"So why are we hiding out in the stairway of the Central Library again?" Kierra questioned after biting into her milk bread.

After classes were done for the day, the cousins ended up meeting at the Central Library's stairwell due to Linna and Melanie's messages. Kierra and Serena had no clue what was going on, but they brought over snacks.

"Because the girls found out I'm dating Sunghoon

"Because the girls found out I'm dating Jake."

Both Linna and Melanie responded with a defeated sigh yet continued to eat their jam-filled bread, absentmindedly.

"You mean that they found out the two are you fake dating, right?" Serena corrected, confused.

"No. They actually think we're dating, dating, for real." Linna explained.

Both Kierra and Serena laughed out loud at their sisters' predicament

"How?" The older two chorused.

The younger two shrugged, giving different answers.

"Maybe because of Jake."

"Maybe because of Sunghoon."

"Like, there has to be some way they found about it all though, right?" Kierra reasoned as Serena listed possible people.

"Hmm, since it's faking dating, maybe Jeon Hyewon or Choi Rika mentioned something and it spread?"

"No way." Melanie disagreed.

"Jeon Hyewon was not happy with the results and so I'm sure she and Choi Rika didn't say anything in hopes that they themselves could get at them."

Serena's face lit up, teasingly a second later.

"Or maybe our friends caught the two of you holding hands when the two walk y'all to classes today and saw the new keychain on your backpacks."

"Which is hella cute by the way." Kierra commented with a look.

"Could y'all ask them where they got it?"

Linna and Melanie just eyed her as Kierra laughed.

"Okay, okay."

"Anyway," Serena got back on track.

"How long are y'all gonna plan on hiding out because they're blowing up the chat."

Serena flashed them her phone as the group chat with their friends kept updating with responses and hasn't stopped since they found out about Linna and Melanie. Melanie and Linna groaned again as Serena chuckled, chewing on her melon bread and sipping a strawberry milk carton.

"I guess y'all are gonna have to confess now, yeah?"

"No way." They declined with widened eyes before Melanie cast them with a look.

"Besides, Jake and I aren't like that compared to Linna and Sunghoon even though we're both in the same boat with the whole situation."

Linna scoffed.

"He doesn't even know that it was me that wrote him those letters yet we're in this fake dating situation bit."

Melanie scoffed, too.

"I didn't even write Jake one, but people think I did and now I'm in that situation, too."

"I mean, I'm surprised this is still going on." Serena commented, amused.

"Like, the plot thickens and y'all are living out one of those drama series."

The younger two scoffed, not enjoying it. Serena tried to think of this logically.

"Look, Linna, you like Sunghoon. Maybe this could work in your favor if you confess to him since it seems like Sunghoon doesn't mind hanging out with you and even pretending to aate."

Serena looked at her sister.

"And you, Melanie, maybe Jake likes you or something. I mean, you suggested a fake breakup, but he kinda dodged the question. Anyway, even though you say that you don't like him, but you don't mind going along with all this fake dating and now being tutored on top of it, too."

Serena looked from one to the other with a worried look.

"Then again, y'all really need to have that talk before this goes on further. I mean, we've seen how fake dating goes in movies, shows, and even within books, but like this is real life with real feelings. One or both or all of you may end up getting your feelings hurt one way or another."

Kierra agreed as she gave her sister and younger cousin a knowing look.

"Just like Serena said, but what are y'all gonna do now then?"

They both shrugged while eating their own bread. Serena looked at them before speaking with a small smile, trying to ease the situation.

"So if the girls found out, then maybe the boys have, too? This would actually make another nice short story to write soon."

The younger two groaned as Kierra laughed then frowned when she caught Serena's mischievous eyes.

"What?"

"Don't act like I didn't know about you finishing that photobook."

"What photobook?" The younger two inquired as Kierra sighed, not wanting Serena to come after her, too.

"For Jay's birthday gift, I gave him a photobook of all the photos I took for assignments relating to him."

"Ooh."

"Lovely."

Kierra groaned in response as the younger two asked if she had a copy that they could see, too.

"It's at home."

"Anyway, well, we can't ignore our friends forever. We work with them and have classes with them, too." Serena stated with a shrug.

"Just depends on how y'all wanna go about it."

They all nodded, understandingly as Kierra remembered something.

"Well, then again, it may be hard as we're supposed to support our friends during their Dance Showcase next month and they expect us to check-in on them from time to time during their practices later, too."

"Oh, right." Melanie commented, also recalling something.

"We promised to be their cheerleaders to cheer them on."

"And design shirts to show off, too." Linna chimed in a second later.

The four munched on their breads and sipped their milk until Kierra checked the group chat and noticed Serena and Seohoo's name began popping up in the midst of the other two's incidents. Kierra cast Serena with a teasing look.

"So, what are you gonna do about your rumor about being Seohoo's girlfriend?"

"Ah, . I forgot about that." Serena groaned as she facepalmed herself.

"I knew I shouldn't have said that to those dumb people."

"Well, now they think he might be the one that gave you the red hoodie." Kierra commented with a laugh, reading the chat.

"And that you haven't been wearing it lately either, so probably thought you two had a fight."

Linna and Melanie also checked their phones and began giggling. The other two looked over at them, puzzled. The pair showed their phones.

"Actually, they're wondering if Serena's playing so many guys at once and why she doesn't say she likes anyone while the red hoodie is being placed on someone else instead of Eunchan."

Serena groaned again.

"This is why I need to not associate with the opposite gender. This is what gets me into the most trouble ever."

"That's your fault." The trio chimed as Serena just waved off their words before grabbing her own phone.

Serena typed in the chat to let them know that she's not dating anyone, that she's still single as ever, and has no crush on anyone either. As for the real owner of red hoodie, Serena just told them she bought it herself and wanted to mess with them.

"Okay, done."

Serena put her phone away and noticed the Melanie and Linna typing as well.

"What are y'all putting?"

"Just saying that we're dating as it is pretend." Linna reasoned as Melanie nodded.

"Yeah, so that way they can leave us alone for now, but that we don't want to do a group date either though."

"Hopefully that goes well." Kierra remarked as she read through the chat while looking over at Serena.

"Their sad that you don't have a boyfriend."

"Don't care."

Kierra laughed as she put her phone away with the other two doing the same.

"Anyway, for now it's okay."

Kierra looked at the others.

"Once summer break starts we can run away back home and from our boy troubles."

"Y'all got boy troubles." Serena corrected, but the other three her.

"You still have to return Heeseung's his suit jacket before then." Melanie stated as Linna nodded.

"You've had that for quite a while now."

"I'll get to it when I do." Serena dismissed their words nonchalantly.

"Girl, don't act like you haven't interacted with him constantly since winter holiday, too." Kierra stated with a knowing look.

"Didn't I see you in the photos of the whole basketball thing from like Seohoo, Yorch, Junho, Woonggi, and Hyeongjun's social media accounts?"

Serena made a face.

"That's not the same. Besides, I sat there and didn't really do anything until they forced me to shoot all the foul shots."

"Actually, it is." Melanie reasoned.

"Just a different route than us three."

"Whatever." Serena dismissed with a wave.

"Let's just go home and we can order in."

The other three agreed, happily.

"Ooh, great idea."

"I want some dakjangjeong."

"We can get pizza, too."

"Anyway, we can also plan our trip back home, too."

The four packed up their belongings and while exiting the building, Melanie and Linna's phone went off as they received a similar notification.

"." They both responded upon reading the message as their sisters looked at them, worried.

"What?"

"Jake wants to go on a pretend date this Friday."

"Sunghoon wants to go on a pretend date this Friday."

The pair answered while letting out a deep sigh.

"Sounds fun." Serena cooed in a playful manner.

"Might as well build up the fakeness to a genuine one or y'all can just decline and end the fake relationship now."

"I said go." Kierra reasoned.

"Just go have fun and see how they're are."

"If Jay asked you to hang out, then you'll go?" Linna countered as Kierra shook her head.

"No."

The younger two scoffed as Kierra laughed.

"Whatever."

"Anyway, we can't go. We work that day." Melanie informed them as Serena pointed to herself and Kierra with an easy-going smile.

"We can work it instead. Just go on that lovely date."

Melanie and Linna still made a face about the whole thing, but reluctantly responded back to Jake and Sunghoon and agreed to go on the date. They put away their phones again before looking at their sisters.