It took Daniel 5 minutes to understand what the fuck was going on.

He took them to the table he paid for, ordered a glass of water and juice for him and his daughter and when he was certain that no one could hear them, he faced So Hee.

So Hee, seated across him small, raised her palms to his.

“Before you bite my head off,” he said, keeping her voice quiet just in case, “let me say that I went into this blind date not knowing it was you.”

She was such a dirty liar. Of course, she knew. It was all part of the FBI's plan

Daniel glared at her. “Oh, really?”

“Yeah. You didn't use your real name so don't go blaming me for matching with Song David ” So Hee sighed, praying he'd buy the lie.

Like every foolish man on earth, he bought it. “Likewise. The last person I thought would show up was you. You even used a fake picture.”

So Hee scoffed. “So did you!”

“You know what? Why don't we just get out of each other's hair?” Daniel said. “I have more important things to do.”

So Hee grumbled a slew of nasty words and drummed her fingers on the table. She had to complete her mission : fake-date him but how could she do that when the first 5 minutes of the meeting was already a disaster. But how could she work her way out?! She was the CEO of a fashion company, not some backstreet romantic.

She could hear Trixie whisper to her to stay for time but no idea came to mind.

Daniel had already risen to his feet, his hand curled around his daughter's as they turned to leave.

Think, So Hee, she screamed at herself.

A lightbulb flashed in her head and she called out his name.

“Daniel!” It sounded breathless. Desperate, even.

Daniel whipped around, staring at her as though she'd grown an extra head.

She crushed the distance between them, wishing she'd never agreed to this job in the first place.

“Can you just give me 5 minutes of your time?” She began, hating the way she sounded so desperate.

Daniel shot her a dirty look. “Why?”

Of all the jobs she’d ever done, this one was by far the worst.

She heaved a sigh about regretting what she was about to say. “I need your help.”

An amused smile graced Daniel's lips. “You need my help?”

She contemplated his question for a second before nodding. “Yes.”

“Me? Help you?” He laughed. Actually I laughed. “No. I'd rather spend my entire fortune building a Disney castle for my daughter than help you.” Then he led his daughter to the door. “Let's go, honey.”

“Shit!” So Hee cursed and ran after him.

She tried to keep her expression composed as she delivered the lie she had carefully thought about.

“Listen, my parents want me to marry a man twice my age,” she said with a sigh, twirling the edge of her bracelet. “He's from old money. They think he's perfect but I don't want that life. I just need to pretend I'm already in a relationship to get out of it.”

Daniel's face remained stoic. “No.”

So Hee blinked. “What?”

“I'd rather die than have a fake relationship with you.” Daniel said curtly. “Find someone else.”

So Hee's jaw tightened but she forced a smile. “Please… I'll do anything even accompany little Amy —”

Before she could finish her sentence, Amy perked up from behind Daniel's leg, her big eyes wide with innocence. “Daddy,” she said softly. “I don't think she's a bad person.”

Daniel looked at his daughter, then at So Hee. Something shifted in his eyes but it lasted only for a moment before it died.

“No.” He repeated and picked Amy up. “Let's never see each other again, So Hee.”

So Hee palmed her face. “You've got to be kidding me.”

So Hee walked to her car finding Trixie sprawled in the passenger seat, scrolling through her phone.

“It didn't work,” So Hee said, pulling off her heels and tossing them aside. “Daniel is impossible. He's arrogant, rude, infuriating. Ugh! I hope he gets arrested soon enough!”

Trixie didn't look up from her phone. “It doesn't matter. He's still a target.”

So Hee sighed. “Greg should send someone else. I'm done.”

“No,” Trixie replied calmly, keeping her phone face down. “You're not done, So Hee. You're the closest we've ever gotten to him. You'll keep going. Daniel will come around.”

So Hee scoffed. “And if he doesn't this time?”

“We will try again.”

“No. I quit,” So Hee said flatly. “I'm serious, Trixie. I don't care what the Bureau says. If Daniel doesn't take the bait soon, I'm out of the mission.”

“We will,” Trixie put her phone away and fastened her seatbelts. “Let's go.”

So Hee mumbled a curse in Korean before pressing her door to the pedal and driving off.

That night, So Hee walked into the house to find her mother practically glowing with excitement.

“Congratulations, sweetheart!” Her mother beamed, holding out an iPad.

So Hee blinked, confused. “What?”

Mrs Han flipped the screen towards her daughter. There, in HD was a photo of So Hee and Daniel stepping out of the Loft Restaurant together.

“Daniel just dropped by. That's all.” So Hee replied, scrambling for an explanation.

Mrs Han narrowed her eyes. “He came to see you? You don't just stop by a restaurant with a woman unless you're dating.”

So Hee knew there was no way she could convince her mother to believe otherwise if she didn't lie. “Well… we are dating.”

She'd expected her mother’s face to turn a paler shade of blue but instead, the woman's face lit up like a Christmas tree. “I knew it!”

So Hee nearly choked. “You what?”

Mr. Han lowered his newspaper. “You and Daniel, dating? I thought you couldn't stand each other.”

“We… were pretending but now… we're very much in love,” So Hee forced a smile so tight it hurt her face. “We're even thinking about getting married.”

‘Okay, So Hee. You need to stop talking.’ She told herself.

Her mother clapped her hands in delight. “Now that's more like it! Daniel is from proper old money. None of that flashy nouveau riche nonsense. You're going to marry into a real legacy, So Hee.”

Mr. Han chuckled. “This is madness, Jisoo. We both know So Hee and Daniel can barely function in the same room. She's better off marrying someone else.”

Mrs. Han waved him off. “Nonsense. I'm calling Daniel's parents right now and we're setting a date!”

So Hee had never panicked this hard in her life. “Mom, wait!”

But her mother was already gone, making excited phone calls and chattering about designer dresses and expensive hotel venues.

So Hee bolted to her room, slammed the door, and barely sat down before her phone rang.

Jerkface.

Daniel was calling. She answered immediately.

“You're insane,” he said flatly.

“I didn't post the photo!” She snapped. “It's not my fault!”

He sighed, exasperated. “Well, thanks to you, my parents think we're actually getting married.”

She froze. “Wait. What?”

“They've already started planning the wedding. We're getting married… next week.”

So Hee's mouth fell open. “You've got to be kidding me.”

“I wish I was.”

“Daniel,” she whispered. “What are we going to do?”

“I don't know,” he muttered. “But one thing's for sure… this fake relationship? It just got very real.”