Kiss Me Like You’re Not Married.

The city was dark, still, and heavy with silence as Joon-Won drove. His suit jacket lay discarded in the passenger seat, his white dress shirt wrinkled at the collar, clinging to his chest with the leftover heat of everything that happened. The car felt too quiet, even with music playing. He'd told his wife earlier on the phone that he was staying the night at the office. She'd been too tired to ask questions, just muttered a soft "Okay, don't overwork and I love you" before hanging up.

He hadn't lied completely. He was going somewhere familiar. Somewhere he could work, just not in the way she thought.

The building far away from home yet not that far, He hadn't been here in weeks. The key turned with a click, the lights flickering on as he stepped into the well kept apartment. No one knew about this place. It was his safe space. Not his wife. Not his parents. Just him. And now, Tae-Hyun.

The air inside was still thick with their scent.

He tossed his keys on the counter with a frown, grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, and slowly walked to the bed.. the same bed he'd had Tae-Hyun on just an hour ago. He stared down at the crumpled sheets, then slowly sat, twisting open the cap and drinking.

"If this doesn't work… don't contact me. If you do, I'll fuck up again. And I won't look back."

Joon-Won closed his eyes.

That damn voice wouldn't leave him alone. Not Tae-Hyun's soft one. Not the one on the phone. The one that moaned in his ear, cried, screamed his name, begged to be ruined. He looked down at the faint red scratches left on the back of his hand. Ghosts of possession.

He laid back, the mattress still warm.

Flashbacks hit like waves.

Tae-Hyun kneeling before him with his mouth full, wrists pinned, begging. His own voice, harsh, dominant, drunk off power and arousal, whispering filth into his ear. Tae-Hyun choking on words, crying out from too much and not enough.

He groaned, rubbing his eyes the more he thought about him.

Obsession had a taste. And it still lingered on his tongue. He laid there on the bed in that same position for god knows how long staring at the ceiling thinking about every little thing they've done and said tonight.

Just as the sky outside began to blush with the earliest hints of morning,

Joon-Won clenched his jaw and sat up.

He looked at his phone.

No notifications for the past hour and a half since he dropped him off.

But then, just as the sky outside began to tint with the early blue of dawn, it lit up. 

Tae-Hyun.

He stared for a second, then answered, voice low and hoarse.

"…Hey."

There was a pause on the other end.

Then Tae-Hyun spoke, hushed but calm. "It worked."

Joon-Won let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Yeah?"

"She believed me. I used what you told me. Our son mentioned the wrist thing but I told her I got bit by my coworker dog after work. She even laughed and said he probably saw it wrong."

"You sure?" Joon-Won sat on the edge of the bed, fingers threading into his hair.

"Positive. I played it cool. Kissed her head. Held her for a bit. Told her I was sorry for being late. She was good by the end of it."

"…You're dangerous when you want to be."

Tae-Hyun hummed quietly. "I learned from the best."

Joon-Won smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "So that's it, then?"

"For now."

Neither of them said anything for a few beats.

Then Tae-Hyun broke the silence. "It wasn't just sex, Joon. You know that, right?"

Joon-Won swallowed. "I know."

"I mean—what happened today… the way we were, the way you…" He trailed off, then let out a soft, nervous laugh. "I felt something shift."

"So did I."

A pause.

Tae-Hyun spoke slower now. "And you were scaring me a little. The way you looked at me. Like you didn't care who I was, like you just… needed me."

Joon-Won pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose. "I don't know how to be halfway about things. I never have. I only know how to want something until I ruin it."

"You haven't ruined it," Tae-Hyun said, quietly. "Not yet."

"But I might."

Tae-Hyun exhaled. "So will I. We both might. But we won't be able to stop unless we plan this right."

Joon-Won's eyes opened again.

"Go on," he said.

"We can't keep disappearing. It's too obvious. We need to normalize things. Keep talking about each other's families in front of them. Make it seem like it's all friendship. Dinners. Playdates. You drop by when you 'forget' something. I show up because I'm just around."

Joon-Won raised a brow. "You're scaring me now."

Tae-Hyun grinned through the phone. "Good."

Joon-Won leaned back, one arm over his head. "And what if I want more than that?"

"You'll wait," Tae-Hyun said, voice lower. "And you'll take it when I give it."

A soft silence.

Joon-Won smirked. "You're getting cocky."

"You made me this way."

"You're lucky I like it."

"I know."

Another second of silence fell between them after that.

Then Joon-Won said, suddenly softer, "You looked so fucking good tonight. Like you weren't even trying. You crawled on top of me like you knew I'd say yes."

"You did say yes."

"I'll always say yes to you," Joon-Won whispered huskily.

Tae-Hyun's voice faltered, he let out a soft chuckle at that just like he did when he was chilling on his apartment bed not so long ago. "You're being obsessive again."

"…I know."

"…And I still don't hate it."

They both stayed quiet after that. It was a silence that said too much. A silence that came with weight, but not regret.

Then Joon-Won sat up again, clearing his throat.

"We're doing this. Aren't we?"

Tae-Hyun answered after a beat.

"We already are."

There was a pause. Something more serious crept into the line.

"Joon-Won?"

"Yeah?"

"If this gets ugly… if either of them ever starts suspecting…"

"They won't."

"But if they do—"

"I'll fix it."

Tae-Hyun exhaled slowly. "You're obsessed."

"I am."

"You know that's not healthy."

"You're still talking to me."

Tae-Hyun didn't answer. But he didn't hang up either. A breathy laugh could be heard on his end of the call and it made Joon-won smile slightly.

The line stayed open while the sun rose a little more, painting soft gold over the room. Joon-Won laying on his side now with the phone on speaker, listening to the sound of Tae-Hyun breathing. Familiar now.

Addictive.

Eventually, they hung up. Not with goodbyes. Just silence.

But it was the silence of people who weren't done.

Not even close. They're just getting started.

.

.

.

They'd called each other every night since that night.

Never texts. Not even voice notes anymore. Just one quiet call a day, sometimes five minutes, sometimes longer. Enough to hear each other breathe, to plot the next move. They agreed that after what they did… the marks, the apartment, the kiss in the car, they had to recalibrate.

"Too soon," Tae-hyun had murmured the morning after.

"Too reckless," Joon-won agreed.

They hadn't touched since. But their voices? Those still lingered like fingerprints.

Joon-won sat on the edge of the sofa, phone in hand, watching Ha-eun across the room with her tablet. She was humming softly, legs curled under her, unaware of the storm brewing behind his calm smile. His thumb hovered over the phone screen before he locked it and stood up.

"Hey," he said casually, crossing the room and leaning against the back of her chair.

She glanced up with a smile. "Hmm?"

"What do you think about a double date?"

He let it land lightly. Like it wasn't part of a larger operation.

She blinked, lowering her tablet. "Wait, what?"

"You, me. Tae-hyun. Seo-yeon. Drop the kids at daycare. Day off for us. Just… something adult for once."

Ha-eun stared at him like he'd grown a second head. "You want to hang out with Tae-hyun?"

He laughed, wrapping his arms around her from behind, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. "I don't mind the guy ever since the last time you and seo-yeon made us go out. And you like Seo-yeon. And besides, it's just one meal."

"Oh my God." She twisted in his arms, excitement bursting onto her face. "Are you serious?"

He nodded. "I already took the day off. Thought you might wanna surprise her."

She squealed. "I love this side of you. You're never like this."

As she grabbed her phone to call Seo-yeon, Joon-won leaned down to press another kiss to her cheek then tilted his head slightly, just enough to lock eyes with his own reflection in the mirror across the living room.

His lips curled faintly as if he was telling himself he did a good job.

He pulled his phone from his pocket, tapped once, and sent a single emoji to Tae-hyun.

A simple smiley face.

⸻

In Tae-hyun apartment. 

The phone on the counter rang twice before Seo-yeon picked up with an excited voice.

"Ha-eun! What's up?"

Joon-won kept his arms around his wife, resting his chin on her shoulder like the doting husband he was pretending to be.

"Joonie wants us to go on a double date!" Ha-eun grinned.

There was a beat of surprise, then laughter. "Wait — Joon-won? Are we talking about the same man who glares at my husband every time they breathe the same air?"

"I'm right here, Seo-yeon," Joon-won said, voice dry but calm. "And yes, I can tolerate Tae-hyun for two hours if it gets me good food and my wife off my back."

"Oh, please. You secretly enjoy competing with him," Seo-yeon teased.

"I don't compete with men I can outrun in a suit," Joon-won muttered, and Ha-eun slapped his chest, laughing.

"Put him on the phone!" Seo-yeon said with a giggle excitedly. "Tae-hyun! Come here!"

A few mumbled noises, then Tae-hyun's familiar voice slid in, casual and tired. "This better be about food."

"It is!" Seo-yeon chirped. "Guess who's finally growing a personality? Joon-won invited us out."

"Oh wow," Tae-hyun said, perfectly bored. "Should we bring a medal to the lawyer?"

Joon-won smirked, his hand on Ha-eun's waist tightening just slightly. "You'll bring your manners and try not to embarrass your wife, that's what you'll do."

"You might wanna do the same," Tae-hyun replied. "If you remember how."

The wives groaned in unison. "Children."

"Do we really have to bring them?" Ha-eun teased, nudging Joon-won playfully.

But under the casual bickering, beneath the carefully timed scoffs and sighs, there was a code.

Each beat, each insult… carefully threaded with messages only they could read.

At one point, Tae-hyun yawned and muttered, "Guess the mission's accomplished then."

And Joon-won, resting his chin on Ha-eun's shoulder, allowed his gaze to darken just a little.

"Yeah," he murmured into the phone. "Phase one's done."

The wives didn't notice. They were too busy picking restaurants.

But the men had stopped smiling long ago.

⸻

Joon-won stood at the window of his apartment, his get away apartment, his shirt undone and a cold glass of water in one hand. The city lights cast fractured shadows across the floor, painting him in blue and silver. It was the same day he and Tae-hyun had told their wives about the double date and he needed some time alone.

His mind drifted to the last time Tae-hyun was here.

Bent over the couch.

Crying out.

Breathless.

Wrecked.

His.

His free hand brushed over the faint scratch on the back of his own. He hadn't let it heal. Not really. He kept scratching at it to keep it there. It was fading.

And he didn't want it to.

He turned to the bed and sat down, letting the memory roll through him like a wave. The heat of Tae-hyun's voice, the way his hands had gripped his arms, the moaned "fuck me harder" that had haunted his ears ever since.

Then, his phone rang.

Tae-hyun.

He answered instantly, voice low. "Everything okay?"

"Smooth," Tae-hyun replied, calm and confident. "She believed everything. I used the exact script. Even kissed her forehead. She laughed."

Joon-won exhaled. His eyes closed for a moment. "Good."

A pause.

"I've been thinking," Tae-hyun said. "If we're doing this… it can't always be about fucking."

Joon-won stood up straighter and placed the cup of water down. "No?"

"There has to be rhythm. Balance. Strategy. If we fuck like that again soon, we'll fuck it all up. Literally."

"You're the one who begged for it last time."

"You're the one who made me," Tae-hyun muttered, and Joon-won chuckled.

"I didn't hear complaints."

"Not during. But after?" Tae-hyun sighed. "So. No texting. One call a day. Keep the wives involved. Make them think this is your idea to get closer to me. Then they'll never suspect a thing."

Joon-won leaned back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "You're getting good at this."

"I'm a natural when I'm trying not to get caught."

Another pause.

"Joon-won," Tae-hyun added. "You like it too much, don't you?"

There was a beat of silence.

"Let's just say.." Joon-won's voice dropped. "If someone else touched you like I did, I'd kill them."

Tae-hyun chuckled under his breath. "See? That. That's the obsession talking."

"And?"

"I didn't say I hated it."

Then, quieter..

"I'll start suggesting couples outings. Bring Ha-eun into more playdates. Make her my friend. That'll cover you."

Joon-won blinked at hearing that but he was interested. Sliding his hand into his pocket as he walked towards the living room. "That's fucked up."

"It's also brilliant. You should be impressed."

"I'm hard."

Tae-hyun burst into a quiet laugh, then whispered softly, "Save it. You're not getting anywhere near my ass until this works."

"You're cruel."

"I'm being careful. One wrong move and this falls apart."

"I know," Joon-won said calmly. "That's why I'm listening."

They were quiet for a while. Not even breath. Just air between them.

Then Tae-hyun murmured, "Sleep, Joonie. Tomorrow's game day."

Joon-won smiled faintly at the nickname, eyes fluttering Shut with a deep chuckle. "Night, Tae."

Click.

Silence again. But it wasn't lonely anymore.