Genre - fake/contract marriage au, grumpy x sunshine, strangers to lovers, slow burn, fluff, angst, smut (MDNI)
Warnings - family pressure for marriage, inner thoughts, different perceptions of love👀, tae is a mutual friend, reader is a uni professor
Wc - 1.7k words
a/n - as mentioned, this is just the prologue- just so yk the bg )) I'm thinking of doing 5 chapters max bt those are not even close to finishing.. just bits and pieces🫠 so final update will be when I've finished AND satisfied with what I've written :) pls be patient <3
Jeon Jungkook believed in a lot of things. But love wasn’t one of them.
Because it wasn’t a necessity in Jungkook’s life.
Love? That four-letter word people threw around like it held the universe together? He didn’t get it. Never had. Never wanted to.
He doesn’t believe in love. Not in the way movies or books paint it. Love is just a concept people cling to.
People made it sound like some grand, life-altering miracle. Like one person could walk in and suddenly your world shifted on its axis. Jungkook never understood how that worked. Why people gave up sleep and sanity and sometimes, even logic, for something so unpredictable.
He never saw the point.
What he did understand? Stability. Purpose. Building something that lasted—not based on feelings, but on facts. Work gave him that. Running Jeon & Co gave him that. He liked being in control. Liked knowing the next step.
And to be fair, his life was good. Great, even.
He had everything he wanted. His career, his family, and his dog- Bam curled up by his feet at the end of every day.
He didn’t need dinners for two. He didn’t need someone to hold. He didn’t need to wake up next to someone who snored or stole his covers or left their shampoo bottles next to his.
He liked the quiet.
He’d seen people fall in love, watched it bloom around him like a damn rom-com montage. Everyone around him seemed to be in on this big- clued into this big magical concept that just didn’t land for him. Like they’d all read a manual he somehow missed.
Love, to him, wasn’t something worth chasing.
So no, he doesn't dream of it.
His older brother, Seojun, was the one originally set to take over Jeon & Co. But somewhere in university, he got an interest in cameras, film reels. So he changed paths, started his own production house- something he was passionate about, something the family supported. Jeon Seojun, now happily married to the love of his life, Harin, and later blessed with a cute little bundle of joy—Rae.
Then there was his sister, Aera—already married, already a successful fashion designer, living abroad with her artist husband and sending aesthetic postcards from every continent.
That left Jungkook. The youngest. The one who was good at everything.
The golden boy. The straight-A student, top of his class, excelled in everything he touched.
So he took the reins. Quietly. No complaints. Took the company to even greater heights. Built Jeon & Co into one of the most respected names in the industry.
He didn’t need anything else.
His life was simple, structured, successful. And he liked it that way.
But now, the gentle nudges from his family started turning into obvious conversations- about marriage.
Even his grandmother had joined the marriage cheer squad, talking about how nice it would be to see him settled, how much she wants to see her youngest grandson married while she’s still around.
They’d been patient for years. But lately, it was like everyone in the Jeon family had decided enough was enough.
So when his mother casually mentioned over dinner that they’d been talking to a friend about a potential match—a lovely girl, smart, already familiar with the family- something in Jungkook snapped.
He didn’t even want to get married—least of all to someone he didn’t know. Not a life partner chosen by someone else. Not a stranger who’ll live with him, sleep beside him, and share the parts of him he doesn’t even know how to share.
So he did the only thing that made sense in that moment.
“I already have a girlfriend.”
The room had gone silent.
Five pairs of eyes stared at him.
And now, here he is, wondering what kind of fucking mess he’s dragged himself into just to avoid being shackled into a marriage with a stranger.
But Jeon Jungkook wouldn’t let anyone dictate what he did with his life.
Especially not when it came to his heart.
Love was a chaos.
And chaos had no place in his life.
Later that night, he called Taehyung,—the one person who’s been there since their school days, unsure of whether he needed a plan or just someone to tell him he wasn’t losing his mind.
Taehyung, in fact, didn’t think it was that bad of a situation at all. At least not one without a potential fix.
That’s when the idea came up—something so bizarre and impractical. Jungkook couldn’t believe he was actually considering it,
A fake marriage.
Taehyung had suggested like it was the most logical solution. Just a year. One year of pretending to be in love and married. Long enough to satisfy his family, long enough for everyone to believe it had been real. And then—well, things wouldn’t work out. They’d “divorce,” separate, move on with their lives.
At first, Jungkook dismissed it outright.
He couldn’t fathom the idea of someone sharing his space. His home was the only part of his life untouched by the outside world. His world ran on precision and privacy. Letting someone into that world- even under a fake arrangement, felt like crossing a line he’d drawn years ago.
And besides, it couldn’t be just anyone. His family wasn’t stupid. If he suddenly showed up with a complete stranger, they’d see through it in a second.
That’s when Taehyung said he might know someone—that he trusted, that she was dependable. She wasn’t from Jungkook’s world, which might actually work in their favor.
Taehyung promised to talk to her first, see if she’d even be willing to consider something this ridiculous.
The entire idea of a fake marriage felt childish. But the more he thought about it, the more it made a strange sort of sense. At least this way, he’d have control over who entered his life, buy him a year of peace—freedom from the constant “marriage talk”.
Just one year, after all.
"It’s the third time I’m saying no, Taehyung. Don’t you get it?"
You huffed into the phone, flopping down into your office chair. Your cardigan sleeves were already pushed up from the two-hour lecture you'd just delivered, your notes still a mess on your desk.
You had barely gotten a sip of water before your phone buzzed, and of course—of course, it was Taehyung.
“I’m not asking you to marry a serial killer,” he said with a dramatic sigh. “It’s Jungkook.”
“Exactly,” you muttered. “The CEO Jeon Jungkook. Not exactly someone I see fake marrying for any reason.”
Your voice dropped to a whisper-shout as you turned away from the glass pane in your office door.
You’d never met Jeon Jungkook before. Not even once. Just heard about him in passing from Taehyung. "My best friend from school," he’d always say, tossing the name around like it was no big deal.
Like Jeon Jungkook wasn’t this corporate enigma. A hot prodigy in business, son of a chaebol family, making a name for himself in the most unnervingly silent way.
You remembered the buzz when it had happened—articles, interviews, headlines, the ‘mystery heir’ who never spoke unless he had to. He disappeared from the public eye just as quickly, and that was that.
Until Taehyung showed up at your door yesterday, looking far too excited for someone about to propose a fake marriage arrangement.
It had sounded insane at first. Because it was insane.
Taehyung had explained you the situation Jungkook got himself into, with the same energy someone might use to pitch a movie script.
And what was his solution?
You.
“It’s just a year,” he said now, voice sliding back into persuasion-mode. “One year. So it looks real. You two live together. Make it convincing enough so his family backs off. Then you divorce, like fake divorce whatever, and it’s over! No harm done. It's not like you're actually getting married.”
You stared at the ceiling, “Tae. That’s not normal. You know that, right?”
He snorted. “Neither is rent in Seoul. Come on. You told me your roommate left, you’ve been searching for a new place. This solves that plus you get paid too! A logical person would never say no to this, Y/N. You don’t have to pretend in front of the whole world. Just his family. Think of it like a job.”
You bit your lip, annoyed by how tempting that actually sounded. You were indeed searching for a new place ever since your roommate had gotten transferred across the country. You hadn’t realized how ridiculously unaffordable rent was until you’d started living alone. And this offer, as ridiculous as it sounded, came with a house and money.
Still. A fake marriage?
You weren’t exactly the fake-it kind of girl. You'd always held this quiet belief in old-school romance. The kind that was built slowly, like a soft song that stayed. But you’d also lived long enough to know life wasn’t a movie.
Back in your student days, you’d buried yourself in textbooks, not people. Relationships weren’t something that you felt urgent back then.
Then life happened. Work took over. The days got busy, and dating just… never found its way in.
Love, to you, was about ease.
About finding someone naturally, in moments that didn't feel curated.
But you'd still tried some years back- a few blind dates your friends sent you on, awkward setups, the usual.
But nothing ever felt right. Nothing ever felt real.
Romance was something you assumed would fall into place eventually.
You wanted something that just... happened.
When it was meant to.
And now, after years of quietly waiting for something real, you were being considered for the role of a fake wife.
You almost scoffed at the absurdity.
“He doesn’t even know me,” you sighed.
“He knows I trust you. That’s enough for him. So technically he won't be letting a complete stranger moving into his house,” Taehyung said, like that explained everything.
You blinked. “So I’m just... the least suspicious option?”
“That's just a bonus,” Taehyung laughed. "But no, really, just think about it."
“What if his family hates me? And his mom throws a Birkin at my head?”
He groaned. “You’re being dramatic. They’re nice people, Y/N. No one's gonna throw anything at you, I promise.”
“I mean, come on,” Taehyung added playfully. “I just know you’re gonna be a really good actor.”
You rolled your eyes at the unnecessary buttering he was doing.
You could’ve actually considered this whole fake marriage drama. Because as much as it sounded stupid, sure, but it also sounded fun to you.
But again, he wasn’t just any man.
You were just a regular girl with a regular job and a "not-so-glamorous" life. But you enjoy it, being a university professor with a cluttered desk, a habit of losing your pens at least three times a day and considered laundry a full-body workout. You enjoyed it nevertheless—you liked your little routines.
But you were also someone who definitely didn't live in the same world as his.
So the idea of faking a marriage- especially to someone like Jeon Jungkook, a man who basically belonged in the pages of Forbes—felt so far out of your league it was laughable.
Even thinking about being tangled in something like this with someone like him felt strange.
But maybe...
it wouldn’t be the worst idea.
It was almost New Year’s. And People made wild resolutions all the time, right?
Maybe this was a little main character arc you never saw coming.
It’s not like you had wild plans for New Year’s anyway.
Use the Pomodoro Method. Work in focused intervals (typically 25 minutes) followed by a short break. This helps you maintain high levels of focus and gives regular breaks to rest.
If a something takes less than two minutes, do it immediately.
Schedule specific blocks of time for specific activities. This helps in dedicating focus to one task at a time.
Group similar tasks together and tackle them in one go. For example, respond to all emails at once rather than sporadically throughout the day.
Contrary to popular belief, multitasking can reduce productivity. Focus on one task at a time for better efficiency.
Use apps and tools like Trello, Asana, or Notion to manage tasks and projects.
Use the Eisenhower Box or the ABCD method to categorize tasks based on their urgency and importance.
Keep your workspace tidy. A clean workspace can enhance focus and reduce distractions.
Even if one doesn’t exist, setting a deadline can create a sense of urgency.
Large tasks can be overwhelming. Break them into smaller steps to make them more manageable.
Aim for excellence, not perfection. Sometimes waiting for something to be perfect can lead to procrastination.
If someone else can do a task, delegate it. This allows you to focus on tasks that only you can do.
Working for long hours without a break can lead to burnout. Short, regular breaks can help maintain high levels of focus.
Use apps to play background music/noise that enhances concentration or block all notifications to prevent you from checking your phone.
At the end of the week, review what you’ve accomplished and what needs to be adjusted for the coming days.
If you have been following my studyblr, you will know that my first ever 100 Days of Productivity has come to an end. Throughout the course of my participation in this challenge, I have gotten quite a few questions about what this challenge actually is. As I am starting a new 100 Days of Productivity on January 31st, I thought I’d write up an ‘About The 100 Days of Productivity Challenge’ post that covers what the challenge is, why it is awesome, and how to participate in the challenge.
WHAT IT IS
The 100 Days of Productivity Challenge is one of the most popular online productivity tags that motivates people to get things done! The challenge itself, put simply, is to try and accomplish at least one productive thing a day for 100 days. What is considered ‘productive’ is completely up to you. It can range from cleaning your desk to writing a 20-page research paper. Really, whatever you consider being productive can be classified as so. The challenge is super flexible, and I think that is why so many people love to participate in it!
WHY IT IS AWESOME
It establishes productive habits - 100 days is a pretty long time. Getting into the routine of doing one productive thing a day for this period of time really helps to develop productive habits that will improve your efficiency and organisation.
It is a great way to monitor the work you accomplish - The challenge offers a great way to keep track of what you achieve, whether you choose to document it online or on paper.
It motivates you to actually get things done - The expectation of completing one productive thing a day really does motivate you to actually do that one productive thing, and in the end, you achieve more than expected.
It provides you with motivation and support - This has to be one of my favourite aspects of the challenge. There are so many people who are apart of the online study community that participate in the 100dop challenge. We all encourage each other to achieve our best and support each other when we aren’t coping so well. This genuine support and encouragement makes being productive so much more enjoyable.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
It’s quite simple, really. You do one productive thing a day for 100 days, and you document it however you like. A lot of people, like myself, choose to post a 100 Days of Productivity Challenge Update each day on their online accounts with a photo and summary of what they achieved. I will be using #raf100dop to track my next 100 days, which I recommend you do as well! I’ll be sure to regularly look through the tag and support your posts!
If you would rather not post your documentation of productivity for this challenge online, you can keep tabs on what you achieve on paper instead! I would recommend either keeping a study journal where you write down what you get done each day or use online printables (I really like @emmastudies printable) to document your productivity.
TO REMEMBER
You can start taking part in this challenge whenever you like! There is no start and end date. I will be starting on January 31st, the start of my new school year. You are more than welcome to do the same!
You don’t have to be a dedicated study blog or account to partake in this challenge. Everyone is encouraged to get involved!
This challenge is meant to motivate you to be productive, and to make being productive fun! Don’t feel too pressured to post every single day. If you can’t cope with consecutive posting, you don’t have to! Just do what you are comfortable with.
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That’s all for now, I hope this post has been helpful! If you are confused or have any questions, please feel free to ask! And if you do decide to participate in the 100dop, make sure to tag #raf100dop so I can check out your posts!
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