It started off like this, right as Minho and Sulli entered the door, they were immediately thrown into the pit of fire that Minho likes to call his relatives. They aren’t bad people to say the least but it’s just that Minho didn’t really intend for all of them to be here all at once when it was supposed to an intimate dinner between his parents and Sulli.

But of course, his plans never really goes the way he wants it to be. This whole fake relationship he has going on with Sulli wasn’t even supposed to be done with her to begin with. The original person he planned on doing this crazy fiasco with was Yoona. She’s an actress and a good friend of his but decided last minute that she can’t do it and wants out; claiming that she doesn’t have the heart to do it. Minho tried convincing her that this is like any other tv drama or movie she has done but she retorted back with how she knows his parents too well to fool them like this.

Thus, bringing Minho back to square one and setting him back quite a bit. It was hard for Minho to do find a replacement for Yoona but even harder for him to discreetly do so without someone else knowing what exactly he is trying to do. He tried to do his own research to find people who fit what he is looking for and is willing enough but he just has no luck. He’s lucky if he can bring up the idea without something thrown at him.

How he ended up with Sulli to do this whole thing with was actually through one of his staff during a meeting. It’s quite unethical to bring up a rival company’s CEO especially being so open about it in front of their own boss but Minho hasn’t really had  an issue with it in the past and he believes that he won’t ever until he’s given a good reason to do so.

From what he has heard through his staff and his own research, this person might just be it. It wasn’t later when Minho realizes who this person really is and how they met before. He knows that he is really is gambling his luck here but he has no other choice. The quicker he can do this, the better his chances are in keeping his company.

Another thing that he didn’t really plan on was growing infatuated with Sulli. Sure, they have met before in the past but Minho could hardly remember it. Recently, however, with all the time they have been hanging out, getting a familiarity of each other to make this all thing work seamlessly, Minho can’t help it but have some sort of feelings grow within him. It’s normal, right?

When he brought up to his mom over the phone that he was bringing his (fake) girlfriend over for dinner, his mom was more than thrilled, practically squealing into the phone, saying that he is more than welcome to bring her. Thinking back on it, his mom did mention that she might invite their other family members for such a joyous occasion but during the time of call, Minho didn’t really think much of it. He was just glad that at least this part of his plan is working.

Just as they were crossing the threshold, they were already being lunged into different hugs, a few tugs here and there and of course the endless questions and compliments. It was overwhelming, Minho was absolutely sure of that and he hoped that Sulli is doing just fine with this considering what just happened on the way here. He hoped that she can handle this but he is also more than willing to take her out of this chaotic mess if she was to ever say it.

At this point, they were both pulled apart from each other and as Minho looks for her, he sees that she’s smiling and it’s a bright and genuine smile. He takes that as good sign though he can’t really say the same for himself. Don’t get him wrong, he absolutely loves his family but never has he witnessed them like this, especially towards him.

“Minho hyung!” A booming voice reaches Minho’s ears and it instantly makes him smile. There’s only one person that he could think of as to who could be the owner of that voice. His suspicion was right as he was immediately being crushed into a tight by one of his younger cousin, Lucas. To Minho, Lucas is more than a  cousin of his, he’s like the younger brother that he doesn’t have but makes up for.

“I missed you hyung, do you know that? It’s been so long. Did you miss me too?” Lucas rambles on, still crushing Minho in the tight hold he has on him which only made Minho let out a fond laugh to. Despite having an eight year between each other, they act as if they are relatively closer in age than what they actually are.  

Lucas is already a loud and happy boy with an even brighter personality to go with that and because of that, growing up together was never dull when together. Finally, after being released of his tight grip, Minho lets out a breath before playfully ruffling Lucas’ hair, which only makes him groan as he whined about messing his perfectly styled hair

“Of course, I missed you too, bud. You’ve definitely grown more since the last time I’ve seen you huh?” responds Minho which Lucas happily nods to. But of course it didn’t take long before Minho was then whisked away again yet  he doesn’t miss the mischievous smile on Lucas. It was during that does Minho realize that he’s actually home and kind of misses it.

By the time Minho and Sulli reunited again after the influx of his relatives, Minho noticed there was a different bounce on Sulli’s walk, it’s lighter, airier even and she still has the same smile that he previously saw before being pulled away. Before they could really talk with each other, comes in Minho’s parents and that was officially the final test.

Instinctively, Minho reaches out for her hand, clasping it in between his own. Giving it a squeeze, they both turn their heads just as their eyes meet. They didn’t have to say anything as their eyes transmitted what they wanted to say in words. The closer his parents come towards them, the more he can feel his breath being hitched. This is all or nothing now, after this they are practically bound to each other until the end.

By the looks of it, his mom looked more excited to meet Sulli than all his relatives combined. Her smile was stretching from ear to ear and was practically bouncing in joy. Minho notices the fond and endeared smile that is plastered across his dad’s face as he looks at his mom which makes Minho’s heart soar.

His parents were his role models in basically everything. Who they are as individuals and partners is what Minho aspires to be like one day. As he admires their relationship for what it is, his feels his heart pang against his chest, hoping that one day he’ll be as endeared when he looks at his special someone like his dad is doing with his mom. A part of him wishes that he can have that with Sulli though another part of him says otherwise.

“It feels so good to finally meet you, darling! I have been waiting for this day ever since Minho brought it up” His mom says, practically jumping as she brings in Sulli for a hug. Minho thinks that his mom might just have fallen in love with her and if the tight hug that she has wrapped around Sulli and her big grin is a big indicator that this might just work, he is more than happy.

“Me too, Mrs. Choi. I have been waiting for this day too.”

“No please, call me Auntie. Maybe soon enough, you’ll call me Mom?” Minho’s mom teases Sulli, giggling softly which makes the other blush quite profusely. The last part was more or less directed towards Minho which he internally rolls his eyes at because she’s been hinting at that for the longest time

“That’s up to Minho, he decides that” Sulli says while giving a pointed look towards Minho. In response, Minho looks back, coughing abruptly. His dad was the next one to introduce himself, smiling and giving Sulli a hug as well. It was different but Minho thinks to himself that he can really get used to this

By the time they have introduced each other, Minho’s mom practically dragged Sulli by the hand and led her to the kitchen. All Minho could think of is his mom telling Sulli embarrassing stories from his childhood and maybe even gossiping with his aunts as well

Taking him out of his trance, his dad spoke up and had his hand placed firmly on his shoulder as he says, “I’m happy that you brought her over. She seems like a good person in general but even a better person for you.” Minho really didn’t know how to respond to that other than a nod and a small smile. Maybe his dad is right but he really doesn’t know himself

“She is a good person. I’ve learned a lot of things from her. So yeah, I guess she’s good for me too.”

His dad then smiles back at him, beaming this time, saying, “Don’t guess or be doubtful about it, know it in your heart.” Minho nods again, smiling wider this time. His dad does have a point and maybe he should take it in account.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, just as Sulli expected, she was being asked questions about their relationship. It started off with Minho’s mom then soon enough, his aunts started to join in on the fun. It became slightly overwhelming as one after the other, comes another question. Sulli finds herself almost slipping each time she answers a questions she doesn’t really know how to answer but she tries her best to keep herself in check each time

It might be a little overwhelming but nonetheless, Sulli finds herself enjoying as in return, she gets to hear stories about Minho, giving her a good laugh out of it.

“I’m so glad Minho has you, Sulli. The past girlfriends he had weren’t always the best for him but I can tell you’re different.” Says one of his aunts to which his other aunts quickly agreed to. This made Sulli curious about the past girlfriends Minho had and why weren’t they the ‘best’ for him.

Sulli didn’t really know how to respond back to that but she gave small smile in return. Minho’s mom saw the hestitance on her face and quickly tired to change the subject on something else. It went from embarrassing stories of Minho to questions about her.

Once again they were  thrown into a loud roaring laughter amongst each other once again and it felt lighter on Sulli’s chest rather than her thinking about Minho’s past relationships and comparing it theirs

Their relationship wasn’t exactly like any ‘normal’ relationships out there nor was it any special to say the least, it was just theirs. For the past weeks, they’ve been building it up, fake or not, friends or not, lovers or not. Their relationship between each other has grown immensely and they both know it.

They aren’t as awkward with one another or shy, but they’ve grown used to being with each other and being comfortable in their own skins

So Sulli doesn’t really know why she’s even comparing their relationship to his past relationships when she really shouldn’t in the first place. There could be reasons to why but she really doesn’t know but to be surrounded by his family with good laughs, it can’t be better than this

“I see you ladies are having a blast, what are you guys talking about?” Minho’s voice breaks through the loud laughter coming from Sulli, his mom and saints. As Minho entered the kitchen, he was met with all the ladies huddled together around the kitchen island, laughing and talking all other. Seeing this it made his heart soar with endearment as he sees that Sullims getting along with his family. Then the realization of them possibly talking about embarrassing stories of him made want to crawl into a shell because now Sulli has probably heard all of them

“Nothing, really. Just girl stuff” His mom chimes in, giggling, eyeing Sulli the most. Minho walks over to where Sulli was standing and immediately s his arm around her waist. He felt Sulli tense up a little bit, probably because of the sudden contact but then he also felt loosen again momentarily.

“I didn’t you were such a troublemaker when you were younger” Sulli says, laughing just a little bit to which his aunts soon were all laughing about including his mom. Minho groans in response, of course, they would tell the most embarrassing stories of him in his childhood.

“Minho, love, don’t worry. Your girlfriend enjoyed all the stories. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about” Minho’s mom says, still giggling mischievously, Minho groans ever more. Sulli then has her hands place on his lower back, patting it as she smiled back up at him

“Okay to be fair, Lucas took apart with most of it too, okay?” Minho responses, gaining an even louder laugh from his aunts and mom. It seemed like at the mention of his name and even from afar, Lucas heard and came running towards the kitchen, practically screaming as he runs, “No! It was all hyung’s idea!”

“Hyung, you still haven’t introduced to your lovely lady, hi, I’m Lucas! I’m Minho hyung’s cousin but I can also pass as his brother” Lucas rambles on like a overjoyed puppy and just as excited as he is, he instantly pulled Sulli into a hug which caught her by surprised but was delighted nontheless

“Well it seems like you already introduced yourself, I don’t need to anymore” Minho speaks up, teasing evident in his voice, as Lucas pulls away from Sulli, shaking his head vigorously, while whining cutely, “noo, it’s different when you do it.”

Everyone in the room quickly pipes up and agrees to what Lucas has suggested. Minho was farting back and forth from Sulli and his family before settling on Sulli. Her eyes were bright and Minho didn’t really have any other choice but comply.

“Well as you already know, this is Sulli, the person whom I’m proud to call my girlfriend.” Everyone erupts into a big joyous cheer which can probably be heard throughout the house. Lucas is practically jumping at this point, clearly more than excited that he got Minho to introduce Sulli to everyone. While on the other hand, Sulli was already as red as a tomato, though she was shyly smiling.

Just like everyone else, Minho’s heart was just as happy as everyone is. The moment he met Sulli, he knew that his family would love her and tonight just proved that point. Though he can’t help but also disheartening that as much as he is loving this, none of this is actually real; they aren’t together like what they portray to be.

They’re just business partners, right?

Things died down quite a bit at the dinner table thought it was still joyous and loud. The food that was prepared and out on the table looked salivating and Minho couldn’t wait to eat good home cooked meals. As everyone was gathered at the dinner table and food being passed around, Minho leans close to close, saying, “You’re gonna fall in love with my mother’s cooking, it’s the best” to which Sulli smirked, “I’ll be the judge of that”

Minho was waiting anticipating as Sulli took the first bite, he was such a er for his mother’s cooking and when he was given the chance for anyone else to try it, Minho would gladly give them some. A bit of him wanted Sulli to enjoy and like it as much as he did; he took pride in his Mother’s cooking and he wants others to know that

It seemed like everyone was anticipating Sulli’s reaction as well as they were keenly eyeing her. Everyone, just like Minho, was on the edge on their seat, waiting and anticipating.

“How do you like it, Sulli? Is it okay?” Minho’s mom says. Sulli comes up with an immediate response, piping up and giving two thumbs up while smiling through her full mouth.

“It’s really good, Auntie. Minho was right, I fell in love with it. You’re a good cook.” Sulli says after munching down on the food. Minho smirks, feeling good. Minho’s mom smile in return as she passes on more food down to where they were at

For the most part, everything went smooth sailing at the dining table. There were still some questions being thrown around but now just like in the kitchen, there were a lot of teasing of the happy couple. As things were going smoothly now, Minho’s guilt arises within him. As he looks around the table, he can’t believe that he’s tricking these people, whom he loves so much, to think that he really is in a happy relationship. His eyes focuses on his parents and seeing how happy they are with Sulli being there, his heart begins to sink

Two people whom he loves and cares much are being deceived by the person whom they only want the best for. From the very beginning, before even asking Sulli to be act as his girlfriend, he knew he was being selfish. This was a selfish act but he pushed through, resonating within himself that at the end of this, it will be worth it

Though now that he has learned to know what type of a person Sulli is and how much his family is affected by it, he questions himself if this really worth it in the end.

Will he be really happy at the end of this when he got what he wanted? Or will be devastated that he lost his chance?

With a tap on his thigh, Minho breaks away from where is looking but looks at the person who did the motion. It was Sulli, her eyes were looking a bit concerned, “Is there a problem?”, she asks quietly so that he can be the only who is hearing it. Minho forms his mouth into a straight line though he is shaking his head.

“I’m just taking it in all, I guess. I’m fine though.” He answers softly which Sulli just nods at. Minho focuses his attention back  to what’s in front of him and allows himself to bury down the thoughts he just had.

As everyone was doing their own things after eating, Minho’s mom pulls Sulli aside and out onto the patio at the back of house. There was tea laid out as the two ladies were quietly talking amongst each other while everyone was inside doing whatever they were doing.

“Minho rarely brings home girls like this before; like where he formally introduces them to us. It’s a nice change and I was so excited when I found out that I had to share it with everyone. I’m sorry if it become overwhelming, Sulli. It’s just so different for Minho to do this and I wanted everyone to know.” Mrs. Choi speaks softly as she looked through the glass door before looking back to Sulli

“I have to admit Auntie, it was a bit overwhelming at first but I’m enjoying myself right now. So it doesn’t really bother me. Though I’m glad that you’re happy.” Sulli says, quite genuinely as she smiled.

“I’m happy because Minho is happy. All I want for him is his happiness and what’s best for him. I think you’re fit for both.” Mrs. Choi says, smiling now. Sulli’s cheeks tinged a bit, a very subtle hint of pink coloring her cheeks.

“Thank you for making Minho happy, Sulli. I can see how much he’s changed because of you and clearly he looks so happy that you are with him”

“I was worried for him, thought he wouldn’t find someone that will genuinely love him but then you came along. So thank you.”

Sulli doesn’t really know what to say to that. How do you tell the person who’s clearly giving you so much trust that you and her son are faking all of this? Just how do you break it to someone who is fond of you that this is nothing but a game that they’re both taking a hit at?

Just how?

Sulli decides to just give her a small shy smile to which thankfully Minho’s mom returns. Words weren’t formulating as well as she would like to and low and behold, Sulli was afraid that she’ll say something wrong and their whole cover is blown

She then wonders if Minho is feeling the same type of constriction in his chest; the feeling guilt weighing him down. Sulli also wonders if his guilt is also eating him away just like how it is with her. The more she spends time with his family, the heavier her chest feels.

Does he feel it too? Or is just her?

a/n: there's finally a chapter out but i really don't know how I feel about it. I feel like it's lacking still but I'll let you be the judge of that. Thank you for waiting! I hoped you enjoyed!!