"Yes, I am Minju's boyfriend, Mother."

Minju stared at Baekhyun slack-jawed. What had just happened? Boyfriend? Mother? Where had that come from?

The emotions that went through her couldn't be explained. Her heart flipped, but she didn't know if it was because 'Baekhyun called himself her boyfriend???' or because 'Baekhyun called himself her boyfriend!!!'.

Man-In-Question bowed politely as Minju's mother clapped ecstatically. "Oh my! Are you really? I knew it!" He smiled politely.

Minju couldn't be more obvious as she tried to grasp his attention.  moved soundlessly as she waved her hands at Mom, trying to deny what Baekhyun had just said. 

"What are you being shy for, girl?" Mom said with a laugh. "You should have let me know earlier if your boyfriend was this handsome."

"What? No, he's not– we're not–" Minju struggled to explain through her panic and confusion. She turned towards said boyfriend for help. He pointedly ignored her. 

"How are you feeling now, Mother? You should rest well." Baekhyun looked at her mother and said like a perfect son-in-law candidate. Minju did a double-take.

Mom nodded and replied, "Thanks for worrying, dear. I'm alright now." Looking at Minju she added, "I have a lot of questions but they can wait for now. Jiyeon's mother will be back with some food so you can leave me with her. You two should go home and rest."

"Baekhyun, right?" She glanced at him and continued, "Baekhyun here must be tired, he drove you all the way from Seoul."

Minju opened her mouth to protest but stopped herself. She looked at Baekhyun and immediately felt sorry. He had been smiling but his face was etched in fatigue. 

After hearing a few words of reassurance, the pair left for her house. Baekhyun drove carefully as Minju guided him through the narrow roads. 

They arrived within minutes, it was a small town. 

Minju took a look around the alley as Baekhyun carefully parked the car. She hadn't been home in so long that she almost forgot what the front gate looked like. 

Baekhyun turned the engine off and gave Minju a few seconds to stuff her phone and power bank in her backpack as he made way to her side and opened the door. 

With a shy 'thanks', Minju led him inside through the short, squeaky metal gate. She suppressed a smile when she noticed him look away as she punched the code in the door lock.

Quickly switching on the lights and dusting the invisible dust off the crocheted lamp cover, Minju turned to Baekhyun with shy eyes. "Welcome."

"Thanks for having me." He replied, taking his hands out of his pockets. "Your house is pretty."

"Yeah. Haha." She replied as she looked around at the wooden walls, a broken shelf filled with books with cracked spines, a block of a TV, and other old fashioned decoration.

"No, really. It feels so... homely." 

Then his stomach rumbled.

Minju turned the stove with soup off and hurried to check the rice cooker. She opened the storage closet and took out the folded meal table which had not been used in ages.

She wiped it quickly before setting it on the living room floor, where Baekhyun was exploring the old pictures on the TV stand.

He immediately put them down and rushed to help Minju. She handed him some cutlery when he followed her around asking for work. 

They had set the table and had almost dug into the rice when the bell rang.

Minju told Baekhyun to start without her as she went to the door. It was Jiyeon with a bunch of side dishes from her mother's restaurant.

"Do you have a guest? There's a car outside." Minju confirmed and tried to usher a goodbye but Jiyeon had more questions.

"Who is it? Sua?" She asked curiously. Then she spotted the shoes. "Wait. It's a guy? You brought a guy home?! Your boyfriend?!" She exclaimed.

Minju clamped her free hand on Jiyeon's mouth and pushed her head out the door. "ENJOY YOUR TIME TOGETHER! USE PROTECTION! NAMGOONG MINJU FIGHTING!"

Minju's neck flared red as Jiyeon's laughter faded. She quietly made her way back to the table where Baekhyun picked up his chopsticks and dug into the rice, acting like he'd been eating the whole time. 

Little did he know that his red ears gave away that he'd heard the whole thing.

After fifteen minutes of agonising Minju finally found herself asking why Baekhyun told her mother that he was her boyfriend.

"I just... I thought she would be more at peace with that than with her daughter travelling late at night with a man she's never heard of."

Minju looked at him with her full mouth hanging. This man.

Quickly gulping her bite, she replied, "You didn't have to. My mom would have been fine if I told her you were a friend."

"Oh... well, it's not like it's a lie." He muttered like a dejected puppy. "Technically."

She choked on the sip of water she was taking and Baekhyun scrambled for the tissue box.

"So, you're an only child?" Baekhyun asked.

Chewing on her food, Minju nodded. "Do you have any siblings, Baekhyun?"

"Yeah. I have an older brother. He's a doctor."

"Really?" Minju gasped. "That's amazing."

"It sure is. It's like all the smart genes went to him. I could never study that much."

With a chuckled she asked, "Was becoming an actor always your dream? Did you want to be something else when you were little?"

"I wanted to become an actor for as long as I can remember. I used to follow my father around to movie sets, begging to let me be the water boy." Baekhyun said with a sentimental laugh.

"I was always fascinated by the actors who could change into completely different personalities within seconds. Before I knew it, I found myself copying them in front of the mirror."

"Although making movies is fascinating, I find the art of acting more beautiful." He said solemnly as Minju listened in awe. "My family has been in the movie business for generations now; my father, grandfather, and great grandfather too. I was lucky that they didn't find a problem with it."

He continued "My mother, on the other hand, wanted me to be a judge. But she found content when my brother got into medicine. He always considers me indebted to him now." 

Minju found herself chuckling with him. Another word from his beautiful lips and hearts would start shooting from her eyes.

Baekhyun looked at her with smiling eyes and mimicked her question. "What's your dream?"

Minju fiddled with her chopsticks as she scanned her mind for an answer. "Nothing in particular. For now, it's finding a stable office job after getting my MBA."

"Come on, there must have been something you wanted to be as a child." Baekhyun urged.

Setting the chopsticks down and her hands Minju said with furrowed eyebrows, "Promise you won't laugh."

"Of course I won't!" He replied with a laugh. "Why? Was it something like a clown? Or spiderman?"

"... A mother." She answered with a shaky breath and reddening cheeks. "I wanted to be a mother. I still do." She added, playing with her fingers shyly.

Feeling her ears burn hotter by the second, Minju grimaced inwardly. She shouldn't have said something so cheesy and stupid.

She hesitantly looked up to see Baekhyun staring at her with his mouth open. He blinked when her eyes met his.

"Wow. That's just... lovely."

Minju gasped incredulously. "You're making fun of me!" She protested in embarrassment.

"No, no. Minju." She looked at him when he called her name. He was looking at her with earnest eyes. "That's so beautiful. Only people who have lots of love to give can say that."

Feeling more bashful than ever, Minju struggled to meet his eyes. She could feel her heart thudding in her ears.

In an attempt to take her mind off his generous compliment, she replied, "I-I just... whenever I saw my mother working so hard by herself after my father passed away early, I started admiring her more. She seemed like a superhero. I want to be strong for someone I love unconditionally, too."

"And I love children." Minju added quickly.

"Minju," Baekhyun said after a few seconds of silence. "You're a warm person."

Minju offered Baekhyun her bed to sleep on since it was the only one in the house but he politely declined and opted to rest on her mother's cotton mattress.

'What a well-raised man!' Mom would probably have said.

After apologising countless times for having disturbed him during his holiday, Minju wished him a good sleep and fled to her room to get some shut-eye.

The sound of her alarm woke her up exactly an hour later. It was already noon. 

Tip-toeing to her mother's room Minju peeked at an awkwardly spread, sleeping Baekhyun through her heavy eyes. 

After a few minutes of contemplation, she scribbled a vague explanation on a piece of torn paper and gently set it beside his head.

I'll be at the mart nearby. Feel free to use anything you need in the house.

Minju didn't want to act like a creepy stalker, but she couldn't stop her gaze from lingering on his Baekhyun's face a couple of seconds longer than normal.

He looked so... warm... and cozy. Like a little child sleeping after coming home from a field trip. His hair was splayed across his forehead, and she almost brushed it away with her hand. 

Her heart skipped a beat and she almost lost her balance when he moved slightly, leading to more of his neck being exposed to her eyes.

She immediately looked away and slapped herself internally for feeling like a ert. How old was she? 12?!  She couldn't believe she was flustered because of that!

She hurriedly crawled out of the room before she could embarrass herself more and grudgingly went to get refreshed.

Minju grabbed a few carbonated drinks from the supermarket refrigerator and pressed them to her cheeks. They were still burning from her utterly 'hormonal teenager' behavior from earlier. She hesitated a bit before tossing a couple of beer cans in her basket before moving to the fresh meat section eagerly.

After much thought, she chose beef over pork. After double-checking the ingredients list on her phone to make sure she wasn't missing anything, Minju made way to the cash counter.

The cashier saw her coming and waved with a warm smile. 

"I heard about your mother. Is she fine now?" The middle-aged man kindly asked. 

That's how it was in her town. Everyone knew everybody and all their secrets. It could get a bit annoying at times, but everyone had each other's backs when they needed it.

Minju assured him with a thanks. She walked through the market, greeting all the older men and women that recognised her. 

She bumped into a couple of her childhood friends and engaged in small talk before heading back home.

Her town was on the coast, and the harbour soon came into view. Minju checked the time on her phone. An hour had passed. 

Guessing that Baekhyun would still be asleep, she took a seat on the edge of the walkway. 

Various emotions went through her as she took in the sight of the waves crashing onto the concrete tetrapods below her. 

Relief; that her mother was alright. Amazement; that it was Baekhyun, out of everyone, who was there for her when she needed somebody, anybody. And then there was Confusion; she could feel herself falling for Baekhyun, hard. Not the actor she had a silly crush on, but the person she'd come to know over the past few months thanks to a bizarre accident. But was she doing the right thing? When she knew that everything could be justified as an act? 

Her phone buzzed with a message from Sua asking about Mom's condition. Minju updated her, then finally noticed texts and a missed call from Chanyeol.

'Minju are you ok? Why did you call me last night?'

'Is everything alright?'

'I heard from Sua. Sorry for not picking up. Hope your mom gets well soon.'

She sighed.

A few minutes passed as she sat in silence except for the static sound of waves merging with the ground. The quickly dispersing white bubbles seemed to compliment the sky which had dulled from a cool blue to a light grey.

Just as Minju thought to hurry home, a tap on her shoulder nearly made her fall off the edge. She flinched in shock and exhaled with a hand on her chest when she saw Baekhyun standing behind her. He looked apologetic.

"Sorry."

Minju waved a dismissive hand at him with her other hand still clutching her shirt. "I was about to come home. Sorry for leaving you alone." 

She clumsily twisted her body so she could get up but was surprised when Baekhyun casually took a seat beside her.

"Oh, that's fine. I woke a while ago and couldn't go back to sleep. Thought I might as well tour around the town."

Minju turned to look at him with a frown. "But you didn't get much sleep at all. You were awake all night."

"I'm good," he replied as he swung his legs lightly. "I can't sleep for more than three hours continuously anyway. Work habit."

He laughed once he glimpsed at her concerned face and assured her that he slept enough, just at random times. Waking up early gave him time to workout and study his scripts.

"Oh right!" Baekhyun said as he slapped his knee in realisation. He turned to her and asked, "When are you going back to Seoul?"

"... Sunday night. Why?"

Minju froze as Baekhyun scooted closer to her and moved his head close to her to whisper in her ear. 

"This is supposed to be a secret, but I'm letting you know." Minju didn't care because she wasn't listening. All she could hear was the thumping of her heart and his breath on her ears.

"My new movie will be filming at your university."

That snapped her out of her trance. "Wha—" Her words died in as she turned to find her face extremely close.

Her shoulders tensed and she held her breath. Baekhyun seemed to be equally surprised by the way his wide eyes stared into hers.

 Minju didn't move for what was probably a few seconds but seemed like hours. Maybe she didn't want the moment to end. 

It was him who finally moved away and awkwardly played with his fingers. Long, slender fingers.

Mirroring Baekhyun, she snapped her neck the other way and fanned her face so he wouldn't notice her burning cheeks.

"Um, yeah... so..." Minju jumped at the sound of his voice and tried to look at him like she hadn't just stopped for a second. She failed.

Baekhyun also seemed to be trying to look at everything but her face. 

The tension felt suffocating, and they were only sitting under the open sky. She couldn't imagine the result if the same thing happened inside closed doors.

"O-oh." Minju managed to croak out. "I didn't know you were playing a student. I thought the movie was about office workers."

"Oh, you know! I'm impressed." Baekhyun said with a chuckle. He continued, "We'll only be filming for a week. Till Friday. Those are the flashback scenes."

"But I won't be there all the time. I'm only the second lead so I don't have many scenes."

Minju couldn't stop herself from lightly hitting him on the shoulder. "So what? The second lead is still a lead. Besides, you're still more attractive..." she trailed off muttering.

"Hmm?"

"I-I mean your character! Second leads are always nicer!" SAFE!

"Sure, sure. If you say so." Baekhyun squinted his eyes at her in mock accusation and laughed. Maybe not...

They left for her house after a few minutes of comfortable joking and Minju tried not to linger on the fact that Baekhyun offered her his hand to help her get up.

Baekhyun informed her on the way back that Manager Kim was already on his way by bus and would be there to drive him back in a couple of hours. "I have the first shoot early tomorrow, so I need to get prepared."

They spent the next hour and a half cooking (he insisted on helping) and eating. Manager Kim ended up arriving earlier than expected and joined them.

Soon, Minju was seeing them out the gate. She handed them bags of seaweed she had bought from the local market. It was the only thing her town was famous for.

They both thanked her wholeheartedly.

Baekhyun added, "Tell Mother I'm sorry for leaving without seeing her and that I'll visit soon." Yes!

He waved goodbye to her as the older man started the car. "I'll see you on Monday."

Minju watched the car disappear around the alley as she hanged on the gate, arching her neck for a better view. All that was left was for her to wipe her tears with a silk scarf, and she'd make the perfect wife seeing her husband off.

Mom was discharged later that night. And she sure was disappointed to see Minju's 'very first and only' boyfriend gone.

She ranted for a while before asking for Baekhyun's number. Just in case she missed him.

Minju's spent her vacation eating Mom's cooking all day and stuck by her side. She also slept over at Jiyeon's place with her other girlfriends and had to bear being pestered for information about the mystery man she'd brought home.

Mom didn't forget to ask her about how she ended up dating Baekhyun. Minju gave a vague answer that they met while she was at work. It wasn't a lie. 

The days passed too fast and soon she was on the back to Seoul. She looked at the cloth-tied pack of Tupperware at her feet. 

Mom had cooked up a storm for Baekhyun. She had ordered Minju to give it to him no matter what or else... She recalled the memory with a snicker. Her mother was having too much fun.

"MINJU! YOU'RE HERE! I MISSED YOU!" Sua jumped on her as soon as she opened the door. Minju set down the package of food before she could lose her balance and fall with it.

The next two hours passed with her explaining everything that happened during the weekend with Baekhyun to Sua in detail. A few squeals and screams later they left to ask their friends about the location of the shooting of a certain movie on their campus.

Minju approached the Hotel Management department with the food and a lot of nerves. As expected, there was a huge crowd.

She peered at the commotion, trying to spot Baekhyun through the cameras and people. She couldn't. After a few more minutes of searching, she wondered if she should just text him and ask where he was.

Just as she reached for her pocket, a hand grabbed her arm from behind, and Minju nearly jumped in shock.

"It's me.", said the person in casual clothes with a cap and mask hiding his face. It was Baekhyun.

"Come on, I'll take you to my van. Too many people here." He slipped his hand in hers and pulled her with him before she could respond.

She stared his plaid covered back in a daze as he led her through the open hallways towards the back of the building. She noted how his back looked much wider now that he was wearing a fitting shirt.

Minju caught sight of Chanyeol with his followers coming towards them from the adjacent aisle and gasped.

She stopped in her tracks and pulled at Baekhyun's arm. "This way!", she whispered and dragged him into a nearby classroom.

She pushed him to the wall by his shoulders, right next to the door so he was out of the sight of people passing by.

Minju peeped at the hallway through the glass window of the classroom door and held her breath when she saw Chanyeol pass by about ten seconds later. 

After a few seconds to confirm that he was not coming back, Minju let out a breath of relief. "It's fine now. Let's go." She said as she looked up toward Baekhyun and found her face right in front of his.

Suddenly, she realised just how close she was to him. Her hands were resting on his chest and her body almost pressed against his.

Her brain malfunctioned and she found herself unable to look away from Baekhyun's eyes, who was looking at her a similar expression.

They would've spent the whole day staring at each other if not for the sound from behind Minju that snapped them out of their trance.

They both looked towards the source, only to find a full rows of students looking up at them. Damn freshmen just have to be early.

Mortified, Minju removed herself from Baekhyun and immediately fled outside. He followed soundlessly.

She tried to fan her burning face as she looked at anything but him. "A-about tha–"

Baekhyun didn't give her time to complete her excuse before slipping his hand into hers once again and pulling her with him.

Her neck flared red. He's totally doing it on purpose. 

They finally reached his van and spotted Manager Kim standing outside. "Oh, you're here. I was just about to call you." He said when he saw them. "Stay inside, I'll get you guys something to drink. Don't let the reporters see you."

He opened the door of the car and greeted Minju before walking away.

Baekhyun urged her inside and kindly helped her with the food. "What's this?" He asked after shutting the door and taking a seat beside her. 

"O-oh, this...", she stuttered at the proximity. "Mom packed some food for you, you know, as thanks for visiting her.

Minju was momentarily blinded as he took off his mask and cap and ran a finger through his hair. She gasped, it was black.

Baekhyun looked at her with a blinding smile. "Oh! She didn't have to! I'm so thankful!"

"It's black..." She absent-mindedly pointed to his hair.

"Ah, right. How is it?" He asked while touching it. "Do I look like a student?"

"You look handsome." Minju blurted, then instantly backtracked. "N-no. I mean yes. You're handsome! I-I mean, you're always handsome! I mean, yes! It suits you!"

She cringed internally for making a bumbling fool out of herself. She lifted her head to see Baekhyun smirking at her. OHMYGOD HE LOOKS SO HOT

"Thanks" He replied with a chuckle. "And thank Mother for me too, please. Actually, can I have her number?"

They talked for fifteen more minutes before Manager Kim arrived with coffees for them. "It's your turn to shoot, Baekhyun. Be at the site in ten."

Baekhyun nodded and turned to Minju as his manager walked away. He hurried to get something from the backseat. 

Handing her an envelope he said, "There's going to be a non-profit charity award show held by my family's production company next week."

Minju took an expensive-looking invitation card out from the envelope and opened it. 

"There won't be any media inside because it's a private event. Would you like to accompany me as my plus one?"

Her head snapped towards Baekhyun. Had she heard wrong? "You want me... to go with you?"

"Yeah." He smiled sheepishly and added, "Others usually bring their agency juniors for exposure, if they don't have partners. But I don't have any."

Oh. So I'm just a replaceme–

"I know it's hard for you, but I'd love for you to be my date for the night."

–nt who? Did he just say date? 

"I'd love to be your date!" She replied before Baekhyun could change his mind.

He beamed at her. "Really? Thank you. I'll–" His phone buzzed in his lap. Manager Kim was calling.

"I need to go now." Minju nodded and opened the door of the van. Baekhyun put on his mask and jumped out before helping her out as well. 

"I'll call you." He said as he touched her forehead to gently fix her hair. She melted at the casual gesture. "Thanks again."

They parted in the hallways as he headed to the shooting site and Minju to her department where Sua was impatiently waiting for her.

She handed Sua the envelope and continued walking, leaving her friend behind.

"WHAT IS THIS?!"

Minju looked at the famous people around her who were sipping on fancy wine and talking to other famous people.

She felt out of place; even in her unfamiliar but pretty makeup, body-hugging dress and shiny jewellery.

Biting into a macaron she had grabbed from the dessert table, she waited for Baekhyun to join her back from wherever he went.

"Hey." Minju turned to the voice that had called out to her. But it wasn't Baekhyun. It was the person she wished she'd never run into again.

Kwon Seri.