The screen showed Haeyoung again. She definitely seemed different from before.
Now that I think about it, Yunhyuk kept hitting on Haeyoung too.
Is Seo Haeyoung really the best?
"Excuse me, please take me there."
"Hm? What about the payment?"
"Ugh, why? Do I look like I can't pay? You think I can't afford it?"
"That's not what I meant…"
"If I say go, just go, okay?"
Sungjoon changed his destination.
*****
"What's going on? I thought the cast was forbidden from meeting up during the break."
Haeyoung stood at the door, arms crossed, looking at Sungjoon coldly.
Yeah, she was definitely different from before.
"Did you get surgery or something?"
"What are you talking about? Did you have some drinks?"
"No, I didn't. Nothing's changed, but why do you seem different? You didn't have surgery, so how come you suddenly look like this...?"
What's more, unlike when she's on camera, she wasn't wearing makeup or dressed up. Just a plain white T-shirt and shorts, and casually tied her hair up.
It was definitely a simple outfit — something he'd seen countless times before.
But why did she look so pretty? Sungjoon rubbed his eyes. Even after a second look, Haeyoung was beautiful. She looked like a different person with the same face.
Was it her posture? Or her expression?
Before, she always slouched her shoulders and spoke quietly. Being around her felt suffocating.
Since when had she changed? It had been so long since he'd really paid attention to her that he couldn't even remember.
Sungjoon glanced her up and down.
Her long, exposed neckline, slender shoulders that made him want to hold her, and striking facial features, sculpted beautifully over clear skin.
She was absolutely perfect. If Sungjoon had met a woman like that on the street, he would've chased her down just to get her number.
But Seo Haeyoung? She was already my girlfriend. Damn. My past judgment wasn't kidding around.
I've endured six years for this moment. Always believing that one day Haeyoung would ripen into a luscious fruit!
When Sungjoon grinned widely, Haeyoung took a step back, clearly annoyed.
"I came because I missed you. My girlfriend."
Haeyoung's brows furrowed, making her look even more poised—like a sharp, graceful cat.
"Am I just going to stand here in the hallway forever? I'm coming inside."
"No."
"Why not? Between us… I just want to spend some time with you since it's been a while. We had filming, and I didn't even get to hold your hand once."
Sungjoon grabbed Haeyoung's hand suddenly, but she pulled it away roughly. A flash of disgust crossed her face, but Sungjoon didn't notice.
"This will get us cut from the show. I'm saying this for your own good. Go back."
"Come on, I'm just saying let's go inside quickly. Who's going to see? Hurry up."
Sungjoon pushed past her stubbornly and went inside.
"Did you eat ramen? Don't get fat. I bought beer. Let's drink together."
Sungjoon sat naturally at the table and pulled a can out of the bag. With a hiss, Haeyoung let out a deep sigh.
How am I going to get rid of this guy?
"Just drink that and go."
"Why? Can't I stay over? Oh right, there's episode 2 today too. Want to watch it together?"
"Do you want me to watch you flirting with other women?"
"Oh, so that's why you're upset. Understand, it's all for the show, okay?"
Sungjoon acted cute, resting his chin on his hands. Haeyoung barely held back her disgust.
The person who once treated her as worthless was now acting all adorable—and she had to watch it. The whole scene felt almost grotesque.
She had expected this moment would come someday. It was part of Haeyoung's plan.
As long as Haeyoung was on that set, Sungjoon couldn't hide his true self. And once his real self showed, it was only natural that the initial popularity he had swept up would start to fade.
The more his popularity dropped, the more scared Sungjoon would become. Then he'd lean on Haeyoung, the one he trusted the most.
Haeyoung planned to be a strong support he could fully depend on.
"But Haeyoung, you're going to keep voting for me from now on, right? Of course you will?"
"Why? Are you nervous because I'm your only vote left?"
"What kind of thing is that to say? You've always been the one for me. Haven't you?"
Haeyoung suppressed her disgust and barely managed a smile.
"Of course I am. You're my boyfriend, after all."
Even though that wouldn't be true for long.
"As expected of my Haeyoung. After watching the show, I'm even more focused on you. From now on, I've decided to go straight for you."
"You don't have to."
Are we really going to have to watch Sungjoon hanging around like this on set from now on? That would be the worst.
I don't know why his feelings changed, but I wasn't curious. I just felt disgusted that Sungjoon was trying to be nice to me again.
"And about that savings plan, Haeyoung — when did you say you'd get the money?"
"Next month."
"Is there any way to get it early? Probably not, right? Because I took out that interest-free loan for one month like you said. But once the interest-free period ends, the interest is crazy high, so I want to pay it off quickly."
"What's the interest rate?"
"20%. Pretty high, huh? I rushed to get it back then."
Sungjoon scratched his head in embarrassment.
Of course — I had recommended it knowing this would happen.
"If you think of it as an investment, 20% isn't that bad. If your popularity shoots up, you can pay it off quickly. Celebrities buy buildings when they succeed."
"Is that so?"
"How about this? Since you already took out a loan, why not take out another loan from a different capital source?"
"You mean like juggling debt?"
"Yeah, debt juggling only becomes a problem when someone can't pay it back. You're not like that, right? Don't you need more money anyway?"
"True. I do need money. The other contestants will all be well taken care of during the break. It'd be embarrassing to wear the same clothes again."
"Watching the show, I thought it'd be better if you put in a little more effort."
"Then I guess I'll try juggling with an additional two thousand."
"Good thinking."
Sungjoon nodded.
"When you finally get the savings payout, you'll pay off my debt first, right?"
"Of course. I could even give all my money to the boyfriend I love."
Sadly, by then, you probably won't be my boyfriend anymore.
"Enough already, just go."
Haeyoung wiped the smile off her face.
"Why? Weren't we going to watch episode 2 together?"
"No, we're not. Get out."
"Why? Stay with me. I was just with some guys, so the female energy in me is way down. I want to kiss my Haeyoung after such a long time—"
"Should I call the producer?"
"Hey! That's low. Fine, okay, I'm going. I'm going. Just don't forget to pay me as soon as you get the savings payout!"
Sungjoon downed the rest of his beer in one shot and hurried out.
Haeyoung locked the door firmly, determined not to let Sungjoon into her house again today.
*****
A few days later.
A car sped along a dark highway.
Haeyoung sat uncomfortably, staring at the blurry trees passing by.
"I could go alone."
"If you take the bus, you won't get there tonight."
"What if I take a taxi...?"
"Maybe just say thanks?"
Yoonhyuk, gripping the steering wheel, glanced sideways for a moment before looking straight ahead again. His calm demeanor and quiet tone carried no hint of arrogance.
The days had grown noticeably shorter, and outside it already looked like midnight. As he said, she wouldn't have made it home alone tonight.
No matter what.
Yoonhyuk was wearing just a shirt. His jacket and tie were on the backseat.
He said he had been working almost through the nights since leaving the dorm to meet Haeyoung today, catching up on tasks he couldn't handle because of filming. So it was no surprise Haeyoung didn't feel comfortable.
"Thanks. If you're tired, tell me. I'll drive."
"My car's expensive."
"It's just that I don't have a car. I drive well."
Yoonhyuk chuckled and added, "Not that I don't trust you."
After that, the conversation didn't continue.
The car sped swiftly along the highway. The navigation showed the destination as "Sheep Ranch."
They wanted to check the CCTV footage from the day of the last filming.
When Minji got covered in sheep droppings and went to change clothes, Seongjun had disappeared along with her.
What had the two missing people been doing? Avoiding the cameras, Minji was probably furious, and Seongjun must have been trying to calm her down.
Just as he always did in front of Haeyoung, he likely skirted the thin line of what others generally consider "just friends."
If they could get their hands on that footage, it would be easy later to prove that the two weren't in an ordinary friendship.
As soon as the break started, they contacted the ranch. Fortunately, the ranch owner had a good impression of Haeyoung.
The ranch owner remembered Haeyoung fondly and agreed to let them visit.
However, since they didn't want anyone who recognized Haeyoung to see them, they chose a date when tourist visits were sparse.
For a long time, no conversation passed between Haeyoung and Yunhyuk. The only sounds inside the car were the wind brushing past the body and the low hum of the engine.
Everything around was quiet, and the space was cozy, but Haeyoung felt anything but comfortable. As time went on, her mind became clearer rather than more relaxed.
The Yunhyuk she saw at the filming site and the Yunhyuk she met in private seemed like completely different people. Back then, she thought he had become a bit more at ease.
Fearing even a sideways glance might be noticed, Haeyoung stared only at the seemingly endless road ahead.