If she wanted them to be happy, then fine.
Laugh a lot. Enjoy yourselves. Hold onto Jo Seongjun as tightly as you want.
The sooner Haeyoung could bundle the two of them together and toss them far away from her life, the better.
Sitting alone in the restaurant, Haeyoung stared through the window at their retreating backs for a long time.
Minji, clinging to Seongjun's arm, practically hopped as she walked. Seongjun couldn't stop smiling at her, his head tilted toward her, his expression softened in a way Haeyoung had never seen directed at herself.
"Good. You two haven't changed at all. It means I don't have to feel the slightest guilt."
She'd spent days planning. Now, it was time to execute.
You're both so excited for that dating show?
Perfect. I'm going to be there, too. I can't wait to see your faces.
Haeyoung unlocked her phone and typed in the number.
[000-0000-0000]
The number belonged to Han Yoonhyuk, the man who had ripped the little number plate off his windshield and shoved it into her hand after the car accident. She'd left the plate on her desk without much thought, and before she knew it, she'd memorized the digits.
Han Yoonhyuk…
The dating show
The show's slogan was:
"Between love and friendship — what's the real temperature of our relationship?"
Contestants appeared with a close friend to help each other find love. Some came simply to support the other, while others used the show as a chance to confess long-hidden feelings.
Meaning:
Haeyoung couldn't apply alone.
She needed a partner. A very specific kind of partner, because the show screened contestants carefully, judging both appearance and public appeal. She couldn't drag just anyone in with her.
But this guy… looks the part.
She dialed without hesitation.
The phone rang twice.
—Han Yoonhyuk speaking.
"This is the woman from the car accident the other day."
—Ah.
A short pause.
Had she waited too long to contact him?
"Sorry for reaching out so late."
—I was actually on my way to turn myself in before becoming a hit-and-run criminal. Since you called before I got arrested, I'll forgive you."
A small laugh escaped her.
"Glad you'll avoid a criminal record."
—Did you go to the hospital?
"No."
—Persistent type, huh."
"I actually wanted to ask for something other than hospital fees."
**—Something else?"
Haeyoung glanced out the window, at the empty street where Seongjun and Minji had disappeared.
"Mr. Han Yoonhyuk," she said.
"Go on a dating show with me."
❋ ❋ ❋
Haeyoung fiddled with her teacup, mentally rehearsing everything she needed to say. The chair across from her scraped loudly, Yoonhyuk had arrived.
White cap, white T-shirt, jeans, sneakers. He sat down without a greeting. He smelled faintly of sun-dried laundry.
He picked up the iced americano she'd ordered for him and drained half of it in one go. The ice clinked against the cup.
"What was that nonsense you said on the phone?"
His voice was cool. Fair enough. A woman he barely knew had asked him to fake a friendship and appear on a dating show.
Even she knew how absurd it sounded.
But she had no alternative, no one else fit the criteria. She had to convince him.
She slid her hands under the table to hide any sign of nervousness.
"It wasn't nonsense. It was a proposal."
"I'm not interested."
"You haven't even heard the terms yet."
"…You're bold."
"I have very good reasons to be bold."
He snorted. Not in amusement, more like disbelief. The same expression someone made when they realized they'd accidentally sat down with an eccentric stranger and were about to waste their afternoon.
"Fine," he said. "Let's hear it. How outrageous is this proposal, and how 'good' are these reasons?"
He sat straight, chin lifted slightly, looking down at her the way corporate executives looked at junior candidates in an interview room.
An unconscious gesture, one that could reveal a lot.
Men like that usually fell into two categories:
Someone truly used to commanding others, a real executive type.Someone who likes acting superior without actually being anything special.
Haeyoung knew the second type all too well, she had dated one for six years.
She studied Yoonhyuk. Around her age. Casual clothes anyone could buy. Available in the middle of a weekday with a single phone call.
That made him almost certainly Type 2.
Good. She needed him to be.
"What I need from you is simple," she said.
"Join me as a contestant on
He leaned back, eyes fixed on her, unreadable.
"And the compensation?"
"Cash."
Something flickered across his expression, not quite surprise, not quite suspicion.
Was he expecting something sleazier?
His gaze briefly swept over her from head to toe.
"You don't look like someone with a lot of money."
"I have enough. My savings mature soon."
"…Savings? Interesting. How much?"
"Thirty million won. Plus the show's appearance fee. All you have to do is play pretend with me during filming and the money is yours."
"Thirty million," he repeated quietly.
He narrowed his eyes, as if trying to confirm whether she was serious.
"You're offering that much?"
So he really is the second type.
Relief washed through her.
"Why? Is there a rule saying a woman can't buy what she needs?" she replied. "You've seen dramas. Contract dating, contract marriage. This is contract friendship."
He nodded slowly. She thought he was about to accept,
but another question came.
"Why me?"
Of course it wouldn't be that easy.
"Because you're handsome," she answered plainly. "
"Hm."
He crossed his arms, now far more relaxed than before.
"So you don't have a single friend as handsome as me?"
"No. Are you that bad at judging your own looks? Someone like you is rare."
"Who knows. Maybe you do have someone. Childhood friend. A man who saved your life. Try thinking harder."
She didn't hesitate.
"No."
"…You're firm."
He appeared deep in thought. She waited.
"So," he finally said. "What's your actual goal in all this?"
Haeyoung paused. How could she phrase it in a way that would seem reasonable?
"I want revenge."
"Revenge? On who?"
"Jo Seongjun. My boyfriend."
"He cheated?"
"That's hard to say definitively."
"Then why get revenge?"
"We've dated for six years."
His brows rose. He leaned back again, tapping the table in irritation, or maybe disbelief.
"And because of him, my family nearly died. Well… my mother survived, but it's close enough.
And he doesn't feel even a shred of guilt."
"…He's a bastard."
"Yes. The worst kind."
Yoonhyuk finally laughed. A real laugh.
Good sign.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.
"Because," he said, "this is the most ridiculous and entertaining offer anyone has ever made me."
"Is that… a compliment?"
She shrugged. Ridiculous or not, she had no other options.
"Fine," he said.
"…What is?"
"I'll do it.
But instead of thirty million won, just call it the settlement for the traffic accident you refused."
❋ ❋ ❋
Once she secured Yoonhyuk, everything fell neatly into place.
She contacted the producer, informed him about an upcoming scandal involving another contestant's school-bullying past, and the producer, desperate to fill the soon-to-be-vacant slot, gladly inserted her into the cast. The broadcast schedule was so tight it was practically live.
Seongjun was busy preparing for the show every day and didn't see her even once before filming. Fine by her, she was just as busy.
Then the morning of the first shoot arrived.
The makeup from the salon felt unfamiliar. The white dress, something she'd never wear normally, was uncomfortable. The long wavy hair extensions were annoying, and the contact lenses burned slightly.
But compared to her purpose, all of that was insignificant.
"Seo Haeyoung, you're up. Please come inside."
She stood.
And stepped forward.
(End of Chapter 5)
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