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Haerin presses her lips together after applying a tinted lip balm. As she gives herself a final check look in the mirror, her phone pings. She looks down on her screen and it’s a message from Baekhyun.

Baekhyun: I’m outside.

Haerin drops her lip balm carelessly. She lowers her head down and holds it in both of her hands, tousling her hair and not caring she messes it up. She groans when she reads Baekhyun’s text once again. They haven’t even started yet and she already feels like it’s actually a stupid plan and has lost her confidence.

Her phone pings again.

Baekhyun: Dude, we’re going to be late.

At the same time her mom knocks on her door, yelling her to get her lazy move and don’t make her friend outside waits too long. Haerin quickly types her reply that she’s coming. She puts her lip balm into her bag and tidies her hair. She scrambles to open her door before her mom can punch a hole into it for being so impatient.

“Is that your new boyfriend?”

“What? Ew. No.”

She takes a deep breath and lets it out before pushing down the hand of the front door. The sight of Baekhyun leaning against her mailbox, idly playing with his phones, one hand tucked inside his pants is a great morning call to Haerin. And Baekhyun’s side profile is to die for—his jaw is so sharp it feels like it can cut, his too long bangs almost covers his eyes adorably, and his lips— Haerin snaps herself up because thinking of a man’s lips in this early morning feels scandalous. Especially when Baekhyun is not her boyfriend.

But Baekhyun has always been the good-looking guy in their circle of friends. Actually, they have a lot but Baekhyun catches her eyes the most. And this is actually one of another reasons why Jingoo dislikes him too but Haerin will never let him know that.

“You’re ready?”

Ready for what? Baekhyun’s question is a bit confusing. Ready for school? Or ready for putting up our fake dating act?

Right. Baekhyun is not her boyfriend.

He is her fake boyfriend.

They’re actually, seriously, truly, doing this.

 ⏩

On the way from Haerin’s place to school, the two put a good distance between them. But when they get nearer their school and see more students wearing the school uniform on the road, Baekhyun gets closer and closer and in the end he puts his arm around Haerin. Which makes Haerin literally jumps in surprised. Baekhyun looks down at her and gives her a look.

“It feels a bit weird.” Haerin’s eyes look to the left and right, noticing they have gathered a lot of spectators and students start glancing their way, whispering something to their friends who are next to them.

Baekhyun squeezes her should, o