boyfriend for rent • kim yohan

012

"Are you lonely?" Yohan's question came out of nowhere.

It was a Friday night, they had already had their dinner and finished their weekend homework, so they decided to stay up late to watch some movies. But just as Yohan's question had suggested, it was also the right time where people would stay up and have deep conversations.

"What do you mean lonely? I'm watching Titanic with you now, am I not?" Jiwoo grabbed a handful of popcorn and threw it in her mouth.

"That's not what I meant." The boy clarified, his eyes still fixed on the screen. "Your parents are never home, and you don't really call them either. When the maids and chefs are in the house, you're always out somewhere else. Doesn't it ever get lonely being the only person in your house?"

She knew he was talking about before his stay here. "Sometimes." She admitted. "But I'm used to it now, so it's not really that big of a deal."

This time, Yohan turned to look at Jiwoo. "No one should ever feel used to being alone."

That sentence struck a chord in Jiwoo's chest, but she still denied it.

"That's not true." The girl tilted her head slightly. "You should learn to be comfortable being with just yourself. Treat yourself, take care of yourself, and then other people's company will no longer become a necessity."

"I guess... that's true too." Yohan reluctantly agreed. "But humans are social animals. By nature, we like company."

"I guess I adapted." Jiwoo joked before casually shrugging. "I have you and Yuvin now, so it doesn't really matter." She turned to look at the boy next to her. "Why? Do you not like being alone?"

"I don't." Yohan admitted. "I'm awkward and shy and everything, but I still like having friends, you know?"

"Then why do you want to extend the contract?" The girl asked, curious. "Doesn't this mean that you will be away from your friends and family?"

Yohan went silent, and Jiwoo took that as a sign that he didn't want to talk about it, so she decided to drop the topic and went back to focus on the movie.

"I'm a high school drop out, you know?"

Shocked at his response, she turned to look at her friend with wide eyes. "What."

"Well, technically I am. For a week."

"What? But why? You're so studious, why did you drop out?" As his seatmate, she could always see him studying in class and revising his notes. It made no sense that someone who loved studying as much as he did would drop out of school.

"I moved to a new school that was cheaper, but making friends was hard. I was the only one who sat at the back, and I ate lunch alone, you know? Everyone already knew each other and it was hard for them to open up to me." Yohan laughed bitterly. "I wish I had your strength to be completely okay being alone, but I don't. I find myself wishing I had someone to talk to."

"So you decided to quit school?" Jiwoo asked, incredulous.

"That's not the reason," Jiwoo didn't miss the way he swallowed thickly. "I didn't have enough money."

A pang of pain and guilt hit Jiwoo. For a girl who had everything even before she was born, she didn't know the pain of not having enough money. "Oh."

To be honest, she didn't know what to say to make him cheer up either.

Yohan continued. "So I signed up for the Boyfriend For Rent, you know? To earn more money."

"Am I your first fake girlfriend?" Jiwoo asked, trying to lighten the mood a little.

"Yeah." He cracked a grin. "Do you see why I suck at being a boyfriend now?"

"A little." She nodded wisely, trying to hide her amused smirk.

Yohan gasped. "You were supposed to say 'No, Yohan sweetie! You're a wonderful boyfriend. I love you sooo much!'"

Jiwoo let out a long sigh at his antics, trying to hide her amusement. "Why did I extend the contract again?"

The boy slung an arm around Jiwoo's shoulders and grinned. "Because you love me."

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AN:
hoping yunseong is in top 10 for today's ranking