Han Jiho's day began like every other monotonous high school morning a symphony of mundane rituals.
Wake up. Brush teeth. Avoid eye contact with his reflection because, seriously, mornings were the worst.
Little did he know, today would be anything but ordinary.
The first tremor of chaos hit during lunch break. Jiho stood by the vending machine, wrestling with a stubborn soda button, when a shadow fell over him. A shadow that smelled faintly of expensive cologne and basketball court sweat.
Kang Minjae.
Not just any student, but the Kang Minjae star basketball player, top academic performer, and the school's undisputed heartthrob. The kind of guy whose fan club had an actual waitlist, who could make a wrinkled uniform look like a high-fashion statement.
Jiho had spent years perfecting the art of crushing on Minjae from a safe, unnoticed distance. Years of carefully constructed invisibility.
Until now.
"Hey."
Jiho's brain short-circuited. Minjae. Was. Talking. To. Him.
He managed a stammered, "Uh… hi?"
"You've been fighting with that machine for like five minutes." Minjae leaned against the adjacent vending machine, watching with obvious amusement.
"It's— the button's stuck, okay?" Jiho's face burned as he jabbed the soda button again.
"Let me see." Before Jiho could protest, Minjae stepped closer way too close and pressed the button with practiced ease.
The soda dropped with a satisfying thunk.
"There. Easy."
Jiho reached for his drink, but Minjae was faster. In one fluid motion, he grabbed the can and took a long sip.
Time stopped.
"What the hell are you doing?" Jiho's voice cracked embarrassingly.
Minjae wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, that insufferable smirk spreading across his face. "What? You looked thirsty. I was helping."
"That's— that's my soda!"
"And now we're sharing. Isn't that sweet?"
And then the universe conspired.
A group of students nearby erupted.
"Oh my god! No way!"
"Did Minjae just—?"
"They're sharing a drink?!"
"Wait… ARE THEY DATING?!"
Jiho spun around, horrified. "What?! No way!"
But rumor is a wildfire, and high school is its perfect kindling.
By the time Jiho reached his next class, whispers followed him like a persistent shadow.
"Did you hear? Minjae and Jiho are secretly dating!"
"I KNEW Minjae wasn't single!"
"A shared drink? That's basically a love confession!"
If memories could kill, Jiho would be remembering his middle school trauma.
Back then, being one of the few openly gay students meant being a target. Not just for physical bullying Jiho could handle those fights but for the insidious whispers, the calculated isolation.
One afternoon, cornered behind the gym, he'd been ready to fight. A group of boys circling, their words sharp as knives.
"Oh look, Jiho's alone again. What happened? Your boyfriend dump you?"
But someone had stepped in. A new student. Tall. Confident. Angry on his behalf.
Minjae.
He didn't throw a punch. Didn't yell. Just looked at the bullies with a calm, deadly stare.
"Get lost."
They scattered like leaves in the wind.
Minjae walked away without a second glance. To him, it was nothing. To Jiho, it was everything.
The moment his impossible crush was born.
Now, weeks later, after school, Jiho cornered Minjae by the lockers, practically vibrating with frustration.
"You need to tell people we're not dating!"
Minjae didn't even look up from his textbook. "Why would I do that?"
"Because we're NOT dating! The whole school thinks we're some secret couple because you decided to drink my soda like some... some romantic drama protagonist!"
That got Minjae's attention. He closed his book slowly, turned around, and leaned back against his locker with that maddening calm of his.
"Does it really bother you that much?"
"Yes! Do you have any idea what it's like having girls approach me asking for dating advice about you? Or having guys pat my back like I've won some kind of lottery?"
Minjae's lips twitched. "Sounds rough."
"Don't you dare laugh at me, Kang Minjae."
"I'm not laughing." But his eyes were definitely dancing with amusement. "I'm just wondering why you're so worked up about it."
Jiho threw his hands up. "Because it's not true! And people are starting to believe it, and soon they'll expect us to act like a couple, and then what?"
"Then we act like a couple."
The words hung in the air like a challenge.
Jiho stared at him. "What did you just say?"
Minjae pushed off from his locker and stepped closer, close enough that Jiho had to tilt his head back to meet his eyes.
"I said, then we act like a couple." His voice dropped to almost a whisper. "What's the worst that could happen?"
"The worst that could happen?" Jiho's voice pitched higher. "Minjae, this isn't some game..."
"Who says it's a game?" Minjae reached out and casually slung an arm around Jiho's shoulders, pulling him close. "Maybe I don't mind the rumors."
"You don't mind—" Jiho's brain was short-circuiting again. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying," Minjae leaned down, his breath warm against Jiho's ear, "let's pretend we are dating."
Han Jiho's heart stopped.
His life, he realized, was about to get very complicated.
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