Chapter Text
"I do have someone who I adore a lot and I want to marry him , not some random stranger you're searching for me who wants nothing to do with me except my status." Yeonjun almost yelled at the end of his sentence , why can't his father understand he doesn't want to marry anyone at the moment? Definitely, not a stranger.
"We are not random people , we are your family , we only want the best for you. We just want to ensure that this person you're talking about deserves you and will take good care of you."
"He is a great person , he loves me very much and takes good care of me, you don't have to worry appa."
"If he's a good person then let us meet him , there's no harm there." Mr Choi looked up from the file he was flipping through.
Yeonjun was about to deny when his father spoke up yet again , cutting him off.
"Choi Yeonjun , either you introduce us , your parents, to this person you want to marry or I'm fixing your engagement with my friend's daughter. The decision is yours." There was a stark contrast between his father & Yeonjun's mood at the moment , while his father was calm and collected , Yeonjun was on the verge of losing his cool.
"I just want to spend some alone time with him before our marriage , that's the only reason I don't want you to meet him now." Yeonjun tried to explain his point all the while trying to hold onto that thin thread of calm.
"If that's the reason then I have an offer for you."
Yeonjun raised his eyebrow at the sudden change in his father's expression, he looked almost 'happy'.
"You must know that we invest in a couple-only reality show every year , right? Participate in this show with your lover , there are many fun activities there , you can enjoy your time with him there and we will get to see our son-in-law and it will benefit our company too. It's a win-win situation from every end."
"But that's just not fair." Yeonjun wanted to disappear at this point , his hand folded into a tight fist as he stared at his father whose mood seemed to have all lightened up from his own idea.
"I'll not hear anything more about this , my decision is final."
As Mr. Choi walked out the door, Yeonjun screamed out of frustration before falling on his chair , his head covered by his hands.
"I hope that you now understand why I insisted on making this room soundproof , you have no filter , if he had heard you scream then it'd have just made the situation worse." Taehyun who all this while stood in a corner watching all the drama unfold , mumbled eyeing the walls of the cabin.
"Taehyun , not right now , my head is bursting with pain."
"Let's go visit the nearby cafe , I'm sure it will help you." Taehyun dragged him off with himself, giving him no chance to protest.
As the fresh aroma of coffee hit his nostrils Yeonjun sighed resting his head on the table , the different shades of beige around him were oddly calming.
"You really lied to that old man about having a fiance." Taehyun gave him an incredulous look as he took a sip of his americano.
"What was I supposed to do? Get married to a fucking stranger?" Yeonjun gritted out , his grip tightening on his cup.
"Well your lie didn't bring you anywhere either now did it?"
"It would be more helpful if instead of trolling me here you'd help me find a solution."
"The only solution available is to find a fake fiance for you." Taehyun shrugged as if that was the most obvious thing.
"I don't want to be stuck with anyone. I just want to live my life in a normal way." Yeonjun muttered in anger , rapping his first on the table.
Taehyun sighed looking at his workaholic friend who never has any time for himself except when he and Soobin drag him away when it gets too much.
"You have no choice anymore , you literally set this shit up for yourself. I can't help you in any other way than this."
"I'm sorry for overhearing your conversation but I think I can help you guys."
Yeonjun and Taehyun turned to the stranger who was busy moving a chair before settling himself on the opposite side of Yeonjun. The stranger was pretty , really pretty. Yeonjun won't deny that , ebony coloured hair with silver highlights tied in a ponytail rested on his shoulder as he stared at Yeonjun eyes full of hope and excitement.
"And how would that be?" Yeonjun questioned with an amused expression while taking a sip of his coffee.
"I will be your fake fiance."
Yeonjun stared at the pretty male in front of him , expecting him to go 'April Fool' any given second and burst out laughing , not that it was April anyways. But the response never came , instead the stranger rested his hands on the table leaning forward in anticipation of Yeonjun's answer.
"Okay. Why would you want to do this? I mean , what's in it for you?" Taehyun questioned , casually sipping on his americano. Yeonjun's eyes shifted to Taehyun at the question as if just realizing they weren't alone.
"Are you serious right now? You are actually considering it." Yeonjun muttered , mentally sending daggers at his best friend.
"Yeah. What's there to lose?" Taehyun raised his brows as he placed his drink back on the table , sliding the cheesecake to his side.
Yeonjun turned towards Taehyun, guarding his mouth with his hand from Beomgyu's eyes as he mouthed , 'stranger danger'. Taehyun ignored him as he shifted his attention back to Beomgyu urging him to speak.
"I need inspiration."
The two best friends just stared at him with their brows raised.
"I make vlogs on YouTube and I also drop covers and my own music."
Beomgyu took a deep breath before continuing."But these days I am unable to focus on music and I think I need a change , something different from my monotonous routine and what can be more crazy than this."
"Also," Beomgyu started , his gaze finding Yeonjun who was busy with his coffee , a mischievous smile spread on his lips as he let out his next words, "Yeonjun-ssi is very beautiful."
Yeonjun choked on his drink , coughing into the tissue Taehyun passed him as the stranger rushed towards his side to pat his back in order to calm him down , tears gathered in his eyes making them go red.
Yeonjun shifted back in his chair after a while as his coughs subsided , he took a few deep breaths before fixing the stranger with an intense gaze who coincidentally was staring right at him.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to fluster you so much." Beomgyu's lips bloomed with a cheeky smile at the end of his sentence as he took his seat.
"I wasn't.." Yeonjun frowned at the man as he tried to think of a valid reason , his eyes widened slightly as he came to a realization.
"How do you know my name?" Yeonjun wondered out loud.
"I am a business major and you're quite the talk in our class as one of the youngest CEOs taking the business world by storm." Beomgyu muttered all the while sporting a cheeky smile.
"Well you definitely didn't strike me as a business major , I thought you were into arts." Yeonjun arched his brows in question as he relaxed against his chair.
"Those are my hobbies and I love them but that doesn't mean I see my career in them." Beomgyu explained , as he stared off at the wall behind Yeonjun.
Taehyun stared , his gaze shifting between them as Yeonjun asked him questions , interrogating him further as if he had evaporated from the spot. Heck. He was so sure no one would have noticed his absence if he chose to walk away. 'Stranger danger', Taehyun mentally scoffed at the thought as he watched them interact.
"Are you sure you want to do this? Because you can't back out later , not until you fulfil the terms of the contract you will get later." Yeonjun muttered , professionalism and firmness resounded clear in his voice.
"I want to do this." Beomgyu answered , passing a nod to Yeonjun who sighed in happiness or relief he couldn't decide.
"Let's set up a meeting tomorrow , I'll let you know the rules then." Yeonjun questioned as he straightened up, his gaze not leaving Beomgyu.
"We are meeting up for dinner tomorrow with our friends, how about you join us?" Beomgyu asked as he pointed towards Taehyun.
Yeonjun glanced at Taehyun who was busy in his world while munching on the pastry for the first time in a while, questions rising in his head.
"You knew him from the start?" Yeonjun questioned stealing a glance of Beomgyu for a second before focusing on his best friend again. Taehyun paused like a deer caught in headlights , he glanced around with the spoon paused midway to his mouth just realizing the attention was on him.
"Well , I and Soobin met hyung's friend when we went out for a movie a few weeks back. That's how I know him." Taehyun muttered , his voice soft as he slid the spoon back on the plate.
"Why didn't you tell me before?" Yeonjun questioned with furrowed brows , frustration clear in his voice.
"Well you didn't ask me." Taehyun shrugged while Beomgyu nodded in agreement.
Yeonjun just gaped at him in shock for a few seconds before he shook his head in disbelief before standing up from his seat.
"We will meet tomorrow then." Yeonjun nodded at Beomgyu storming off without waiting for a response while Taehyun rushed after him muttering something under his breath before turning around to bid a quick bye to Beomgyu.
"Why are people always in a rush these days?" Beomgyu muttered to himself rolling his eyes as he watched them run off but he couldn't help the small smile which took over his lips before he busied himself on his phone , his hand reaching for his forgotten coffee.
••
"Taehyun." Yeonjun whispered as he tugged at his best friend's hand.
"What?" Taehyun asked in utter confusion as he watched panic settle in Yeonjun's eyes.They were standing right in front of the gates of the restaurant where they were supposed to meet when a sudden realization hit Yeonjun that he didn't ask the stranger his name.
"What's his name? I didn't ask him for his name." Panicked eyes stared at Taehyun then at the doors.
"You really talked to him about everything for half an hour and forgot to ask him his name." Taehyun glanced at Yeonjun with a ridiculous expression.
"I said I forgot."
"You're really getting old hyung and it's showing." Taehyun patted on his shoulders as he blinked in reassurance.
"Kang Taehyun , you better shut up." Yeonjun pushed off his hands from his shoulders as he frowned at his friend.
"Okay then as you say. Ask him about it yourself." Taehyun passed him a sickly sweet smile before proceeding towards the doors.
"Taehyunie please, it's embarrassing." Yeonjun almost whined as he rushed after him, stopping him right before he could enter inside.
'Eternal Silence.' Taehyun mouthed as he kept a finger on his lips before turning around.
Yeonjun stomped his feet on the ground before he followed Taehyun inside. They found Soonbin with Beomgyu along with one more person who Yeonjun assumed to be HueningKai , the one Taehyun and Soobin wouldn't stop talking about whenever they would hang out with him and when Yeonjun would ask them to confess to the younger they would both change the topic. It's truly a pain to watch them being so oblivious in their feelings , Yeonjun mentally rolled his eyes at the thought.
They exchanged greetings with the others , Yeonjun didn't notice when Soobin and HueningKai moved to stand beside Taehyun while he was busy taking his seat. He just raised his eyebrow in confusion as they slowly took backward steps from the table.
"You both talk , we have a movie waiting for us. You both talk about whatever there's to decide and set your rules , we don't want to be late byeee." The three of them waved rushing towards the door like clowns saving themselves from almost bumping into people and just like that they were out of sight while Yeonjun was busy comprehending his words.
"Did they tell you about that?" Yeonjun glanced at Beomgyu while pointing towards the door with his hand.
"They did before you came." Beomgyu muttered in a low voice , as he shrugged.
"And you didn't care to stop them?" Yeonjun complained with a sullen expression.
"And you think they would have listened to me because?"
"Because you're their friend."
"Well , Soobin and Taehyun are your friends too." Beomgyu fought back as he glared at the CEO , reaching for his glass of water.
"You..really?" Yeonjun sighed in exasperation before closing his eyes to take a deep breath , opening them again to fix Beomgyu with a solemn stare.
"Let's just get this over with." Yeonjun muttered , sliding the file he carried with himself on the table towards Beomgyu's direction.
Beomgyu picked it up, opening the first page he scanned through the contents.
"It has all the information you need about our deal and all the rules I want you to follow." Yeonjun side-eyed the file , "If there's anything you don't understand let me know."
As Beomgyu skimmed through all the details and rules written in bold letters , Yeonjun busied himself with his phone.
'Rule 1: No questioning me about my private life unless I say it myself.'
'Rule 2: I tend to be busy almost all day so no calling or visiting unless it's v.e.r.y. important.'
'Busy all day… What is he? Queen of England? Not that I'll be calling or visiting him' Beomgyu scoffed mentally, his lips forming into a pout.
'Rule 3: No dating other people till the time we are engaged to each other.'
'Isn't that given though?' Beomgyu shrugged , moving to read the other rules.
'Rule 3: During our stay in Jeju for the reality show , you can't go anywhere without telling me as we will be supervised by people who know my father.'
'Rule 4: Follow my orders until the contract ends.'
'Rule 5: Attend all the events with me.'
'That doesn't sound good at all.' Beomgyu let out a nervous chuckle at that.
Yeonjun's head perked up from the screen at the sudden sound , he noticed the younger squinting as he rested his chin on both of his hands, all immersed in the papers while a few strands of hair teased the corner of his eyes.
Yeonjun was dragged out of his thoughts as Beomgyu called out for him for the second time , all of a sudden too aware of those sparkly eyes all focused on him.
"Yeonjun-ssi , I said if you get to set up all the rules then I want to add one for myself."
"I guess I can allow you that." Yeonjun nodded at him to proceed.
"You will have to join me on my little trips. It's a good way to relax and find some inspiration for myself , it would be nice to have company." Beomgyu passed him a cheeky smile , eyes shining bright as he put forth his wish.
It wouldn't hurt to agree to something like that now would it , it would be like trying something new for a short while.
"Okay. I can do that." Yeonjun muttered in agreement and the smile he got in return was worth it.
"You can just call me hyung , it would be weird to have you call me Yeonjun-ssi, especially when we are engaged." Yeonjun muttered while signing the contract right after Beomgyu.
"Okay. I can already tell we are going to be the best fake couple of the year, dearest fiance."
Yeonjun passed him a small smile in return , it was difficult not to when Beomgyu stared at him with the shiniest stars in his eyes and a dazzling smile.
"Shall we order then?" Yeonjun suggested pointing towards the menu.
"Yes,I'm hungry now."
Yeonjun sighed to himself as Beomgyu looked through the menu with excitement , he just hoped everything went according to the plan.
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