“Yeah, I’m actually dating Yuma right now,”

You put on your biggest (fakest) smile as you hug Yuma’s arm while staring at your ex, who has been bothering you ever since the breakup six months ago. You can feel Yuma’s eyes on you – instead of returning the eye contact, you continue to smile at your ex while silently praying that Yuma would just get along with the lie. 

And also mentally sighing, because what you thought was a short run to a convenience store to buy your favourite chips turns into bumping into Yuma (which is not a bad thing, it’s just that… you just don’t want to see anyone right now), then… your ex.

Is it so hard for a girl to live in peace? You just want to buy snacks to eat while watching Studio Ghibli movies, to wind down after a long week…

“Is this… for real?”

Your ex asks in disbelief. You eagerly nod, and look at Yuma who just shifted his eyes away from you – brightly, hoping that your ex can see the love (nonexistent) in your eyes.

“Yeah. I’m dating her now. We’ve been keeping it low for a while, because you know, she’s trying to process her emotions and things. And private, because we don’t want people talking,”

Yuma’s words make you feel relieved and extremely grateful to him for going along with the act. And also to heaven, because you’re being blessed with a friend that’s quick witted and able to read the room. 

“You guys are lying, there’s no way– there’s no way she’ll be in love with you, dude,”

“I think you’re the one who’s lying. To yourself, by the way. Because we’re very much in love with each other, right, baby?”

Yuma looks at you, and you nod at him while your lips curl into an even bigger smile. Your cheeks are definitely going to be sore after this interaction ends, you think to yourself, as you’re smiling really wide and keeping it steady to show that you’re extremely happy (pretending, actually).

“There’s no way, Y/N. You– we were so in love with each other! You– you’re such a fucking traitor,”

Your ex moves closer to you while getting emotional – his voice raised, eyes looking like it’s going to pop out of its socket, and face reddened. Yuma instantly steps forward, hiding you behind his back as he pushes your ex away.

“Hey. I don’t appreciate you accusing my girlfriend of such things,”

“Fuck off dude!”

“Or what? Are you going to throw a punch on me or something? For protecting my girlfriend? I can definitely take punches, but are you ready to take mine?”

You shut your eyes tightly – why men often resort to violence to settle things? You hope that Yuma’s words are just an empty threat, to get your ex off you and leave you alone. Because if not… you’re definitely in for the long night.

Yuma steps forward to intimidate your ex more, causing you to panic – you instantly tugs on his hand to gain his attention. Once his eyes are on you, you desperately shake your head, hoping that it would stop Yuma from starting the fight.

“You know what. On second thought, both of you fit each other well. A bitch and a playboy, what a good combination,”

Yuma raised his fist upon hearing your ex addressing you as bitch – your eyes turned wide and you immediately wrapped your arms around Yuma’s waist tightly, before you forced him to take a few steps back with you.

“Let’s not fight, please. Please. Please, Yuma,”

“He called you a bitch.”

“Nakakita Yuma, please. No. Please,”

You heave a relieved sigh when you watch Yuma slowly lowering his fist, before glaring at your ex for bringing trouble to you. Your ex chuckles, and childishly throws both of his middle fingers in the air before exiting the convenience store.

“Why did you date a fucking loser?”

“I regretted it. I really am. Thanks for stepping in, Yuma. I’ll… pay for whatever you’re going to buy as a thank you,”

“If I want to buy this store?”

You badly want to roll your eyes at his words, but he helped you earlier, so you can’t act all sassy to the man who just saved you from your ex.

“Whatever you’re going to reasonably buy as a thank you,”

Yuma chuckles as you clarify yourself, while you sigh and shake your head – exhausted with your ex and Yuma’s antics.

“There’s no need. And I’m sorry for getting too carried away. I’m allergic to men who can’t respect boundaries,”

“Please, let me pay for something as a thank you,”

“No. Let me pay for you instead. You deserve a treat after… meeting with that kind of man.”

“...Huh?”

You’re caught off guard at his words, because not only he refuses to let you treat him as a thank you – he’s also offering to treat you for having such a bad encounter with your ex.

“Pick anything, Y/N.”

Yuma then left you after saying that, heading to the aisle he intended to go earlier before being roped into becoming your boyfriend. You watch Yuma as he hums while walking away – another sigh escapes your lips, before you decide to accept his offer and begin picking your snacks. You then follow him around in silence – he did a few rounds in the convenience store before finally heading to the counter to pay.

“Do you need these to be packed separately?”

The cashier asks after confirming that Yuma is paying for yours, and Yuma shakes his head as a response.

“Eh? Separately, please.”

“I’m walking you home, so there’s no need for that. Just pack it together, please.”

You look at Yuma with a puzzled face, and Yuma chuckles at your reaction before he points outside with his eyes. You instantly realize what’s going on and roll your eyes – you’re about to seriously throw a tantrum, because why the hell is your ex waiting for you outside the convenience store?

“Sorry for troubling you, Yuma,”

“Nah. I have to get my 10k steps anyway. Let’s go,”

Both you and Yuma thank the cashier before Yuma reaches his arm out – you quickly understand what he’s hinting on, and lightly hug his arm just like you did earlier.

“Thank you again, Yuma,”

Yuma just smiles at you. Both of you exited the convenience store, and you can immediately see your ex’s figure from the corner of your eyes.

“Don’t be so tense. Pretend like he’s not here, or else he’ll notice that you’re lying. If he’s not an idiot,”

Yuma said in a hushed voice – if it wasn’t you being close to him, you definitely would’ve missed his words. You exhaled a deep sigh, trying to loosen up all the muscle and make yourself appear relaxed, while tightening your grip on Yuma’s arms.

Both of you walked in silence – you’re too stressed to say anything, and Yuma noticed that, so he didn’t bother breaking the silence. You guide Yuma into your apartment building, and bring him to the front of your house – just in case if your ex is watching both of you, somewhere.

“Thanks, Yuma.”

“It’s… nothing. Glad I can help. Let me know if he’s still bothering you, yeah?”

Yuma hands the plastic bag to you after stuffing his snacks in his hoodie’s pockets, making you chuckle as he looks like a big belly penguin right now.

“I don’t think he’ll bother me… at least for now,”

“Okay. But if he does… Don't hesitate to call me, okay?”

“Alright. Will do,”

“Great. Get inside first,”

You nod, and waved him goodbye before closing the door. Instead of making your way to the living room, you stand in front of the door while pressing your lips into a thin line – you’re contemplating on whether to say your thoughts out loud, or not. Another deep sigh escapes your lips before you open your door, and quickly turns your head around to find Yuma.

“Yuma!”

Lucky for you, Yuma isn’t that far – maybe because he’s carrying lots of snacks in his pocket, so he walks slowly.

“Yeah?”

Yuma turns his head to you, and waddles back to your door.

“I– I, uh. Thank you. For stepping in, and for being a gentleman. I– I didn’t think that you’ll actually play along… so I'm… grateful. Thank you,”

“It’s… truly nothing, Y/N. It’s an honour to be your fake boyfriend for 10 minutes,”

“Huh?”

“And I will do anything, actually, to save a pretty girl in distress.”

Yuma shot a flirty wink at you, causing you to laugh before you shake your head. There’s a reason why Yuma earned his title as a playboy in the campus – he smoothly flirts with everyone, and by everyone, you mean literally everyone. You vividly remember how red Jo’s face when Yuma flirted with him – that boy keeps fanning himself with his book despite the hall being cold as hell.

“Flirty boy. Playboy.”

“Your flirty boy. Your playboy, Y/N.”

Yuma winked again, making a chuckle escape from your lips.

“Whatever. Good night, Yuma.”

“Good night, Y/N. Dreams of me, maybe I’ll be your real boyfriend in that dream of yours?”

“Don’t push your luck, Yuma,”

“Well, a man can dream.”

additional notes: thank you for reading till the end <3

“Why did I find out that you’re going to your first love’s wedding through Euijoo?”

Kei’s voice that comes out of nowhere makes you jump in surprise – luckily you had already put your lipstick’s applicator down, or else, you definitely would’ve smudged your face with it. You turn around and find your best friend staring at you intensely while leaning against the door’s frame, with arms crossed over his chest. 

“Yudai. You scared me.”

“You’re scaring me more. Did my best friend's status just get demoted? Why do I have zero clues that you’re going to his wedding? Why didn’t you let me know that he invited you? And most importantly, why did you not tell me anything?”

You sigh.

“Because I know you’ll get mad,”

You said while putting your lipstick into your makeup pouch, before placing it in your handbag.

“Of course I will be mad, Y/N. That guy played you like a game, and he invited you to come to his wedding? For what? To show off that he’s doing well, and get a boost of ego from ruining your love life?”

“Yudai,”

“And why the hell are you going? Just to be nice?”

“Yudai, he apologized,”

“That– you call that an apology? Even a 6 year old can apologize more sincerely than he did. Tell me why you’re going,”

Another sigh escapes your lips as you turn off your vanity lights, before you approach Kei.

“Yudai, I’m going as… his acquaintances? His contact? Just as a person that he knows. He invited me, and I should go. About all the things that he did to me, I– I don’t want to hold onto those memories anymore, Yudai. I moved on, remember? I don’t know the current version of him, and you don’t know that either. And I don’t want to know. I just want to show up, smile, maybe have a small talk, and leave. Just to be… civil. Polite. Respectful…?”

Kei rolled his eyes multiple times while listening to you, and you once again got reminded over how sassy your best friend is.

“Whatever. If you’re going, you’re not going alone. You’re going with me,”

“Yudai,”

“Don’t complain or I’ll tell your mama everything and let her nag you from the sunset until the sunrise. Wait here.”

You sigh as you watch your best friend jogs out of your house – he’s definitely going to change his clothes and get ready to come with you. You and Yudai live in the same apartment building, and on the same floor – his house is down the hallway and you’re at the other end of the hallway. Both of you didn’t plan to live nor buy a house close to each other – it’s pure coincidence. Maybe because both of you are best friends, so you shared a lot of things in common, including the type of apartment that you want to live in.

You decided to wait on the couch, and kill your boredom by scrolling through the social medias. 30 minutes later, Kei showed up in a suit with his hair neatly slicked back – minus a few strands of hair that he purposely left loose to frame his face. It’s refreshing to see his forehead after a while – you’re so used to seeing him with his bangs falling forward (and his signature cowlick hair).

“Wear this, I already wear one,”

Kei hands you a ring, making you tilt your head as questions start piling up in your mind.

“Why?”

“Why not? I told you he might get his ego boost from seeing you single, so you should wear a ring.”

“Huh? Am I being forced into fake dating my own best friend right now?”

“We’re engaged in my story,”

“Huh?”

Kei rolls his eyes as you don't understand what’s going on, and forcefully (in a gentle way) puts the ring on your fourth finger.

“Engaged. To me. I’ll explain more in the car. Let’s go.”

You nod, deciding on not insisting on getting the explanation right away since there’s not much time left until the wedding starts, and follow Kei out of the house. He leads you to the basement car park, unlock his car, then opens the door for you.

“Thanks,”

Kei just smiles as a response and gently closes the door, before he jogs to the driver’s side. He drives both of you away, following the navigation on the screen. 

“We’re engaged, if anyone asks. Don’t slip up,”

Kei said and spares a glance at you, before he focuses back on the road.

“Why? I… don’t understand,”

“Y/N, why did he invite you but not me? And to be honest, if he was being polite and wanted to invite you just ‘for the sake of old times’, he should’ve done it through me. Not directly to you. Or even if he did directly invite you, why did he leave me out?”

Kei’s words somehow make sense – everyone in the school knows that you and Kei are practically glued onto each other, given that both of you have been best friends since you were kids. And during that phase – you called it ‘the great breakup era’, Kei was the one who confronted him and questioned the hell out of him. That was the first time you saw Kei get extremely mad, and realized that your best friend is definitely protective over you, in a good manner, of course.

Funny how you called it the great breakup era when he wasn’t yours to begin with. He played you like a game, as per Kei’s words – making you feel attached before ghosting you out of the blue and avoiding you like the plague.

“Maybe because he feels… uncomfortable? You almost punched him back then, remember?”

“Yet somehow he feels comfortable inviting the girl he messed around with.”

“Yudai,”

“I won’t let him take satisfaction in knowing you never loved again after him.”

“Won’t…it be... better for me to just appear… single? Like… you know… maybe he would think like ‘oh she’s really independent. She does just well on her own. She excels in everything by her own…?’”

“Do you really think he would think like that?”

“I don’t know… might be? An independent, career driven woman sounds amazing.”

Kei sighs.

“To you. Not to them, Y/N. I know them well. Everything is about social status – single? You’ll be looked down upon. Engaged? Okay, you can talk to them, maybe. Engaged and career driven? You’re cool! Married, have children, and still doing well in your career? Bravo!”

You press your lips into a thin line – you aren’t that close to your school friends like Kei does. You often decline the invitation to meet up because you’re too busy (in enjoying the solitude – you also picked up a lot of hobbies and have tons of books to be read, so you’re not lying when you say that you are busy), so Kei definitely knows them better than you do. You only see them once in a while, whenever you feel like going to the gathering.

“Okay… we’re engaged. And then what? Won’t they catch us in a lie sooner or later?”

“I’ll make sure it’s going to be later. Don’t stress, I’ll handle everything, including the talking part. Just stick with me and be pretty,”

“Fine…”

You replied with a defeated tone. Whatever the consequences later, you’re going to make sure Kei handles it because he’s the one that forced you to fake an engagement with him. You looked down on the ring adorning your fourth finger – another question pops up in your mind. Seeing that you still have time before arriving at the venue, you decide to ask.

“How did you have an engagement ring on standby?”

“That’s Nicholas’s. He designed it and sent it to me for some feedback on the designs. I’m glad it fits you nicely,”

You nod, understanding where the engagement ring comes from. Nicholas is Kei’s friend, who’s a jewellery and fashion designer, and is on track to launch his own brand soon. 

As you approach the venue, you can’t help but feel nervous – you’re worried that this whole fake engagement thing is going to be a mess, simply because you’re not a good actor. Kei, on the other hand, acts very well – sometimes too well, to the point you can’t tell whether he’s telling the truth or lying.

“I almost forgot. Change your wallpaper into default,”

Kei said while smoothly parking his car, and you quickly change your wallpaper from a photo of your recently biased k-actor to default one. Kei exits the car first, before he opens the door on your side and helps you to get out.

“Right, Y/N. Being engaged means a lot of skinship too. Whisper to me if you feel uncomfortable with my gesture, okay?”

“Um… we’re just going to hold hands… right?”

“Mainly. Might hold you by your waist if needed, but I’ll try my best to let you know beforehand. If I didn’t manage to, please put your poker face on,”

“Okay. I’ll try my best to not… show it through my face.”

“Good.”

Kei extended his arm and motioned to you to hold it – you exhaled a deep breath before hugging his arms, and both of you walked into the elevator that leads to the venue.

“Yudai, the endearment terms–”

You were about to address it when the elevator’s door opened, revealing your school friends who were waiting for it.

“Baby. You. Me, whatever,”

Kei said – his lips didn’t move, but his voice could clearly be heard by you. You’re amazed at the acting skill that your best friend possesses, might as well become a real actor, you think to yourself.

“Oh, Y/N and Kei! Nice to see you both!”

Your friends greeted you and Kei, and you smiled before returning the greeting. After having a small talk, your friends excuse themselves as they need to hurry to their car as they left the wedding gift money behind.

“Yudai, the wedding gift money–”

“I have it sorted. Don’t worry.”

You nod, and follow Kei’s lead – both of you go to the reception counter to sign your name and Kei gives the wedding gift money to them. You noticed that he had written both your name and his on the envelope – he must have done it while getting ready earlier. Your best friend is really thorough despite the short notice (he brought it upon himself by insisting on going together with you). 

“Kei! Y/N! It’s been a while since I saw both of you! And… what do we have here?”

“Nice to see you too, Fumiya san. What do we have here? What do we have here, baby?”

Kei smiles at you – You quickly mirror his smile despite feeling flustered by him calling you ‘baby’. 

“We have two couples to be congratulated, huh? Don’t forget to invite me to your wedding,”

“Definitely. We should head inside, the ceremony is about to start,”

Fumiya nods, and the three of you head into the hall before sitting down in the section reserved for friends. A few more friends greet you, and you really just have to smile and return the greeting – whenever they start asking, Kei would answer it on your behalf.

“So far, are you okay?”

Kei softly asks, checking in on you in case you begin to feel overwhelmed by the whole ordeal.

“Yeah. I’m okay,”

“Good. Let me know if anything, yeah?”

“Will do,”

The spotlight shifting to the door makes everyone turn their head – the door then opens, revealing the beautiful bride. You can hear gasps, and guests giggling, probably finding the bride pretty. The bride slowly walks down the aisle with her father, with a wide smile on her lips. Your eyes glued on the bride as she steps closer to the altar with full of grace, before your eyes fall on your first love. 

You feel relieved that you don’t feel hurt, or any negative feelings while watching the bride and the groom exchanging vows, rings, and kissing each other. You truly had moved on, and made peace with fate – plus, it has been 12 years since that terrible incident. People change and grow, so you truly don’t know the current him – the version of him that you know was the high schooler one. He might become wiser, or he might become a complete asshole – but nevertheless, you don’t want to know the current version of him. He’s your past, that you had tucked away like an old album – one that you occasionally open to remember the old times.

“Are you okay?”

Kei asks again, and you can’t help but giggle over how worried your best friend is right now.

“I told you, I’m fine, Yudai.”

“Let me take a good look at you,”

Kei gently holds onto your chin with his fingers and inspected your facial expression thoroughly, before he nods to himself.

“You’re really okay,”

“How can you not believe me?”

“After you… not telling me about the wedding … I lost a bit of trust…”

Kei whispers the remainder of his sentence, not wanting people to hear as it might cause people to assume worse things about you.

“I’m sorry,”

“You’re forgiven. After you do me a favour,”

“Huh. Transactional. I never knew my best– my fiance– is a capitalistic guy,”

You almost slipped – luckily you managed to catch yourself before blowing the whole fake engagement thing.

“Seems like you have a lot more things to learn about your fiance,”

Kei winks before helping you to get up as the ceremony now officially ended. Guests now will go to the reception hall – you forgot how exhausting attending a wedding actually is. There's a ceremony, reception, and after-party – you’re definitely going to leave right after reception, because by the time for the after-party to be held, you’re probably starting to doze off.

“Hi, Y/N. It’s really been a while since I saw you. Kei, on the other hand…”

Takagi, one of your close friends back when you were in school greeted you – you just smiled politely, feeling extremely awkward after years of not meeting each other.

“Do not badmouth me in front of my fiancee, please. And it’s not like I see you everyday too, we see each other once in every three months, or whenever you come down to Tokyo,”

“Wait, fiancee? You’re engaged to Kei, Y/N?”

“Yeah,”

You replied shortly. You don’t have to elaborate, because it’s Kei’s job to do so.

“And how come I didn’t know about this?”

“No one knows other than our families. It’s fairly recent too,”

Kei begins telling the story –  you feel amazed once again over how consistent Kei is in talking about the engagement things. Your mind instantly drifts to how he could be a suspect who slips under the police’s fingers since he’s so consistent and confident in lying.

The reception then begins while the guests are being served their meals – you spare a few glances here and there, pretending to pay attention while your mind wanders on how delicious the food is. After the usual ceremony, the newlyweds begin greeting the guest, going from table to table.

Suddenly, you feel nervous again. You look at Kei, and Kei instantly notices your nervousness – he holds onto your hand tightly while giving you an assuring smile.

“I’m here. You’re going to be okay,”

“A bit nervous,”

“I know. I can see it on your face, baby,”

As the bride and groom approach your table, Kei pulls your chair closer to his and intertwines his fingers with yours. He lightly squeezes your hand, hoping that it will help you to ground yourself and get your nerves under control.

“My hand is not a stress ball,”

You said as he squeezed your hand for the second time. Kei’s face instantly shows that he’s offended by your words, causing you to chuckle.

“That’s not what you said to your fiance who’s trying to calm you down, sweetheart.”

“Stick to one. Baby, or sweetheart?”

“Baby honey darling sweetheart? I can add more if you want–”

“Hi Y/N. Kei,”

Kei’s words get interrupted by a familiar voice – you turn around and find the newlyweds standing behind both of you, with a wide smile on their lips.

“Hi, Takahashi,”

You respond before giving him – your first love – a polite smile, and lightly bow to both of them. They too, lightly bow to both of you in return.

“Congrats on your wedding, Takahashi,”

“Thanks, Kei. When’s your turn? I see there’s a ring on your finger. Dating someone?”

“Engaged, actually. To Y/N,”

You can see that Takahashi looks surprised at the news, and loses his composure for a moment before his lips curled into a smile again.

“I knew that both of you would end up together,”

“Yeah? Maybe you can give a speech, then. On knowing how we would end up together when we have no clue about it,”

“That would be an honour, really,”

“Why don’t we take a few photos with them, baby? We can do that… you know… the Tiktok trend?”

Kei asks – you’re surprised that he knows about that Tiktok trend, when he doesn’t have a Tiktok. You want to eye him with suspicion, but decide to suppress it for now and question him later.

“Sure, why not, love,”

You smile at him, and you could’ve sworn that you saw Kei’s facade falter. He genuinely looked surprised with the endearment terms, but it was so quick that you doubt that it actually happens.

“Okay, smile. 1,2,3~”

Takagi takes the photo of you, Kei and the newlyweds – after a few shots, both you and Kei thanked the newlyweds, and they too, thanked both of you.

“Hope you will be happy with Kei, Y/N,”

“I’m definitely happy, Takahashi. Wishing that you will be happy with your wife too,”

The newlyweds excused themselves right after, moving onto another table – you instantly exhaled a relieved sigh. It’s over, you think. You were worked up over nothing. But you don’t blame yourself – it’s just a normal response, especially towards the person who hurt you the most.

“Are you okay?”

You smile at Kei, before nodding.

“Sleepy.”

“Let’s go home once this ends,”

“Yeah. Can’t wait to go home and sleep,”

Kei chuckles at your words and lightly pinches your cheek, making a string of giggles escape from your lips.

“Ugh, I definitely can’t stand you both being lovey dovey in front of me.”

Takagi said before rolling his eyes, causing both of you to laugh at his reaction.

“Too bad, Takagi. You’re forced to stand until this reception ends,”

Kei said before pressing his cheeks against yours, wanting to get on his friend’s nerves more. Takagi rolls his eyes for the second time before shaking his head – Kei then begins asking about Takagi’s relationship status, and you just listen to their conversation while finishing up the dessert.

The reception finally ends after it feels like forever, and you’re really eager to go home and catch some sleep. But of course, you can’t walk away that fast – your friends keep greeting you as you walk out the reception hall, and having small talks with you since it’s been a while since you’ve seen each other. And the fact that you’re engaged to Kei only fuels their curiosity more, so they keep on asking, and talking.

You did believe that Kei’s words were right, but their enthusiastic reaction after knowing that you’re engaged to Kei and are doing well in your career solidifies that belief – your friends really see everything as a social status…

“Auch! Aw…”

You said as your ankle suddenly gave up – you would’ve kissed the ground if it wasn’t for Kei catching you instantly. 

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I think…”

Kei pulls you away from the crowd, and kneels down to check on your ankle and feet – once he’s sure that it’s nothing serious, he stands up again.

“Let’s switch shoes. You’re sleepy and… is losing control of your limbs,”

“I’m sleepy, not drunk,”

“And I want you to arrive home safe and sound. Let’s switch shoes,”

“Can you… really wear heels?”

“Ha… you really have a lot to learn about your fiance, don’t you?”

You can only chuckle as a response – Kei gets on his knees again, to take your heels off and puts his shoes on you. His shoes on you are quite big, but you can’t really complain – plus, it’s only until both of you reach the car.

“Wow… you’re already tall as hell, and the heels are making you as tall as basketball players,”

You commented as soon as Kei finishes putting on the heels – it doesn’t fit him either, but it seems like he doesn’t mind. In fact, he looks excited.

“You’re really, really short Y/N. So cute,”

“Shut up,”

“You’re pocket sized! Come here into my pocket!”

“I’ll kill you, Yudai,”

“Hey. That’s not a nice thing to say to your fiance,”

You just roll your eyes and slowly walk forward, heading to the elevator that you rode earlier. Kei, of course, sticks right next to you – you can hear your female friends whispering to each other about Kei’s gesture, saying something along the lines of him being a gentleman and that both of you are cute together.

“Oh, you guys are heading home already?”

That familiar voice again. You want to roll your eyes because you’re desperate to go home, yet here comes another obstacle for you to get over. Both of you look to your left and see Takahashi, whose coat is now draped over his arm.

“Yeah. Y/N is sleepy, so,”

“Too bad. I thought you guys would join the after party at the izakaya,”

“Y/N would be sleeping through the whole after party if we join, so.”

“Yeah. Sure, have a safe trip home, Kei. Y/N. Don’t forget to invite me to your wedding, yeah?”

“Definitely, Takahashi. Then,”

Kei lightly bows and you too, bow at Takahashi – the elevator then arrives and you hurried in, not wanting to stay any longer there. You begin dragging yourself once you exit the elevator – too sleepy to walk properly.

“You’re such a baby. How can you not stay up past your bedtime, Y/N?”

Kei crouches in front of you before he motions to you to get on his back. You have no energy to reply, and just drag yourself before collapsing on his back. 

“The shoes, baby. The shoes are falling, I can’t bend down in your heels while carrying you unless you want it to be broken,”

You groan before getting off his back, take off the shoes, hold it in your hand and get on his back again. 

“You called me baby when there’s no one around,”

Your words start to become slurry as the sleepiness becomes extremely unbearable for you. 

“You’re my fiancee until we gets out of this venue,”

“Yudai, if they ask us in the future, what are you going to say?”

You paused your words a lot in an attempt to make it comprehensible, while widening your eyes to fight the sleepiness away. It doesn’t help.

“That you’re my fiancee, still.”

“Until?”

You rest your cheek against his shoulder while closing your eyes, hoping that your consciousness won’t slip away soon.

“Until… until… until you fall in love with me?”

Kei nervously waits for your reply before he chuckles, knowing that you already entered dreamland based on your lack of response. A part of him feels relieved that you didn’t hear his confession – the other part is slightly disappointed, because he doesn’t know when he will find the courage to confess to you again.

“But even if you don’t, I’m happy that I get to be your fiance for a day, Y/N.”

“What the hell…”

You said as you look at your notifications that stacked up to the point that you think that it’s impossible to go through it one by one (it’s possible. You’re just a little dramatic. Well, that’s why you’re Kei’s best friend, aren’t you?).

You groaned – checking on your phone the first thing in the morning after falling asleep on the couch is definitely not the best idea. You can feel your neck is slightly sore, and there's an incoming headache from too many notifications on your phone.

“What happened?”

Kei asks before sipping his coffee – you turn to look at him, who’s occupying your dining table without a notice. Not that you mind –  living close together means that he will make your home like his and you too, do the same.

“The notifications, there’s a lot,”

“And… What did I say about social status?”

“I believed that you were correct but this… this is insane. Why the hell are they so eager to meet up? What is this? TRIPLE DATES TO DISNEYLAND? I’M NOT EVEN THAT CLOSE TO HER!”

“Oi, woman. Get up, wash your face, and let’s eat first while sorting out your… notifications.”

You heaved a deep sigh before begrudgingly got up from the couch, and headed to your bathroom. After washing your face and brushing your teeth, you grab your phone and pull the chair, sitting in front of Kei.

Kei pushes a plate full of toasted bread to you, before placing your favourite jam in front of you. Kei motioned to you to give him your phone, and you did – Kei then looked through your notification one by one.

“What the fuck?”

Kei’s swearing out of blue makes you look at him in surprise – your eyebrows almost knitted together as you wonder what caused him to react like that. He shoves your phone to your face, making you squint as it’s too close to read anything – you then bite your toast, wipe the crumbs off your hand and take your phone from his hand.

“WHAT THE FUCK?”

It’s an appropriate response to reading Takahashi’s message. At first, he was thanking you for coming to his wedding, so you weren’t… really that surprised because it’s common for him to do that – it’s his habit to thank everyone who comes to a gathering, and stuff.

Then, you read the second paragraph. The part where he says that he doesn’t believe you’re in a relationship with Kei. The first two lines were fine – he said it felt like a dream seeing you and Kei together… Then comes the worst part. He admitted that he stalked both you and Kei on Instagram and noticed that both of you didn’t post anything together. He doubted that you and Kei are in a relationship, and thinks that you’re using him as your revenge.

‘If you want to hurt me, you did, Y/N. I’m so jealous, happy now? Don’t use Kei as your revenge tool anymore, and if you still love me, just say so. I can drop everything and run to you now, pretty,’

“Yeah he turned into an absolute asshole. I definitely did not miss that man and I fucking glad I moved on!!”

You huffed, before pushing your phone to Kei again. You keep shaking your head, trying to shake that message off your head.

“The fuck he means that he doesn’t believe that we’re in a relationship. Should I make a disclaimer ‘not posting my fiancee doesn’t mean I don’t love her, I just don’t want her to get hunted down by wolves out there #she’s mine #stay safe’? And the fact that he just got married yesterday yet still has the nerves to text another woman… Yeah he should’ve gotten punched back then. I should’ve punched him real good,”

His vein popping out on his neck shows that he’s really mad – you reached your hand out to pat his hands, in an attempt to calm your best friend down.

“There, there. I’ll block him. No, you can block him on my behalf. Might as well delete his number, etc.”

You can see Kei’s tensed face slowly soften, and his fingers are quickly tapping on your phone – probably blocking your first love on every single social media, and his number too. Ugh, you feel gross to call him your first love now. He wasn’t like this back then – he was a complete sweetheart, but that could’ve been because he was lovebombing you.

Whatever.

“There’s… plenty of messages asking for double dates and group dates,”

Kei said as he goes through your notifications one by one – your popularity rises instantly right after being ‘engaged’ with Kei, huh?

“So… what do we do?”

“All I want to do is to punch that man until his jaw dislocates.”

“Yudai, as much as I would love to see you beating the hell out of him, you… are going to end up in jail if you do that. So, no. Next step?”

Kei sighs – he knew that the consequences would find him but he didn’t expect that it would be this soon. He chugs down his coffee before staring at you – your eyelids flutter rapidly, as you’re taken aback by his actions. 

“I don’t think we can decline all of it. That would make us become suspicious,”

“Yudai. I told you that we’re going to be found out, right? We have to keep up the lie until… they no longer feel suspicious. I… don’t want that. It feels… like living a fake life. I don’t want their validation nor social status. I know that you’re trying to protect me, and I thank you for that. But… if we continue doing this…”

“Right. I’m sorry, Y/N,”

There’s something in his voice that makes you feel guilty when he apologizes. You understand why he did that, but you don’t have any intent in keeping it going.

It does feel nice being called someone’s fiancee. You can’t lie – it gives you a sense of happiness that you never thought you would have. For the longest time, you thought that the fiancee label would make you gag, and run away like a child. Because it’s a heavy title, it means that you’re about to get married – you’re going to change from being a Ms. to a Mrs., you’re going to live with someone, etc. 

But yesterday, you feel… fine. Maybe because it’s fake, so you know that this will be over soon. But maybe, maybe it’s because of Kei who makes you feel fine. Because he had assured you that he would handle everything, so you’re just a title holder, and not bearing the responsibilities that comes by being someone’s fiancee.

“I… will you be mad if I ask to lie one more time? To end it? Because if I come clean, then that guy would think he’s right. Even though it’s me who initiated it,”

“You’re suggesting a break up story,”

“Yeah. It’s okay if you don’t want to. I can just come clean…”

“I have to think about it thoroughly,”

You respond with honesty, because you have to weigh all the pros and cons that comes with it.

“Okay. I’m going, Euijoo is coming over to my house soon.”

Why does his voice sound so… weak?

“Okay, Yudai. Thank you, for yesterday and today.”

“Thank you, for going along with me too, Y/N.”

You watch as your best friends walk out of your house – when you hear the door clicks shut, you exhale a deep sigh.

Why the hell do you feel guilty, and feel nervous for saying your thoughts out loud?

No, why did Kei look disappointed?

He instantly deflated after hearing your words, and apologized almost instantly. You know that Kei wouldn’t be upset at you for establishing your boundaries – he’s the one who advocated you for doing that, and you had made it clear a few times about other things before this. He was happy that you’re setting your boundaries – hell, he looks like a proud dad almost.

Another deep sigh escapes from your lips and you decide to shrug everything off. Today is Saturday, which means that you have lots of chores to do. You really have to get going.

| byun euijoo: Y/N

| byun euijoo: did something happen at the wedding?

| byun euijoo: Kei hyung looks so lethargic and

| byun euijoo: he suddenly wants to drink wine…

Your eyes widen as you read Euijoo’s messages – Kei wanting to drink wine means he’s feeling troubled. Did your words come off wrongly? Or was it your tone? You racked your brains to find the possible reasons, but you can’t be really sure on what makes him upset because Kei rarely gets upset at you.

| you: i really don’t know….

| you: can you ask?

| byun euijoo: Kei hyung is rambling

| byun euijoo: he’s saying that he’s in a big trouble and he just made a fool of himself

| byun euijoo: did… he confessed to you and… you rejected him…?

You gasped out loud – in disbelief over what you just read. Confess? Reject? What?

| you: huh?

| byun euijoo: okay I was wrong

| byun euijoo: ignore what I said earlier

| you: NO I AM NOT IGNORING THAT

| you: EXPLAIN.

| you: YOU HAVE TO REDEEM YOURSELF FOR OUTING ME TO YUDAI YESTERDAY

| byun euijoo: fine…

| byun euijoo: Kei hyung is in love with you, Y/N.

| byun euijoo: has been so for many many years. Idk the specific, you have to ask him that

If it wasn’t for the phone strap on your wrist, your phone would’ve kissed the ground. You’re too shocked – Kei is in love with you? For… many many years?

That man had seen the worst version of you and still… loves you? He saw your morning face that could rival puffy fish… and still in love with you? You’re not exactly clumsy, but you have a fair share of embarrassing moments that you would prefer to not disclose, and Kei, obviously, was there. And he still…loves you?

Oh my god.

He must’ve considered your refusal in continuing the lie as a rejection.

You instantly recompose yourself and dash out of your house – you hurriedly press the keypad password, and let yourself in. Euijoo looks genuinely shocked – eyes wide, lips slightly gaped open, before he glances at Kei and slowly scoots backwards. Kei too, is surprised – he was in the middle of taking another sip of his wine when you appeared.

“How many?”

You ask – both Euijoo and Kei look at you with faces full of questions.

“Glass. How many did he have?”

“Two…”

Euijoo timidly responded, and you marched to two of them before grabbing the wine bottle and putting it away.

“Y/N–”

“Tell me the truth. Yesterday’s fake engagement thing, did you do it because you want to protect me, or because you’re in love with me?”

You cut Kei’s words, and Kei shifts his eyes from you to Euijoo – glaring at the younger for revealing his secret.

“No, don’t plan a murder for that boy in your mind. You should leave, Euijoo. Thank you for your service,”

Euijoo quickly gets up from his seat and makes his way out of Kei’s house immediately. Kei keeps glaring at the boy, as if drilling holes into his skull. You occupy Euijoo’s seat, which is opposite of Kei.

“Tell me the truth.”

Your words make Kei groan – he’s not ready to tell you the truth right now. You watch as your best friend stretches his body, buries his face on his palms, kicking the air, and does more questionable actions as he continues to groan in frustration and despair.

Kei stops groaning a few moments later, and begins messing with his hair to the point it turns into a bird’s nest. He then heaves out an extremely deep sigh.

“Both. I want to protect you, and because I’m in love with you,”

“I… don’t understand your thought process, Yudai.”

“God, it’s so silly. You– ugh– Maki, I– Ha…. I keep listening to Maki rambling about fake dating things… and I thought that if I did the same thing… and keep it up… you’ll… eventually fall in love with me…”

“You can’t be a normal person for once? And why are you influenced by Maki’s story – he’s 19! You’re 29!”

“He’s 20,”

“My bad,”

“I can’t be normal because I, I don’t want to risk us, Y/N. I don’t want to risk our friendship, I– You have a very firm stance on not falling in love, and I don’t think I can change your mind. You’re set on not getting married too, so I– I can’t just confess out of blue! At least with the fake engagement thing… I have a chance to change your mind… and maybe not get rejected…But the ring! The ring was not in my plan, I– Nicholas did send it to me,”

You sigh. 

After your first love whole ordeal, you find it hard to fall in love – you’re scared if your partner does the same thing just like he did to you. Being left hanging, and getting treated like you’re invisible takes a toll on you. You decide to prioritise your academics and later, your career, before your love life.

You did ask Kei a few times why he’s not dating – back then, his answer was that he simply didn't have time for it. 

But now… you realize that he was waiting for you. 

For you to be ready to fall in love again. 

“Since when?”

You ask.

“11 years since I realized. Might have been in love with you longer than that. I just… assumed that it’s normal, until Kento san told me that it’s not. Apparently finding your best friend pretty and feels anxious when she’s not around means that you’re in love with the said best friend,”

“11 years…”

How did he wait that long? And the fact that you don’t realize it at all…. He must have been really careful in not showing his feelings. 

You stare at your best friend who looks extremely defeated from being forced to tell the truth. You reach out your hands and gently fix his hair, drawing his eyes to you. 

“You can reject me, Y/N. Just, don’t throw away our friendship, please?”

His voice is small – your usually confident and pretty dramatic best friend is definitely at his most fragile moment. 

“I’m not going to.”

Your response makes Kei’s tense shoulders loosen up – at least he’s still going to be in your life, after this whole disaster.

“Being someone’s fiancee sounds nice,”

You add, and Kei’s eyes widen. His lips quiver as he tries to string his words together, but he fails to speak as he’s too taken aback by your words.

“I think I can try, falling in love with you. That’s the least I should do, for someone who’s been in love with me for 11 years, right?”

“Oh my god,”

You giggled at his response – he’s in a complete shock, and he looks at you like you just made his dreams come true. 

Well, you definitely did that.

“So you– we– oh my god. Okay. I have to be calm. I’m a man. I–”

Your laugh becomes louder as Kei gets up from his seat and begins pacing around, trying to calm his nerves down. He stops and looks at you for a moment, continuing to walk around, circling the living room.

“Okay. I have come to a conclusion. I am drunk. I am drunk, and this is my dream. There’s no way I just confessed you in my shabby tees and pants with tons of holes. I– I should’ve confessed to you at your favourite place,”

You get up from your seat and follow your best friend around, before stopping him by firmly holding onto his wrist.

“I’m dreaming.”

His serious face while saying that out loud makes you laugh, before you shake your head. You then tiptoes, and press your lips on his briefly, to prove to him that he’s not dreaming. He looks at you with eyes as wide as saucers, jaw dropped, and face that could rival the tomato’s redness.

“Y/N. Did you just,”

You shyly nod, and Kei instantly drops to his knees, squealing with his hands clutched to his chest. You laughed your heart out at your best friend’s reaction, finding him really funny and adorable right now.

After calming down a bit, he gets up and pulls you closer by your wrist. You never thought that the proximity which used to give you peace, is now making your heart flutter. 

“The favour, yesterday. Can I use it now?”

Your eyelids flutter as you recall yesterday’s event, before you nod as you remember about him saying that he’ll forgive you after you do him a favour.

“Can I kiss you?”

Tingles spread all over your body at his question. Your lips curl into a wide smile, before you nod. His lips find yours instantly – his hands are still clutching both of your wrists, and his lips moving against yours slowly and carefully, trying his best to be respectful. To not scare you away. To not make you change your mind after wanting to try falling in love with him.

“Thank you. Thank you, Y/N. I’ll do my best to not disappoint you,”

“You sound like… a student who’s trying to not disappoint their teacher or something,”

“Yeah, that's quite a good response to your best friend who's been in love with you for 11 years and is being coerced to confess on Saturday evening.”

Kei rolls his eyes, causing you to laugh – he pretends to be annoyed, so you quickly kiss him on his cheek to melt the facade. It’s effective – your best friend squeals out loud, almost sounding like a girl.

“You– you don’t kiss me out of nowhere unless you want me to die young!”

“Okay, boyfriend.”

“Sh–shut! But that sounds really nice. Say that again,”

“Boyfriend,”

“Ohhhh, that definitely has a kick on it.”

“Fiance?”

“You’re trying to make me die young.”

“Husband?”

“If you want to, I can get on my knees right now. I still have the rings,”

You laugh at his words – your best friend is definitely on the dramatic side. 

Oops. Your boyfriend.

“Silly. You can try proposing to me after making me fall in love with you,”

“Auch. Why did you kiss me then? You don’t love me yet,”

“Because I find you handsome,”

“Can I kiss you again then? I find you extremely pretty,”

“Definitely, boyfriend.”

additional notes: in Japan, it’s mandatory for you to give wedding gift money to the newlyweds! It’s called Goshugi. And the reason behind Y/N asking about the wedding gift money is because couples usually would give goshugi together, so it would be weird if they give it separately.

and… usually you can’t crash at someone else's wedding without an invitation in Japan. But for the sake of this fic, please close your eyes and let Kei crash at Y/N’s first love’s wedding peacefully.

and when will winter (me) stop writing long fics... lol.

anywayyy! thank you for reading until the end <3

taglist (open): @yandere-stories @nichozzystuffs

“I’m home,”

“Appa!”

You smile as you watch your 6 year old daughter drop everything and run straight to Euijoo, excited that her father is home after spending 8 hours at the office. You put down the book you’re reading, and make your way to Euijoo – Euijoo, on the other hand, smiles brightly and quickly lifts your daughter up before spinning her through the air. Giggles instantly fill your house – both belong to Euijoo and your daughter.

“How was work?”

You ask while prying the bag off Euijoo’s shoulder as he carries your daughter in his arm. 

“It was fine. Oh, I bought you flowers. Wait,”

Euijoo opened the front door and disappeared behind it with your daughter for a moment, making you tilt your head, wondering where he placed the flowers.

“Here,”

Euijoo hands you a bouquet of your favourite flowers, making your eyes widens and your lips instantly curl into a wide smile. He drops a kiss on your temple, before your daughter tugged on his tie, wanting his father’s attention.

“Appa, if I get married, will I get flowers like Mama too?”

Euijoo blinks his eyes repeatedly – married? Your daughter never mentioned marriage before, and despite the tons of happily ever after stories both of you told her, her response was: “One day I’ll be like Snow White too! Live in the castle with my prince!”.

“Appa will buy it for you, you don’t have to wait until you get… married,”

It feels hard – painfully bitter to be precise, for Euijoo to say the word married. 

“I don’t want it from Appa! I want it from my husband!”

Euijoo’s eyes grow as wide as possible, and he turns to look at you in disbelief. Husband? Which kid in the kindergarten told her this? Was it her best friend Yumi, or was it a boy? Did he propose to her? 

Honestly, looking at Euijoo’s reaction makes you want to laugh. Your husband has made it clear that your daughter will not be dating until the right age (there’s no clear number, it’s just when he deems it right) ever since she was 2 days old. 

“Hu–husband?”

“Yes, appa! I want a husband! I want this person to be my husband!”

Your daughter squirms, wanting to be put down, causing Euijoo to crouch down and carefully let her go from his arms.

“Love, what happened? Why–No, what makes her talk about a husband? She’s 6! And– God, she skipped the boyfriend phase?”

“Well–”

“Appa! Come here! I want to show you!”

“She has a photo of him?!”

“Joo… you’re overreacting.”

“No, I’m underreacting.”

“Hubby, you’ll be alright.”

“I’m not alright! I just got home, and our daughter is saying that she wants flowers from her husband! Not from me! I just got rejected!”

Euijoo kneels on the floor, looking as dejected as ever, and you have to turn your head somewhere else to laugh, so that your husband won’t turn into a sad looking puppy. 

“Appa!! Come here quick!!”

“I thought I have at least 20 years before hearing her saying the husband word,”

Euijoo heaves a deep sigh, and you bite your lower lips, trying to hold back your laugh. You kneeled on the floor too, approaching your husband and patting his back before helping him to get up.

“Appa!”

“Appa is coming,”

You reply, and drag Euijoo to the living room. Euijoo keeps sighing and shaking his head, heartbroken over his daughter wanting a husband this early. Luckily she’s 6, so it means that she won’t be having an actual husband soon because that would be illegal. But still.

“Appa! Here! Look at the TV!”

Great. He has to look at the boy’s face at the big ass TV now. You silently giggle while watching your husband, who reluctantly lifts his head up to look at the TV – his eyelids then flutters rapidly.

“Ju…Justin Bieber?”

“Yes! Justing Bieber!”

“Justin, princess,”

You gently corrected your daughter’s pronunciation.

“Justin!”

He heaved a relieved sigh, before he turned his head to you, wanting an explanation on how your daughter ended up falling in love– no, having a crush– no, wanting Justin Bieber to be her husband.

“She was sleeping, and I was doing some chores. I played Justin Bieber’s music video on the TV to listen while doing the chores… and then when I was done doing the laundry, I found her already… hooked.”

“No one can escape the Justin Bieber phase, huh?”

“Yes, and that includes your daughter,”

“And the husband part?”

“Well… she asks about us. Like, our relationship. I told her that we’re husband and wife, and it was… a long explanation. About love and etc,”

“LOVE?”

“Yes,”

“She’s too young for love talk,”

Euijoo buried his face on his palms while groaning – he can’t believe that his daughter just had a love talk session with you. 

“And… she decides she’s in love with Justin and wants him to be her husband…”

Euijoo sighs before he looks at his daughter whose eyes are glued onto the Justin Bieber photo, with a wide smile on her lips.

“Well, at least it’s Justin Bieber.”

You bite your lower lips while patting Euijoo’s shoulder, and guide him to sit down on the couch. A familiar song begins to play on the TV – you spare a glance at your daughter, who just pressed the button to play the ‘Baby’ music video.

“It’s only Justin Bieber, right?”

Euijoo asks as he finds it weird that you keep biting your lower lips. You give him an awkward smile, causing Euijoo to furrow his eyebrows. 

“I found a love letter in her bag…”

“Oh my god… Oh my– why are the kids– is it– I have no words. God,”

Euijoo dropped to the floor once again, this time, both of his knees and hands on the ground. He can’t believe that his nightmare is starting, especially when his daughter is just 6 years old.

You hung your head low as you giggled over your husband’s dramatic reaction. Your husband has always been the calm one, so when he loses his composure over things like this, you think it’s very funny.

“Would you like–”

“No. Let’s not talk about it. Our daughter is 6. She’s not legal to be married. She’s not having a husband. She’s definitely not going to be in love. She doesn’t know the difference between love, crush and like! Whose kid gave her the love letter? I’m going to have a man to man talk with that kid tomorrow,”

Euijoo plopped down on the floor while saying that – it’s like he had lost all the hope in the world.

“Hubby, it’s… kids. They aren’t serious… like you said, they don’t know the difference…”

“When I was a kid, all I thought about was to play outside. Not to find love,”

“Oh. That’s… different from me.”

Euijoo fixes his eyes on you as he gets up – his curiosity fuels him to stand up again.

“What’s so different, love?”

“I had… my first kiss when I was 6.”

Euijoo shuts his eyes tightly – a pained expression written all over his face, before he rubs his temple as he can feel an incoming headache from all the shocking and devastating news he’s receiving today.

“Yeah. It’s official. Today is the worst day of my life. My daughter is in love, and has a secret admirer, and my wife had her first kiss when she was 6. Oh my god, OH MY GOD, THERE'S A POSSIBILITY THAT THAT BOY KISSED HER TOO. OH MY GOD,”

additional notes: spoiling everyone with double updates over this weekend after a long wait! and as always, thank you for reading until the end <3