Lu Han’s life, if he were to stop and think about it, wasn’t all that terrible. He was the creative director for M, Seoul’s latest and hottest entertainment magazine. He lived in a cozy loft downtown that gave him a charming view of the city’s skyline. He had a close-knit circle of friends whom he spent most of his free time with, and when he wasn’t hanging out with them, he could be found online, attempting to annihilate enemies via a healthy game of Starcraft.

His parents, however, did not agree with this perspective. They had, on more than one occasion, expressed their concerns over his bachelordom. Of course, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t been trying. He had been in a few relationships over the past several years, but all of them eventually fizzled out after a few months. Not that he had any issues with his ex-girlfriends - or boyfriends; uality was, after all, fluid - but the truth was, he was looking for something else.

A connection. Some tiny little spark. That moment where he would look at the person in the eye and realize that yes, they were The One.

Minseok snorted when Lu Han explained this during one of their weekly drinking sessions. “‘The One’?” Minseok repeated, his eyebrows raised so high in skepticism that they practically reached his hairline. “Where are you reading this stuff?”

“It’s not ‘stuff’,” Lu Han told him indignantly. “It’s a very well-known fact that for each person out there, there’s that special someone for them.” Or something like that. It was hard to remember details when he had been drinking steadily for the past two hours.

“Right.” Minseok patted him on the shoulder before shoving another bottle of beer into his hands. “Whatever you say.”

Lu Han regretted all that alcohol the next day when he woke up to find six missed calls on his phone, all from his mother. He stared at the screen blearily before doing the next best thing he could think of when he was hungover and hadn’t had his daily shot of caffeine: he went back to sleep.

After what felt like half a second later, his phone rang again.

“‘lo?” he answered it with a grunt, before sitting upright in bed, rubbing his face hurriedly. “Mother! I was--ah, I was asleep. Yes, I know my cousins are married. Yes, I know I’m the only one who isn’t yet. No, I’m not planning-- wait, no, Mother, hold on, I don’t want to go on a date with Mrs. Zhao’s son-- “ Lu Han scrubbed his free hand over his face, trying not to inwardly sigh. “You know what, fine. Yes, I am dating someone. We’ve been together for months now. It’s a serious relationship, so you don’t have go through all that trouble to set me up with anyone--”

His voice trailed off and his eyes widened as he listened to the next thing she had to say. When he finally ended the call, he stared at the screen for several long seconds.

“Crap.”

 

 

 

~ * ~

Minseok clutched the edge of the table and laughed.

“It’s not funny,” Lu Han protested for the fourth time. “Come on, Minseok, stop laughing. You’re supposed to be on my side.”

“I can’t believe you lied to your mom about having a relationship,” Minseok managed to get out once he had calmed down. “What made you even say that in the first place?”

“I was still hungover, alright?” Lu Han muttered grumpily. “What am I going to do now?”

Once his mother had recovered from the surprising (and not-so-accurate) announcement that Lu Han had made, she had been completely delighted. Since his grand-aunt’s eightieth birthday celebration in Beijing was coming up in a few weeks, his mother had insisted that he bring along his partner to meet the family.

“Why don’t you just tell her the truth? I’m sure she’ll understand.” Minseok reached for his iced coffee, sipping through the straw noisily. Unlike Lu Han, who still felt like he had been hit by a truck, Minseok looked too wide awake and cheerful at ten in the morning for someone who had practically passed out on his own living room floor after drinking his weight in beer last night. Lu Han had barely been able to make it into the cab home.

“Not my mother,” Lu Han muttered. “She reminds me everyday what a failure to the family I am by choosing to stay single.”

Minseok gave him a sympathetic look. “Parents want the best for their kids. My mom calls me sometimes to ask if I’ve eaten well and my dad texts me reminders to switch off the heater before going to bed.” He grinned. “They do the same thing to my sister even though she lives with them.”

Lu Han couldn’t remember the last time his mother had asked him if he had eaten well, but then again he couldn’t remember the last time he had ever had a conversation with her that didn’t end in her asking if he was planning on staying single for the rest of his life.

“You know,” Minseok said, sitting upright suddenly, “I might have the answer to your problems right here.” He rummaged through his backpack before pulling out a sheet of paper. He handed it to Lu Han.

It took Lu Han a moment to realize that it was a flyer of some sort. The entire thing had been printed in pink - extremely bright pink , in fact - and was covered in a generous amount of red and white hearts drawn all over it. The words ‘MEET YOR DESTINY’ were printed in English, flanked by two more hearts with the words ‘FREE REGISTRER’ and ‘GUARANTEE SATISFACTION’. At the very bottom of the page, there was a short blurb written down along with a website address.

Lu Han read the blurb out loud. “‘Tired of being single at family dinners? Need a partner to fill up that empty seat at the wedding? Rent a companion today!’” Snorting, Lu Han looked up at Minseok. “Seriously? Where did you even get this?”

“Got it from the guy who moved in across the hall today. I meant to throw it away, but since you’re having a crisis….” Minseok’s face was a picture of calm, but Lu Han could see the edge of his lips twitching.

Narrowing his eyes, Lu Han crumpled the flyer into a ball and threw it back at Minseok’s face. “Ugh,” he said as Minseok avoided it smoothly, his eyes twinkling in amusement. “Here I am, telling you about my problems and instead of helping, you’d rather mock me.”

“Personally, I think you’re overreacting,” Minseok told him. “So what if you’re not dating anyone? It’s not exactly a bad thing.” He shrugged. “If I were you, I would just tell your mom the truth. What’s the worst that she could do?”

It was a question that Lu Han didn’t dare answer. Not that he was afraid of his mother. It was the fact that he didn’t want to end up disappointing her again. The way she had sounded on the phone, for instance - he hadn’t heard her sound this happy since she had discovered cable.

Groaning, Lu Han dropped his head onto his hands. He was doomed.

Someone’s phone rang. Minseok excused himself before stepping outside to answer the call. As Lu Han sat there, the sounds of the conversation growing around him within the cafe, an idea began to blossom in his mind. A few seconds later, he stood up, searching the floor around the table before finding what he was looking for.

When Minseok came back, the flyer that he had given him earlier was folded and hidden away in Lu Han’s pocket.

 

 

 

~ * ~

That night, Lu Han found himself sitting in front of his laptop, navigating the website that had been listed on the flyer. Except for the typo on the banner, which made Lu Han twitch whenever he caught sight of it blinking at the top part of the screen, the setup wasn’t as dodgy as he had initially assumed. The website looked professionally done, sans the monstrous pink that had been on the flyer, and there were positive testimonies from previous clients whose names were omitted and replaced by initials instead. There was even a section filled with legal jargon and disclaimers that gave him a headache halfway through, which he skipped before clicking on the sign-up button.

Sometime around noon the next day, Lu Han received an email that looked suspiciously like one of those spam mails for . He was about to send it to the junk folder when he noticed the address where it was sent from - [email protected] - and almost dropped his coffee mug onto his laptop.

Thankfully, his assistant was off running an errand on the other side of town, which meant he didn’t have to worry about her showing up and accidentally catching sight of his screen. After battling internally between wanting to delete the email or click it open, he gave in to the urge to do the latter.

The email started off cheerfully enough, congratulating Lu Han on signing up. According to the email, if he agreed to the conditions (which were in an attached file, spanning six pages of legal jargon and disclaimers that made his head hurt), he would be provided access to a list of potential people to select as his ‘companion’. Once he had made his choice, the company would make arrangements for them to meet - along with a selection of safe, very-PG and harmless activities - that would take place during the date.

Since he was on a deadline of sorts, he skimmed through the file briefly, which listed down what services were provided by the hired companions included and what was not.

No . No kissing, inappropriate touching or ual advances. The website was clear on these things; whoever was hired would play the role of a companion, and only that. They could be attentive and sweet and caring to the client, but within specific boundaries - which suited Lu Han just fine. He wasn’t looking for a boyfriend, merely someone to pretend to be one. He replied to the email, checking on the box titled ‘Yes’.

A few minutes later, he received a response. He opened the email that had popped up in his inbox and found that it contained a link to another site, along with an ID and password and a short message from someone named Kim Jongdae, thanking him for selecting their service.

Once he had accessed the list, Lu Han leaned in, almost eagerly, to view the selection of companions, which ranged from Extremely Good-looking to Sculpted Male Models. Beneath each of their pictures, they had listed their names, age, character traits and hobbies. Some of them seemed to closer to his age, some a lot older by a couple of years. Some were dressed in suits or casual clothes, posing or smiling for the camera, while a fair number of the companions were shirtless, revealing very toned and extremely muscular abs that made Lu Han feel slightly insecure when he compared them to his own skinny figure.

Half an hour later, he managed to narrow down his choices to two profiles. The first was a handsome man who looked like he should have been on the cover of a fashion magazine by the way he pouted and posed smolderingly for the camera. Kai, The Dancer. Part-time dance instructor, loves dogs and children.

The second profile was of a serious young man with large eyes and a shy smile who was about three years younger than him. His picture had caught Lu Han’s attention because, unlike the others, he had seemed… awkward. Nothing like the modelesque poses that he had seen. D.O, The Actor. Likes singing, cooking and watching horror movies. Part-time singer and performer. After having to deal with countless idols that seemed so cookie-cutter and perfect, Lu Han had to admit that this was refreshing.

By the time his assistant returned from her errand, along with his coffee and two appointments booked in his calendar for that afternoon, Lu Han had picked his date.

 

 

 

~ * ~

The next few days practically flew by. Lu Han was caught up with work; a dating scandal had broken out overnight between the top idol stars of two rival agencies, which meant that the editor-in-chief of the magazine had everyone scrambling to make room in their next issue to replace their two page spread on one of the idols. That left him with barely enough time to think about his date until he found himself standing on the second floor of a cafe in Garosu-gil late Friday evening, searching for his companion within the crowded place.

He had, in the end, settled on D.O. as his companion. Lu Han had been tempted at first to pick Kai, but when he had read the rest of his profile and found out that he was a fan of Chelsea, which was most definitely not Lu Han’s favorite football team. That alone was enough to eliminate him from the list.

(Besides, D.O. had seemed small and cute and cuddly in his picture, which, in Lu Han’s opinion, was not a bad thing at all.)

He received another email from the website a few hours before he was due to meet D.O. To avoid any confusion, he would be holding a red flower, matching the one that Lu Han was supposed to bring along for their first date. It felt so utterly cliche that Lu Han almost reconsidered going through with the entire thing, but then he had remembered that there had been a non-refundable clause in his contract. There was no backing out now.

Finally, Lu Han caught sight of someone seated alone at the corner of the cafe, his head bent over his phone. All the other tables were occupied by groups or couples, which made him stand out amongst the crowd. For a moment, Lu Han hesitated, wondering if he had the right person, but then he saw the red rose that was placed on the table, signifying that this was, indeed, his date.

Lu Han took a deep breath, before slowly making his way towards the table. His mind was a turmoil, filled with sudden doubts. Was he making the right decision? Should he have listened to Minseok instead and told his mother the truth? It was not too late to change his mind, to call home and tell them that something had come up and he couldn’t make it to Beijing after all--

D.O. looked up just as Lu Han approached him. For a brief moment, their eyes locked - before a shy smile appeared on the young man’s face, causing Lu Han’s heart to beat a little faster.

Bundled up in a soft-looking charcoal grey turtleneck, D.O. was far from just cute. His hair was swept across his brow to one side neatly, with the exception of several stray strands that stubbornly fell across his thick eyebrows. Somehow, the effect made him look less serious than his profile picture had been. His eyes were large, just like in his picture - up close Lu Han could see the long lashes that framed the edges - and his lips were plush and pink, shaped like a heart.

To his surprise, the voice that greeted him was much deeper than he had expected. “Lu Han-ssi?” D.O. asked cautiously, as if he were unsure whether he had the right person. When Lu Han nodded, he quickly stood up, introducing himself politely. “Thank you for choosing me, Lu Han-ssi. I hope our date will be a satisfactory one,” he added.

“Uh,” Lu Han said, still a little taken aback by his bluntness.

Suddenly, D.O. blushed. “Sorry, I’m still--ah, I’m still new at this,” he admitted, wincing. “They said I didn’t have to be so formal but I--I might have messed it up.”

“It’s fine, D.O-ssi,” Lu Han said hurriedly. The other man still seemed flustered, so Lu Han gestured at him to sit down, sliding into the empty chair on the other side of table himself. After a moment, D.O. did just that. “I-I’m new at this too. I don’t really go out. On dates.” He grimaced, realizing how much of recluse he sounded. “I mean, I haven’t actually dated anyone in a while.”

The shy smile that D.O. gave him made his heart skip a little. “In that case,” he said, still blushing, “Can I call you ‘hyung’?”

 

 

 

~ * ~

D.O., or Do Kyungsoo, which Lu Han discovered later on was his real name, was not the usual sort of person he would have expected taking up this sort of job. He had another, Kyungsoo explained, stocking shelves at the convenience store in Jongno during the daytime. It hadn’t been his intention to join a date-for-hire site, but he’d needed the money - for what reason, he didn’t elaborate, and Lu Han didn’t wanted to pry - so he had bitten the bullet and submitted his application form and a picture of himself that he had convinced his friend to take of him.

He had given Lu Han his real name on their second meeting. Or, as Kyungsoo insisted on calling it - their date. And it felt like a real date, somehow - the way Kyungsoo would blush and act embarrassed when Lu Han about taking too long to pick between nachos or fries at the concession stand where they were about to watch a movie, or the way Kyungsoo would lean in closer to Lu Han, their shoulders brushing against each other, to point out something amusing in the store window as they strolled down the streets, calling him ‘Lu Han-hyung’ in the sort of tone that Lu Han was used to hearing girls calling their boyfriends.

He liked it.

He liked it the same way he liked hearing Kyungsoo talk about a movie he had just seen, picking apart the plot and describing the parts that he found were his favorite. He liked seeing Kyungsoo flustered too, when Lu Han tried placing a Mickey Mouse hairband on his head during their third outing at the amusement park, his face turning bright pink as Lu Han made him pose for a picture.

(That was before he discovered that underneath all of that shyness, that pretty face and that disarming smile, Kyungsoo hated being forced to do anything cute, fluffy or sickeningly adorable. Lu Han didn’t have the heart to tell him that he was already all of that without even trying.)

He also liked how Kyungsoo seemed to understand when Lu Han told him about his fear of heights, avoiding the dreaded roller coasters and extreme rides, guiding him towards the bumper cars and sports arcades instead.

But yet, at the end of every ‘date’, when the allotted hours were up, Kyungsoo would take a few steps away, forming a distance more suited for acquaintances than boyfriends, thanking him with a slight bow while reverting back to ‘Lu Han-ssi’ before turning around and hurrying off to catch his train or bus. And every time, he would end up leaving Lu Han frustrated and confused at the abrupt switch in demeanour.

Eventually, to his dismay, Lu Han discovered that while he was able to hire Kyungsoo for a few hours to play his pretend boyfriend, he wasn’t allowed to have him for more than a day. He hadn’t realized it - having vaguely skipped through the contract that he had been sent - but it was written there, clear as day, pointed out to him only when he had sent an email to the website admin.

When he had received a response, it was on the day of his fourth date with Kyungsoo. He fretted over the email as he stood in front of the metro exit near Garosu-gil, waiting for Kyungsoo. He had a week left before his trip to Beijing, where he had to show up with his supposed boyfriend. Of course, he could always try another option. Find another service that would allow him to hire someone to fit his requirements. Yet, somehow, he couldn’t bring himself to go the entire process of getting to know someone new all over again, not when he had his mind set on bringing Kyungsoo.

He started a little when he heard Kyungsoo’s warm greeting. Looking up, Lu Han couldn’t help smiling at the sight of Kyungsoo standing in front of him, bundled up in an oversized winter coat and a woolen hat over his head. He looked like a puffed up marshmallow.

“You’re actual on time,” Kyungsoo remarked, sounding surprised, although his lips were already parted in that familiar heart-shaped smile that Lu Han had grown fond of seeing. “Did you get off from work early?”

“Maybe,” Lu Han said. He reached out to playfully tug at the pom-pom that was bobbing merrily on top of the hat. Kyungsoo blushed, swatting his hands away, his fingers brushing warm against Lu Han’s. Dropping his arms, Lu Han turned away, ignoring the way his own fingers tingled from the brief touch. “Come on, we’ll be late.”

Kyungsoo must have caught onto his mood; as they stood in edge of the sidewalk, waiting for the lights to turn green for them to cross the street, he heard Kyungsoo murmuring-- “Hyung, are you feeling well?”

Lu Han glanced over at Kyungsoo, who was looking at him, his head tilted slightly as he awaited Lu Han’s answer. His eyes were filled with worry, which made Lu Han’s chest tighten slightly at the sight.

He nodded. Instead of looking away, Kyungsoo furrowed his eyebrows, looking unconvinced. “Are you sure? You’ve been sort of quiet.” There was a strange tone in his voice, something that Lu Han couldn’t quite place. It seemed as if Kyungsoo sounded hurt.

“I’m sorry,” Lu Han replied. He reached out, about to touch Kyungsoo on the wrist gently when he thought the better of it, pulling his hand back. “I was thinking. About, uh, work.”

The light turned green. They crossed the street quickly, avoiding a large group of tourists wearing hats with tiny flags fluttering on top of them walking across from the opposite side. Once they reached the other side, the two of them made their way to the small Italian restaurant where they had reservations for. When they were seated inside, tucked away in their own little corner for some privacy away from the other patrons, Lu Han finally came to a decision.

He studied Kyungsoo’s face for several moments, before deciding to be blunt. “I’ve been wondering about this job that you’re doing,” he began. “You said that you needed the money, that’s why you decided to do it.” He paused. “What is the money for?”

Kyungsoo’s eyes widened. Lu Han could see the panic in his eyes. “I’m not going to judge you,” he said hastily. “I just… I guess I’m curious.” He tried to give Kyungsoo a reassuring look, hoping that Kyungsoo would believe him.

“I-- uh.” Kyungsoo paused, before glancing down at the ground. “It’s for my acting classes,” he said quietly. “I’m… I don’t make much, at the convenience store. Not enough to pay for these classes. Sometimes my parents help me out, but I don’t want to burden them.”

“How much do these classes cost?” Lu Han asked curiously.

Lu Han listened as Kyungsoo gave him a figure. When he was done, Lu Han stuck his hands into his pocket, taking a deep breath before exhaling, the faint puff of cold air forming in front of him. “I have a… plan that might help you.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not sleeping with you--”

“No, no,” Lu Han said hurriedly. “I don’t mean that, Kyungsoo, it’s got nothing to do with .” He quickly explained his situation, including the part where he had accidentally made his parents think that he was dating someone. When he got to the part where he had signed up with the website, Kyungsoo snorted, before clamping his hands over his mouth and looking at Lu Han with a wide-eyed expression.

Feeling amused at the sight, Lu Han continued on. He would pay the equivalent of Kyungsoo’s classes for the rest of the term. All Kyungsoo needed to do was to pretend to be Lu Han’s boyfriend when he visited them this upcoming weekend.

Lu Han could see Kyungsoo looking doubtful. He knew that it was dumb, but he couldn’t think of anything else. He admitted that, in a way, he was attracted to Kyungsoo and wanted to spend as much as he could with the man (ignoring the fact that his time was actually funded by Lu Han), but he wanted to help make things a little easier for Kyungsoo too.

“You don’t have to decide right now,” Lu Han told him. “But… if you say yes--”

“I’ll do it,” Kyungsoo told him, causing him to stop mid-sentence. “I mean, yes.”

Lu Han felt relief crashing down on him at Kyungsoo’s determined yes. He reached out and placed his hand on top of Kyungsoo’s, gripping it tightly in a show of gratitude before pulling it away, aware that he might have overstepped his boundaries.

But at the sight of Kyungsoo’s smile, Lu Han couldn’t help but think that perhaps Kyungsoo didn’t mind it at all.

 

 

 

~ * ~

A week later, Lu Han arrived in Beijing with Kyungsoo.

Under normal circumstances, Lu Han would have stayed at his parents’ home, where he had his own room and bed - but he decided against it, figuring that Kyungsoo might be uncomfortable (boundaries, Lu Han reminded himself firmly). Instead, in order to maintain the illusion that he and Kyungsoo were a couple, he had reserved a suite at the Shangri-La. The suite came with a small kitchenette, a jacuzzi bath, and two separate bedrooms.

Once they had checked in, Lu Han sat on the lounge chair by the living room window, waiting for Kyungsoo to finish unpacking in his own room. They had a couple of hours before heading out to meet Lu Han’s parents for dinner. As he glanced out the window, watching the cars crawling along the busy street below and the pedestrians filling up the sidewalk, his thoughts lingered on Kyungsoo.

He had made sure that Lu Han was seated comfortably with his earphones in his seat on the plane, he had held Lu Han’s hand and rubbed his back comfortingly when Lu Han had been trying not to hyperventilate (thanks to his acrophobia) when the plane had started to take off from the runway. He had even helped carry Lu Han’s bags, giving them up only when he had stood in the middle of arrival hall looking slightly overwhelmed by the immensity of the airport and the signs that were in a completely different language.

In short, Kyungsoo had acted the role of a warm and caring boyfriend, just as he had been hired to do. It was perfect, perhaps too perfect, to the point that Lu Han was beginning to find it hard to distinguish between which was the real Kyungsoo, and which was the role that he was playing.

He shook his head, trying to clear the negativity from his mind. Why was he feeling bothered by this? Kyungsoo said that he was training to be an actor. Of course he would be able to play his role to perfection. And it wasn’t as if Lu Han was really dating him. He shouldn’t even be thinking about this, let alone allow himself to be caught up in the fantasy that Kyungsoo was his boyfriend.

Feeling a little better after his own internal pep talk, Lu Han stood up, just as the door leading to Kyungsoo’s room opened and he stepped out.

Lu Han almost choked. “What are you wearing,” he bleated, flabbergasted.

Instead of the turtleneck sweaters that Lu Han had been used to seeing, Kyungsoo was wearing a white, fuzzy- looking sweater. Across the front, there were two giant hearts surrounding a purple teddy bear clutching a sign with the words ‘LOVE’ in its paws.

It was cute, it was sweet, and it was nothing like Lu Han would have expected from Kyungsoo.

“It’s a--it’s a couple sweater!” Kyungsoo said brightly.

“A couple sweater?” Lu Han repeated.

Kyungsoo nodded, his head bobbing up and down quickly. “Yup! Isn’t it the cutest?” he added, smiling so broadly that it was hard to believe he wasn’t faking it, but the embarrassed flush of his ears and cheeks told Lu Han otherwise. He held up another sweater, the colors and patterns matching the one he was wearing, with the exception of the bear which was pink instead of purple. “Here’s the other matching one. I got these before we left. We can wear it today and show your parents--”

“Wait, Kyungsoo,” Lu Han interrupted him gently. “That’s not--you don’t have to do all that.”

Large, confused eyes met his. “I--I don’t?” Kyungsoo blinked. “But, this is… we’re supposed to show that we’re a couple, right?”

“It’s kind of obvious that you’re trying too hard,” Lu Han said. He pointed at the sweater that Kyungsoo was wearing. “Anyone can tell how uncomfortable you are wearing this, for instance.”

Kyungsoo looked crestfallen. “But--”

“Kyungsoo.” Lu Han took a step forward and wrapped his hands around Kyungsoo’s fingers. He could feel how tightly Kyungsoo was gripping the other matching sweater, the one that Kyungsoo had held up earlier, the one that was meant for Lu Han. “You don’t have to try to impress my family.”

“Oh.” For the first time since Lu Han had met him, he looked lost. The wide smile that he had been sporting was replaced with downturned lips, and his eyebrows were creased together in a frown. “Then... what should I do?”

“Just--” Lu Han paused, trying to figure out what to say. He wasn’t exactly an expert in relationships. None of his exes had lasted long enough for his parents to meet before. “Just be yourself.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes widened. “Be myself?”

Lu Han nodded. “Besides,” he added, “I’ll be doing all the talking, translating everything to them. But if you’re not certain of what to say, just smile and tell them duì and xiè xiè.” He watched as Kyungsoo tried the words for himself, repeating them several times before getting the hang of it. “See? Easy as that.”

“What do those phrases mean?” Kyungsoo asked.

“’Yes’ and ‘Thank you’,” Lu Han translated, before adding dryly, “Although I wouldn’t recommend saying them to my cousin Li-Hu, since practically every word out of his mouth is practically a proposition.”

Kyungsoo’s cheeks turned pink at this. “I’ll--I’ll remember that,” he said. Then, he looked down at his sweater and said in a sheepish voice, “I guess I’d better change into something else.” He glanced at Lu Han’s hands briefly, which were still holding onto Kyungsoo’s. “Could I--”

“Oh.” Lu Han yanked his hands back hurriedly, before taking a few steps back and turning around to make his way back to his spot near the window, while trying to keep his thoughts from returning to how right Kyungsoo’s hands had felt in his.

 

 

 

~ * ~

Dinner was, technically, a success. Kyungsoo had slipped right into the role of a perfect, adoring boyfriend effortlessly. Perhaps it was an indication of how much of a good actor he was, but Lu Han was surprised to see the way his mother warmed up to Kyungsoo immediately, which made him feel a little envious since he had never received that sort of attention growing up. His father circumvented the language barrier by speaking in English (he used it regularly in his day-to-day dealings as the director of a trading company) to Kyungsoo, who lit up instantly and responded to him so fluently that Lu Han was left gaping and wondering where he had picked up the language from.

After dinner, Lu Han brought Kyungsoo on a quick tour around the house that he had grown up in. He watched as Kyungsoo paused in front of the glass display cabinet in the hall, which held every single medal and trophy that Lu Han had won throughout high school.

“You really were a superstar back then, weren’t you?” Kyungsoo asked him, looking up at Lu Han wonderingly. “Is there anything that you’re not good at?”

“Well,” Lu Han responded as humbly as he could, “Maybe not everything.” He related the story of how he had tried cooking ramyun when he had moved to Seoul for the first time and set his kitchen on fire.

By the time he finished the story, Kyungsoo was practically clutching his arm with one hand and covering his mouth with the other, trying to hold back his laughter. “Next time, just let me do the cooking,” he promised once he had calmed down. “I’m sure I whip up something a lot better than burnt ramyun.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Lu Han said, grinning down at Kyungsoo. He felt his grin falter a little a moment later, however, when he caught sight of Kyungsoo’s eyes flicking over towards the doorway, where his parents were still seated in the living room.

Swallowing the bitter feeling that had emerged in his throat, Lu Han tore his gaze away. He wanted to believe that the words that Kyungsoo had said wasn’t just merely for the benefit of his parents, who believed that Kyungsoo was Lu Han’s boyfriend - but he knew that he would only be fooling himself if he did that.

It was still early - barely nine at night - when they said their goodbyes to Lu Han’s parents and got into the cab. As they neared the intersection before the turnoff to their hotel, Lu Han scooted forward in his seat and spoke to the cab driver over his shoulder, requesting him to let them off at a different location.

“Where are we?” Kyungsoo asked once they had gotten out of the cab. He looked around apprehensively, before turning back to face Lu Han. “Hyung?”

Lu Han didn’t offer any explanations. He wanted it to be a surprise. “Come on,” he said, guiding Kyungsoo towards a narrow alley, half-hidden between two buildings that looked like they had been built during one of the earlier dynasties. They made their way through the dimly lit area before emerging on the other end to find themselves in the middle of a brightly lit, busy hutong.

The shops that lined the streets were full of activity. Some of them were small businesses that sold clothes or locally crafted items, while others were restaurants, cramped and crowded not unlike the bunsik restaurants that Lu Han had grown accustomed to in Seoul. Cafes could be found tucked between these shops, filled with coffee enthusiasts and hipsters alike, their conversations ranging from loud to boisterous.

Lu Han watched the tension in Kyungsoo’s shoulders melt away, little by little. He gaped at everything around him in wonderment, almost like a child in a candy store. It reminded Lu Han of the first time he had stepped into Seoul, the first time he had walked down the streets of Hongdae, when everything had seemed bright and new and exciting. Seeing Kyungsoo’s reaction triggered something warm and comforting in his chest, and Lu Han couldn’t help grinning broadly.

They walked around the area a little longer, before Lu Han led Kyungsoo towards another alley that led to a different street. Here, the atmosphere was a little more subdued than the one they had been in earlier. An elderly man cycled past them slowly, his hat dangling off the string that held it around his neck, flapping against his back. A young girl ran past them, giggling as she caught up with a woman up ahead, before being scooped up and gently scolded for not sticking close to her mother.

There were a few cafes along the street. Lu Han stopped in front of one of them, before pushing the door open and stepping inside.

When he had first started coming here, the dimly-lit cafe had been a threadbare shop with rickety wooden tables and a dusty signboard that served as its menu. Over the years, the interior had evolved and changed, much like the rest of the city, but the coffee stayed the same. It was one of the reasons he made it a point to keep coming back here.

They managed to find an empty table in a quiet corner of the shop. Lu Han carried their drinks over carefully, taking great care to keep his hands steady in order not to spill anything. As Kyungsoo removed his coat, draping it over the back of the chair, Lu Han set the tray down on the table before sliding into his seat.

Beneath the soft orange glow of the incandescent lights that added a warm, comforting ambience to the cafe, Lu Han watched as Kyungsoo lifted his mug, placing his lips -- his soft, plush, kissable lips, Lu Han’s brain provided unhelpfully -- against the edge, gently blowing the surface to cool it down before taking a slow sip. As he lowered the mug, his eyes partially hooded, he made a low, pleased sound that made Lu Han’s mouth go dry instantly.

Clearing his throat loudly, Lu Han leaned over to reach for his own mug of coffee, all the while trying not to stare at the hint of foam leftover from his coffee on Kyungsoo’s bottom lip and failing miserably.

In an effort to distract himself, Lu Han brought up the question that he had been mulling over since meeting Kyungsoo.

“How many--ah--” Lu Han stumbled over his words, trying to find the right way to phrase the question. “How many times did you--ah-- I mean--”

“You mean how many times have I pretended to be someone’s boyfriend?” Kyungsoo asked bluntly. He seemed almost amused.

Lu Han winced. “Sorry. I was just curious. I mean, you don’t have to answer that--”

“Three,” Kyungsoo replied promptly. “I’ve had exactly three clients.”

Three didn’t seem like many. Another question formed in his head. “What did you--ah--do? On the other dates?”

“Two of them were sort of… failures,” Kyungsoo admitted. “The first guy wanted someone to be his date so he could make his ex-girlfriend jealous, so he arranged for us to spend a few hours at the restaurant where his ex worked at.”

“Did it work?” Lu Han asked, feeling curious.

Kyungsoo snorted. “She wasn’t even on shift that day. So instead, he spent the entire date complaining about her. That was the first and last time I saw him.”

“Oh.” Lu Han felt something that was akin to relief when he heard that. “What about the second customer?”

“He didn’t even turn up. The company said that it was common for some of the customers to back out at the last minute, but it still felt like… like I had been rejected.” Kyungsoo looked down at his fingers, where he had been picking at the edge of the napkin that had been placed on the table. “I didn’t like that feeling.”

Lu Han wanted to reach out and pull him into a hug and make that feeling go away, but he resisted, with all the effort that he could muster. Instead, he pressed on. “And the third client?”

A small smile touched the edge of Kyungsoo’s lips, before spreading into a full, heartwarming one as Kyungsoo raised his chin to look at Lu Han, his expression oddly fond. “That would be you, of course.”

 

 

 

~ * ~

The next day, Lu Han brought Kyungsoo on a brief tour -- “A Lu Han-styled Tour,” he informed Kyungsoo who rolled his eyes at his attempt at being funny -- of Beijing. Their first stop was the Temple of Heaven before they walked over to visit The Forbidden City. They had lunch at one of Lu Han’s favorite restaurants in before exploring another hutong nearby.

It was mid-afternoon when they finally returned to the hotel, tired and looking forward to a quick nap before heading to the restaurant where Lu Han’s relatives would be gathered for his grand-aunt’s birthday celebration. Lu Han’s nap was cut short when he found himself being abruptly woken up ten minutes later by a call from the office in Seoul.

When he was done with the call an hour later, he switch off his laptop and leaned back against the couch in the living room, which had been turned into his impromptu work station. Lu Han rubbed the spot between his eyes tiredly before stifling a yawn that threatened to escape him. He had been staying up late the past couple of the nights, alternating between his job and finalizing the details for the trip, and it was beginning to catch up on him. He closed his eyes, hoping to fall back asleep.

The door to Kyungsoo’s room opened. Lu Han cracked open one eye and saw that Kyungsoo was standing there, yawning. His hair was completely in disarray, with the worst case of bedhead that Lu Han had ever seen -- which was also strangely endearing and made Lu Han want to tuck him inside his pocket and keep him forever.

“Can’t sleep?” he asked.

“Sort of,” Kyungsoo replied. “I could hear you talking on your phone through the walls.” He padded over towards the couch, seating himself onto the spot that Lu Han had made for him.

“Sorry,” Lu Han apologized quickly.

“It’s fine.” Kyungsoo pulled his legs up onto the couch, sitting cross-legged. “Work?”

“Yeah.” They were speaking so softly, even though they didn’t need to - yet Lu Han was afraid of being louder as if it would break this strange air hanging above them suddenly.

They talked a little more. Lu Han briefly told Kyungsoo about his job, sharing stories involving the celebrities whom he had met before. Somewhere in the middle of relating a story about Miranda Kerr’s visit to Seoul and an overly-ambitious fan who had snuck into her dressing room and proposed to her, Lu Han realized that Kyungsoo had fallen asleep.

He was tempted to wake Kyungsoo up, but the sight of him curled up next to Lu Han, his eyes closed as he breathed steadily made him hesitate. Instead, he tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling as he traced the shape of the patterns of the wallpaper.

He woke up later, feeling strangely comfortable, someone’s weight pressed against his sides. An arm slung over his chest, a leg wrapped around his stomach.

For a moment Lu Han stared at the ceiling above him, trying to remember where he was and who he was with, before he felt the arm tightening its grip across his chest. He glanced down and found himself looking at Kyungsoo, who had somehow evolved from being human to a koala bear in the time that he had fallen asleep.

Trying not to jostle Kyungsoo awake suddenly, Lu Han gingerly reached for his phone, checking for the time. He groaned inwardly when he realized that it was almost five in the evening, which meant that they had about an hour before heading to the restaurant.

Lu Han placed his hands gently on Kyungsoo’s arm, trying not to startle him. “Kyungsoo,” he said quietly.

Kyungsoo hummed, shifting a little. His eyes stayed closed.

“Kyungsoo,” Lu Han tried again, a little louder, but all Kyungsoo did was to tighten his grip and pull himself practically onto Lu Han’s lap.

Sighing, Lu Han reached, brushing the stray strands of hair that had fallen across Kyungsoo’s face. His thumb accidentally brushed against Kyungsoo’s lips; Lu Han paused, holding his breath.

A second later, he stirred awake. His eyes fluttered open slowly. When he noticed Lu Han, the edge of his lips curved slightly, forming a soft smile, his tongue flicking across lips that were dry and parched from sleep, wetting them.

Caught in Kyungsoo’s sleepy gaze, Lu Han felt his body move on its own as he lowered his head slowly, drawing nearer and nearer towards Kyungsoo’s lips—

He stopped, their lips almost a hair’s breadth apart. Realizing what he had been about to do, Lu Han began to pull back, clearing his throat awkwardly, the apology on the tip of his tongue.

A second later, Kyungsoo dragged his arms back from where they had trapped Lu Han, before stretching them above his head, yawning.

“Well, that was a good nap.” He avoided looking at Lu Han as he stood up. “I guess we should start getting ready for dinner.”

Lu Han watched as Kyungsoo step back into his room, before making his way towards the bathroom where he stood underneath the cold shower, cursing inwardly at himself.

 

 

 

~ * ~

“Xiao Lu.” Lu Han’s aunt caught him by the arms and dragged him in for a hug that practically squashed all the breath out of him. “Finally. We thought you were planning to miss another family reunion again.”

“Auntie,” he gasped out, “have you been working out?”

His Aunt Wen-Hua released him, thankfully, beaming as she took a step back, patting his cheek in amusement. “It’s called yoga, my darling nephew.” Her eyes landed on Kyungsoo, who was standing awkwardly next to him. “Oh, now who’s this?”

“This is Kyungsoo.” Lu Han introduce him, before tugging him closer. “He’s--ah-- he’s my boyfriend.”

Lu Han saw that Kyungsoo was gripping his wrist with his other hand tightly behind his back, a gesture that he only did when he was nervous. On an impulse, he slipped his hand into Kyungsoo’s, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

He felt Kyungsoo stiffen in surprise before he relaxed, releasing his hold on his wrist. When he bowed to Lu Han’s aunt, greeting her in Mandarin as Lu Han had taught him, his fingers were clutching Lu Han’s tightly.

A smile broke out across Aunt Wen-Hua’s face. “Kyungsoo, it’s lovely to meet you,” she said warmly, addressing him directly. “You must be very special if Lu Han’s managed to keep you away from us all this time.”

Lu Han translated her words to Kyungsoo, who looked slightly relieved, answering her with a polite-- “Xiè xiè.”

A small titter of laughter rippled through the group of relatives that had gathered around them. “Oh, he’s adorable,” Lu Han heard one of his cousins whispering to another.

He almost collapsed in relief - and would have, had he not been holding onto Kyungsoo’s hand.

Dinner passed by without any mishaps. One of Lu Han’s uncles serenaded his grand-aunt, who beamed and clapped with a vigor that belied her age; his aunt kept everyone laughing with amusing stories of her co-workers. His cousins were loud and well on their way to getting drunk before the fourth dish had been placed on the table.

Amongst all that, Lu Han caught sight of Kyungsoo, who was watching the proceedings quietly, like a spectator on the outside.

Lu Han felt a twinge of guilt. He had been translating some of the conversation up until now, making sure Kyungsoo didn’t feel lost in all of the foreign chatter, but he couldn’t help but wonder if the man was enjoying himself. “Hey,” he whispered, leaning closer towards Kyungsoo. “Everything okay?”

Kyungsoo nodded. “Yes.” He tilted his head slightly, so that he was looking straight at Lu Han. “Sorry, it’s a sort of … overwhelming.”

Lu Han smiled. “My relatives can get a little loud,” he admitted.

“But they’re all very nice,” Kyungsoo said quickly. “I--I like them.” He caught his lower lip with his teeth at the last word, before lowering his gaze.

“I think they like you too,” Lu Han told him. “Especially my aunts. They were trying to convince me to let them adopt you.”

Startled by this, Kyungsoo let out a laugh. “I don’t know if my parents would let that happen,” he said, his eyes bright with amusement.

“Forget that, what makes you think I would let them have you?” Lu Han snorted.

Kyungsoo’s eyes widened and he quickly looked away. Before Lu Han could ask him what was wrong, he heard one of his aunts talking about something that made him pause.

“Oh, yes, it was some poor, hapless girl that he had brought home, claiming to be his fiancée,” she was saying. “Mrs. Yuan was devastated when she found out that the girl was someone her son had hired to fool everyone.”

“It’s rather shameful,” his mother remarked. “I saw the news report on TV last year. Getting to be quite the trend amongst youngsters these days. Modern thinking, they call it.”

His father let out an impressive snort, nodding. “Disrespectful, that’s what it is.”

Lu Han felt his entire body freeze. It took a while before he realized that his cousin was trying to get his attention by calling his name.

“Sorry, Cousin Ying,” he said, shaking his head and trying to quell the rising panic within him. “What was that question?”

He tried to push his parents’ remarks out of his mind. He was thankful for the fact that one of his aunts, who had a basic understanding of Korean, had started a conversation with Kyungsoo that was mostly filled with broken sentences and poor grammar, but it was enough to keep Kyungsoo distracted while Lu Han excused himself and escaped to the men’s room.

Once he was safely within one of the stalls, he leaned back against the door heavily, exhaling. He recalled the way his parents had looked, the scorn on their faces earlier. He couldn’t let them find out about Kyungsoo. He couldn’t let them find out that Lu Han had done the same thing, had hired someone to fool the family into thinking that they were in a relationship.

The looks on his parents’ faces, the words they had said - while all of that had been referring to someone else, it felt like they had been directed at Lu Han. Like darts, heading straight into his chest, piercing him with each word.

He scrubbed his hands against his face. The weekend would soon be over. Tomorrow, he and Kyungsoo would be returning to Seoul. They would go on their own parted ways.

His date with Kyungsoo would come to an end.

 

 

 

~ * ~

Lu Han stood in the middle of the arrival hall in Gimpo, watching as Kyungsoo adjusted his woolen hat. They had just gotten through the immigration checkpoint after getting off the flight from Beijing. This was the part where they were supposed to say goodbye; yet, here they were, lingering and chatting casually as if they had all the time in the world.

Kyungsoo had brought back a number of gifts and snacks for his parents and friends. When Lu Han made fun of him and suggested that he should have bought an entirely new luggage for that instead of trying to stuff everything into the carry-on bag he had, he had snorted. “At least I bought them something they could use,” he said, referring to the fact that Lu Han had bought a very ugly and rather phallic-looking souvenir for Minseok as a joke.

Eventually, their conversation dwindled as they realized that they had been standing there for some time. Kyungsoo was looking down on the floor, slowly scuffing his sneakers against the linoleum floor, while Lu Han looked at him fondly. He imagined what they might have looked like to anyone else walking past them - two lovers, returning from a trip, quietly talking.

Except, he remembered, they weren’t lovers.

“Well,” Lu Han said awkwardly, thrown by the reminder. “I guess, uh--I guess this is it.”

He saw that Kyungsoo was fidgeting, his hands playing with the straps of his bag. “Thank you,” Kyungsoo said suddenly. “For--for bringing me to Beijing. Letting me meet your family. And for showing me around and taking--taking care of me.” His lips parted into a smile as he looked up at Lu Han. “I had--I had fun with you.”

The way he said it made Lu Han’s heart stutter. They stood there, looking at each other for a long time before Lu Han remembered that he had one last thing to do.

“Oh.” Lu Han reached for his bag, opening the front flap and pulling out an envelope. “Before I forget, here’s the cheque, like I promised.” He gave Kyungsoo what he hoped was a warm smile. “I’m sure it wasn’t easy, pretending to be someone’s boyfriend for an entire weekend - but I’m glad it was you.”

Kyungsoo stared at the envelope in Lu Han’s hands, his face going through an odd assortment of reactions - shock, surprise, but strangest of all, sadness - before he schooled it into the perfect emotionless expression he had at the end of every date.

“Thank you, Lu Han-ssi,” he said politely, before taking accepting. Lu Han saw that his fingers were trembling a little. He was about to ask if Kyungsoo was alright when his phone rang; when he checked it, he saw that it was from his editor-in-chief.

Lu Han gave Kyungsoo an apologetic look, whispering Just give me a minute, this should be quick, before answering the call.

When he finally hung up ten minutes later, Kyungsoo was nowhere to be seen.

 

 

 

~ * ~

Lu Han stared at the familiar banner, his mouse cursor hovering over it.

Sighing, he closed his browser. He shouldn’t even be looking at that website anymore; after all, he had done what he had set out to do. His parents had stopped bugging him about his love life; his mother still called him daily, this time to remind him to take his daily supplements and sleep in some weird cocooned position that she had read about in some magazine (which he ignored). He didn’t need to be sitting here, thinking about Kyungsoo, wondering what he was doing, wondering if he was out on a ‘date’ with some other client.

Before meeting Kyungsoo, Lu Han had never been bothered by the fact that he was single. He had been used to living on his own, doing everything by himself, yet now he felt the empty spot next to him more keenly than ever.

Of course, he could always hire Kyungsoo again. Lu Han had thought about it ever since returning from Beijing, fingers hovering over the keyboard to type in the website’s url in the address bar. But then he remembered Kyungsoo’s face, that day at the airport. The person who had laughed at Lu Han’s stories about his childhood, who had charmed his family during dinner, who had looked up at Lu Han with that look akin to something much more than fondness and nearly kissed him – he had switched, within a split second, to the closed-off, polite yet distant manner once their trip was over.

It was clear that if Lu Han kept hiring Kyungsoo, he would only be setting himself up for eventual heartbreak.

Lu Han’s life went on. He threw himself into his job with twice as much enthusiasm and dedication than he’d ever had. He left the office when it was past dinner time, grabbing a quick meal from the convenience store and eating the microwaved food in front of his laptop back home, before turning in for the night early. He met Minseok for drinks and was introduced to Minseok’s new neighbor, a cheerful man named Kim Jongdae.

The name seemed familiar somehow, but Lu Han couldn’t remember where he had heard it before - at least, not until Minseok had excused himself to head to the men’s room for a few minutes.

Jongdae placed the beer bottle he had been drinking from onto the table, before leaning back in his seat casually. “So,” he began, “You’re Lu Han.”

Lu Han’s eyebrows rose at the familiarity and casual lack of formality in his tone. “Have we met before today?” he asked.

“Not personally,” Jongdae told him. “Although I suppose a guy who pays for someone to pretend to be their boyfriend wouldn’t be the sort to remember everyone they met, would they?”

His eyes growing wide, Lu Han gripped the edge of his seat. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said quickly, but he knew it was pointless, especially when his brain chose that moment to finally remember Kim Jongdae, the name as clear as day on the email he had received from Meet Yor Destiny.

Jongdae snorted. “Sure,” he responded icily. “That’s easy for you, isn’t it? Just act as if nothing had happened.” He gave Lu Han a look, as if he was something gross and disgusting stuck to the bottom of his shoe.

Lu Han’s temper flared. He hadn’t done anything wrong, not from his perspective, therefore Jongdae had no right to start acting antagonistic around him. Furthermore, hadn’t he worked for the very company that he had thrashing Lu Han for hiring from? Coming from Jongdae, his distaste for Lu Han’s involvement with the site was almost hypocritical.

“I don’t know what your problem with me is, but you might want to dial it back a little,” Lu Han began coldly, only to be cut off by Jongdae’s next words.

“My problem,” Jongdae said in a even tone, “is that you broke Kyungsoo’s heart.”

Caught off-guard, Lu Han sat there, blinking in confusion. It took him a few moments before he found his voice again. “Kyungsoo,” he said, his hands gripping the edge of his seat tighter, “Kyungsoo… h-how is he? How has he been?” He tried to sound casual, but he couldn’t keep the worry from slipping into his voice.

It seemed that Jongdae noticed it too. The stony expression melted away from his face, replaced by one of confusion, probably due to the fact that Lu Han had stopped being angry. “He’s-- ah-- he’s fine.” He eyed Lu Han, as if he was trying to determine something about Lu Han. “Well, as fine as he can be, since he’s been out of a job for a while--”

Lu Han’s froze. “What do you mean?”

Jongdae looked surprised. “Don’t tell me you didn’t know?” Lu Han shook his head. “You were the one who hired him to pretend to be your boyfriend. Didn’t you read the contract?” At the blank stare that Lu Han gave him, Jongdae let out an exasperated sound. “They found out that he had gone off to Beijing with you on his own time. It was a breach of his contract with the company, so they told him that he had to either pay them back, or quit.”

“And he--he quit?” Lu Han couldn’t decide whether to be happy or disheartened over the news.

“What do you think?” Jongdae retorted. “He was going to, either way. He told me that he had planned on quitting after meeting you, but then you offered to hire him for Beijing. He couldn’t say no.”

“How do you know all this?” Lu Han demanded. “Do you know him personally?”

“We’ve been best friends since high school,” Jongdae told him. “Obviously I know all of his worst secrets.” He eyed Lu Han. “And apparently his lousy taste in guys.”

“Oi,” Lu Han said, mildly offended. Jongdae merely shrugged.

Kyungsoo had quit. He had quit -- or rather, had been forced out -- and he was no longer working as a date for hire. He had quit, and Lu Han was still sitting here, thinking about him instead of doing something about it.

“Where is he now?” Lu Han asked suddenly. He needed to talk to Kyungsoo. He had to talk to Kyungsoo. “You said that he’s out of a job. Does that include the convenience store?”

Jongdae shook his head. “He’s still working part-time there.”

“Where?” At the hesitant look on Jongdae’s face, in his desperation Lu Han stood up and leaned over the table, gripping Jongdae’s arms. “Please, Jongdae. I want to see him,” he begged. “I have to talk to him.”

Pressing his lips in a thin line, Jongdae looked up at Lu Han’s face, as if studying it carefully. After a few moments, he let out a resigned sigh before giving Lu Han the address. “Just don’t break his heart again, okay?”

“I won’t,” Lu Han promised.

“Uh,” someone interrupted them just as he was done. “Is there something going on that I should know about?” Lu Han looked up and found Minseok standing next to their table, giving the two of them weird looks, his eyes landing on Lu Han’s hands which were holding onto Jongdae’s arms.

Lu Han snatched his hands back. He practically clambered out of his seat, clapping Minseok on the shoulders ecstatically. “I’ll tell you all about it later,” he said, grinning broadly, his heart racing with adrenaline at what he was about to do, “but right now, I need to go tell someone how much of an idiot I’ve been.”

“I could have told you that years ago,” Minseok called to him, but Lu Han was already out the door.

 

 

 

~ * ~

Lu Han barged into the convenience store, startling two elderly ladies carrying a basketful of groceries, a young woman dressed in a hoodie and ratty sneakers -- and Kyungsoo.

“Uhm,” Lu Han mumbled awkwardly, before moving over towards the coffee selection being displayed at nearby.

The customers hurriedly paid for their items and left, but not without giving him harried looks as they stepped out through the door. Once again nervous, Lu Han approached the counter, clutching the packet of instant coffee mix he had randomly grabbed, feeling distracted by the fact that he was standing here in front of Kyungsoo. In his convenience store uniform, with his hair looking slightly messy and uncombed, with bags under his eyes, he was the best thing Lu Han had seen.

Gods, Lu Han had missed him.

Kyungsoo scanned the barcode on the coffee and looked up at him blankly. “That’ll be one thousand eight hundred won,” he said methodically.

Flustered, Lu Han dug out the coins from his pocket and counted the correct amount of change, before handing them over. He watched as Kyungsoo dumped the coins into the cash register.

“Is there anything else, sir?” Kyungsoo’s tone might have seemed emotionless, but there was a brief catch in his voice, a flash of sadness in his eyes, his throat working slightly that convinced that no matter what, Kyungsoo was just as affected by the sight of Lu Han as Lu Han was at seeing him.

Gathering up the frayed remains of his courage, Lu Han leaned over. “Can we talk?” Lu Han whispered.

After what seemed like forever, Kyungsoo shook his head slowly.

Lu Han felt himself deflate. “Please,” he begged. “Just… just for a few minutes.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes darted towards the side, where there was another worker arranging the packed sandwiches nearby, before returning to Lu Han’s face. “My shift ends in an hour,” he said quietly. “If you can wait--ah-- I mean, if you don’t mind hanging around until then--”

“I don’t,” Lu Han responded quietly, before casting another glance at the other worker, who seemed oblivious to their hushed conversation. “I’ll be waiting for you.”

An hour later, when Lu Han felt as if he was about to freeze his fingers off, he heard the quiet creak of the front door to the convenience store. He looked up and found, in relief, that it was Kyungsoo, bundled up in a puffy winter jacket with a familiar woolen hat pulled over his head.

Lu Han resisted the urge to tug on it, as he had done before, shoving his hands deeper inside the pockets of his winter coat. “H-h-hii,” he chattered.

“You know, when I said you could wait for me, you didn’t actually have to do it in the freezing cold,” Kyungsoo said to him. He sounded caught between exasperation and amusement.

“I-I-I d-d-i-d s-s-ay I w-w-woul-d-d be w-w-wait-t-t-ing-g-g,” Lu Han managed out. “Als-s-s-o, I-I-I had-d-d c-c-c-of-f-f-fee.” He held out his cup, long drained of its contents.

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes and dragged him towards a nearby cafe. “I’m beginning to think you actually are weird,” he muttered as he guided Lu Han towards a table that was the closest to the heater, before heading over to the counter.

By the time he returned with a tray filled with two mugs of hot chocolate, Lu Han had managed to thaw out. He accepted one of them gratefully, relishing in the warmth from just holding the mug in his hands. As he lifted it to his lips, he could feel Kyungsoo’s eyes on him, watching, as he took a sip.

“Better?” Kyungsoo asked when Lu Han finally placed the mug back onto the table.

When Lu Han nodded, he let out a sigh and leaned back in his seat, sipping from his own mug slowly. After a while, he spoke. “I didn’t expect to see you ever again, Lu Han-hyung,” he said quietly, after a while. “What were you doing at the store? How did you find me?”

“Jongdae,” Lu Han replied. “I ran into him tonight. He...he said that you quit.”

Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes. “Figures. But why did you come looking for me if you knew I wasn’t up for hire anymore?” he asked bluntly.

Lu Han took a deep breath, trying to calm his loudly beating heart. “Kyungsoo, he told me you were going to quit before I asked you to go to Beijing with me.” He gave Kyungsoo a long, searching look. “Why did you say yes, back then?”

Sighing, Kyungsoo put his mug down gently, before tugging his beanie off, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. “I told you then, hyung. I needed the money for my classes.”

“But you didn’t cash the cheque,” Lu Han replied. He had been surprised when he had checked his bank account and found that the amount had been untouched. “Why?”

Kyungsoo’s face turn pale, before shifting in his seat, as if he were about to stand up.

“Wait, Kyungsoo.” He saw Kyungsoo paused, before he continued. “Please... I need to know. Why did you go through all of that if you ended up not taking the money?”

Heavy silence filled the air, before Kyungsoo answered. This time, his eyes were closed, shut tightly, as he spoke. “We’re not supposed to grow attached. That’s one of the primary rules when we agree to when we first sign up as companions. And it wasn’t hard to follow that rule, especially when the first two dates I had were terrible.” He opened his eyes, but his gaze was focused on his fingers, clutching his hat. “But you were so nice. You made me feel like I was special, even though it was just for a few hours. And when you brought up Beijing, I thought… I thought that if it had been anyone else, I would have rejected it -- but it was you, hyung. I would have done anything for the chance to spend more time with you. So I said ‘yes’.”

He took a deep breath. “And then in Beijing, I fell in love with you.”

Lu Han’s breath hitched.

“Pretty dumb of me, right?” Kyungsoo let out a sardonic laugh. “Barely even two months into this job, and I had already screwed it up.” He sighed. “The worst thing was knowing that it wasn’t real, not from your part. Even though you were always so nice to me, I couldn’t help hoping that the way you looked at me meant you felt the same way too – but I knew that I was just fooling myself.” He pulled out his wallet from his pocket, going through the contents briefly before finally finding what he was looking for. Removing the folded slip of paper from it, he unfolded it before placing it on the table and sliding it towards Lu Han.

When Lu Han glanced down, he saw that it was the cheque that he had written for Kyungsoo.

“I couldn’t take your money after that. I still can’t. So I held onto this. I was planning on returning this to you, but I never found the courage to meet you.”

He was interrupted by the cafe owner just then, who had come over to apologize and let them know that the place was about to close up. Kyungsoo nodded politely before standing up. “Anyway,” he said, adjusting his coat tighter around him, “I should be heading off to catch the train. Thanks for coming to find me, and letting me explain things.”

He gave Lu Han a sad smile, before turning around and making his way out of the café.

Lu Han sat there, looking down at the cheque in his hand.

He thought of Beijing, of pointless couple sweaters and coffee in hipster cafes and loud family reunions. He thought of waking up with Kyungsoo in his arms, of seeing him looking at Lu Han as if he were the world.

He thought of never being able to experience any of those things again.

Coming to a decision, he slipped the cheque into his pocket and stood up.

Kyungsoo was still outside the café, attempting to adjust his hat. He looked up as Lu Han pushed open the door.

Lu Han paused, midstep, his eyes locked on Kyungsoo’s face. Seconds passed, before he finally spoke. “Will you go out with me?” he asked carefully. “No more pretending. Just the two of us, as we are.” He swallowed, waiting for Kyungsoo’s reaction.

Kyungsoo stared at him, looking a little stunned.

Hurriedly, Lu Han added, “You don’t have to answer now, I mean… I know I don’t deserve a second chance, not when I acted the way I did. But-- but if you want to, if you’d let me,” he paused, taking a deep breath, before continuing, “I’d very much like to take you out on a date.”

There was still no reaction from Kyungsoo. It took Lu Han several long seconds to realize that the silence was as much of an answer as he would ever get. His shoulders drooped in resignation. He lowered his gaze, before turning around, not wanting to stay there any longer and embarrass himself any longer--

“Okay.”

Lu Han whirled around in surprise. “What?” Had he heard Kyungsoo right?

Kyungsoo slowly took a few steps towards Lu Han, closing the gap between them until he stood in front of Lu Han, gazing up at him. His eyes were bright -- too bright, Lu Han thought -- but he had on a sweet smile that lit up his face entirely; that same smile Lu Han had missed over the past few weeks. His cheeks were flushed red, as if he was embarrassed, but his voice came out sure and confident when he opened his mouth and answered, without any hesitation-- “Yes, I’ll go out with you.”

Trying not to let out a loud whoop of victory, Lu Han settled for reaching out to adjust the Kyungsoo’s hat, carefully tucking the loose strands of hair behind the edges. He flicked the pom-pom on top of it in amusement. “There. Now you’re all cute.” He waited for a reaction.

He didn’t have to wait long. “Stop calling me cute,” Kyungsoo grumbled. But it was the smile that he had on his face - the same familiar smile that Lu Han had fallen in love with - that made Lu Han close the distance between them to finally, finally press his lips against Kyungsoo’s in a long-awaited kiss.

 

 

 

~ * ~ * ~

Lu Han searched the crowd, trying to spot the familiar face amongst the hundreds in Gimpo Airport. As he stood on tiptoes, he heard a warning shout and leaped back in time before being run over by someone’s luggage cart.

Mumbling his apologies, he reached down to grab his bag before moving over to a safer spot, away from any further potential mishaps.

Of all days he had picked to fly back to Beijing, today was the worst. It seemed as if everyone was at the airport with the same idea. The crowd was the biggest he’d seen so far, except for the one time he had been caught at the arrival hall when some idol group had landed and the place had been filled to the brim with their screaming fans.

He shuddered at the memory and pulled his bag closer to his chest.

“Hyung!”

Relief washed over him as he looked up.

“Hyung, I’m so sorry for making you wait,” Kyungsoo said breathlessly when he finally skidded to a stop in front of Lu Han. “There was a long line at the cash register, then some tourist wanted directions so I had to help him, and then--”

“It’s okay, Kyungsoo,” Lu Han said, smiling at him before eyeing the large shopping bag that he had been clutching tightly. “Did you find what you were looking for?”

Kyungsoo nodded. “Ginseng for your parents and that box of tea your grand-aunt liked the last time we were there. And souvenirs for everyone else, including your cousins’ kids.” He frowned. “Do you think I should have gotten more? There was a discount for that tea, I could always pick up another--”

“Kyungsoo, calm down,” Lu Han said. “You don’t have to try to impress my family. They know who you are already. Besides, I’m the one you’re dating, remember?” It had been two years since he had brought Kyungsoo home during New Year to meet his entire family, introducing him as his boyfriend. His real boyfriend, and not someone he had hired online to play the role of one.

Since then, they had been back in Beijing only once, due to Kyungsoo’s busy schedule. He had landed a part in a web drama last winter, playing the role of the lead actor’s friend. It was a small part, but it had gotten him noticed by another director, leading to a possibility of another role in another drama in which he would play a member of a popular idol group. Between his acting classes and acting, this weekend would be their only free time together before filming began.

“But--”

Lu Han leaned down and brushed his lips against Kyungsoo’s gently. “Relax,” he said, once he had pulled back from the kiss. He was used to Kyungsoo like this, when he would worry over minor insignificant things, but he had since figured out a way to deal with it. (Lu Han’s way of dealing with it, of course, was to distract Kyungsoo with plenty of cuddling. And kisses. Not that Kyungsoo had ever had any complaints about either distraction.)

Kyungsoo let out a huff of indignation, but there was an amused look on his face. “Well, I have to try, don’t I? Since someone decided to post a picture of this online before actually proposing,” he added, holding his hand up and giving Lu Han a pointed look.

The engagement ring sparkled beneath the bright lights of the departure hall.

Grinning sheepishly, Lu Han grabbed Kyungsoo’s hand and held against his chest fondly. “I might have been a little overexcited,” he admitted. “But you said ‘yes’!”

“That answer is still up for debate,” Kyungsoo informed him, before letting out a chuckle at the stunned expression on Lu Han’s face.

Lu Han opened his mouth, a retort ready on his lips when he heard the announcement over the intercom. “That’s the call to board our flight,” he said, releasing Kyungsoo’s hand before reaching out to adjust the wool-knitted cap on Kyungsoo’s head. It was dark red, matching the one that Lu Han wore at the moment. “There. Now everyone will be envious of how cute my fiancé is.” He took a step back, grinning at the look that Kyungsoo gave him.

“I am not cute,” Kyungsoo said exasperatedly.

Lu Han raised his eyebrows, grinning.

“Well,” Kyungsoo added, a hint of a smile touching his lips, “Maybe just a little.”

Laughing, Lu Han leaned down to grab his bag, before slinging it over his shoulder. Then, as they made their way towards the departure gates, he felt Kyungsoo’s hand slipping in his, entwining their fingers together, holding onto him tightly as if he had no intention of ever letting go.

 

 

fin.