MCFDS CH 03

Chapter 3

“Joo-mi, smile for me.”

Joo-mi rolled her eyes around before awkwardly lifting the corners of her mouth.

“Why all of a sudden?”

“This time, slightly narrow your eyes too.”

Joo-mi gave a little wink.

“The first one was better. Use that smile. And you look better when you turn your face slightly at this angle.”

Ye-in moved Joo-mi’s face around and explained what looked best. Joo-mi was still completely confused.

Ye-in had never cared about things like which angle made her face look slimmer or which way of smiling looked better. But things were different now.

“You need to look good on camera. In dating shows, being pretty or handsome is number one. That’s what determines whether you get attention at the beginning. Didn’t you study? Do you actually intend to save your bakery or not?”

“Of course! I didn’t analyze it as much as you did, though.”

Ye-in shook her head.

“Then listen to me.”

She also gave Joo-mi detailed advice about her clothes and hairstyle.

They even stopped at a rest area along the way so Joo-mi could change clothes. Before they knew it, they had arrived at their destination.

Joo-mi and Ye-in unloaded all their luggage from the car. The staff who had been waiting for them immediately approached.

“We’ll put your microphones on.”

Ye-in raised her arm and waited for them to attach the microphone. Then she made eye contact with Joo-mi.

Joo-mi’s eyes were sparkling with excitement.

“For the first selection, we’ll need to collect your phones for a while. From here, you’ll be moving separately. Ms. Ye-in, please come this way.”

Leaving Joo-mi behind as she cheered, “Fighting!”, Ye-in followed the staff member.

Nervousness and worry began mixing with a pleasant sense of anticipation.

Without knowing what kind of future was waiting right in front of her, Ye-in walked forward with her heart full of hope.

Incheon International Airport, Terminal 1, in front of Entrance A

A black sedan came to a stop.

The man standing in front of it casually pushed his sunglasses higher up his nose.

His sharp eyes were filled with exhaustion.

“Director!”

The driver, a large man with a bear-like build, hurried out of the driver’s seat.

The man who had been called “Director” ignored him and opened the trunk.

The driver quickly ran over and took the suitcase from his hands.

A strong sweet scent came from the man, strangely at odds with his large build.

“Couldn’t you have contacted me before the plane took off?”

“The flight was thirteen hours. I didn’t contact you after arriving or anything.”

“Even so. You ruined my entire schedule for today… No, I’m not complaining. I’m just saying that if you had told me earlier, I could have planned everything more perfectly.”

“Stop talking. Kang, aren’t you capable of adjusting things like that?”

“I appreciate that you have such confidence in my abilities, but in situations like this, I’d actually prefer it if you underestimated me a little—”

“Enough. So, what happened with what I asked you to do?”

“PD Lee Eun-hye? I contacted her. But why are you looking for that variety show producer?”

“Good job.”

The man cut Kang’s words short and got into the car.

The exhaustion was catching up with him.

Kang had already finished loading the luggage and climbed into the driver’s seat.

“Should I take you home?”

“Do you have anything sweet?”

“It’s in the dashboard. But I didn’t put it there for you to eat all of it, so have a reasonable amount.”

“Enough.”

The man opened the dashboard.

It was filled with jelly and chocolate.

The corners of Mu-young’s lips slowly lifted.

He picked up a chocolate and peeled the wrapper off in one quick motion.

He immediately put it into his mouth and slowly closed his eyes.

As he chewed, the intense sweetness spread through his mouth.

I feel alive again.

“Why did you suddenly come to Korea? I still haven’t told the elders, just as you instructed…”

“I found her.”

“Found what…?”

Kang hesitated.

“Don’t tell me… that woman?”

Mu-young slowly opened his eyes.

In the rearview mirror, Kang could see his sharp eyes curve slightly.

“Yeah. Do you know where I found her?”

Mu-young pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded it.

In the middle of a mess of pink and blue arrows crossing in every direction was the back view of a woman.

Below it was the title of the program.

[Couple Village 5]

It was a promotional poster for a dating show.

“So that’s how she decided to show up.”

“Are you sure it’s her? You can’t really see anything…”

Kang’s words were reasonable.

The only visible parts of the woman in the picture were the back of her head, her ear, and the tip of her nose.

But there was no way Mu-young could fail to recognize her.

How could I forget her?

“I could be fooled by a ghost, but she could never fool me.”

How many times had he seen that back?

That side profile?

How many times had he imagined this very sight after she had disappeared without a trace?

Two weeks earlier, United States

It had all been a coincidence.

An employee who was obsessed with Korean content had opened a poster for a new dating show on their computer screen.

Just as the employee was about to close the window, Mu-young happened to walk past.

“Wait.”

“Why? Do you want to see this? It’s a dating show I really love! Do you know it? I didn’t know you liked Baek too. Nice to meet you. It looks like they’re about to start filming a new season soon—”

The employee chattered away in an accent distinctly colored by their Welsh speech patterns.

But Mu-young didn’t hear a word.

He was staring quietly at the back of one woman in the poster.

Her eyes, nose, and mouth weren’t visible at all.

But Mu-young recognized her immediately.

“Baek? Are you excited about it too? I’ve never seen you smile like that before! You must be a huge fan.”

“What did you say the name was?”

“Oh, you don’t know? Couple Village. It’s really fun.”

“Dating? So, it’s a program where people go on the show and date each other?”

“Yeah. So they go on dates with each other and—”

He didn’t hear the rest.

There was something else that mattered far more to him.

Seon Ye-in, who had disappeared completely without leaving a trace, was going to appear on that strange program.

And she was going to date someone where everyone could watch.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Mu-young immediately wrapped up his work that very day and booked a flight to Korea.

Mu-young hummed quietly to himself.

Ji-woon, who was driving, kept sneaking glances at Mu-young through the rearview mirror.

Is hyung crazy?

Ji-woon had known Mu-young for more than fifteen years.

In all that time, this was the first time he had ever seen him humming a song.

It was also pretty strange that he could identify the woman just from a picture showing nothing but the back of her head.

Yeah. He’s finally lost his mind.

“Oh, and Manager Kang.”

“Yes?”

Kang, who had been watching him through the mirror, flinched.

He didn’t somehow realize I was thinking he’s crazy, did he?

Even if he was Baek Mu-young, there was no way he could read people’s minds.

Then why do I feel so creeped out?

“You don’t have a girlfriend, right?”

“…Why are you asking that?”

“If you do, break up with her. And clear some of your schedule. I have something important for you to do for a while.”

“Fortunately, I don’t have a girlfriend to break up with… How long?”

“How long was it? About two weeks.”

“What? How am I supposed to suddenly clear that much time?”

“If I tell you to clear it, clear it. It’s very important.”

Mu-young smiled in a way that was strangely unpleasant.

After Ye-in separated from Joo-mi, she had to wait for a while.

The staff explained that they were staggering the participants’ arrivals.

It was a common rule on dating shows.

If the cast entered one at a time, the cameras could capture every subtle change in the expressions and behavior of those who arrived first when a new person appeared.

After that, Ye-in got into another car and headed somewhere.

The car had been traveling quickly, but once it entered an unpaved road, it could barely maintain its speed.

It seemed they were quite far from the city, somewhere with very few people around.

Ye-in mentally reviewed the filming locations from the previous seasons.

Season 1 had been filmed at a traditional tiled-roof house in the countryside.

The participants going next door to ask for kimchi and sweet potatoes had been unusual and entertaining, but the main audience of dating shows hadn’t been very satisfied.

Seasons 2 and 3 had been on a deserted island, while Season 4 had been at a luxurious seaside resort.

Then where will this season be?

Since Season 4 had received a lot of criticism for being disappointing, there was a high chance they would return to a deserted island like Seasons 2 and 3.

Ye-in didn’t really care where they went.

If she had one wish, it was that all the female participants wouldn’t have to share the same room.

I’m a light sleeper, after all.

The car gradually drove into a more secluded area.

Then, eventually, it entered a place densely covered with trees.

I’ll do well, right?

Ye-in reminded herself of her goal once more.

I have to do well.

“We’ve arrived.”

She looked out the window.

In the middle of the forest were colorful, pretty tents scattered around, as if they had come straight out of a fairy tale.

Tents?

This is a first.

Not exactly the best environment for getting a good night’s sleep.

Ye-in got out of the car carrying her suitcase, almost as if she had been pushed out.

The car then disappeared with a loud engine noise.

Ye-in looked around.

Maybe it was because of all the colorful pastel tones, but the place was beautiful, almost like a forest village where fairies secretly lived.

But whether it was pretty or not wasn’t particularly important to Ye-in.

The traditional house from Season 1 would have been better.

This place felt like they had spent 90% of their effort on appearance alone.

In other words, there was absolutely no practicality.

Just like this suitcase.

The wheels were completely useless on the grassy, overgrown ground.

I guess I can’t do anything about it.

It’s not like I can quit over something this small.

Accepting her fate, Ye-in lifted her suitcase and approached the accommodation.

That was when she heard a clear, pleasant sound from somewhere.

Ding-dong.

There was a mailbox where the sound had come from.

Ye-in put her suitcase down beside her and opened the light purple mailbox.

Welcome to Couple Village.

At Couple Village, we welcome all your joys and sorrows.

We hope you have a wonderful time.

It was simply a greeting.

Is that all?

Ye-in turned the card over.

Choose a location and move there now. A new friend is waiting for you.

1. The outdoor pavilion where you can hear the sound of waves

2. Beneath the guardian tree where birds are singing

3. The riverside dock where moonlight flows even in broad daylight