boyfriend for rent • kim yohan

031

She told him everything. About her childhood, her lack of friends, her insecurity. She talked about how she loved her parents, but most of the time, she felt like she didn't have any. She talked about how she tried to pretend that being alone was alright, even if the loneliness was eating her alive.

Yohan listened to her, occasionally rubbing her shoulder when Jiwoo had to pause when she felt like it was too much, but he patiently didn't say a word until she was finished.

"So, yeah, I understand if you don't want to be my friend after the contract is over." She quietly said, finishing her rant that lasted for more than ten minutes.

Yohan looked at her, taking in her damp eyes but lack of tears sliding down her face.

"You're so stupid, you know that?"

Surprise caught her off guard, causing Jiwoo to look at Yohan, and the sight of her big, tearful eyes made him want to hug her into his chest and never let go, and tell her that it was alright to cry. But his lack of confidence took over, so he settled with drawing her into a side hug and rested his head on hers.

"Those people who left you are just jealous. They don't deserve you, your care, and your surprisingly insightful words." Yohan shrugged, forgetting the fact that Jiwoo's head was on his shoulder and causing her to glare at him. "You're an amazing person, and if they don't see that, they're missing out on what could be the best person in their lives."

A smile stretched across Jiwoo's face at his words, making him poke her cheek.

"A smile suits you better than tears."

"I didn't cry." Jiwoo sniffled, but the fact that no tears slid down her face still baffled her.

"Not saying that you did." Yohan said. "But if you want to cry, I want to be there for you."

Color rose onto the girl's cheeks. Those words were so cheesy, but still, she couldn't help but melt into a gooey mess despite its cliche.

"I just don't want you to leave me when everything is all over." She admitted. Even though she had said everything would be alright if she was on her own, she knew that deep down, it was a lie. She seeked company as much as the next teenager would.

This time, Yohan pulled her into a hug, resting her head on his chest. Jiwoo didn't fight it, but instead hugged back leaned into the comfort, surrounding herself with the smell of fabric detergent, and the scent that could only be described as Yohan. It was the smell that made her want to be around him all the time.

"I'll never leave you." His soft words echoed through the silent house.

"...promise?" Jiwoo meekly raised her pinky.

Yohan let out a smile and intertwined his pinky with hers. "Promise."

It's funny how that one word made her ten years' worth of worries vanish almost instantly.

————
Yohan decided it was a good day to bake a cake, especially after their heart to heart talk.

"You deserve some sweet goodness in your life." He had insisted, pulling out a bag of flour and chocolate chips she didn't know he had bought before.

Jiwoo found that she enjoyed baking more than cooking, mainly because she got to mix things up and be as messy as she wanted. And she loved the fact that Yohan knew baking would make her feel better.

"Hey, Jiwoo, come look at this." Yohan gestured her to come closer to the bowl of cream he had whipped, watching as she raised her eyebrow.

"Look at w-" She wasn't even half way down with the word 'what' when the boy next to hear smeared cream on her nose.

A sly grin stretched across his face. "Got you."

Jiwoo pouted before scrunching her nose up. "Aw man, can't believe I fell for that."

"...cute." The word spilled out of Yohan's mouth before he could stop it, causing the two teenagers to blush beet red.

"I-I meant the cream!" The excuse was so dumb Yohan wanted to slap himself in the face, but before he got to do that, someone already did it for him- more like something.

"...did you just splash a handful of cream onto my face?" Yohan questioned her in mock seriousness, but he couldn't keep his face straight when he saw the bright smile on the girl's face.

"It's payback." She stuck her tongue out at him in childishness.

"You-"

Before he got to finish his sentence, Yohan's phone rang from the kitchen table. He quickly wiped his hand on his pink apron before rushing to get it.

"Hello?"

"Hello. May I speak to Kim Yohan?"

"Speaking." A smile drifted across his face when he watched Jiwoo clean the cream off her nose.

"We are calling you from the Seoul Hospital."