attraction.

Only Pretend. 7/9

Park Chaeyoung finds out that two months at home is hell for him.

Jeon Jungkook is someone who cannot simply sit still, always having to be doing something in one way or another. In the first two days of lockdown alone, he'd changed all the light bulbs in the apartment, repainted the walls of the living room and kitchen and cleared out the garage. By the third day, he was running out of things to do.

And so, he has a new appreciation for online shopping.

Jeon Jungkook's new passion is for building furniture, so he buys new cabinets and starts assembling them in the already limited space available.

She wanted to complain, but after a while, she thinks it's quite a good choice.

"Chaeyoung," he calls out for her after she showers, "... can I have some help?"

She turns to see him smiling at her, proudly showing the new cabinet that he'd managed to produce.

"Seems like if speech therapy doesn't work for you, you can start looking into a career in construction," she jests, taking a few steps to him in still partly damp hair.

"Can you help me move the bookshelf? I'd like to move to the other side of the living room, to put the cabinet here. It'll good great, I promise," he tells her.

She lets out a fake pout, exaggerating a pout, "... are you really going to make a lady to heavy lifting?"

"I'll order ice cream, your favourite—cookies and cream and hot fudge brownies," he jokes, with pleading eyes, "... please Chaeyoung."

She smiles, before she begins walking to the bookshelf. It's heavy at first (making her have him help her out with personal training) but somehow, watching the complete concentration on his face is oddly—endearing. As they place it down, he puts on some music in the background.

Park Chaeyoung recognises it instantly.

"Elvis Presley, really?" She crosses her arms, rolling her eyes at him.

She should've known that he was the type that was an old soul.

Can't Help Falling in Love – the wanted to be played as her first dance when she envisioned her future wedding with Kim Taehyung.

She scoffs, almost bitterly.

Kim Taehyung told her that he never wanted to play such an old classic if they were to get married.

But he simply looks at her, his arm reaching for her.

"Come on, don't you want to dance? Even a little?" He tempts her.

"I don't dance," she tells him.

"I'll teach you," he takes her hand, "... just keep your eyes on me."

Take my hand, take my whole life too...

Somehow, despite almost tripping on his feet a few times, she feels like it's an entirely different song. She realises that the less she thinks about her moves, and focuses on him—the lighter she felt.

But I can't help, falling in love with you.

And that she indeed, was falling in love with him.

-

On the sixth day, the hard copy photos came into the mail.

He knows because his pretend-wife squeals at 7am in the morning, running to his room in excitement, waking him up from his slumber.

"The photos are here!"

A tired smile spreads on the side of his lip, watching as she stands in front of his bed, hair still dishevelled in her big pyjama shirt and plaid long pants.

Cute.

She shows them to him, "... let's frame it and put it on the bookshelf."

Jeon Jungkook furrows his brows.

"Please, there's really no need," he responds shyly, slightly embarrassed, "... no one comes over any way to see them, outside of you and me."

She frowns, "... they turned out really good, you should be proud."

Jeon Jungkook slowly gets up, putting his hands against her shoulder, "... we can display them, if we have pictures of you somewhere too."

"Deal."

He can't lie. Playing the role of a couple with her was not troublesome at all. If anything—it was fun. So much that sometimes, he forgot that it was just an act. Just as was the case at that moment, as she playfully hits him and tells him not to stay in bed all day.

They make their way to the living room, sitting down on the couch.

"The government said that small gatherings are permitted," Park Chaeyoung explains one morning as she sits lazily on the couch watching the news.

"Do you want to have your friends over?" He inquires, somewhat surprised.

Jeon Jungkook personally only worked for a short time in the gym, hence didn't have many friends in Sydney of his own. Except for her parents, who obviously weren't in the same city.

"Would it be too much of a burden for you?" She questions.

"You—you want me to join?" He clarifies.

Jeon Jungkook assumed he'd be sent to his room for the night.

"Of course, and don't worry—they know about the fake marriage. I can invite my friends boyfriends, you'll get along with them! You need friends in this city," she offers.

"Okay, let's do it."