Chapter 25: A Dangerous Cohabitation

Jaeryun’s expression hardened as he listened to Yaehyun talk. There were words he couldn’t just let slide.

“Can I check that email?”

Yaehyun turned on his phone and showed him the email. Frowning, Jaeryun looked at it and said, “This person might not be a reporter.” He pointed at a part of the screen. “This is a personal email, not a company one. Usually, official interview requests are sent through corporate domains…”

As he said, the sender’s address wasn’t a corporate domain but a regular portal site email account.

“Besides, the stalker showed himself in front of Ijeong a few times. I heard he was about that exact height and build.”

“Then…”

Could it be that the person he encountered was the stalker, not a reporter? Yaehyun’s face turned white. That meant the stalker already knew his home, his workplace, and even his phone number. A chill ran down his spine as he stared at Jaeryun.

“Is there no way to resolve this?”

“Ijeong found it hard to report because he’s a celebrity, but you don’t have that restriction. You can report it to the police right away.”

If he went to the police and said, ‘I’m a celebrity’s partner, and a crazy stalker, not content with the celebrity, has started stalking me too,’ how would they handle it? They’d probably just increase patrols if he was lucky. Yaehyun thought about it and said firmly, “As I said when we signed the contract, I don’t mind taking on the risks of this relationship alone, but I cannot allow the danger to spread to my family.”

“…….”

Revenge and money were important, but what mattered far more was Yeseo. The stalker already knew his home. What if Yeseo was home alone and ran into the stalker? Was there any guarantee the stalker wouldn’t harm his younger sister?

“I want to end this contract. The interview hasn’t been released yet. We can just say we broke up because the public attention was too overwhelming.” Yaehyun quickly lifted his head and said.

Jaeryun, who had been biting his lip, let out a deep sigh. “I’m sorry, but that’s not possible.”

“Why…”

“If you want to break the contract, you can pay the penalty fee and terminate it. But you can’t afford that amount right now, can you?”

The word ‘penalty’ made Yaehyun freeze. It was true that the contract explicitly stated a massive penalty for unilateral termination. But that was before he knew this stalker was that dangerously unhinged. Yaehyun argued, “What if Yeseo gets hurt?”

“……How about changing your residence? Our agency will cover all the expenses.”

“Even if I change where I live, as long as I’m tied to Ijeong, the stalker will follow.”

At Yaehyun’s words, Jaeryun kept his head lowered and said, “We’ll find separate, secure accommodations for you two. We didn’t intentionally deceive you about the stalker, but we were negligent. I have no excuse.”

“Don’t just say you’re sorry…”

“I have nothing to say but sorry. But the person most important to me is that bastard Kang Ijeong. I know it’s incredibly selfish, but you need to keep playing the lover until the contract period ends.”

Yaehyun ground his teeth at Jaeryun, who only repeated apologies like a parrot without offering a real, immediate solution. “Then at least catch the stalker. Isn’t it ridiculous to tell me to understand everything while your agency does nothing?”

“No, we will catch him,” Jaeryun lifted his head and said with absolute certainty. “You said you saw the stalker’s face, right? Plus, we now have his phone number and email address, so we might be able to catch him much faster than expected.”

As he said, if the person he met as a reporter was indeed the stalker, then he already possessed his active phone number and email address. He had also seen his face clearly, so this might be the last chance to free Ijeong from that relentless stalker once and for all.

“Please. If you need any security support, we’ll cover it all.” Jaeryun bowed his head and begged.

If it weren’t for that damn penalty clause, he would have told him to shut up and walked out right then. His hands tied, Yaehyun could only let out a heavy sigh.

[ ♡: Heard about it. 9:42 AM ]

The next day, Yaehyun checked the text messages from Ijeong that had arrived while he was asleep.

[ ♡: Sorry you had to go through that. 9:42 AM ]

[ ♡: Call me when you have time. 9:43 AM ]

Yaehyun had tossed and turned all night, his head bursting with anxious thoughts, and had only managed to wake up near noon. He sighed deeply and replied to Ijeong’s message.

[ Aren’t you busy with filming anyway? 11:55 AM ]

Bzzzz—

“Oh my.”

As soon as he sent the reply, Ijeong called him immediately. Yaehyun patted his pounding chest and answered the phone. “Hello.”

[ I heard everything from Jaeryun-hyung. You must have been really scared. I’m so sorry. ] Ijeong’s voice sounded completely choked up as he spoke without any standard greeting. [ I didn’t know the stalker would go that far. I should have realized the danger the moment I heard about that reporter… ]

His self-blaming tone sounded incredibly pitiful. Yeah, the real villain in this situation was the malicious stalker. Ijeong had been tormented by this stalking for two long years and finally thought he was free, so he must have let his guard down. Yaehyun tried not to blame him as he said, “It’s okay. You don’t need to apologize.”

[ Still… ] Ijeong’s voice remained entirely deflated.

Yaehyun sighed, imagining his broad shoulders slumping and tears welling up if he were standing right in front of him. “I’m not mad at you. But I’m quite busy today. You heard from the director, right? I need to find a secure place to stay and move my stuff…”

[ Oh, about that, ] Ijeong cut him off urgently. [ If you’re okay with it, I have a suggestion. ]

“……What is it?” Yaehyun asked reluctantly.

After a brief moment of silence, Ijeong spoke softly from the other end of the line. [ Do you want to move into my place? ]

“What?” Yaehyun couldn’t believe his ears. Live together? What kind of absolute nonsense was that?

[ Ah, no, I mean… You’ve been here before, so you know this apartment complex has top-tier security. It’s close to the station, and it’s highly convenient in many ways. ]

Come to think of it, he had moved to that high-end complex specifically because of the stalker. The security there was incredibly tight, so he would be able to feel at least somewhat safe at home.

“……No. I’ll find somewhere else on my own.” But he didn’t want to accept the offer. Yaehyun planned to stay somewhere as close to Yeseo as possible. He had already told Yeseo that there was an urgent home renovation and she would have to leave their place for a few months. Since he hadn’t even told his younger sister that they would be living completely separately, he couldn’t feel comfortable staying in a luxury apartment alone.

[ If it’s because of your sister, she can stay within the same apartment complex too. There is a secure studio apartment available for rent here. ] Ijeong tempted him with sweet, practical terms.

But Yaehyun was still highly hesitant. “There’s Yeseo’s school commute to consider. She can’t take a taxi every single day.”

[ Our agency can cover all of those transportation expenses, ] Ijeong added urgently. [ I’m just incredibly anxious. That stalker followed me everywhere, and the only place he completely failed to penetrate was this building. You saw it yourself, my house has a perfectly private spare room. Please don’t feel burdened by it. ]

“…….”

[ I feel so incredibly sorry about this. Please… ] Ijeong’s weak, pleading voice came through the receiver.

Now that he thought about it rationally, the suggestion wasn’t bad.

“Haah…”

It was a place the stalker definitely couldn’t reach, and if Yeseo took a taxi, her commute to school would take about the same thirty minutes as the bus. Should I consider it a bit more? Yaehyun sighed and stared blankly at his half-packed luggage.

[ Kang Ijeong ♡… The 21st-Century Cinderella: An Exclusive Interview with Mr. Y ]

On Monday, the formal interview with Ijeong and Yaehyun was officially released online. Naturally, every online community immediately went into an absolute frenzy.

[ So romantic… ]

[ Wow, Kang Ijeong’s lover is no joke ]

[ Feels like a mature, deeply respectful relationship ]

Netizens scrutinized every minor piece of information provided about Ijeong’s partner, making endless guesses and enjoying the romance.

[ Revealing a photo of Kang Ijeong’s lover (high-res first reveal, wow) ]

[ — Stop baiting people for clicks ]

[ — Ah *** I thought it was real and rushed in here ]

[ — Why are you people so obsessed with a civilian’s private photo? ]

Some users were dying of curiosity regarding Yaehyun’s face, but many others worried about his privacy as a non-celebrity and fiercely defended his personal life. Of course, Yaehyun himself couldn’t care less about any of the online noise.

“Yaehyun, why do you look so completely exhausted today? Did something happen over the weekend?”

“Ah, it’s nothing, Section Chief. I just couldn’t sleep very well…”

“Why?” Section Chief Seo asked with genuine concern. As she noted, Yaehyun had deep dark circles hanging under his eyes. “Is it because of the online interview reactions? There are plenty of positive responses out there. Don’t let it get to you~.”

“It’s really not that. I just had some urgent personal things to take care of.”

“You worked through the entire weekend? You’re working entirely too hard. Take it easy on yourself.” Chief Seo patted his shoulder in comfort and walked back to her desk.

As Yaehyun said, he had been up until the crack of dawn dealing with a crisis.

[ ♡: Did you pack everything? I heard the agency is sending the movers over at 8. 11:04 AM ]

Yaehyun, who had only managed to go to bed close to midnight after packing up his entire life for the sudden move, looked at Ijeong’s text message with utterly exhausted eyes.

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