Chapter 8: Battle Flirting
by GideonEpisode 8. Battle Flirting
“My lines are so short for our first meeting…”
Jubin trailed off, afraid that any further excuses would just make him look arrogant to the others.
“You probably memorized everyone else’s lines too, didn’t you, sunbae?”
Jubin felt a flash of resentment toward Zion for saying something that didn’t need to be said.
“N-no, I didn’t. Hey…”
He gently tugged Zion’s collar, trying to pull him down as if to tell him to stop.
Zion cleared his throat with a strange smile. As he continued with his next line, Jubin found himself naturally focusing on the reading again.
Fortunately, the rest of the reading went smoothly. He had a lot of lines to exchange with Kim Do-won. The more they went back and forth, the more their inner bond grew.
Above all, whenever he delivered a line, I just burst out laughing.
The lead actress, Seo Ji-soo, was also impressive. As the Queen by the Emperor’s side, she maintained a regal air to protect her own power.
Throughout the reading, Director Bae Eun-hye guided the actors through the emotional nuances of their scenes, fine-tuning their chemistry. Jubin filled his script with dense notes.
Lines that were difficult to deliver were revised to be more natural for the actors, but fortunately, Cha Jubin’s lines remained unchanged.
He felt he could deliver his lines as memorized, just needing to refine the character’s emotional arc.
More importantly, since this was his first time working with his co-star, it was crucial to memorize their tone and tempo, gradually syncing their rhythms.
The final line was spoken, and the long, grueling first table read finally came to an end.
“Great job, everyone.”
The reading had been more intense and focused than ever before.
Afterward, instead of awkwardly laughing it off, everyone seemed to feel a newfound closeness. They lingered, trying to keep the conversation going, their eyes meeting as they chatted.
Do-won, ever the opportunist, seized the moment. He deliberately tried to liven up the mood, pulling Zion and Jubin into the fray.
“You two should probably start practicing that kiss scene,” Do-won teased, his voice booming with laughter. “Get your chemistry down early.”
Director Bae Eun-hye gathered the heavy scripts and announced to the group, “Everyone, meet us at the dinner venue on time.”
Cha Jubin was blindsided. He hadn’t heard a word about the after-party.
While some of the cast and crew were already making plans to kill time together until the dinner started, Zion, who had another schedule to keep, was already packed and ready to leave.
“Sunbae, let’s go.”
Me? With you?
Still, Jubin knew he’d be awkward and out of place without Zion by his side. Grabbing his script, he obediently rose from his seat, figuring they could at least find a quieter cafe.
“Aren’t you coming to the dinner?” he asked, hurrying to keep pace as Zion strode out of the reading room.
“I thought about it, but I don’t think I can make it.”
“Oh, you have a schedule?”
“An interview,” Zion explained. “Aristos requested it, and when I told them I didn’t have time, they actually flew all the way to Korea just for this.”
Now that he knew the story, Jubin felt a pang of guilt at the thought of sending Zion away so coldly. Being a star is exhausting, he thought. He decided to part ways with Zion on the first floor and find a nearby cafe.
Just as he was thinking he should buy a proper bag to keep his script from getting wet in the rain, he spotted the elevator. This seemed like the perfect place to say goodbye.
“Do Zion, thanks for today. Good luck with your interview.”
They still had scenes to film together, so Jubin figured the best approach was to keep things slow and maintain a comfortable distance, just like they were doing now.
But as Zion turned to leave, a look of confusion crossed his face.
“Aren’t you going to smoke?”
“Huh? Uh…”
I am, but why does that matter to you?
Zion readjusted the strap of his long-slung bag and started walking ahead again.
“Let’s go. You’re going to smoke anyway.”
“You have an interview to get to.”
“I have thirty minutes. Plenty of time to talk to you, sunbae.”
She couldn’t bring herself to drag Do Zion, a non-smoker, into a smoking booth again. It wasn’t just a matter of manners; as long as they weren’t trapped in a confined space together, she could afford to be a little more relaxed…
“Want to grab a coffee with me? Somewhere spacious, though.”
He checked the time and nodded readily.
“The interview is at the cafe next door. Let’s go there.”
It was perfect. She had been looking for a quiet coffee shop, and he could head to his appointment early and wait there without wasting any time.
“Sure, let’s do that.”
As they walked into the cafe in the adjacent building, the eyes of everyone drinking coffee on the first floor instantly locked onto them.
With his towering height, Zion was bound to draw attention. His unrealistically stunning face and sculpted physique were unmistakable—anyone could see he was the actor Do Zion.
“Welcome. How can I help you?”
A woman who seemed to be the owner stepped out from behind the kiosk, a bright smile on her face.
“Sunbae, what do you want to drink?”
“I’ll have…”
Cha Jubin usually stuck to high-caffeine drinks in the morning, but after that, he wasn’t particularly picky. Besides, they had a company dinner coming up, so something moderate would be best…
“Milk tea. Iced. You?”
“I’ll have an iced americano.”
Jubin didn’t eat desserts himself, but he knew Zion enjoyed them from time to time.
“Don’t you want a dessert?”
Jubin pointedly tapped the glass case, his finger lingering over a treat he knew Zion would like.
“Hmm… they have scones and cookies too.”
Was it because he remembered I liked desserts? That smile just now—it was so genuinely happy, it showed.
“You don’t like those, though, sunbae. An iced americano is fine.”
But you like them, so… The words “Let’s eat them together” died in my throat.
Should I have told him the scones and cookies here are good? I felt a pang of regret.
“One milk tea and one iced americano, please.”
Truthfully, Cha Jubin had been waiting for the perfect moment to pay since they stepped into the cafe. He owed Do Zion so much for all the little things he’d done, and he was determined to pay him back this time.
“This one’s on me.”
As if he’d been waiting for the cue, Cha Jubin held out his card. Do Zion naturally turned away, saying, “Thanks for the treat.”
Good. Finally returning a small fraction of the kindness he’d received made Jubin feel a whole lot lighter.
The sign leading to the second floor read, Closed for Private Event Today, so it seemed the place had been rented out.
“Are you sure I can really use this space with you?”
“It’s fine. The company rented it.”
The first floor had been a cacophony of chatter and music, but the second floor was completely empty. The vast, vacant space felt almost desolate.
“Shall we sit here?”
“Yeah, I’ll take the chair.”
“You should lean back on the sofa, Sunbae.”
He deliberately moved toward the hard chair, as if yielding the sofa to me.
“No, I’ll take the chair. You sit on the sofa.”
Given his height and build, it made more sense for him to take the spacious sofa anyway.
“Think carefully. Whether we sit facing each other or side by side.”
Either way, the idea was a little overwhelming. But I hadn’t come here just for drinks; I needed to have a proper conversation with him.
“I prefer sitting side-by-side, though.”
He tossed out a line—a strange mix of playfulness and a joke, a subtle flirtation.
Jubin took the bait, his reaction decidedly positive. “So you don’t hate me anymore?”
Zion, who was just setting his tray on the table, tilted his head in confusion. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Jubin deliberately took the seat on the sofa Zion had offered, adding casually, “You’re teasing me now, just like you do with everyone else.”
Zion froze mid-motion, his tray still in hand, as if he’d been turned to stone.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to sit?” Cha Jubin asked, grabbing his own milk tea.
The man who had just said he preferred sitting side-by-side finally lowered himself into the chair. The movement reminded Jubin of Zion when he was younger.
“…What was that?”
“Suddenly, I don’t want to sit next to you anymore, Sunbae.”
Now that Zion had actually accepted his flirtation, Jubin felt a surge of shyness—and an even stronger urge to tease him.
“Come here.”
Jubin tapped the seat beside him and smiled.
“You said you liked sitting next to me.”
“Are you really inviting me to sit there?”
“Come if you want.”
His hesitation was brief.
“I won’t.”
He lightly pinched the fabric of his shirt at the shoulder, smoothed it down, and leaned back against his chair.
“Why? Are you shy?”
“I want to get a good look at your face for the first time in a while, so sitting across from you is better.”
Look at this kid, I thought. He stared right at me without blinking, a smile playing on his lips. Then again, he’d always been a bit proud of the fact that I was younger than him.
“Fine, look all you want.”
Jubin laughed it off, letting it slide because he found the behavior cute.
“And what about you, Sunbae? Am I not uncomfortable for you anymore?”
Jubin clenched his fingers tight. He’s as blunt as ever. Though flustered, he hid it with a smile.
“Could you say I was being careful, not uncomfortable? You’re quite a handful, you know. Both then and now.”
Cha Jubin gripped the rim of his glass firmly and downed the milk tea. The tension from the reading had left him with a thirst that water couldn’t quench, and the sugar was finally soothing it.
Clink. He caught a stray ice cube in his mouth and pushed it to the side of his cheek. This cafe uses the perfect size ice.
Zion, who had been watching him, let out a short, dry laugh.
“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”
0 Comments