Jiho had experienced many emotions in his life—panic before an exam, rage when his WiFi crashed, heartbreak over limited-edition merch selling out.
But nothing compared to the pure, unadulterated horror of Kang Minjae casually suggesting they pretend to date.
"MWO?!" (WHAT?!) The words erupted from Jiho's throat, his brain struggling to process the suggestion.
Minjae's smirk was infuriatingly attractive. "You heard me."
"Neo michyeosseo?!" (Are you insane?!) Jiho's voice cracked. "I can't just—just pretend to be your boyfriend!"
The challenge in Minjae's eyes was unmistakable. "Wae? (Why?)
Got someone else you're actually dating?"
"A-Ani!" (N-No!) Jiho's face burned. "That's not the point—"
Minjae leaned in, his voice dropping to a soft, teasing whisper."Then what is?"
Proximity was dangerous. Minjae was too close, too warm, too effortlessly charming. Jiho's stomach performed Olympic-level gymnastics.
"You—you can't just do this!" The protest sounded weak, even to his own ears.
A casual shrug. "I'm not forcing you.
I'm giving you a choice."
Jiho waited for the second option.
Nothing came.
"That's not a choice!" he sputtered.
Minjae's laughter was music—infuriating, melodic music. "At least tell me the rules," Jiho groaned, surrendering to the inevitable.
Three fingers rose.
The negotiation began.
Rule #1: Act Natural
"You don't have to call me 'babe'—unless you want to."
Jiho turned scarlet. "I DO NOT WANT TO!"
Minjae's laugh echoed through the hallway.
Rule #2: No Falling
"Obviously!" Jiho scoffed. "As if that would ever happen."
Minjae's hum suggested profound skepticism. "Bogo sipda." (We'll see.)
Jiho wanted to evaporate into thin air.
Rule #3: Commit to the Lie
"If someone asks, we're dating. No hesitation."
A deep sigh. "Arasseo." (Fine.) A desperate attempt to regain control. "But we're setting an expiration date. Two weeks, and we end this."
The pinky promise that sealed their fate felt like a contract with the devil.
Minjae's smirk promised complications.
Jiho's flutter of nerves promised trouble.
---
Flashback: The First Connection
Minjae despised transferring schools.
New faces. Unfamiliar hallways. Absolute isolation.
He'd grown up surrounded by familiarity—now, he was a ghost drifting through crowded corridors. Lunches spent alone. Conversations unstarted. Laughter forever just out of reach.
Independence was his shield, loneliness his constant companion.
Until that third week.
Lunch period. Window seat. Mandatory solitude.
Then—interruption.
A boy with messy brown hair and eyes bright enough to power a small city dropped into the seat across from him.
"Annyeong!" (Hey!)
Minjae blinked. "…Annyeong?" (…Hi?)
Unphased by Minjae's minimal response, the boy—Han Jiho—grinned and extended a melon bread. "Ya, meogeobwa." (Here, eat this.) A matter-of-fact declaration.
"You look like you need some sugar in your life."
No hesitation. No expectations. Just pure, unfiltered kindness.
Minjae took the bread.
In that moment, something shifted.
Jiho wasn't seeing a future star, a perfect student, or a potential friend trophy.
He saw a person.
Just a person.
"Better?" Jiho watched, waiting.
A smile—genuine and unexpected—broke through Minjae's carefully constructed walls.
"Yeah Thanks."
---
Present Moment
Pinky locked. Hearts racing. Futures uncertain.
"Neo bulgeonhae." (You're blushing.) Minjae's teasing whisper.
"ANIRAGO!!" (I AM NOT!!)
Minjae's knowing hum promised this was just the beginning.
Jiho groaned. Two weeks.
Just two weeks.
Or perhaps—the start of something entirely unexpected.
---