With her phone open to social media, she sat down.
The opening video began. A heart-fluttering BGM played as close-ups of the cast members' eyes, lips, and other features flashed across the screen.
Text messages and viewer chats quickly scrolled over the clasped hands on screen.
A distorted voice—clearly altered—shouted provocative comments from an unseen speaker.
And finally, the program's logo appeared on the screen.
• "Found it—my dopamine boost!"
• "Please give us high-stakes, crazy melodrama."
• "I told myself I'd wait until there were more episodes... but here I am watching the premiere. I'm the real legend."
• "Same here. But honestly, shows like this are way more fun to watch live."
• "Yeah, nothing beats the thrill of real-time reactions."
• "Everyone must be ordering from Woo-yeon Food ㅠㅠ My chicken hasn't arrived in an hour… I just opened a pack of seasoned seaweed instead."
• "Thump, thump, thump"
As the opening ended, a brightly colored studio appeared on screen. The panelists were seated on a sofa.
The panel—made up of two actors, a comedienne, and a YouTuber—was the same lineup as Season 1.
They talked excitedly about how much they had been looking forward to Season 2, throwing in jokes and remarks about how this season was rumored to be on a whole different scale.
As the panelists laughed and bantered, the screen smoothly transitioned.
First, the interior of the house was shown. Large windows, pastel-toned sofas, a staircase leading to the second floor, a spacious balcony, and cozy bedrooms. The panelists' voices expressed admiration in the background, like background music.
Then came an exterior view of the house. A silhouette approached.
Who could it be? The first cast member was important—it was the deciding card for viewers still on the fence about whether to keep watching or not.
The screen showed someone stepping through the front door, pushing her hair back.
Woo Minji.
Her clear, pretty face filled the screen, and her name appeared beside it.
"Wow, she's so beautiful. How is she even prettier than in the photos?"
Of course. Just as expected.
Visually, Minji was the perfect bait. On top of that, her bubbly personality made her someone who could naturally get along with any future cast members.
With the signature color grading typical of dating shows, she looked even more beautiful than usual.
Minji bounced around the house, checking out every corner. Cheerful background music played, and cute sound effects were added to match each of her steps.
Her curious peeks around the rooms and the way she stretched her neck to look out the window made her look just like a little Maltese waiting for its owner.
Haeyoung checked the live reactions.
• "The photos didn't do her justice. She looks way better on video."
• "Best visuals out of all the dating shows so far."
• "She's adorable. She's my pick."
• "Where's her dress from?"
• "It's Chanel FW new season, apparently."
• "She must come from money."
Just as Minji finished exploring the house and sat down on the sofa, gently swinging her legs, Dojin walked in.
Wearing a bright blue-toned shirt, he gave off a cheerful vibe right from the entrance. Minji and Dojin started chatting comfortably, without any hesitation.
They seemed even closer during their first meeting than they do now.
Come to think of it, did something happen between them?
At some point, they completely started ignoring each other.
After that, Sungjun, Gaeun, Jaeyoung, and Taeri entered one by one.
As more people gathered, the atmosphere grew increasingly stiff. Everyone sat awkwardly on the sofa, exchanging forced small talk.
That's right. Just yesterday, they had all been drinking together, speaking casually, and having fun. Compared to that, this moment already felt like it happened ages ago.
All the cast members had now appeared, except for Haeyoung. It was finally her turn.
The screen showed her approaching from a distance.
Seo Haeyoung. Her name appeared in a caption.
"Hello."
As she brushed her hair back, the footage shifted into slow motion. The screen showed the other cast members' surprised reactions one after another. It didn't stop there, over the scene, the panelists' voices played in the background.
"Haeyoung-nim, oh my gosh, you're so beautiful! I want to call you unnie, Haeyoung unnie!"
"Excuse me, she's at least ten years older than you."
"Quiet. If you're that stunning, you get to be called unnie."
Her face flushed with heat. The editing clearly emphasized her more than the other cast members.
Did the producers think this was a moment worth highlighting?
Her curiosity didn't last long --- Haeyoung had a good idea why.
Her demeanor was strikingly different from the other contestants. While they were tense and overly aware of the cameras, she remained composed.
It was probably because her mind had been filled with only one thing --- revenge. And that calmness gave her an oddly mysterious and elegant aura.
"Didn't we meet somewhere before?"
It was the moment her on-screen self spoke to Sungjun.
A close-up of Sungjun's face followed. His eyes wavered slightly.
Could people be picking up on our past relationship? Haeyoung worried for a second, right as a twinkling sound effect played.
The camera cut back to Haeyoung's face. She was smiling brightly. Thanks to the enhanced lighting and color correction, even to her own eyes, it looked like stars were softly cascading around her.
Then the shot returned to Sungjun, mouth slightly open, looking completely smitten.
Even Haeyoung—who knew better—had to admit, that's exactly how it looked.
• Wait a second. Is it just me, or is Sungjun not the only one who's fallen? Why is my heart racing?
• She's the kind of beauty you rarely see on dating shows.
• OMG. I picked Sungjun and Haeyoung as my couple just based on profile pics. Do I need to lay down a fortune-telling mat or what?
ㄴSame. This stock feels promising. Team Sung-Haeyoung all the way.
• She's so beautiful… truly beautiful…
The live viewer reactions were overwhelmingly positive. Was this the power of production? Aside from when she was a child, Haeyoung rarely heard people call her pretty. What was happening?
She threw open the window. The cold air cooled her flushed face. The embarrassment she hadn't felt during filming came rushing in all at once.
Then Sungjun's interview began.
• "Hehe...…"
They even added giggling sound effects and red blush CGs.
• "Haeyoung, yes, she really is beautiful."
Even the interview was edited that way. Though it was a typical compliment, the editing and sound effects made it seem like Sungjun was completely smitten with Haeyoung.
Maybe because of the viewer votes.
In the first viewer poll, Sungjun and Haeyoung were matched and even went on their first date together. So from the producers' perspective, pushing the Sungjun-Haeyoung relationship was the safer bet.
If it worked out, the viewers would be happy; if not, it would still stir up some buzz.
Well, that worked out.
On screen, Sungjun was shown staring blankly—well, edited to look like he was staring—and at the end of his gaze was Haeyoung's smiling face.
After that, a scene showed them making dinner. Haeyoung and Dojin were briefly shown playing a word game. As expected, a jealous Sungjun was caught on camera too.
That wasn't all. Almost all of the few conversation scenes between Sungjun and Haeyoung were kept. It looked like Sungjun was actively showing interest in Haeyoung. Honestly, they even made up things that didn't happen.
After dinner, they read the friend profiles. Various meaningful expressions and glances were shown to let viewers guess the friend relationships and love lines.
Maybe because each cast member's charm became clearer, the online live reactions were heated.
• "Why is it so calm? Weren't they supposed to be super dramatic?"
• "It's only episode 1 lol, the chaos hasn't started yet.
• "It's already thrilling to think such nice people are about to get possessed by demons."
• "Perverts."
The text voting also passed without any major surprises—except for one message Haeyoung sent to Sungjun: "You're the most handsome."
Haeyoung's interview followed.
• "Sungjun is handsome. I only have eyes for him. I'm not interested in anyone else."
The panel burst out laughing at Haeyoung's interview.
• "Eeeee! Haeyoung, you're such a savage!"
• "Looks like Sungjun is totally your ideal type."
• "Is this the birth of the first couple already?"
Viewer reactions were explosive. For reference, there were also honest comments about Sungjun's looks.
• "Sungjun is the most handsome? Oh... Haeyoung, I respect your taste."
• "Seems like you like the cute type."
• "Sungjun was clearly showing interest all day, so that makes sense."
• "Honestly, isn't Dojin the best-looking?"
• "Dojin looks way too much like a college student, so he doesn't really fit with Haeyoung. I'd rather have the more mature Jaeyoung. Definitely not Sungjun."
• "But honestly, compared to the female cast, the male cast is a bit disappointing."
• "That's just the nature of these dating shows, can't help it."
• "Why? In 'Chance 1,' the male cast was better."
That was exactly the reaction Haeyoung was aiming for. But Sungjun on the screen seemed completely unaware that his looks would become a hot topic in the future—he just smiled cheerfully.
The online buzz stirred once again when the text messages from the female cast members were revealed.