Marry Me? || Namkook

8. Until the Days of Spring

"What?!", Namjoon exclaims, shocked. Hot guy breathes in slowly. "I'm Jeon Jungkook, twenty four. I'm a highschool teacher and I—", he doesn't get to finish his sentence as Namjoon stops him abruptly.

"Wait. Hold up. Why are you telling me all that?", he asks, baffled. Hot guy smiles sweetly, looking apologetic. "Right. That's so rude of me. I'm sorry, can we go somewhere quieter and talk?", he asks.

And how can Namjoon deny someone with such shiny eyes? So, he simply asks hot guy— Jungkook— to lead the way. Once they're outside the bar, Jungkook starts talking again, not even giving Namjoon a chance to breathe in the fresh air.

"Okay, so I'm actually in a lot of trouble right now. My parents want me to get married and I'm really not interested in marriage right now. So when my mom said she was going to arrange something, I panicked and told her that I already have a boyfriend. The thing is, I don't really have a boyfriend. In fact, I've never had one", he says all that in one go.

Namjoon is still confused as hell. "But how does that relate to you asking me to be your boyfriend out of nowhere? We don't even know each other!", he whisper-yells.

Jungkook sighs heavily. "My bad. I meant to ask whether you'd like to be my fake boyfriend. For three weeks only", he explains. Namjoon is still not able to process the fact that a literal stranger is asking him to act as his boyfriend to get his parents off his back.

"I don't mean to be rude but is it really necessary that you do all this? Can't you just tell your family you aren't ready for marriage right now? I mean, fooling them is a little.... eh?", he says, unsure whether Jungkook will take him wrong or not.

Surprisingly, he doesn't. He sighs. He does that a lot, Namjoon notices. "The thing is, my family is one of the richest families in South Korea. I think they're planning a business merger with my marrige", he says, pouting a little.

It's cute, Namjoon thinks. Then, he shakes his head to wash away the thought. "I see. Jungkook-ssi, I'm sorry, I do understand your situation but I don't think I can help you out with this", he says apologetically.

Jungkook looks at him with big, disappointed eyes, still as shiny. "But you're my only hope. After what you did today, I'm a hundred percent sure that you'll not take advantage of my situation. And I really, really need your help", he tells him, sounding desperate.

Namjoon bites his lip. He feels bad for the man but he really doesn't think this is right. Besides, he can't really act all lovey-dovey with a stranger for three weeks straight—

Wait. Three weeks?

"Hey, why three weeks only?", he voices out his confusion. Jungkook shrugs. "They're going to be here in Seoul for three weeks only. Then they'll return to Canada. They've been living there for a while now. Most of the branches of my dad's company are here in South Korea but he also has a lot of them in other countries", he explains.

Namjoon hums, considering it. If he really goes to weigh all his options, the idea isn't really that bad. He just has to pretend to be a hot guy's boyfriend for three weeks and then he can go back to his normal life. Sounds pretty adventurous, if he's being honest. Besides, he's helping someone. It's a win-win situation.

"I think I might help you out but what do I get in return?", he asks, wiggling his eyebrows. Jungkook's eyes light up and he smiles so brightly, Namjoon's sure his face would be visible even in complete darkness.

"Anything you want! I'm even willing to pay you if that's what you'd like but really, anything is fine with me. Just ask for it", he says happily.

Right. Namjoon forgot he's rich. "I think I'd like an Instax. That's all", he says, smiling a little sadly. Jungkook frowns. "I told you that you could ask for anything and that's what you ask for? A polaroid camera? Seriously?", he questions, looking very confused.

Namjoon laughs a little. "Yeah. Honestly, I don't really think I have anything else that I'd like from you. Oh and don't think I'm broke. I can buy the camera myself, thank you very much. I just want someone else to buy it for me because before me and my ex broke up, he promised to buy me one. It'd just make me feel better", he says, a little embarassed now.

Jungkook nods seriously but doesn't go all I-pity-you-mode on him, which Namjoon appreciates. "That's understandable. I'll get you the camera then! My offer still stands, though. You can ask for anything and you'll have it in front of you!", he cheers, wanting to lighten the mood since the air has suddenly turned heavy.

"I can't think of anything else right now so yeah, that's all, I guess", Namjoon replies. A thought seems to occur in Jungkook's brain because his eyes go wide all of a sudden. God, those beautiful eyes are making it hard for Namjoon to focus on anything else.

Good thing Jungkook's face is just as beautiful as his eyes.

"Hey, I just realized I didn't get your name or anything about you, really", he says. It then dawns upon Namjoon that yes, Jungkook is indeed right. He did not introduce himself. Well, not like he got the chance to.

"I'm Kim Namjoon. I'm twenty six years old and I teach at the Hongdae Public Kindergarten. You can call me hyung, by the way", he smiles at the younger man. Jungkook smiles back. Seeing him look so relieved and happy makes Namjoon think he did the right thing by agreeing to this.

"Okay, so let me give you my number so that you can contact me tomorrow and I'll guide you through everything. And thank you so much for agreeing to help me, hyung. It really means a lot", Jungkook says, suddenly sounding so serious that it takes Namjoon by surprise.

He gets over it pretty quickly as he smiles and shakes his head to imply that it's not a big deal. And if he's being honest, his own selfishness is also one of the reasons he's agreeing to this.

Kihyun will see exactly what he left behind.

It's been almost a month since Namjoon started this whole pretend bullshit in order to help Jungkook and to make Kihyun regret his decision. Everyone seems to have accepted that their relationship is real.

The only problem? Namjoon's not sure it's pretense anymore.

💓