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Chapter Text

Sangwon mentally wondered if he was desperate enough to go with that option, and everything around him screamed yes. The signs were clear: he had really screwed up with his family and simply couldn't show up empty-handed.

So there he was, staring at the dating app, its logo flashing over and over in a seductive attempt to make him tap the screen and create an account.

Does he really have to sink this low?

"I can tell Mom I lied," Sangwon reminded his older brother, Leo. But the boy shook his head.

"How could you even think that? Mom is actually planning a surprise dinner for your future boyfriend. After that, you can just tell her you broke up because meeting your parents was too much pressure for him."

And Leo was right... so right that Sangwon wanted to cry.

When he told his mother he was in a relationship, he honestly thought the lie wouldn't go any further and the blind dates would stop. However, his mother had other plans. And while the blind dates did stop, the lie grew exponentially.

It started small. His mother texting to ask about his day (with his boyfriend), then calling (demanding to meet his boyfriend), and now, bringing his boyfriend to Christmas dinner.

His brother Leo was now presenting the solution to his problem: an app to rent a boyfriend. Its interface was similar to Tinder's, following all the good design rules, and even attracted clients just with its charm.

"I can't just pay someone to do something for me."

"Oh my god, Won! That's literally how jobs work. I don't think the guy will mind that you have him as a fake boyfriend. You're not even going to have sex with him!"

"But what if Mom makes us sleep in the same room?"

"Let me introduce you to the ancient concept of SLEEP. I know it's weird for you, but I hope you've heard of it before."

Sangwon let out a squeal as he threw himself backward onto the bed. How embarrassing. This would probably be his end... the greatest humiliation he could ever experience.

But he did it. He entered his information into the app, watched as the screen transformed into a Tinder-like interface showing him potential candidates, and his eyes landed on one in particular.

He was... fucking handsome, if he had to be honest.

In his photo, the night lights contrasted against his face, and he—oh, he was perfect. He looked like an angel on earth. His cold eyes stared at the camera, fully aware of their effect, and Sangwon got lost in them: dark as the night, framed by hair that swayed with the wind and settled delicately over his fine features. And his lips... Sangwon couldn't help but want to kiss him. Just for the experience, maybe the feeling.

"Do you want me to bring you a bucket for all that drool?" Leo mocked, and at that moment Sangwon reached for his chin to make sure he really hadn't been drooling.

"Shut up, hyung."

Sangwon quickly pressed the screen, and at that moment the interface changed again. A small window appeared, telling him that his information was being sent to his future boyfriend, and the torture was finally over.

He stared at the screen longer than he wanted until it went dark, but the humiliation spread through his stomach and settled in his chest.

Then his phone screen lit up again with a new notification. Leo reached over and grabbed it to read.

"Wow, this guy really doesn't waste time," he joked. The notification was from the guy Sangwon had just rented.

How embarrassing. Renting a boyfriend? God, he sounded like a pervert—this was all Leo's fault.

> Unknown number: Hi! I'm Zhou Anxin from Rent a Boyfriend. Can we meet up to talk about everything?

> Unknown number: But don't worry, from this moment on, I'm all yours.

Sangwon's face went up in flames —so red it almost blended with his pink hair— while Leo burst into loud laughter at the last line of the message.

♡⃝♡⃝

Sangwon entered the café slowly, looking around, somehow feeling as if everyone in the place knew exactly why he was there. He inhaled deeply and told himself that, definitely, no one cared enough to judge him openly.

He looked around carefully until he saw him sitting at one of the tables in the back. He looked even better than in the photos. Wow. Maybe Zhou Anxin was the universe's way of mocking him for looking for a fake boyfriend instead of a real one.

His legs turned to jelly, but he somehow found the strength to walk to the table. He kept his head down, hiding his face as he sat and said "Hi" in such a low voice that he doubted Anxin even heard him.

"Hi," Anxin greeted back with a cheerful tone. In Sangwon's mind, this guy was genuinely laughing at him. "You don't have to be shy. You're not my first client."

Contrary to Anxin's expectations, Sangwon gasped in embarrassment and covered his face with his hands. Oh god, that word sounded so wrong, he didn't want to think he had bought Anxin as if the other were some kind of interchangeable toy.

"This is so embarrassing," he mumbled, still hiding his face. "It was actually my brother who recommended this."

"Oh? Usually it's rare for family to know about this..."

When Sangwon finally lowered his hands from his face, he glared at Anxin, annoyed that his comments were only making him more embarrassed.

"Come on, tell me the story. We've got time," Anxin encouraged him with a big, warm smile.

This definitely wasn't going to work if Sangwon kept feeling that every single word from Anxin was like honey; sweet and powerful, sliding down his throat only to settle in his chest and touch his heart. Why does this guy have such a beautiful voice, damn it?

Sangwon's gaze dropped to his hands under the table. His fingers fidgeted nervously—they looked far more interesting than the conversation he was about to have with Anxin—but he knew he couldn't waste the man's time. He closed his eyes and uttered the most humiliating words of his life.

"When I told my mom I liked guys, she started setting me up on blind dates because she said I'd been single my whole life. So I made up a boyfriend, and for about half a year she's been insisting on meeting him..." In the middle of his public humiliation, Sangwon paused to find the right words. "So now my family's coming to spend Christmas with me and my brother, with the sole purpose of meeting my boyfriend. That's why my brother suggested renting one..."

Sangwon lifted his head and met Anxin's gaze, who didn't seem to be judging him. Instead, he smiled in satisfaction at the explanation. He rested his face on the palm of his hand and nodded slowly as he processed everything.

"So, we've got three days to build the greatest lie?" he asked in a playful tone, and when Sangwon squeaked in embarrassment, Anxin just laughed. "Let's start with the basics. What have you told your mom about your boyfriend?"

Ah...

How embarrassing... but Sangwon had told his mother a lot. He started his speech from how his boyfriend supposedly confessed to him over a romantic dinner (because his mother had standards), their numerous dates, and how his boyfriend supposedly spent most of his day working—which was why his mother couldn't meet him on a regular day.

Even as Sangwon continued listing the most ridiculous things he'd come up with while talking to his mother, Anxin never lost his smile.

Anxin leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Then we've got three days to perfect this fake relationship. It'll be hard, but not impossible."

Sangwon looked at him like someone who had just heard a death sentence.

"Hard? That sounds like you're going to make me study."

"Of course," Anxin replied seriously. "A convincing relationship requires commitment, practice, and chemistry."

"Chemistry?" Sangwon asked. What the hell was this man talking about?

Anxin's hand traveled toward Sangwon's on the table and squeezed it gently. That single touch sent electric shocks through Sangwon's body, and he couldn't help but tense completely.

"Of course, the chemistry that a couple gives off from afar." Anxin winked playfully. "But don't worry, I'm a professional at that."

Sangwon could swear his heart just dropped to his stomach.

Professional or not, the guy said it with such a confident smile that it seemed like he was enjoying watching him fall apart.

Anxin opened a small notebook—did he really bring a notebook?—and began to write.

"Alright, let's start with the basics. How did we meet?"

Sangwon held his head in his hands. "Oh, God. Do I have to make that up too?"

"Of course. If your mom asks, you can't go blank. And you definitely can't tell her you met me through an app to rent a boyfriend," Anxin teased, looking at Sangwon like the word ‘duh' was written on his forehead.

"I could say we met at the uni? Maybe playing something like soccer or basketball, it sounds innocent."

Anxin raised an eyebrow. "You? Playing basketball? It doesn't sound credible to me. You don't look like someone athletic."

"I am!" Sangwon protested.

"How often?"

"Ugh... I prefer to run to exercise..."

Anxin laughed. The kind of laugh that makes others want to laugh too, even at themselves. But Sangwon didn't give him that satisfaction. Instead, his lips formed a pout.

"Perfect. Then we met on the basketball court, where you were learning to do more than just run," Anxin said with a tilt of his head, almost ironic, and Sangwon felt deeply offended by it.

Sangwon glared at him.

"Can you please not use my lack of enthusiasm for sports as comedy material?" he complained. "I'd appreciate that."

"Sorry, but I have to know all the details about my fake partner. It's part of the service."

"Yeah, sure, full service," Sangwon muttered, blushing in embarrassment.

Anxin leaned in a little closer, close enough that Sangwon instinctively pulled back in his seat, but it wasn't intimidation he felt. It was something deeper. Because that incredibly handsome guy was almost openly flirting with him, somehow.

"Relax, I don't bite. Unless the script asks for it."

"What script?"

"The one for our romantic act. We need to practice natural gestures: holding hands, smiling at you, looking into your eyes..."

Sangwon started sweating.

It was obvious they'd have to do those things, but his mind immediately played a scene where Anxin leaned in to kiss his cheek after saying something to his mother and for some reason, his face grew hot with the phantom sensation of his lips.

"Why does that sound like emotional torture?"

Anxin looked at him with complete calm, then smiled mischievously. "Because it will be, for you."

Sangwon buried his face in his hands, mumbling, "I'm going to die before Christmas."

"Please don't. I don't get paid to work with ghosts."

♡⃝♡⃝

"What are you up to?" his roommate, Geonwoo, asked. But Sangwon stayed silent. "You've been sighing and staring at the ceiling for like an hour, I'm getting tired of you already."

At that moment, Sangwon pulled one of his pillows to his face, muffling the frustrated scream that burst out of him. The frustration swirled in his stomach. Besides, he needed to tell Geonwoo about the situation, but the panic of how the other might think he was a total freak was even bigger.

"Geonwoo, you love me no matter what, right?" Sangwon mumbled, defeated, against the pillow. His friend went quiet for a few seconds before standing up and yanking the pillow away from him.

"What the hell is wrong with you now?" Now Geonwoo wasn't asking nicely, he was demanding answers. Standing right in front of Sangwon with a deadly look.

"You shouldn't talk to your best friend like that."

"Can you stop avoiding my question? Talk." Geonwoo was getting impatient, so Sangwon just sighed and started telling his sad truth, while his friend's face twisted more with every sentence. "What?"

"It's Leo's fault!" Sangwon shouted, grabbing the pillow again to shove it over his face—this was too humiliating. "When you come over for Christmas, you'll have to pretend too."

"Excuse me? When did I get on this train?"

"You're my best friend!" Sangwon pulled the pillow away from his face to speak. "If we show up there and you don't know anything, my mom will know it's fake. It's literally impossible that I haven't told you about this relationship."

Geonwoo rubbed his temples, genuinely distressed. He couldn't believe what Sangwon was telling him. He'd known him since they were in diapers, so now he wondered why Sangwon had gone to Leo (known for having very questionable ideas) instead of just talking to him.

"I can't believe you've been lying to my aunt for that long," Geonwoo finally said. He sat down on the edge of the bed, staring straight at Sangwon. "So, what's your new rented boyfriend like? God, it almost sounds like you hired an escort."

Sangwon's pillow flew across the room and hit Geonwoo square in the face. Sangwon had great aim when he was offended.

"Shut up! I didn't do that! I'm not even going to kiss him..."

"Have you already talked about that?" Geonwoo asked while fixing the pillow that had hit him. "When did you meet him?"

"This morning..." Sangwon whispered, but his friend heard him clearly.

"You're completely out of your mind."

After the initial shock, Geonwoo burst out laughing. It was the stupidest idea anyone had ever told him, but he could absolutely picture Sangwon doing it.

Because that's how Sangwon always was, even if life was simple, he found a way to complicate it and mess something up. Though, at that moment, Geonwoo was at least thankful that his best friend's life wasn't actually in danger (which, honestly, had happened before because of Sangwon's questionable life decisions).

Silence fell between them, but Geonwoo wasn't done with the topic. He slowly slid onto Sangwon's bed once the other was ready to sleep, leaning close enough to whisper his next words:

"So, is this Anxin guy cute?"

Sangwon tensed up from head to toe at the comment. What was he supposed to answer? Say yes? Admit that he had probably fallen for that guy the moment he saw him on the app?

As they say, silence means consent, so Sangwon stayed quiet. But Geonwoo understood immediately; he knew Sangwon better than himself, and he burst into laughter again.

"He's cute then! I bet he's totally your type."

"Shut up and get out of my bed, Geonwoo!"

"Alright, alright, I'm going," Geonwoo said between laughs, raising his hands like Sangwon was a cop and he was the most entertaining criminal in the world.

"But admit it, Sangwon... if you like the guy, you can't keep him in temporary work mode. Give him a real chance."

Sangwon huffed, turning his back to him.

"How am I supposed to date someone who's literally being paid to fake love? That'd be like falling for a porn actor because of their emotional performance."

Geonwoo laughed so hard that Sangwon threw a second pillow at him.

"Don't laugh! I'm being serious, this is tragic, Geonwoo. Tragic!"

"Yeah, Shakespearean tragedy with a discount app included," muttered the other one, picking the pillow up off the floor. "Although, if you do fall in love, that'd make a great plot twist, don't you think?"

"Geonwoo, if I fall in love, promise me that you will put me in the madhouse."

"Before or after Christmas?"

"During."

Both fell silent, the only sound being the low hum of the fan. Geonwoo glanced at him from the corner of his eye, still amused, while Sangwon curled up under the blankets with his dignity in ruins.

"So, are you seeing him tomorrow?"

Sangwon nodded, his head still buried under the covers.

"He wants us to practice... things."

Geonwoo raised an eyebrow. "What kind of things?"

Sangwon peeked out just enough to look at him with desperation.

"‘Natural gestures,' he said! Looks, smiles, holding hands..."

Geonwoo let out a mischievous little laugh. "Ooh, that sounds like a date in disguise."

"It's not! It's professional training!"

"Sure, sure. Professional training with intense eye contact. Very educational."

Sangwon sank back into his bed, screaming into the pillow until his voice faded into a muffled squeal.

"I'm going to die, Geonwoo!"

"If you die, can I have your record collection?"

"You're an idiot!"

"And you're a repressed romantic," Geonwoo replied smugly, turning off the light.

Silence returned, but before Sangwon could fall asleep, he heard his friend's voice—barely a whisper.

"I'm just saying, dude... if that Anxin guy makes you smile..."

Sangwon didn't answer.

♡⃝♡⃝

As the snowfall embraced the city, Sangwon looked down at his hands, wrapped in fluffy mittens. His best friend and his brother had been the ones in charge of picking his outfit for the day, and the only consideration they gave for the weather were those mittens.

He was starting to get a little impatient, because maybe Anxin had realized it was stupid to help him with this plan, and maybe he'd decided to leave him stranded in that café so he'd have the guts to tell his mother the truth.

Only that... Sangwon really couldn't tell his mother the truth.

Being the third born of four siblings, and having spent most of his life being the youngest, Sangwon had always felt the need to please his mother in everything. Architecture? Sure, he'd be there, he'd even quit music to follow his mother's wish that he take after his father's path. His studies? Probably, if it weren't for his mother being an obsessed fan of Chinese dramas, Sangwon would still be living in Korea.

So just thinking about his mother's disappointed expression... no, he'd already lived that—after his first blind date, when he got home and his mother video-called him to say she'd heard the boy said they weren't compatible.

Of course they weren't compatible! Sangwon wasn't a complete idiot.

But as the number of blind dates increased, Sangwon's desire for a relationship steadily dropped to zero and never came back.

He didn't want to do this to his mother, but Leejeong had the brilliant idea to say, "Pretend you have a boyfriend, she doesn't need to know it's a lie."

And now he was stuck there, waiting for a real guy who was stupidly his type but already aware of the kind of nonsense Sangwon was capable of, just to make his mother proud.

The café bell pulled him out of his thoughts, and when he looked up, Zhou Anxin was walking toward him with a smile. He was so bundled up, probably freezing to death, while Sangwon felt ridiculous in his clothes that screamed cold is just a mindset.

"Hey!" Anxin greeted with a smile, taking a seat across from Sangwon. "Sorry for the delay, it's really hard to drive in the snow."

"Oh? You drive?" Sangwon asked, genuinely interested.

No need to mention that he'd tried to get his driver's license once, but life's twists had led nowhere.

"Yeah, only when necessary."

Sangwon stared at Anxin for a moment and couldn't help but notice the faint redness on his cheeks growing by the second. He wondered if it was just from the cold, maybe the change from his car to the café had been a bit too drastic.

"I'm glad you made it safely," Sangwon murmured. He was a little embarrassed, since he'd decided to order first while waiting, and now had a hot chocolate sitting in front of him.

His hands were warm from holding the cup, and his face hovered over the rim, soaking in all the heat.

"Sorry, I ordered before you got here."

"Don't worry," Anxin said, flashing that same chaotically beautiful smile again. Sangwon seriously thought he was having heart palpitations from how hard his heart was pounding. "Actually, I'll go get something. Be right back."

When Anxin finally walked away, Sangwon noticed people around staring, and honestly, they were right to stare—because damn, he was the most beautiful man who'd ever walked the earth (and Sangwon was friends with Kim Geonwoo, the namjest namja).

Anxin came back carrying a tray. On it, a cup that smelled like strong coffee and a muffin so perfect it could've come straight out of a promo photo.

Sangwon watched him sit down, unsure if he should make eye contact or pretend to be completely fascinated by the texture of his hot chocolate. He chose the second option.

"So, have you thought about how we're going to proceed with your ‘fake boyfriend operation'?" Anxin asked, breaking the silence as he stirred his sugar.

"Operation disaster, you mean."

Anxin chuckled softly. "Controlled disaster?"

"Inevitable disaster."

"In that case..." Anxin leaned back in his chair with a mischievous grin. "You can practice how you'd look at me if we were really dating."

Sangwon nearly choked on his hot chocolate. "What!?"

"Come on, show me your best love-struck look."

"I don't have a love-struck look!"

"Then make one up. It can't be that hard. Look at me like you like me."

Sangwon tried—or at least he thought he did. He lifted his gaze shyly, forced himself to hold eye contact... and lasted exactly three seconds before looking out the window.

"Excellent," Anxin muttered teasingly. "Now I look like your math teacher who caught you cheating."

"It's weird!" Sangwon protested, hiding behind his cup again. "How am I supposed to look at someone I like when I literally just met them?"

Anxin rested his chin on his hand, amused. "How convenient. So you don't like me."

Sangwon looked up so fast he almost spilled his drink. "That's not what I said!"

"Oh, so you do like me?"

"Neither!"

Anxin laughed so loudly that people at the next table turned to stare. Sangwon wished an avalanche would swallow him whole.

"Relax, relax," Anxin said, still laughing. "I'm just testing your emotional endurance. Very necessary if you're gonna survive pretending to be my boyfriend in front of your family."

Sangwon buried his face in his hands.

"I'm going to fail, aren't I?"

"Probably," Anxin replied, sipping his coffee. "But at least you'll do it in style, since I'm the most handsome fake boyfriend you'll ever find."

Silence fell again, but it wasn't uncomfortable. At least not for Anxin. Sangwon, on the other hand, felt like every second brought him closer to a heart attack.

When Anxin spoke again, his tone was light, teasing the air itself.

"By the way, I like your mom. Haven't met her, but she must be incredible if she got you to invent all this just to make her happy."

Sangwon looked up, and for a moment, the comment disarmed him.

Anxin wasn't mocking him, just watching him with warm calmness, and Sangwon felt a strange thud in his chest.

So he quickly looked away and mumbled,

"Yeah, well... she's also the reason I'm going to die young."

Anxin laughed again—that laugh that sounded so natural—and Sangwon had to take another sip of chocolate to hide the smile threatening to escape.

"Give me your hand," Anxin said after a moment. Sangwon looked up, frowning in confusion, but that didn't intimidate Anxin one bit. "Just do it, Won."

Oh.

The nickname was the same one his brother used, but somehow it sounded completely different coming from Anxin's mouth, sending an entire zoo stampeding through his stomach.

Sangwon slowly extended his hand, doubt clouding his eyes, but Anxin ignored it completely. When it was close enough, Anxin intertwined their fingers, fitting them together perfectly.

"They fit well," Anxin murmured, looking at their hands. The little squeeze didn't go unnoticed by Sangwon. "Maybe we were meant to meet, Won."

"Stop saying nonsense." Sangwon rolled his eyes, trying to ignore how his voice shook halfway through.

But Anxin lifted their joined hands and pressed a kiss on top, all while looking at Sangwon for a reaction. Instantly, Sangwon yanked his hand back.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" he blurted, his entire face burning bright red.

"I wanted to see how you'd react to that." Anxin just shrugged, as if it were nothing.

Sangwon's stare flickered between horror and fury, but Anxin didn't flinch. "And what exactly were you expecting, excuse me?"

Anxin shrugged again, pretending it wasn't that interesting. "I don't know..." He thought for a second and took a sip of his drink. "Probably expected you to be a better actor."

"Oh, sorry for not knowing how to lie."

Anxin, still focused on his drink, completely ignored Sangwon's sarcastic tone. "What will you do if your mom expects us to kiss?"

"Oh, no. Stop right there, buddy." Sangwon cut off any train of thought Anxin might have. "I'm not kissing you."

"Why not?"

"Because it's weird!"

"Well, if your mom sees how you act around me, she's gonna think we're low-budget actors, honey."

Sangwon glared at him, but Anxin just shrugged again and took another sip of coffee, so relaxed it was infuriating.

"You're really enjoying this, aren't you?"

"A little," Anxin admitted, hiding a grin behind his cup. "But I'm also committed to the role. I don't want to disappoint my mother-in-law."

Oh, Sangwon was going to kill him.

"Stop calling my mother your mother-in-law!"

"Get used to it. On Christmas Eve I'll call her that all night. Moms usually love that stuff."

Sangwon felt the air grow heavier—or maybe it was just the heat from his face that wouldn't go down a single degree. He tried to speak, but all that came out was a broken sigh.

Anxin leaned back, victorious.

"Relax, Won. I'm not really going to kiss you. Yet."

"There's no ‘yet'!"

"We'll see," he replied, turning to the window as if he hadn't just dropped a bomb.

Silence returned, and Sangwon was grateful for it... until he realized their hands were still interlocked, because pulling back hadn't actually separated them.

When he tried to let go, Anxin's fingers tightened slightly.

"By the way," Anxin murmured, not looking at him. "You're shaking."

"It's the cold," he lied.

"The cold? Inside a heated café?"

Sangwon closed his eyes, resigned. "I swear, if I survive this, I'm never lying to my mom again."

Anxin smiled sideways. "Lying to your mom is one thing, but lying to yourself... that's unforgivable."

Sangwon looked at him again, and this time, he couldn't hide his nervous smile.

"You're unbearable."

"I know," Anxin said, grinning shamelessly. "And still, I'm your best option."