A.C.E Of Hearts ❦ Byeongkwan

1 | Alphabet Boy

"Ri, where were you last night?" My brother's sharp tone stopped me outside my room that morning.

My head pounded from a sleepless night, and my brother's voice really wasn't helping to ease the pain that inflicted me. I attempted to push past him, but he put his hands on the doorframe, thwarting any and all movements.

"I was out..." My voice trailed off when I saw the flash of anger go through his dark eyes.

"You were with him, weren't you?" Scorn laced his words.

"Yes..." I quietly replied, and then went on the defensive, "but it's not like I invited him. I was out with friends and he showed up. He said it was just a 'coincidence' that he was there, but we all knew it wasn't."

I placed a hand on my brother's arm to calm him.

"You know I wouldn't talk to him intentionally, and I certainly wouldn't want to be around him. He's just hard to get rid of." I rolled my eyes and continued, "as his childhood friend, you should know how stubborn he is. So stop being mad, bro, alright?

Beaming up at him, and jokingly punching his arm, I said, "Channie, let's forget about him, and go out for breakfast, hmm? We can go to your favourite cafe, and after we can get ice cream."

"Fine," Chan conceded and returned my smile.

☽

The minty ice-cream slid smoothly down my throat, and I observed the large crowd that had formed in front of me and my brother.

"I wonder what's going on there? Is there someone famous, or..." My question was left unfinished when I spotted a familiar face in the crowd. "Wait, isn't that the famous guy in your music class? Byeongkwan."

Chan looked at where I was pointing with my spoon and replied, "yeah, that's Byeongkwan."

"And aren't they reporters?" I eyed the cameras and microphones.

"Looks like it." Chan shrugged.

I watched the bustling reporters for a moment, and then I locked eyes with Byeongkwan. Quickly turning away, I focused on the ice cream slowly melting in its little bowl, rather than the blush that now dusted my cheeks. His stare had been intense.

Then, the next second my ice cream went flying out of my hand when I was forcefully tugged forwards.

With my arm still being tightly held, I heard a smooth voice declare, "this is my girlfriend!"

Spluttering, I glanced between the reporters and the male beside me - who looked completely unfazed by the words that had just left his mouth.

"Girlfriend?!" I blurted out.

I noticed that my brother, Chan, was looking just as puzzled about the whole thing as I was.

"Just play along," a whisper made its way to my ear, and that's when I realised that he was now hugging me by the waist. His lips were brushing just below my ear. My face was now on fire and my heart was close to jumping out of my throat.

I was tempted to run away and forget what he had said but in front of the reporters that would've been humiliating. So, all I could do was grin and bear it. The multiple cameras blinded me with every flash that went off, and the reporters fired question after question at us.

After what seemed like forever, we could break away from the reporters. Then Chan and I found ourselves in the uni's dorms, with Byeongkwan.

"You want to fake a relationship?!" I asked the sheepish looking male seated before me, and my glaring eyes burned holes through him.

"Y-Yes."

Away from the cameras, Byeongkwan seemed like a completely different person. Gone was his haughty attitude, and in its place was a more approachable, friendly guy. At home, he seemed to take off his facade, and be the person he truly was underneath it all.

"You're a famous singer, and could get any girl you want, so why me? And why do you think I would agree to it?"

"W-well..." He scratched his cheek and turned pleading eyes to Chan.

Chan shrugged, and it was clear to see that he didn't have any intentions to help Byeongkwan.

Byeongkwan sucked in a breath and seemed to have reigned in his emotions enough to say, "your brother told me about your situation with your ex-boyfriend, and I thought that if you pretended to be my girlfriend, it might get him off your back. Plus, I've been interested in you for a while."

He mumbled the last part, so I wouldn't hear it. However, I had heard all of it, and once again my face resembled a tomato.

"You have?" I coughed, trying to hide my excitement about him liking me. "Even if I agree to this, what would your fans think? Or the press? Won't they all go crazy?"

"You don't have to worry about that!" He waved his hands frantically in front of him. "I'll do my best to protect you from all of that, and my fans are nice so you don't have to worry about them. They'll love you just as much as I do."

His eyes widened once he realised what he had said, and he jumped up in a frenzy. "Forget what I said! What I meant was... Was..."

My face scrunched up, and then I burst into laughter. Wiping my eyes, I stood up and held my hand out to a flustered Byeongkwan. "Ok, I agree. It looks like it'll be fun, and if I'm being honest, I like you too."

"You do? You will?" Chan and Byeongkwan both shouted at the same time.

"Chill, it's only for a short time, right? And it benefits both of us, so why not? I have no reason to refuse."

☽

Later that evening, a knock sounded out from the front door. Opening it, I came face to face with my ex-boyfriend, Daehyun.

"Dae, what are you doing here? It's almost midnight."

He didn't reply and roughly pushed me up against the wall.

"You have a boyfriend?!" his yells echoed out in the quiet hall.

"So, what if I do?" I put on a brave front and tried to break free from his hold.

At present, it was only me at home. Chan and I lived close to the uni, and currently, he was staying at a friend's house for the night. So nobody would be aware of anything that went down whilst I was alone. That was a fact that  Daehyun knew, and to him, that meant he could be as forceful with me as he wanted.

Something within me snapped, and I pushed him with all my might. It was satisfying to watch him stumble backwards.

"Dae, you can't come here and act like this with me! I've put up with it because we've known each other since we were kids, but now enough is enough." I folded my arms across my chest and unleashed all my pent-up frustrations on him. "I'm not a little kid anymore, and I won't tolerate you trying to act superior to me. Also, we broke up a year ago, so why can't you move on already? I thought we could be friends, but clearly, that can never happen."

I opened the front door further and gestured outside.

"Please, leave."