✧ 𝙍𝙀𝘼𝙇 𝙊𝙍 𝙐𝙉𝙍𝙀𝘼𝙇 ✧ ⁠- [ 𝐏𝐂𝐘 ]

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❹ 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄 Ⓐ

Having worked with Park Jihye for almost the entirety of her idol career, Manager Siwoo knows better than to expect Jihye to still be waiting for him in the lobby when his meeting with Director Kang finished.

That girl almost never do what she was told. How she has managed to only get caught in a scandal now instead of much earlier, Siwoo has no idea.

"Jihye, where are you?"

"In the cafetaria." Jihye huffs. "You sound so worried, you must've thought that I left the building."

Siwoo doesn't reply, instead opting to redirect his attention to the elevator buttons, the 'close' one in particular. He jabs at it furiously, willing for the doors to close before anyone else can get in.

"I'm not that stupid, you know." Jihye laments. "The paps are everywhere. Leaving alone in a time like this would be a literal suicide."

"So why did you try to do it at 1:23 PM, saying that I was waiting for you in the parking lot?"

Jihye gasps indignantly. "He told you!"

"You don't tell easily falsifiable details when you lie. That's just common sense."
Siwoo messages his forehead as realization dawns on him.

"You can't even lie to a security guard, how are you going to lie to an entire country?"

■

"Tell me how it goes again. Fake rumors about me and Chanyeol dating broke out, but turns out people are actually OK with us dating for real?"

"Yes. More than OK, actually."

Jihye srunched her nose. "Which is weird."

"Not really. Kang made a whole Powerpoint presentation explaining his theories on why it was possible and how to repeat it again."

"We'll circle back to the contents of that presentation later. What comes next?"

"He believes that seeing more interactions from you and Chanyeol as a couple will make people more accepting of idols dating in the future."

"Conclusion: Chanyeol and I have to fake date."

"Yes. There's also a whole speech about how by doing this SM Entertainment is taking a big leap toward the new normal in which celebrity relationships will be normalized and even idolized, much like in the Western entertainment industry, but I don't think you'd be interested in that."

"And this was before or after you told him that his plan was deeply flawed?"

"Um, it was right before I threw my resignation letter to his face because I didn't want to work for such an idiotic boss."

"Really?"

Siwoo rolled his eyes. "Of course not. I told him you'd go along with it."

"Huh." Jihye sighs. "Of course you did."

Siwoo furrows his eyebrows. "You're OK with this?"

"Am I allowed not to be OK with it?" She asks back, fully aware of the answer already. She begins popping french fries into her mouth with renewed appetite, now that she's no longer worrying over what punishment she'll have to endure for the stupid scandal.

Instead of having to clean up her mess, SM is actually counting on her to convince the entire world that her scandal is real! Jihye feels like she deserves a cheeseburger to go with her fries after this magnificent turn of events.