✓ TOO REAL TO DENY | SUNGHOON

13 - Fake Girlfriend Duties

Y/N'S POV

I sit in front of Sunghoon in a restaurant he picked for dinner while he stares at the menu, seemingly deep in thought. The ambiance is cozy, with soft lighting and a gentle hum of chatter in the background. I can't help but feel a bit nervous, wondering how this dinner will go. It's my first time having dinner with a man, though he's just my fake boyfriend.

He finally looks up from the menu, his eyes meeting mine. There's a warmth in his gaze that catches me off guard, and I quickly avert my eyes, focusing on the menu in front of me. There are a lot of things that I want to try but I don't know what's the right order and somehow it makes me anxious. 

"Do you want me to choose for you? Or we can take different dishes and you can try a bit of everything." His eyes meet mine and I notice a genuine curiosity in his gaze, as if he's genuinely interested in my opinion. I find myself genuinely curious about the person sitting across from me because he's more than just my fake boyfriend at this moment.

"Yeah... that sounds good," I mutter, fidgeting with the ends of the menu. As he makes the choices, I steal glances at him, staring at the way his hands gracefully flip through the menu. His fingers are long and nimble, not like my clumsy ones. I wonder if he notices my awkwardness. When the waiter leaves, there's a silence between us that I'm too nervous to break. Sunghoon takes a sip of water, breaking the quiet with the gentle clink of the glass against the table.

"You know Jake?" The question makes me raise my head and look at him while slightly frowning. I mean it's obvious I know Jake, but the way he's asking makes me wonder if he's trying to pry into something deeper.

I nod cautiously, "Yeah, he was my classmate in high school." 

A thoughtful expression crosses Sunghoon's face. "Seems like you're close." The way he says it, there's a hint of something in his tone, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

"We were friends... I didn't have any friends back then. He was the only one who defended me when the others called me 'Little Miss Mute'. So I think that's why we're close," I confess, my gaze dropping to my lap for a moment. I hadn't expected to share such a personal detail, but Sunghoon's genuine interest draws it out of me. And I don't know if that's a good thing.

"Little Miss Mute?" The words coming out of his mouth make my heart ache a little at the memories of kids bullying me and making me feel like an outcast. 

I nod, not daring to meet his eyes. "I was extremely quiet, and I guess people didn't know how to handle that. Jake was different, though, he wasn't afraid of my silence."

"He sounds better than your so-called friend," Sunghoon says and when I frown, he adds, "Sarah." It takes all of my effort to keep my expression neutral, but my fists are so tight I might break something. I'm aware that she's toxic and harsh and sometimes her friendship feels draining rather than uplifting. But he has no right to judge her when I, her friend and roommate, put up with it. 

"I don't think it's any of your business." I don't believe that I uttered those words, but right now, all I want is to make him shut up and stop prying into my life. It's not like I need his comments or judgments about my relationships. Yet, a part of me wonders why his opinion bothers me so much. "I don't like the way you're talking about her. She might be different, but she's been there for me when others weren't."

Sunghoon leans back, studying my face for a moment. "I'm not trying to meddle in your personal life or offend you, but just because she's your friend doesn't mean she gets a free pass to treat you poorly-"

"Just because you're my fake boyfriend doesn't mean you get a free pass to lecture me about my friendships," I retort, trying my best to control the rising frustration in my voice. I didn't sign up for this kind of conversation when agreeing to be his fake girlfriend. My emotions are a mess, and I can't pinpoint why his words affect me so much.

His eyes search mine, and there's a flicker of something in his expression – perhaps frustration, perhaps regret. "You're right. It's none of my business." But I can tell he's holding back something. I can tell that this conversation has stirred something within him. It's as if he wanted to say more, but chose to bite back his words. We fall into silence for a few seconds before I decide to apologize or just let the topic fade away. I open my mouth to say something when a voice behind me speaks first. 

"Sunghoon?" When I turn around to see who's calling, I find a woman dressed in a white Chanel jacket and a perfectly tailored skirt. She walks towards our table, her heels clicking on the floor, and her eyes fixated on Sunghoon.

"Seoyoung." It only takes one word to realize that the woman standing beside me is the woman Park Sunghoon was supposed to be engaged to. I watch as he clenches his jaw and stands up, almost looking like he's caught off guard.

Her gaze shifts from Sunghoon to me, and the subtle disdain doesn't go unnoticed. "Who is this?" I don't know what's the right thing to do in this situation. I'm too anxious and unsure how to handle this, and the fact that I've seen these scenes in movies where the ex-fiancée confronts the new woman doesn't make it any easier.

"I'm Lee Y/N, Sunghoon's-"

"She's my girlfriend." His words cut through my attempt to introduce myself, and I'm left stunned for a moment. The way he looks at Seoyoung and reaches to hold my hand tightens my grip on reality.

"Ah, I see," Seoyoung raises an eyebrow, her perfectly manicured nails tapping on the edge of the table. "It's nice to meet you, Y/N. Sunghoon and I were engaged until a few days ago but we don't really love each other so we decided to part ways. Actually, my boyfriend is here too. What about we have dinner all together? I'd love for my boyfriend to meet Sunghoon's new girlfriend."

New girlfriend. The words almost make me choke on the air around me. The entire situation feels like a scripted drama, and I find myself searching for the right words to respond. When I look at Sunghoon, he's gazing at our entwined hands, and there's a flicker of something in his eyes. It looks like he's terribly uncomfortable and I decide, for the first time in my life, to speak up for myself.

"I don't think we can do that tonight, Seoyoung. We're about to leave." I stand up and Sunghoon's slightly widened eyes make me wonder if he expected me to agree to the dinner. We exchange a quick glance, and I can see the relief in his eyes. "Have a nice evening," I add, trying to keep my tone composed, and then I guide Sunghoon toward the exit. Once we're outside, away from the watchful eyes, I release a breath I didn't realize I was holding. Sunghoon, too, seems like he's exhaling the tension. "Are you okay?" 

"Yeah, I am," The way he runs his fingers through his hair tells me otherwise. "Thank you for that. You were... how did you do that?" The chuckle that escapes his lips makes me smile and shake my head in disbelief. 

"I don't know. My heart is still beating so fast and my hands are still shaking." I've never been in a situation like this before, and the adrenaline is still coursing through my veins. "But are you really okay? It seems like you didn't expect her to show up like that."

He sighs, his shoulders slumping a bit. I can tell that he still has feelings for Seoyoung, even if he doesn't want to admit it. "I didn't expect her to be so... blunt about it." We're walking down the streets while our hands brush against each other and neither of us seems eager to break the touch. "I'm just trying to figure things out, Y/N."

"If you need someone to talk to, I'm here. Fake girlfriend duties, right?" I blurt out and he smiles, this time genuinely and it warms my heart. Then, before I realize it, he intertwines his fingers with mine and my heart skips a beat. As I look down at our hands, he puts both of them inside his coat pocket and smiles at me, a smile that somehow feels more sincere than any of our staged interactions.

"Your hands are cold. You know, fake boyfriend duties?" His gaze holds mine and I'm sure my cheeks are a shade of pink as I try to hide my embarrassment. He doesn't let go, though, and the warmth from his coat pocket soothes the chill from my hands.