This Was Not in the High School Survival Manual
If seventeen-year-old Han Jiho had a checklist titled How to Survive High School Without Attracting Attention, he would've ticked every box.
Keep your head down? ✅
Sit in the second row—close enough to look attentive, far enough to avoid teacher questions? ✅
Blend in with the walls during lunch? ✅✅✅
Unfortunately, none of that prepared him for the moment he became rumored to be dating Kang Minjae.
THE Kang Minjae.
Haewon High's golden boy. Six-foot-one, jawline like a weapon , smile that made fangirls cry actual tears.
Basketball star. Honor student. Possibly sculpted by Greek gods.
And Jiho?
Mistaken for a first-year despite being a junior.
Most famous for a forgotten middle school poetry contest.
Also, very gay. Not rainbow-flag-waving gay—more like please-don't-notice-me-crushing-on-a-straight-boy gay.
Life was simple—until the soda incident.
But before we get there...
---
Welcome to Haewon High: Where Drama Is Mandatory
Haewon High's cafeteria had unofficial cliques:
The Royals – athletes, influencers, and the genetically blessed .
The Scholars – straight-A note-takers with emotional support calculators .
The Chaos Club – theater kids, musicians, human hurricanes .
The Ghosts – Jiho's people. Not dead, just... extremely overlooked .
Jiho didn't mind. Mostly.
Except when it came to him.
Kang Minjae.
The boy Jiho had admired from afar, praying for one hallway nod.
He never expected a full-blown fake dating rumor would be what finally got Minjae's attention.
All because of a soda.
---
Scene of the Crime: The Vending Machine
It was a normal Tuesday. Jiho was half-asleep, mentally fighting with a vending machine, when the air shifted.
That he's here feeling. Like a lion entering a meadow full of clueless gazelles.
Then came the voice.
"Ya."
Jiho flinched so hard he nearly headbutted the vending machine. He turned. Slowly.
There he was. Kang freaking Minjae.
"H-Hi?" Jiho squeaked.
Minjae didn't reply. Just took Jiho's soda, popped the cap, and took a sip.
Jiho's brain crashed. "THAT WAS MINE??"
Minjae shrugged. "You were taking too long."
And walked off. Like he hadn't just committed Beverage Theft™.
---
Haewon High's Rumor Engine
By 5th period, everyone knew.
By 6th, someone made a couple name. (MinJiho? JiMinjae??)
By 7th, there was fanart.
Jiho tried to deny it. Loudly.
"You're blushing!"
"Aww, they're shy!"
"This is totally enemies-to-lovers."
And Minjae?
He smiled.
Like the chaos was part of some inside joke he wasn't sharing.
---
The Confrontation
After school. Bike racks. Jiho = flustered. Furious.
"Explain. Now."
Minjae leaned in, grinning. "Explain what?"
"The rumors! The drink! Your face! EVERYTHING!"
"Does dating me bother you that much?"
Jiho stammered. "YES—I mean, NO—I mean—UGH!"
Minjae laughed. "Let's keep it going. Just for fun."
"You're insane."
And just like that, the fake relationship from hell began.
---
Coming Soon: Chaos, Crushes & Questionable Life Choices
Now Jiho has to survive:
Fake couple hangouts with his real crush.
His best friend threatening to burn down the school if Minjae hurts him .
Random students asking when the wedding is .
The terrifying thought that maybe—just maybe—Minjae isn't pretending
Welcome to Haewon High.
Where secrets spread faster than Wi-Fi, and your fake boyfriend might become your real one.
Eventually.
Maybe.
God help him.
---