Chapter 77: Losing Balance
by GideonCEO Moon Woo-jin was one of the few people who knew Cha Jubin’s true nature.
Aside from his family, Jubin had shared his secret with only two others: his best friend, Yeo Si-ha, and Moon Woo-jin. That made three.
Moon Woo-jin replied with a shrug. “You both have chips implanted, don’t you?”
“We even replaced them recently, and I added an extra one. The problem is me.”
“Huh…?”
Moon Woo-jin stared, completely blindsided. This was a scenario he hadn’t even considered. He looked genuinely flustered.
“You’ve been practically glued to each other lately. Are you saying the chips are completely useless?”
“It’s not that…”
Jubin sighed deeply and decided to come clean—mostly. He just left out the part about the marking and the sex.
“Do Zion’s pheromones are just too strong. The only way to stop them from overwhelming me is to get another chip implanted…”
CEO Moon Woo-jin practically jumped out of his skin. “No way! That’s way too risky.”
He chewed his lip, his foot tapping a frantic rhythm on the floor. Jubin shot him a sharp glare, trying to get him to stop, but Moon Woo-jin was too busy pacing and worrying.
“Wait… was that drowning incident also a side effect of the chip?”
Jubin took a moment before replying. “Probably not.”
Moon Woo-jin’s eyes remained narrowed with suspicion. “The list of major side effects for additional chips includes loss of balance, impaired judgment, and sleep disorders. I’m just worried, that’s all.”
Jubin carefully retraced the events of when he’d fallen into the water.
“I just got a cramp all of a sudden. It’s probably because I used muscles I don’t normally use. And I was really nervous, of course.”
I’ve already made it past the first heat, so I should be in the clear now, Jubin thought, shaking off the negative thoughts that threatened to flood in.
“Is that so? Well, that’s a relief.”
CEO Moon Woo-jin let out a soft sigh of relief. But then, his tone sharpened.
“Why did you go ahead and add a chip on your own without telling me? Huh? As your CEO, I need to know about anything important concerning your body.”
He huffed, sounding deeply hurt. It was like a parent scolding a rebellious teenager.
Jubin felt a pang of guilt for keeping him in the dark, but he quickly tried to soothe the man to get through the moment.
“You know I always tell you my secrets first, CEO…”
“I know you’ll handle things just fine, but if it’s a matter of your health or your life, I’d prefer you lean on me—the closest adult you have. That’s why I’m in this seat, isn’t it?”
Jubin nodded, agreeing. “You’re right.” CEO Moon Woo-jin hadn’t said a single wrong word.
“You’ve always helped me when things got tough. I’m grateful enough for that alone.”
He cleared his throat, steering the conversation back to the main point. “If a pheromone issue breaks out, the public’s reaction will be brutal. And if it’s a chip-related issue, the damage to the company’s image will be even worse. They’ll start questioning the company’s systems first.”
He made his decision swiftly, as if there was nothing left to consider.
“If it’s a pheromone issue, let’s just drop the casting. I think that’s the right call.”
His decision was so clean and final, as if he had nothing to lose, that it only made me feel more guilty. If it had been any other reason, it would have seemed more plausible… I felt a pang of regret.
“I’ll send an email saying we can’t meet.”
I couldn’t bring myself to agree right away. CEO Moon Woo-jin glanced at Jubin’s expression and gently reassured him.
“A better opportunity will come along soon.”
It wasn’t a problem to dwell on, yet my thoughts kept spiraling.
I’ll make sure you see that our relationship will never end, even if it takes years—no, decades.
He had said it with such confidence, but once they both got busy, cracks would form. And once Zion learned his true nature, he would surely grow tired of him and leave.
Once he’d organized his thoughts in a way that made sense to him, the chaos in his mind finally settled.
“I’ll reject him in person. Go ahead and arrange the meeting.”
With his decision made, Jubin left the CEO’s office. He checked his phone, but Zion still hadn’t read his message.
How pathetic, he thought, to let my mood swing so wildly over a single text.
He tried to tell himself Zion was probably just busy, but a part of him still wished he’d at least sent a quick message to say he’d arrived safely.
Jubin had always been the type to conserve his emotional energy, practicing strict “selection and focus” in his relationships. Whether it was a girlfriend, a boyfriend, or a partner, this had always been his consistent habit and his golden rule.
But at some point, I started focusing all my attention on Do Zion.
It probably started after he told me he liked me.
His feelings, once so clear, had turned opaque. What used to be obvious had blurred, and the emotional risk had skyrocketed.
Does he really like me?
I spent the entire afternoon running endless, vague simulations in my head—getting ahead of myself, trying to figure out the direction of our relationship, his true intentions, and where this would all end.
“Am I… just starved for affection?”
I’d just checked my phone a few minutes ago, but I found myself opening the messenger app again out of habit. A short sigh escaped my lips in disbelief. After taking a shower, I felt an oddly sudden drop in my condition.
“Ugh, why am I feeling so off lately?”
I was also craving Zion’s pheromones like crazy.
These symptoms had started just a day after he left. When I woke up, my timeline was in complete chaos.
[ Exclusive ] ‘Global Actor’ A, Dating Hollywood Star’s Son B… ‘Secretly Enjoying Private Dates’
[ Entertainment Team | Light Search ]
Another legendary ‘Couple of the Century’ is about to be born.
It has been confirmed that Global Actor A (24), who is loved not only in the Republic of Korea but all over the world, is dating Hollywood Star’s Son B (28).
According to our report, the two met for the first time at the Dunamis Film Festival and quickly grew close through their shared interests in swimming and diving.
—Light Search Reporter Choi Byeong-cheol
Comments flooded in below the article.
Global actor, 24, Dunamis Film Festival, swimming, diving.
The keywords alone were enough to point directly to Do Zion as the prime candidate for “Mr. A.” As for the “second-generation Hollywood star,” speculation ran rampant that it must be one of the three Dominic brothers.
Despite the article breaking in the dead of night, the reaction was explosive.
While some posts on the timeline expressed support for Do Zion and the Dominic family, others were fiercely defensive. Zion’s fandom was in an uproar, demanding a fact-check and calling for the article to be taken down, their rallying cry a desperate Protect Zion at All Costs.
Yet, for Zion to find someone else… perhaps that was only natural. After all, he deserved to be loved.
But that was as far as his understanding went. Any attempt to push past that point felt like someone was gouging out his heart.
“I have to understand…”
He did understand.
“I have to.”
He wanted to.
“I have to understand.”
He had waited for Zion for too long to just brush it off with his usual, ‘It’s fine, this happens.’
Two days, three days, four… As the days passed, his condition plummeted so drastically that he began to wonder if this was even normal.
The mark Zion had left was gradually fading.
Even then, he thought he’d be okay. He had no idea that the side effects of the chip’s additional installation—just as CEO Moon Woo-jin had warned—were already taking hold.
Unaware that his poor condition was a side effect, Jubin had taken his symptoms too lightly and ignored the danger.
He had shown up at the Action School as scheduled and was diligently practicing his swordplay when a sudden wave of dizziness struck. He lost consciousness and collapsed onto the mat.
His memory cut out for a moment. When he came to, everyone there rushed over, their voices a frantic murmur.
“Oh! He’s awake!”
“Water! Where’s the water?”
“Hey, call 119! Call 119!!”
The voices poured over him all at once. It’s really no big deal, he thought. I just got a little dizzy and lost my balance! Yet the Action School was in total chaos.
Even Director Kang, usually so calm, roared, “Call an ambulance! Now!!”
At the mention of an ambulance, Jubin hurriedly tried to stop him.
“I’m fine. Please, don’t call an ambulance.”
Jubin scrambled to invent a fake illness, desperate for an excuse that would put them at ease.
“I… I have anemia. This happens sometimes.”
Director Kang, who had been trying to stop his disciple from calling the ambulance, looked bewildered. “A-anemia?”
“Yes. I’ll be fine after a little rest.”
Jubin hated this more than the fall itself—the way everyone had stopped their training and rushed over, their faces etched with worry. The sudden flood of attention and concern was suffocating, terrifying even.
He was terrified he’d lose this hard-won spot. The thought of being remembered as an imperfect actor was simply unbearable.
Desperate to end the scene, he forced himself to his feet.
“Whoa—!”
A chorus of protests erupted as everyone tried to stop him at once.
0 Comments