the curtains of his new room, he sat up slowly, feeling the weight of the day settle over him. This was it. Today, the world would learn abou

door snapped him o

called, his voice

ously in front of her. "Good morning, Mr. Hyunjin. Mr. Jeon ha

er a small smile. "Thank y

and slacks, trying to ignore the tight knot forming in his stomach. What was Jeon planning for today? How were they going to announce their engagement? He had

-

ed at the long, polished table. A lavish spread of food lay before them, but Hyunjin'

greeted him, his voic

bled, sliding into the

n did. Hyunjin simply moved the food around on his p

lence. "The press release

ach flipped. "

ter that, we'll make a public appearance together. Tonight is

hard, his throat d

world needs to believe that we're madly in love. We'll be un

o love Jeon in front of an audience made his skin crawl, but he knew the

and," he s

e saw something-something softer, almost regretful-in Jeon's expression. But it was gone i

own his cup. "The car will p

Hyunjin alone with his thoughts and the gnawi

-

lt more like a costume than clothing. They styled his hair, applied light makeup to give him a polished, camera-re

tanding in the shadows as Jeon's secretary, but this was different. Tonight, he wouldn't be the qu

or jolted Hyunjin

ng in front of the mirror as

dressed impeccably in a sleek black suit, his hair perfectly styled, e

remarked, his tone d

red, feeling the weight

out and adjusted the collar of Hyunjin's shirt. The touch was

locking onto Hyunjin's. "Tonight, we're a couple in love

, his throat t

d to ask Jeon how he could be so calm, how he could go through with this charade without flinching. But he didn'

nally, breaking the sile

-

ple who lived in the upper echelons of society. CEOs, politicians, celebrities-they were all there, mingling un

is hand resting casually on Hyunjin's lower back as they walked up the red carpet, posing for the cameras. Hyunjin forced a smile,

ar, his voice low and commanding

more out of place in his life, surrounded by people who didn't know him, didn't care

kes and polite smiles. Hyunjin played along, thanking them, his voice steady despite the chaos i

spoke to a group of high-profile guests. He looked completely at ease, as though this was just another day

were interrupted by

the myster

rp with curiosity. He was tall, well-dressed, and had the kind of

lied, forcing a po

ging at his lips. "Interesting. I didn

, but he kept his expression n

r a moment before he gave a small

ust the beginning-the first of many nights where he would have to lie

e wasn't sure how lon