Chapter 2: Terms and Teasing

The door shut behind her with a soft click, but Chae Bora could still hear her mom's voice in the kitchen, thrilled beyond reason about her "charming future son-in-law."She turned slowly to face the yellow-haired devil leaning against the hallway wall, arms crossed and that annoyingly smug grin still painted across his lips."You're insane," she said flatly.Han Noah tilted his head, feigning innocence. "Insane? Me? I just saved your love life, Miss 'He's Way Taller Than Bonggu.'""You were eavesdropping.""I was walking in! I didn't know I was stepping into a K-drama plot twist," he replied, pushing himself off the wall and sauntering toward her. "But once I heard the words 'he lives in our building' and 'boyfriend', I figured I'd do the heroic thing.""Heroic?" she scoffed. "You crashed my dinner and lied to my entire family.""Technically," Noah said, pausing to tap his chin, "you lied. I just... followed the script."Bora groaned and leaned against the wall, running a hand through her hair. "Ugh. What now? My mom already wants to invite you to Sunday lunch and ask about our couple ring sizes."Noah chuckled. "Then I guess we better start planning our love story."She turned to glare at him. "This isn't funny.""Oh, it's hilarious," he said, and then added with a shrug, "but fine. I'll be serious. You want to tell them the truth tomorrow?"Bora hesitated. That would be the right thing to do. But then she remembered the way her mom had lit up, the way her dad had nodded in approval for the first time over anything romantic in years. She wasn't ready for another lecture about being "too picky" or "too independent.""No," she muttered. "Maybe just... go along with it for a little while?"Noah's eyes gleamed, interest piqued. "You're actually going through with the fake boyfriend thing?""I don't have a choice! You basically put the final nail in the lie coffin," she snapped. "But only until things die down. Then we 'break up' peacefully, and my mom stops trying to marry me off like I'm a leftover dish at a potluck."He laughed, pushing his hair back. "Alright. I'm in.""...Wait, seriously?""Sure. It sounds fun.""Fun?" she echoed. "This is not fun. This is emotional damage waiting to happen.""You wound me, Bora," he said, pressing a hand to his chest dramatically. "Think of it like this: you get your freedom from blind dates, and I get to mess with Bonggu.""That's your motive?!""One of many," he said with a wink. "Also, you're kind of cute when you panic. I look forward to more of that."Bora groaned again and turned to walk towards door "You're a menace."Noah followed, hands in his pockets, grin unshakable. "A menace who's now your fake boyfriend. So... what's our anniversary date? How did we meet? Who confessed first? We need details, Bora-yah."She stopped in front of her door and glared over her shoulder. "Fine. If we're doing this, we need rules. No weird flirting in front of my brother. No fake kisses unless absolutely necessary. And you cannot come up with fake cheesy nicknames for me.""Too late, baby sprout," Noah teased.Her eye twitched. "I'm changing the locks tomorrow.""You wouldn't dare," he said, inching closer. "You'd miss me.""Only in my nightmares."He laughed again, soft and boyish, and this time it wasn't just irritating — it was... warm.Bora quickly turned the knob and pushed Noah out "Goodnight, fake boyfriend." she said slowly enough for Noah to hear it"Sweet dreams, baby sprout."She slammed the door shut.And only then, alone in the quiet, she allowed herself a small smile.This was ridiculous.It was dangerous.And maybe... just maybe, it was the beginning of something she didn't see coming.