Jiho had survived a lot this week—public humiliation, emotional whiplash, and the terrifying realization that his fake boyfriend might actually be enjoying this entire ordeal.
But nothing could have prepared him for what happened the next morning.
As he opened his locker, a voice purred behind him.
"Still thinking about the kiss?"
Jiho choked on air, slamming the locker door shut as if it could somehow erase Kang Minjae's face from his vision. "God! Y-You—seriously! Shut up!"
Minjae leaned casually against the neighboring locker, his smile practically criminal. "Come on, Jiho-ya. Your ears are turning red again."
"No! They are not!"
"They are," Minjae said smugly, leaning in close enough for Jiho to smell his stupid expensive cologne. "Want me to check?"
Jiho backed up like Minjae was carrying a contagious disease. "Are you insane? You need help. Go flirt with someone else!"
"I would," Minjae shrugged, "but apparently, I already have a boyfriend."
"Fake boyfriend."
"Still counts," he winked.
Jiho could feel his sanity slipping away. "Why do you enjoy ruining my life?!"
"Because your reactions are adorable," Minjae said without hesitation.
Jiho was about to spontaneously combust when Minjae suddenly straightened and asked, "By the way, do you have time this weekend?"
"Why?"
"I'm taking you out."
Jiho blinked. "Out? Like... on a date?"
Minjae's grin widened. "Obviously."
Jiho froze. "Stop. We don't need to go that far for this act."
Minjae shrugged, already pulling out his phone. "Too late. I booked two tickets for that horror movie you mentioned wanting to see."
Jiho stared at him in disbelief. "I never said that."
Minjae looked up, completely unbothered. "Well, now you do."
"Wait, what? When did I..."
"Last month. You were complaining about how all the good horror movies get sold out before you can see them."
Jiho's mouth fell open. "You actually remembered that random conversation?"
"I remember everything you say," Minjae replied casually, as if it wasn't the most heart-stopping thing he could have said.
Jiho stared at him, speechless. "Do you even know how fake dating works?!"
Minjae tucked his phone away, stepping closer. "You keep saying it's fake, but you're still blushing every time I get near."
Jiho's brain short-circuited. "I hate you so much."
Minjae smirked, leaning in just enough to make Jiho's breath catch. "You say that, but come on... you can't really hate the guy who makes your heart race like this."
"My heart is not..."
"Racing? Then why can I see your pulse from here?"
Jiho slapped a hand over his neck. "You're impossible."
"And you're cute when you're flustered."
"Stop calling me cute!"
"Never."
---
By the time Saturday rolled around, Jiho had convinced himself it would be a disaster.
He was wrong.
It was so much worse.
Minjae had shown up to their fake date looking like he'd walked straight out of a drama—oversized hoodie that somehow made his shoulders look broader, artfully messy hair, silver chain glinting under the streetlights. Jiho had tried to ignore it. Tried to act cool. But then Minjae held his hand as they crossed the street, and Jiho's brain completely shut down.
"Relax," Minjae whispered, his thumb brushing over Jiho's knuckles. "It's for appearances."
"Who's watching us? That cat?!" Jiho hissed, glaring at a stray tabby near the vending machine.
Minjae just laughed, the sound warm and genuine. "Stop being cute."
"I'M NOT CUTE!"
"The way you just squeaked says otherwise."
"I don't squeak!"
"You absolutely squeak."
The movie theater was crowded, noisy, and filled with couples doing exactly what Jiho was trying not to think about. He wanted to melt into the floor.
Things only got worse when they sat down and Minjae stretched, casually draping his arm behind Jiho's seat.
Jiho flinched. "Move your arm or I'll break it."
Minjae smiled, not moving an inch. "You say that, but you still haven't moved away."
"That's because—" Jiho started, then realized he didn't have a good reason. "Just... don't touch me."
"Technically, I'm not touching you. My arm is behind your seat."
"Your arm is practically around my shoulders!"
"Practically isn't actually."
"You're the most annoying person alive."
"And yet, here you are, on a date with me."
"Fake date!"
"Keep telling yourself that."
Jiho gritted his teeth. He was going to survive this. He was going to make it through two hours without doing something embarrassing. He was going to—
A jumpscare hit. Jiho screamed. Loudly.
The couple two rows ahead turned around. Several other people looked their way. Minjae was shaking with silent laughter.
"Don't. Say. A. Word," Jiho growled, trying to hide behind his popcorn.
"I wasn't going to say anything," Minjae said, still grinning. "But if you need someone to hold onto during the scary parts..."
"I'd rather hold onto a cactus."
"That can be arranged."
Another jumpscare. This time, Jiho grabbed Minjae's arm without thinking.
Minjae's laughter stopped. "Jiho?"
"Shut up," Jiho muttered, not letting go. "This doesn't mean anything."
"Of course not," Minjae said quietly, but his voice had gone softer somehow.
They sat like that for the rest of the movie Jiho's fingers curled around Minjae's sleeve, both of them pretending it was nothing.
When the credits rolled, Jiho realized he hadn't watched a single minute of the actual film.
"So," Minjae said as they stood to leave, "want to tell me what that movie was about?"
"Ghosts," Jiho said quickly.
"Try again. It was about zombies."
"I knew that."
"Sure you did."
---
After the movie, they walked in silence. Jiho's heart was still recovering from both the zombies on screen and the very real, very warm presence beside him.
The evening air was cool, and the streetlights cast long shadows as they made their way toward the bus stop. Jiho found himself stealing glances at Minjae, wondering when exactly this had stopped feeling like a performance.
He didn't expect what came next.
"Jiho-ya!" A voice called sweetly, but the tone made his stomach drop like a stone.
Turning around, he saw her.
Shin Hyejin.
Perfect dress. Perfect hair. Perfect smile that never quite reached her eyes.
She approached like she owned the street, her gaze briefly flicking to Minjae before landing on Jiho with faux concern.
"Are you okay?" she asked, voice dripping with artificial sweetness. "You look a little pale. Too much excitement with your boyfriend, maybe?"
Jiho stiffened. "I'm fine."
"Really?" Her smile widened, showing too many teeth. "Just making sure. After all, wouldn't want you getting too ahead of yourself. You know Minjae has... standards."
The words hit like a slap. Jiho clenched his jaw, but before he could respond, Minjae stepped closer.
"Hyejin," Minjae said coolly, slipping his arm around Jiho's shoulders in a gesture that felt surprisingly protective. "Don't worry. Jiho's exactly my type."
Jiho choked on air again, but this time it wasn't from embarrassment. It was from the way Minjae said it like he actually meant it.
Hyejin's expression cracked just for a second. Then she tilted her head with that same saccharine smile. "Really? Well, tastes do change, I guess."
She turned to Jiho, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"Be careful, okay? Some things that look good at first..." Her smile sharpened into something almost predatory. "Turn out to be a complete disappointment."
"Unlike some people," Minjae said before Jiho could respond, "Jiho actually has substance beyond his looks."
The temperature seemed to drop several degrees. Hyejin's mask slipped completely for a moment, revealing something cold and calculating underneath.
"How sweet," she said finally, the words like ice. "Well, I'll leave you two to your... evening."
With a final, plastic wave, she sauntered off, her heels clicking against the pavement like a countdown.
Jiho stood frozen, his mind replaying her words on loop.
Minjae didn't move his arm.
"She's going to make my life hell," Jiho whispered.
"No," Minjae said, voice steady and sure. "You've got me."
Jiho looked up at him, searching his face for any hint of the usual teasing. Instead, he found something that made his chest tight with an emotion he couldn't name.
"Why?" Jiho asked quietly. "Why are you doing this?"
Minjae was quiet for a long moment. When he spoke, his voice was softer than Jiho had ever heard it.
"Maybe because someone should have your back for once."
And for the first time since this whole fake dating thing started, it didn't feel like a joke.
---
That night, as Jiho collapsed onto his bed, his phone buzzed with a text from Minjae.
Next time, we should try the arcade. I bet you're terrible at claw machines.
Jiho stared at the message, his heart doing something complicated in his chest. Next time? Was there going to be a next time?
He started typing several responses, deleting each one. What was he supposed to say? That he'd actually had fun? That sitting next to Minjae in that dark theater had felt more real than anything he'd experienced in months?
Finally, he settled on: I'm amazing at claw machines. You're the one who'll embarrass himself.
The response came immediately: We'll see about that. Sleep well, Jiho-ya
Jiho stared at the simple message until his eyes burned. When had Minjae started saying his name like that? Like it meant something?
With a groan, he buried his face in his pillow. This was getting too complicated. What had started as a desperate attempt to save face was turning into something he couldn't control, couldn't understand.
---
Week 2
Monday morning came too quickly. Jiho dragged himself to school, his mind still replaying Saturday's events—the way Minjae had defended him, the careful way he'd said Jiho's name, the warmth of his arm around his shoulders.
He was so distracted he almost missed it—the small folded paper that fluttered to the ground when he opened his locker.
Frowning, he picked it up and unfolded it with shaking fingers.
His blood ran cold.
In careful, deliberate handwriting, the note read: "Stay away from Kang Minjae. This is your first warning."
Jiho's hands trembled as he read it again, the words blurring slightly. His first warning. Which meant there would be more.
He looked around the hallway, but everyone seemed normal—students chatting, grabbing books, completely oblivious to the fact that Jiho's world had just tilted off its axis.
"Hey." Minjae's voice came from behind him, warm and familiar. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
Jiho quickly crumpled the note, shoving it into his pocket. "I'm fine."
But as Minjae fell into step beside him, chattering about something that happened in his morning class, Jiho couldn't shake the feeling that their little game had just become something much more dangerous.
---