A couple for show chapter 3

Even after they got home, there was no conversation between the two. As if to prove they had broken up, no one spoke up about what to do with the house or the luggage.

Gong Yoochan hadn’t decided where to stay yet, but his first thought was that it would be best to buy a house as soon as possible.

Since he had decided to maintain his public image, he figured he would need his agency’s help to prevent news about the house purchase from leaking.

After wandering in and out of his room, thinking about various things for a few minutes, he finally heard a voice.

“You’re really leaving right away?”

Cha Joobin was the first to break the silence.

“Yeah.”

“What’s the rush?”

“And why are you so relaxed?”

Gong Yoochan dropped the bag he had been holding and asked.

He had been feeling frustrated because even though Cha Joobin had suggested they talk at home, he’d stayed completely silent since they arrived.

If they were going to talk, they should talk properly; if not, he could stop meddling.

Gong Yoochan felt exasperated with this ambiguous attitude.

Considering how long they had been together, Gong Yoochan thought it would be best to wrap things up quickly so that their work wouldn’t be affected.

Even though their romantic relationship was ending, he still wanted the best for Cha Joobin and intended not to cause him any harm.

But Cha Joobin’s perpetually grumpy attitude made Gong Yoochan sigh. Even in this situation, he still acted like that.

Even so, since they were ending such a long relationship, Gong Yoochan wanted to have a proper conversation.

If Cha Joobin refused to talk, Gong Yoochan was prepared to pack up and leave immediately, but cutting ties so abruptly didn’t feel right.

Moreover, since the entertainment industry was small, they would likely run into each other again.

Surely, Cha Joobin understood that it was wise to part on good terms.

Having made up his mind, Gong Yoochan sat across from him, ready to talk.

Only then did Cha Joobin glance up at him.

He’s really handsome.

Maybe it was because they weren’t parting on bad terms, but his impression of Cha Joobin’s face hadn’t changed.

In fact, from the beginning, he had been Gong Yoochan’s ideal type.

With his delicate features that didn’t quite suit an alpha, Cha Joobin’s appearance was captivating enough to charm anyone.

While others often praised his good looks, in Gong Yoochan’s eyes, he was simply endlessly beautiful.

His pale skin, dark eyes, and full, glossy red lips all contributed to that beauty.

Every time Gong Yoochan looked at him, he felt like he was being helplessly drawn in.

This time was no different, and he had to shake himself out of it.

The coldness in Cha Joobin’s eyes brought him back to reality.

“What do you want to do? Let’s have a conversation. We’ve been together for seven years—don’t you think we should at least talk it through? We’re not a couple that can just say ‘Let’s break up’ over dinner and end it like that.”

“We already broke up, so that’s the end, right? You’re the one who wanted this.”

“And you agreed.”

Anyone listening would think that Gong Yoochan had ended things on his own.

Gong Yoochan stared directly at Cha Joobin, but he clammed up again.

Cha Joobin wasn’t usually this quiet, so it was frustrating that he only closed up like this during important moments.

Suppressing his rising frustration, Gong Yoochan spoke again.

“Be clear. This is your house—when do you want me to leave? It’s hard to keep seeing each other. We’ve already seen more than enough of each other during the relationship, and there’s no need to endure that now that we’ve broken up.”

“Endure? So you were just enduring me all this time? How did you even manage?”

Cha Joobin’s expression twisted, clearly displeased with Gong Yoochan’s choice of words, his gaze now filled with resentment.

Gong Yoochan’s impression of him as someone whose thoughts were impossible to figure out hadn’t changed.

Though during their relationship, Cha Joobin had shown plenty of affection, calling him “hyung” and flashing sweet smiles, he now frowned more than ever.

“Stop nitpicking my words…”

Gong Yoochan pressed his fingers against his eyelids.

He was exhausted from this kind of conversation.

Whether there were lingering feelings or not, whether their breakup had been somewhat impulsive, he knew it had to happen.

Their relationship had become lukewarm and stagnant.

That was the best way to describe them recently—neither hot nor cold, offering no more sparks to each other.

A relationship that had become painfully ordinary.

Still, he wanted to end things properly.

Even if they were breaking up, he hoped to clear up any misunderstandings so that they could move on without harboring ill feelings, leaving only good memories behind.

But maybe that was just wishful thinking.

Cha Joobin looked at him with an expression that barely concealed his displeasure, as if questioning why they were even having this conversation.

Gong Yoochan sighed heavily.

“Do you not want to talk?”

“I don’t know. I have an appointment.”

“What?”

In this situation, an appointment?

Gong Yoochan stared at him in disbelief. But without caring about his reaction, Cha Joobin grabbed his coat and quickly left the house.

He moved so fast that Gong Yoochan didn’t even have a chance to stop him.

Letting out a helpless laugh, he murmured to himself.

“What the hell is this?”

Surely Cha Joobin had his own thoughts.

Even if Gong Yoochan was the one who had suggested breaking up first, Cha Joobin had agreed, so he must have had something to say.

His refusal to communicate was baffling.

Looking at the bags he had packed, Gong Yoochan chuckled bitterly.

Is this really how things are going to end?

He felt a bit empty, wondering if Cha Joobin no longer even wanted to talk.

After all, they had shared a lot together.

This couldn’t be the right way to end things, could it?

Clicking his tongue in frustration, Gong Yoochan flopped onto the couch.

His mind was so cluttered with thoughts that it felt blank.

Two weeks passed.

During that time, Gong Yoochan barely saw Cha Joobin’s face.

With his activities wrapped up, Gong Yoochan stayed at home, but Cha Joobin, who always seemed busy, left early in the morning and returned late at night, actively avoiding conversation.

Gong Yoochan had tried to stop him, saying they needed to talk, and had even sent him messages like, ‘Come home early today, let’s talk.’

But every time, he was met with rejection.

He had thought about storming out just to get away, but he knew it wouldn’t solve anything, so he held back.

After all, he was two years older—he figured he should be the mature one and be patient.

And finally, today.

Gong Yoochan heard that there was a company dinner, and he left home thinking this would be his chance to finally see Cha Joobin.

After all, Cha Joobin never missed company dinners. Gong Yoochan’s sole reason for attending was to catch Cha Joobin and have a conversation.

As he arrived at the restaurant, he saw Cha Joobin as expected.

Dressed perfectly from head to toe, his appearance was so spot-on that it annoyed Gong Yoochan.

“There you are.”

“Hey.”

“Hey?”

His calm greeting only stoked the anger building inside Gong Yoochan.

For the past two weeks, Cha Joobin had been blatantly ignoring him, treating him as if he were invisible.

Now, suddenly, he was saying “Hey” and even waving at him.

Frustrated, Gong Yoochan lit a cigarette while watching Cha Joobin loitering at the entrance, even though he didn’t smoke.

Since Gong Yoochan didn’t bother telling him to go inside first, Cha Joobin, who had been avoiding him like the plague for the past two weeks, for some reason didn’t enter the restaurant either, choosing to stand next to him instead.

“I’m going to smoke.”

“I know.”

“Aren’t you going in?”

“I’ll go when I feel like it.”

His indifferent tone showed that he couldn’t care less about what Gong Yoochan did.

“Fine, do what you want.”

Shaking his head, Gong Yoochan took a long drag from his cigarette.

Cha Joobin, meanwhile, kicked at the pavement with his toe.

“Ugh, the cigarette smell.”

He mumbled to himself, grumbling under his breath.

Really? He was fine standing there before, and now he was complaining?

“What?”

“I wasn’t talking to you.”

Sure you weren’t.

Gong Yoochan closed his eyes tightly, trying to calm himself.

Out of habit, he took a step back, making sure the smoke didn’t drift toward Cha Joobin.

It was an old habit—blowing the smoke in the opposite direction and waving his hand to disperse it before it could reach him.

Despite the ongoing silent war between the two, their public image remained intact.

Since both had wrapped up their activities, there were no media appearances to worry about, but the recently released photobook had also helped, as it effectively kept the public’s eyes on them through a massive filter.

The response to the photobook was overwhelmingly positive.

As always, people referred to them as the “model couple,” saying things like “This is how a relationship should be,” and even the company-issued press releases didn’t face much opposition. The only negativity came from the usual provocateurs.

While thankful for this, Gong Yoochan wondered how long they could keep up this vague, in-between relationship.

He had made up his mind to sort things out today.

Stubbing out his cigarette in the ashtray, he turned to Cha Joobin.

“Let’s go home together after this.”

The gathering would last until dawn, and there wouldn’t be any plans afterward, so he had said this firmly, hoping to claim Joobin’s time in advance.

“I have plans.”

What kind of plans could someone possibly have in the early hours of the morning?

At that moment, Gong Yoochan became certain of a suspicion he’d been harboring for the past two weeks. ‘He’s making up an excuse because he doesn’t want to talk to me’, he thought.

“If you don’t want to talk to me, just say so.”

“Why are you making that face? You think anyone would want to talk to you looking like that?”

“How could we not talk? What have you been doing for the past two weeks?”

“What else? I’ve been avoiding you.”

He wasn’t even trying to hide it. Gong Yoochan was stunned by how straightforward he was.

‘If he really wanted to avoid me, shouldn’t he have properly ended things first?’

It didn’t make sense for someone to give up their home and yet have the landlord wandering outside.

After all, it had been seven years.

They’d spent nearly a third of their lives together, so how could Joobin behave so disrespectfully?

‘Was he always like this?’ Yoochan had never seen him act this way before, and the disappointment was starting to set in.

“So, you’re just going to end it like this? Don’t you have anything to say to me? Well, even if you don’t, I have plenty to say, so let’s talk.”

This was practically a declaration that he wouldn’t leave until things were settled.

By now, Cha Joobin should have responded, but instead, he said:

“Why should I listen to you?”

It was the most uninterested reply imaginable.

Then, he turned around and walked back into the restaurant.

The only proof that he had ever stood there was the faint scent of the cologne Yoochan had bought for him long ago, still lingering in the air.