(Youngjae's Perspective)

At this point, the only thing that needed to be done was for Youngjae's umma to call and get a date set up. Something that could happen at any moment since Jaebeom had checked in with Daehyun and Youngjae earlier to tell them that Mrs. Yoo had responded positively to his proposition and said she'd get on it soon.

Youngjae wished it would happen sooner, but if he had to guess, his umma was waiting to discuss it with his appa before going through with it.

Youngjae returned from the kitchen, two mugs of tea in hand, to find Daehyun giggling to himself next to the piano. He cleared his throat at noticing Youngjae's presence and took the mug he was handed, immediately hiding the fact that he couldn't stop the giggles behind it. “Thank you.”

“What's got you giggling so much?” Youngjae amusedly asked as he took his seat in front of the piano.

“Oh, uh-” Daehyun cleared some raspiness from his throat and drowned down any that remained with a steadied sip of tea. “Well... the exercises I've been doing to help with my vocal pitch sometimes make my throat tickle. It's uh... hard not to laugh about it,” he explained, a hint of a chuckle present in his voice. “I'll definitely make sure to not do that in front of your parents, though.”

Daehyun had explained the vocal thing to Youngjae, about how he was trying to raise his pitch just enough to where it wasn't so obviously male and could pass as a female with a lower pitch. Daehyun had also demonstrated it with the reasoning that it'd probably help if Youngjae heard it beforehand, something Youngjae agreed with.

It wasn't too different, but just different enough that it wouldn't ring any alarms. The soft way he spoke was still prevalent, the tone just sounded... sweeter? Lighter?

Right as Youngjae set his mug down to get in some playing, his phone began to ring. A look at the caller ID told him that the next step was in process. “It's my umma,” he sighed. After a bit of thought, he silenced the call. At Daehyun's inquisitive look, he explained, “If I answer first try, it could come off like I'm anticipating it.”

Daehyun nodded his understanding. “Acting different than you normally would could possibly raise suspicion,” he agreed slowly.

“Exactly.” Youngjae watched as his phone showed one missed call before it immediately flashed into getting another call from his umma, which he immediately silenced again. 'I'll let it go through one more time, then answer on the third. That should be enough to not make her suspicious.' Besides, he had something he needed to clarify with his boyfriend first. “Daehyun?”

He was mid sip, so Daehyun just hummed in a questioning tone.

“I just want you to know that the tone I take with my umma has nothing to do with you,” Youngjae declared. The way Daehyun blinked urged out more. “As you said, if I act differently than I normally do, she could get suspicious. And given that I'm always annoyed with her when she's trying to set me up with a girl, if I'm anything but, she might question why I'm suddenly so willing.”

Daehyun drummed his fingers on the sides of the mug in his hands. “I understand,” he said quietly. “I'll... keep that in mind. But um, I'm also going to try and not listen in on your conversation? As much as I can, at least...”

“It might be good for you to.” At his confused look, Youngjae explained, “You can take what I say and relay that information to Jaebeom to give him a head start on things.”

Daehyun nodded his understanding and grabbed his phone from his pocket so he could message Jaebeom.

As the second missed call notification popped up, Youngjae stood up so he could pace on the other side of the apartment. Not even a second after he'd heaved himself off the piano bench, the third call rang out, and with a shared nod of reassurance between him and Daehyun, Youngjae answered it.

“Oh, third time's a charm! Isn't it, Jae dear?” From the tone of her voice, she was certainly in good spirits. Her happiness grated on Youngjae's nerves in a way they really shouldn't, but it was hard not to feel bitter at the thought she was so thrilled to walk all over who her son was as a person to get what she wanted.

'Better calm down... I have no right to get so upset about something I have no control over.'

“I guess so.” Youngjae was already exhausted from the conversation, and it hadn't even been a minute. Maybe the tiredness came from knowing why she was calling and at how things would likely proceed until he faked giving in. “Is there something you needed?”

“Well, your appa and I were wondering if you'd come down and visit for dinner next weekend,” she invited, a hopeful lilt to her voice.

This was a trick she'd used before shortly after Youngjae had moved out. She'd invited him down for dinner but had also invited a girl over without his knowledge in the hopes that she'd catch her son's eye. Jieun technically had, but not in the way Youngjae's parents had been hoping.

That must be the tactic she was trying to employ now.

“Is this a family dinner, or is this another one of your ploys to introduce me to a girl?” he asked, letting annoyance seep into his words like he would if he wasn't aware of the plan beforehand. She let out a sigh, the tell tale signal that Youngjae had caught onto her. “I take it from your silence that it's the latter?”

“Youngjae, will you please let me explain?”

“I'm listening.” Youngjae spared a glance over at Daehyun and flashed him a thumbs up and a dimpled smile to assure him that things were fine and that this was all just for show. He nodded slightly and returned with a grin of his own, then brought his attention to the vibration of his phone. Likely a response from Jaebeom.

Youngjae tuned back into what his umma was saying right as she was beginning her pitch on why her son should meet the woman in question. “Daena really is such a dear, Youngjae. Very caring and supportive...”

Well, at least in her name dropping Youngjae knew his umma wasn't trying to set him up with some other girl. That would've thrown a complete wrench into their plan!

As she continued to ramble on, Youngjae was of two minds. One in thinking that it was kind of funny she was talking up a girl she'd never met to this extent. The second being curiosity, because if she was doing it now, how often had she done it in the past? How many of the girls she introduced him to or tried to get her son to meet had she actually met beforehand? Did she go into it just as blind as she made her son? Or was this a one time thing?

“I'm certain you two would get along great if you'd only come meet her,” she concluded. “I wouldn't try to introduce you to such a lovely woman if I didn't think you wouldn't work out, Jae dear.”

Youngjae suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at that last comment. From how he saw it, his umma would introduce any girl to him if they showed even a little bit of interest. “Umma,” he groaned in annoyance.

'Maybe how tired I get comes from going back and forth with her like this all the time? It really is tiring to tell her over and over that I'm not interested and have her never listen to me...'

At least this would be the last time he had to do it!

“Youngjae please, just... give this a chance? Just one chance and you'll see it'll be worth it in the end.”

He sighed, deciding this was the perfect chance to feign giving in and let it seem like she'd finally won this battle she insisted on fighting. “Fine. One chance is all you're getting, though,” Youngjae declared curtly.

“Really?” The genuine surprise in her voice was soon replaced with elation. “That's great to hear! One chance is all we need!”

“You said next weekend, right?” he recalled, and Youngjae shot a look at Daehyun to see if he was paying attention. He was mid sip of tea, but he flashed a thumbs up with his free hand to signify he was listening. “What day?”

“Oh, I was thinking Friday maybe? Does that work for you? Or would Saturday or Sunday be better?” Umma wondered with a cheerfulness Youngjae hadn't heard from her since Youngwon and Hyunmi were at the altar.

“I can do dinner on Friday,” youngjae answered slowly. Another look at Daehyun to make sure he got that, and since he began to type a message into his phone, Youngjae figured he was relaying that information Jaebeom's way.

“Alright, dinner next Friday it is!” she declared happily. “You won't regret this, Jae dear!”

“Goodbye, Umma. I'll see you next Friday.”

As soon as the call clicked to end, Youngjae let out what was possibly the longest exhale in history, like he'd been holding his breath the entire time and had been unaware of it. After slipping his phone into his pocket and running his fingers through his hair that was desperate for a trim, Youngjae settled back onto the piano bench.

“Are you okay?” Daehyun quietly wondered.

“Yeah.” Youngjae took a sip of the tea he'd left next to the music sheets to calm his nerves. “Phone calls with Umma always make me a bit... tired,” he admitted. “It's fine, though. She didn't catch onto anything, thankfully.” Youngjae gave him a little smile to assure his boyfriend that all was well. “What did Jaebeom say?”

“He said it worked for him,” Daehyun relayed. “I'll uh... I'll speak with Hyosung tomorrow to see about getting next Friday off. She shouldn't have a problem with it, though since I'm giving her plenty of forewarning.”

--

The week went by in a blur. Jieun learned of the plan when Youngjae went over to her and Yongguk's place so she could cut his hair on her day off. Youngjae still paid her for the trim, of course, and Jieun that it was cute that he was freshening up for his date. Then the two of them wished him and his boyfriend luck.

As it turned out, Daehyun got his hair trimmed the same day Youngjae did. For better ease of putting on his Daena wig, he'd explained. Less bobby pins to worry about, which was a struggle Youngjae knew of from his mode experience. But Daehyun probably would've gotten that trim anyway if the way he was constantly moving his fringe from his eyes and ears was any indication.

It was all much too quick for Youngjae's liking, but it was better than one day. It gave Daehyun time to work out scheduling with Hyosung, which also gave them times to mamke plans for after the fact. Since Hyosung decided to give him the whole weekend off instead of just Friday like he'd requested, Daehyun elected to go out to the lake house with Youngjae once it was offered as a choice.

Like a weekend vacation as a reward for a job well done! Or a cool off period away from life if things happened to go wrong. But with how much they'd put into making sure it would work, Youngjae was confident it'd be the former!

That didn't stop him from being nervous about it, though. His insides felt all jittery, and with the way Daehyun kept rotisserie twirling his fingers around yesterday, his nerves were all over the place, too. Youngjae's remedy to this was to invite his boyfriend to stay the night with him. Something Daehyun happily agreed to with the added note that he'd have to leave for a bit to pack his weekend bag.

But that didn't take him long to do, and Youngjae told him he'd bring it with him when he left for work so Daehyun wouldn't have to bring it with him when Jaebeom picked him up.

With each other's company under the blankets, they'd actually been able to get some sleep. The presence of someone else so easily put Youngjae's mind at ease. Even if his heart was flopping all over the place, it was still relaxing to fall asleep with Daehyun in his arms.

Daehyun wasn't there when Youngjae woke up, however. His initial thought was that he was in the bathroom, but Youngjae learned he was in the main chunk of the apartment after he stumbled down the hallway to find Daehyun on the couch with his concentration intently on what he was working on.

Daehyun noted Youngjae's presence at the squeak of the floorboard at the edge of the hallway and the main room. “Good morning,” he quietly greeted.

“Good morning,” Youngjae slurred, voice still a bit laced with that sleepy feeling. “How long have you been up?” he asked in a yawn, fumbling through the kitchen to get the things necessary for cereal.

He hummed lowly in thought, eyes still focused on the steady movement of the hook and yarn in his hands. “I got up about the time the sun rose,” he answered slowly, then paused to squint at the clock on the wall. “A little over an hour ago, I think?” Then Daehyun brought his attention back to what he was doing. “I didn't want to wake you, but I also didn't want to just leave without telling you. So I just... grabbed something from my bag to preoccupy myself while I was waiting for you to wake up.”

“So you haven't eaten yet?”

“...No.”

Youngjae glanced over at him to see he was carefully setting his yarn and hook into a basket that hadn't been on the coffee table the night before. “You could've made yourself some cereal while you waited. I wouldn't have minded.”

Daehyun rubbed the back of his neck. “I... don't normally eat breakfast.”

'Well, he's eating breakfast today. I'm not taking no for an answer on that!' Youngjae searched around and got a bowl and spoon for his boyfriend as well as for him. “You should at least get a little bit of something in you,” he said as he poured cereal then milk. “We've got a busy day ahead of us. Some energy to face that will do you good!”

Daehyun blinked a few times, face blank as his lips pursed slightly. Then he nodded to himself and moved to the table as Youngjae brought out their bowls. Very carefully, because he'd spilled cereal all over himself more times than he cared to count, and carrying two bowls at once only made it harder to not do so! He thankfully didn't, and Youngjae hoped that him not spilling their cereal everywhere counted as the first of many good fortunes that would happen today.

Today was definitely a day that needed many good fortunes!

Breakfast conversation was menial, but the simpleness of it got Youngjae's mind ready to face the day. From how Daehyun seemed to perk up, it did for him as well. Which Youngjae was thrilled to see! The day was without a doubt going to be far busier for his boyfriend than it was for him.

After Youngjae had gotten completely ready for the day and made sure the dishes were done because he wasn't going to let them sit the entire weekend, it was nearing time for him to leave. “Is this the bag I'm supposed to bring with me?” Youngjae motioned towards the familiar duffel bag by the door with his foot.

Daehyun made a tiny noise in affirmation. “It's got the things I need for proper wig aftercare... And it's also got some clothes and other necessities I might need over the weekend,” he explained as he joined Youngjae by the door. “I also put my yarn and things back in there while you were getting ready.”

“Got it, I'll put it in the backseat then.” Youngjae picked it up, glad that it wasn't particularly heavy. “Jaebeom's supposed to be picking you up around lunch, right?”

Daehyun nodded. “He said it was pretty far from here, so that was the best time to leave to make sure we're there on time.” On time for them meant about an hour before Youngjae would be getting off of work to begin his lonely drive out to his parents' house.

Youngjae's parents had apparently told Jaebeom they wanted to meet and have a chat with Daena beforehand, even with Jaebeom's glowing testimony. He'd agreed with the stipulation that he was there, too. Then he'd leave shortly before Youngjae was supposed to get there so Daehyun wouldn't be alone with them for too long. Something both Youngjae and Daehyun were thankful for!

“I'm going to forewarn you again that the way I act around my parents has nothing to do with how I feel about you,” Youngjae reassured.

Daehyun had admitted that sometimes it was hard for his brain to really grasp what was being said to him, so Youngjae made sure to tell him this a few times since the fake date had been set to allow his brain to be able to wrap around the idea better. The reiteration certainly helped his boyfriend!

But he added a bit more to it this time. “Because honestly... I'm very grateful you're doing this. I'll figure out a way to repay you for sticking your neck out like this for me!”

“This... isn't something you need to pay me back for,” he said softly. “I-I'm doing this because um... I... I...” Daehyun paused, lips pulling into a tiny smile and keeping his gaze off to the side. “I care about you, Youngjae. A-and when you care about somebody, you... you want to do what you can to make them happy and let them know how you feel.”

Then Daehyun flicked his gaze back to Youngjae with a look full of vulnerability, and Youngjae's breath caught in his throat. His complete lack of guard was quite possibly Daehyun's ultimate show of trust. Being given that had Youngjae's heart skipping beats and fluttering wildly!

Without giving it more thought than that, Youngjae gently cupped Daehyun's face with his free hand and pressed their lips together in a sweet kiss. “I care about you too, Daehyun. So much...” Youngjae pulled back just enough to get a good look at Daehyun's face and reveled in just how brightly his boyfriend was beaming. Youngjae stole another quick kiss from him. “I'll see you this evening. Please don't push yourself too hard today, okay?”

“I'll try not to.”

--

A/N:

I guess schemer level is now at like... 8? Since Jieun knows, and I'm pretty sure Jongup would've been informed about it while Zelo was t Daehyun's hair.

Speaking of the trims, it's not a drastic change in looks. It's like, Daehyun's is the Coffee Shop look (the look with the white button up and tie specifically) except for a bit lighter like the colour of his introductory picture in Chapter 1. And Youngjae's is uh... it's also his Coffee Shop look, except for darker like his introductory picture in Chapter 2. And without the hats, even though I love the beanie and that red floppy hat is so fascinating...

Also, I've been thinking of updating the cover photo for this story. I updated the description, went through and updated some of the earlier chapters (because I wrote those chapters back in November/December of last year and some of the things weren't reflective of where the story is now), so why not update the cover photo too? What do y'all think?

Next chapter, we get to meet Youngjae's parents and -fun fact- I haven't come up with their names yet! Here's hoping the placeholders I use don't make it into the final thing.

ANYWAYS, I appreciate hearing y'all's thoughts, or your theories, and I also appreciate the fact y'all are reading this at all! It makes me happy to know people are enjoying what I'm writing, avid commenters and silent readers alike.