Caught In A Lie | Hwang Hyunjin

4: Someone's Always Watching

We were running down a hill before Hyunjin swiftly pulled me into an alleyway. We stumbled a bit before he held me against a wall, keeping himself close. I could feel his breathing on my neck as the paparazzi continued to run down the hill, searching for us. Their footsteps and voices began to silence as they continued running, right past us. I attempted to steady my breathing as Hyunjin backed away, staring straight into my eyes.

"Are you okay?" He asked, so quietly I questioned whether he said anything at all. Concern was written all over his face.

Slowly, I nodded, feeling awkward under his gaze as he stayed so close to me. I cleared my throat and stood up straight, causing Hyunjin to take the hint and back away. Silence ate away at the atmosphere before I finally decided to speak.

"I think it's safer we just head home. You did make me miss practice after all, I probably have a lot of catching up to do." I suggested. Hyunjin gave me a nod and walked me back to my dorm.

~

"I swear I recognize Hyunjin from somewhere." Chaerin stressed, plopping down next to Mina who was too into her food to join in our conversation.

"You've probably seen him on TV" Yoonhee brushed off, her chopsticks mixing the food in her takeaway box.

"No, I've definitely seen him before that!" Chaerin continued, so sure of herself.

"I wish this came to you days ago before I went and-"

"I'm eating!" Mina yelled, stopping me mid-sentence. We laughed as she slowly went back to eating, once again isolating from our conversation.

"Anyway, even if you do recognize him from somewhere, it doesn't do much for us now." Yoonhee carried on, I nodded and Chaerin sighed, finally giving up.

"I don't see the hype." Mina broke the silence. We all laughed and joked around before putting on a movie.

~

"So wait... if she dies does that mean he gets all her fortune?" Yoonhee asked.

"For the last time, He could get it. But only if she doesn't take her fortune with her to the afterlife!" I confirmed for the fifth time.

"Okay, okay, I got it now. So that means her son doesn't have a chance either." Yoonhee told herself.

"He does have a chance if he- Did you even watch the movie?" I asked.

"I did! It's just hard to concentrate when all you hear is Mina chewing, We're literally out getting more snacks because of her!" Yoonhee complained, picking up some snacks off the shelves.

"Maybe if you agreed we order, we wouldn't be at a convenience store." I reminded as I strolled into another aisle. As Yoonhee and I squabbled, I bumped into someone in front of me.

"I'm so sorr- Hyunjin?" The apologetic expression on my face fell as I realized it was Hyunjin I ran into, alongside him was someone I recognized as I.N or, Jeongin after doing some minor research with the girls on Stray Kids.

"Hey there, fake girlfriend." Hyunjin said with a smug smile on his face. His eyes trailed down to the sweatpants and hoodie I left my house in. "Nice outfit." He complimented with a wink.

I rolled my eyes and walked past him, bumping his shoulder as I smiled at Jeongin who seemed to be looking at me funny.

"What are you guys doing out here so late? it's almost 1 in the morning." Yoonhee asked, sparking up a conversation. I glared at her.

"We came to get ramen!" Jeongin perked. He was cute, didn't seem that much younger than me but he was definitely the youngest within his group.

"Yeah, we were. Although, after seeing you I don't seem to have any appetite anymore." Hyunjin teased.

"You're welcome, Hwang." I spat his last name with aggression. His stare towards me seemed to change, although I couldn't see any emotion within his eyes.

Yoonhee laughed a bit, attempting to wipe away the tension, she bid goodbye to the two before pulling me with her to the checkout.

"If you want to keep this lie going. You two need to get along." Yoonhee nudged.

I began to walk away from her a bit, complaining about how cocky Hyunjin was and how I couldn't even stay in a room with him. Once I turned around I realized Yoonhee was no longer around, in her replacement was a swarm of paparazzi.

What are they doing here at 1 in the morning?

I quickly walked over to Hyunjin and Jeongin.

"Yoonhee left me and there are a bunch of people with cameras outside the store." I informed. As if instinct, Hyunjin pulled me closer to his side and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. We walked together, I stood in between the bandmates as they checked out and walked toward the exit.

The cameras started flashing, basically blinding me. A shadow towered over my face and it took me a second to realize it was Hyunjin's hand shielding me from the cameras. His hoodie was on, also covering his face. As he walked me away from the crowd, Jeongin stayed behind swatting away the paparazzi. When he finally left they came to an agreement that Jeongin would go home and Hyunjin would walk me to make sure I made it safe. The night's quietness became suffocating after a while.

"You know, you didn't have to do this. It's not fair to leave Jeongin like that." I blurted.

"Jeongin doesn't have the whole world rating his boyfriend skills at the moment." Hyunjin remarked. I giggled a bit.

As we got to my street, I thanked Hyunjin for walking me home.

"I could've walked you the whole way." Hyunjin offered.

I turned him down. "It would be dangerous if someone saw us and found out where I lived. And frankly, I don't want you knowing where I lived." I teased, He put his hand on his heart and made a hurt face.

I was about to turn around and walk before I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see Hyunjin staring down at me. He put his hands on my cheeks and pulled me up to face him. Without saying anything, He pressed his lips against mine.

I couldn't move.

I was frozen.

I simply shut my eyes.

He pulled away after a bit. "I'm sorry, there was someone photographing us. They're gone now though." I simply nodded, unsure of what else to say. I turned around and walked home.