Chapter 3
“Jumi, try smiling once.”
Jumi rolled her eyes around and awkwardly raised the corners of her mouth.
“Why all of a sudden?”
“This time, slightly close your eyes too.”
Jumi squinted.
“The first one was better. Use that smile. And your face looks better when you turn it slightly at this angle.”
Yein moved Jumi’s face around and explained.
Jumi was still confused.
Which angle made her face look slimmer, what kind of smile looked better—these were things Yein had never cared about in her entire life.
But now it was different.
“You have to look good on camera. In a dating show, being pretty or handsome is number one. That’s what attracts attention at the beginning. Didn’t you study anything? Do you even have any intention of saving your bakery?”
“Of course I do! I just didn’t analyze it as much as you did.”
Yein shook her head.
“Then listen to me.”
She gave Jumi detailed advice about her clothes and hairstyle as well.
They stopped at a rest area halfway and changed Jumi’s clothes. Before they knew it, they had arrived at their destination.
Jumi and Yein unloaded all their luggage from the car.
Then the waiting staff approached them.
“We’ll attach your microphones.”
Yein raised her arm and waited for the staff to attach the microphone. At that moment, her eyes met Jumi’s.
Jumi’s excited eyes were sparkling.
“For the first selection, please hand over your phones for a moment. From here, you will move separately. Yein, please come this way.”
Leaving Jumi behind as she shouted “Fighting!”, Yein followed the staff.
Tension and worry.
Along with those feelings, a pleasant sense of anticipation began to mix in.
Without knowing what kind of future was waiting right in front of her, Yein walked forward, filled with hope.
At Incheon Airport Terminal 1, a black sedan stopped in front of Entrance A.
The man standing in front of it casually lifted his sunglasses.
His sharp eyes clearly showed his exhaustion.
“Director!”
A driver with a huge bear-like build hurriedly got out of the driver’s seat.
The man called Director ignored him and opened the trunk of the car.
The driver quickly ran over and took the suitcase from his hand.
Despite his large build, a sweet scent spread from the man.
“Why did you only contact me when the plane was already leaving?”
“The flight alone was thirteen hours. I didn’t contact you only after arriving.”
“Still. You completely ruined today’s schedule… No, I’m not complaining. I’m just saying that if you had told me earlier, I could have made a more perfect plan.”
“Enough. Manager Kang, are you saying you don’t have the ability to adjust something like that?”
“I appreciate that you trust my abilities, but in situations like this, it would actually be better if you underestimated me—”
“Forget it. So, what happened to what I asked?”
“Producer Lee Eun-hye? I contacted her. But why are you interested in that entertainment producer?”
“Good.”
The man cut off Manager Kang’s words and got into the car.
Fatigue suddenly rushed over him.
Manager Kang, who had already loaded all the luggage, climbed into the driver’s seat.
“Should we go to your house?”
“Don’t you have anything sweet?”
“There are some things in the dashboard. But don’t eat everything. I didn’t put them there for you to finish.”
“Stop talking.”
When he opened the dashboard, it was filled with jelly and chocolate.
The man, Mu-young, slowly raised the corners of his mouth.
He picked up a chocolate and immediately removed the wrapper.
He put it straight into his mouth and closed his eyes slightly.
As he chewed, the strong sweetness melted into his mouth.
I feel alive again.
“Why did you suddenly come to Korea? I still haven’t told the old man as you ordered…”
“I found her.”
“Found what…? Don’t tell me it’s that woman?”
Mu-young slowly opened his eyes.
Through the rearview mirror, Manager Kang saw his sharp eyes curve.
“Yeah. Do you know where I found her?”
Mu-young took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded it.
In the center where pink and blue arrows crossed in all directions, there was the back view of a woman.
Below it was the title of a program.
[Couple Village 5]
It was a promotional poster for a dating show.
“So she appeared like this.”
“Are you sure it’s her? There’s nothing visible…”
Manager Kang’s words made sense.
The picture only showed the back of her head, her ear, and the tip of her nose.
But there was no way he could fail to recognize her.
How could he forget?
“Even if I can fool a ghost, I can’t fool myself.”
How many times had he looked at that back?
How many times had he drawn that side profile after she disappeared without a trace?
Two weeks ago, America.
Everything happened by coincidence.
An employee who was obsessed with K-content had opened the poster for a new dating program on his computer screen.
Just as the employee was about to close the window, Mu-young happened to walk past.
[“Wait.”]
[“Why? Are you looking at this? This is a dating program I really like! Do you know it? I didn’t know Baek liked it too. Nice to meet someone who likes it. It looks like they’re starting filming a new season soon—”]
The employee chattered away in a voice mixed with a unique Welsh accent.
But none of the words reached Mu-young’s ears.
He was only staring at the back of one woman in the poster.
Her eyes, nose, and mouth were not visible at all.
But Mu-young recognized her immediately.
[“Baek? Are you excited about Baek too? I’ve never seen Baek smile like that before! You must be a huge fan.”]
[“What is this called?”]
[“Ah, you don’t know? It’s called Couple Village. It’s really fun.”]
[“Dating? Meaning, it’s a program where people go there and date?”]
[“Yes. They go on dates with each other and—”]
He couldn’t hear the rest.
Because something else was important.
The fact that Seon Yein, who had completely disappeared, was going to appear on that strange program.
And that she would date someone where everyone could see.
Interesting. Very interesting.
That same day, Mu-young finished organizing his work and booked a flight to Korea.
Mu-young hummed softly.
Jiwoon, who was holding the steering wheel, glanced at him through the rearview mirror.
Is that guy crazy?
He had known Mu-young for more than fifteen years.
During all those years, he had never once seen him hum a song.
Seeing only the back of a woman’s head in a picture and saying it was that woman was strange too.
Yeah. He finally went crazy.
“Ah, Manager Kang.”
“Yes?”
Manager Kang, who had been watching him through the mirror, flinched.
He didn’t notice that I thought he was crazy, right? Even if it’s Baek Mu-young, there’s no way he can read minds.
Then why does this feel so creepy?
“You don’t have a girlfriend, right?”
“…Why are you asking that?”
“If you do, break up with her. And take some time off work. I have something important to ask you to do for a while.”
“Luckily, I don’t have a girlfriend to break up with… but how long?”
“How long was it? About two weeks.”
“Two weeks? How can I suddenly do that?”
“If I tell you to take time off, then take time off. It’s very important.”
Mu-young smiled unpleasantly.
After separating from Jumi, Yein waited for a while.
They said it was to create a time gap between arrivals.
It was a common rule in dating programs.
The cast members had to enter one by one so the cameras could capture the expressions and reactions of those who arrived earlier.
After that, she got into another car and headed somewhere.
The car moved quickly at first, but after entering an unpaved road, it could no longer move fast.
It seemed they were heading somewhere far away from the city, somewhere with few people.
Yein reviewed the previous filming locations in her mind.
Season 1 was a traditional rural house.
The scenes of borrowing kimchi and sweet potatoes from the neighbors were unique, but the main viewers of the dating show were not satisfied.
Season 2 and 3 were on an uninhabited island.
Season 4 was a luxurious seaside resort.
Then where would they go this time?
Since many people had criticized Season 4 for being disappointing, there was a high chance they would return to something like Seasons 2 and 3.
She didn’t really care where it was.
If there was one thing she hoped for…
Please don’t make all the female contestants share one room.
She was a light sleeper.
The car went deeper into a secluded area.
Eventually, it entered a place filled with thick trees.
I can do well, right?
Yein reminded herself of her goal once again.
I have to do well.
“We’ve arrived.”
She looked outside the window.
In the middle of the forest were colorful tents that looked like they had come straight out of a fairy tale.
Tents?
This was new.
Not a good environment for sleeping.
As if being pushed out, Yein grabbed her suitcase and stepped out.
The car disappeared with a loud engine sound.
She looked around.
Maybe it was because of the colorful pastel colors.
It was beautiful, as if she had entered a forest village where fairies lived.
But whether it was pretty or not was not very important to Yein.
The traditional house from Season 1 would have been better.
This place felt like they had put 90% of their effort into appearance alone.
In other words, it had no practicality.
Just like this suitcase.
On the grassy ground, the suitcase wheels were completely useless.
I can’t help it. I can’t quit just because of something like this.
Yein accepted it and lifted the suitcase with both hands, walking toward the accommodation.
Then—
Ding dong.
A clear sound came from somewhere.
Where the sound came from was a mailbox.
Yein placed the suitcase down and opened the light purple mailbox.
Welcome to Couple Village.
At Couple Village, we welcome all of your joys and sorrows.
We hope you have a wonderful time.
It was a greeting message.
Is that all?
Yein turned the card over.
Choose your current location and move there. A new friend is waiting for you.
1. Outdoor pavilion where you can hear the sound of waves
2. Under the guardian tree where birds sing
3. A ferry dock where moonlight flows even during the day
