Three hours, two almond croissants, and a barely touched cup of cold brew later, Mina was still curled up in the back corner of the café like a gremlin of mild regret.
She held her phone in one hand and glared at it like it had personally betrayed her.
Across from her, Hana sipped her smoothie with all the calm of someone watching a reality show—because to her, that's exactly what this was.
"Just do it," Hana said, nudging her knee under the table.
"I'd rather get hit by a bus."
"Mina."
"I'd rather walk into oncoming traffic with a 'Boyfriend Wanted' sign around my neck."
"You already have a shift request pending on the 5th. Are you gonna leave me short-staffed and humiliated at your cousin's wedding?"
Mina made a strangled sound. "I don't even want to go!"
"But you're going. So...?" Hana leaned forward, mischievous. "Let's rent you a fake boyfriend."
Mina dropped her head onto the table. "That sounds so illegal."
"It's not! I looked it up."
"Of course you did."
Hana pulled out her phone, typing fast. "There's this app. 'Rent-A-Life.' They do all kinds of roles—strict parents, fake clients, emotional support moms. But the most popular category is 'Romantic Partner.' Look."
She tilted the screen toward Mina.
It was sleek. Weirdly professional. A gradient pink-and-blue homepage with smiling couples and the tagline:
"Life is complicated. Let us help you act it out."
Mina squinted. "This looks like a dating app for people who don't believe in consequences."
"It's not dating. It's performance."
"There's literally a section called 'Heat Levels.'"
"Oh, yeah. You can set your comfort zone. Holding hands, hugs, forehead kisses, public declarations, emergency family fake-outs—everything's in your control."
"This is insane."
"This is survival."
Hana flicked through profiles with the dexterity of someone who definitely did this more often than she admitted. "Ooh, what about him? Too handsome? Okay, next. This guy? Hm, no, his smile looks like he embezzles. Ah—here's a top-tier one."
Mina peeked.
And immediately hated him.
Kim Minseo – Age: 26
Specialties: Thoughtful gestures, long walks, fake proposals, pretend emotional breakthroughs.
Rating: ★★★★★ (9.9/10)
Past Clients: 132
"I'm here to make you look good and feel loved—even if it's just pretend."
Mina's jaw dropped. "That is so manipulative."
Hana grinned. "Right? He's perfect."
"He sounds like a human Pinterest board."
"Exactly. You need someone who can charm your aunt, remember every fake detail, and survive a countryside wedding."
Mina bit her thumb, torn between pride and panic. "He's… too polished. Too smooth."
"That's the point. He'll sell it."
"But what if he ruins it?"
"What if he saves it?"
Hana locked eyes with her. "You've got four days. One shot. Either show up with a professional, or show up alone and explain why your mysterious model boyfriend ghosted you the week of the wedding."
Mina stared at the screen.
Back at Minseo's photo—soft brown eyes, too-perfect hair, a smile that clearly came with built-in confidence.
Ugh. He probably rehearsed hand positions in the mirror.
Hana tapped the screen. "Also? He's available Friday. Weekend package. 48-hour option. Pricey—but not terrible."
"This is a mistake," Mina muttered.
But her thumb hovered over the Book Now button anyway.
She thought about Auntie Yoo. About the hundred relatives. About the buffet table awkwardness. About her mom's gleeful "I told you she wasn't single!"
She thought about how empty the other chair at her cousin's wedding would be.
She pressed the button.
BOOKING CONFIRMED.
Hana gasped dramatically. "You did it!"
Mina immediately dropped her phone into her bag and stood up. "I'm going to throw up."
"You'll be fine!"
"I just paid a stranger to pretend to love me."
"You paid a professional to protect your pride. Very different."
"What if he's weird? Or worse—what if he's not weird and he's, like, really good at this?"
"Then it's going to be the most entertaining weekend of your life," Hana said cheerfully. "And maybe—just maybe—you'll learn to fake smile for once."
Mina groaned into her apron.
Too late to back out now.