"Well, as long as you're happy, that's all that matters. Smile a lot right now, and take Seong-jun with you. It'll be easier if I send you both off as a set."
Ha-young sat alone in the restaurant, staring for a long while through the glass window at the backs of the two walking away.
Min-ji was skipping along with her arm linked through Seong-jun's, and Seong-jun kept turning his head toward her, smiling the entire time.
"I'm glad you two are still the same. It makes it easier not to feel even a shred of guilt."
It was finally time to carry out the revenge she'd been planning for days.
"That dating show you're both so excited about—I'm going on it too. I can't wait to see the look on your faces."
Ha-young unlocked her phone and started typing in a number.
It was the number from the contact card Han Yoon-hyuk had handed her last time. She hadn't felt right about throwing it away, so she'd left it sitting on her desk. Before she knew it, she had it memorized.
Han Yoon-hyuk, wasn't it?
The dating show Seong-jun and Min-ji were appearing on—
The show's slogan was:
"Between love and friendship—what's our temperature?"
The basic rule of the show was to support and help your friend find love—while also searching for your own match.
But some contestants ended up revealing hidden feelings they'd kept under the label of "friendship."
In other words, Ha-young couldn't join the show on her own, no matter what she did.
To make it harder, they also cast based on looks and background—so finding just anyone wouldn't cut it.
With looks like his, it might just work.
Without hesitation, Ha-young made the call.
[000-0000-0000]
"Han Yoon-hyuk speaking."
"I'm the person from the car accident the other day."
"Ah."
A brief silence followed.
Had she waited too long to reach out?
"Sorry for contacting you so late."
"Actually, I was just about to turn myself in to the police before they labeled me a hit-and-run driver."
"But since you called before I got arrested, I'll forgive you."
A small laugh escaped her lips.
"Glad you avoided criminal charges."
"Did you go to the hospital?"
"No."
Stubborn, as always.
"I didn't want compensation for the hospital bill. That's not why I contacted you."
"Then… for what?"
Ha-young turned her gaze out the window, looking at the now-empty street where Seong-jun and Min-ji had disappeared.
"Han Yoon-hyuk, come on a dating show with me."
------
Ha-young fidgeted with her teacup. She kept repeating the words she had to say in her head, when suddenly, the chair across from her scraped against the floor.
It was Han Yoon-hyuk.
Wearing a white cap, a white t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers—he looked casual and comfortable. Without so much as a greeting, he sat down across from her. He smelled faintly of freshly sun-dried laundry.
Yoon-hyuk took a long sip of the iced Americano Ha-young had ordered in advance. Half of it disappeared in an instant, the sound of ice clinking lightly in the cup.
"What was that nonsense about?"
His voice was cold. Understandably so—some woman he barely knew had suddenly asked him to appear on a dating show. Pretending to be her friend, no less.
Even to her, it sounded absurd. But she had no one else in mind to ask. Somehow, she had to convince him.
Ha-young slipped her hands under the table.
She had no intention of showing how nervous she was.
"It wasn't nonsense—it was a proposal."
"No thanks."
"I haven't even told you the conditions yet."
"Bold of you."
"I have a very clear reason to be bold."
Yoon-hyuk let out a short laugh. Most laughs were meant to signal agreement or amusement—but not this one.
This was the kind of laugh you gave when something was ridiculous, or when you were realizing you'd gotten roped into something strange and were now wasting your time. It was that kind of emotion.
"Go ahead, then. Let's hear this outrageous proposal and your oh-so-clear reason for it."
Yoon-hyuk raised his chin slightly, looking down at Ha-young with the kind of arrogant attitude she'd only ever seen from executives during corporate interviews—an expression used by people who judged others from a higher place.
People who carried themselves like that out of habit were easy to categorize.
Either they were genuinely in a position of power—like a real executive, used to ordering others around—or they were full of unwarranted superiority, looking down on others despite having nothing to show for themselves.
Ha-young knew the latter type all too well.
She had dated someone like that for six years.
She glanced over Yoon-hyuk's outfit. She wasn't the kind to judge people based on appearances—but sometimes, how a person looked really did say everything.
He looked to be around her age, dressed casually in clothes anyone could buy off the rack. And the fact that he could show up in that outfit, in the middle of a weekday, just from a phone call... That pointed to the latter type. Hopefully, that's what he was.
"What I'm asking from you is simple, Yoon-hyuk. Join me on Friendship Love. Pretend to be my friend while we're on the show. And make sure no one finds out otherwise."
Yoon-hyuk leaned back in his chair, eyes still fixed on Ha-young. His indifferent gaze gave nothing away.
"And the payment?"
"Cash."
A subtle shift crossed Yoon-hyuk's expression.
Was he surprised she mentioned money? Or had he been expecting something sleazier? His eyes quickly scanned her from head to toe.
"You don't look like someone with much money."
"I have plenty. My savings account matures soon."
"Savings too? Now I'm curious. How much are we talking?"
"Thirty million won. Appearance fees are separate. All you have to do is play pretend with me during the show—and that lump sum will be yours."
"Thirty million."
Yoon-hyuk narrowed his eyes, as if trying to gauge whether Ha-young was serious.
"You're really willing to pay that much?"
Knew it—he's the second type.
Ha-young let out a silent sigh of relief.
"Why? Is there some law that says women can't buy what they want with money? It's in dramas all the time—contract dating, contract marriage. Think of this as a contract friendship."
Yoon-hyuk nodded. For a moment, it looked like he was about to agree.
But then another question came.
"But why me?"
Of course. It was never going to be that easy.
"You can't apply to Friendship Love alone. It's a show where a female and male friend appear together."
"There are plenty of guys out there. Why me?"
"You don't know anything about me."
"That's true. But I do know you're good-looking. They don't let unattractive people on that show."
"Hmm."
Yoon-hyuk crossed his arms and nodded. His demeanor had softened noticeably compared to earlier.
"Guess you don't have any friends as handsome as me?"
"Nope. Are you not very good at self-awareness? Looks like yours, are pretty rare."
"Well, who knows? Maybe you've got someone like that hidden away. A childhood friend, maybe? Someone who once saved your life? Think harder."
"I said, no."
"So firm."
Yoon-hyuk seemed lost in thought.
Ha-young sat quietly, waiting for his next move.
"So, what exactly is your goal, Ha-young?"
Ha-young closed her mouth for a moment, thinking about how to make her purpose sound convincing.
"Revenge."
"Revenge? Against whom?"
"Jo Seong-jun. He's my boyfriend."
"Did he cheat on you?"
"I'm not sure. It's hard to say for certain."
"Then why seek revenge?"
"Seong-jun has been my boyfriend for six years."
"Six years?"
Yoon-hyuk leaned back in his chair, tapping the table restlessly. He looked uncomfortable—maybe he didn't like the reason behind her proposal.
"Because of him, my family died. Well, they're still alive now... but it's almost the same. And yet, he doesn't even feel sorry for me."
"What a bastard."
"Yeah. The worst kind of bastard."
Yoon-hyuk laughed out loud. That was a good sign.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Because this is hilarious. It's the most random and bizarre proposal I've ever received."
"So… are you saying it's a compliment because it's entertaining?"
Haeyoung shrugged. Strange or not, she had no other option.
"Alright."
"Alright what?"
"I'll do it. Think of it as taking the offer — not for thirty million won, but in place of that car accident settlement you turned down."
Since recruiting Yoon-hyuk, everything became much easier. Ha-young met with the producer and informed them in advance about a contestant's history of school violence that would cause a scandal during the broadcast.
The producer gladly agreed to slot Ha-young into the spot left vacant by the contestant with a problematic past—thanks to the tight live-broadcast schedule.
Seong-jun was busy preparing to appear on the show and, until the broadcast, Ha-young never saw his face once. She was just as busy, so it worked out well.
And then, on the morning of the first filming day...
The makeup she received at the salon felt unnatural. The white dress she usually never wore was uncomfortable. Her long, loosely curled hair was bothersome, and the contact lenses she wore instead of glasses felt dry.
But none of that mattered compared to her goal.
It was just a small feeling.
"Seo Ha-young, please go in now."