The Perfect Lie

The morning sun had barely kissed the skyline when Kang Daejin, energetic as ever, barged into his grandson’s office without so much as a knock.

“Minjae!” he boomed. “I found another perfect candidate. She’s polite, pretty, from a good family—you’ll love her!”

Kang Minjae didn’t even look up from his paperwork. “No need, Grandfather. I already have a girlfriend.”

Silence.

Daejin blinked, caught off guard. “You what?”

Minjae finally glanced up, calm and casual. “I’m seeing someone. Seriously.”

His grandfather’s eyes sparkled with delight. “Well, why didn’t you say so sooner?! I must meet her!”

Minjae didn’t flinch. “I’ll arrange something soon.”

Later that afternoon, inside a sleek conference room at EON Fashions, Yuna sat at a long table, sandwiched between Kang Minjae and his ever-watchful secretary, Seo Hyunwoo. A thick folder lay in front of her with the word "CONTRACT" printed neatly across the top.

“This file contains everything you need to memorize,” Hyunwoo explained. “Dates, places, favorite colors, allergies, how you met, mutual friends—your new relationship history. All fictional. Memorize it well."

Yuna blinked at the overwhelming stack. “This is insane.”

Minjae didn’t look at her. “You agreed.”

“Does your grandfather really believe this?” she asked.

“He believes what he wants to believe,” Minjae said coldly. “Just don’t mess it up.”

As she flipped through the pages, Yuna caught small details that made her pause: He spoke six languages. Competed nationally in fencing. Played classical piano. Ran marathons.

She glanced at him, incredulous. “Are you even real?”

Minjae gave a side glance. “Efficiently real.”

Yuna rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide the growing curiosity. She kept reading—until she reached a small, handwritten note under "dislikes":

Rain.

She raised a brow. “Rain? Why?"

Minjae's jaw tensed immediately. He turned to face her, voice low. “Don’t ask that again.”

Seo Hyunwoo, seated across them, adjusted his glasses silently, subtly shifting the topic. “Let’s focus on preparing for the meeting with Chairman Kang.”

Yuna clamped her mouth shut, unsettled by the sudden change in Minjae’s mood.

That night, back at her small apartment, Yuna collapsed onto her bed, the contract folder spread open beside her. Her best friend Jiwoo sat cross-legged on the floor, munching popcorn while flipping through the pages.

“You’re fake dating him,” Jiwoo said with a smirk. “And he turns out to be a genius model athlete CEO? Can you even make this up?”

“He’s a robot,” Yuna groaned. “A rude, rain-hating robot.”

Jiwoo snorted. “You sure he’s not a prince in disguise?”

Yuna ignored her and went back to highlighting the timeline of their fake first date. Her eyes wandered once again to the word "rain."

Something about that detail lingered in her mind longer than she expected.

Later that day, Yuna sat at her sewing station, the file propped against a spool of thread. She tried to focus on memorizing the name of Minjae’s first dog (Charlie, golden retriever, childhood gift), but Eunjae’s singing beside her made it impossible.

“Charlie, golden retriever—Minjae’s childhood dog,” she whispered.

“Charlie?” Eunjae asked.

Yuna fumbled. “Uh—thread color! For the new blouse!”

Kyungmin snorted. “You’re weird lately.”

Lunchtime came, and Yuna huddled over her bento in the breakroom. She chewed mechanically while mouthing details.

“Favorite dish—kimchi jjigae. School—Daehan High School. Cousin’s wedding—Bali. Dog—Charlie.”

Somin entered and blinked. “Are you... studying for a quiz?”

Yuna stuffed rice in her mouth. “Yup.”

That night, Yuna slumped onto her bed, the file spread before her. Jiwoo lay beside her, scrolling on her phone.

“Did you know he’s fluent in French?” Yuna asked, rubbing her temples.

“Oui. Très sexy.”

Yuna groaned. “Kill me.”