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Bak Yerim is going to be honest. Han Yoojin is getting…a little old.
She’s recently turned twenty years old, just starting her junior year of college, and it’s been five years since she was legally adopted by Han Yoojin. Not once in those five years has she seen Han Yoojin go on a date.
She can kind of understand why. Han Yoohyun is extremely possessive over his elder brother and has probably chased away anyone that has shown even a spark of interest in him. She wouldn’t put it past him to purposefully sabotage dates and intercept romantic letters or any potential suitors Han Yoojin might have had.
But Han Yoojin is almost thirty now! Thirty!
The chances of him getting a boyfriend are getting slimmer and slimmer. It’s hard to enter the dating world in your thirties, especially with an overprotective brother and an adopted daughter in the mix.
Han Yoojin had already lost his early twenties dealing with Han Yoohyun, and then lost his late twenties dealing with her. She’s already so indebted to him. Helping him find a romantic partner and finding happiness is the least she can do.
If she has to be the one to find love on his behalf, she’ll do it.
That’s why the next time she visits Han Yoojin, she hands him a phone with a single app installed.
“What…is this?” Han Yoojin asks.
“A dating app,” Bak Yerim explains, toggling with the screen to show him how it works. She understands that he’s probably never used anything like this before. “I already created your profile, so you just have to swipe right when you see someone you like.”
She made sure to enter all the essential information: his hobbies, career, favorite music, etc. The most difficult part was finding a picture of Han Yoojin alone. He’s attractive, he is…but objectively speaking, he just doesn’t look as good as some of the people he surrounds himself with.
Han Yoojin stares at her. Then, he speaks slowly, “I have a boyfriend.”
“Right,” Bak Yerim says.
By now she’s very familiar with this excuse. Han Yoojin has somehow constructed a fake boyfriend in order not to worry anyone else. It’s just not a very believable lie.
Han Yoojin’s supposed ‘boyfriend’ is the textbook definition of stereotypical. Rich, handsome, a foreigner from overseas that’s too busy to visit. Everything about him is too convenient to be true.
“What’s your boyfriends’s name again?”
As expected, Han Yoojin doesn’t have an answer. “I…can’t tell you.”
“Ahjussi,” Bak Yerim says, trying to keep the pity out of her voice.
“I signed an NDA, okay?”
“You don’t have to keep pretending to have a boyfriend. I know you’re trying to stop me from worrying, but I’m old enough to know the truth now.”
“I’m not pretending,” Han Yoojin says helplessly, trying to push the phone back into her hands.
He’s stubborn, she’ll give him that. He really does stick to his lies well.
“Please?” Bak Yerim asks, refusing to take the phone. She widens her eyes and pouts in the way that she knows Han Yoojin is weak to. She’s glad Han Yoohyun isn’t here - he’d give her so much shit for it even though he shamelessly does the exact same thing.
Han Yoojin wavers for a second before steeling himself, “No, I can’t.”
“Fine.” Bak Yerim drops the act and snatches the phone back. “I’ll look through them for you. And I’ll set up the dates, but you have to promise to show up.”
It’s probably for the best if they do it this way. Han Yoojin has a tendency to give others second chances and sometimes that kindness leads him to harm. He could easily be taken advantage of by some schmuck who doesn’t know the first thing about how to care for another person.
“Can you please delete my profile?”
“I’ll delete it if you show me proof that your boyfriend exists.”
“…”
Bak Yerim snorts. “That’s what I thought.”
“He’s real,” Han Yoojin insists. “You just have to wait until the NDA expires. It’ll only be a couple of days!”
She reaches out and pats him on the shoulder in an attempt to be comforting. “Sure Ahjussi. Make sure you’re free next Saturday.”
Han Yoojin finally seems to realize that she’s not going to drop this. He sighs and changes the topic, “Anyways, I brought you here to give you this.”
He hands her a ticket to a local movie theatre. Han Yoojin will do this occasionally — find a new movie or small event to go to and invite everyone to come. If she’s lucky, sometimes everyone else will be too busy and it’ll be just the two of them.
“Who else is coming?” Bak Yerim asks, taking it and putting it in her back pocket.
“Just us,” Han Yoojin promises. “Everyone else was busy.”
Score! She’s definitely going to rub this in Han Yoohyun’s face the next time she sees him.
Han Yoojin is starting to realize that it’s not just Bak Yerim who doesn’t believe him. He comes to this conclusion when he meets Moon Hyuna for their weekly meeting (aka, their weekly gossip session) at their usual cafe and she hands him a slip of paper with a number on it.
“Please tell me this isn’t what I think it is.”
Moon Hyuna smiles. Han Yoojin doesn’t like it one bit. They had just been talking about how Moon Hyuna’s coworker got caught trying to steal from the company. Why couldn’t they just stick to that topic?
“It’s the number of a friend of mine,” she says, confirming his worst fears. “Don’t worry, I vetted him thoroughly.”
“I have a boyfriend,” Han Yoojin repeats. He can’t keep track of how many times he’s said that sentence this week. Definitely more than two times, which is already two times too many. “You know this.”
“Yes, I know,” Moon Hyuna takes a sip of her coffee. “Your perfect boyfriend that makes you breakfast and knits you those pink scarves and pays for everything you could ever need.”
Well…when she says it like that, Han Yoojin can see where everyone’s coming from. It’s not his fault that Sung Hyunjae is good at everything he touches.
Damn, did he really talk about Sung Hyunjae that much? Han Yoojin makes a mental note to be more careful. If Sung Hyunjae heard about how often he spoke about him, he’d never let it go.
“I didn’t make him up.”
“I know,” Moon Hyuna says, leaning her elbows on her knees and lowering her voice. She takes on a more serious tone. “Listen, it’s not necessarily bad to have someone, er, sponsoring you okay? But you don’t have to do that anymore.”
Han Yoojin chokes on his drink.
“You have a stable job now and Han Yoohyun is about to graduate. After he does, he’ll be able to make more than enough to support you all,” Moon Hyuna continues, offering him a napkin. “It’s not healthy to confuse a sponsorship contract for a romantic relationship.”
“I’m not being sponsored,” he sputters, snatching the napkin. The coffee has spilled all over the table. He hopes it doesn’t stain.
Han Yoojin had thought that Moon Hyuna was a fairly sensible person. Apparently, he was wrong.
Has she thought that he was a sugar baby for this long? Was that why she kept looking at him weird when he bought her that gold jewelry for her birthday? Han Yoojin bought that gift with his own salary, thank you very much.
He does have some semblance of pride, although his dignity is diminishing every second this conversation continues.
Moon Hyuna gives him a dubious look. “How much does an office worker get paid again?”
“Enough.”
“Enough to pay for both Han Yoohyun and Bak Yerim’s college tuition? Enough for a penthouse apartment in the middle of Seoul?”
Fine, so he mooches off Sung Hyunjae’s money. So what? It’s not like he doesn’t have enough. It would just be sitting in his bank rotting away otherwise.
Han Yoojin latches on to the names she mentioned. “Yoohyun knows he’s real! He’s met him.”
“Ah, yes. Han Yoohyun is such a trustworthy source,” Moon Hyuna says sarcastically. “Like that time he drugged you with a sleep tonic and told the rest of us that you ‘changed your mind’ about going on that trip to Osaka.”
“We spoke about that after,” Han Yoojin says defensively. “He agreed not to do it without my permission anymore.”
“The fact that you gave him permission at all is concerning,” she says. “But the point is that he would definitely play along with your fake boyfriend in order to keep you from dating anyone.”
A waiter stops by their table to offer them the bill. Han Yoojin jumps at the chance to escape this conversation.
“I’ll pay,” he offers, pulling out a black credit card and handing it over.
He doesn’t realize his mistake until he catches Moon Hyuna’s smile. He had used Sung Hyunjae’s card through pure habit.
“Who’s name is on that credit card?”
“Mine,” Han Yoojin lies.
“That bank only gives a black card to anyone who has more than ten million in their account,” she says, pulling out her own black card and flashing him her bank account. There are enough zeroes to make an ordinary person faint. “I would know.”
“Office workers make more than you think,” Han Yoojin says resolutely. He’s too deep in this to back out now. “You must be out of touch.”
Moon Hyuna laughs like she doesn’t believe him and taps the number she had given him earlier. “Give my friend a call. He’s a nice guy, alright?”
“I’m good thanks.”
“You can’t stay single forever,” she sings, standing up to leave. She pats him on the shoulder as she’s on her way out. “He’s free next Thursday. Have fun!”
And then she’s gone, and Han Yoojin is left wondering why exactly his friends have no trust in him, just as he receives a text message from Yoo Myeongwoo.
I heard from Yerim that you wanted to go on a date? I know someone who’s single and you two would get along with each other.
[Attached: Contact Information]
It’s almost impressive, the lack of faith these people have in him. He really needs to update his friend list.
When Bak Yerim arrives at the movie theatre to see Han Yoohyun waiting for her, she knows they’ve been had.
Han Yoohyun’s face twists unpleasantly when he spots her, which is rude. It’s not like she wanted this to happen either.
“Han Yoohyun,” she greets as flatly as possible.
Han Yoohyun does not return her greeting. At the same time, their phones ping with a message from Han Yoojin.
The message reads: Sorry, my boyfriend arrived earlier than expected so I had to go to the airport to see him. Han Yoohyun’s schedule cleared up so he was able to go instead! Have a fun time you two - it’ll be a good bonding experience :)
If possible, Han Yoohyun’s face twists even further as he reads the message. Han Yoojin forcing them to interact is not an uncommon occurrence, but they could usually both just pretend. Seeing a movie, however, was a different story. They would both be questioned about it later, so they needed to watch it.
“You would think that if he was going to lie, he’d at least choose a better one,” Bak Yerim groans.
“Hyung wouldn’t lie,” Han Yoohyun says shortly.
She sighs. Han Yoohyun is ordinarily a smart person, but she’s witnessed firsthand how little common sense he has when it comes to his brother. “He shouldn’t lie about having a boyfriend. I understand that he did it because he didn’t want us to worry, but it’s not the best excuse to use. I mean, we’re old enough to know the truth now — why are you looking at me like that?”
At some point while she was talking, Han Yoohyun’s face had formed a complicated expression. “You think his boyfriend is fake?”
“Obviously,” Bak Yerim stresses. “Don’t tell me — you haven’t figured it out yet?”
Han Yoohyun stares at her blankly. Then, it seems that he reaches a clear decision: that she was an idiot.
Bak Yerim would fight him if she could. Whatever. He probably hasn’t figured it out yet. He’ll have to face reality sooner or later.
He silently turns and heads toward the movie theater.
She catches up to him and graciously steers the conversation in a different direction to give him some time to process. “What’s this movie about anyway?”
“Don’t know.”
With a quick internet search, she learns one key fact. The main actor in the movie is Sung Hyunjae, famous Hollywood star, and more importantly — Han Yoojin’s celebrity crush. Not that he would ever admit it.
Bak Yerim once found a closet full of set props from Sung Hyunjae’s movies when she was searching through Han Yoojin’s room for blackmail material on Han Yoohyun.
Set props were expensive. Han Yoojin probably spent a small fortune on buying them when they went up for auction. Golden chain bracelets from the movie Lightning, a red coat from the critically acclaimed Sillekia’s Wings, etc. She couldn’t place where the box of rose petal had come from though.
There were some items that hadn’t even been for sale. Maybe he had a friend who worked in Hollywood send them over?
Bak Yerim knows from experience. No matter how much Han Yoojin complains that Sung Hyunjae ‘only gets role because of his face’, he’s the first to defend him when anyone criticizes his acting.
On her screen, there’s a cluster of articles about Sung Hyunjae’s return to Korea and some rumors about his current relationship status.
“Did you know Sung Hyunjae’s visiting Korea?” Bak Yerim asks.
“Yes.”
“And that he’s starring in this movie?”
“Yes.”
“And that he apparently has a boyfriend?”
Han Yoohyun looks like he’s swallowed a lemon whole. “Yes.”
Bak Yerim squints at him. “I didn’t know that you were a fan.”
He throws her a scathing glare. “I’m not.”
“Could’ve fooled me.”
“Bak Yerim,” he says, in a tone that signals the end of the conversation.
“Alright, alright.” She throws her hands up in surrender and lets the topic go. She holds the door open for him. “Listen, when Ahjussi asks us how this went, we had fun.”
“Best day of my life,” Han Yoohyun says dryly, sweeping into the theatre like some sort of emperor.
“Han Yoohyun, did you just tell a joke?” Bak Yerim asks in disbelief. “Han Yoohyun. Hey, Han Yoohyun—“
Han Yoojin is greeted by Kang Soyoung when he arrives at the airport. She’s on the phone when he steps out of the car, holding a conversation in rapid fire English that quickly ends as soon as she spots him.
“Han Yoojin,” she calls, waving him over and putting a badge across his neck. She begins pulling him through the airport almost immediately. “Sorry about how last minute this is, he decided to cancel some of the interviews that we had lined up and come back early.”
Han Yoojin is led through a series of white hallways. “Does he ever do his job properly?”
“Not really,” she says laughing. Kang Soyoung taps her badge on a scanner when they reach a pair of doors and indicates for him to do the same. “He does whatever he wants and there’s still directors lining up at his door begging for a chance to work with him.”
The doors open to a private security line. Han Yoojin steps through a metal detector. “Someone needs to knock him down a peg.”
“None of us want to lose our jobs, but I’m glad you’re here to do it on our behalf,” she says cheerfully. “Hope we didn’t cancel any of your plans.”
“It’s fine, I got it sorted out.”
Han Yoojin was rather proud of himself for setting it up. The kids needed time to bond by themselves and do whatever young people do. He couldn’t just keep tagging along everywhere.
They arrived at a private lounge.
“You can go on in, he’s waiting for you in there.” Kang Soyoung says, typing out a quick message. “I need to go make sure the paparazzi have cleared. Have fun!”
She’s gone in less than a second.
It must be hard being an actor’s assistant, Han Yoojin muses. Whatever she’s being paid probably isn’t enough.
He takes a second to collect himself and reaches for the door. Han Yoojin has just barely touched the handle before the door swings open, two hands circling around his waist, picking him up and spinning him into the room as the door closes behind them.
Han Yoojin does not squeak. He does not.
Sung Hyunjae laughs before maneuvering them both into a hug, wrapping his arms around him and burying his face into Han Yoojin’s neck.
Han Yoojin feels warmth flooding through him and loops his arms around his shoulders, running his fingers through familiar blonde hair, unable to keep the smile off his face. “You weren’t even gone that long,” he says, a note of exasperation seeping through his fond tone.
“Every moment away from you is an eternity,” Sung Hyunjae responds dramatically. He’s folded them onto the couch with Han Yoojin sitting sideways across his lap. Han Yoojin can feel his lips moving across his neck as he speaks.
“What script did you steal that from?” He asks, pulling back so that he can cup Sung Hyunjae’s face in his hands. He’s just as handsome as he’s always been. Unfair, really, that age looks good on him.
“A new Jane Austen film that someone sent me,” Sung Hyunjae admits, reaching up and weaving one of their hands together. “Did you miss me?”
“Don’t ask questions you already know the answer to,” Han Yoojin says, flicking him gently.
They’re both used to it — Sung Hyunjae being called to shoot a movie in a foreign country for months at a time, their long-distance relationship maintained through letters, FaceTime calls whenever they’re both free, sending gifts — but nothing quite compares to being in person.
“Then I guess I’ll have to take a break from acting,” Sung Hyunjae says.
“Don’t joke about that.”
“I’m not.” Sung Hyunjae moves their intertwined hands to his mouth, placing a gentle kiss on top of Han Yoojin’s hand. A spark of excitement flashes through his eyes, like a child revealing a surprise. “I’ve been planning it for months.”
Han Yoojin laughs incredulously, a rush of delight flooding through his chest. “I can’t believe you.”
“Anything for my beloved partner.”
Han Yoojin can’t help the flush that rises to his cheeks. He’s not used to the name, no matter how many times he hears it.
“Although the young master may not be pleased,” Sung Hyunjae warns. He tries to seem apologetic, but the smug smile on his face gives him away.
“Yoohyun won’t be, but he’s stopped trying to keep you out of Korea, so I would consider that a success.”
“I’m not so sure,” he muses. “The other day he did attempt to hack my flight details.”
“You’re still here aren’t you?” Han Yoojin knows his brother is more than capable of doing much worse. If he was really doing his best, there would’ve been a news story about a terrorist attack by tomorrow morning. “He can’t have tried that hard.”
“Fair enough.” Sung Hyunjae pulls out a small jewelry box. “I bought these for you when I was filming in Thailand.”
Han Yoojin opens the box to reveal a pair of ruby earrings surrounded by gold. They’re beautiful and undeniably expensive. Maybe Moon Hyuna was right about some things.
“Thank you,” he says, removing his earrings to put the new ones in. In the early stages of their relationship, Han Yoojin would have probably rejected them, but he knows better now. Sung Hyunjae enjoys watching him wear whatever he buys. “By the way, do you remember my friend Moon Hyuna?”
Sung Hyunjae brushes away strands of his hair and hums. “Of course.”
“She thinks that you’re not real,” he says, glancing at a nearby mirror hanging on the wall. Sung Hyunjae knows him well: the earrings are lightweight and subtle, but shaped in a way that still accentuates his face. “And Bak Yerim made me a dating profile because she believes the same thing.”
Sung Hyunjae lets out a laugh, genuine and carefree and, god, Han Yoojin has forgotten how lovely it sounds. “And why do they think that?”
Because you’re perfect is the correct answer, but Han Yoojin won’t be caught dead inflating his ego. It’s large as it is, any bigger and the world would collapse from its weight. “They don’t believe me when I say I had to sign an NDA.”
“It expires tomorrow. I can have Kang Soyoung arrange a meeting if they’re free.”
“Please do,” Han Yoojin agrees, relieved at the chance to be able to clear up all the rumors.
“Although, I’m quite sure you owe me something first.” Sung Hyunjae says, feigning ignorance. “I wonder what it could be?”
Han Yoojin rolls his eyes and leans forward, murmuring, “If you want to kiss me, you can just ask,” before pulling him forward and doing exactly that.
He can feel Sung Hyunjae’s smile against his lips and the familiar intensity as he tilts his head, and yes, Han Yoojin can admit that he’s missed him.
Bak Yerim receives a suspicious invitation from someone named Kang Soyoung in her email inbox. A quick google search reveals that Kang Soyoung works as an assistant for a famous talent agency — not that the information gives her any answers.
She accepts after she texts the group chat to confirm they’re all going.
The invitation leads them to a restaurant called Seseong, where the live music and the black-tie attire make it clear exactly what the price point is. A waiter greets them and begins to lead them to their table.
“It’s hard to get a reservation here,” Moon Hyuna notes, looking around.
“Even for you Unnie?” Bak Yerim asks. She’s a little impressed despite herself. Following an email to a specific location always holds some amount of risk, but since Han Yoohyun didn’t seem concerned, she wasn’t either.
“I’ve only been here once or twice. You usually need connections to get in.”
“The architecture is really interesting,” Yoo Myeongwoo notes, looking curiously at the formatting of the restaurant. Seseong has been built to look like an indoor garden, with live hydrangeas and miniature waterfalls all around. “Not many places use circular designs.”
The waiter stops in front of a private room and opens the door, gesturing for them to come in.
Han Yoojin waves at them as they enter, already sitting down with drinks ordered.
Bak Yerim races to sit beside Han Yoojin, but Han Yoohyun beats her to the punch, smirking as she’s forced to take the opposite side.
She’ll pay him back for that later. “Ahjussi, you were invited too?”
“Did Kang Soyoung not mention that?” Han Yoojin frowns. “I was the one who invited you all here.”
“Ah, that makes sense.”
“Why did you all come if you didn’t know who sent the invitation?” Han Yoojin asks, confused.
Bak Yerim shrugs. “Adventure?” She offers, then shrinks when she sees the look on Han Yoojin’s face that promises another safety lecture later.
Moon Hyuna flips through the menu. “Yoojin, did you get a chance to text the number I gave you?”
“Oh!” Bak Yerim excitedly pulls out her phone and brings up a profile. “I found someone for you too! Look, he even likes animals.”
“My friend also is free whenever,” Yoo Myeongwoo adds politely.
Han Yoojin takes a deep breath and looks, all of a sudden, very, very tired. “The reason I invited you here is to prove to you that I have a boyfriend.”
Ah. Bak Yerim casts a glance around the room. Well. Now is as good a time as any for an intervention.
“You don’t have to keep lying,” Bak Yerim says delicately. “We just want the best for you.”
Yoo Myeongwoo nods. “At least give one of them a text. It’s okay if you don’t find someone you like instantly, it takes time.”
“There’s no shame in being single this long,” Moon Hyuna adds. “It’s never too late to start.”
As if on cue, the door opens for a third time and Sung Hyunjae enters. The room goes quiet for a second.
“Hello,” Sung Hyunjae says, a charming smile on his face. He walks to the far end of the room next to Han Yoojin, placing a quick peck on his forehead as he sits down. “Sorry I was late. I was stuck in a meeting with one of my managers.”
“Let me guess,” Han Yoojin says, shaking his head and leaning into the kiss like it’s the most natural thing in the world. “You caused trouble again?”
“Wasn’t my fault this time,” Sung Hyunjae says pleasantly. “Not directly anyways.”
Bak Yerim looks at Sung Hyunjae, then back to Han Yoojin, then back to Sung Hyunjae…
All the puzzle pieces are coming together. Kang Sooyoung, manager at a talent agency, and Sung Hyunjae, famous Hollywood actor.
She’s almost stunned into silence. Almost.
“Ahjusshi,” Bak Yerim says slowly. “Did you hire an actor to play your boyfriend?”
“Oh my god,” Han Yoojin says, burying his face in his hands.
Sung Hyunjae laughs, wrapping an arm around Han Yoojin’s waist so smoothly she almost misses it. “The only thing Han Yoojin pays me with is his company.”
“So the NDA thing wasn’t just an excuse?” Moon Hyuna asks, still looking as if she’s trying to process the whole thing.
“My company has very strict rules about dating,” Sung Hyunjae says regretfully. “They’re more lax now that I’m currently on break. I apologize for not being able to meet you all sooner.”
Bak Yerim spots Han Yoohyun looking unsurprised and glares accusingly, “Did you know this whole time?”
“Yes,” he says, the very picture of calm.
“Why did you tell us earlier?”
“It wasn’t my concern.”
She squints at him suspiciously. “How come you got to know before us?”
“I walked in on them,” Han Yoohyun says bluntly, looking as if he wanted to walk into rush hour traffic at the mere thought.
“Anyways,” Han Yoojin says hurriedly, turning a dark red. “You all know the truth now.”
“We’re sorry we doubted you,” Yoo Meyongwoo says sheepishly. “We’ll stop trying to set you up with other people.”
“How did you two meet?” Moon Hyuna asks curiously. “I can’t imagine that you would have similar circles.
“Yoojin attempted to run me over,” Sung Hyunjae says, grinning widely.
Han Yoojin shoves him lightly. “What he means is, I accidentally hit him with my car. In hindsight, I should’ve been going faster.”
“Ah, and then you would’ve had to visit me in the hospital. Very romantic.”
Bak Yerim thinks modern romance is a little strange. “Did you really start dating him because he hit you with his car?”
“No,” Sung Hyunjae says. “I started dating him because he started cursing me out for jaywalking.”
“I did have the right of way. This maniac asked me out on a date immediately afterward.”
“I liked that he wasn’t afraid of me,” Sung Hyunjae smiles. “And the fact that he was beautiful helped also.”
“Flatterer. Sending a hundred roses to someone’s door for a first date is a little overkill.”
“The ones you still keep in your bedroom you mean?” Sung Hyunjae asks innocently.
Bak Yerim thinks back on all the strange gifts that had shown up at their apartment and all the stories that Han Yoojin had told them about his boyfriend.
About the time his boyfriend had baked handmade desserts after he was sick. Or when he tracked down the owner of a rice cake shop that had closed ten years ago just because Han Yoojin wanted to eat them. Or when he had rented out an entire aquarium because Han Yoojin had wanted to see the sea dragons and sharks.
Han Yoojin always tries his best to protect them and takes care not to show weakness.
There’s something different about Han Yoojin’s smile when he’s bickering with Sung Hyunjae. His laugh is brighter and softer, less guarded. He looks happier like this.
Han Yoohyun catches her eye and she knows he can tell the same thing because he isn’t actively trying to poison Sung Hyunjae’s food. There’s a silent agreement between them.
Bak Yerim still doesn’t know Sung Hyunjae, but if Han Yoojin likes him and if Han Yoohyun trusts him, she’ll give him a chance.
At the very least, she’s glad he’s real.