* * *
“Secretly?”
When Jingyeom nodded fervently, Soohyuk’s brows furrowed slightly.
‘So this is what he’s been thinking about—secret dating? Seriously, I can’t crack open his head and take a look, can I?’
If there weren’t a bump on the top of Jingyeom’s head, Soohyuk might have been tempted to grip it tightly and shake some sense into him.
‘Still, I guess it’s not the worst answer.’
Soohyuk had expected another excuse or even outright rejection, so this felt like a step in the right direction.
After all, dating was dating.
Soohyuk fixed Jingyeom with a steady gaze, silently encouraging him to continue.
“Sure, just regular dating is fine, but secret dating has a thrill to it, doesn’t it? Going on dates could feel like we’re in a spy movie!”
“But for it to be a secret, Lady Jung already knows, doesn’t she?”
“…Then she can be… an ally! Having an ally makes it even better!”
It was clear Jingyeom had just come up with the idea on the spot, but Soohyuk let it slide generously.
“Fine, whatever. Secret dating, spy movie roles—you can have it all. Just don’t ask to end this.”
“……”
Soohyuk looked down at the silent Jingyeom.
Earlier, he had been glaring as if he wanted to bite Soohyuk’s head off.
Now, his eyes sparkled with an almost childlike curiosity.
When Soohyuk continued to stare, Jingyeom’s gaze began to shift away nervously.
“Why are you avoiding my eyes?”
At that, Jingyeom’s gaze snapped back to Soohyuk, who smirked in amusement as their eyes met.
“See? You do like me.”
“…Who said I like you? I never said that.”
“It’s written all over your face. Right here.”
In the blink of an eye, Soohyuk planted a kiss on Jingyeom’s forehead, grinning like a cat.
Jingyeom hastily rubbed the spot, only for Soohyuk to press a kiss onto the back of his hand.
“Ah, again?!”
“Why? Can’t I kiss my boyfriend?”
“Stop dodging the topic!”
Soohyuk nodded solemnly.
“I know. You don’t need to say it; I understand everything. Don’t worry about a thing.”
His final words were whispered directly into Jingyeom’s ear, sending shivers down his spine as he flinched and rubbed at his ear.
Shooting Soohyuk a look as if he were a shameless scoundrel, Jingyeom finally calmed down and cautiously asked,
“…Are you really okay with this? Honestly?”
When Soohyuk had ripped up the contract earlier, Jingyeom had been certain he was serious.
But afterward, his playful attitude made it seem like he was just having fun teasing him.
For Jingyeom, Soohyuk was someone who had carved out an unexpectedly large space in his heart, though this still didn’t feel right.
‘Can this really be okay?’
As Jingyeom looked up at him with concern, Soohyuk smiled softly and cupped his cheek.
“I’m fine with starting like this. In the end, I’m the one standing next to you now, and keeping it that way is up to me.”
“……”
“There’s no need to look so worried. I really like you. I’ll try even harder so that you’ll like me just as much.”
Soohyuk pulled Jingyeom into an embrace, gently stroking his back.
Feeling himself relax, Jingyeom leaned against Soohyuk’s chest and grasped the fabric of his shirt.
“Can you hear it?”
“…Yeah. It’s really fast.”
“Isn’t it worth hearing?”
Instead of answering, Jingyeom nodded.
Unlike his own erratic heartbeat, Soohyuk’s felt steady and strong, though it thumped with equal intensity. Jingyeom focused on the sound.
He had always thought it was just his heart racing, but now he realized Soohyuk’s had been, too.
Soohyuk had always seemed so composed, even when he was jealous.
Naturally self-assured, he rarely appeared flustered, even on the day of their first kiss.
Jingyeom had been the only one embarrassed.
Realizing this made him feel strangely comforted and self-conscious at the same time.
Jingyeom’s hands, which had been clutching Soohyuk’s shirt, slowly slipped around to his back, pulling him into a tight hug.
From above, Soohyuk’s soft laughter reached his ears.
“See? I told you. You do like me.”
That faint smile deepening into something richer was only natural.
“I actually wish the whole world knew about us—about me dating you.”
After a moment’s pause, Soohyuk spoke, as if an idea had just struck him.
“Secret dating sounds fun, though. I just thought of a way to make it even more thrilling. Want to try it?”
“…More thrilling?”
“Yeah. By leaving traces of us on social media.”
“That’s not secret dating at all!”
“Why not? As long as our faces aren’t shown, it counts, right? I hate the idea of secret dating, but I’m doing it because you want it. Don’t you think you should let me have at least one thing I want in return?”
Jingyeom fell silent for a moment.
It felt like he was being too stubborn about his own preferences, so perhaps he should meet Soohyuk halfway.
“…You’ll make sure our faces aren’t shown, right?”
“Of course. I don’t want anyone recognizing you either.”
“Fine. But you have to give me access to the account, too!”
“Sure. I’ll set it up right now.”
Not wanting to let go of Jingyeom, Soohyuk suddenly scooped him up.
It was effortless, like lifting a child.
Startled, Jingyeom quickly wrapped his arms around Soohyuk’s neck to steady himself.
“You’ve been standing for too long, and I was worried about you, darling.”
“…Could you please stop calling me that?”
Jingyeom buried his face into Soohyuk’s shoulder, embarrassed.
He’d already heard that pet name earlier in the room, and it was mortifying.
“Couples use pet names for each other. If you don’t like ‘darling,’ how about ‘baby’? Or ‘honey’? ‘Sweetheart’? Oh, ‘yeobo’* is an option too. Just pick one.”
(T/N: Korean term of endearment for a lover.)
“I hate them all!”
Sitting on the couch with Jingyeom still in his arms, Soohyuk made no effort to let go even when Jingyeom tried to get off his lap.
Instead, he wrapped his arms tightly around Jingyeom’s waist.
Realizing that struggling was futile, Jingyeom gave in and leaned against him, stretching out his legs.
It was unexpectedly comfortable, even though it shouldn’t have been.
While Jingyeom stayed still, Soohyuk lovingly looked at him, then grabbed his phone to act on his earlier idea.
“Let’s make a ‘love-stagram.’ What should the username be?”
“Whatever you want.”
“Oh, this one’s taken. Ooh, this one’s nice. How about this?”
Soohyuk showed Jingyeom the phone screen.
ssh.bjg
“What’s that?”
“Our initials. I wanted to add an underscore, but it was taken, so I used a dot. Is that okay?”
Jingyeom gave a small nod.
It was clear Soohyuk would bulldoze ahead regardless of what he said.
Besides, Soohyuk looked so excited that Jingyeom didn’t feel like raining on his parade.
“Give me your hand.”
Soohyuk intertwined their fingers and took a picture.
“We have to commemorate Day 1.”
“…Are you addicted to social media?”
“Nope. This is my first time doing this.”
Yet for a first-timer, he even added hashtags:
(Photo of intertwined hands)
Mine
#Couple #Day1 #MyPerson #SSH♡BJG #LoveStagram
After posting it, Soohyuk looked immensely satisfied as he put the phone down.
As Jingyeom glanced up at him, Soohyuk pressed their foreheads together, nuzzling his cheek affectionately.
‘I must be losing my mind.’
Jingyeom wasn’t a stranger to social media—he occasionally used it to stay in touch with overseas acquaintances.
But he hadn’t touched it much since returning to Korea.
Now, the idea of secret dating made him curious enough to give it a shot.
When the thought crossed his mind, Jingyeom reached for Soohyuk’s phone, only to find his arms too short.
“What?”
“The photo. What if someone recognizes us?”
“No one will. What, are you worried those two will find out?”
Jingyeom nodded slowly at Soohyuk’s words.
The reason he wanted to keep their relationship a secret was obvious: he didn’t want Wonbeom and Jinwoo to find out.
The idea of them discovering their relationship made Jingyeom uneasy.
But Soohyuk had no intention of deleting the post.
Besides, there was no way those two would stumble upon it unless someone like Secretary Yang informed them.
Gently stroking Jingyeom’s arm, Soohyuk reassured him.
Just as they were lost in the quiet moment, a notification pinged from Soohyuk’s phone.
Stargram
hamspotato liked your post.
That was just the beginning.
More notifications came flooding in, generating more attention than expected.
Annoyed by the constant alerts, Soohyuk muted his phone.
Watching this, Jingyeom muttered, “This doesn’t feel very secret.”
“It’s fine. No one will figure it out. But how long are we going to keep it a secret?”
“…Until I’m ready?”
When Jingyeom hesitantly answered, Soohyuk agreed and gently patted his back.
Jingyeom’s eyelids began to droop, and soon, he drifted off to sleep.
Hearing soft breathing, Soohyuk carefully stood and carried him to his room.
He wanted to bring Jingyeom to his own room, but he didn’t trust himself to maintain control with his new boyfriend so close.
After laying him down and tidying the room, Soohyuk brushed aside Jingyeom’s hair and placed a brief kiss on his forehead before heading to his study.
Standing in front of a safe with arms crossed, he debated his next move.
‘He’ll probably be shocked if he finds out I know. Maybe even disappointed that I looked without his permission.’
He truly wanted Jingyeom to see those documents someday.
He’d kept them in the safe with that intention, waiting for the right time.
He wanted Jingyeom to understand the situation he was in—and that Soohyuk already knew.
Soohyuk rubbed his chin slowly. He still wasn’t certain if this was an illness or genuine possession.
Possession, as far as he knew, only existed in fiction.
But if it were real, perhaps people simply refused to believe it.
At this point, Soohyuk found himself hoping it was possession.
That would explain so much—and why he couldn’t yet dispose of the documents.
They might become his trump card one day.
* * *
Thanks for chapter