SOFT LAUNCH

At 31, Nandi Mkhize is running on fumes.
​She's drowning in debt, working a dead-end job, and watching her friends surge past her toward success and marriage. After an evening spent wrestling with despair, Nandi's frustration boils over onto a language app, where she unleashes an isiZulu curse at a cocky, handsome stranger.
​That stranger is Hanuel. He's sharp, arrogant, and definitely Korean, even though he's pretending to teach Japanese. Their first conversation is a volatile, insult-fueled mess that should have ended with a blocked account. Instead, it ends with a proposition.
​Hanuel has done his research. He knows Nandi is outspoken, beautiful, and boasts 90K followers. He sees her not as a woman, but as a trending hashtag.
​His pitch is simple: A fake relationship for YouTube and TikTok. "A whole Korean dating a whole African. It's rare. People would eat it up." The prize? Life-changing money for Nandi, and a viral career for Hanuel.
​For Nandi, this deal means selling her soul and cultural identity to a man who saw her only as an investment. But with R6,500 a month barely keeping her afloat, she is desperate enough to sign a contract with the devil.
​Now, their soft launch is a high-stakes, globally-watched performance. As the lines blur between their hate-filled banter and undeniable chemistry, Nandi must figure out how to maintain the lie without losing her heart, her pride, and everything she thinks she knows about who she is.