Chapter 07

Tap, tap.

As the sound of the barbecue grill being lit rang out, all the female contestants turned their gazes toward Seok-jun.

“Oh my, are you going to grill the meat?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll help you!”

“It’s okay. I’m more comfortable doing it alone.”

The female contestant who had been about to stand up to help him hesitated at his firm response, then awkwardly smiled and sat back down.

At that moment, red flames spread among the charcoal and rose high, illuminating the contours of his face.

Under the lighting, his thick forearms, prominent veins, and sharp eyes stood out clearly, causing the female contestants to hold their breath.

“Wow. Since when was grilling meat that sexy?”

“Seriously, those veins on his forearms are insane.”

As he grilled the meat, the female contestants each showered him with admiration.

A little while later, Minju arranged the food she had prepared with Sang-ho on the dining table.

Hearty doenjang jjigae, freshly seasoned geotjeori, and cucumber salad. Everything looked mouthwatering.

Just then, Kwon Seok-jun seemed to have finished grilling the meat as well, placing the plates on the table one by one.

Minju froze when she saw the plate in front of her.

Neatly arranged on it were beautifully browned slices of ogyeopsal.

At that moment, Minju became certain.

He hadn’t bought ogyeopsal simply by coincidence.

Minju quietly raised her head and looked at him.

Kwon Seok-jun was casually placing the remaining meat onto the grill.

He had always been like this.

Whenever he happened to see flowers she liked while passing by, he would casually hand them to her and say, “They reminded me of you.”

Whenever they went to a restaurant, he would pick out only the side dishes she liked and push them toward her.

Even though he hated walking, after meals he would always walk through the park with her.

Back then, all of those actions made sense because they had been lovers.

But what was it now?

Was he simply being polite, or was she the only one giving unnecessary meaning to his actions?

Confusion tightened the space between Minju’s brows.

“Seok-jun, you should sit down and eat too.”

“I’ll eat slowly.”

“Come on, food tastes better when everyone eats together.”

“I’m almost done grilling. You go ahead and eat.”

Kwon Seok-jun replied politely as he turned the meat over.

Since it was late and everyone was hungry, the contestants didn’t press him further and quickly began eating.

“Wow! This doenjang jjigae tastes exactly like something you’d get at a restaurant!”

“The meat is so good!”

Praise continued to pour out for the food Sang-ho and Seok-jun had prepared.

Amid the lively crowd, Minju held her chopsticks but couldn’t move them for a while.

All she could hear was the sizzling sound of ogyeopsal cooking on the grill, while the laughter around her seemed strangely distant.

“Minju, aren’t you eating?”

“Ah, I am.”

When Sang-ho asked her worriedly from beside her, Minju pulled herself together and put a piece of ogyeopsal into her mouth.

As its savory, chewy flavor spread across her tongue, she unconsciously picked up another piece.

Just then, Kwon Seok-jun approached carrying the plate of the last batch of grilled meat.

The female contestants all smiled brightly and spoke to him.

“Seok-jun, you worked so hard!”

“The meat is absolutely delicious! It’s the best!”

“I’m glad to hear that. Eat plenty.”

After briefly acknowledging their reactions, he looked around for somewhere to sit.

At that exact moment, his eyes met Minju’s as she was putting her third piece of meat into her mouth.

A faint smile crossed his lips at the sight of Minju chewing away.

Minju’s earlobes grew hot, as though she had been caught doing something she wasn’t supposed to let him see.

Just as she was about to avert her gaze, Seok-jun noticed Sang-ho sitting beside her.

His expression subtly hardened.

He looked displeased by the sight of the two of them sitting side by side.

Minju felt a sharp pang in her chest.

She found it absurd that she was feeling guilty, as though she had done something wrong.

Seo Minju, get a grip. It’s been over for ages.

She squeezed her eyes shut tightly and opened them again, trying to pull herself together.

At that moment, Na Seon-young, who was sitting across from her, suddenly raised her hand and pointed to the empty seat beside her.

“Seok-jun, sit here!”

Deep down, Minju desperately hoped he would sit somewhere else.

But instead of taking another empty seat, he sat beside Na Seon-young.

Now forced to sit directly across from him, Minju felt as though the small amount of meat she had eaten was going to give her indigestion.

Na Seon-young glanced at Minju across the table with a triumphant look, as though he had chosen her.

It was almost as if she were saying, This man is mine, so don’t even think about trying anything.

Then, deliberately leaning toward him, she picked up the bottle of alcohol.

“I was surprised by you earlier, Seok-jun.”

When Seok-jun looked at her as if asking what she meant, Na Seon-young filled his empty glass and continued.

“Everyone was just watching each other because nobody wanted to bother grilling the meat, so I didn’t expect you to step forward first.”

“I just figured grilling the meat would be easier than cleaning up afterward, so I got ahead of everyone.”

He answered briefly as though it were nothing important and emptied his glass.

Na Seon-young stared at him for a moment before raising the corners of her lips.

“Why?”

“Because you’re handsome, and you’re even humble. I thought that was really attractive.”

“Are you always that honest?”

“So you don’t like it?”

Na Seon-young rested her chin on one arm and asked provocatively.

Seok-jun didn’t avoid her gaze. He looked at her for a moment before lightly shrugging his shoulders.

“Nobody dislikes compliments.”

Perhaps she took his words as a sign of interest in her, because from then on, Na Seon-young stayed pressed close to his side and showed no intention of leaving.

That caused complaints to quietly spill from the female contestants who had been waiting for an opportunity to talk to him.

“Isn’t the atmosphere between those two a little too good?”

“I know. I was trying to get a chance to talk to Seok-jun, but Seon-young isn’t giving anyone an opening.”

Minju pretended to focus on her meal, but her attention kept drifting toward the two sitting across from her.

She couldn’t hear what they were saying over all the noise, but judging by the fact that the smile never left Na Seon-young’s face, they seemed to be getting along quite well.

A thought crossed Minju’s mind.

Maybe him taking care of me was just a coincidence. Maybe I was the one who misunderstood everything.

Seriously, is he playing with people’s feelings or what?

“Minju, try eating it like this. It’s really good.”

Han Sang-ho spoke to her warmly from beside her, but his words barely registered.

Minju forced herself to turn her gaze toward her plate, but the sight of the two of them smiling at each other beneath the lights kept lingering at the edge of her vision.

The next morning, broadcasting equipment had been set up in the resort’s living room.

Sunlight streamed through the windows and illuminated the table, while the contestants’ chairs had been arranged in a semicircle.

Despite the laughter of the previous evening, a tense atmosphere had returned to everyone’s faces, just like on the first day.

Minju quietly steadied her breathing, repeating the introduction she had practiced in her head.

Then the Love Coach’s voice could be heard.

“Alright. Today, we’re going to spend some time getting to know each other a little better. Your occupations, ages, where you currently live, and so on. Just feel free to tell everyone about yourselves.”

The camera slowly rotated, capturing the contestants’ faces one by one, before eventually stopping in front of Baek Seol-hee.

Wearing a yellow two-piece outfit reminiscent of a chick, Seol-hee steadied her trembling breath before speaking.

“Hello, I’m Baek Seol-hee from Incheon. I’m twenty-nine years old, and I work as a television writer.”

When her introduction ended, murmurs spread through the room.

“Wow, I never would have guessed you were a writer.”

“I guess I’m a bit of a surprise, huh?”

“Yes.”

Baek Seol-hee smiled and added,

“I’ve always been behind the camera, so standing in front of it like this… I’m much more nervous than I expected.”

Her witty remark drew laughter, and the tense atmosphere softened considerably.

Soon, the camera naturally moved to the side.

“I’m Na Seon-young. I’m thirty-two years old, and I live in Seoul. I work in marketing for a fashion brand.”

Her confident tone clearly revealed her self-assurance.

At that moment, a male contestant who had been showing interest in Na Seon-young raised his hand.

“What do you think about long-distance relationships?”

“I’m the type who wants to see someone right away when I miss them, so I don’t think I’d be good at a long-distance relationship.”

Disappointment appeared on the male contestant’s face at Na Seon-young’s answer.

Another male contestant beside him raised his hand.

“What kind of person is your ideal type?”

“I like someone who’s passionate about their work.”

Na Seon-young answered with a smile in her eyes.

“I work fourteen hours a day these days. Do I have a chance?”

“Isn’t that more like overworking than passion?”

Na Seon-young effortlessly fired back, prompting laughter from everyone.

“Next is Han Sang-ho.”

At the Love Coach’s words, Sang-ho, wearing a white jacket over a sky-blue shirt, stood up with a gentle smile.

“Hello. I’m Han Sang-ho. I’m thirty-three years old this year, and I run a veterinary hospital in Sokcho. I’ve spent so much time taking care of sick animals that I realized I haven’t been very good at taking care of my own heart. This time, I came here because I wanted to try treating my own feelings for once.”

As soon as Sang-ho finished introducing himself, questions poured in from the women.

“Sokcho? Then you must get to see the ocean every day on your way to work.”

“Yes. The hospital is right in front of the ocean, so I can hear the sound of the waves whenever I open the windows.”

“Wow, that’s basically a healing workplace.”

Then Lee Ha-yoon, who worked at a PR agency, asked a question.

She was the contestant who had openly said even before introducing herself that she wanted to meet a man with good conditions and get married.

“How big is your hospital?”

“We expanded it recently, so now it’s about… eighty pyeong.”

At that moment, Ha-yoon’s expression, along with those of the other women, visibly changed.

“Gasp, eighty pyeong?”

“If it’s that large and located by the ocean, isn’t it a really popular hospital?”

“Wow! That’s impressive.”

As the women’s reactions grew enthusiastic, a male contestant interrupted with another question.

“Is there anyone you’re interested in?”

At the man’s question, Sang-ho looked around the room for a moment before his gaze stopped on Minju.

“Yes. There is.”

Minju blinked in surprise when their eyes met, but soon a faint smile spread across her lips.

The Love Coach nodded approvingly.

“It’s looking good. Then… next is Kwon Seok-jun.”

The warm atmosphere that had just begun to settle changed subtly.

Every single person turned their eyes toward him.

Dressed neatly in a dark navy suit, he sat with his back straight and calmly began to speak.

“I’m Kwon Seok-jun. I live in Seoul, and I’m thirty-four years old. I invest in domestic and international franchise brands and work on restructuring them. Until recently, I was working in New York.”

His low, steady voice immediately drew everyone’s attention.

“Wow, so you’re a businessman. Somehow, I didn’t think you were an ordinary office worker.”

“What exactly does ‘restructuring’ mean?”

Questions filled with curiosity followed from the other contestants.

Kwon Seok-jun answered with a faint smile.

“Simply put, I revive brands that are on the verge of collapse. I analyze the problems, change the structure, and get them running again.”

The firmness in his voice made the women’s eyes sparkle.

Then Na Seon-young raised her hand.

“How long did you live in New York?”

“About ten years.”

“I studied in New York too. Maybe we could have crossed paths without knowing it?”

“I only went between my home and my office, so I probably wouldn’t have seen you.”

Na Seon-young, who had been trying to find some kind of connection between them, seemed briefly disappointed by the tall wall he had put up.

But she soon recovered her smile and continued.

“So, have you completely returned to Korea?”

At her question, Kwon Seok-jun’s gaze briefly brushed past Minju.

“I don’t know yet. I’m still trying to find out whether there’s a reason for me to come back.”

At his low, resonant voice, Minju’s heart sank.

What did he mean?

Was the ‘reason’ he was talking about not work, but a person?

Could it be… that he had come here with marriage in mind?

Considering that he had appeared on this program, it wasn’t an entirely unreasonable thought.

At that moment, an inexplicable sense of discomfort welled up in one corner of her chest.

She couldn’t explain it in words, but there was definitely something uncomfortable mixed in with her feelings.

Perhaps it was because she suddenly remembered the day during college when he had abruptly told her they were breaking up after dating for a little over a year.

Back then, it had felt as though the center of her chest had been hollowed out, so much so that she could barely breathe.

Lee Ha-yoon asked another question.

“Would you be able to continue your work in New York?”

“Yes. It’s possible. Most things are remote these days.”

At Kwon Seok-jun’s calm answer, Ha-yoon smiled as though she’d been waiting for exactly that response.

“Then, if you got married, would you be okay with living overseas? Or would you prefer to settle down in Korea?”

The moment the word marriage was openly placed on the table, all the female contestants turned their gazes toward Ha-yoon.

Ha-yoon added without hesitation,

“I’m considering the United States because of my career, so I was wondering whether our lifestyles would be compatible.”

At the appearance of a rival, one corner of Na Seon-young’s lips tilted upward.

After a brief silence, Kwon Seok-jun answered,

“I haven’t decided yet.”