A couple for show chapter 4

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‘Clink’—the sound of glasses clashing echoed sharply.

The atmosphere at the gathering quickly heated up, and while everyone else was laughing and chatting, a cold wind seemed to blow only around Cha Joobin and Gong Yoochan, who sat facing each other.

To be precise, it was just Gong Yoochan who looked displeased.

“Hey, Yoochan, relax your face a bit,” said Jang Giyoung with a troubled smile, nudging him.

But it was no use. Gong Yoochan couldn’t stand the sight of Cha Joobin across from him.

It wasn’t that surprising—Cha Joobin refused to engage with him, yet was chatting happily with everyone else.

He smiled sweetly, treated them warmly, and even took photos with them occasionally.

“How am I supposed to relax when I’m looking at that?”

Gong Yoochan muttered under his breath, making sure no one around could hear him, still glaring daggers at Cha Joobin.

Occasionally, Cha Joobin seemed aware of his gaze and glanced over, but it was only for a moment.

Whenever their eyes met, Joobin would turn back to his companions and engage in lively conversation again.

He wasn’t normally so sociable, so even the person sitting next to him was puzzled by his behavior.

But Cha Joobin, for some reason, seemed to be having a blast.

Meanwhile, Gong Yoochan gulped down soju like water, silently cursing under his breath.

Maybe it was obvious. The CEO sitting next to him leaned over and cautiously called out, “Yoochan.”

“What is it?” Gong Yoochan recoiled slightly as the CEO moved closer, and the man clicked his tongue in disapproval.

Taking the hint, Yoochan straightened up, and the CEO whispered quietly in his ear.

“Have you guys not made up yet?”

The breakup was a secret even within the company, as they had agreed to maintain their image until their contracts were up.

Only Yoochan, Joobin, and Jang Giyoung knew about thebreak up.

Jang Giyoung had even insisted they not tell their manager.

Yoochan shook his head.

“Make up? We’re not even sure if we’ve properly broken up yet,” he muttered softly, barely audible to anyone but Jang Giyoung.

What he meant was that they hadn’t properly resolved things, so it didn’t even feel like a real breakup.

But maybe Jang Giyoung interpreted it differently.

“So, are you thinking of getting back together?”

There was a hopeful tone in Jang Giyoung’s voice, but Yoochan shook his head firmly.

Was this how other couples broke up, too?

In fact, Cha Joobin was the first person Yoochan had dated, lived with, and broken up with, so he wasn’t sure how other relationships typically ended.

Still, he thought it was important to tie things up properly after such a long time, so he kept trying to talk to Joobin…

Yoochan glanced at Joobin again.

Their eyes met, and Joobin raised his chin as if to say, ‘What?’
Yoochan bristled at his attitude.

‘He’s all smiles with everyone else, but he’s got nothing but attitude with me’, he thought, boiling with frustration.

Maybe he should just go home.

Even though he had just smoked a cigarette, the craving hit him again.

Gong Yoochan let out a frustrated sigh, grabbed his pack of cigarettes, and stood up.

Jang Giyoung got up as well.

“Joobin, you come out for a second, too.”

He called out to Cha Joobin specifically, but Joobin just shook his head.

“Why? I don’t smoke.”

“Since when did that matter to you?”

“Why should I ruin my lungs with someone else’s smoke? I’m not going.”

‘I knew he’d say that’, thought Yoochan.

Earlier, despite staying nearby, Joobin had complained endlessly about the smell of cigarette smoke.

It seemed like things were about to get awkward, so Gong Yoochan stepped in to calm Jang Giyoung down.

“He doesn’t even smoke, so why bother?”

“Come on, it’s just for a minute.”

“You two have big plans for longevity, I see. You can achieve that together. Me? I’m dreaming of a short and sweet life.”

Yoochan’s eyes widened at Joobin’s response.

He had included Yoochan in his snarky remark, which was unusual.

Joobin wasn’t normally this harsh, but today he was particularly biting, and Yoochan was surprised.

‘I’ve never thought his personality was the best, but why is he acting like such a jerk now? Is it because we broke up and he doesn’t have to care anymore?’

Yoochan blinked, stunned, then let out an exasperated breath.

Jang Giyoung, though, seemed entirely unfazed by Joobin’s attitude.

He just smiled, as if he was used to it.

At this point, most people would have scolded Joobin for his disrespectful behavior, but Jang simply chuckled.

‘That man has the patience of a saint.’

“Fine, let’s just go ourselves,” Yoochan muttered.

Normally, he’d have been more tactful in trying to persuade Jang, but today, he was too on edge to care.

Jang Giyoung, however, shook his head, indicating that he had something important to say.

“Get up, we need to talk.”

Reluctantly, Cha Joobin stood up, grabbing his phone and coat with a sullen expression before following them outside.

Behind the trio, the staff from the agency began to speculate excitedly.

“Is Yoochan doing another ad with Joobin? Come on, CEO, don’t forget Team 2! This is a bit much.”

“No, that’s not it.”

“Oh, wait, is it the new variety show they’re going to be on?”

“Shh! Quiet down, the kids don’t know yet.”

They had already heard everything, but Jang Giyoung noticeably shushed the team members who were chiming in from different corners.

Then, he glanced at Gong Yoochan and Cha Joobin.

“Wow, you’re really drunk.”

Cha Joobin’s indifferent comment came from the side, and Gong Yoochan silently agreed.

The smoking room, located in one corner of the barbecue restaurant, felt no different from a raccoon’s den.

From the agency’s entertainers to its employees, everyone seemed to come and go freely, and though the place had been used exclusively by the company’s staff since its opening, the ashtrays were so full that even a hedgehog would struggle to navigate.

Despite being a smoker, Gong Yoochan felt as if his lungs were rotting more than usual.

He blocked Cha Joobin from entering the room.

Earlier, he had dismissed Cha Joobin’s behavior as simply rude, but Gong Yoochan knew better than anyone that Joobin disliked the smell of cigarettes and didn’t enjoy being around smoke.

Because of this, Gong Yoochan had switched to odorless e-cigarettes and always tried to avoid smoking around him, no matter how strong his cravings were.

Out of habit, Gong Yoochan blocked his path, frowning as he gently pushed Joobin’s back.

“Hey, let’s go somewhere else. It reeks in here.”

It was a reflexive action, ingrained over the years. He didn’t even think twice about it.

It wasn’t until a bit later that he realized what he had done.

Cha Joobin abruptly swatted Gong Yoochan’s hand, which had been blocking the doorway.

“Ugh, move. Why are you blocking the way?”

With a sharp glare, Joobin stormed into the smoking room.

Even for a smoker like Gong Yoochan, the cigarette stench was overwhelming, and sure enough, Cha Joobin’s face twisted in disgust.

If he hates it so much, why doesn’t he just leave?

As Gong Yoochan wondered whether Joobin was being stubborn, Jang Giyoung finally appeared. He already had a cigarette in his mouth, unfazed by the thick smoke filling the room, and quickly lit it.

Just moments ago, he had been rushing the two as if he had something urgent to say, but now Jang Giyoung was oddly quiet.

With his own urge to smoke rising, Gong Yoochan pushed Joobin out of his mind and lit a cigarette.

Joobin, holding his nose in disgust, grumbled, “Ugh, this place is a lung cancer breeding ground.”

The fact that he said nothing when Jang Giyoung lit his cigarette, but made a comment when Gong Yoochan did, made it clear who his complaint was aimed at.

Gong Yoochan squeezed his eyes shut but stubbornly ignored Joobin, turning his attention to Jang Giyoung.

“What is it you wanted to talk about?”

“Well, it’s time for the filming of ‘Romance Diary’.”

Ah, if it was that topic, no wonder he was dragging it out.

Both of their faces instantly twisted in frustration.

“Even if you guys broke up, it’s still a contracted gig, right?”

Gong Yoochan bit down hard on his cigarette filter.

Romance Diary was a variety show that observed celebrity couples in public relationships. The previous seasons had been incredibly popular, so the third season was highly anticipated.

The filming would take about three months, with shoots alternating between three-day filming sessions and rest periods every two weeks.

When they signed the contract, they hadn’t imagined they’d break up before the show began, so he had signed with great excitement.

But now, it was problematic.

They had broken up, and if they appeared on the show, they’d only end up showing an icy, cold front to the viewers.

Scratching his eyebrows awkwardly, Gong Yoochan carefully suggested, “Can’t we just say we can’t do it? Maybe we could make up some excuse? It’s not like it’s unheard of for cast members to be swapped out at the last minute.”

“But if you back out now, it would look ridiculous. Your couple photos are selling like crazy, and if you start filming now, it would be a win for everyone. If you say no, it will only fuel rumors that you broke up.”

“…”

“Remember, you agreed to maintain your public image until the advertising contract ends, right?”

Jang Giyoung cut him off and explained matter-of-factly.

There was nothing Gong Yoochan could say to refute it.

When Gong Yoochan let out a sigh, Cha Joobin clicked his tongue in annoyance.

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