Julian was shocked when he saw the man who had helped him at the bus station now standing in front of him, and it turned out that he was his cousin's best friend.
"You, aren't you the man who helped me at the bus station earlier? I didn't expect you to be Marshal's friend!" he said, pointing at the man.
"And I didn't expect Marshal to have a careless and stupid cousin like you." He said it casually and then took another sip of his drink.
His words were enough to make Julian very upset because he didn't understand why the man called him that.
However, his friend immediately lean to him, saying that the man had always been like that.
"Don't worry about him, Arcane has always been like that. Even when we were in college, he was like this," he said.
"So you guys are college friends?" Julian asked Marshal.
"Yes, me, Archie, Hans, and Ryan have been friends since college. We were in the same major, communication studies. Except for Archie, he was in mathematics. That's why he's a teacher now," he explained.
They knew Arcane because he was in the same tennis club as them when they were in college.
'So his name is Arcane, huh? That's unique,' Julian thought at the time.
They sat together, chatting about various things, especially about Julian, who had just graduated from college. He felt so happy because his cousin's friends accepted him so well, especially since they were so friendly to him.
They treated him like a younger brother who had just arrived in town. It was no surprise, considering they were four years older than him.
In the middle of their conversation, Julian realized that Arcane kept looking at him. It was as if he was assessing him, observing his behavior since earlier.
'Why does he keep looking at me? Did I wear something wrong, or is that just his habit as a teacher?' thought Julian, confused.
"Oh right, you came here because you're looking for a job, right?" asked his cousin.
He nodded his head, saying he really wanted the job.
"You said there was a good job for me in the city. That's why I came here."
Marshal and his three friends exchanged glances, as if they were discussing something before saying this to Julian.
Julian could only stare at them in confusion, waiting for their response.
"Actually, Archie has a good job for you. But you have to sit still and listen to what he has to say first," said Ryan.
They all nodded in agreement and asked Julian to stay calm and listen to what Arcane had to say.
He agreed, then turned to the man who had helped him today. He was curious about what kind of job he wanted to offer him. But he wondered, would Arcane offer him a job related to teaching?
"This job isn't difficult. You just need to sit quietly, not talk much, and follow what I tell you. I'll offer you $1,200 a month if you're willing to do it," said Arcane with a serious expression.
"$1,200 a month just for sitting quietly, listening to what you say, and not talking much? What kind of job are you offering me?" asked Julian cautiously because he still couldn't fully trust the man even though he was his cousin's friend.
For a moment, everyone waited silently for his answer, until finally Arcane answered the question.
"I want you to be my husband."
"W-what?!" That answer, of course, immediately shocked Julian, because he didn't expect to be offered a job to become a husband.
Just as he was about to protest, Marshal reminded him not to speak until Arcane finished explaining.
The man explained that this job was only temporary and he only needed Julian as a fake husband. Which meant they would undergo a contract marriage until their goal was achieved.
Now Julian felt confused. What was Arcane's purpose in needing a husband in a contract marriage?
Hans helped explain that Arcane intended to become a teacher at a school for girls. At that school, all male teachers had to be married so that there would be no secret relationships between teachers and students.
"That's why he needs you to be his contract partner. Don't worry, Arcane isn't the type of person who would do anything stupid or excessive to you," said Hans.
"But why does he need me? Couldn't you ask a woman to be your wife? Why did you choose a man as your partner in this contract marriage?" asked the green haired young man in confusion.
Arcane sighed, then explained that if he had a husband, their suspicions would fade.
They would think he was more interested in men than women. So that could reduce their suspicions about him.
Slowly, he began to understand the dynamics his teacher was referring to.
"What do you teach at that school?" he asked.
"Of course to teach math, idiot." He replied as he folded his arms across his chest and leaned back on the sofa where he was sitting.
Julian immediately frowned, saying that he hated math teachers because he had never liked the subject.
Everyone in the room laughed when they heard this, because many of them didn't like the subject either.
"It's just that your brains are too small to be able to calculate math, which is obviously very easy," said Arcane, then ate the snacks on the table.
His friends seemed to boo at him, as if they were teasing him. Julian didn't understand how they could be friends with someone who sounded as annoying as Arcane.
However, he felt that his offer was an interesting one to accept, even if it meant becoming his contract husband.
"Oh and you'll be living with me if you accept this job. You don't have to pay anything, I'll pay you. You can live in my house for free, including getting food and everything else there," he added.
"This is an attractive offer, Julian. You can earn money from it and live for free as long as you are his contract husband. You don't need to worry about anything, you can save the money to find another job later," said Marshal, putting his arm around Julian.
Hearing the offer, which also meant he wouldn't have to do any housework except for his own belongings, Julian finally agreed to accept it as long as he didn't have to do the things married couples usually do.
"Don't worry, I'm not interested in someone like you. You're far from my type, especially since you're so careless. I don't like careless people like you."
"I don't like annoying math teachers like you either!" Julian replied.
Since they had agreed, they exchanged contact information and discussed a few things about each other so that nothing unwanted would happen later.
Julian knew this was very risky for him, especially if his parents found out. He didn't like lying, but he felt this was a good opportunity to make easy money while he looked for another job.
"Just being a temporary contract husband so he can get into that school. It's not that hard, is it?"