Rent A Boyfie

the proposition

"You're dating Y/N?"

"Yes, Sir," Juyeon replies without a moment's hesitation. It makes your neck feel hot.

"Good luck," your father says with a sarcastic laugh. The laugh is loud and fake as he takes his hand off the shoe cabinet to hold his stomach, causing him to slightly lose his balance. You feel yourself get sick to the stomach, bile rising up in your throat because you know, you know that he's going to say something about you, something to throw Juyeon off, something to make him rethink your entire relationship. Even though you know that it is fake, it's stripping to know that with the next sentence, he will know what your father truly thinks about you.

"Between you and me," your father begins, leaning in as if he is whispering a secret to Juyeon. His voice is still loud and you cannot bear to hear it. You know it will be a dig on you. You have always been your father's least favourite child, and with his next words, Juyeon will know why.

One difference between your child self and you now is that, perhaps you are bolder, more sturdy in your self beliefs, more intolerable of being put down. You used to sit through and listen to all the reasons why your father thought of you as the inferior child. You thought you were being smart, facing your problems head on instead of running away. Well, with age comes wisdom and you have finally learned that sometimes, running away is so much better than staying to deal with shit that's way beneath you. And that's when your mind finally re-enters your body and you unfreeze, making your way past your mother, past Juyeon, past your father, hastily shoving on your shoes and flinging open the door.

Before you leave, you hear your father continue, saying, "out of all her siblings—" but it is cut off when you slam the door. Without any hesitation, you make your way off the porch with nothing. No phone, no money, no jacket. But it doesn't matter. You have to get away or you'll do something. You know that you would've done something to your father if you stayed a listened.

The sun is still making its descent, leaving just a sliver of natural light left in the sky. Other than that, you allow the street lamps to guide you down the pavement, passing the houses until you get to the end of the street, turning into the small clearing that leads to the park nearby. You don't realise you are crying until you feel your cheeks begin to sting, the tears freezing as soon as they leave your tear ducts.

"Y/N!" you hear Juyeon yell behind you. You quicken your footsteps, hoping that you can disappear in the park before he sees you. You're happy that he has the decency to come for you but at the same time, you have no idea if he is doing this out of his own will or to put up an act because it would be suspicious if he didn't run after you. Not to mention how embarrassing that was. You brought Juyeon as your fake boyfriend but then your father comes home drunk and decides to tell him what he thinks of you as a warning sign, to stop Juyeon from dating you when he isn't even your boyfriend in the first place. God, you feel beyond pathetic.

And to make it even more embarrassing, you severely underestimate the power of Juyeon's long legs because in no time, he has caught up with you, stopping you with a hand on your shoulder.

"Stop, Juyeon—" you start to protest but before you know it, at the speed of light, Juyeon drapes your coat over your shoulders, turns you around by your shoulders and pulls you right into his chest, arms wrapping around your upper back. Everything stops, time, your heart, your lungs, your brain, all utterly unsure what on earth to do.

Cry, your brain supplies and for some reason, your body listens and you begin to wail. Your arms come up to hug Juyeon at his waist and he is so warm and he smells so nice and his palm on your back feels so comforting, and you just let go.

"I know," Juyeon coos, lifting one of his hands to stroke your hair, chin resting on top of your head as you continue to sob into his shirt. "It's okay, Y/N."