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.
"WHAT?!" The words erupted from Jiho's throat, his brain struggling to process the suggestion.
Minjae's smirk was infuriatingly attractive. "You heard me."
"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. "Why not? Got someone else you're actually dating?"
"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 the point?"
Proximity was dangerous. Minjae was too close, too warm, too effortlessly charming. Jiho's stomach performed Olympic-level gymnastics.
"You—you can't just decide this for both of us!" The protest sounded weak, even to his own ears.
"Who said I'm deciding for you?" Minjae tilted his head, genuinely curious. "I'm giving you a choice."
Jiho waited for the second option. Nothing came.
"That's not a choice!" he sputtered.
"Sure it is. You can say yes, or you can spend the next month explaining to everyone why you're not dating the guy who publicly claimed you with a soda can."
"Publicly claimed—" Jiho's voice pitched higher. "It was a drink! You drank my soda!"
"And now half the school thinks we're soulmates." Minjae's grin was downright wicked. "Funny how these things work out."
Jiho groaned, burying his face in his hands. "This is insane."
"Is that a yes?"
"I hate you."
"That's not an answer."
Jiho peeked through his fingers at Minjae's expectant face. "At least tell me the rules if we're doing this completely ridiculous thing."
Three fingers rose. The negotiation began.
"Rule number one"Minjae said, raising his index finger. "Act natural."
"What does that even mean?"
"Don't overthink it. You don't have to call me 'babe' or anything—unless you want to."
Jiho turned scarlet. "I DO NOT WANT TO!"
Minjae's laugh echoed through the hallway. "Good to know where you stand."
"What's rule two?"
"No falling in love with me."
The words hung in the air like a challenge. Jiho scoffed, perhaps a little too loudly. "Obviously! As if that would ever happen."
Minjae's hum suggested profound skepticism. "We'll see about that."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing." But Minjae's smile said everything. "Rule three commit to the bit. If someone asks, we're dating. No hesitation, no weird faces, no panic attacks."
Jiho sighed deeply. "Fine." He straightened up, trying to regain some control of the situation. "But we're setting an expiration date. Two weeks, and then we end this charade."
"Two weeks?" Minjae looked genuinely surprised. "That's not very long for a relationship."
"It's not a real relationship!"
"Right." Minjae extended his pinky. "Deal?"
The pinky promise that sealed their fate felt like a contract with the devil.
"Deal," Jiho whispered, linking their fingers together.
Minjae's smirk promised complications. Jiho's flutter of nerves promised trouble.
---
Flashback: The First Connection
Minjae despised transferring schools.
New faces. Unfamiliar hallways. Complete isolation from everything comfortable and known.
He'd grown up in the same neighborhood, attended the same schools with the same group of friends since elementary. Now, he was a ghost drifting through crowded corridors where everyone already had their established groups, their inside jokes, their unspoken hierarchies.
Lunches spent alone by the window. Conversations that never started. Laughter that felt just out of reach.
Independence had always been his shield, but loneliness was becoming his constant companion.
Until that third week.
Lunch period. His usual window seat. Resigned to another meal in 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 without invitation or hesitation.
"Hey there, new guy!"
Minjae blinked, startled. "…Hi?"
Unfazed by Minjae's minimal response, the boy his name tag read 'Han Jiho' grinned and slid a wrapped melon bread across the table.
"You look like you could use some sugar in your life," Jiho declared matter-of-factly. "Plus, you've been sitting alone for like, three weeks now. That's got to be some kind of record."
No ulterior motives. No expectations of friendship or favors in return. Just pure, unfiltered kindness from a complete stranger.
Minjae stared at the bread, then at Jiho's expectant face. "You don't even know me."
"So? I know you're new, you eat lunch alone, and you always look like you're thinking about something really serious." Jiho propped his chin on his hand. "Plus, melon bread makes everything better. It's basically a scientific fact."
Despite himself, Minjae found his lips twitching upward. "Scientific fact?"
"Absolutely. I read it somewhere. Probably." Jiho's grin was infectious. "Are you going to eat it or just stare at it? Because I've got more if you're still hungry."
In that moment, something fundamental shifted. Jiho wasn't seeing a future star athlete, a potential academic rival, or a useful connection. He saw a person. Just a person who looked lonely and could use a friend.
Minjae unwrapped the bread and took a bite. It was sweet, soft, and somehow tasted like hope.
"Better?" Jiho asked, watching him with genuine concern.
A smile—real and unexpected—broke through Minjae's carefully constructed walls.
"Yeah. Thanks."
"Great! I'm Jiho, by the way. Han Jiho. And you're the famous transfer student everyone's been whispering about."
"Kang Minjae."
"Nice to officially meet you, Kang Minjae." Jiho pulled out his own lunch. "So, what's your story? Where'd you transfer from?"
And for the first time in weeks, Minjae found himself actually wanting to answer.
---
Present Moment
Pinkies locked. Hearts racing. Futures uncertain.
"You're blushing," Minjae observed with a teasing whisper.
"I AM NOT!"
Minjae's knowing hum promised this was just the beginning.
Jiho groaned internally. Two weeks. Just two weeks of pretending to date his impossible crush.
What could possibly go wrong?
---