Married For Now-Chapter 29: #1 RULE OF ROMANCE BOOKS

DID I answer a little too fast?

Sohee wondered while watching Kim Heedo’s shocked reaction, and then the kid’s face turned red as if he was embarrassed.

Was Kim Heedo just teasing me?

"Hyung, are you secretly in love with me or something?"

Ah, he’s just being stupid.

"Calm down, Kim Heedo," Sohee said, laughing softly while shaking his head. "Why would you think I’m in love with you just because I wanted to sleep with you? Do you only sleep with people you love? You don’t, do you?"

"Well, I’m trash for sleeping around just because I wanted to get even with my ex. But Hyung isn’t like me," Kim Heedo said while scratching his cheek. "Hyung only had your ex-boyfriend as your sexual partner in the past. So, I figured Hyung is the type to only sleep with the person you love."

"Ah, I can see where you’re coming from. But I assure you, I’m neither a prude nor a hopeless romantic."

"Then why...?"

"I wasn’t in the position to look for a hookup when I was busy with either working or being chased by gangsters," Sohee explained, sitting on the armrest when his legs got tired. "But now that my life is comfortable, I’m planning to have fun and gain more experience after our divorce."

"You’re going to wait until we get divorced before you start exploring?"

"I know we’re not a real married couple, but I still want to respect our marriage by not sleeping around. Uhm, I guess you can say I’m a bit old-fashioned in that aspect."

"Then what will you do about your urges, Hyung?"

"Like I’ve always done after I broke up with my ex— take care of it myself," Sohee said, shrugging. "I couldn’t be sexually active when I was broke, and I can’t do it now because we’re married. So, I was happy when you asked if I wanted to sleep with you. That got my hopes up. But if you only said that on a whim, then please take it back now before I grow greedy."

Kim Heedo paused for a moment, and then he shook his head. "I won’t take it back, Hyung. Since we already revealed that we’re married to the public, I can’t sleep around anymore. Moreover, I didn’t put in our contract that we could sleep with other people while we were married. That part completely slipped my mind."

"We can always adjust the terms in our contract, though."

"But will you allow me to sleep around?"

"Well, I’m open to negotiations. Maybe if you promise not to be caught? I’m not sure, honestly."

Kim Heedo fell silent for a moment. "Hyung, I’ll be honest with you. I actually stopped sleeping around before we even got married."

"Were you enlightened or something?"

"I used to have a stalker who physically harmed all the hook-ups I had."

Okay, Sohee did not expect that.

This is the first time I’ve heard this.

"The last person that the stalker attacked even fell into a comatose state," Kim Heedo said in a slightly sad voice. "The attacks stopped when I stopped sleeping around, but we never caught the culprit."

"You never caught the stalker?" Sohee asked, surprised. "But Hong Sera’s subordinates caught my cyber bullies in just a day. I’m sure the Ilsung Group has the same resources. You’re also a chaebol, Kim Heedo."

"Hyung, Hong Sera and I aren’t the only chaebols here. The others have the same resources as we do, so it would have been easy for them to erase their traces."

"Oh. Are you saying the culprit might be a chaebol, too?"

"That, or they are being protected by a chaebol."

"Do you have enemies on that level?"

"What do you think, Hyung?"

"Yep, definitely," Sohee said, nodding. "Even for a Dominant Alpha, you’re too much. You have everything— face, body, wealth. If I was an Alpha, I’d hate you, too."

"Was that a diss or a compliment?"

"It’s called a backhanded compliment."

"Hyung, you can be annoying sometimes."

Sohee just shrugged. "Will this stalker come after me now that we revealed that we’re married? Since only a few know that we’re not a real couple, the stalker might think that we’ve been sleeping together all this time."

"It’s been months since the stalker last showed up, so I want to think that they have given up on me already."

"They became inactive when you stopped sleeping around. But it’s only a matter of time before the fact that we’re married spreads to everyone who cares. So, the possibility of your stalker showing up again is high. And I’m likely the next target."

Kim Heedo raised an eyebrow. "You’re enjoying this, aren’t you? Hyung?"

Sohee grinned while nodding. "I feel like I’m the main character in a thriller drama."

"Hyung, you might end up in danger. Please take this seriously."

"Kim Heedo, you should be honored— I’m willing to put my life at risk just for you to dick me down."

"Hyung," Kim Heedo called him in disbelief. "Are you that sex-deprived?"

"What do you think, brat? It’s been more than a year since the last time I had sex."

"You’re making it sound like you only want to sleep with me because you’re desperate, Hyung."

Sohee just gave Kim Heedo a polite smile.

"Hyung, you’re hurting my pride."

"Let’s talk about this again once we’ve both calmed down," Sohee said while pointing around them. "I’m sure we’re both affected by the clash of our pheromones earlier."

Kim Heedo sighed while shaking his head. "Hyung, you’re giving me a chance to change my mind again."

"We both need to have a clear mind before we decided whether we can be fuck buddies or not."

"Well, you’re right about that."

"And let’s get tested first," Sohee said sternly. "Safe sex is my motto, remember?"

"Let’s get tested together, Hyung," Kim Heedo offered awkwardly. "The Ilsung Group owns the Sowoon Medical Center. I’ll book our appointment. They’ll guarantee our privacy."

"Then I’ll leave it to you."

"Hyung."

"Yeah?"

"I’m sorry for making you cry."

Oho?

Sohee didn’t expect an apology from Kim Heedo, but he appreciated that. "Apology accepted then. But I want compensation for the emotional damage you’ve given me."

Kim Heedo frowned, like a child throwing a tantrum, but he nodded anyway. "What do you want as compensation, Hyung?"

"Clean all the mess in your house, throw all the alcoholic drinks you have, and don’t drink for a month."

"That’s too much, Hyung."

"Or I’ll call your mother and tell her that her oldest son has become an alcoholic."

"I didn’t take you for a snitch, Hyung."

"I’m sorry, but I’m on your mother’s side. Your parents are the ones giving me allowance, after all. Making sure their oldest son doesn’t die from alcohol poisoning is the least thing I could do for them."

"Hyung, I might end up hating you if you keep that up."

"Then try seducing me to take your side. In the meantime, I’ll remain loyal to the people who are providing me the comfortable life I’m enjoying now."

***

<"FIFTEEN million won?! Will this be enough for a wedding?">

Kim Heedo couldn’t help but notice that Lee Junsu looked happier and healthier now.

Yes, he was torturing himself by watching the second episode of ’Just Got Married’— the reality show starring Lee Junsu and Sanha. It was a show where the cast members were challenged to plan a wedding within a certain budget.

The budget given to Lee Junsu and Sanha was fifteen million won.

It was too small since the wedding hall alone would cost them at least six million won, depending on the venue.

<"A decent tailored suit already costs at least 1.5 million won, so I guess we should just find affordable ready-made suits, Sanha Hyung. We have to simplify everything. So, let’s forget about the studio-dress-makeup part, too. I’ll just do our makeup and take our pictures.">

Heedo clicked his tongue. "Lee Junsu, why would you sacrifice your wedding outfit? You should prioritize that, as well as the wedding rings—"

<"Junsu-ya, you don’t have to sacrifice that much just because we have a budget to follow. We’ll prioritize your suit and our wedding rings. I want you to be your prettiest during our wedding day, and you deserve a wedding ring of your choice.">

Heedo clenched his hands when Sanha— Lee Junsu’s boyfriend— showed up on the screen and said the same things he just said. "This fucking copycat..."

<"We can forget about renting a wedding hall and just elope, Junsu-ya.">

Heedo scoffed at Sanha’s "solution." "Why would you elope—"

<"Sanha Hyung, you read my mind. I don’t need a grand wedding as long as I’m getting married to you.">

What?

Heedo couldn’t take his eyes off of Lee Junsu.

He’s smiling— and it’s a sincere smile.

Moreover, Heedo could tell that Lee Junsu was sincere about what he said earlier.

He doesn’t need a grand wedding as long as he’s getting married to the person he loves...

Heedo clenched his hands tight, his heart aching once again.

Is Lee Junsu really in love with that guy?

It seemed like Heedo wasn’t the only one who had the same thought since the PD-nim (producer) of the show reacted.

<"Junsu-ssi, Sanha-ssi, it’s good to be in love, but let’s follow the show’s rules, okay?">

The other cast members laughed while Lee Junsu and Sanha blushed.

<"I’ll repeat the rules: you have a fifteen million budget to find a wedding venue for at least fifty guests, get your photos taken professionally in a dress and makeup studio, and lastly, choose your matching outfits and wedding rings. You can’t skip a step~">

Tsk.

Heedo turned off the TV, sulking.

I need a drink.

Then he remembered he had already thrown away all the alcoholic drinks in his apartment.

Dammit.

Heedo was about to sulk, but he remembered that he had to set an appointment for his check-up.

Right.

Maybe having a physical relationship with Sohee Hyung will distract me for a while.

***

IT WAS done.

After Sohee and Kim Heedo had their check-up (for STDs), the two of them stayed in the VIP Room provided by the hospital.

And now the two of them sat across from each other.

There was a table between them, and a laptop.

"Are you ready, Hyung?" Kim Heedo asked him. "We’re going to write our contract as we both agreed to have a physical relationship."

"We must have gone crazy after our pheromones reacted to each other," Sohee said, smiling while shaking his head. "Kim Sohee, you know that being fuck buddies is messy, right?"

"I wouldn’t know, Hyung. All my hookups ended neatly. Well, except for the fact that they were attacked by my stalker. But I compensated them generously."

"Spoken like a true heartless young master, huh?"

"I won’t let Hyung provoke me today."

"Oh, someone is trying to act mature."

"Since Hyung is being annoying again, I’ll start first," Kim Heedo said, acting formally suddenly. "My first term: Park Sohee is not allowed to fall in love with Kim Heedo."

Pfft.

Sohee burst out laughing. "Kim Heedo, you’re not a romance reader, are you? If you are, you would know that all couples who made a no-falling-in-love-with-each-other rule eventually ended up together." He pointed at Kim Heedo’s laptop. "If you put that rule in our contract, I guarantee you— we’ll be endgame in no time."

***

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