The next morning, Yuna wakes up to three realizations.
One: She has a mild chip hangover.
Two: Her phone is blinking with seventeen unread messages and a missed call from Seo.
Three: She fell asleep thinking about J-Min's stupid sleepy face and the even stupider wink.
She's in the middle of contemplating throwing her phone into the ocean when Mina barges in...again, uninvited...holding two iced coffees and a neon pink sticky note.
"Emergency," Mina declares.
Yuna glares at her over the comforter. "Your concept of emergencies is very flexible."
"No, really. Seo called me because you weren't answering." Mina waves the sticky note like a victory flag. "You have an interview today."
Yuna sits bolt upright. "An interview?!"
"With The Morning K-Wave," Mina says, unable to keep the gleeful smirk off her face. "You know, the show your mom watches religiously."
Yuna feels her soul leave her body. "No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes," Mina sing-songs, setting the coffees on the nightstand. "They're doing a 'Love in the Spotlight' special about idols with rumored relationships. You and J-Min are basically their main course. The 'Yumin' ship is about to sail, whether you like it or not."
Yuna clutches the blanket to her chest. "I am going to pass away."
Mina pats her leg. "You're going to be fine. You'll sit next to your fake boyfriend, smile for the cameras and maybe pretend not to be in love."
"I'm not in love," Yuna sputters, heat crawling up her neck.
Mina arches a brow. "Sure."
By the time they arrive at the studio, Yuna's anxiety has reached DEFCON 2. She almost doesn't recognize J-Min in his fitted black button-down and tousled hair, but the second he turns and spots her, that same soft, K-drama-leading-man smile spreads across his face.
"Hey," he murmurs when she stops in front of him, trying not to combust.
"You look...nice," she manages.
"You look like you're about to faint," he replies gently.
"I might."
He chuckles and without warning, reaches for her hand. The contact is so warm, so steady, it yanks her heart out of her ribcage and tosses it into the stratosphere.
"Better?" he asks, squeezing her fingers.
Worse. Much worse.
"Yes," she lies.
Seo sweeps over, phone glued to his ear. He gives them a pointed look, then makes a circular motion with his free hand, indicating closer. As if they're not already standing scandalously close.
"Hold hands," he mouths. "Look natural."
"This isn't natural," Yuna hisses.
"This is K-pop," Seo whispers before he whirls away to bark orders at a production assistant.
Mina appears at her side, wearing an obnoxious grin. "Did you two coordinate outfits?"
"No," Yuna says.
"Yes," J-Min says at the exact same time.
Mina nearly dissolves into smug particles.
Raejin and Sori are already seated in the greenroom, bickering over something on Raejin's phone. Sori's eyes dart up when Yuna approaches and she shifts in her seat, looking...weirdly awkward.
"Um," Sori begins, her tone about as casual as a hostage negotiation. "Hi."
Yuna blinks. "Hi."
Sori clears her throat, gaze flicking toward Mina. "Listen. About last time. I was...an asshole."
Raejin's eyes go wide. "She admits it!"
"Shut up," Sori growls, before turning back to Mina. "I'm sorry I was rude. And that I threatened to kill you. That was...excessive."
"Only a little," Mina says cheerfully. "Apology accepted."
Sori looks like she just swallowed a thumbtack. "Great. So we're...good."
"Good," Yuna says, stunned.
"Now hug," Raejin says, waggling his eyebrows.
"Absolutely not," Sori snaps.
"Absolutely yes," Mina declares and before Sori can protest, Mina flings her arms around her shoulders in a quick, forceful squeeze. Sori freezes, face going pink, then awkwardly pats Mina's back with two fingers.
It's such a bizarrely endearing moment that Yuna almost forgets she's about to be interviewed on national television about her fake romance.
Almost.
The set of The Morning K-Wave is aggressively cheerful...oversized pastel chairs, potted plants, and a gigantic LED screen cycling through headlines like IS THIS THE YEAR OF IDOL LOVE? and YUMIN: WORLD'S HOTTEST NEW SHIP?!
Yuna wants to crawl under one of the chairs and never emerge.
Instead, she sits stiffly beside J-Min on the designated loveseat while the host, a glamorous woman named Hyerin, introduces them to the cameras.
"Viewers," Hyerin coos, "today we have the honour of welcoming HWAON's leader, J-Min, and his...special friend, Miss Yuna Han."
"Special friend," Mina mouths behind the cameras, looking gleeful. "That's code for 'making out.'"
Yuna contemplates whether she can telepathically set Mina on fire.
"Now," Hyerin continues, "rumours have been swirling ever since you were spotted together. Can you tell us how you met?"
J-Min's fingers flex against Yuna's knee, grounding her. His voice is smooth as he answers:
"We met because Yuna accidentally spilled an iced Americano all over me. So...pretty unexpected."
Unexpected is one way to describe accidentally fake-dating a pop star.
J-Min's fingers flex against Yuna's knee, grounding her. His voice is smooth as he answers:
Hyerin's eyes widen, delighted eyes widen, delighted
Yuna mutters, "It wasn't my fault the lid wasn't on right."
"Actually," J-Min says, smirking slightly, "I think it's the best coffee I've ever worn."
Mina wheezes from behind the cameras. Raejin clutches his chest dramatically.
"You know," Hyerin says, leaning forward, "that's almost cinematic. Like a drama meet-cute. Spilled coffee, heated glares, and now... #Yumin. The fans must be living for this."
Yuna fights the urge to slide under the loveseat. "It wasn't romantic. It was sticky."
J-Min raises a brow. "I thought it was pretty romantic."
Her brain short-circuits.
Mina beams so brightly from the wings, she might spontaneously combust.
Yuna snaps, "Mina, don't you dare..."
Raejin cackles. "He smelled like a coffee shop for three days."
J-Min groans, covering his face with one hand. "I did not. Okay...maybe a little."
"Which is why," Mina adds, "their ship name is perfect. Yumin! Like Yuna plus J-Min!"
The crew and stylists behind the cameras start murmuring Yumin, Yumin like a cult chant. Yuna considers fainting for dramatic effect.
Seo materializes out of nowhere, adjusting his tie and looking like he's aged twenty years since the broadcast started. "Can we please stay on script for five seconds?!"
"Sorry, Mr. Seo," Raejin chirps. "But Yumin is trending in real time."
Seo freezes. "Trending?"
"#Yumin is number four worldwide," Mina announces, checking her phone gleefully. "And someone already made a fan edit of J-Min shirtless with a giant coffee cup."
Seo massages his temples. "I'm retiring after this."
Hyerin laughs, gesturing toward Yuna and J-Min. "One last question. How do you feel about the fans calling you 'Yumin'?"
J-Min smiles. "I think it's...kind of perfect."
He sneaks a quick look at Yuna, eyes soft, and Yuna feels her stomach do a humiliating triple flip. "It sounds sweet," he says, "and a little addictive."
"Like coffee?" Hyerin teases.
"Exactly," he murmurs.
Mina squeals, clutching Ari's arm. Ari fans herself with her crystal. Raejin collapses into Taewon's lap, wailing, "THE CHEMISTRY IS TOO MUCH!"
Yuna mutters, "I hate all of you."
But the corners of her mouth twitch upward anyway.
Seo, though visibly on the brink of a breakdown, lifts his phone and barks into it. "Yes, cancel all the original talking points. We're leaning into the ship. It's Yumin now. Merchandise by Monday!"
And behind them, the LED screen bursts into giant letters flashing:
✨ #YUMIN FOREVER ✨
There's a collective awww from the crew. Yuna wants to evaporate.
"Do you have any plans for the future?" Hyerin presses, leaning forward.
Yuna's brain short-circuits. Future? What future? She can't even plan lunch, let alone...
"Yes," J-Min says calmly. "We'll see where it goes. But I...I'm hopeful."
Somewhere behind them, Mina audibly squeals. Sori shushes her, but her own grin betrays her.
Yuna can't look at J-Min without her stomach doing Olympic-level somersaults.
After the segment ends, Seo herds them into the hall, muttering under his breath about trending hashtags and the rise in HWAON's pre-order sales.
"Good job," he finally says, clapping J-Min on the shoulder. "Keep it up. You two look disgustingly cute."
"It's fake," Yuna tries to say, but no one listens.
Her phone buzzes. She nearly screams when she sees her mother's caller ID.
"Answer it," Mina urges.
"No."
"Answer it," J-Min agrees, voice suspiciously amused.
Yuna glares at them both, then reluctantly swipes to pick up. "Hi, Mom."
"YUN-AAAAAA!" her mother shrieks so loudly the entire hall echoes. "YOU'RE ON TV!"
"Unfortunately...," Yuna mutters.
"You were sitting so close," her mom accuses, her tone somewhere between scandalized and thrilled. "You're practically engaged! The whole Yumin fandom is losing it."
"We are not engaged!"
Her dad's voice booms in the background: "ASK HIM IF HE CAN FIX THE LEAKY TOILET!"
"DAD!"
J-Min covers his laugh with a cough.
"Listen," her mom huffs. "If this young man is serious, we should have dinner. Maybe a nice bulgogi spread. You can bring the others too! They seem polite."
Raejin, eavesdropping shamelessly, perks up. "Did she say bulgogi? I'm in!"
Yuna pinches the bridge of her nose. "I have to go, Mom."
"Tell him we said hi!" her mom sings before the call ends.
Yuna lowers the phone and stares blankly into the void.
"She likes me," J-Min says softly, leaning in. "That's a good sign."
"She thinks you're my future husband," Yuna hisses.
"Even better."
Her brain is definitely melting.
Later, back at the studio lounge, Raejin flops onto a beanbag and holds up his phone. "Guys. You're trending."
Yuna groans. "No."
"Yes." He turns the screen so she can see the headline: Yuna Han: The Ordinary Girl Who Stole World's Heart (And J-Min's)...#Yumin is breaking the internet.
She contemplates eating the phone out of spite.
"I'm never showing my face in public again."
J-Min crouches in front of her, tipping her chin up with a finger. The room tilts alarmingly.
"You did great," he murmurs.
"I nearly passed out," she replies.
"And yet you didn't. I'm impressed."
He's too close. Too warm. Too...everything. She tries to lean back, but his hand on her chin holds steady.
"Stop looking at me like that," she whispers.
"Like what?"
"Like you're about to..."
He kisses her.
It's short, soft and absolutely lethal to her common sense. When he pulls back, her brain has been wiped clean like a hard drive.
Raejin claps from his beanbag. "FINALLY."
Sori rolls her eyes but doesn't look away.
Taewon sighs into his tea. "This was inevitable."
Mina and Ari beam...