It was true what they said: hard work always paid off.

The GL deities took the bait and arranged for them to meet more frequently, even in the most unlikely places, such as the fourth-floor restroom of the mall where Minjeong and Jimin coincidentally shopped at the same time. What were the odds, right? Yet, nothing was beyond reach for the GL deities, who apparently had no other hobbies than meddling with love. Still, it was up to them if they had the patience to execute their mission.

Naturally, this required some initiative on their part to craft their own GL plot.

To advance their relationship, they texted every day – updating each other on whatever phenomenon they encountered. In the GL world, it was crucial to be alert, or else they would face trouble in the shape of cliché GL plots. In the last three weeks, Jimin had treated Minjeong to lunch in the most lavish places the latter would never dream of affording. They always ate together for an hour then parted ways, with Jimin driving Minjeong to campus. 

Minjeong learned that Jimin was more laid-back and witty than she seemed despite her overbearing CEO persona. Jimin, the troll that she was, always had her phone ready to capture any potential GL plot Minjeong might get involved in during their meet-ups, like the time Minjeong had bumped into a gangly girl and the stranger pressured Minjeong into exchanging numbers with her. Sometimes, to with Minjeong, Jimin would propose they eat at the nearest 7-eleven, eating ramyeon like it was another scene from The Heirs. She was also the one who would book a private room at a fancy restaurant and set up a romantic dinner date just for laughs.

Today, however, they chose to hang out at an internet café. While Minjeong was focused on playing League of Legends (time to get back into Silver), Jimin just tagged along out of curiosity. Initially, she was content observing Minjeong’s intense gaming session; but soon enough, she got sidetracked by something else on her own computer. When Minjeong noticed Jimin’s silence, the latter had gone all in on the web version of Zuma.

“Really,” Minjeong laughed, raising an eyebrow at the screen in amusement. “Is this what you play when you call yourself ‘a gamer’?”

Jimin’s eyes were fully concentrated on the screen. “Watch your words,” she hissed, a mischievous smile playing in her lips, “Don’t insult this iconic game. I used to pull all-nighters for it.” 

“Sure,” Minjeong snickered, heading toward the cashier. “Want some chips?”

Jimin didn’t even look at her when she nodded. “Please.”

“No need,” Minjeong put a hand to stop her when Jimin paused the game to grab her purse, “It’s on me.”

When the clock struck ten in the evening, Minjeong suggested that they grab a bite at a nearby Japanese restaurant. But her idea of “snacks” turned out to be a steaming bowl of spicy udon, accompanied by a variety of tempuras. The udon was far from being on par with the one from Jimin’s personal chef, yet she savored every bite. There was something oddly comforting about sipping the warm broth and nibbling on tempuras during this cold weather. 

As they chatted, Jimin’s attention shifted to a minuscule crumb clinging to Minjeong’s lips. She frowned, gesturing towards the corner of Minjeong’s mouth. “You got something here.”

“Where?” Minjeong asked, attempting to remove the crumb but repeatedly missing it, until a slender hand gently reached out and wiped it away with a white handkerchief. The atmosphere between them shifted slightly as their eyes momentarily locked into each other before Minjeong realized that it was another cliché K-drama moment. “Ew,” she flinched, leaning back to avoid Jimin’s touch, and the taller girl, as if snapping out of a trance, regained her composure. “That was so gay.”

Jimin cleared , a faint blush coloring her cheeks. “Sorry,” she mumbled slowly, “I had the impulse to do that just now. I’m guessing…”

“It’s the GL deities,” Minjeong accused, her fists clenching like she was ready for a brawl. “They’re at it again.”

Jimin hesitated, “Is that... a bad thing?”

“Nope. Quite the opposite,” Minjeong grinned like the Cheshire Cat, tapping her fingers on the table. “I suppose they recognized us as a pairing now.”

Jimin nodded distractedly. “...Ah,” she replied, her enthusiasm waning. “Cool.”

And with that, Jimin stuffed another tempura into like a starving hippo, a far cry from the demeanor of the typical overbearing CEO.

❃❃❃

Yu Jimin

Hey, sorry for the late reply. Was stuck in a boring board meeting. [20:09]

Got any news to share? [20:09]

Kim Minjeong

[20:11] you won’t believe this

[20:11] not a single girl bothered me today

[20:11] BLESS

[20:11] looks like we’ve ticked all the boxes for a solid GL storyline

Yu Jimin 

Makes sense. [20:14]

I thought it was unusual that no one was swooning over my presence today. [20:14]

So it was the GL deities. [20:15]

Kim Minjeong

[20:16] …you really don’t sound conceited when you say that

Yu Jimin

You’re just salty because you’re not getting the same treatment. As the ‘overbearing CEO,’ everyone’s supposed to grovel at my feet. [20:17]

Kim Minjeong

[20:18] wow i wish i had half of your confidence o<-<

Yu Jimin

I can spot a backhanded compliment when I see one. [20:19]

Try again. [20:19]

How dare you leave me on read. [21:07]

No one’s done that to me before. [21:08]

I hope you’ll oversleep during finals. [21:08]

Kim Minjeong

[21:09] that’s a low blow

[21:09] but hey the fact that someone like you is the ceo of kwangya corp…

[21:09] i believe in miracles now 

Yu Jimin

Touché. [21:10]

❃❃❃ 

“Are you hiding something from us?”

After enduring a three-hour boring lecture, Minjeong met up with Yerim and Sooyoung at a boba shop inside their faculty. She wasn’t in the mood for anything, except buying iced milk tea and relishing her boba in peace – which was exactly what she was doing. It wasn’t until Yerim's voice pierced through her bubble that she snapped back to reality, feeling a pair of dubious gazes on her. She savored one boba before responding with a lifeless stare, “Huh?” 

“What she meant to ask is,” Sooyoung jumped into the conversation, moving her eyebrows up and down suggestively. “Do you have a boyfriend?”

Minjeong choked on her drink, almost swallowing a whole boba without chewing it first.

“Girlfriend, then?” Yerim unhelpfully supplied, a hopeful tone in her voice.

Minjeong coughed, going on a defensive mode, “What makes you think I’d like girls?”

“I heard from a little birdie that a lot of girls are into you,” Yerim pointed out, “Like Yunjin from Psych, Shuhua from International Relations – “

Minjeong raised her hand to cut off her unnecessary chatter. She didn’t recognize any of these names, but she suspected they were probably those attractive girls who suddenly took a liking to her. If this was the case, then Minjeong had already lost count of them. It was difficult to keep up with it when the GL deities were working their tails off to pair her up with any pretty lesbian they could detect in the area. Not that she was bragging about it.

Yerim tapped her arm lightly, once again interrupting her train of thought. “Your mom called earlier.”

Oh, no. What could have happened that her mom had to call Yerim? Minjeong let go of her straw to speak, panic rising in her chest, “Did something happen?” 

Yerim shrugged casually. “Nothing, just asking how I’m doing and why I never visit.”

“You’re lying,” Minjeong accused her aggressively, grabbing Yerim by the shoulders and shaking her hard. “What is it? Do I become a tribute to pay off a huge debt?” 

Yerim was bewildered at the outburst, “No – “

“Did she mention anything about a distant relative or a friend’s daughter coming to stay with us in Seoul?”

“What? No – “

“Could it be a childhood friend I don’t remember searching for me? A famous celebrity living next door? An arranged marriage with royalty from our grandparents’ connections? No, scratch that – Korea isn’t a monarchy. Then, what? A blind date with an ordinary office worker who turns out to be the long-lost daughter of the rich family who owns said office?” Minjeong was panting at this point, blabbering every unrealistic scenario she could think of, while Sooyoung gaped at her like she was an idiot. “Hold on, please don’t tell me my parents are planning to get a divorce and surprise, I have a stepsister to enact some twisted, R-rated plot with!”

Yerim and Sooyoung looked at each other before the former opened , “…Sorry to burst your bubble, but – none of that, actually. In fact, your mom told me that Seungwan-eonnie is getting married to someone else! I think it’s an older guy she met through work. After being with Joohyun-eonnie for eight years, isn’t that shocking?”

Minjeong shook her head. Whatever. The GL deities always went out of their way to give the gays happy endings. Joohyun would probably have a (super dramatic) plan to cancel their marriage in the name of True Love™. This being the world of GL, it was likely impossible for Seungwan to marry a man. Unless it was a plot in which her cousin would cheat on her husband with Joohyun. She hoped that wouldn’t be the case, because God forbid she wanted a cheater as her cousin, even if that was for the sake of a GL plot.

Yerim continued in a strange tone, “I didn’t know you had a wild imagination, Minjeong.”

“Forget it,” Minjeong gave up, pointedly ignoring how Sooyoung and Yerim collectively shared skeptical glances, like they telepathically concluded that Minjeong was mentally ill. “You can go first. My friend will give me a ride.”

Sooyoung was immediately distracted by the potential gossip. “Oh, wow. Which friend?”

“You don’t know her,” Minjeong answered curtly, unwilling to disclose any more information. She pulled their arms and practically ushered the two to the parking lot, where Sooyoung’s Hyundai was parked. “Bye, drive safe.”

Sooyoung was about to unlock the car when a guy in an oversized black hoodie and jeans appeared out of nowhere to shove a bucket of red roses in Minjeong’s face.

“Kim Minjeong, I like you!”

Minjeong was not going to lie, but the guy was pretty. He was quite tall, with black hair that stopped above his shoulders and a great sense of fashion. Though, he definitely looked like what the GL deities would create to be a “BL bottom”  (the BL plots here were badly-written, so the gay male characters followed specific stereotypes), and true to her words, she saw a taller man running after him with the qualifications of a BL top. Minjeong now found herself becoming the tribute to an insignificant BL love plot in the GL world. She would bet a million dollars that this guy was actually gay, not realizing that his friend was pining for him, and was adamant in dating a girl instead.

Minjeong stepped away from the roses. “Thank you, but – uh, sorry,” she responded stiffly, hoping the guy would get the message, because there was no way in hell she would engage in this ridiculous situation any longer. What the were the GL deities thinking?

“No, please!” Before Minjeong could flee the campus, the guy had already blocked her from walking away. People were starting to gather around them, excited to witness what was happening. “Can you give me a chance? I’ve liked you since we were freshmen.”

Minjeong highly doubted it. She swore she had never seen this guy around before. “Don’t worry,” she replied through gritted teeth, desperate to just get this over with. “You’ll move on soon enough.” 

Chatter spread among the students. 

“Dang, that’s harsh. She could’ve been nicer to him. I thought they’re classmates?”

“Poor Wonbin. He must be humiliated…”

“Is she blind? How could anyone reject a cute and popular guy like Kim Wonbin?”

Minjeong wished that she could grab a mic and yell at everyone here that none of this was real. There would be a 90% chance that this guy would forget her entire existence once this “scene” ended. What were the GL deities even planning with this? Minjeong wanted to raise her middle finger to the sky. Also, since when did she have a classmate called Kim Wonbin? Most of the men in her major were NPCs; they were painfully insignificant people with similar faces that Minjeong could hardly pick apart from each other.    

Wonbin was not the least bit discouraged. “Think it over. I won’t give up on you.”

The taller guy behind Wonbin anxiously glanced around as he placed a hand on the latter’s arm. “Wonbin, please. You’re making a scene…”

It was most probably her imagination, but Minjeong could hear an angsty K-drama OST playing in the distance. For some reason, she felt like she was the villain in their story. “I’m out of here,” she announced apathetically, raising her hands like she just admitted her loss. She couldn’t care less where the GL deities were going with this, but she was not going to get herself involved in the stupid BL plot.

Wonbin was stunned by the lack of reaction and extended a hand to grab Minjeong by the wrist, “...Wait!”

Surely, the GL deities would not sit idly by and let this happen without a reason. Minjeong suspected that there had to be some grand scheme behind it all, and one of her predictions came true when the GL deities managed to conjure Jimin out of thin air, dressed in her expensive business attire, ready to swoop in with a cliché line: “Don’t touch her.”

Gasps of astonishment echoed through the crowd as all eyes turned to the newcomer, taking in her appearance from head to toe. Jimin’s entrance could not have been more straight out of a K-drama: her long hair swaying, heels clicking against the ground as she made her way to the shorter girl. Minjeong felt the urge to facepalm, unable to fathom the sheer coincidence of Jimin’s timely arrival amidst this chaos. But one thing for sure: she’d never wished for the ground to swallow her whole more than in this moment.

Wonbin frowned at Jimin, taken aback by her sudden appearance. “You…” he started, sounding like an angry K-drama character when they were interrupted in the middle of their delusional romantic moment. “What do you think you're doing?”

To Minjeong’s acute embarrassment, Jimin smirked and intertwined their fingers. “I’m telling a stranger to keep his hands off what’s mine. Need me to repeat myself?” The crowd erupted into cheers and applause at her bold statement, while Wonbin shot Jimin a resentful glare like a bitter love rival. Taking hold of Minjeong’s hand, the taller girl grinned. “Let's go, baby.”

It wasn’t until they turned away that Jimin released their hands and Minjeong dropped the act, muttering under breath, “That – what just – I think I need to sit down.”

Jimin's ears turned red. If she could have expressed her feelings on a computer keyboard, Minjeong was certain she would have been randomly smashing keys. After all, she was acting exactly like a possessive overbearing CEO who made cringy love declarations in public. Jimin whined, “Not my proudest moment, I know.”

Minjeong scowled. Well, on whom else could she pin the blame for this mess? She glanced up at the sky and defiantly raised her middle finger. 

Ugh, the GL deities to the moon and back.

❃❃❃ 

After the incident, Kim Wonbin disappeared from the face of earth, and nobody ever brought up his rejected confession.

In fact, except for Minjeong and Jimin, every single person in their university had amnesia about it.

When they ran into each other the next week, he had already been dating someone else. Someone who suspiciously looked like the good bro who had attempted to prevent Wonbin from confessing to Minjeong. The two guys were too infatuated with each other to notice her presence, holding hands and sharing pecks whenever nobody was looking like the popular gay couple in BL manhwa. Did it slip their minds that they were supposedly living in a homophobic environment? Minjeong would be interested to invest her time in studying these contradictions.

Like every other GL plot, she still had no idea why the GL deities deemed it necessary to cause such a dramatic commotion – especially if the guy wasn’t even straight. It was like Wonbin forgot he should be courting Minjeong in the first place and just minded his own business. Another plot hole, she supposed. Nothing too surprising in this illogical GL world.

What infuriated Minjeong was that the Wonbin debacle was only the tip of the iceberg. She should have expected that living in the GL world would always be filled with drama and chaos. 

The GL deities began trapping Minjeong and Jimin in strange GL plots which were beyond comprehension, adding new obstacles to develop their romance.

Clichés Minjeong would only see in K-dramas or GL novels were starting to come to life. The GL deities would summon random admirers to confess to Minjeong in public, and Jimin would come to save the day by coincidence. Even though Minjeong had literally been single all her life, eight girls had claimed that they were Minjeong’s exes, and each of them demanded to get back together. Lately, she had also gained two new neighbors who were competing for her affections, both unwilling to give up on her even after Jimin had announced that they were dating. Worst of all, there weren’t just one, but three obsessive lunatics who had stalked Minjeong to collect her pictures, all of whom Jimin had imprisoned through her connections.

(Contrary to popular belief, these stalkers were neither creepy old men nor ugly gangsters, but attractive girls who could easily debut in a K-pop girl group with their looks alone. It was confusing why they would resort to stalking Minjeong religiously when they could just go on a dating app and everyone would happily offer themselves on a silver platter.)

Minjeong’s safety was constantly at stake, prompting Jimin to pick her up from campus every day and arrange for bodyguards to keep a watchful eye from a distance. The GL deities were intent on supplying new threats in the form of attractive girls with various issues – whether they were bitter exes, obsessive stalkers, or relentless admirers hell-bent on pursuing her. Minjeong could not understand the twisted purpose behind the GL deities’ actions. What specific outcome they hoped to achieve.

This time, it was only Jimin who understood the GL deities’ intention.

“I thought it was obvious,” she remarked, elegantly dabbing at the corner of with a tissue. It was Friday night: they were having a Big Mac and coke at the crowded McDonald’s in Myeongdong, but Jimin looked like she was dining at a three-star restaurant, what with her immaculate suit and pencil pants. “They wanted us to live together.”

Now, that made sense. The main characters of dramatic novels Minjeong had read would move in together if one of them was being terrorized by an ex or crazy stalkers. She had always known things in the GL world were unrealistic, but it was getting dumb at this point.

“You should stay at my place,” Jimin cleared , carefully observing Minjeong’s reaction. “I can guarantee your safety there.”

“No need, I’m good. It’ll be temporary, anyways. I trust the GL deities won’t harm me, unless what they mean by ‘harm’ is tormenting me with bizarre GL plots,” Minjeong shook her head, the sauce fron her lips. Jimin subtly tracked the motion of her tongue. “Besides, I don’t want to move out.”

She was happy living with her parents. They might not be the wealthiest family, but having a nice place they could call “home” and her necessities provided by them were enough. Minjeong couldn’t be more grateful for her life, especially by the delicious home-cooked meals her mother would prepare for her before she left for work. Sure, it could get a little lonely especially after Jisoo had moved out with her girlfriend, but her older sister would visit them every week and sometimes, when she was being generous, she would bring Minjeong some designer clothes and skin care products.

Really, Minjeong saw no reason to move out.

❃❃❃ 

It was impressive the lengths the GL deities would go to execute their plan.

A week later, Minjeong’s father had to fly to Switzerland for a sudden business trip. He would be there for five months to supervise a new project, and her mother had agreed to tag along because she had resigned from her previous company and landed herself another job where she could work from home – all of which occurred in two days. They offered to help her find a studio apartment near campus so she didn’t have to commute by subway (their house was forty minutes away), but Jimin persisted that Minjeong stay with her. This time, Minjeong understood the assignment: she would have to live with Jimin if she wanted the GL deities to quit whatever they were doing.

Minjeong felt like she was mooching off Jimin’s money. She got to reside in an upscale apartment complex rent-free, complete with a driver to chauffeur her when Jimin wasn’t available. Groceries were taken care of by a helper, and her room felt more like a suite in a five-star hotel. In return, Minjeong felt obliged to keep the apartment spotless and perhaps brew a good cup of coffee for Jimin once she returned.

Although Jimin was occupied in Shanghai for the first week Minjeong was there, she made sure that Minjeong’s every need was met, either by sending takeout or arranging for her personal chef to prepare meals. In contrast, Minjeong mostly confined herself to her room, cautious not to disturb anything in the apartment, fearing she might accidentally damage something (that huge painting in the living room could be a million dollars, for all she knew.)

On Sunday morning, Jimin came back unannounced, wearing a playful smile on her face as she waited for Minjeong to join her at the dining table. The younger girl had just woken up from her sleep, and she was greeted by two plates of kimchi fried rice and a sunny-side-up on top, accompanied with two mugs of iced milk tea. The food was still hot, too, and the flavor rivaled the one she would eat from a local eatery near her grandparents’ house. It felt different, somehow, but she could not exactly figure out the reason.

“So,” Jimin began, taking a little sip of her drink. “Did anything happen while I was away?”

Minjeong felt like tearing her hair out as she recounted the events from two days ago, “There’s this girl I knew from kindergarten. She cornered me after class, demanding I honor some childhood pack. Apparently, she proposed to me back then, and I said yes, thinking we were playing house. You should’ve seen her face. She was dead serious about it.”

Jimin stifled a laugh, nearly choking on a vegetable. “Has she ever reached out to you before?”

“Nope, I never knew how she’s doing until she showed up to propose marriage,” Minjeong threw her hands up in resignation, accidentally knocking her elbow against the plate. “Oops – as I was saying, unless you’re the protagonist of a cheesy romance novel, you don’t take kindergarten wedding proposals seriously. That’s just plain ridiculous.”

Jimin chuckled, using her chopsticks to pick up a piece of kimchi and put it onto Minjeong’s plate. The younger girl mumbled a cute “thank you” in response. “I wonder why they’re targeting you so much. One of these days, they might even set you up to marry a mob boss.”

“Don’t give them ideas!” Minjeong squawked, getting goosebumps all over her body. It was entirely possible, moreover the GL deities got a kick out of subjecting her to clichés. She definitely felt like she had to brace herself for the worst, but, darn it, if the mafia trope wasn’t what she dreaded the most. He