Chapter 23
Chapter 23
So you enjoy watching stuff like this. Thinking it was just as well, Bom didn't change the channel and let it play.
The program featured six male and six female contestants. They lived together in a house, knowing only each other's surnames, and were tasked with making a final choice on the last day.
Is this actually fun...?
Bom watched, listening half-heartedly to Jae-gyu’s explanations. Thanks to his enthusiastic summary of the earlier parts, she didn't have much trouble following along.
"So, Mr. Kim and Ms. Moon were hitting it off since the first episode, but then Mr. Choi suddenly swooped in and turned everything upside down."
"Then who does Ms. Moon pick?!"
"That’s the highlight of today’s episode."
A scene showed everyone gathered for breakfast. While the Mr. Choi that Jae-gyu mentioned was busy preparing the meal, Mr. Kim was preoccupied with showing off his physique, working out shirtless.
"If you were Ms. Moon, Bom, who would you pick? What kind of man do you like?"
"Hmm..."
Even if Mr. Kim had a good body, it was nothing compared to Jae-gyu’s. Besides, it was annoying to see him working out alone while everyone else was preparing food.
"Mr. Choi?"
"Right? But the whole game might change once they reveal their jobs later."
I see. Looking closely at their behavior, Mr. Choi definitely seemed better. He wasn't flashy, but he seemed like the type to take good care of people behind the scenes.
Bom opened the bag of potato chips she had bought earlier and shared them with Jae-gyu, gradually getting sucked into the show.
"Oh, it’s starting."
"They’re revealing the women’s jobs first."
Everyone had impressive careers, ranging from a stock analyst to a dancer. Ms. Moon turned out to be an academy instructor.
Next came the men’s reveals. It started with Mr. Kim.
"Let me guess. Mr. Kim works for a conglomerate, and Mr. Choi is self-employed."
"I think Mr. Kim is a professional, and Mr. Choi is in the arts," Jae-gyu countered.
They were both wrong. Mr. Kim was a Western-style painter, and Mr. Choi was a doctor.
"..."
"..."
The way the contestants looked at each other clearly changed after the reveal. It was perversely entertaining to watch Mr. Park, who had been popular until then, lose all interest from the women the moment it was revealed he was a job seeker.
"That Mr. Park is all talk and no substance."
"But look, he’s aggressively pursuing Ms. Yoo, the analyst."
"That’s a guaranteed fail. The guy has zero intuition."
Just as the two of them were reeling in shock at Mr. Park preparing an event for Ms. Yoo, the episode ended.
"Should we watch one more?!"
"This was a live broadcast, so we have to wait until next week."
"Ugh..."
So this is why people watch these! Bom tapped her feet in frustration, wanting to see the next episode immediately.
"This is actually fun!"
"Right? It’s two hundred million times more fun than watching alone."
"Sigh, Mr. Park’s personality didn't seem great either."
"Unless Ms. Yoo has a hole in her head, why would she accept him? He’s not even that good-looking."
As Bom chatted away, still caught up in the show's lingering excitement, she caught a glimpse of the wall clock and jumped.
"Oh!"
She sprang off the sofa. It was well past nine o'clock.
"Oh no! The last bus is coming soon!"
Bom dashed into the laundry room. She quickly handed Jae-gyu his now-dry training pants and drawers.
Jae-gyu changed in a flash and stepped out.
"Hurry, it’ll be here any second!"
"Okay. Don't come out, stay inside."
"No, I’ll see you off."
She followed close behind Jae-gyu as he stepped into his shoes at the entrance.
Jae-gyu adamantly refused, saying it was too dark out, but eventually, he backed down.
"Then just watch me catch the bus from the rooftop. I’m gonna have to sprint to catch it."
"Okay, I’ll do that."
The moment the door opened, Jae-gyu vanished down the stairs. Bom ran to the left side of the rooftop and looked toward the Stone Bridge. The bus was already approaching.
"Oh no!"
Since no one was waiting at the stop, the bus began to cruise past.
Did he miss it? Her heart suddenly hammered against her ribs. Does that mean he has to sleep at my house?
As she watched anxiously, Jae-gyu, who had managed to catch up to the tail end of the bus, was shouting something at the top of his lungs. The bus came to a halt.
"Phew, thank goodness."
An arm poked out of the very back window of the bus, waved, and disappeared. Bom let out a giggle and went back inside.
Sure enough, a message arrived.
What kind of KTX... It was absurd, but she had to admit he was fast. She hadn't expected him to be able to sprint that distance in one breath.
She was about to hit send when another message arrived. It was a link to a map app.
When she clicked it, it showed a Western-style restaurant in the area. A note was attached explaining that this was the blind date location chosen by GW Bank.
I guess I’m really going.
Did Choi Yi-jun know the opponent was her? She considered contacting him but decided against it. If a formal blind date was unavoidable, it might be better to just face him on the day.
With a heavy heart, Bom began to tidy up the space Jae-gyu had left behind.
⋆★⋆
Sunday morning.
Bom stepped off the orange village bus. The restaurant, located at the foot of a mountain on the opposite side of the town center, was the meeting place she had been sent.
"I didn't know a place like this was here," Bom murmured, looking at the wooden sign.
It was a shop opened by someone who had moved back to the countryside. It seemed to be a fairly famous spot among young travelers, likely due to active promotion on social media.
As she opened the door, a refreshing chime rang out, and a young male owner with a beard greeted her warmly.
"Hello. Do you have a reservation?"
"It should be under the name Choi Yi-jun."
She swallowed a sigh as she spoke. She couldn't believe she was in this situation.
"Ah, the annex reservation. Follow me."
Following the owner through the back door, she saw another small building. It seemed to be the reserved annex.
Ugh, what do I do?
Bom felt incredibly embarrassed. A blind date with Choi Yi-jun, someone she already knew—and someone she wasn't even that close with.
She cautiously opened the door to find Yi-jun already seated.
Even on his day off, he looked impeccable in a formal suit. Bom approached him with a slight nod.
"Um, hello."
"Good to see you."
They exchanged brief greetings, and she took her seat. True to its name, the annex was a tiny space with no other customers. Perhaps it was a relief there were no prying eyes.
Once the owner left, the quiet restaurant fell into a heavy silence. After a moment, Yi-jun spoke first.
"I never imagined I would end up on a blind date with you like this, Yoon Bom."
"I was... a bit surprised too."
"They only serve a single course here, so that’s what I reserved."
"Oh, yes. That’s fine with me."
Perhaps because of the reservation, the food was served quickly.
She was hungry, and the sophisticated menu—a rarity in this area—looked appetizing.
Starting with a vegetable salad with seasonal fruit, a perilla leaf pasta, and a Hanwoo beef risotto were served in succession.
Bom’s eyes widened as she took a bite.
"...This is actually quite good."
"It’s not bad."
Despite his comment, Yi-jun barely touched his food, instead sipping sparkling water while observing Bom.
It was only when Bom had nearly finished her meal that Yi-jun spoke again.
"I thought you were dating Seon Jae-gyu."
Bom, who was wetting her dry throat with water, nearly spat it out. Why was he suddenly bringing up Jae-gyu?
Was it because they were together the whole time during the sports day? The thought that others might have seen them that way made her dizzy. She wanted to demand why he thought that, but...
Don't get rattled.
Bom remained calm and offered a slight, poised smile. Thanks to her numerous blind dates, this kind of composure wasn't difficult when she put her mind to it.
Above all, the thought of such rumors reaching her mother’s ears through the town elders was horrifying.
"I think you’ve misunderstood. There’s nothing between me and Seon Jae-gyu."
Yi-jun let out a short, sharp scoff. What did that laugh mean...? He was an uncomfortable man, impossible to read.
"Well, that’s a relief."
Yi-jun gave a cold smile and swirled the water in his glass.
"A vulgar bastard like that... It never made sense in the first place."
Bom’s shoulders flinched.
She was somewhat used to his sarcastic way of speaking, but his choice of words was the problem.
How can he say something like that about someone he knows?
Bom set down her fork. There was still food left, but her appetite had vanished completely.
"Your words are a bit harsh..."
"You seem desperate to get married, but he’s hardly the kind of man your family would ever approve of, is he?"
"I’m not desperate to get married..."
"I don't know. Your family seems to think otherwise."
What was he talking about? It could have been a guess, but her heart sank. Perhaps her family had dropped some kind of hint to him.
Bom lowered her hands beneath the table to hide her trembling fingertips. Had some rumor started? Or had they contacted Yi-jun’s family separately?
Her heart pounded.
"Choi Ji-hwan."
"Pardon? Who is that?"
"Don't you remember the prosecutor you went on a blind date with in Seoul?"
Only then did she realize what was happening. The prosecutor she had met in Seoul. He had also graduated from Seoyeon University, so they must have been seniors and juniors. The connection finally clicked.
"You have quite the colorful history of blind dates in Seoul. Only dealing with wealthy professionals or second and third-generation heirs."
"That’s..."
"And it seems you caused quite a scene once."
In an instant, her vision went dark, and a ringing sound filled her ears. Her breath hitched, and her body turned ice-cold.