Strategic Mating Partner Chapter 65

Yes

9:29 PM

What, did I ask for a true-or-false answer? Taehyun let out a hollow laugh, dumbfounded. He already knew Sejin was like this, but it wasn’t like he was talking to a chatbot—honestly, it was laughable. These days, even AI chatbots were advanced enough not to send one-word replies. They’d at least cobble together a plausible response, even if they didn’t know the answer. Sejin’s indifference was almost excessive—it was more like apathy. Taehyun let out a light sigh and replied.

9:30 PM

This is our schedule. (Attachment)

9:30 PM

The first training camp is for two weeks, and the second one hasn’t been announced yet, so it’ll probably get finalized when the overseas training plans come out.

Without needing to explain everything step by step, Taehyun sent a screenshot of the schedule, and Sejin soon sent his own. Sejin’s camp started a bit later than Taehyun’s and lasted longer, probably because of team events. Taehyun quickly added Sejin’s schedule to his phone calendar. This meant that during the roughly four weeks when their camps overlapped, they’d need to meet secretly at least four or five times to take care of that.

‘An overnight pass… Even if we each use it twice, it’ll draw attention.’

Some athletes used overnight passes like they were going out for meals, but that usually got them flagged by the facility management team, and higher-ups would complain to the coaches, so most avoided it. Neither Taehyun nor Sejin was in a position to risk it. Well, maybe Joo Sejin could… Taehyun paused to think. Sejin probably wouldn’t care about something like that. But an overnight pass, unlike a simple outing, would inevitably stand out. So, if possible, it’d be safer to handle things within the facility rather than using a pass.

‘I must be out of my mind.’

Doing it secretly in the village at least two or three times? It wasn’t… impossible, right? As long as they used pheromone deodorizers properly, it shouldn’t be a big issue. They weren’t using condoms or anything. Of course, they’d need to be careful to clean up any traces of their activities themselves, but at least during Taehyun’s time at the village, he’d never heard of anyone being expelled for indecent behavior. He’d seen people get kicked out for drinking, though. Getting caught would shake his entire career and the image he’d built, but if they didn’t get caught, it’d be fine. Convincing himself with that mental victory, Taehyun felt an odd thrill.

‘It might… be kind of fun…’

People thought Taehyun was a model citizen, but deep down, he had a rebellious streak. He tried his best to maintain a proper image to be loved, but there was a part of him that wanted to mess up a neatly organized space or step on pristine snow. Even though he knew it wasn’t wise for his future, the mischievous thought of “As long as I don’t get caught, it’s fine” lurked in his mind. Pulling off a forbidden prank was tied to the core of the impulses he barely kept in check. Taehyun looked at the schedule, considered a stable cycle, picked some dates, and sent them to Sejin.

9:37 PM

Let’s meet before checking in on the 12th. Once we’re in, depending on the situation, we should do it on the 18th or 19th, either there or with an overnight pass. Keep the 26th in mind too since we’ll probably need to do it around then.

After some thought, Taehyun sent the message, and it took Sejin a full 20 minutes to reply.

Yes

10:01 PM

“…….”

He hadn’t expected some grand response, but after sending a detailed message, getting a single “Yes” felt a bit insulting. Was this a situation where he had any right to be annoyed, though? It wasn’t like they were dating. Besides, Sejin’s bluntness was partly why Taehyun felt at ease with him, so there was no reason to complain. Taehyun sighed again and typed.

10:01 PM

I’ll come to your place on the 12th.

Another reply came 30 minutes later.

Yes

10:34 PM

This guy? He couldn’t still be training, so what was he doing to reply so slowly? Did he think Taehyun was sitting around all day waiting for his texts? Taehyun’s irritation flared for a moment but calmed. He thought of the worst-case scenario: some random alpha mating partner falling head over heels for him, insisting they date or they’d die without him. Compared to that, a blunt guy like Sejin was a hundred times better.

Sure, Sejin could be frustratingly aloof at times, but their relationship was stable. They’d already hooked up six times. During those moments, they kept things cool, only talking about what was necessary. Sure, Sejin got a bit chatty during sex, which was mildly annoying, but that was it—Sejin never crossed the boundaries Taehyun set.

Sejin didn’t even seem interested in Taehyun. He didn’t ask questions, didn’t meddle in Taehyun’s life, and wasn’t curious about it. They only met to talk and hook up, and the moment they parted for training the next morning, all connections ceased. They acted like strangers until the next scheduled meeting. It was exactly the ideal mating partner relationship Taehyun wanted.

Sejin seemed perfectly content with it. He didn’t care who Taehyun hung out with or contacted. Even when Taehyun reached out out of friendly curiosity, Sejin’s replies were curt. Their relationship was purely that of compatible sex partners—nothing more, nothing less. The difference was that regular sex partners met when they were in the mood, while Taehyun and Sejin met on a set schedule like clockwork.

Still, they weren’t complete strangers, so maybe they were closer to sex friends than mere hookups. Taehyun thought absently, then considered that Sejin might not even see him as a friend. Knowing him, that was possible.

‘That’s a bit disappointing…’

After all I’ve done for you. Taehyun pouted to himself, then shook his head to snap out of it. Whatever. It didn’t matter. He hadn’t done it expecting anything in return. Obsessing over what their relationship was seemed pointless, and he shook his head again. Wanting to show more vulnerability just because Sejin had seen him at his lowest was insane.

A chill ran down his spine. What if he was the one developing a pointless possessiveness and obsession with his mating partner, not Sejin? The thought of what kind of awful ideas he’d entertained after getting punched snapped him awake.

Let’s stop thinking about it until we meet next. With that, Taehyun set his phone on the wireless charger and closed his eyes. Despite exhausting his body since morning, sleep wouldn’t come. He tossed and turned until past midnight before finally drifting off.

🤺

A few days later, Taehyun visited Sejin’s house for their last meeting before the training camp. He’d been there several times, but each visit left him marveling at the house. Did they have a caretaker? (With a house this big, it made sense.) Even in the season when grass grew wildly, the garden visible from the first floor was impeccably maintained.

“How’s training going?”

As Sejin let him into the living room and asked, Sejin nodded lightly.

“So-so.”

“How are the other athletes? I only know Seryoung and Mingyu. There seemed to be a lot of new faces this time.”

It was true. During the last Olympics, most of the main fencers were in their late twenties to early thirties, raising concerns about the team aging. Still, they’d swept the medals: gold in the men’s team event, silver in the women’s team event, gold and bronze in the men’s individual, and silver and bronze in the women’s individual. The fencing association president had been all smiles in interviews, saying they’d hauled in medals by the sackful in epee. Wasn’t the women’s silver medalist the girl who seemed close to Sejin? Taehyun vaguely recalled Seryoung’s face and asked.

“How’s Seryoung doing?”

Sejin flinched, raising one eyebrow before answering.

“Yeah, she keeps bringing Eunsol to the training center.”

“Eunsol?”

Taehyun tilted his head at the unfamiliar name. Surely she wasn’t bringing a boyfriend to the training center. Maybe a junior she was supporting who didn’t make the cut? As he speculated, Sejin explained with a blank expression.

“Yeah. Her daughter.”

“She has a daughter?”

Taehyun was genuinely shocked.