The Lee estate’s indoors were not something people saw every day. The prestigious family residing in Korea was private enough to never share what went on inside these walls, reserved only for the eyes of a select group of people—the Lees, their residents, and close friends. Lee Woojin lived the life of an untouchable boy.

Unscathed by scandals and the web of lies surrounding his father’s ambitions, he seemed invincible. But it was a monotone Sunday night when it happened. All of Woojin’s glamour faded to black with one post that single-handedly ruined his untouchable nature. Something so silly—yet serious enough to destroy Ms. Han’s career.

Furious beyond comprehension, his father forbade any kind of interaction with the woman. That alone could have jeopardized his delicate web of connections with some of the most important men in South Korea. His son, tangled up with a private school teacher? That was unthinkable. If it weren’t for her—the reason his family didn’t strip away every ounce of freedom he had left—things would’ve turned out much worse.

Her. Always her.

Lee Woojin would be forever in her debt. No amount of Hermès Birkin bags could make up for it. She, with no second thoughts and no hesitation, had gotten him out of trouble once again. That’s what friends do for each other, she’d said, and he remembered. Now, apparently, it was his turn to pay her back.

She was standing right in front of him, in the middle of his living room. All designer clothes and pointed heels, like she’d just stepped out of a magazine shoot. Right there, just for him. Woojin crossed his arms, smirking as the girl paced back and forth in her Louboutins. The sharp, citric scent of tangerine drifted from her in waves, revealing her newest perfume.

“You want me to pretend I’m dating you because your parents want to marry you off to Ri-an?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Summer break was getting boring anyway, and Lee Woojin knew exactly who he could count on to stir up his sentiments before school started again.