Chapter 7

Tap, tap.

At the sound of the barbecue grill being lit, all the female contestants turned their attention toward Seok-jun.

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

“Yes.”

“I’ll help you!”

“It’s fine. I’m more comfortable doing it myself.”

The female contestant who had been getting up to help him hesitated at his firm response, then gave an awkward smile and sat back down.

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

Under the lights, his thick forearms, prominent veins, and deep-set eyes became even more noticeable, causing the female contestants to hold their breath.

“Wow. Who knew grilling meat could be that sexy?”

“His forearm veins are insane.”

As he grilled the meat, the female contestants continued showering him with admiration.

A little while later, Min-joo helped Sang-ho arrange the food they had prepared on the dining table.

Savory soybean paste stew, freshly tossed cabbage salad, and cucumber salad—the sight alone was enough to make her mouth water.

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

Min-joo froze when she saw the plate in front of her.

Neatly arranged on it were beautifully grilled slices of ogyeopsal.

At that moment, Min-joo was certain.

Buying ogyeopsal hadn’t been a coincidence.

Min-joo quietly raised her head and looked at him.

Kwon Seok-jun was casually placing more meat onto the grill, his expression completely indifferent.

He had always been like that.

Whenever he came across flowers she liked while passing by somewhere, 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.

And although he claimed he hated walking, he would always take a walk through the park with her after they ate.

Back then, they had been a couple, so all of those actions made sense.

But what did they mean now?

Was he simply being polite?

Or was she the only one reading too much into them?

Min-joo’s brow furrowed as confusion filled her mind.

“Seok-jun, you should sit down too.”

“I’ll eat later.”

“Oh, come on. Food tastes better when we eat together.”

“I’ll finish grilling everything. Please eat first.”

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

Since the contestants were hungry after the late hour, they didn’t press him any further and busily picked up their chopsticks.

“This is amazing! The soybean paste stew tastes just like something from a restaurant!”

“The meat is so good!”

Compliments continued to pour out for the food prepared by Sang-ho and Seok-jun.

Amid the lively chatter, Min-joo held her chopsticks but couldn’t move them for a while.

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

“Min-joo, aren’t you eating?”

“Oh, I am.”

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

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

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

The female contestants all smiled brightly and greeted him.

“Seok-jun, you worked so hard!”

“The meat is amazing! It’s the best!”

“I’m glad to hear that. Eat plenty.”

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

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

A faint smile crossed his lips when he saw her chewing.

Min-joo’s earlobes suddenly burned hot, as though she’d been caught doing something embarrassing.

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

His expression subtly hardened.

He didn’t seem particularly pleased by the sight of the two of them sitting side by side.

A sharp pang struck Min-joo’s chest.

She couldn’t believe she felt guilty, as though she had done something wrong.

Seo Min-joo, get a grip. It’s been over for ages.

She squeezed her eyes shut tightly and opened them again 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!”

Min-joo silently hoped he would choose another seat.

But instead of taking one of the other empty seats, he sat beside Na Seon-young.

Now forced to sit directly across from him, Min-joo felt as though the few pieces of meat she’d eaten were going to get stuck in her throat.

Na Seon-young glanced at Min-joo across the table with a triumphant look, as though Seok-jun had chosen her.

As though she were saying,

This man is mine, so don’t even think about going after him.

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

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

Seok-jun looked at her as though asking what she meant.

Seon-young filled his empty glass and continued.

“Everyone was avoiding grilling the meat and just watching to see who would do it, so I didn’t expect you to step forward first.”

“I just got ahead of everyone because I’d rather grill the meat than clean up afterward.”

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

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

“Why?”

“You’re handsome, and you’re humble too. I just think that’s attractive.”

“Are you always this honest?”

“Do you dislike it?”

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

Seok-jun didn’t look away. He stared at her for a moment before lightly shrugging.

“No one dislikes being complimented.”

Perhaps she interpreted his words as a sign of interest, because from then on, Seon-young stayed pressed close to his side and showed no intention of moving away.

The other female contestants, who had been waiting for an opportunity to talk to him, began voicing their complaints.

“Don’t those two have such a good vibe together?”

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

Min-joo pretended to focus on her meal, but her attention remained fixed on the two people across from her.

Because of the noise, she couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but judging from the constant smile on Seon-young’s face, the atmosphere between them seemed quite good.

A thought briefly crossed her mind.

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

What is this? It’s not like he’s playing with my feelings.

“Min-joo, try eating it like this. It’s really good.”

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

Min-joo forced herself to look down at her plate, but the sight of Seon-young and Seok-jun smiling at each other beneath the lights kept catching the corner of her eye.

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 chairs for the contestants had been arranged in a semicircle.

Despite the laughter from the previous evening, the contestants’ faces were filled with tension, just like they had been on the first day.

Min-joo quietly steadied her breathing and repeated the introduction she had practiced in her head.

Then the Love Coach’s voice rang out.

“Alright. Today, we’re going to take some time to get to know one another a little better. Your occupation, age, where you currently live, and so on. Please feel free to talk about yourselves.”

The camera slowly rotated, capturing each contestant’s face before eventually stopping in front of Baek Seol-hee.

Wearing a yellow two-piece outfit that reminded Min-joo of a chick, Seol-hee took a nervous breath before speaking.

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

As soon as her introduction ended, murmurs spread around the room.

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

“I guess I’m a bit of a surprise.”

“Yes.”

Baek Seol-hee smiled before adding,

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

Her witty comment brought laughter from the others, softening the tense atmosphere.

Soon, the camera naturally moved to the side.

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

Confidence was evident in her assertive tone.

At that moment, one of the male contestants who had shown interest in Seon-young immediately raised his hand.

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

“I’m the type who wants to see someone as soon as I miss them, so I don’t think long-distance relationships would work for me.”

Disappointment appeared on the male contestant’s face at her answer.

Another male contestant sitting nearby raised his hand.

“What kind of person is your ideal type?”

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

Seon-young answered with a smile that crinkled her eyes.

“I’ve been working fourteen hours a day lately. Do I have a chance?”

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

Seon-young’s quick-witted response made everyone burst out laughing.

“Next is Han Sang-ho.”

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

“Hello. I’m Han Sang-ho. I’m thirty-three this year, and I run a veterinary hospital in Sokcho. I spend all my time taking care of sick animals, and I realized that I haven’t been very good at taking care of my own heart. So 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.

“If you live in Sokcho, you must see the ocean every day on your way to work.”

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

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

Then Lee Ha-yoon, who worked at a public relations 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 financial prospects and get married.

“How big is the hospital?”

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

The expressions of Ha-yoon and the other women visibly changed.

“Eighty pyeong?”

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

“Wow! That’s impressive.”

As the women’s reactions grew louder, one of the male contestants cut in with another question.

“Is there anyone you’re interested in?”

At the question, Sang-ho looked around for a moment before his gaze stopped on Min-joo.

“Yes. There is.”

Min-joo blinked in surprise when their eyes met, but soon a faint smile appeared at the corners of her lips.

The Love Coach nodded approvingly.

“The atmosphere is great. Then… next is Kwon Seok-jun.”

The warm atmosphere that had finally settled over the room subtly changed.

Every single person turned their attention toward him.

Dressed neatly in a dark navy suit, he sat upright 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 their operations. Until recently, I worked 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 does ‘restructuring’ mean exactly?”

Questions filled the room as the contestants’ curiosity grew.

Kwon Seok-jun answered with a brief smile.

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

His firm tone caused the female contestants’ eyes to sparkle.

Then Na Seon-young raised her hand.

“How long did you stay in New York?”

“About ten years.”

“I studied in New York too. Maybe we could have crossed paths at some point?”

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

Na Seon-young seemed briefly disappointed by the tall wall he’d put up between them, as though she’d been hoping to establish some connection, but she soon regained her smile and continued.

“Then have you completely returned to Korea?”

At Seon-young’s question, Kwon Seok-jun’s gaze briefly brushed past Min-joo.

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

At his low voice, Min-joo’s heart dropped.

What does he mean?

Is the ‘reason’ he’s talking about something other than work? Is it a person?

Could he… have come here with marriage in mind?

Considering that he’d appeared on this program, the thought didn’t seem entirely unreasonable.

At that moment, an inexplicable heaviness settled over one side of her chest.

She couldn’t explain it in words, but there was definitely something uncomfortable mixed into the feeling.

Perhaps because she suddenly remembered the day, back in college, when he’d abruptly told her they were breaking up after they’d been together for a little over a year.

Back then, it had felt as though the center of her chest had been hollowed out, leaving her unable to breathe properly.

Lee Ha-yoon asked another question.

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

“Yes. Most of it is remote these days.”

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

“Then if you got married, would you be okay living abroad? Or would you want to settle down in Korea?”

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

Ha-yoon continued without hesitation.

“I’m considering the United States because of my career, so I’m curious whether your lifestyle would be compatible with mine.”

At the appearance of a new rival, one corner of Na Seon-young’s mouth curved upward.

After a brief silence, Kwon Seok-jun answered.

“Nothing has been decided yet.”

Ha-yoon’s lips dipped ever so slightly at his response, but she quickly covered it with a light laugh.

As if she were saying,

There are still plenty of opportunities.