Min-ji didn't have a boyfriend, but there was a guy who acted like one beside her.
He was a troublemaker who got into fights a lot, and whenever I tried to talk to Min-ji, that guy would always treat me like he was her boyfriend—looking down on me and sneering.
When I confessed to Min-ji and got rejected, he looked down on me so much. He only trusted his size.
Han Yoon-hyuk gives off a similar vibe to that guy. Not that they look alike, but… how should I put it? Yeah, their eyes are similar. They both have that rude, disrespectful look—looking down on others and dismissing them.
That Han Yoon-hyuk guy is definitely just like that jerk back then—maybe his face is the only thing halfway decent about him! Other than that, he's just a worthless punk.
The main PD has no sense at all. Just by looking at him, it's obvious he's no good, yet they cast a guy like that as the "maggot"?
The unpleasantness didn't stop there. I was told I'd have to share a room with Yoon-hyuk. Until now, I'd been enjoying having a room to myself.
How am I supposed to share a room with him without wanting to throw up? When am I going to switch dorms? Isn't the bed way too close?
Seong-jun stared silently at the new single bed beside him. The bed was empty.
But why hasn't he come in yet? Could he be drinking with other female cast members? I like Ga-eun and Tae-ri right now—if he tries to mess that up, I swear…
Seong-jun suddenly jumped up, thinking Yoon-hyuk might already be making his move on someone else.
And sure enough, Yoon-hyuk was with someone.....
In the dimly lit living room, he saw them raising their glasses. But the person Yoon-hyuk was drinking with was completely unexpected.
Huh? Seo Hae-young?
What's going on? Why are the two of them drinking together? Just the two of them?
It wasn't Tae-ri or Ga-eun, who were both getting along well with him, nor was it Min-ji, whom he had liked for a long time.
It was Hae-young—his girlfriend, though they were about to break up. So why did it feel like he had just swallowed something awful?
He had asked them to drink together, but the two of them avoided him like they had something to hide.
What the hell? This feeling sucks. Seong-jun recalled the image of Yoon-hyuk and Hae-young sitting side by side.
"Damn it."
Who the hell does that bastard think he is, flirting with my girlfriend? Is Seo Hae-young crazy?
She came here openly with me, her boyfriend, but is she seriously trying to get close to another guy? Behind my back? Now that she's here, is she dazzled by all these handsome guys?
This is crazy. She said she'd help me, said she came to support me, but is she really excited just because she got a few votes?
Min-ji was right. This is basically—no, definitely—cheating.
She wouldn't even give her vote to Yoon-hyuk, right? No way... Of course, he's popular, so he doesn't really need Hae-young's one vote anyway.
Still, I can't just let Seo Hae-young get away with this. I need to knock some sense into her.
He briefly wondered if Hae-young and Yoon-hyuk might just be friends on the show, but he immediately dismissed that possibility.
That would be way beneath her level. Then again, there aren't any other cast members on her level either.
Then who was Seo Hae-young paired with? Did she get a minor role as a stand-in? Or was there a friend she had secretly been seeing all along? That would really be unforgivable.
… I should've asked earlier who her male friend was. It's really bothering me.
As expected, Seo Hae-young is the root of all this trouble. Coming to a place like this with a stranger, drinking alone late at night with another man—it's all so aggravating.
"Hae-young, sleep well."
As if to be heard, Yoon-hyuk's gentle voice drifted down from the second floor.
Seong-jun jumped up. Without even opening the beer Yoon-hyuk had brought, he tossed it straight into the trash. The sound of Yoon-hyuk washing up grated harshly on his ears.
He couldn't fall asleep.
*****
"Ahhh!"
Startled by the sudden sharp scream, Hae-young opened her eyes.
What now, again?
The source of the scream was Min-ji on the bed next to her. Min-ji was crouched on the bed, burying her face in her knees. A hand mirror lay in front of her.
"Ugh, what am I going to do…!"
What's going on?
"Hae-young? Are you awake? Hae-young!"
"Yes, what is it?"
"No, why are you so slow to answer!"
Min-ji snapped irritably right away.
"What is it?"
"Could you bring me the sheet mask I left in the fridge on the first floor? Oh, and the frozen bottled water too!"
Min-ji ordered her around as if she were a personal assistant.
"Have you gone out yet? You still haven't gone?"
Min-ji lowered her hand slightly and glanced around the room. That's when Hae-young saw Min-ji's face.
It was swollen. Probably from drinking so much with Yoon-hyuk yesterday after their physically demanding schedule. Her sniffling was almost over the top when she was drunk last night.
And she made such a fuss over just this? Someone might think she lost an eyeball.
Putting aside the hatred Hae-young felt toward Min-ji, just looking at her appearance, although her face looked different from usual, she was honestly kind of cute — her swollen eyelids and chubby cheeks. But apparently, Min-ji didn't see it that way herself.
"You know we don't have much time before the date! Hurry up!"
Until the staff handed her the microphone clipped to her clothes that morning, nothing could be used for the broadcast. She probably knew the timing perfectly and was just letting her frustration show.
"Okay, okay. Just wait a bit. I'll go get it."
She kept urging, "Faster! Faster!"
But who's this rushing for, anyway?
Hae-young leisurely went downstairs to the first floor. Gaeun, Jaeyoung, Chanwoo, and Yoon-hyuk were there. After exchanging morning greetings, Yoon-hyuk naturally handed Hae-young a coffee.
"I'll enjoy this. By the way, has anyone seen Min-ji's sheet mask? She asked me to bring it, but I'm not sure where it is."
"A sheet mask? I don't know about that."
"Are you talking about the one in the fridge?"
"Oh, maybe that's it."
"Why is she making Hae-young do it?"
Yoon-hyuk asked sharply. Hae-young slowly shook her hand.
"I wasn't told to do it, she just asked me to."
"Is that so? Then finish your coffee before you go. It doesn't taste good when it's cold."
"Hmm, maybe you're right."
Hae-young took Min-ji's sheet mask out and placed it on the table. Then, just like Yoon-hyuk said, she savored the aroma of the coffee. Mmm, it smells nice.
I wonder what Min-ji's up to. With the cameras around, it must be hard for her to lower her hand and show her face.
Yoon-hyuk offered a plate of cookies.
It was warm. Crunch. The sweet taste tickled the tip of her tongue.
"Thank you. It's delicious," Hae-young said, and Yoon-hyuk smiled brightly. Just having him there made her feel much more at ease than yesterday.
"Hae-young, are you okay with Japanese food today?"
Jaeyoung suddenly joined the tea time with Yoon-hyuk.
"I like Japanese food."
"That's good. If you like Japanese, I know a restaurant you'll enjoy."
"I'm looking forward to it."
Hae-young exchanged a brief conversation with Jaeyoung. Yoon-hyuk's gaze felt oddly intense, but she pretended not to notice.
After enjoying a relaxed coffee break, Hae-young lazily went upstairs to the second floor.
"Hae-young, did you bring it? Why are you just getting back now?"
Minji greeted Hae-young with a much kinder tone than before.
Around her waist, her clothes were noticeably bulky—she was wearing a microphone. That explained the change in her attitude compared to earlier.
But her eyes remained the same: full of contempt and disdain for Hae-young.
"Did you wait long? I suddenly stopped downstairs to drink coffee. Sorry about that."
"Now that you're here, it's fine. I was just worried you were coming late on purpose to mess with me a little."
Minji lowered her swollen face deeply. Even while sending Hae-young on errands, it seemed she wanted to make her out to be a bad person.
"What? Do I really look like that kind of person to you, Minji? Have I done something to upset you?"
Hae-young's eyes widened in surprise.
"No, it's not that I think you're a bad person, Hae-young. It's just that if it were me, I would've brought you what you asked for—like the coffee—before making you wait."
Minji kept adding on stubbornly. It was clear that making her wait so long really upset her.
There was only one way to handle this.
Make Minji look like the worse person.
Hae-young plopped down on Minji's bed and held her hand tightly. The camera mounted on the left wall faced Hae-young directly. Her eyelashes stretched long downward.
"That's true. The coffee could've gotten cold. I should've done what you asked first. I'm really sorry. You're right—I wasn't thinking clearly. I truly didn't expect it would upset you this much…"