A couple for show chapter 21

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Gong Yoochan, flustered, let go of him.

Cha Joobin slightly parted the fingers he had neatly clasped together and peeked at Gong Yoochan through the gap.

From the lowered gaze, it felt as if shyness seeped out, making his face flush.

“Aren’t you going to hug me more?”

His playful remark, paired with completely lowering his hands, prompted Gong Yoochan to lightly smack his chest.

“I did a good job, so why should I hug you?”

“You hugged me first, didn’t you?”

“Ah, it’s your turn now.”

“Seriously…”

Cha Joobin shook his head like he was dissatisfied.

Who even says “seriously” in this situation?

As Gong Yoochan blinked in disbelief, Cha Joobin suddenly gave him a quick kiss on the nose with a loud smack.

“What the– hey?!”

The surprise was so much that his voice cracked.

Before he could even process his broken voice, his eyes widened, and Cha Joobin shrugged.

“I’ll let it slide because you’re cute.”

Let what slide? What’s he letting slide?

Gong Yoochan shot him a glare for no reason, and Cha Joobin playfully responded with a teasing “What?”

Then he waved a finger in front of Gong Yoochan’s face.

“Who taught you how to bowl, huh?”

“Yeah, I should be grateful.”

Gong Yoochan laughed in exasperation and gently swatted away Cha Joobin’s hand.

Bowling was something Cha Joobin had taught him.

Not long after they started dating, Cha Joobin had joined a sports variety show, taken proper lessons, and trained day and night until he became quite skilled at bowling.

At the time, bowling alleys were always a part of their date spots.

Then it switched to pool halls.

It changed because the variety show’s sports segment changed, but with Cha Joobin’s pure enthusiasm for wanting to share any fun activity with him, Gong Yoochan just enjoyed all of it.

As memories of their early relationship kept resurfacing, Gong Yoochan took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

Meanwhile, Cha Joobin stood at the lane with a bowling ball in his hands.

The moment he saw Gong Yoochan looking, Cha Joobin tilted his chin up confidently, as if to say, “Watch how good I am,” with a smug grin.

“I’m getting a double.”

“Go ahead.”

With all the time and effort put into it, it’d be a shame if his skills had rusted.

Gong Yoochan, now sitting cross-legged and leaning comfortably in his chair, watched as the ball rolled after a loud thud, following Cha Joobin’s steps.

The ball traced a slight curve before smashing right down the center, knocking all the pins over again. Well, of course, a low chuckle escaped.

As the game went on, Gong Yoochan forgot about his own hits, completely immersed in the match.

Every time they hit a strike or a spare, their clapping hands sparked with energy.

Slap, slap!

Their hands met with such perfect timing that even the sound was different, despite the light contact.

With each success, the smiles blooming on both their faces became even brighter, as if they had forgotten all their awkward feelings.

The way they looked at each other only reflected pure affection.

Did he even realize that?

Feeling Cha Joobin’s warmth surrounding him made Gong Yoochan’s thoughts a little tangled.

Every one of Cha Joobin’s actions felt like a trigger, leaving him in a bind.

Just as he exhaled a long breath, the scores were tallied, showing that Cha Joobin had barely edged him out.

Gong Yoochan sighed in slight disappointment and dusted off his hands.

“I guess I still can’t beat you.”

“Next time, let’s play badminton.”

“Oh, are you better at badminton, Yoochan?”

“Yes.”

When a nearby staff member asked, Gong Yoochan nodded firmly.

The two of them were quite evenly matched in most sports.

But badminton? That was something Gong Yoochan was confident in.

He held out a finger in front of Cha Joobin’s face.

“Bring it on.”

As he wiggled his finger in challenge, Cha Joobin burst out in hearty laughter.

“I’ll bite you!”

“Oh, come on.”

Cha Joobin bent down as if he was really going to bite him, making Gong Yoochan quickly retract his finger.

Barely missing him, Cha Joobin straightened up with a playful flick of his eyebrow, as if he was disappointed.

“Tsk, I almost had you. I would’ve actually bitten you.”

“What’s the big deal? It’s not like it’s someone else’s hand.”

“What? So, it’s okay to bite mine?”

“If it’s mine, I can nibble a bit. What’s the problem?”

Cha Joobin chuckled, then started cleaning up the bowling balls they had used, lifting them with both hands and putting them away one by one.

He even kindly placed the sneakers they had taken off right in front of Gong Yoochan, signaling with a nod for him to change shoes.

As Gong Yoochan switched from bowling shoes to sneakers, Cha Joobin continued tidying up the lane.

It didn’t take long before the lane was spotless, since they hadn’t even stopped for drinks and had been completely focused on the game.

“Thanks for the fun. Hope business booms!”

As they left, they made sure to give their usual farewell, and a staff member approached with an A4 paper, looking shy as they asked for an autograph, marker in hand.

Cha Joobin cheerfully signed the paper and even added a ‘p.s’.

Curious, Gong Yoochan leaned in to see what he wrote.

[Gong Yoochan♡Cha Joobin]

It was a phrase that he normally would’ve found too cheesy to write, but there it was, bold and clear.

Gong Yoochan’s face burned red, and he pressed his palm to his cheek to cool down as he took the marker from Cha Joobin.

After finishing his own autograph, Gong Yoochan hesitated briefly before adding a note.

[Joobin won todayㅠㅠ]

Just in case anyone who saw it would wonder who had won.

When they stepped outside, they spotted Cha Joobin peering around the nearby shops.

Even after a nap, it wasn’t even 10 p.m. yet, so many places were still open.

The place they found was a café.

Cha Joobin’s eyes widened as he pointed to it.

“Since it’s late, how about a drink instead of coffee?”

“Sounds good.”

After all that exercise, a refreshing drink didn’t sound like a bad idea, so Gong Yoochan nodded.

Cha Joobin opened the door with a jingle and held it open for Gong Yoochan to enter comfortably.

It was a familiar gesture by now, so Gong Yoochan didn’t even think twice about it.

They each ordered their favorite drinks and sat down side by side.

Sitting next to each other like this had become a habit, mostly because Cha Joobin always insisted on it.

Realizing that, everything about this moment suddenly felt new and special.

Gong Yoochan leaned back, feeling the calm, cozy atmosphere.

As he did, Cha Joobin shifted as well, leaning into him and getting comfortable.

“This is nice, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it reminds me of old times.”

As Gong Yoochan nodded quietly, sipping through his straw, Cha Joobin rested his head gently on his shoulder.

Gong Yoochan glanced at him.

Feeling the gaze, Cha Joobin slowly rolled his eyes up to meet his without lifting his head.

“Is it heavy?”

The question made them both laugh.

How heavy could such a small head really be?

“No.”

Their shared smile only lasted a moment before Cha Joobin placed his drink on the table and leaned fully into Gong Yoochan, gently clasping his hand.

Their fingers intertwined, and Cha Joobin’s thumb softly caressed the back of his hand.

The warmth and tenderness of it all was simply comforting.

Gong Yoochan let him hold his hand, but then felt Cha Joobin’s fingers slowly move up his arm, gently brushing the inside of his elbow.

It was the spot where he had injected a suppressant in the bathroom earlier to avoid the cameras.

Gong Yoochan lifted his gaze and looked at Cha Joobin.

For once, instead of meeting his eyes, Cha Joobin was staring at his arm.

It bothered him a little, so he tried to pull his arm away, but Cha Joobin only held on tighter, not wanting to let go.

“Why do you keep touching it?”

Feeling embarrassed and awkward, Gong Yoochan intentionally made a loud noise, only to be met with Cha Joobin’s shameless gaze.

The way he stared so intently made Yoochan feel as if he were the one in the wrong.

Just moments ago, his heart had swelled with fond memories of their first romance, but now, tension settled on his chest.

He gulped nervously.

As he leaned back and faced Joobin, he heard the other man exhale softly.

Yoochan rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, the other still held by Joobin.

The atmosphere was becoming awkward again, so Yoochan licked his dry lips uncomfortably.

At that moment, after a long silence, Joobin finally spoke up.

“Don’t take the suppressants. They’ll leave scars.”

“……”

“You’re an actor. Even if you’re not active right now, don’t hurt your body.”

Joobin’s hand pressed gently over the wound, stroking it tenderly.

Was that affection, or was Yoochan just imagining it?

Gong Yoochan swallowed hard, touched by Joobin’s gentle, coaxing behavior, as if he truly didn’t want him to do it.

It felt as though the heat was hitting him all at once.

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