Nari ran her hands through her hair for the thousandth time in an hour. Namjoon was still on the phone with his manager and Jungkook was still checking the comments on his social media platforms. Nari's phone was buzzing so much that she had to turn it off.

Just like the day her name was on the news because of that psycho killer, she was receiving phone calls non-stop. People she hadn't talked to in years called her asking about her relationship with the worldwide celebrity RM. Even reporters were calling her.

How did they get her phone number? But most importantly, how the f*** did her pictures get leaked on the internet?

"Honestly, it was bound to happen. There was a picture over ten months ago, and hyung was being followed. And you guys have been spending a lot of time together too."

"It's really not the time for this, Kooki."

"Actually, I think it's the perfect timing. You guys should date now, It's long overdue."

Nari was going to give him a piece of her mind when Namjoon came back into the living room.

"Nari, I'm so sorry. We will fix this, okay? Don't worry."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'll hold a press conference."

"Will anyone believe you?" Jungkook asked. "I mean those pictures..."

He trailed off and there was a silence.

Nari was starting to panic for real now. Those pictures were perfect for the said article. Namjoon and her hugging, smiling at each other, holding hands, laughing.

Most of them were taken during their date a few months before, some were taken in Japan when she and her colleagues went there to work on their case. And there were a few taken in front of her house when she had walked him out and they were exchanging goodnight hugs.

Whoever took these photos had been following Namjoon around for a while. And Jungkook was right, it was bound to happen. Namjoon was known for his music all over the world and he had millions of fans. And now that her face was out there, she knew they wouldn't leave her alone.

She was going to become a public person as well. She hated being the center of attention, especially in these kinds of setup. The entertainment business was ruthless and she didn't want to be a part of it. But then what did she expect when she was so close to Namjoon?

"Don't worry, Nari," Namjoon said again with a reassuring smile. But it hadn't reached his eyes. He too was worried.

However, it was for completely different reasons.

"Is Idol RM finally dating?" "Who is RM's mysterious girlfriend?" "RM and his girlfriend are possibly the cutest couple ever!"

Namjoon sighed for the thousandth time and put his phone down. Then he took it again when he heard yet another notification. Those comments again. He wasn't even sure what to think. Over fifty percent of his fanbase was supporting his "love story". Some commented on the fact that Nari was half black, or the fact that she wasn't as skinny as the female idols around him.

Apparently, it was cute and reassuring to see that an influential figure like him would date such an ordinary woman.

The other fifty percent of his fanbase was cursing at her, some were even making death threats. He was really worried since there was already a psychopathic killer after her. They didn't need more psychos to target her.

But his family was so positive about the whole thing that he almost didn't want to hold the press conference. His parents were thrilled because they thought he had finally confessed his feelings to her. Mimi had been very surprised, but just as excited as their parents. Nari's father had even mentioned marriage. All this until he had told them that it was just a rumor...

Now he wondered if this was an opportunity. Maybe he could take advantage of the situation and tell her how he felt? They had almost kissed twice, after all.

But what if he was just imagining things? Maybe he was the only one thinking about her that way. Maybe he was finally losing control of his libido. Maybe he'd been sexually inactive for so long that he was just drawing his own conclusions to escape reality.

And now he missed her. He wanted to hold her and tell her that everything was going to be okay. He knew she was scared. She hated being on the spot like that. The journalists would be waiting outside her house in the morning, he was sure of it.

He really needed to fix this.

He thought about what Jungkook had said earlier. Would anyone believe him after seeing those pictures? Especially after the first rumor ten months before?

God, what do I do?

The following day, he woke up after having another nightmare, but this time, it wasn't Nari who was dying. It was him.

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. What was wrong with him? Why did he keep thinking of the worse to the point of having nightmares every other night?

He took his phone to call Nari, but it was already ringing and it was his manager.

"Morning, hyung" he said as he picked up the call.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay, considering the situation."

"How is she?"

Namjoon didn't like the tone his manager was using right now. It didn't sound normal. Something was going to happen, he just knew it.

"I haven't talked to her since last night, so I don't know."

"Do you think she can come to the company today?"

"Why?"

"The boss wants to talk to her."

"What's going on?"

There was a short silence, then his manager sighed.

"Well, he thinks that you should confirm the dating rumors."

"WHAT?!"

"Hear me out, okay? It's good publicity. Your approval rate has increased since last night. You guys are receiving a lot of support from the fans. You actually gained a lot of new international fans because you're supposedly dating a biracial woman."

Why was he not surprised? Somehow, he had had the feeling the night before, that he would find himself in this situation. His manager didn't seem eager to make the rumor go away when they talked. Now he understood why.

This was so wrong! He felt like a fraud because he didn't want to lie to his fans. He also felt like he'd be taking advantage of Nari. He knew she'd agree to the masquerade if he asked. She'd do anything for him. Only problem was, she'd do it as his best friend and that's not what he wanted. He wanted more from her and this situation looked more and more like the perfect opportunity to let her know that.

"So what do you say?" his manager asked after a while.

Namjoon was so lost in his thoughts that he had forgotten he was on the phone. Now he had to make a quick decision.

"I'll talk to her." He finally replied.

"Great, I'll see you later then. Do you want me to drop you off at the shooting site?"

"That won't be necessary."

"Cool, see ya."

"Yeah."

Then he hung up and dialed Nari's number. She answered right away and he was startled for some reason after hearing her voice.

"You have some great reflex," he said with a smile.

She laughed and he almost forgot the mess he was in. The mess they were in because of him.

"I had my phone in my hand, I was checking out the comments..."

There was a short silence and Namjoon wasn't sure what to say. The only thing he could think of was...

"I'm really sorry, Nari."

"It's not your fault, sweety."

"Yes, it is. If only I had been more careful–"

"You have the right to live your life freely, even if you're a public figure. Don't stress yourself about it, okay? And don't worry about me, I'm fine."

"Are you really? No journalists in front of your house?"

"It's quiet for now."

"That's good."

There was another silence after that and he heard some noises. She was probably preparing breakfast. He heard Jungkook's voice in the background and heard them laugh. She sure was in a good mood today. But would it last? Once he told her about what he and his manager had discussed a moment ago, would she get mad at him?

"Joonie?" She called.

"Yeah?"

"Something wrong?"

"Actually," he started, then paused. He felt so bad about the whole thing! Maybe he should just ask her in person? What's the worse that could happen if he was seen leaving her house again today? Everyone in the world already thought they were dating anyway.

"Wait, I'll put you on speaker."

Then he heard Jungkook say "morning hyung!"

"Morning, Kook."

"How does it feel to no longer be single?" He teased.

"Shut up, Kooki!" Nari said.

But Namjoon stayed silent for a moment before diving in.

"Yeah, about that, I talked to my manager this morning, and apparently the company thinks that it'd be a bad idea to deny the rumors."

"What?!"

"I'm so sorry, you don't have to agree to this if you don't want to. I already told them how stupid it was–"

"They want you to ignore it like last time?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"We, umh, they will make an official statement to confirm our relationship. Again, you don't have to agree. It's totally up to you, Nari."

He waited for her answer, his heart beating fast in anticipation. There was a silence on the other side of the line as well. Even Jungkook didn't say a word and it seemed like she had stopped whatever she was doing because he couldn't hear a single sound.

"I don't really understand why you would want people to think you're in a relationship with me, but if you think that's the right thing to do, then it's fine."

"You don't understand?"

"I mean we're best friends and I'm definitely not– I mean you must have other things to worry about than this."

"You're right, I'm worried about a lot of other things like your safety, for example. Have you thought about what I asked you yesterday? Right before everything went crazy?"

"I-I didn't."

"Ooooh did he ask you out noona?" Jungkook asked in an amusing tone.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Nari protested.

"Then why are you blushing?"

"OH MY GOD KOOKIE SHUT THE F*** UP!"

Jungkook started laughing and Namjoon couldn't help but join in.

"You too shut up, Namjoon!"

"Sorry, sorry. So will you be able to come with me at the company? It won't take long."

"Sure."

"I'll pick you up in an hour."

This felt like the time she was called at the principal's office because she and Jungkook had yet again caused trouble. Except, this time, they actually wanted her to cause trouble. Because that's what it was, wasn't it?

Lying to everyone around her about being in a relationship with her best friend slash the man she'd been in love with her whole life sure felt like trouble.

And what was that about her being biracial and Namjoon's approval rate going up because of it? She didn't even know how to feel about that. And she also had to figure out who to tell the truth to. Of course, Jungkook would be aware of the situation, but should she tell Soha?

Why was she even thinking about that right now? There was going to be a press release about her fake relationship with Namjoon! It didn't even feel real.

"Thank you for doing this, Nari."

She looked up at the man who had just said that. She almost cursed at him because he was the one who came up with the idea, but he looked so kind. Also, he was Namjoon's boss so she kinda couldn't.

At that moment, Namjoon came back into the room with his manager and walked up to her. He squatted in front of her and took her hands in his. He smiled at her and she wanted to lick him.

Nari, stop being a crazy freak! This is serious!

"You okay?" He asked slowly.

She nodded.

"We're really sorry for putting you through this. It'll all die down soon, promise." His manager said.

She just smiled at him. She had met him a few times over the year, but they had never interacted this long. This was a first.

Actually, it was a first for a lot of things, like having her fake relationship being publicized in Korea and the rest of the world. Now she was freaking out again. It was a whole new level of lying. Oh, God! What was she going to do if people found out? More importantly, what would they do later on? Break up in public too?

"Don't freak out, we'll be okay," Namjoon murmured as he squeezed her hands.

He knew her so well! And honestly, she was doing this for him. As long as it was for the well-being of his career, she'd do anything. He was living his dream, after all.

"I'm fine."

"You're sure?"

He seemed genuinely worried as he was surveying her facial expressions. She nodded again to reassure him, then gave him a small smile.

"I should go to work now, you know how my boss gets when I'm late."

"Right, let's go. I'll give you a ride."

"I can just call Soha or Kookie, you just go to your shooting."

"What kind of boyfriend do you think I am? Come on, let's go."

Boyfriend... How she wished it was real!

She got up and bowed while saying goodbye to everyone, then they left the office. She followed Namjoon in a daze. They met a couple of people who greeted them and gave her curious looks. They were probably checking what RM's girlfriend looked like.

Well, sorry fellas, I'm just an ordinary girl with a few extra pounds. I look nothing like female idols.

A cynical smile briefly appeared on her lips. There she was again, comparing herself to other women.

Well, with all the comments she had been reading online, such thoughts were bound to cross her mind at some point. She had told herself that it would all die down within a few weeks and people would forget all about her. But with the way things were going, she wasn't so sure about that anymore.

And she was scared. She needed to focus on catching a killer who was starting to become obsessed with her. How would she do that with the public eye on her? Because she knew the press would be following her every move. Actually, everyone would. People would become more and more curious about her and she didn't want to be on the spot like that.

"Nari?"

She blinked a few times, before coming back to reality. Namjoon was holding the door for her and was looking at her with concern in his eyes.

"Oh, sorry I was thinking about...stuff." She said as she slid into the passenger seat.

He closed the door and she wore her security belt while he went to sit behind the wheel.

"What stuff?" He asked.

"Nothing important."

"It's not too late to change your mind, you know."

Damn it, he knew her too well.

"I haven't changed my mind. Let's just go, I'm already late."

He nodded and started the car.

Twenty minutes later, he was parking his car in front of the precinct. They just sat there for a moment without saying anything, then she turned to him. When their eyes met, she smiled at him. A real smile this time. She hadn't realized that he too must be having a hard time. This situation concerned both of them, after all.

"You're okay, Joonie?"

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. Obviously, he wasn't expecting that.

"I should be the one asking you that, don't you think?"

"This is your private life, too. You have the right to some peace and quiet, but you're stuck with me."

"It's okay if it's you. I wouldn't want to be in this situation with anyone else."

They exchanged a look, then she went for a hug. He hugged her back and kissed her in her hair. He hadn't done that in a long time and it flustered her. When he let her go, he gave her a huge smile.

"I'll finish late today, so I won't be able to come to your house."

"That's okay–"

"Things will go crazy after the press release. I'm sorry in advance."

"Can you stop being sorry, already? You're getting on my nerves." She said, rolling her eyes at him.

"Alright, I'll stop. I trust that our baby will take great care of you."

"When you call him that, it feels like we really are his parents." She laughed.

"Well, we kinda raised him didn't we? He spent more time with us than his family growing up."

"That's true... And now he is all grown."

"We're all grown now," Namjoon murmured, his eyes still on her.

There was something strange about the way he was looking at her and she couldn't help but get flustered. She needed to leave this car ASAP.

"Thank you for the lift, Joonie. I'll see you later. Bye."

"Bye."

She got out of the car and waved him goodbye while he was driving away.

When she entered the precinct, everyone was greeting her and smiling at her with more friendliness than usual. They were even congratulating her for finally "going public" with her relationship. What the heck?

As soon as she sat at her desk, her whole team surrounded her, attacking her with questions. The other teams were paying close attention as well. Apparently, everyone was expecting some kind of romantic story.

Also, how come they weren't surprised? Did they all believe that she was dating Namjoon from the start?

"Kitten!!" She heard someone scream from the door.

She snorted and tried to ignore him, but of course, it didn't work. He walked up to her and hugged her a bit too tightly.

"I'm very happy for you." He said as he let her go.

"We all are! So will you tell us how it all started?"

"I guess this explains his multiple visits to the precinct? He couldn't stay away from you."

"Awwww that's so cute!"

"Hurry and tell us everything!"

She didn't know what to say to them, but she had to get rid of them somehow. She knew they wouldn't listen if she asked them to get back to work.

Where is Yoongi when you need him?

She sighed and tried to think about something. How would she and Namjoon end up in a relationship?

"Well, he-he confessed and-"

"When?"

"How?"

She looked at Eungi and JiHye with distress. Seriously? How much detail did they need?

"This is a bit too personal. All you need to know is that he is a sweetheart and I'm very happy. Can we go back to work now?"

They seemed disappointed but agreed to leave her alone for now. She sighed in relief and got back to work.

But a moment later, she received a text message from none other than Kim Seokjin! She hadn't talked to him in a while, since their strange conversation at the precinct the other day. She had wanted to ask him about it, but as things got crazy, she ended up forgetting.

She opened the text and sighed again after reading it.