“Jonghyun-oppa, you’re so handsome,” a tall girl with brown hair that curled down her back said, leaning against her locker. A strand of her hair was being curled by her finger, trapping the shorter male with her stare. He was used to people towering over him, that’s why he wore boots with a bit of leverage, but this girl was just tall.

“Thank you,” he chuckled, grinning as he pushed his hair back. Kibum happened to be going on his way to his locker, when he caught sight of the two. Normally he’d shrug it off without a second thought, after all, they weren’t really dating. Who Jonghyun had relations with was none of his business nor did he care. However, the girl’s body language was making him annoyed. It was so obvious she was flirting with him, but the male wasn’t doing anything to discourage her. He could tell Jonghyun knew, too, because his body language was also flirtatious. Three more girls joined the scene-- girls he assume were the first one’s friends,-- and also began to shower the male with compliments.

Kibum felt an uneasy feeling he couldn’t name start in his stomach and bubble up in his chest. Jonghyun was jeopardizing everything they were doing, how was he supposed to convince his bratty friends that he was dating Jonghyun when he was going around flirting with girls! When would the rumors start? Kibum wasn’t even thinking as he strode up to them, coming to stand next to Jonghyun, who instantly froze up. He had momentarily forgotten about their ‘relationship.’ Judging by the younger’s expression, he was pissed.

“There you are, Jonghyunnie,” Kibum purred, though looked at the girls instead of Jonghyun, who laughed nervously and shifted on his feet. The way Kibum had said his name was less than friendly. “Oh, who are these ladies?” the younger continued, flashing a sarcastic grin.

“Ah, these are just some classmates,” Jonghyun mumbled, avoiding all their eyes. He didn’t want to cause Kibum any trouble, knowing how important this whole operation was. He felt so stupid for letting it slip his mind. Sulli, the girl who had spoke to him first, had been his long time crush since back in middle school, so of course he wasn’t thinking about anything else. If she knew about him and Kibum’s ‘relationship,’ she didn’t show it.

“Kibum,” he turned to look at him, ready to quickly explain the situation when suddenly his cheeks were being cupped. Jonghyun felt ready to pass out by how hard his heart was beating and how it felt like his limbs felt like jelly. His eyes were wide, frantically searching the other’s for some indication of what he was about to do.

“Jonghyunnie, why do you look so scared? Are you afraid of me? Your boyfriend?” Jonghyun quickly shook his head, making Kibum smile with a small chuckle. Kibum's eyes fell shut and he quickly leaned in, pressing his lips against Jonghyun's, and the elder was certain his chest was about to burst. The kiss didn’t last more than a second, but to Jonghyun it felt like a whole hour.

“Well, it was nice meeting you,” Kibum said, smiling at the girls and waving goodbye as he led Jonghyun away, who was still recovering from the unexpectant kiss.

“What was that?” he hissed in Jonghyun’s ear as they walked towards the cafeteria. “What part of ‘pretend to be my boyfriend and act the part at all costs’ do you not understand?” The older male wasn’t listening though, his mind was buzzing with the kiss over and over again. It reminded him of the cheesy dramas he watched with his mom. He used to get so mad at the girl for just standing there with a shocked look on her face whenever she was kissed by her love interest, but now he understood.

“You kissed me,” Jonghyun whispered, and Kibum rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, so? Was it your first or something?”

“No,” he said, slowly coming back to his senses. He replayed the scene in his head one more time, realization taking over the shock. “Wait…,” he smirked, his sharp canines poking through his lips. “Were you… jealous?”

“No!” Kibum was quick to say, his cheeks turning red. It definitely wasn’t jealousy why he did that. Absolutely not. Not a chance. No way, no how.

...Was it?

The dates they went on in the two weeks that followed did little to sway Jonghyun’s feelings. There was the date where Kibum insisted on going to watch a movie, (because everyone at school was talking about how it was the couple’s movie of the year, and they ‘had to further prove that they were dating.’) Or the date where there was an outdoor rock concert and Jonghyun got to experience Kibum’s passionate head bobbing. Or the date where they had planned on going to the beach and after several hours of driving it started raining once they got there, so Kibum ran around under the rain and Jonghyun chased after him, their laughter drowned out by the falling water.

The best part of it all was that Kibum was opening himself up with each date. The raven haired boy would smile around Jonghyun more, laugh around him more, and be opinionated around him more. Kibum used to remain neutral to whatever the elder was saying; whether he agreed with him or didn’t, but now he was giving his opinions as well. Jonghyun would gladly pick fights with him just to get a reaction, and Kibum was really good at arguing.

He really couldn’t be happier.

Even though it seemed like they were getting closer, Kibum kept reminding him that it was all pretend. He'd quickly correct him and say things like, 'No, the boyfriend that I made up doesn't do it like this,' or 'You're not going to look convincing if you do it like that,' and made him hold his hand or kiss him at school, or hug him at lunch. Jonghyun didn't mind it all, but he would feel defeated each time he was reminded that it wasn't for real, and on Kibum's part, it didn't look like he enjoyed it. He tried not to let it get to him, but in the end he knew it would only hurt him. He was really starting to fall for the younger boy and he wanted to let this fake relationship last as long as he could. As long as Kibum didn't find out about his feelings, it should be okay, right?

Today, they were hanging out at a cafe. The place was bustling with activity but the two could still talk and hear each other comfortably. Jonghyun had brought his laptop so he could work on an essay he was procrastinating, and Kibum was was scrolling through his Instagram, occasionally clicking his tongue and turning his phone to show the older male something. It was usually pictures of his friends followed by annoyed comments along the lines of how they don’t know how to dress. Jonghyun thought it was hilarious how serious about fashion he was.

A few minutes into their date though, Jonghyun noticed that something was on Kibum’s mind. Although he was responding to everything he was saying, he didn't miss the faraway look in his eyes. He was going to ask about it, knowing how touchy Kibum got when he was questioned, (once he walked out of a date and ignored Jonghyun simply because the elder had asked him too many personal questions) but Jonghyun wasn’t sure if he was just exaggerating. When their hands brushed each other by accident, he noticed how one of Kibum's hands that were hidden by his long sleeve was in a black arm brace you can get at the drugstore.

“Hey, what’s wrong with your hand?” he asked, reaching out for it. Kibum quickly pulled back, hiding it under the table. He didn’t like being in Jonghyun’s watchful gaze, but there was no way he could know the cause of his injury.

“It’s nothing. I have carpal tunnel,” Kibum said, though he failed at convincing himself.

“Bum… you know you can tell me anything right?” the other said cautiously, sneaking a glance at his hand again.

“I know, but,--”  A young girl who worked there approached them, interrupting their conversation to Kibum’s relief. She asked them if they wanted to order something, and the two exchanged a look.

“We’ll let you know,” Jonghyun told her and she nodded with a bow and excused herself. He was usually the one who paid on their dates, so his hesitation made Kibum confused. Of course, he could have also offered to pay, but it seemed like every time he tried, the elder would quickly shake his head and pay instead. It wasn't like Kibum couldn't pay, either, since he had found a way of making an income without depending on his parents' money. The credit card they had given him remained untouched since he received it.

“Sorry, I don’t think I can pay for coffee today,” the older male said with a pout, showing Kibum his empty wallet. “We haven’t been exactly keeping up with our payment,” he added.

“That’s right,” the younger said, blinking slowly. After about their third date, they had forgotten all about payment. “You were so hung up on making money, too. You almost didn’t help me because of it.”

Jonghyun shrugged, momentarily turning his attention back to his essay. “Yeah, I mean I still need the money, but I won’t rush you with that. Other people responded to my tutoring offer so I’ve been helping them on the side.” The bitterness in his voice went unnoticed by Kibum.

“Why are you so desperate for money?” the younger asked, putting his phone down to let Jonghyun know he was really curious and interested about the answer. His guess was that Jonghyun was saving up for a car or something he really wanted. He knew the elder was into music, so maybe a new guitar? Besides, directing the attention away from himself was something he had been getting good at lately. There was no room for slip-ups.

“Well…,” the brunette thought about his answer. He didn’t want to seem too desperate for money, but at his rate of making money and then spending it on his dates, he wasn’t going to fix his problem anytime soon.  And it seemed every time he checked up on his back account, the card had less money than what he thought he was putting in.

“I have this emergencies-only credit card my mom gave me, and I went to take money out of it but I ended up getting scammed," Jonghyun shrugged again, like it was no big deal.

Kibum tensed up at that. As someone who never had to struggle financially, he felt awkward and wasn’t sure what to say. Besides, he had a feeling he knew where this was going. “Where?” he choked out the question.

“Some ATM’s by the Jjangmyeon shop near school,” Jonghyun didn’t seem too phased by it, but his eyebrows did raise when he caught sight of the other.

“Hey, are you alright? Your face is really pale…,” Kibum touched his cheeks when it was pointed out to him, laughing nervously. Jonghyun’s suspicions were only growing though, and he reached his hand out to grab Kibum’s. Instead, the younger pulled back sharply.

“Uh, yeah I’m fine, I think I’m catching a cold from when we were out in the rain. I, uh... I have to go. Sorry,” he quickly picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder, ducking through the crowd of people and scurried out of the cafe. Jonghyun jumped up and went after him, but he quickly lost him among all the people in the streets. He ran back to the shop and packed up his things and ran in the direction that was Kibum’s house, when he suddenly stopped in the sidewalk. The younger male obviously didn’t feel well, so maybe chasing after him was a bad idea. Jonghyun simply sent him a get well soon message with cute stickers, and walked home.

He tried to ignore the bad feeling in his stomach as he waited for a response.

sooooooo here we are! from here on out i'll try to keep you guys updated on when the next chapter will be posted because school will have already started T_T thank you again to all the support for this story. i finally got it at a place that im happy with so i hope you guys enjoy it too.>

thank youuuu<3

edited^