"Sunbaenim?" I was shocked by Hyeongseop's sudden appearance, but his statement surprised me even more. How the hell did he know about this? I decided to pretend like I hadn't heard him, bowing in respect and trying to distract him. "The proposal from the promotion team is ready to be presented and signed." I walked down to the lobby, feeling anxious while hearing his footsteps behind me. I couldn't deny that my heart fluttered every time he stared at me.

"Just tell me the truth," he added, grabbing my arm. I turned around, staring into his eyes, unsure of what truth he wanted. I stuttered, not knowing how to reply. "I just don't know what to say." I walked straight out of the elevator towards the lobby, quickening my pace, trying my best not to look like I was avoiding him.

"Let's date, Kang Hiseol! Let's stop this push and pull," Hyeongseop's loud voice echoed in the lobby. My steps stopped immediately. I felt choked up and short of breath. Memories of him and me together flooded my mind. We used to flirt with each other but never made any confessions. Some people said we were just in a flirting phase, while others believed I was just a "just-for-fun" type of girl for a guy like him. But the truth is, I knew both of us do have a special spot for each other in our hearts. All kinds of thoughts flooded my mind, and I felt like crying because I knew I couldn't answer his question as I had promised Taehyung to help him with this scandal. Despite my heart was screaming his name, I couldn't just accept it as I already made a promise with Taehyung. 

"What are you talking about, sunbaenim? Just stop it," I stammered and walked ahead, talking back to him without looking him in the eyes. "I really like you. If a confession is what you want to hear, I like you. A lot." I continued walking, resisting the urge to turn around, run to him, and kiss him. I held back, knowing it would be a foolish move. I could feel the eyes of the people in the lobby on us. Like being struck by lightning, I froze when I saw V standing a few feet in front of me.

"Please don't disturb her," V came closer, wearing a black mask and a cap. I knew it was him.

"Hiseol-ah! Answer me, don't you like me too?" Hyeongseop launched another attack that could break my heart into pieces. He didn't care about the presence of my rumoured boyfriend. Hyeongseop wanted me, just like I wanted him, but the current circumstances are not permissible. Still not looking back, I replied, "I used to, but now I like him." I lied as I walked a few steps forward and hugged Taehyung.

"I know you're lying, Hiseol-ah. Did he threaten you?" Hyeongseop questioned. Hyeongseop reached out his hand to touch my shoulder, but Taehyung hit his hand away from touching me. I remained silent and just hid my face in V's arms, hiding my sadness from being exhibited to my office crush. Hyeongseop sighed and walked away as soon as V wrapped his arm around me, pulling me closer.

"Can we stay like this for now?" I whispered slowly, not realizing that I was actually sobbing. He nodded and placed my head in the crook of his neck, hiding my crying face from the public. After a long cry, I had no more tears. I unwrapped my hand from V's waist, placed my feet back flat on the floor, and realized that I had tiptoed to hug him. His shirt was now wet from my tears. The onlookers that were around us were no longer there, maybe because I had cried for too long. I arrived at my office at 8, but it was already half past 9. V pulled my chin up to face him and gave me his sweetest smile after he took off the mask. He put the mask on my face and placed his cap on my head. Then, he removed his sunglasses and put them on me.

"Let's get something to eat nearby," he suggested, and I nodded in agreement. We walked for almost half an hour to a place of his interest to have dinner. I noticed people looking at us and some taking pictures from afar, but none of his fans interrupted us.

"May we help you, sir?" the waiter at the restaurant door asked, looking at us strangely, probably because V was a celebrity. I bowed and thanked the waiter. Then I realized that V had his hand wrapped around my waist all this time. His right hand was long enough to wrap around my waist, with his palm resting at the side of my belly. That's how long his hand was. Some parts of my back were actually leaning on him; that's how close we were to each other. I cringed at the thought of us leaning toward each other. I removed his hand from my waist and sat on the dining chair. He just smiled awkwardly and sat on his chair.

"Um, why were you at my office just now?" I asked, breaking the awkward silence between us. I took the mask off my face, and so did he.

"I actually have something to tell you. Are you okay?" he asked with concern. I looked at him and replied with a nod. We didn't talk much. We just sat there, playing with our phones and occasionally looking at each other. Despite being a fan of BTS, on a personal basis, I am still a stranger to him, and so does he to me. The waiter came and took our order.

"What did you want to tell me earlier?" I asked, speaking in a low tone and placing my hand around my mouth to whisper, not wanting people to eavesdrop on our conversation. He chuckled and laughed out loud. "You don't have to whisper," he whispered to me, then smiled sarcastically. I looked around and saw that the whole restaurant was actually empty. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. Both of us remained silent again as our eyes clashed with one another. 

"Can we start talking now?" he asked, wearing a smirk on his face. Now, he came closer and supported his face with his hand on the table, staring at me with his smirk. I looked away to hide the heat rising on my cheeks. Suddenly, he pinched both of my cheeks hard, chirping, "You're cute!" The pinch left marks on my cheeks. I slapped his hand hard in anger, and he just laughed out loud until the food arrived. We ate in peace while V complimented the food and chatted randomly. He poked my cheek occasionally while eating, as the marks from his pinch didn't seem to fade.

"When will you start talking about why you wanted to meet me today?" I asked as I glanced down at the watch as the night dived deeper. No good news will be released if people notice that she was out late with Taehyung.  Taehyung inhaled deeply before sending a signal to someone outside of the restaurant. Suddenly, the trainee I saw hanging out with V in Paris entered the restaurant. V greeted her and led her to the chair beside him. The mood turned serious in less than a second. I awkwardly sat there, looking at them and exchanging glances.

"Let's just tell her the truth," the girl stated, and V nodded.

"We are actually dating each other. We're really sorry to get you involved. I needed to protect her identity from the public, or it would ruin her image before her debut. So we needed you to pretend to be my girlfriend in order to save my girl," Taehyung explained, causing me to choke in disbelief. So here I am, just her scapegoat. I sighed while looking at them for a few seconds. I was extremely upset and felt like screaming.

"Why would you need to use me as the black sheep of your relationship?" I asked in frustration as the images of Hyeongseop flashed in the back of my mind. It turned out I'd trampled myself to help a man that I didn't know. I lost Hyeongseop because of this man in front of me. Keeping my mouth shut, I decided to leave before flipping any of the tables in the restaurant. I took my bag, placed some cash for my dinner, and said,

"Let's end this relationship and clean this mess, Kim Taehyung," I muttered as I gritted my teeth in anger. I was ready to walk away when V grabbed my hand, not allowing me to leave.

"You're not mad?" the trainee asked, looking at me with her girlish blinks. Are you kidding? Of course, I'm mad. But why would I waste my energy lashing out my anger at these two strangers? Both of them are strangers to me! For goodness sake, what did I just bring into my life?

"I'll send you home. Nobody should see you coming out of this restaurant alone," V caught up with my steps and led me to his car. As soon as we arrived at where his car was parked, I hailed a taxi and left him there, starting his car. Taehyung ran after the taxi when I took of in it, but it was no use. I do not want to be part of this scandal anymore. I've lost my chance with Hyeongseop; hence, I just wanted to get away and stay away from V and his story. Deciding to carry on my life, I changed my phone number as soon as I arrived home.

After a few months, I got transferred to another department office. I could no longer work under the same roof as Hyeongseop, and I didn't want to meet V. My new office was located in a suburban place called Noryangjin. But the good thing was I got promoted to a higher rank in this branch. I was happily working here and no longer paid attention to idol groups, whether girls or boys. Idol groups made me mad and sick. My life there was more peaceful than ever.

"Unnie, you're really cool," a student complimented me at the roadside. I just nodded and closed the boot of her motorcycle. I knew how to fix cars and bikes because my dad owned a repair workshop. I saw her standing at the roadside, looking devastated. I stopped my car and helped her, even though I was heading back from a wedding ceremony, wearing a very feminine knee-length summer dress. She gave me a hug, and we took pictures together.

The next day, one of my friends sent me a text asking me to check what was trending on social media. I couldn't let my curiosity go unanswered. I opened my Instagram account. The last time I opened it was when I was in Europe. The notifications rang non-stop as soon as I logged in. The picture of me fixing a motorbike in a sundress was at the top of the search list. It wasn't because I looked pretty or rare, but the caption read, "V's girlfriend spotted helping people in Noryangjin." I sighed, remembering how I stated clearly that I wanted this scandal. I needed to go to Seoul and clear my name. In addition to that, I found many pictures of me taken without my consent. Some pictures of me buying stuff at the mall and some pictures of me in a recreation park for a jog or walk. There were also tabloid news articles about me like 'Doning luxurious good is fit for  Taehyung's girlfriend' and even 'Taehyung and his girlfriend were seen to have the same style'. How did they get all this information? I needed to meet BigHit and Kim Taehyung.