Love Under Pretenses | Winrina

5.

I’d been staring at my phone for a while, trying to process Jimin’s text.

“Hey love”

“We’re going shopping together”

What the heck does that even mean?

Is she messing with me again or what?

Suddenly, my phone rang, jolting me out of my thoughts. I checked the caller ID—Jimin.

“Hey, cheap! Are you dressed yet? I’m almost at your place,” she said, and my eyes widened at her words.

So the text was real?

“What? You weren’t joking about the shopping?” I asked, my surprise clear.

“Of course, only the ‘hey love’ was just a joke, but the shopping part isn’t. Are you still not dressed? I'm telling you now, Kim Minjeong, nothing annoys me more than being kept waiting,” she said, sounding serious.

“Wait! Today was supposed to be my day off! Are you out of your mind?” I replied, annoyed because I really just wanted to relax and let my body adjust after work.

“You have to come with me, like it or not. I told my parents I’d be shopping with my girlfriend today. Because at first, Dad was about to text Yeonjun to go with me when he found out I was supposed to go out alone" she reasoned, but I still wasn’t convinced.

“So what? You’re already outside, your parents are nowhere around. You can totally go shopping alone, so why drag me along for your shopping spree?” I shot back, and she fell silent.

I waited a few seconds for her to respond before sighing.

“Got nothing else to say? I’m hanging up—”

“We’ll also buy you new work clothes.”

Huh?

“You need to come with me so I don’t end up picking the wrong sizes,” she added.

I let out a sarcastic laugh before replying to her.

“Excuse me? I already have work clothes—”

“Which are old, so we definitely need to get you some new ones. I mean, what will people think if they see me dating someone who dresses like that?” she said, making me frown even more.

“Oh, really? You’re just giving me more reasons not to go with you. Bye!" I shouted before ending the call, nearly having a heart attack when someone suddenly honked outside my house.

I peeked out the window to see who it was and couldn’t help but grit my teeth when I spotted Jimin waiting outside.

“I’m here, puppy! Don't make me wait!” she yelled from the driveway.

It hadn’t even been a week at this job, and I was almost ready to give up

I quickly threw on something simple so I could be out the door in no time.

With my demanding boss and fake girlfriend waiting for me, I figured I should keep it casual.

So, I decided on a white hoodie, black cargo pants, crocs and a black cap worn backward on my head.

I opened the door and stepped outside, finding Jimin leaning against her chair with the window down, looking bored out of her mind while scrolling on her phone.

“You took so long—” she started but abruptly stopped when she saw me.

“Well, did I tell you to wait?” I replied, moving to head for the back seat, but she quickly chimed in.

“Don’t sit there! You’re not special,” she said, and I shot her a glare before sliding into the passenger seat.

I noticed she was just staring at me through the rearview mirror.

“You do realize I can see you looking at me in that mirror, right?” I remarked, and she quickly turned her attention back to the steering wheel before glancing at me again.

“What?”

“It’s just weird that I’m dressed all girly while you’re in your boyish outfit, and I’m the one driving. I’m your boss, so you should be the one behind the wheel,” She pointed out.

“Jimin, do you want to live more?” I asked her.

“Honestly? No.”

Oh, I didn’t expect that.

It was so awkward that I had to say something else.

“N-no, I mean I can’t drive, Jimin. What made you think I could? I don’t even own a vehicle! How would I learn?” I said as she started the car.

“Tsk, you better start taking driving lessons for my sake,” i raised an eyebrow at her.

“For you?”

“Yes.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because I can’t always be the one driving us around. I mean, look at how you dress, but you don’t even know how to drive? Such a waste.”

Waste? What is she talking about?

“If you’re wondering if I’m serious, yes, you should take a driving lesson next week. Once you learn, I’ll buy you a car because I don’t want you to get this car of mine into trouble.”

SHE WILL BUY ME WHAT?!

“What?! Are you kidding me?”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

“Seriously? Yes.”

“Nope, I’m dead serious.”

“Jimin, that’s a car! Why would you buy me one? Are you out of your mind?”

“It’s just a car, Minjeong. You’re overreacting.”

“Cars don’t come cheap, Jimin. If other people find out, especially your dad and that Yeonjun guy, what will they think? That I’m a gold digger? No thanks" I shot back, turning my gaze out the window.

We both fell silent before she spoke again

"Then just ignore them if you know it's not true. I'm the one offering this, you’re not the one asking for it." She said softly, and I couldn’t help but feel my heart soften at her words.