"Absolutely not," I told Felix immediately, and Chan laughed loudly as he left to go down the hallway.
"I think it might be the only option," he explained. "Anything else we do leaves you open to ridicule."
"Yeah, but they'll tear me apart even worse if they think I stole their chance at Chan. That's how they'll see it. I'll be dragged across the internet."
"Chan won't let that happen," Felix shook his head.
"Chan didn't even try to get people to stop throwing things at me. He wouldn't care about what virtual hate I received."
"He was in shock."
"It doesn't matter. He has no reason to help me, and I don't want to be stuck by his side. He doesn't like me and doesn't treat me with even an ounce of respect."
"He will," Felix argued.
"What makes you so sure?"
"Because Chan wants a way out of evening fan service more than the rest of us."
"That's not reason enough for him to not only fake date me but also actively defend me."
I felt hopeless. I stared at my shoes. My stupid shoes that had gotten me into this mess.
"And because I saw the way he looked at you during Red Lights."
I looked up at Felix. My heart stopped. I hadn't made it up.
"He likes you. The way you didn't just roll over and follow him upstairs...that's never happened before."
"I was the only person who had ever turned him down?" I laughed. "Poor little idol boy with too many options."
Felix frowned. "He's been through a lot."
"So have I," I stated. It hung in the air and the silence was palpable.
Neither of us spoke as we tried to think up other solutions. One thought was tugging at my lips to be asked.
"Why are you trying so hard to help me?"
Felix looked up at me and shrugged. "Because I think you're a good person, and honestly I think we need more people who will stand up to Chan. I think you'd be good for him."
"He's not good to me, though," I muttered, recalling the endless teasing and horrible looks he'd given me.
"Not yet."
"Felix, it's time to go," Seungmin announced and we stood to leave his room.
"Ella! What's up?" Seungmin grinned when he noticed me. "I thought you would've left by now."
"Still here," I smiled.
"Are you coming to the hotel with us?" he asked though it sounded more like an invitation than a question.
"I don't think so," Felix answered for me.
"Probably for the best," he explained, "The seat Chan announced was another one of his, so he's going to be in a pissy mood again."
Felix groaned and gave me one last pleading glance. "Please consider it."
"I just can't. I need to repair my reputation, not damage it further. Maybe if it was you or Seungmin who I know would help me, it would be easier for me to consider it as a real option."
"Am I not your bias anymore, Ella?" Chan reappeared at the door and pretended to look hurt.
"It doesn't seem like you want to be," I bit back.
"The seat you chose is another girl for you," Seungmin told Chan. He clenched his jaw and stared at someone in the hallway. I walked towards the door and peeked out to see what was so interesting.
It was just the fan being cared for by Lee Know. She squealed when she noticed Chan looking at her, and he waved at her with the same bothered look he had given me yesterday before disappearing from her view and into the room.
He plopped down beside Felix. "If we fake date, what does that even mean?"
"I'm not fake dating you," I huffed.
"You'd have to protect her from the hate, first of all. That keeps her safe and makes you look like a good boyfriend so that it's believable. She'd need to come to shows and be seen with you."
"It's not going to happen," I informed him. He didn't so much as glance in my direction.
"Would you really fake date me?" Seungmin asked. His eyes were soft and sweet.
"Yeah, I would," I answered easily, and he gave me a small smile as his cheeks turned pink before disappearing down the hall.
I turned back to Felix and Chan who were going over specifics about what our first month would look like.
"I won't do it," I repeated. "I have a job. I have a life."
"How many clients do you think would be willing to work with you if they thought you fucked an idol for a ticket? That's the story being generated online," Chan spat.
"What?" I whispered.
"Chan, she's not famous. You can't just say stuff like that. Be gentle," Felix explained, and he reached for my hand in support. "He's right, but he shouldn't have said it like that."
"People are saying I did that?" Tears welled in my eyes at the thought of my family seeing those headlines.
My friends had even asked if it was true. Did they really think so lowly of me? And if my friends were questioning it, it was no surprise that complete strangers would run with it.
I hadn't even done anything with him, and I was being slut shamed across the internet because they happened to see me at a hotel.
"How can we change the narrative if I agree?" I asked and Felix wiped away a tear.
"Well, we are going to have Chan take you to dinner tonight, not a hotel bar. You'll be seen with him in public. We'll take you with us to our shows."
"What about my job?"
"You may need to stop for a while or do what you can remotely. We can pay for everything for you so you won't have anything to worry about any financial stuff. I know this is a lot."
I sighed. I loved my job. Luckily being remote wasn't unheard of. But it would still be difficult. All of this would be difficult...
"You'll be in the public eye for a few months before we can end it amicably without hurting either of your public reputations. We'll just say it was difficult for you to continue your life while trying to be with him on the road or something like that."
"What about the slut-shaming?" I asked. It had already taken off.
"It'll resolve itself once we make you out to be someone he is dating and not a one-night stand."
I nodded and another tear fell as I was reminded of times before when I had been called similar names...
"Do we have a deal?" Chan asked, not seeming to care about the fact that I was two seconds away from a breakdown. He held out his hand.
"Okay," I breathed and shook it weakly.
"Great, let's go," Chan hopped up and started to drag me away.
"Go where?"
"Weren't you listening to Felix? To dinner."
"What about your drink with the fan down there?"
"Oh right."
Chan sauntered off down the hall, and I waited by the doorway. He ducked into another room
and reappeared with a sweatshirt and a Sharpie. I watched as he pleasantly spoke with her and signed the sweatshirt for her. He took a selfie and then headed back towards me.
"Done."
"Why couldn't you have just done that yesterday when I wanted to leave?"
"Because dating gets me out of fan service."
"How does that even make sense? Dating doesn't mean you can't drink with other people."
Chan chuckled and dragged me down towards the tunnels.
"Where are we going?"
"Shhh," he told me.
"Why aren't we going towards the bus?"
"Because we aren't going to the hotel."
I dug my heels into the ground and Chan nearly fell backwards when he hadn't realized I'd stopped walking. He let go of my hand and turned to face me angrily.
"Tell me where we are going."
"To dinner. To a car to take us to dinner," he barked.
"Was that so hard?"
He exhaled through his nose in frustration and his ears turned red as he stomped off down the hall. I followed after him.