Among all the crazy ideas which Hyunjin had indulged himself in, he thought this was the craziest yet. You can name it anything you want; a desperate call, a wild gamble or a sheer madness. Even Hyunjin didn't know what to say about this situation but he knew he fucked up somewhere to end up where he was. Maybe there's a need to revisit a week ago when his college life was still peaceful.

Seven days ago, all he worried about was how he would ace his quiz while also binge watching K-dramas the entire week. His recent obsession was Lovely Runner and the week before that it was The Queen of Tears. It was irresponsible for him but he just couldn't give up on his personal time and believe it or not, he always ended up with a more than alright mark. It wouldn't be much of a big deal to lose some sleep revising one night before the quiz rather than biting his nails to know whether the female lead finally saved the male lead or not for an entire week. Life was predictable and calm despite his unhealthy time management, just the way he liked it.

That was until he met with the annoying face of the satan spawn, Han Jisung, who unexpectedly became his saving grace. Actually, this wasn't the right place to start either. To retell the whole thing, this needed to be done chronologically. Everything went down one by one naturally just like a domino. It was almost like the universe was hinting something to him and he was just an idiot who didn't know better. The first nudge started when Hyunjin and Seungmin were heading back from the cafeteria about a month ago. At that time, Hyunjin had an urge to get something cold and sweet while Seungmin was craving for a donkatsu after doing his assignment non-stop since the day started. "I told you it's unhealthy to do your work without eating." Hyunjin had told him, while the latter made a face at the nagging. "You out of all people shouldn't be telling me that. At least, I started doing my work. Have you?"

Hyunjin laughed aloud, slapping Seungmin on his back, "You know me." Even if Hyunjin didn't say it, Seungmin knew he had a major procrastination issue. They were both unhealthy in their own ways and maybe that's why they were best friends. Then they spoke no more, settling into a comfortable silence that was cultivated from years of friendship. As they trudged back to their dorm, Seungmin's phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen and frowned before handing the phone to Hyunjin. "Hey, check this out. It's an ad for a 'Rent Boyfriend' on campus."

Hyunjin took the phone and read the message aloud: ""Need a boyfriend for a day? Perfect for events, family gatherings, or just to have someone to hang out with on Pepero Day. No strings attached, and it's all for fun! Contact us at RentABF.com." Hyunjin raised an eyebrow, then grimaced. "A boyfriend rent service? Who even needs this? That's... kind of desperate and Pepero day is like a month away." Seungmin chuckled, shaking his head. "Yeah, I thought the same thing. But look at the URL—'RentABF.com'. Someone really went out of their way to set this up."

"Maybe it's a scam. You know how they send those phishing messages nowadays. Just block the number." When the elevator reached their floor, the both of them walked out still laughing about the spam message. It wasn't an important subject and soon after they talked about something else, forgetting the unmemorable topic.

The second domino piece toppled over a few days later when Hyunjin was reading the campus announcement board. Among the myriad of flyers for study groups, club meetings, and pizza nights, one colourful poster caught his eye. It was emblazoned with hearts and sparkles, and boldly declared: "Free candlelight dinner for couples in conjunction with Pepero Day". It was definitely flashy but he was only interested in K-drama couples and the pizza nights poster piqued his interest more. Despite his nonchalance, there was a nagging voice at the back of his head how it was unfair that couples get these fancy offers whether it was the romantic season or not. The singles were always singled out. He quickly texted Seungmin a: "What do you think of eating pizza as our dinner for the entire week?"

The most crucial piece went down a few weeks later when Hyunjin found himself in a rather sticky situation. It was a Friday afternoon, and he was gearing up for his quiz—the very quiz he'd been slacking off on. The week had been a whirlwind of late-night K-drama marathons and half-hearted study sessions. The stress was beginning to get to him. It was the consequences of his action, he couldn't blame anybody else for it.To make matters worse, his trusty old laptop, which had been his reliable companion through many last-minute cram sessions, had finally given up on him. The screen flickered and went black, no matter how many times he tried to reboot it or smack the side of the laptop. The broken device lay in front of him like a mocking reminder of his impending quiz disaster.

"What in the world did you do with your laptop?" Jeongin sat next to him with a horrified face. In fact, everybody sitting around them in the library had a mildly concerned expression although they were strangers. The damage done on his laptop was nothing short of catastrophic. His study buddy, peered at his lifeless screen and broken hinge, then looked back at Hyunjin with a mixture of sympathy and disbelief. Hyunjin made no effort to respond to Jeongin as he was busy huffing and holding back his tears of frustration. Jeongin sighed and patted him on the back. "Well, I guess I'm your backup plan for today. I can lend you my notes, but you're gonna owe me big time. Especially if you manage to not flunk this quiz."

Thankfully, he somehow survived the quiz. He went out with his friends for a self-rewarding session with much glee in contrast to his dishevelled appearance a few hours ago prior to the test. Despite the dark circle under his eyes, he needed to get some food down his throat before he started rambling nonsense. The place they went to had one hell of a good hamburger. He didn't even mind when someone said he looked like he hadn't eaten for a whole month. As they continued munching on their burgers, the conversation shifted to weekend plans. Jeongin was enthusiastically describing a new hiking trail he wanted to try. "It's supposed to be really scenic, and the weather's perfect for it. We should totally go," Jeongin said, his eyes lighting up with excitement. Seungmin, on the side, had an unreadable expression but he was listening attentively to his boyfriend.

Hyunjin leaned forward, intrigued. "That sounds great. I could use some fresh air." Jisung, who had been sipping his soda, looked up with a smirk. "Oh, sure, if you're okay with being the slowest hiker in history. We might have to drag you up the hill." Hyunjin raised an eyebrow, he had been ignoring Jisung's existence ever since they entered the cafe but the jab wasn't something he could afford to ignore. A grin formed on his face when Jisung called attention to himself. "Ha, funny. I guess I'll just have to make sure you don't get lost on the way. You know how easily you can wander off."

Jisung feigned shock. "Me? Wander off? I'm a master of navigation. Unlike some people, who get lost in their own neighbourhood." Hyunjin chuckled, shaking his head. "Yeah, right. Remember that time you were convinced you could drive to the next town without a map and ended up in the wrong county?" Jisung rolled his eyes. "That was one time! And I found my way back, didn't I? At least I wasn't the one who ended up stranded at a gas station because they forgot their wallet." In his defence, he had been in a hurry that day. It was either miss the wedding and get blacklisted by his cousin or make it halfway to the wedding and beg for his cousin's mercy.

Seungmin, done with the back-and-forth, interjected with a serious tone. "Alright, alright, you two. Let's not start a competition about who's more directionally challenged. We're supposed to be planning our hiking activity, not arguing about who's the bigger mess." With that, the group shifted back to lighter topics despite the two still glaring at each other. Hyunjin looked away first because he had other things to think about such as how to fix his laptop and if it was salvageable in the first place. Turned out, it wasn't and he needed to buy a new laptop which he couldn't afford. He could if he sold his kidney but even he wasn't that crazy enough. He might try asking for some money from his parents but he wasn't one to ask for money from his family and they weren't that well off either.

The last domino piece finally fell over when Hyunjin was walking at a food fest in the mall alone. Seungmin was busy, he said he was going on a date with his boyfriend. Hyunjin figured it was because of Pepero Day. Of course, Seungmin had rather spent his free time with his boyfriend rather than accompanying Hyunjin to survey laptops at the mall while hearing his complain about how expensive they are.

As Hyunjin navigated through the crowded mall, holding a bag of food in his hands, he spotted a small stage set up in the middle of the area. The stage was surrounded by a sea of people, their excited chatter blending into a general hum of anticipation. Curious, Hyunjin made his way closer, trying to peer over the heads of the crowd. "What is it?" He asked a petite lady who was standing on her tip toe. Hyunjin suddenly felt bad for asking someone who was obviously trying to see what was happening too. Thankfully, she knew what was going on. "I'm also not so sure but I heard they're doing some quiz games and they're giving out prizes." Hyunjin hummed.

His brain suddenly dinged with an idea. "Are they perhaps giving out money prize?" He asked the lady who looked unsure. "There should be. I think I heard the host saying the first place got a coupon for a free vacation and the second place will get the newest laptop model."

Hyunjin's heart raced. A laptop? That sounded like exactly what he needed. His mind whirled with possibilities. If he won the new laptop, he could save money and avoid asking his parents for help. The idea seemed so perfect that it was almost too good to be true. He moved closer to the stage, eyes scanning the crowd for any sign of registration. The host, a charismatic figure with a bright smile, was calling out, "We need one last couple to join us! Don't miss out on the chance for a fantastic prize!" After hearing what the host just said, his shoulder slumped. It was an event for couples. Of course, it was. THE SINGLES ARE ALWAYS SINGLED OUT. What did he expect?

But, he could just sign up for it right? Hyunjin hesitated. The whole idea was absurd. He had no partner to join him, and the thought of asking someone to participate in a makeshift romantic contest was ridiculous. But desperation breeds creativity, and his eyes scanned the crowd once more. That's when Hyunjin spotted the satan's spawn, Jisung, standing a few feet away, his face a merge of faux curiosity and vacant confusion. He looked like an idiot, standing there with a clueless expression as if he'd wandered into the wrong place and didn't quite know why. If Hyunjin wasn't desperate enough, he would have snapped a picture and given Jisung a text, jabbing him with a "You look like you're about to get lost in another county again."

Unfortunately, he was very desperate and that encouraged him to trudge forward, grab the clueless Jisung who was shocked by his appearance and run up towards the stage. He yelled an enthusiastic, "Us!" and when he looked downward and saw Jisung's darkening expression, he knew he couldn't be mad at him. Jisung had every absolute right to plan his murder but it was still funny to see him this dumbfounded. Jisung blinked rapidly, still in disbelief as Hyunjin dragged him to the front of the stage. "What the hell, Hyunjin?" he hissed in a whisper, trying to maintain his composure despite the sheer absurdity of the situation. "Why did you drag me into this?"

Hyunjin flashed a cheeky grin, his excitement barely contained. "We're entering the couple contest. I need the second place prize, and you're my ticket in." Before Jisung could say anything, the host beamed at them, clearly thrilled at the sudden addition. "Fantastic! We have our final couple! Give them a big round of applause, everyone!"