Love Under Pretenses | Winrina

14.

I was surprised when I spotted Jimin sitting at the far end of the bar, casually perched on the counter, and we locked eyes.

I don’t even know why we kept staring at each other for so long, but I didn’t realize it until she finally broke the eye contact.

What’s she doing here? Did she follow me? No way, that's impossible. I left at 7pm and came straight here for a quick rehearsal with the band and to freshen up.

It’s already 9:30pm, and when I checked earlier, there was no sign of Jimin anywhere.

Did she just get here?

I was about to head over and ask her what she was doing here, but as I got closer, this random guy stepped in front of me, completely blocking my path to Jimin.

I frowned, clearly annoyed that this guy unintentionally cut me off.

"Hey there, pretty. I've been watching you from the side for a while now, and you’ve really caught my attention. I love that sexy white dress you're wearing, darling. Your silky legs are just... wow."

What the hell is this guy saying?

I tilted my head slightly, trying to catch Jimin’s expression, but she just stared blankly at the creep, as if she was stuck deciding what to say.

"Hey, Jimin! Someone’s flirting with you! Why are you just standing there staring?" one of the female bartenders called out. What was she hinting at?

I couldn’t take it anymore, so I stepped to the side and faced Jimin directly. Both she and the guy looked at me in surprise.

"Hey, love," I said casually, catching the bartender off guard with a raised eyebrow.

Jimin also looked shocked, clearly not expecting me to call her "love." But come on, people need to know she's my girlfriend even if it’s just fake.

"Excuse me, sir, but she's off-limits. She has a girlfriend, and that’s me. So, if you don’t mind, could you please leave?" I said calmly, flashing the guy a smile. He gritted his teeth and reluctantly walked off.

“Tsk, two beautiful girls dating each other? Unbelievable,” I overheard him mutter as he left, but I just let it slide.

“W-what are you doing here?” Jimin asked once she realized it was just the two of us left.

“What? Shouldn’t I be the one asking that? What are you doing here?” I replied, sitting down next to her on an empty stool.

“Wait, what’s going on? You know her, Jimin?” the bartender asked, confused.

“Oh right, I forgot to mention. This is my assistant and my fake girlfriend,” Jimin answered, making the bartender’s jaw drop.

“Oh my god! So that’s why she called you ‘love!’ And you're the one Yeji talks about? I’m Ryujin, Yeji’s girlfriend and the owner of this bar,” Ryujin introduced herself, surprising me. I had no idea she owned the place or was dating Yeji.

“You were amazing earlier, by the way! You made me get up and dance with that voice of yours! Jimin couldn’t even keep up with me, she was too busy staring at you the whole time,” Ryujin teased, causing Jimin to shoot her a death glare.

“Liar! That’s not true! Don’t listen to her, she loves making up stories,” Jimin quickly defended herself, but Ryujin just laughed.

“Sure, keep denying it,” Ryujin teased again, and I couldn’t help but watch them, amused at their banter.

"But seriously, what are you doing here?" I asked Jimin again, waiting for a straight answer.

"Um... just chilling? I come here pretty often at night."