Days passed quickly.
The contract began to feel… real.
Seo Seong and Sincho were seen everywhere together—meetings, dinners, public events.
They played their roles perfectly.
Too perfectly.
One evening, they sat across from each other at a quiet restaurant.
"You're good at this," Sincho said.
"At pretending?" she replied.
"Yes."
Seo Seong smiled faintly. "Maybe I've had practice."
"With fake relationships?"
"With hiding things."
Sincho looked at her carefully.
"Everyone hides something," he said.
Their eyes met.
For a brief moment, something shifted.
Something real.
Later, as they left the restaurant, reporters suddenly surrounded them.
"Are you really dating?"
Sincho pulled Seo Seong closer instinctively.
She stumbled slightly… falling into him.
Their faces were inches apart.
Time seemed to stop.
His hand tightened around her waist.
Her breath slowed.
For a second…
It didn't feel fake.
Seo Seong quickly stepped back.
"We should go," she said softly.
Sincho nodded.
But as they walked away, his mind wasn't calm anymore.
And Seo Seong…
She touched her wrist lightly, where he had held her.
Why did that feel different?
Neither of them said it.
But something had already begun.