Chapter 22: The Terms of Engagement

Taekyung, after once again confirming that the plates on the table were empty, pressed the call button on the wall as if to change the atmosphere.

Yoonseo drank the rest of the water and let out a thin breath.

“To be honest, I can’t say I feel very good. It’s not that I’m angry or upset, but… I don’t really know how to explain it.”

His following words were mixed with a self-deprecating laugh.

Taekyung’s eyes scrutinized him.

“So you’re saying you don’t feel grateful at all, is that it?”

Taekyung, with a disgruntled expression, was like a child who didn’t know how to hide his emotions and felt no need to.

His face, which was usually dominated by a mature and serious atmosphere, showed no sense of incongruity even now, as he grumbled with a pout.

Was it because he was an actor?

It was difficult to judge whether his freely changing expressions were high-level acting or if they were coming from the heart.

They were that natural.

“…That’s not it.”

Yoonseo took a breath to compose himself.

“It’s just that it feels strange because it seems like such an easy thing for you, Han Taekyung-ssi.”

Taekyung’s eyes were still filled with curiosity, as if he didn’t understand Yoonseo’s words.

Yoonseo, who had been chewing on his lower lip, let out a self-deprecating, bland laugh.

“I just ran away. That was all I could do. Even though it wasn’t my fault.”

This was probably the reason why he couldn’t feel purely grateful.

Because he had realized once again how powerless he was.

Because he felt like his weak inner self, which he had desperately tried to hide, had been exposed to someone.

Because things that were not okay kept trying to shake him, even though he had to be okay.

As Yoonseo fell silent, not saying anything more, Taekyung let out a short sound.

Then, as if to change the mood, he snapped his fingers, making a cheerful sound.

“Shall we stop with the heavy talk now?”

“…”

“Just think of it in a good way. It’s not like you can undo it, so why are you so serious? It’s a good thing that there’s no one bothering you anymore. Isn’t it?”

The moment Yoonseo’s eyes met his, Taekyung’s lips curved up into a gentle smile.

It was such an innocent smile that it created the illusion that all his worries and concerns were suddenly meaningless.

“Now all that’s left is for you to grant my request, right?”

Taekyung changed the subject as if he had been waiting for it.

Just then, a knock on the door seemed to announce the start of a new topic.

The door soon opened, and the staff member who entered set the table anew.

After the staff member, who had also given a brief explanation of the food, left, Taekyung gestured lightly with his chin as if to say, “Go on, try it.”

Yoonseo followed Taekyung’s lead and picked up his fork, tasting the fish dish that was served on a large plate.

The fish melted softly in his mouth, but he couldn’t taste it because his nerves were on edge from Taekyung’s words.

He had already heard his request.

And he had already firmly rejected it.

‘So, I need a lover for image management.’

‘It means, let’s date.’

At that time, he had thought Taekyung was looking down on him, so he had refused without even hearing the reason.

But today, it seemed he had to listen to the end.

Only then would he be able to refuse properly.

Yoonseo raised his refilled water glass, moistened his lips, and finally managed to speak.

“The request… you mentioned before.”

“Yes.”

“I still don’t quite understand. Why you said that to me…”

Yoonseo trailed off and studied Taekyung’s expression.

Was it just his imagination, or did his gaze seem to sweep over him sharply for a moment?

Yoonseo swallowed dryly as he looked at Taekyung, who was now facing him with a bright smile again.

“It’s just as I said before. I need to manage my image.”

The gentle reply was of no help to Yoonseo.

He couldn’t understand why he needed to date to manage his image, or what the connection was between the two.

Wasn’t dating-related scandals what celebrities were most careful about?

Even though it had become more common to admit it these days, they would still vehemently deny it to protect their image.

But to have to date to manage one’s image.

It was something he couldn’t comprehend with his common sense.

Taekyung, as if he had read all of Yoonseo’s thoughts, smiled brightly and began to explain.

“You’ve probably seen it a few times, right? My scandal articles that pop up whenever I’m bored.”

“…Yes.”

“I didn’t care if there was a controversy about it before, but for the time being, I have a reason to hold back. The role I’ve taken on this time is that of a person who’s been in a one-sided love with one person for a long time.”

“…”

“The casting articles are already out, and it’s known what kind of role it is, so I can’t be the one to ruin it. It would only have a negative impact on the drama.”

Yoonseo listened silently to Taekyung’s words.

His voice was low and soft, yet in some parts, he could feel a strong power.

He had heard that an actor’s voice was also important, and from that perspective, he thought Taekyung’s natural voice would be praised as perfectly suited for acting.

“To put it simply, you would be helping me with my acting practice, PD-nim. I want to completely immerse myself in the role while filming the drama. By dating one person as if it were real, even if it’s just practice. This is my first time doing a rom-com, so I’m quite ambitious about doing it well.”

After hearing that much, his doubts had subsided a little.

He also understood why Taekyung had suddenly asked him to date.

Even Yoonseo, when he thought of the actor ‘Han Taekyung,’ would first think of the numerous scandal articles or his promiscuous image.

For an actor with such an image to play a person who had been in a one-sided love with one person for a long time was a very groundbreaking image transformation.

He seemed to have heard stories of actors living like their characters for a while to immerse themselves in their roles.

There was even an actor who had shared their experience of having a hard time getting out of the emotions of their role even after filming was over because they had been immersed in it for so long.

It seemed Taekyung also had a great desire to feel those emotions to that extent and use it as a stepping stone to act perfectly.

So, for the time being, it seemed he needed a relationship with just one person, not a one-time thing.

He could understand that much.

But…

“I understand what you mean. But why are you asking me for help…”

Why him?

They hadn’t known each other for long, and they knew nothing about each other.

Information about Han Taekyung could be easily obtained with a single search, but Yoonseo had never once searched his name on a portal site.

He had seen articles about him by chance, but that was it.

Taekyung was silent for a moment and then smiled faintly.

“I excluded other celebrities because the risk of a scandal would be higher. Then I thought about who would be good, and I thought someone in the same industry would be nice. And I happened to get to know you, PD-nim. Our fields are a little different, but since you know how this industry works to some extent, I thought you would understand me well.”

Taekyung grinned as if to seek his agreement, saying, ‘Right?’

Yoonseo, as if mesmerized, nodded slightly.

“And, you’re an Omega, PD-nim.”

“…”

“It would seem a little strange to be dating a Beta, when we’re supposed to be dating as if it were real, wouldn’t it? When everyone knows I’m an Alpha?”

This time too, Taekyung stared at Yoonseo as if to urge a positive reply.

But Yoonseo, unlike before, looked directly at him instead of nodding obediently.

“…Does that matter? No matter how real we’re trying to be, it’s still just practice. I don’t think the other person’s secondary gender would be important.”

“So you’re saying I should date a Beta or an Alpha? And have s*x with an Omega?”

It was a dramatic question, as if he had heard something absurd.

There were many things to point out in his statement, but Yoonseo was too flustered by the explicit word to say anything.

No matter that they were the only two here and that they both knew each other’s secondary genders, it was still embarrassing to hear it said so directly.

In the meantime, Taekyung smiled brightly and continued.

“You can’t have a lover and a s*x partner separately. That wouldn’t be true immersion.”

It wasn’t something a person who was always a topic of conversation for his promiscuous private life would say.

He was so dumbfounded that he couldn’t even laugh.

On the other hand, Taekyung was smiling playfully, as if he found something amusing.

Yoonseo frowned as he read the instinctual desire that Taekyung had placed under the guise of ‘practice.’

He felt like he finally understood why there were so many negative modifiers and scandals attached to him.

Han Taekyung was also an Alpha who prioritized physical relationships over the exchange of hearts and minds.

Taekyung didn’t seem to care much about Yoonseo’s negative reaction.

In fact, he tilted his head as if he didn’t understand.

Then, as if he had realized something, he asked a question.

“Ah, are you seeing someone, by any chance?”

“…No, I’m not.”

It seemed he had thought he was refusing his request because he had a lover.

Yoonseo answered the question truthfully.

It was because he felt that lies would be useless against Taekyung, who sometimes looked at him with eyes that seemed to see through everything.

He couldn’t even force a smile, so he had been facing him with a stiff expression all along.

It was better to be honest about everything and be confident, rather than trying to get out of the situation with a lie about having a lover and then being anxious.