The moment I stepped into my dorm, I knew something was wrong.
Because before I could even shut the door, a group of girls practically tackled me.
"Oh. My. God. WENDY!"
"Why didn't you TELL us you were dating Kim Hyunjin?!"
"Did you see the headlines? You guys are everywhere!"
I blinked. "Wait... what?"
One of them shoved a phone in my face, and the moment I saw the screen, my stomach dropped.
"Billionaire Heir Kim Hyunjin in a Secret Romance—Seen Kissing a Mystery Girl!"
Accompanying the article was the picture.
The kiss.
I snatched the phone, scrolling through an entire gallery of photos. The party. The dancing. The moment I fed him cake. The kiss.
I felt lightheaded.
How did things spiral this fast?!
"Oh my God, it was so romantic," one of the girls swooned. "Like something out of a drama. How did it happen? Were you guys dating in secret this whole time?"
"Wait, wait—what about Lee Seoyeon?" another girl cut in. "Weren't they supposed to end up together?"
At the mention of her name, my stomach twisted.
I forced a smile, trying to seem normal. "Uh... long story?"
I could barely get a breath in before they started firing more questions.
"How did you guys meet?"
"What's he like in private?"
"When's the wedding?"
Okay. That was my cue to leave.
Laughing awkwardly, I muttered something about needing a shower and escaped.
But as soon as I was alone, I collapsed onto my bed, staring at the ceiling in pure horror.
Hyunjin and I had started this whole fake relationship to get his mother off his back, but now? The entire world was watching.
And there was no way out.
~~~~~~~✨
At campus, it was even worse.
Everywhere I walked, people stared, whispered, giggled.
Some were supportive. Some were skeptical. And some looked like they wanted to murder me.
The only one completely unfazed by all this?
Kim. Freaking. Hyunjin.
It was like he was born to handle the spotlight. The stares, the gossip—none of it seemed to bother him. If anything, he seemed... amused.
Meanwhile, I was internally screaming.
Jessie, my one source of sanity, had conveniently left for Busan for two weeks, meaning I had no one to rant to except Minho and Hyunjin. And let's be real—Minho's version of comfort was teasing, and Hyunjin... well, he was the reason I was in this mess.
So I needed a distraction.
Badly.
And that's how I ended up joining the volleyball club.
There was an upcoming tournament, and I threw myself into training like my life depended on it. It was the perfect way to channel my stress and avoid all the Hyunjin-related chaos.
At least... that was the plan.
One morning, I was at practice, completely zoned out.
I should have been focusing. Should have been paying attention.
