Rental Boyfriend ; Meanie

Chapter 2

"Min, did you say?" Soonyoung asks curiously when Wonwoo breaks the news to him. "That could be anybody."

"Yeah, that's all I know. I haven't seen a photo or anything."

"What if this Min is a sexy housewife cheating on her aged billionaire husband?" Soonyoung wonders aloud.

"Soonyoung, you're confusing porn with real life again."

"My bad. So like, what if this Min person is actually a dude?"

Wonwoo shrugs. "I guess we'll find out tonight after the video call."

For some reason, the thought of the person being a man doesn't bother Wonwoo as much as he thought it would.

Wonwoo is too nervous to eat more than a few bites of rice at dinner. His video call is at exactly 7 pm, which means that Wonwoo has at least half an hour to eat dinner and digest and relax before he meets....whoever is on the other end. Usually, Wonwoo finds comfort in scheduling his day down to the minute, but not even this assuages his nerves.

"Hey," Soonyoung says gently, noticing the untouched food in Wonwoo's bowl and his troubled expression. "We haven't run out of food yet. No need to be so frugal."

Wonwoo gives him a tiny smile, and tries to finish his bowl. Without Soonyoung's constant reminders to eat, Wonwoo probably wouldn't even remember to feed himself three times a day.

6:55 pm, and Wonwoo is locked in his room, curtains drawn to block out distractions. He tries to remember every piece of advice he's been given about interviews.Maintain eye contact, speak clearly, be yourself . But this isn't exactly and interview....is it?

Seconds tick down to the turn of the hour, and Wonwoo's throat is dry. His voice is extra raspy when he answers the call he receives at exactly 7 pm.

"H-hello?" he greets a blank black screen. The video and audio of the caller on the other end are both on mute. Wonwoo almost fears that the connection is too poor until words appear in the chat box.

Hello .

"Hi?" Wonwoo says uncertainly, unsure of what is supposed to happen. He had been prepared for a video interview of some kind, but not being able to see or hear the other person is throwing him for a loop.

Are you nervous, Wonwoo?

Wonwoo smiles shyly, embarrassed that the other person could tell. For some reason, something about seeing his name on the screen-the sheer intimacy of it-gets Wonwoo flustered as well.

"Kinda, yeah," he admits.

Don't worry, this isn't an interview , the other person types, but it just throws Wonwoo into deeper confusion. If this isn't an interview, what is it?

As if his thoughts are written all over Wonwoo's face (they probably are), the words Are you confused? show up on the screen.

"Yeah," Wonwoo says with a nervous little laugh. "Not sure of what to expect."

I wanted to see your face and to hear your voice before deciding whether to hire you or not. This is standard procedure.

"Of course," Wonwoo says, nodding in understanding. He suddenly feels foolish for being so worried, for thinking that he would have to do something weird for a stranger.

If you don't mind, may I make a request?

It might be Wonwoo's imagination, but somehow the other person sounds hesitant all of a sudden, sheepish even.