•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•☾☼☽•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•

The next afternoon, Jungwon was sprawled on the couch in his apartment, scrolling through his phone. Jeongin had left for his shift at Blue Hour, leaving Jungwon to enjoy the rare silence.

That peace, however, was short-lived.

A sharp knock sounded at the door. Frowning, Jungwon pulled himself up and shuffled to open it, expecting a package or maybe one of Jeongin's friends. Instead, he was greeted by the last person he wanted to see.

Jay.

Leaning casually against the doorframe, a mischievous glint in his eye, Jay looked far too smug for someone who wasn't even invited.

"What are you doing here?" Jungwon asked flatly, gripping the door.

Jay smirked, holding up two fingers. "I've got a proposal for you. Two weeks."

Jungwon blinked. "Two weeks for what?"

"For you to make me fall for you," Jay said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Jungwon stared at him, incredulous. "What?"

Jay pushed the door open wider and stepped inside, ignoring Jungwon's protests. "Hear me out. If you succeed, I'll leave you alone for good. No more teasing, no more showing up uninvited, no more anything."

"And if I fail?" Jungwon asked warily, crossing his arms.

Jay's grin widened. "Then I get to annoy you for the rest of my time at Dreamnote."

Jungwon scoffed, shaking his head. "You're insane."

"There's one catch, though," Jay added, raising a finger. "You can't fall for me in the process."

Jungwon snorted, his confidence returning. "That's it? That's your big challenge? Please, Jay. I'm not the one with a reputation for being a heartbreaker."

"Glad to hear it," Jay said, ignoring the jab. "But there's one more condition. You have to spend time with me. None of this avoiding me nonsense."

Jungwon thought for a moment, sizing up Jay. On paper, it sounded simple. He didn't have to do much besides tolerate Jay's presence for two weeks, and then the guy would finally leave him alone. Easy enough, right?

"Fine," Jungwon said, crossing his arms. "I'll take your deal. Two weeks, and you're out of my life."

Jay's grin stretched even wider, and he clapped his hands together. "Excellent. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning. Be ready at nine."

Jungwon frowned. "Pick me up for what?"

"For our first hangout," Jay said, already heading toward the door. "Dress comfortably. You're gonna need it."

And just like that, Jay was gone, leaving Jungwon standing in his doorway, wondering what exactly he had just signed up for.

"This is going to be a piece of cake," Jungwon muttered under his breath, shutting the door.

But deep down, a small, nagging voice told him it might not be as easy as he thought.

                              •:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•☾☼☽•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•

Later that evening, Jungwon sat cross-legged on his bed, phone pressed to his ear. The moment Sunoo answered, Jungwon wasted no time launching into the events of the afternoon.

"You won't believe what just happened," Jungwon began, his voice a mix of exasperation and disbelief.

"Knowing your luck, probably something involving Jay," Sunoo replied dryly, already anticipating the drama.

Jungwon sighed. "He came to my apartment."

There was a pause before Sunoo gasped theatrically. "What?! Oh my God, did he confess? Did he serenade you? Tell me everything!"

"Not even close," Jungwon muttered. "He proposed a deal."

Sunoo's curiosity was immediately piqued. "A deal? What kind of deal?"

"He gave me two weeks to make him fall for me. If I succeed, he'll leave me alone forever. If I fail, he's going to annoy me for the rest of his time here."

The line went silent for a moment before Sunoo burst out laughing. "You're joking."

"I wish I was," Jungwon grumbled.

Sunoo's laughter eventually subsided into a chuckle. "Okay, wait, let me get this straight. You have to make him fall for you, but there's a catch, right? What's the twist?"

"I can't fall for him," Jungwon admitted reluctantly.

"Oh, well then, you're absolutely—wait for it—fucked," Sunoo declared, his tone overly dramatic.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Jungwon deadpanned.

"Come on, Wonnie," Sunoo said, trying to sound reasonable. "You're already halfway there. Don't think I haven't noticed the way you talk about him. You don't hate him nearly as much as you pretend to."

"That's not true!" Jungwon protested, though his face heated at the accusation.

"Sure, sure," Sunoo teased. "Just admit it—you think he's a little cute."

Jungwon flopped back onto his bed with a groan. "He's annoying. That's what he is."

"Annoying, but cute," Sunoo countered with a laugh. "Good luck surviving two weeks with him. You're going to need it."

Jungwon closed his eyes, already regretting the deal. "I'll be fine. He's the one who's going to regret this."

Sunoo didn't sound convinced. "Mmhmm. Call me when you're writing your wedding vows."

Jungwon groaned again, hanging up before Sunoo could say anything else.

But as he lay there staring at the ceiling, a small part of him couldn't help but wonder if Sunoo might actually be right.

                •:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•☾☼☽•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•