Chapter 3 The Hacked Heart and forbidden Kisses

Chi Suy-un remembered the kiss like it was stitched into the back of his teeth.

He remembered the smell of server dust and cheap office air freshener. He remembered how

Jun-park Dhan looked under the sterile lights-calm, silent, unreadable. He remembered the hum of

the machines, the beat of his own heart pounding in his ears.

He hadn't planned it.

He hadn't meant to do it.

But something had cracked.

And once it did, the rest just... fell apart.

The night had started normally enough-at least, for someone pretending not to be drowning.

Chi had gone back to his office, pretending to work, pretending not to feel the weight of Jun's gaze

every time they passed each other. He hadn't liked the man when he first arrived. He'd found him

arrogant in a quiet way. Dangerous in a slow-burn kind of silence.

But somewhere between the late nights and exchanged glares, things had started to shift.It wasn't just curiosity.

It was gravity.

He told himself it was just physical. That maybe it was about control-about wanting to rattle the

calmest man in the building. But the truth was uglier.

He didn't want to control Jun.

He wanted to know him.

And that terrified him more than anything.

That night, when he followed Jun into the server room, it was supposed to be to confront him. He'd

been suspicious for days. Jun's eyes were too sharp, his movements too careful. Chi had started

digging, checking badge access records, monitoring network logs. And what did he find? Confirmed

everything.

But instead of calling security, he'd gone in alone.

And when Jun had turned, calm and unbothered, Chi had felt his anger curdle into something else.

Jun had looked at him with that maddening stillness and said, "What do you think I'm here for? And Chi-desperate, furious, drowning-had kissed him.

Not because he wanted to own him.

But because he wanted, for one goddamn second, to forget that he was living in a lie.

And Jun had kissed him back.

And that was what ruined everything.

Now, days later, the memory still haunted him.

The aftermath had been worse. The media was circling. His parents were tightening their grip. Every

Second with Jun was a risk now-an open wound in a collapsing kingdom.

And yet... he couldn't stay away.

Even now, as he sat across from Jun in their temporary hideout, he still wanted him.

That feeling felt like betrayal.

Jun was staring out the window when Chi finally spoke.

"That first night. You weren't surprised when I kissed you.Jun didn't look away. "I wasn't."

Chi frowned. "Why?"

"Because you look at me like you've been starving."

Chi swallowed. "Maybe I was."

They fell silent.

Then Chi stood, walked over, leaned beside him.

"You make everything harder, you know."

Jun finally turned. "Because I make you feel?"

Chi's voice cracked. "Because you make me real. And I don't know how to do that."Jun reached out, fingers grazing Chi's.

"You don't have to be anything but here."

Across the city, reporters were gathering.Anonymous emails had been sent. Anonymous tips received.

Blogs speculated wildly:

"Mystery man spotted exiting Krown Media the same day Chi Suy-un's resignation hit the wires."

"Who is the editor that captured the heir's attention-and does he hold the key to the Krown

scandal?"

Someone had leaked a blurry photo of Jun and Chi walking near the station-shoulders touching. The

comment sections were already a war zone.

Jun had expected it.

But Chi hadn't.

And when he saw the post, his hand curled into a fist before he even realized it.

That evening, tension bubbled again.

Chi sat on the floor beside the bed, scrolling through news articles with dead eyes. Jun paced behind him, trying to think. Trying to stay calm.

"This was going to happen," Jun said quietly. "We knew that."Chi said nothing. We control the narrative now. We move first. I'll issue a statement-"

"No."

Jun blinked. "What?"

Chi stood, eyes blazing. "No statements. No explanations. No we're just friends' bullshit. If they're

going to come for us, let them come for the truth."

Jun stepped closer, surprised. "You want to go public?"

"I want to stop hiding," Chi said. "I want... you."

Jun's chest ached.

They didn't speak again until their lips met.

This time, it wasn't violent. It wasn't a dare.

It was everything they hadn't said.

Jun kissed him like he meant it. Chi moaned softly, letting Jun push him back onto the couch. Jun's mouth trailed from his lips to his

jaw, down his throat. Fingers tangled in shirts, pulling, tugging-desperate to feel something real,

something safe.

Their bodies rocked together, slow and fevered.

They didn't go all the way.

But it was the first time they let the walls fall.

Later, curled against each other on the narrow couch, Chi whispered, "Are we making a mistake?"Jun held him tighter. "Maybe."

"But I don't want to stop."

Jun pressed a kiss to his temple. "Then don't."

The room was dim.

Rain whispered against the windows, soft and insistent like a secret. Jun-park Dhan stood by the

window, his reflection shadowed by streetlight, the outline of his jaw sharp in the dark.

Chi Suy-un sat on the edge of the bed, shirt half-unbuttoned, eyes unreadable. His phone was off.

The world was muted. Only Jun remained.

Say something, Chi said softly.

Jun turned slowly, the weight of the moment crackling between them. I don't know how to do this.

Chi's throat worked. Do what?

This. Jun gestures between them. Be close to someone and not ruin it.

Chi's smile was sad. Too late. You already ruined me.

Jun didn't smile back.

He crossed the room in three strides and stood before Chi. Then let me fix it.Their lips met slow, deliberate. No games. No pretending. Just heat and hunger and something too

fragile to name.

Chi reached up, tugging Jun down into his lap, mouths still locked. Jun straddled him, fingers sliding

beneath the fabric of Chi's shirt, palms flat against skin that was too warm, too real.

You drive me insane, Chi whispered, panting.

Good, Jun growled. Now you know how I feel.

Clothes fell away, layer by layer each button, each zipper a promise undone.

Juns mouth moved down Chi's neck, across his chest, licking, teasing, tasting. Chi gasped, fingers

clawing into Juns shoulders, hips arching toward him.

They moved to the bed sheets tangled, breaths short.

Jun took his time.

He kissed every inch of Chi's skin like it meant something. Like Chi wasn't just the heir of a stolen

empire, but a man aching for something real.

Chi moaned, legs wrapped around Jun's waist, pulling him closer, deeper, until they were nothing but the heat and skin needed.When Jun finally pushed in, Chis back arched, a broken sound escaping him.

Jun

I've got you, Jun whispered, forehead pressed to Chis.

They moved together, slow at first, then fasterlike thunder building behind every thrust, every breath.

It wasn't just sex.

It was grief.

It was rage.

It was love.

And when it was over, they didn't speak for a long time.

Jun lay beside him, fingers trailing patterns over Chi's chest. Chi stared at the ceiling like it held Jun lay beside him, fingers trailing patterns over Chis chest. Chi stared at the ceiling like it held answers he couldn't face.

Finally, Chi whispered, If this all goes wrong, promise me you'll survive it.

Jun turned his head. Only if you do too.

Chi closed his eyes. That's the part I'm afraid of.

Jun pulled him close, skin still damp, heart still racing. Then we went down together.

And for the first time, neither of them argued.

The silence between them was thick but soft. Jun pressed his lips against Chis shoulder, grounding

himself in the warmth of him. The storm outside had gotten heavier, thunder rolling like warning

drums in the distance.

I never thought it'd be you, Chi whispered.

Jun blinked. Me?

Chi shifted onto his side, eyes tracing Jun's face. The one I'd let in. I've pushed everyone away for years. No one ever fought to stay. But you broke in like you owned the place.Jun chuckled softly. That's because I did.

Chi grinned, eyes glinting. You're insufferable.

And you're addicted, Jun whispered.

Chi kissed him again. This time slower, deeper, their tongues tangling like they were relearning each

other languages. When Chi broke the kiss, his lips were swollen and his breath shaky.

I want more, Chi said.

Juns eyebrow rose. Right now?

Chi nodded. Right now.

Jun pulled the blanket over them with a smirk. Then hold on.

They made love again slower this time, more deliberate. Every movement was a vow, every touch an

apology. Chi trembled beneath him, eyes locked on Juns like he was afraid to blink and miss

something.

And afterward, they didn't bother dressing.

Chi curled into Juns chest, head tucked under his chin. I wish we met in another life. Jun whispered, If we did, I'd still find you. The rain didn't stop.

But neither did they. In the morning, Jun woke up to an empty bed.

Chi's side was still warm.

But his clothes were gone.

And on the pillow beside him, a note in neat handwriting: **I'll come back. Don't stop fighting. C.**