not you, just me ☆ q.k | ✔

01

People's lives can change in just a moment.

After all, it takes only a moment to say, "I do," or to hold your baby for the first time, or to be handed that diploma, or to accept that new job across the country.

Or, in your case, for your manager to say:

"We need you to date Nakamoto Yuta."

If you had water in your mouth, you would've done a spit-take. How glorious that would have been, spitting a mouthful of water all across Manager Han and SM's faces. But instead, you choked on your own tongue for a moment before managing to stutter out, "I have to what?"

"It'll be fake, of course. For the cameras, the press, all that," your manager said, as if that was meant to reassure you.

"W-why?" Your solo career was doing very well under SM Entertainment, as was NCT's, you couldn't imagine why he felt the need to draw such attention to either of you.

SM spoke up, "I'm sure you've seen the videos of a certain NCT 127 member engaging in... unsupported activities whilst they were in LA."

"Mark got confused about the drinking age in America and had one beer, so now I have to become the most hated woman in not only South Korea, but also Japan?"

"In order to get the heat off of Mark."

You couldn't believe what you were hearing. Your big issue wasn't that you didn't know or didn't like Yuta, you had been friends with him since your trainee days and still saw him frequently. It was that you had feelings that went beyond just 'liking' for one of his group mates: Qian Kun. You hadn't meant for that to happen, but it did. And "dating" Yuta would mean seeing him more frequently, which you were trying to avoid because so far avoiding your feelings had been working pretty swell for you.

Your manager butted in again, "Don't worry about the 'being hated' part, we have a plan for that. Something no idol has ever done. The two of you won't be a career-ruining scandal that we try to sweep under the rug. You'll be SM's power couple."

☆  

"You've got to promise not to actually fall in love with me, Y/N." Yuta joked as the two of you sat beside each other at a conference table a few days later. He surprisingly didn't seemed alarmed about this entire situation at all.

"Oh that won't be hard," you retorted, to which he stuck his tongue out at you momentarily.

"That hurts my feelings."

"Same goes for you, Nakamoto. No gross feelings for me either."

"Oh that won't be hard."

You flicked his forehead, and his own hand came up to grab yours tenderly. With a sigh, you rolled your eyes, "No cameras in here, greaseball."

"Oops," your friend was grinning as he released you, then turned to the two men on the other side of the table from you, your manager and NCT 127's. "So what are we doing?"

"We're going to introduce you two as a couple on SNS. Each of your Twitters, Instagrams, Fancafes, everything." Manager Han explained first, seeming a little too giddy about this plan.

Yuta's manager, Manager Choi, explained further, "It'll be a picture of you two, then a caption writing about how the two of you are in love, and how you hope your fans will support you having found your true love, or something to that extent."

"Gross." Your nose wrinkled up at this, but nonetheless you took out your phone. "Does it have to be like, super lovey-dovey stuff on all of it? Or could it be like, one Tweet of a picture of us saying 'Thank you to all the fans who have supported me thus far, I hope you will continue supporting me as I share with you someone who blah blah blah mushy gushy stuff,' and then start casually posting photos on Instagram or something. Like Hyuna and E'Dawn did! They're so cute, and they don't make a big deal about it."