A couple for show chapter 26

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Since finding a new place to live was out of the question, Gong Yoochan figured it would be best to just use one of the company dorms that was always available.

He ignored the manager’s question, “Why?” and simply requested to be assigned a company dorm.

He gripped the handle of his suitcase tightly.

“Then I’ll get ready and head down. Can you take me there? I’m not feeling well, and Joobin still has schedules. I don’t want to be a bother.”

He smoothly ended the call. If his manager had been more perceptive, they might’ve asked, “It’s always been like that, so what’s the problem now?”

But fortunately, they just replied with a short, “Alright.”

Hearing that the manager would arrive in five minutes, Gong Yoochan took a deep breath and exhaled.

Honestly, it was ridiculous to expect anything from Cha Joobin.

Wasn’t it?

Now that they had broken up, all they needed to do was complete their contractual obligations, so why had he even demanded a “proper ending”?

Gong Yoochan covered his aching body with a coat.

Despite summer approaching, he shivered from the chill.

In the meantime, no calls came from Cha Joobin.

No, “Where are you?” or “What are you doing?”

The bitterness he felt towards the unresponsive Joobin was something he pushed down.

A deep bitterness welled up in his chest, stirring a dull ache.

[Dahoon:
Hyung, I’m downstairs.]

Seeing the message that his manager had arrived, Gong Yoochan slowly made his way out.

Even so, his grip on his phone tightened.

It had already been an hour since he first called.

Even if Cha Joobin had been completely absorbed in whatever he was doing, if he cared at all, he would’ve checked his phone by now.

His already weakened body clouded his judgment.

A whirlwind of resentment, sadness, and misery swirled in his chest.

Gong Yoochan took one last glance at the house where they had nurtured their love for the past three years before stepping out.

The soft beeping and the closing of the door felt weaker than ever.

---

“Are you planning to stay here? Did you tell Joobin?”

“Not yet. I’ll contact him. If he calls, please cover for me.”

“Did you guys have a fight?”

The manager seemed overly curious.

Well, seeing how much luggage Gong Yoochan had packed, it was no wonder the manager gasped in shock, knowing this wasn’t just for a short stay.

Even from the number of suitcases, it was clear he wasn’t planning to stay for just a day or two.

Gong Yoochan simply offered a bitter smile instead of answering.

The company dorms were always available for actors who didn’t have a place to stay in Korea, whether they had family abroad or no immediate housing arrangements.

Though they were actors, the company had chosen to provide high-end branded villas to maintain appearances, in case reporters snooped around.

The villa was conveniently located between the house they used to live in and the company.

The location and structure weren’t bad.

Gong Yoochan struggled to push his suitcase into the closet.

Seeing this, the manager cast a worried glance.

“Hyung, are you okay? Your face is red. Would it be alright if I checked your temperature?”

“It’s nothing, just a slight fever.”

Gong Yoochan shrugged casually.

His heat cycle was starting.

Once it began, he usually suffered for three days straight, and it seemed even this miserable situation wouldn’t change that.

“I’ll go out and buy some medicine.”

“Just say it’s for heat cycle.”

“Got it.”

Heat cycle, or rut cycle, was a mild condition affecting about 45% of form-bearers, similar to the flu.

It didn’t require a doctor’s diagnosis or prescription.

Pharmacies usually had what was needed, and if that wasn’t possible, convenience stores also had basic medicine.

After sending the manager off, Gong Yoochan, instead of pulling the covers over him in the bedroom, grabbed fresh bedding from another room and lay on the sofa.

When he was sick like this, a small, tight space was more comforting than a big, spacious bed.

He preferred it when the walls closed in on him.

Burying his face in the gap between the cushions and the backrest, he curled up under the blanket.

It wasn’t exactly cozy; more suffocating, really, but he liked lying this way because of Cha Joobin.

When his fever would rise, Joobin would cradle his face to his chest and hold him tight.

Cha Joobin, who wasn’t affected by heat cycle, always comforted him that way.

No matter how busy he was, he stuck by Gong Yoochan’s side for a full week, not leaving even for a moment.

Even when Gong Yoochan was drenched in sweat and needed to clean himself up, Joobin would cling to him, making sure at least one part of their bodies was touching.

After calming him down like that, Joobin would feed him medicine and food.

“……”

But now, what’s the point of thinking about all that?

With a bitter sigh, Gong Yoochan closed his eyes.

His temples throbbed, signaling his fever was rising.

He pulled his foot, which was sticking out from under the blanket, back inside, and forced his body to relax.

Hugging his knees tightly, he let out a soft breath.

His body ached for warmth, but now, there was no one to give it to him, and that thought stung.

His closed eyes prickled, and he clung tightly to his shivering body, trying to push thoughts of Cha Joobin out of his mind.

Even so, his unresolved resentment kept welling up.

Was it because he was sick?

His emotions were more turbulent than usual.

What would’ve normally been dismissed as simple sadness now pressed on his throat so tightly he felt like crying.

The absence of Cha Joobin, who had always been by his side, hit him the hardest now of all times.

Gong Yoochan squeezed his eyes shut and took in a shaky breath.

‘Even if we’re just cycle partners or whatever, he could at least be here when I’m sick.
When I said we should break up, it would’ve been nice if he had just said he didn’t want to.’

No matter how often they fought and bickered, this was the first time one of them had mentioned breaking up.

As he remembered how Cha Joobin had grown increasingly irritable with him right before the breakup, he couldn’t help but wonder if Joobin’s feelings had cooled.

Even then, both had been too busy with work, and their conversations had dwindled, with difficult topics being avoided out of fear of burdening one another.

As a result, the unresolved distance between them only grew deeper.

They both knew they needed to talk things through, but conversation itself became exhausting, so they chose silence instead.

When Gong Yoochan had suggested breaking up, it was impulsive.

That morning, he suddenly became acutely aware of the changes between them, and he was afraid that he might be the only one holding on to the relationship.

He also wondered if this relationship was still good for either of them.

But above all, he had never imagined Cha Joobin would agree to it.

‘So, despite being the one who suggested breaking up, I must’ve held onto him to have one more conversation that wasn’t going anywhere. I used the excuse of needing closure, but it seems all of that was just lingering attachment.’

But to end up like this…

‘Is this strange feeling of disappointment and sorrow because I’m sick and longing for comfort, habitually seeking out Cha Joobin?’

As Gong Yoochan pondered, he shook his head, dismissing the thought.

‘No, it wasn’t just because I was feeling down that I sought out Cha Joobin. No matter how hard I tried to convince myself otherwise, it wasn’t true.
After all, my heart wasn’t in the words I said about breaking up. It wasn’t about missing him—it was about the emptiness that naturally followed, because I had grown used to him always being by my side.’

What really hurt, though, was the nagging doubt that maybe Cha Joobin didn’t feel the same way.

It genuinely seemed like he was only staying with me out of routine, because of the program.

He even talked about us being “partners,” and then, as if that wasn’t enough, he left me here sick to go out.

Cha Joobin had never acted like that before, so maybe he had truly sorted out his feelings and was ready to move on.

Gong Yoochan let out a trembling breath and squeezed his eyes shut tightly.

He curled up his aching body even more, took a deep breath, and tried to sleep.

Despite the subtle discomfort weighing on his mind and chest, it wasn’t easy to let go, so he forced himself to breathe more steadily.

---

“What kind of restaurant doesn’t do takeout…”

For some reason, every sulungtang place he went to today refused to do takeout, leaving Cha Joobin frustrated.

What was supposed to be a quick 20-minute outing had now stretched into nearly three hours.

‘If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve just gone to the grocery store.’

‘No, better yet, I should’ve ordered delivery.’

Why is it that those smart ideas always come to mind after you’ve already made the same mistake again and again?

Sweating heavily, Cha Joobin stepped into the elevator and clicked his tongue in frustration as he glanced at his dead phone.

What if he got up and is feeling worse?

Gong Yoochan, when he was sick, acted completely unlike his usual self, growing more needy and clingy.

He often asked to be held, and if left alone for even a moment, his fever would spike, and he’d start groaning in pain.

That’s why I wanted to get back as soon as possible.

“Tsks.”

Clicking his tongue again, Cha Joobin hurriedly unlocked the door and stepped inside.

“Hyung, are you up—”

He swung open the bedroom door.

“—Huh?”

He wasn’t there.

Before Cha Joobin could frantically search the other rooms, his eyes landed on Gong Yoochan’s suitcase, which had been stashed in the closet.

“……”

Gone.

The suitcase and Gong Yoochan were both gone.

The white plastic bag he was holding slipped from his hand and dropped to the floor with a thud.

With a curse on his lips, Cha Joobin let out a bitter laugh, tilting his head back in frustration.

Then he bit down hard on his lower lip.

‘I knew something felt off…’

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