Jeongguk runs a towel over his wet hair. He wears an additional, tightly tied towel around his waist as he enters his room. Water drops fall onto his shoulders and slide down his exposed upper body. He gets goosebumps and wipes the remaining drops from his skin before sitting down at his desk and opening his laptop.

Jeongguk drops the towel on his shoulders and enters the password for his laptop. In fact, he should already be working on his next term paper, sketching various characters based on "representing a natural element", which means he has to sketch them first and then finally put them on a turnaround sheet and draw them from different angles and sides. But other things (like a blonde omega) have taken more of his attention.

Jeongguk rolls his shoulders back, takes a deep breath, and rolls his head to the side. Nothing about this should be difficult. He has already made a start on what kind of natural element it should be and what the characters could roughly look like. He just can't find the motivation to sketch on his tablet. Jeongguk sighs and reaches for a thin metal chain, which he puts around his neck. It glitters in the early morning sunlight.

His gaze falls on the open Pinterest tab that pops up on his laptop. He can see the countless inspirational photos of bouquets that he had been looking at. His heart beats a little faster as he thinks back to last night's performance by Jimin. It literally took Jeongguk's breath away. Even though he is reluctant to admit it, Jimin looked enchanting on stage.

What Jeongguk had said to Jimin was true. Jin told him to go to the flower shop quickly before they left, but it wasn't the entire truth. Jin looked at him with raised eyebrows as they stood in the kitchen, dismay written all over his face: "Are you seriously going there empty-handed?" At first, he just looked at his brother in confusion. Was that unusual for an event like this? After all, this was his first event like this.

"I thought you were together or in a dating phase."

Jeongguk almost choked on his hot chocolate at that moment. He nearly objected, but it dawned on him that they were dating in front of Jin and it had to look real. And there was something else: they had never officially told him they were together. He could have facepalmed himself. It felt wrong to ignore and lie to his brother like this, but on the inside, he hoped he would be left alone.

"Imagine you have an important gig coming up, wouldn't you want something from the person you like?" Jin was right, but it also made him incredibly angry at how well Jin treats his best friend and doesn't see how much someone has feelings for him. Jeongguk bit his lower lip and told himself to take the dating thing more seriously. He had to make an effort to make their story seem real.

He remembers sitting down at his laptop for the last few minutes and searching for inspiration on Pinterest while googling the meanings of each flower. Jeongguk swallowed hard, with a barely noticeable smile on his lips, as time ran out. He strained to find a mixture that hinted at his affection without giving his whole heart away, vaguely hoping the omega would be able to read the flower language without being overwhelmed by its depth.

In hindsight, he thinks it went quite well. Jimin seemed pleased that he had come to his performance. How he would have loved to confess to Jimin all the thoughts racing through his head as he faced Jimin with a rapidly beating heart. The elegance and awe in his movements made Jeongguk question whether what they-he was doing was really the right thing to do.

There was a reason why Jeongguk was usually in his room when Jimin visited them, why he never got many words out in his presence. He realised this again at that moment as he stood in front of him, his fingers clasped tightly around the paper of the flowers and a gentle breeze of peonies wafted towards him.

Jeongguk's eyes wander to the metal bracelet on the desk that Jimin had dropped yesterday when they were eating a scoop of ice cream after dinner. Automatically, he reaches for it and runs his thumb over the little star pendants. He had only seen it fall to the floor by chance. He noticed that it could no longer be closed completely. There was a tiny gap, barely visible, but he immediately felt it under his fingertips.

Jeongguk carefully turned the bracelet in his hands. He would try to fix it himself first and wondered if he could bring out one of Jimin's most beautiful but rarely seen smiles. Jeongguk continues to run his thumb over the stars, lost in thought. With a heavy heart, he stares out of the window into the distance. It's getting harder and harder not to be attracted to Jimin, knowing it won't end well.

Jeongguk automatically glances at the overflowing Polaroid box on his shelf, the contents of which have grown steadily since their visit to the Christmas market. Stupidly, he has placed it in such a way that it seems to be mocking him.

Jeongguk wrinkles his nose in annoyance and sighs with dissatisfaction, knowing full well that he shouldn't dwell on these moments. If only everything were so much easier.

He stands up slowly, his throat suddenly dry. He walks towards the shelf, straight to the open box. There are pictures of the two of them in it, snapshots of their staged dates that seemed more real each time. His fingers search for one of the Polaroids, guided by an inner feeling, almost as if they knew what he longs for most at this moment.

When he holds it in his hand, it shows Jimin smiling broadly. His blonde hair tossed back just after Jeongguk let out a stupid line and made the omega in the Christmas lights laugh. This moment was real, and Jimin was himself without pretending. What if Jeongguk lets himself fall? What if he gave in to this feeling? He would only be plunging himself into misfortune.

His phone vibrates and snaps him out of his daydreaming. Another Instagram message. Jeongguk's stomach twists and his toes curl back. He is pulled back into an unsettling reality and swallows hard as he runs his eyes over the message. This person, stalker—others would say, just won't leave him alone and continues to persist and cross the boundaries. Jeongguk puts the Polaroid back in the box and gets ready for university, leaving the apartment with a queasy gut feeling.

Instagram message:

Do you think you can fool me?

♡

Jeongguk rolls up to the curb in front of the campus with a low roar of his motorbike. He pushes the kickstand down with all his might and swings his leg over the saddle. Sighing, he takes off his helmet and looks disappointedly at the sky, which has now turned grey.

Raindrops drizzle gently down on him and his bike. A soft curse escapes his lips. Once again, the weather app was wrong. Even as he was driving, he thought the sky was closing in. But the weather forecast hadn't mentioned any rain.

"Oh, hi Jeongguk! Perfect timing! Have you just arrived too?" someone close by asks. He barely has time to take in the unpleasant syrup-sweet scent before Doyun is already standing before him. He teeters on his feet and buries his hands in his winter jacket. The cold morning air whips Jeongguk in the face.

"So... I heard Professor Kang has announced another teamwork task. How about we work together as a team?" Doyun bats his eyelashes, his sweet scent making Jeongguk nauseous. "We'd make a great team! How about we go for a coffee and-"

"Oh, that. Yes, I've already sorted that out, thank you." Jeongguk rolls his eyes inwardly and is about to walk away in order to make it to class on time. But Doyun doesn't make it easy for him. He can't resist an obvious glance at the motorbike. Feigning innocence, he says, "Is that the motorbike you came to school with? I have to admit, that looks pretty cool. Would you let me ride it one day?"

Jeongguk frowns, confused and gradually annoyed. He would love to rip the smug grin off his face. "Considering how stubbornly you've ignored every hint I've given you since September, I'd say your chances of riding this are about as good as the weather forecast being right today," Jeongguk snorts disapprovingly. He takes a step closer, about to give him a piece of his mind, but Doyun takes it as a joke rather than a warning.

"You're so funny," Doyun giggles and takes the opportunity to make another barely veiled attempt to flirt with Jeongguk. His hand nestles on Jeongguk's arm.

Jeongguk grins barely noticeably. "Almost as funny as the thought of you getting anywhere near it." Doyun makes no move to move away, so Jeongguk leans forward, his lips close to Doyun's ear. "Besides," he adds, "Jimin wouldn't be thrilled if I let anyone near him. You know how omegas can be."

It could be finally paying off to have entered into this fake relationship with Jimin. A feeling of triumph floods through him with the burgeoning hope as Doyun's eyes widen almost imperceptibly.

"Jimin?" Doyun says with disbelief and confusion in his voice. He didn't seem to have seen this coming. Jeongguk smiles at his triumph. Hopefully, this means the end of the countless chat-up lines. To this day, he is still in the dark about what it is about him that makes so many students approach him.

"Yes, Jimin," Jeongguk states and pulls out a photo where they can be seen together, eating at a street food vendor. His smile is gorgeous in the photo. "My wonderful boyfriend, whom I am allowed to accompany to dance performances and experience the exclusive after-parties, unlike anyone else," he shoves down Doyun's throat with a mischievous smile. He doesn't need to know that most of it is made up.

"I didn't realise you were into arts."

"Arts? I wasn't until I met Jimin, well I'm into whatever Jimin's into. He's quite the performance himself. Let's just say Jimin has a way of making even the most mundane things utterly fascinating. You know how it is when you really like someone, right?"

Jeongguk pulls his hand away from Doyun's, subtly but firmly, and adjusts the strap of his backpack. "Anyway, I've got to run."

He offers Doyun a curt nod, a dismissive gesture that speaks volumes without a single word.

♡

Professor Seo's voice is just a distant murmur in Jeongguk's mind. Rather than concentrating on the lesson in front of him and writing diligently on his laptop, the pen in his hand dances across the open notebook, his thoughts miles away from the lesson.

Over time, the many strokes begin to take shape, a figure replicating what Jeongguk can't forget. A leg extended just so, a hand reaching out, and the curve of a back. It's only as the unmistakable figure and position hang in the silk cloth that Jeongguk realises who he has drawn. Jimin. The realisation briefly snaps him out of his reverie, and he blinks, shaking his head slightly. Jeongguk glances down at his notebook, and a flush creeps up his neck.

The hum of the overhead projector clicks off, signalling the end of the lecture. Jeongguk quickly snaps his laptop shut. Other students around him hastily pack their things and head towards the door, their hurried movements in stark contrast to his own dazed state. This is ridiculous. He's supposed to focus on his studies, not spending an entire lecture fantasising about his fake boyfriend. He closes his notebook, stuffs everything into his rucksack and leaves the room.

Jeongguk pushes through the bustling hallway to the cafeteria, the desire for distraction almost palpable. It's slightly unsettling how effortlessly Jimin can sneak into his thoughts and take them over, a feeling only intensified by their public displays. Even though the look on Doyun's face was priceless, what happened earlier left a bitter, guilty aftertaste. Because, underneath the guilt, stirs a deeper and more alarming emotion.

He has known Jimin for months, admired him from a distance, and perhaps even harboured a crush he had initially dismissed. Jimin was unapproachable for him — not because Jimin was actually like that, but because Jimin triggered something in him that made it difficult to keep his composure around him while not staring continuously.

Lately, it's become more. Much more. Every laugh, every unguarded moment and every shared glance amplified it. And boy, his scent. Jeongguk couldn't get enough of this peony's scent, reminding him of freshly made laundry. So soft with a subtle sweetness. The fake dating charade is becoming less of a performance and more like a test, walking on this ice above a lake of true feelings he can't admit to, trapped in the agreement and the firm conviction that Jimin sees nothing more in him than Jin's brother.

It hurts but there's nothing he can do about it. Jeongguk needs a distraction. A real one. He's telling himself to stop fawning over Jimin. The reality looks different and couldn't be further away from what they are trying to make it seem.

Jeongguk takes a deep breath, his fingers tightening around one strap of his rucksack. His gaze wanders over the amount of students in the cafeteria, pausing when he spots his alpha friends at their usual table in the corner — a familiar sight he hasn't sought out enough lately.

Jeongguk chews nervously on his lip and decides to get something to eat first to satisfy his hunger. His stomach growls as if to agree with him and say, good decision. Joowon, a tall guy, is bent over the food tray with his body, laughing as if he has just heard the best joke while Hangyeol is meticulously arranging his side dishes, then dives in. And then there's Donghyun, who has been away for some family emergency in the countryside for a few weeks. A smirk is playing on his lips as he shakes his head in disbelief.

Jeongguk doesn't have time to announce himself. Once he gets to their table, Hangyeol's head snaps up, an eyebrow rising high enough for it to practically disappear into his hairline, a silent, yet perfectly clear, question mark aimed directly at him.

"Look who decided to join us with his presence!" Hangyeol calls out, a wide grin spreading across his face. He immediately captures the attention of all his friends. "We thought you had forgotten about us, Jeongguk."

He offers a sheepish smile and clears his throat, hesitating for a few seconds to sit down. "It's good to see you guys. Sorry, I've just been...a lot has been going on." Jeongguk glances at the empty seat next to Donghyun, who is engrossed in his phone, and slides into the chair.

"Well... where have you been hiding?" Joowon pulls his eyebrows down into a line, completely unaware that he has stumbled into the very topic Jeongguk has dreaded the most. "Did the situation with Doyun and the others get worse?"

Jeongguk tries to play it cool and shrugs with his shoulders. "Not really." He turns to Donghyun, hoping to change the subject. "I see you're back! How was everything?"

Donghyun finally looks up, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Yeah, as good as it can be. It was really tough. Grandma had to be moved to the city for aggressive treatment and my dad needed help with my siblings while he was looking for work here. It was a lot." He sighs as Jeongguk looks at him from the side. Donghyun looks exhausted and less cheerful than he was before this whole situation. His mother died when he was still at school, so the responsibility of bringing up Donghyun's siblings has always fallen to his father and grandmother. "Honestly, I knew it would never be easy if something happened and there were no relatives nearby. Moving here was the only option."

Hangyeol's playful grin instantly vanished, replaced by a furrowed brow. "Wait, your grandmother had to be moved here for treatment? And your dad is looking for work? Donghyun, why didn't you say anything? What about your old place?"

Joowon reaches across the table, his hand hovering briefly over Donghyun's arm before pulling back. "That's...a lot. Is she okay now? How about your father and your younger siblings?" His voice is laced with genuine concern.

Donghyun nods slowly. "She's thankfully back home with us. Still recovering from a serious infection, but better. My siblings were... a handful." He lets out a dry, humorless chuckle. "Imagine me, barely able to take care of myself or the household, suddenly in charge of two gremlins and a sick grandma. We had a nutritionist visit because of my grandma's needs, so I learned some basic, healthy dishes. Definitely made me realize what food is actually important, not just living off with ramen for dinner."

Hangyeol snorts and says with a teasing undertone, "The perfect opportunity for you to show us how to cook."

Joowon swats his arm. "You wish. Just because you can't cook yourself and don't even bother to learn." He shakes his head with a sigh of disappointment. "No wonder you've been barely in contact with us-well apparently, sometimes more than Jeongguk has," he grumbles and continues, a softer look in his eyes. "So, your dad actually found work here?"

"He did, thankfully," Donghyun nods, rubbing his temple. "It's a stable job, not quite what he had before but enough to get by. And it means I don't have to travel between here and there, especially with the exam phase coming up."

"Well, good luck then. If you need anything, a bigger house or a different job, I could ask around in my family. I'm sure we can find a solution." Joowoo offers immediately and throws him an optimistic smile.

"Thanks, I appreciate it," Donghyun says, his face brightening. "I'm glad to be here again, I've missed college life. No morning seminars, no pulling all-nighters with coffee. I've been able to sleep through the entire night again for a while. But enough about me, what's your excuse for being like a ghost in the chat? You've been acting quiet." He turns his head to Jeongguk and looks at him, anticipating a response.

Hangyeol snorts. "You mean he got a girlfriend? Please, we all know there's a soft-hearted, shy guy hiding under that leather jacket and serious expression."

The familiar banter, their easy laughter and the mix of their alpha pheromones, was a sharp reminder of how he neglected them. He was so preoccupied with Jimin, the fake dating and keeping his feelings secret from him that he completely neglected the people around him. The increasing number of approaches also made him block everything out. He realises... how he'd missed this normal interaction with his friends, and how much he had isolated himself by trying to manage everything—his crush, the relationship and the persistent advances.

"Actually..." Jeongguk swallows hard and pokes nervously at his food. His eyes are fixed on the plate, hesitating to face their gazes. Jeongguk had given them vague updates about his life, but for some reason, he had kept quiet about his situation for months. He wonders if his friends haven't already found out. After all, he had to do the exact opposite of hiding for their fake relationship to work. Despite the familiar comfort, the words he searches for in his head feel frightening. "It's... a boyfriend...of a sort. An Omega, actually."

Hangyeol chokes on his water, his pink and cedarwood scent flaring in shock. Donghyun opens his mouth speechlessly and Joowon, ever the calm one in their friend circle, looks at him without any comment. Silence falls over their table, weighing down on them. Hangyeol is the first to speak up.

"You..." He begins, wiping the water from his face. His eyebrows draw together and he leans further forward in Jeongguk's direction. "Did I just hear you right? You've hardly been present all these weeks because you suddenly have a boyfriend?"

Donghyun speaks up while continuing to eat. "I figured something was up when your texts became even shorter than usual. You seemed distracted. But... we just asked you what your big news was, why you're not present in the chat or anywhere, not if you were dating someone. Also, what do you mean by 'of a sort'? Are you not fully dating yet?"

Joowon finally decides to speak. His eyes turn to Jeongguk, which makes him tense. "Is this the guy from the campus last week? Blond hair, a little bit shorter than you and had this really sweet look when he looked at you? To be fair, you kind of seemed intimate at that time even if I was halfway across the campus. I could have sworn I even saw you -or what it looked like - scenting each other." Jeongguk didn't realize that others are paying such close attention to his life.

Jeongguk wanted to sink into the ground. He doesn't know what mortifies him more: being caught in the act by his friend firsthand, or that Joowon pieced together this entire charade. He wanted to perform for students, not lay it bare for his friend and have him analyze it in detail. It's the blatant exposure, making the fake intimacy feel sickenly real and exposed. He feels his hands getting wetter and rubs them tensely against his trousers. Nevertheless, this gives him the opportunity to come clean. To clear the air.

"His... His name is Jimin," he begins, looking down at his plate. "He's Jin's best friend. We're helping each other out."

Hangyeol's eyes widen. "A setup? You mean you don't date for real but rather fake date? Is he blackmailing you? Are you in debt or...?"

Jeongguk takes a deep breath, a wry smile dares to appear on his lips. "No, nothing like that. It's mainly about my brother trying to get me to date and all these other persistent students who keep trying to chat me up in the corridors... it's been... a lot. And Jimin also needed a boyfriend for his own reasons. It's not... it's not like a real relationship." The words feel heavy on his tongue. His heart literally contracts at the thought of his smile.

Hangyeol ponders for a moment, his lips pulled into a straight line. He leans closer again, mustering Jeongguk shortly, his expression serious and his comforting cotton scent takes on a sharp note. "Wait a minute. So you're actually saying you're fake dating the omega and that's why you've been so out of it? And all that because of your brother? Is there something you're not telling us because this seems quite a lot for solely this reason, no? You could just tell your brother."

Bingo. Jeongguk's gaze wanders from Hangyeol's worried face to Donghyun's thoughtful one, and eventually to Joowon. A shaky breath escapes him. He feels vulnerable to say the least. Everything he's been holding up pour out of him like water.

"Yeah," his shoulders slump, his voice barely a whisper. "It's not just about my brother." He admits and pauses, gathering his thoughts. "It's been a few months already. It's not only the students who come up to me but I've been receiving messages over these past months, first they were text messages but once I blocked them, they found my Instagram and contacted me there. I saw the chance of them maybe letting me finally be alone if I can convince them I am dating someone."

Jeongguk pulls out his phone, navigating to the Instagram dms. "From an unknown user. They're creepy. They make it sound like they know a lot about me. They put gifts in my locker, I don't know how, but they did. They text me constantly." He pulls up their chat with a trembling finger, showing his friends a glimpse of the text. Jeongguk is concerned that if he blocks the person, it could provoke them further. The person might end up creating new accounts, or might even face them in person. Jeongguk might be a bit naive but by holding the chat open, he hopes that they somehow reveal themselves at one point. Besides, that way he can collect enough screenshots and information he might need later. "Just like this one from today. 'Do you think you can fool me'? It seems like it's referring to the relationship."

Jeongguk's scent flares with fear. "It could be anyone. That's why I've been getting bold. It's like they're watching me."

"Oof- I'm getting goosebumps just by listening," Donghyun says, and shivers, his hands rubbing his arms up and down. "That's not a game anymore. Why haven't you gone to the police?"

"At first, I was hoping they would eventually stop when they saw me and Jimin spending time together. But now I kind of want to find out who they actually are after all this time. I want to know which crazy bastard is actually this sick in their mind before I hand them over to the police."

Hangyeol wears a panicked expression when he speaks up, his scent deepening with concern. "You want to find them? Jeongguk, are you really that crazy? We're talking about some stalker, some unknown person."

Donghyun nods, his expression grim. "He's right, Jeongguk. This isn't some sort of game. You might be an alpha, but that doesn't mean that they can't hurt you."

Joowon sighs, eventually rolling his shoulders back and looking Jeongguk straight in the eyes. "We should talk about this more, not here though," he says and hints with his finger to the bustling cafeteria. "You should not be doing anything alone that can put you at risk. This needs to be thought through more." His words leave no room for arguments.

Jeongguk looks at his friends, who return his gaze with determination and solidarity. The fear that has plagued him for months begins to fade a little. Relief and hope spread through him. Even though he now feels exposed, he has brought the problem up to his friends. He was no longer alone, and that gave him a spark of hope.

"Now that we've cleared that up, tell us more about Jimin."