"But you hate me, I know for a fact that you do not like me and you cannot stand me so why would you want to help me stop this situation with my parent" she said

"I don't hate you Jae kyung I just feel this is the only way we can solve this situation isn't this better than meeting a total stranger or someone who you don't even know, I mean even though we aren't best of pals I have always thought that we were at least friends or cordial with each other" why would she think that I hate her did I really give her that impression.

Jae Kyung stared at me, her eyes narrowing, as if she were trying to read the truth hidden beneath my words. Her fingers toyed with the edge of the table, a nervous habit I hadn't seen from her before.

"Cordial? Woo Bin, you've barely spoken more than ten words to me every time we've been around each other. And that karaoke night..." She trailed off, her expression tightening.

I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. "I know, I know. I wasn't exactly a model friend back then. But that's the past, Jae Kyung. People change, right?"

She blinked at me, her lips pressed into a thin line. "People like you don't change, Woo Bin. You've always been distant, hard to figure out. And now you're suddenly offering to help me?"

I leaned forward, elbows on the table. "Look, I get that it's weird. Believe me, I wasn't exactly expecting this either. But we're both stuck in the same situation. Our parents want this... and maybe it's not so bad if we just... pretend. At least for a little while."

She crossed her arms, her posture stiffening. "Pretend? Pretend like we're in love? Woo Bin, that's a dangerous game to play. What happens when one of us starts believing it?"

Her words hung in the air, and for a second, I had no response. She had a point—faking something as complex as a relationship could easily blur the lines between reality and the act. But I had to convince her this was the only way to navigate the mess our parents had created.

"I won't let that happen," I said softly, more to myself than to her. "We'll keep it strictly business. We pretend for a few months, and when the time is right, we say it didn't work out. No one gets hurt, and we go back to our lives."

Jae Kyung stared at me for a long moment, her face a mix of doubt and hesitation. Finally, she let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine. But if we're doing this, we need ground rules."

I nodded, grateful that she hadn't completely rejected the idea. "Okay, like what?"

"First, no public displays of affection unless absolutely necessary. I'm not going to kiss you just to please a crowd," she said firmly.

"Agreed," I replied. "I'm not exactly looking forward to it either."

She shot me a look, her eyes narrowing again. "Second, we don't tell anyone about this being fake. Not our friends, not your F4 group, and definitely not my parents."

"Got it."

"And third," she hesitated, her voice dropping a little, "we don't let this drag on longer than necessary. If it starts getting too complicated, we end it."

I looked at her seriously. "You have my word."

She exhaled, relaxing a little in her chair. "Alright, then. Let's do this."

There was a brief, awkward silence as the weight of what we had just agreed to sunk in. I had never expected to find myself in this situation—pretending to be engaged to a woman I barely knew, and yet, something about this didn't feel as bad as I thought it would. Maybe it was because it was Jae Kyung.

But before I could dwell on that strange realization, Jae Kyung broke the silence. "One more thing," she said, her tone serious. "No falling for me, Song Woo Bin."

I couldn't help but laugh, though her stern expression told me she wasn't joking. "I'll try my best."

But as I said those words, a small voice in the back of my mind whispered a doubt I didn't want to acknowledge: What if it wasn't as easy as I thought?