re too lazy to go out, just smoke on the terrace.”
“I’m quitting. I’ve added nicotine patches.”
“…You?”
He didn’t believe it. After all, he’d watched Jubin smoke relentlessly for six years, so his reaction was understandable. Si-ha challenged him with a firm expression that said no way.
“If you actually quit, I’ll call you Hyung for the rest of my life.”
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