Hyejin’s POV

“If you refuse to come, you know what will happen.”These few words kept ringing in my head repeatedly.  I was stunned at what he just told me. How did he know so much about my mum?! I shook my head and tried to reassure myself that it was merely just a guess. But I couldn’t stop thinking that it was too much of a coincidence.

The moment I reached home, I rushed into the kitchen to find my mum. She was cooking my favourite dishes, bibimbap and kimchi pancake. The smell of the aromatic food wafted up my nose. “Mm… Smells delicious, mum!” I beamed. Mum turned around and gave me a wide smile, “Hyejin-ah, you’re finally back! Dinner’s going to be ready soon.”

“Mum? Can I ask you something?” I cautiously asked her.

“What is it, honey?” she replied.

“Have you ever told anyone about your job and our family issues?

“No… Why do you ask? Did something happen in school?”

“It’s nothing actually, don’t worry.” I told her. I went nearer and wrapped my arms tightly around Mum. A tear trickled down my face. Mum has been such a strong woman, leading a tough life having to provide for the both of us, but never once did she complain about it. I couldn’t imagine what would happen if she lost her job.

“It’s been hard on you, Mum. I just wanted to tell you that I love you no matter what.”

“You silly girl. I know that you’re filial and I have nothing to worry about. You’re my everything. With you, nothing is too tough for me. I love you too, darling.” A smile formed on Mum’s face. It was the first time I saw her smile so brightly.

After a sumptuous dinner, I went up to my room. I’ve made my decision already. I couldn’t let my mum lose her job. The job means everything to her. Without it, she won’t have enough to pay all the bills and provide for the two of us. I decided to pretend to be Sunggyu’s girlfriend and meet his family. Afterall, it can’t be that difficult right. It’s just a meal with his family in exchange to let my mum keep her job.

I opened up my wardrobe and started rummaging through it to find a decent dress. “Hmm… What should I wear? A spaghetti strap dress?” *nah, it’s too revealing*

“Aha! This would be perfect!” I fished out a grey striped belted dress from the pile of messy clothes. It was a dress that my mum bought for me on my 16^th birthday but I never wore it before. I just chucked it aside to the corner of the wardrobe. Never did I expect that I’d wear it. I opened up my jewelry box and chose a long black necklace to match with the dress.

I then went to try on the dress to see if it could fit me. “Whew, the dress fits perfectly. Luckily I didn’t grow horizontally~” I chuckled.

Sunggyu’s POV

Silence filled the air in my room and I could hear my heart thumping loudly. Many thoughts flashed through my mind as I tried to visualize what will my parents do to Hyejin when she comes over for dinner.

*What if they ask her questions about me? What if they try to make things difficult for her and she can’t answer them? They will definitely know she’s not my girlfriend!* So many ‘what-ifs’ were surging through my mind. I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about all those negative scenarios.

*What has been done cannot be undone. I’ll just have to face the consequences then* I sighed out loud.

“But it’s only a dinner. Nothing much can go wrong, right?” I thought to myself. Even if I comforted myself a thousand times, I couldn’t help feeling jittery.

Wednesday finally arrived…

Hyejin’s POV

I was outside the porch, waiting for Sunggyu to arrive. Shortly, I heard a honking sound and saw that a sport car was nearing the porch. Sunggyu was wearing his shades and dressed nicely. I looked down at my dress and realized that it was nothing compared to his suit. *wow. we are worlds apart*

Sunggyu took off his shades and lowered the car window. “Hop in.” I hurriedly opened the door and entered the car. I have never taken such a posh car before. I was in awe at the interior design of the car. The seats were so comfortable and a stereo set with a system that enables people to enjoy the booming effect of the music played.

Within minutes we reached Sunggyu’s mansion. It had a huge garden and a swimming pool. *wow he is so damn rich* My eyes sparkled at the sight of his mansion. He then brought me to the dining table.

“Mum, Dad,  this is my girlfriend, Hyejin.”

“Hello, uncle and auntie. Nice to meet you!” I smiled.

Both his parents nodded at me, acknowledging my greeting. They were looking at me from head to toe, wondering which part of me attracted a guy with such high standards.

They gestured me to take a seat. I bowed and sat down.

Sunggyu’s POV

“So, I see that you have found a pretty decent girlfriend,” Mum and Dad said.

“Yes, of course.” I replied, taking Hyejin’s hand and putting it into mine.

“I have a suggestion. Why not Hyejin move in and live with us? I’m sure it’ll be nice to have her as company,” Mum suggested, flashing her smile.

 “MWO?!” Both Hyejin and I widened our eyes in shock.