Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Jay considered himself an open-minded bloke.

All his mates, work colleagues, and even randoms he chatted to on the street could tell you without a shadow of a doubt that he was proper outgoing and had a very open mind — maybe it was because he’d been born and raised in the States for a bit before properly moving to Korea.

Or maybe it was because he came from a family that never minced their words.

No one — not even his parents — held back from saying exactly what they thought.

So, being so adaptable and accepting of things, it was proper confusing for his mum to hear him firmly refuse any kind of advice about the worst idea they’d ever come up with in all his thirty years because there was no way on earth he was going to humiliate himself like that.

He’d gotten over a rubbish relationship, a messy divorce, and was perfectly fine with being single after all those years, so it was obvious he wouldn’t accept it and didn’t understand why his mum thought otherwise.

“Jongseong! It’s a brilliant opportunity”.

“Opportunity for who, exactly?!” he laughed.

“For who else?” his mum shot back impatiently, clearing the cutlery from the table. Jay rolled his eyes. “You’ve been single for over three years, and you’re still far too young to always be on your own. You should be living a livelier life. You ought to go out, meet new people, have a laugh, get into a new relationship. So, why not?”

Jay chuckled.

She couldn’t be serious.

“You make it sound like I should be desperate!”

Ji-kyun retorted, putting the cutlery in the sink, “I never said that, and I don’t think it’s true. I just thought it might be interesting since you never go out with the people I introduce you to”.

“That’s because you introduce me to your friends’ kids!”

“What’s wrong with my friends’ kids?” the woman laughed, filling the sink with water. She turned around, drying her hands on her apron before taking it off. “You should be grateful you’ve got a mum who’s interested in your love life. Other kids would be chuffed to bits about that”.

Jay loved that Ji-kyun cared about him.

She was a proper attentive mum, always ready to offer words of encouragement and a cuddle when needed, but she could also be a bit nosy, and Jay often ended up feeling annoyed when his personal space was invaded by her concern — which could sometimes be a bit much.

He let out a deep sigh, “I just don’t think I need romance, not right now. I’ve got loads on my plate this season, and I’m far too busy, so I don’t have time for dating”.

“Bullshit! I’ve spoken to mr. Kim about it, and he doesn’t mind. After all, you haven’t taken a holiday in over seven years”, Ji-kyun shot back, plonking two cans of beer on the table. “So stop making excuses and tell me exactly why you don’t want to do this”.

Because he’d been hurt too much already.

Jay had gone through a messy breakup and an even messier divorce, so he didn’t want to open his heart again and let someone else do the same thing — the first time would be the last, he’d promised himself, and he intended to keep that promise.

So, he couldn’t just go on a telly show where people literally go to fall in love because he didn’t want to fall for anyone. He didn’t want someone else discovering his secrets or his weaknesses only to stab him in the back.

Yeonjun had done enough damage.

Jay could live with just that one heartbreak.

“...I just don’t want to…” but Jongseong didn’t want to say that to his mum, even though they were the type of family that shared everything, because she still got upset hearing him say how closed off he’d become to love after Yeonjun. “I need to focus on my career and nothing else”.

˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

Sometimes Jay wondered what his problem was.

Was he just too bloody inconsistent?

Did he not know what he wanted from life?

Or was he just bored out of his mind?

Maybe he was a bit of a pushover when it came to things his mum begged him to do because there was no other excuse for it, seeing as he’d insisted so much on saying he refused to take part in a dating show for divorced people.

‘You’ve got to fall in love again’, that’s what everyone kept saying.

Meet new people, and have new experiences.

Love once more, even if it’s bloody terrifying.

But Jay had been hurt so badly that he didn’t know if he should give it one last shot before properly throwing in the towel on love for good. He’d been let down and disappointed so many times that it was hard to ignore the rational part of his brain telling him to turn on his heel and forget the whole sodding thing — but his pushover side had only agreed with his mum after two bottles of wine and a lot of nagging from her.

He’d ignored all the invisible warning signs to say no because he was a good son — a pushover, but a good son — and he’d always listen to his mum’s advice because sometimes mums just know best.

Jay was startled when the bright lights of a spotlight — he didn’t know what it was called — hit his eyes before he was properly ready for it.

He frowned and squinted.

“We’re going to do the first introduction take, and right after, you’ll be taken to the house”, the director and screenwriter, she’d introduced herself as Lee Minju, said with a smile that Jay couldn’t quite make out because of the blinding lights. “As you read in the contract, it’ll be 20 days on set and 10 days on location”.

He must’ve been a proper pushover to be here, after saying no so many times, signing up for a dating show for divorced people because he thought it was impossible to fall in love in 30 days.

Jay sniffed, adjusting himself in the chair.

It was the first recording.

The show would air in about six months, and after that, the whole country would know his face, see him interacting with other people and talking about his life as if they were all spies. Part of him was slightly uncomfortable with the idea, but the other part had promised his mum he’d give it his best shot and at least try to have a bit of fun with this unusual experience.

“Brilliant!” director Minju said cheerfully, gesturing for the crew to get into position to start recording. Jay wanted a drink of water. He was proper nervous, and his throat was bone dry. “It’ll be really quick, just an introduction take without too much info. All you need to do is say your name, why you decided to sign up for this show, and what you hope to find during filming”.

Jay hoped... well, he didn’t hope for anything, really.

But he’d promised his mum he’d make an effort, so he’d try.

When the director gave the signal, he said:

“My name is Park Jongseong...” he laughed nervously when someone from the crew gestured for a cameraman to focus on his eyes. He tried to keep all his attention on the camera in front of him, or he’d get proper confused. “Honestly, I didn’t sign up. It was my mum who decided to do it for me because I’ve been single for a while now”.

The whole country would find out he was a lonely, sad bloke.

That thought made Jay proper scared.

“Oh! I don’t know what I’m expecting to find during filming. I think it’s too early to think about that. I find it hard to imagine I’ll find love”, he rambled. “But if it happens, it’ll be unexpected. I’ve watched the other seasons, and it worked out for some people, so I’m just going with the flow without worrying too much”.

A few people laughed, “So you’re not here to fall in love?”

Jay pondered.

No. He wasn’t.

He didn’t think it was possible to fall in love, not again.

“I’m still not yet sure”, he couldn’t be rude or insufferable before they’d even started filming the show, so he decided to fake it, like his mum had instructed him to do, until he felt completely comfortable with the idea.

Which would never happen.

“But are you willing to put in the effort if you meet someone?”

“Ah, uh-oh. Probably…” Jay nodded. “I guess so”.

He smiled, wide and falsely cheerful.

Jay was a proper good son.

And he’d probably regret all of this.

˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

Jay considered himself a good-looking and confident bloke.

Sure, he’d had his fair share of low self-esteem moments, but at least therapy had helped with that, and he knew he was proper handsome despite all the people who’d passed through his life and made him think, for a while, that maybe he wasn’t — so he was feeling pretty chuffed with himself.

He knew he wasn’t really interested in meeting someone new and trying to fall in love, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to put his best foot forward. That’s why he’d put a lot of effort into choosing the clothes he’d take for the first stage in the house and had even got a haircut because, let’s face it, looks could matter sometimes.

And he also didn’t want the public to have more reason to talk about him beyond his pathetic, rollercoaster love life, so he might as well put in the effort to look at the part.

Jay pushed open the large glass doors he’d been instructed to go through by the filming crew and, to his surprise, smiled at the brightly lit, camera-filled space — they’d said they wouldn’t be on set during filming because it could distract the participants, but they weren’t kidding when they said the whole house was being filmed.

There were so many cameras that he was glad he’d worn foundation.

He moistened his lips and ran a hand over the back of his neck as he stepped inside.

There was a brief moment of silence before he was startled by the presence of another person in the house, who suddenly appeared from a wide hallway holding a glass of water and wearing an awkward smile.

Jay placed a hand on his chest because, for a moment, he’d forgotten there’d be other people here and, honestly, he’d expected to be the first to arrive since no one had told him otherwise.

“I’m so sorry!” the man said, laughing, quickly putting the glass on the table before trying to catch up with Jay to where they were supposedly supposed to wait. “I got really thirsty, and since no one had arrived yet, I thought it wouldn’t be a problem to grab some water. I didn’t mean to scare you, sorry”.

Jay blinked, stunned — he was really doing this.

He was on a telly show.

He tried to smile, “It’s fine. I was supposed to be waiting for more people, but I forgot for a moment...” he licked his lips, heading to the sofa.

He sat on the edge, far away from where the man was sitting with his glass of water. Jay laughed awkwardly.

“You’re the second to arrive...” the man said, gesturing to himself, as if to make it clear it was just the two of them for now. Jay nodded, looking around. “I’m Shim Jae-yoon”.

“Jae-yoon?” Jay traced the symbols of his name in the air, receiving a smiling nod in response. He nodded back, thoughtful. “Jae-yoon-ssi...”

“Mmh-hmm. Jae-yoon”, he repeated without taking his eyes off Jongseong. “But you can call me Jake if that’s easier. Some people find it easier”.

Jay automatically looked at him, “Jake?”

“Woah! Your accent is perfect. Are you American?”

They couldn’t say. Not yet.

It was one of the rules for the first four days — no one could reveal their age, job, where they lived, or where they were from because the show had a whole script planned to make this season a success. It was the third season, and the previous ones had gained a lot of media attention, but this time it was different.

They were doing a season with only men.

Or at least that’s what Jongseong was hoping, since he’d answered on his form that he wasn’t interested in women at all — or were they doing a mixed season? He hadn’t stopped to think about it because he’d made the decision to participate too late, but the questionnaire had options for both men and women.

So, on top of trying to get to know someone, he’d have to figure out who was into men and who he shouldn’t get too close to?

Plus, there was the fact that everyone had been given suppression bracelets — high-tech stuff — so they couldn’t figure out each other’s sub-genders too quickly. So, it was going to be twice as hard as he’d initially thought.

“Something like that...” he finally replied.

Jake nodded patiently, “Your accent is really good”.

Jay smiled back, “Thanks”.

They looked at each other for a moment in complete silence.

“Ah!” Jay realised he’d zoned out and laughed.

But before he could respond, they were interrupted by the same door he’d come through, and both turned instantly, staring at the third participant.

Jongseong stood up and greeted the man.

And then the three of them were surprised because a door at the end of the hallway opened, and two more participants appeared as if it were some action movie scene where the heroes show up at a completely random moment to grab everyone’s attention.

The five of them looked at each other, laughing in surprise.

“I thought we were the first!” one of them, the dark-haired one, said, approaching. Jongseong greeted them briefly and sat back down as everyone decided to settle in.

“I’m Park Sunghoon”, the tall guy who’d arrived with the dark-haired one through the hallway door said. Jongseong murmured the name to try and remember it. Sunghoon turned to his partner. “And you are?”

“Yang Jungwon”.

“Jungwo?!” Sunghoon asked, confused.

“Jungwon” he repeated more clearly, gesturing the same way Jay had when Jake introduced himself. “With ‘won’ at the end. Like ‘garden.’”

Jongseong followed the explanation attentively.

“I’m Jake!”

Jay thought Jake was very inviting. With the bracelets, it was hard to tell what everyone’s sub-genders were, but maybe Jake was an omega because omegas were usually very sociable and friendly.

The man who’d sort of entered as a trio with Sunghoon and Jungwon frowned, confused, “... ah, Jaike?”

“Jake” he corrected with extreme politeness, laughing. “Shim Jake”.

“Ah!” the third participant laughed. “I’m Lee Heeseung”.

Jay was rubbish with names.

He looked at each of them, trying to remember what they’d just said before he was caught staring and looked down, where no one and no camera could see him being too weird.

“Have you been here long?”

“He’d just arrived when you came in” Jake said, politely pointing at Jay.

“We were introducing ourselves. I was the first to arrive. Ah, we still don’t know your name”.

Of course they didn’t, because he’d been interrupted and had forgotten to show the bare minimum of manners his parents had taught him before this awkward moment—Jongseong moistened his lips and laughed.

“Jongseong”, he said, pointing to himself. “Park Jongseong”.

Jake nodded cautiously, “Jongseong...?”

“My friends call me Jay”.

Jake finally smiled.

It was obvious he knew Jay wasn’t 100% Korean because his English had given him away, and now he had an American name, so it made sense that the other was pleased because apparently, they were the only foreigners this season, and that could bring some comfort.

He noticed a side conversation about the phones they’d been given by the show so they wouldn’t have access to the internet or things like that — according to the producers, it was essential for the show’s success that they didn’t look each other up online, so they’d been given new devices programmed only to receive messages from the production team and basic things like GPS and emergencies.

Jongseong wanted to keep chatting with Jake because he’d been too quiet so far, but it was awkward, and since the others were talking about something trivial, he decided to shift his focus.

They chatted a bit about silly things like MBTI — Jake was ISTJ, and Jay was ENTJ. From what little he knew about it, they could make an interesting romantic match, though there might be some challenges due to their personality differences. But that was fine.

Jay’s eyes widened at the thought.

He’d started this experiment saying he couldn’t see himself flirting or wanting to deepen a conversation with anyone, but now he was comparing his MBTI with another participant without even knowing him.

He was unbelievable.

“Oh, there’s someone else coming!” Jungwon said, stretching to look out the windows. Jay turned to see as well. “Woah, he looks young”.

“Is he younger than you?” Heeseung asked.

Jungwon looked at him, “What makes you think I’m young?”

Heeseung laughed, rolling his eyes.

Jay frowned — people were quick.

When had they started flirting?

The door opened, and the new participant greeted them, “Hello!”

If Jake and Jungwon were lively, this guy seemed the opposite, even with a big smile on his face. He looked extremely tired despite smiling so much, and for some reason, Jay didn’t quite like the way he slipped into the group.

The blonde looked around and clicked his tongue, “I’m Kim Sunoo”.

“Sunoo?” Heeseung asked with a smile.

He nodded, “Actually, it’s Seon-woo, but I prefer Sunoo”.

“Does everyone here have a second name?” Sunghoon teased.

The blonde gave him a mocking smile, “What’s your name?”

Jay was right — this Sunoo?

He was trouble.

He turned to Jay with a serious expression on his face.

“Jay…” he answered the silent question. “Park Jay”.

Chapter Text

Jongseong puffed out his cheeks and thoughts.

The production team had informed him — it was also in the contract he’d signed — that they’d be called to a separate location at least once a day to do a sort of confessional take. This was so the audience could get a better idea of their feelings and thoughts about each other without the other participants around.

He scratched the back of his neck, “It’s hard to say”.

“Why?” someone from the production team asked.

Jay bit the inside of his cheeks.

“I’ve barely spoken to the other participants”, he admitted. He hadn’t made the slightest effort to talk to the others. He’d chatted a bit with Jake and answered whatever questions they’d thrown his way, but he hadn’t had any proper conversations. So, it was hard to say who had really caught his attention. “... right now they’re all quite lively and seem like interesting people. Everyone seems pretty surprised by the whole situation. Like when we realised it would just be the six of us and not eight like in the other seasons”.

The woman behind the camera nodded, “That’s understandable, but if you had to pick one of the participants as the most interesting person at the moment, romantically or not, who would you say is your choice?”

Jake.

He was funny, kind, thoughtful, and cheerful.

Jongseong would bet money he was an omega.

It’d be hilarious if he was.

“Jake”, he was honest. “Huh. Jake. He seems nice”.

“Anyone else?

Jongseong bit his lip.

He really hadn’t spoken to the others, “Nah”.

“Is there anyone you wouldn’t want to talk to because of a first impression?” the woman knew exactly what she was doing by asking Jongseong that, and he laughed impatiently.

He could answer that without a second thought.

Two people hadn’t caught his attention, but one in particular made him feel uneasy because he seemed too whiny and irritable, like a teenager craving their parents’ attention.

He nodded, “Mmh-hmm”, was all he said.

“Can we know who it is?”

He laughed and clicked his tongue against his teeth, “Seon-woo”.

“Why tho?”

Ah, they really knew what they were doing.

It was still a reality show, and of course, they’d try to create a controversial narrative if possible, so it made sense that they were interested in getting Jongseong to clearly explain why he hadn’t felt the urge to interact with certain participants.

But Jay was clever, “I don’t think we’ve had a proper chance to talk yet”.

˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

Jake burst out laughing at something Heeseung said.

Jay sat down beside him on the carpet.

All their phones buzzed before he could catch up on the conversation, as he’d been called away to do his daily confessional — it was the second night, and they were drinking and chatting since they couldn’t reveal personal details until the production team gave them the green light to dive into deeper topics.

He cracked open a beer before checking his phone.

It was a message.

“Who was your best first impression on day one?’

Jay glanced around, noticing some people looked genuinely happy while others seemed intrigued — the answer to his poll was in bold, stating, in no uncertain terms: no one chose you.

He locked his phone screen and took a swig of his beer.

He’d sworn he and Jake had been having good conversations since day one, but apparently, it was all in his head since no one had picked him as their best first impression.

“You alright?” Jungwon, who Jay had exchanged only a few words with that day, nudged his shoulder. Jay nodded, not exactly in the best emotional mood. He thought therapy was helping, but here he was, rejected by everyone after less than two days. “You got quiet all of a sudden”.

Jay looked at Jungwon, unsure what to say.

What was he supposed to say to someone he barely knew?

That he was mildly annoyed no one had chosen him as their best first impression? Or that he was already fed up with this whole dating show?

“I just find it all a bit intimidating...” he opted for the option where he didn’t come off as a complete prat in front of everyone. “The cameras, the dynamics, this whole secret voting thing. It’s just... a lot”.

Jungwon laughed, “Tell me about it! Me and Sunoo were talking earlier about how funny it is to watch on telly because when you’re actually here, the emotions and feelings are completely different...!”

He turned fully to face Jay.

“I’ve always watched the show and thought, ‘Oh, what nonsense, why’s he acting like that?’ But now I get it — it’s bloody hard to be here!”

Jay agreed.

He’d watched the previous seasons and had plenty of opinions while watching with his parents, but now — being filmed and going through all these dynamics — he felt claustrophobic just thinking about how it wasn’t as easy as people thought when they were lounging at home.

At home, it was all easy.

There, with all the cameras and the pressure to get to know each other to potentially form a couple at the end of the show, it was genuinely intimidating in a way Jay hadn’t expected.

He and Jungwon chatted for a while about how they were feeling being the new cast of a reality show, and, by Jungwon’s slip-up, Jay found out that Sunoo had probably received the most votes — though he wasn’t entirely sure why.

According to Jungwon, he could see how the others looked at Sunoo.

Jay found the idea intriguing.

He hadn’t stopped to observe the others, but he, in particular, hadn’t voted for Sunoo because he hadn’t even considered him an option, given his somewhat sharp personality.

“What do you reckon about playing a game?” Heeseung suddenly asked, grabbing everyone’s attention. “Like ‘this or that,’ just to break the ice and find out a bit more about each other?”

Jongseong took a sip of his beer.

They had rules — they couldn’t talk about certain topics like age, job, sub-gender, whether they had kids, how long they’d been married or how long they’d been single. All that was reserved for later in the show, with specific days planned out. But of course he was curious to learn a thing or two about the others, but he didn’t like breaking rules when they were there for a reason.

“... we won’t go too deep!” Heeseung defended his idea, pushing the coffee table away. Jay sat between Jungwon and Jake. He wanted to chat more with Jake tonight. “Just silly questions, for a laugh”.

Sunoo sat across from Jay, with Heeseung on one side and Sunghoon on the other, like they were his personal bodyguards. For the first time, Jay noticed the looks and realised Sunoo had probably received most of the votes for real.

Sunghoon, Heeseung, and even Jungwon were looking at him.

It was like they saw something Jay couldn’t.

Sunoo smiled at him.

“How are we doing this?” Jake asked.

They’d already had quite a bit to drink, and it was around 4 a.m.

Heeseung gestured vaguely, unsure how to explain, and sat back down, passing a beer to Sunoo. “Pretty basic. Like, preference questions...” he pointed at Jungwon. “Beach or mountains?”

“Mountains!” Jungwon replied without hesitation.

Heeseung gestured, “If most people pick the opposite, you drink”.

“And if most people pick what I picked?” Jungwon asked.

“Then the person who asked, in this case, me… drinks instead”.

It was a good game to get drunk and actually learn a thing or two about them without breaking too many rules — Jay found out Jake preferred comedy films over horror, sports over reading, and American food over Korean. Jay smiled — he preferred Korean food, though his mum made great American dishes, and he occasionally missed different flavours.

He also discovered he preferred cool weather over hot.

And a lot of people had to drink, including him.

“We’ve got a few things in common…” Jake said before Jay followed the others’ lead and went to sleep since it was already light outside, and they had a busy day ahead. He smiled, tipsy. “That’s nice”.

“If it’s so nice, why didn’t you pick me yesterday?”

Jake’s mouth opened and closed, surprised by the boldness.

He probably hadn’t expected Jay to ask that in his face, and Jay wouldn’t have, but they’d had too much to drink, and he always got more talkative and a bit braver when he was drunk.

“And how do you know I didn’t pick you?”

Because no one had picked him.

No one.

Jay shrugged, sighing deeply.

“Do you want to chat a bit more?” Jake asked, gesturing to the swing on the front porch. Jay was exhausted. He’d drunk more than he should have, and his mind needed rest, but maybe it was worth taking the opportunity. He’d promised his mum he’d try. “Just a bit?”

Jay nodded, smiling, standing up and helping Jake.

They sat on the swing and nearly fell off but ended up laughing.

They were extremely close because of how the swing was designed, so Jay, out of instinct, tried to catch Jake’s scent to get a hint about his sub-gender — something he’d been curious about for a while.

Jake looked at him, amused.

“Are you trying to sniff me?”

Jay wrinkled his nose, “Force of habit?!”

“If you keep doing that, you might reveal more than you should”.

“Betas and omegas sniff too!” Jay defended himself.

He’d never taken the whole sub-gender thing seriously, never cared much about how social dynamics worked, but of course, he knew a thing or two, having been around for a while and considering himself open-minded and flexible on that.

“What would you do...” Jake said after taking another sip of his now probably warm beer. “If you were interested in one of us and found out their sub-gender wasn’t what you usually go for?”

“I don’t have a specific sub-gender in mind”.

Jake seemed surprised by how quickly Jay answered.

Jay laughed, “I’ve been in relationships with people of the same sub-gender as me and with sub-genders some people usually avoid...”, he chose his words carefully since they couldn’t dive too deep into this. “So, I don’t really care. Of course, there’s curiosity and stereotypes, but that’s just it because I’m open to any sub-gender”.

Jake looked at him with curious dark eyes.

He seemed interested in that answer.

“I wasn’t expecting that!” they both laughed, leaning into each other’s personal space like magnets. Jay thought Jake could be an interesting choice for a first date. “Interesting, Jay. Pretty interesting”.

Jay nodded, moistening his lips.

He wanted to ask Jake more questions, but he knew they needed to sleep and that he could sometimes overstep, so he let the conversation flow naturally until they headed to their rooms.

Jongseong knew he was being filmed and that people would see exactly what he was feeling at that moment, but he didn’t want to pretend he wasn’t happy or that he wouldn’t go to sleep hugging his pillow with a smile. The conversation with Jake had felt promising, full of possibilities.

˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

A loud, irritating alarm woke everyone up.

They’d overslept — no surprise, since they’d been drinking until dawn and clearly wouldn’t have heard their alarms even if they’d pretended to be up for it.

Jay got out of bed wrapped in his blanket from head to toe, eyes half-closed and sore from the few hours of sleep after a long night of booze, laughter, and interesting conversations on a cramped swing.

He was surprised to see the noticeboard outside.

There was a stamp in it — that’s when he realised Sunoo was the only one who’d woken up early. He was in workout gear, headphones on, a cap flipped backwards and drenched in sweat from head to toe.

“How did you manage to wake up?” Heeseung asked.

Sunoo took off his headphones, “Routine…”

Jay rolled his eyes, forgetting about the cameras.

Sunoo looked at him incredulously but didn’t say anything.

“You lot need to check the messages on your phones”, he said instead of calling out Jay’s rude behaviour, peeling off his sweat-soaked top. And, of course, all eyes turned to him because Sunoo was literally shirtless, and, unlike what he seemed with all those layers of clothes, his body was bloody impressive. “They’ve explained the task”.

Jay was genuinely surprised by his physique.

It was completely different from what he’d expected.

He checked his messages — they’d be having a one-on-one date.

It was the first date of the season.

He wanted the chance to go out with Jake.

Jake walked up to the board and stamped a blank space that said ‘afternoon tea date’ — and if Jay was quick, he could stamp right below it because there was space for one more person.

Jungwon moved much faster than him and stamped his name.

Heeseung, who was clearly anxious next to Jay, ran a hand over the back of his neck and moved towards the board at the same time as Jay, but unlike Jay, he stamped right below Sunoo’s name to go on the afternoon tea date with him. And Sunghoon stamped his name below Jungwon’s — they’d be having a riverside date.

Jay blinked, stunned, because everything was happening way too fast.

And for some reason, he felt his heart race.

He shot an uncomfortable glance at Jake, who nodded back with a smile, encouraging him not to feel too pressured as he stamped his own name next to Jake’s for their park date.

“You’ve got to stamp it” Sunoo said, obviously. “Or you won’t be able to leave the house and will spend the whole afternoon alone... which, technically, is also a date…” he smiled at Jake.

Jay frowned, confused by his interference.

Maybe he knew something Jay didn’t.

“I want to go to the park” Jake suggested with a smile, moving closer to Jay so he’d understand they could go out together. It wasn’t a problem. They’d chatted a lot, so it’d be fun to have some extra time alone. “Come to the park with me, Jay!”

He saw Sunoo roll his eyes and Heeseung laugh as Sunghoon and Jungwon went inside to get ready — they seemed way too relaxed for people about to go on such a sudden date. Jay sighed deeply and, after a lot of hesitation, stamped his name next to Jake’s so they could go to the park together.

Jake nudged Jay’s shoulder with his, “So we’re going to the park together...”, he grinned. “I’m wearing green. Want to match?”

He’d never done that before.

He’d dated quite a bit, been married, and done couple-y things, but he’d never really been in a romantic relationship where they wore matching colours or shared clothes because he’d never dated people who were into that sort of thing.

The people he’d been with thought it was cheesy.

“I’m fine with that!” he said with a shy smile.

Jake smiled back, gesturing towards the door before heading off to, presumably, get changed while they still had some time left before heading out for their respective dates — Jay bit his cheeks and frowned, surprised to find that behaviour charming.

He glanced at Heeseung and left.

He had to look good.

He didn’t need to overdo it, but he wanted to look good enough that Jake wouldn’t have eyes for anyone else after their date — so, very likely, he wouldn’t have to stress about the next day’s voting because dates always led to votes.

˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

Jake laughed, throwing his head back.

He was fun.

Jay had noticed a few similarities during their last game of ‘this or that’ and had shared a good laugh with him during their recent chat at the house, but now it was official — Shim Jae-yoon was genuinely hilarious and entertaining. He was easygoing and made things feel relaxed despite the pressure of being filmed.

Honestly, it felt like hanging out with a best mate.

That’s how Jay felt around Jake, like he was catching up with a long-lost friend whom he hadn’t seen in ages. Jake was straightforward and kind in everything he said, always encouraging Jay to open up about how he was finding the experience, but without overdoing it.

There were no exaggerations — and Jay liked that.

He liked people who knew how to strike the right balance, and Jake was just that.

“Oh!” Jake pointed at the pendant Jay was fiddling with. “I’ve got one just like it too”, he said, rolling up his sleeve to show his bracelet. It was the exact same pendant, just in different colours. “How funny!”

“My mum gave it to me”, Jay smiled, showing it off.

“For your fifteenth birthday?”  Jake asked as if it were the most obvious thing. Like he’d been through the same thing. Jay stared at him. “My mum gave me mine on my fifteenth birthday...” he laughed.

It was official.

They’re a match.

They had a lot in common, and it was clear they’d been raised with similar cultural values. Because of that, Jay could see himself with Jake.

He knew his mum would probably approve, especially because Jake seemed incredibly kind, intelligent and polite — the kind of son-in-law any mum would love to show off to her friends. Plus, they wouldn’t have to worry about cultural differences, something that had been an issue with his ex.

So — suddenly — he could picture himself going on more dates with Jake, getting to know him better over the days, flirting a bit if possible, and likely deepening an emotional connection until it was enough to try something beyond friendship.

At first, he hadn’t thought he’d get to this point, and if he used his rational side, it was way too early. But now he could genuinely see the chance of them reaching a stage where something more could happen.

“... I think you’re really calm and kind”, Jay explained why he’d chosen to go out with him. “We’ve had good conversations, we were the first in the house, and it’s been fun getting to know you because I think we have a lot in common. I also like how you take care of others and are always smiling”.

Jake laughed, “You noticed all that in...?”

“Three days!” Jay chuckled. He knew it was early, but he’d genuinely noticed all that in such a short time because Jake was like the centre of attention. He was always starting conversations, making someone laugh, and suggesting games to keep everyone entertained. It was hard not to notice him. “How about you?”

Jake feigned innocence, “What about me?”

Jay rolled his eyes — Jake knew exactly what he was asking.

“I think you... ah, you’re still quite reserved. Of course, we chat, and you laugh a lot, you seem more relaxed with me, but when we’re in a group, you’re a bit more closed off”, he said pointedly, meeting Jay’s curious and surprised gaze. “It’s probably because of the cameras”.

“I take a while to warm up”.

“I noticed!” Jake laughed, taking a photo of Jay. He shook the photo in the air for a moment before checking it. It had turned out great. “But I think, after a while, you’ll open up more. I think you’ll have a better feel for the situation and then it’ll be easier to understand how it works for you”.

It was a spot-on observation of who Jay was, and it made him want to smile because it meant Jake was paying attention to him too, which could indicate he wasn’t the only one interested — but he didn’t smile because he knew they were being filmed, and his feelings would be obvious.

He didn’t want it to be more obvious than it already was.

Their phones buzzed with a notification.

Jake looked at Jay with wide but excited eyes before grabbing his phone to check the message from production. They’d been expecting a voting session at the end of the night, like in previous seasons, but the message said the complete opposite.

Jay’s jaw dropped.

“‘You will reveal how long you were married, the reason for your divorce and how long you’ve been single since your divorce’” Jake read, surprised, putting a hand over his mouth. It was different from the first seasons. In the other seasons the participants did the voting dynamic twice — once for first impressions and again for best second impressions. “‘Participants, we’ll see you at the house for an enlightening dinner’. Woah, so today’s the day…”

Jay felt his heart race.

He wasn’t ready to talk about that yet.

It wasn’t the easiest topic in his life, and he wanted more time to let Jake get to know him without him coming across as some desperate idiot who’d accept anything just to be in the arms of someone who clearly hadn’t loved him for a long time — he was scared.

Jay held onto his necklace pendant, “Yeah, looks like today’s the day”.

And maybe it was the day a lot of things would change.

Chapter Text

WARNING: Mentions of abusive relationships, physical violence and ghosting.

Jay wished he had a bit more time for people to get to know him better, especially since, according to Jake’s observation, he was extremely reserved and distant from the other participants because he had a personality that took a while to ‘warm up’.

So, he really wanted more time.

Partly because, with more time, he could put in more effort to show people that he was much better than his history with his ex-husband made him seem. He could also get to know the other participants without constantly wondering if they thought he was pathetic.

And partly because more time would ease his anxiety.

“... woah, why is everyone so dressed up today?” Jay turned his head at the sound of Jungwon’s cheerful voice. He’d arrived back with Jake not long ago, showered, changed, and left again to avoid overthinking. “Sunghoon-ssi, hurry the fuck up!”

Jay blinked, surprised.

Jungwon grew quite close to Sunghoon.

In fact, everyone seemed to have grown closer to the people they’d gone on dates with. Jay also felt closer to Jake, but the tone of Jungwon’s voice suggested a different level of closeness, as if they were already a couple.

Jay smiled at Heeseung, who was sitting right across from him.

“Did you have fun on your date?”

He nodded, biting his cheeks, “Mhm. And you?”

Heeseung didn’t need to answer — his excited eyes said everything Jay needed to know about the date he’d had with Sunoo that afternoon. Plus, he’d stamped his name with determination when they were choosing their pairs for the date.

“So much! He’s really fun”, Heeseung laughed. “Different from what I was expecting, funnier than you can imagine and less stressed, which was a bit surprising, so it was really fun, and we talked a lot”.

Jay found it hard to think of Sunoo as ‘funny’.

Stressed? Absolutely. Without a doubt, Sunoo fit the stressed vibe, but Heeseung seemed to have a different view of his personality, and Jay couldn’t argue since they hadn’t talked much, and his date that day had been with Jake, not Sunoo.

“What are you guys talking about?” Jungwon sat down next to Jay, with Sunghoon in the chair beside him. Jake sat next to Heeseung a few minutes later. “... I was really surprised when we got the message because, like, in the other seasons, it wasn’t like this. This information was only given on the sixth night, right? But here we are!”

Jay laughed nervously, shooting a panicked look at Jake.

He wished Jake had sat next to him — it would’ve been more comfortable, and maybe he’d feel less terrified about doing this so quickly.

The door opened, and Sunoo, who seemed to have lost track of time, walked out dressed head to toe in black.

It was a very different style from the first few days when he’d worn bright colours. Now, he was in a black t-shirt, a black cap, and baggy black trousers. A dark aura.

That’s how Jay referred to Sunoo — a ‘dark aura’.

He was probably an alpha or beta.

More likely a beta, given his indifferent behaviour.

Heeseung leaned over to talk to Sunoo, “Feeling better?”

Sunoo nodded, pouting.

Jay couldn’t help it — he widened his eyes because he’d been thinking of Sunoo as a ‘dark aura’ less than five minutes ago, and here was the same guy who seemed irritated, pouting like some cute, soft person.

Plus, what was wrong with him?

“Did you feel unwell?” Jay found himself asking.

Sunoo looked at him with some indifference but seemed surprised.

“I had a headache”, he replied bluntly, adjusting in his chair before diverting his gaze and the topic. “... is everyone anxious about today’s revelations, or am I the only one pissed off with this crap?”

See? Stressed.

Whenever Jay tried to talk to Sunoo, he treated him with that cold, indifferent attitude, so it was hard to think he had any other personality than a dark, thorny one.

Heeseung must’ve really been interested in him.

Everyone’s phones buzzed.

It was time.

They were going to reveal how long they’d been married and why they’d decided to divorce — for the participants and the whole world to see.

“How do you want to do this?” Sunghoon asked, passing a glass of wine to Jungwon. Jay found their relaxed behaviour quite nice. “For some reason, I think you’re the oldest”.

Jake feigned offence, “Why me?”

Sunghoon shrugged, and Jungwon laughed.

“You give off that vibe”, Sunoo agreed.

Jake rolled his eyes, annoyed.

He pointed at Heeseung, “I think Heeseung-ssi is the oldest among us, so he should start. It’s only fair!”

“Woah, I’m not the oldest by a long shot”.

Jay snorted — maybe he was the oldest.

But he wasn’t going to say.

“Whatever!” Sunghoon teased. “I’ll start since no one else has the guts to talk about this...” he rolled his eyes, looking around. But suddenly, it was as if a tension had settled over everyone, and Jay realised he wasn’t the only one anxious about the idea of discussing this. “So, I was married for...”

Jay bit his lower lip, leaning forward to see him better.

He couldn’t believe Sunghoon was actually going first.

“I was in a relationship for 1 year and 9 months”, he finally answered, making everyone nod patiently. Sunghoon smiled as if he didn’t know how to answer the rest. “... and as for the reason we separated, it was because... um-”, he gritted his teeth.

Jay understood.

Divorce isn’t an easy or simple topic to talk about.

Not in the country they lived in because it was kind of taboo.

“Turns out we ended up getting pregnant”, he gestured, moistening his lips and scratching the back of his neck. “We’d been dating for 9 months, then we found out we were going to have a baby. I really liked this person, and they really liked me...”, they couldn’t reveal the genders of their exes because it might suggest their sub-genders or preferences. “We decided to get married because it seemed like the right thing to do”.

He was smiling as he spoke, but he looked sad. Really sad.

Jay noticed Jungwon placing a hand over Sunghoon’s.

“We were married for about three months, then we got into a car accident and had a miscarriage”, Sunghoon nodded, biting his lip. Jay felt his heart shatter. Everyone seemed deeply moved by what he had just shared. “We tried to stay together for a while longer. In total, our relationship lasted nearly two years, but eventually, they realised they couldn’t be with me anymore”.

“Was it your partner who asked for the divorce?” Heeseung asked kindly, handing Sunghoon a napkin. Sunghoon nodded firmly.

“That must have been tough for you both. I’m so sorry for your loss”.

Sunghoon nodded again, sniffling with a quiet smile.

“It was hard”, he admitted. “But it was the right thing to do. We weren’t happy together, so it made sense to go through with the divorce. And because of that, it was pretty smooth. Since then, I’ve been single for two months”.

Jay’s eyes widened.

That wasn’t long at all.

 “Bloody hell! That’s not long at all”, Sunoo said, voicing exactly what Jay had been thinking but hadn’t dared to say. He wasn’t judging Sunghoon. Jay didn’t believe there was the right’ time to start looking for love again, but the fact remained that Sunghoon had lost a baby. Maybe this wasn’t the best time to start dating again. “... are you really ready for that?”

 “I’ve thought about it a lot, whether I’m ready or not, but when I got married, I realised pretty quickly that it was what I wanted”, Sunghoon wiped his eyes, gesturing towards Jungwon, who had whispered something to him. “I really want to love someone and be loved in return. I’d love to have a healthy relationship. So yes, I am fucking ready”.

Sunoo nodded as if he’d truly accepted the explanation.

The atmosphere had turned so heavy that it was hard to keep up when Jake suddenly decided to speak, already visibly emotional from everything Sunghoon had shared.

“In my case…” he gestured to himself. “They were the ones who asked for the separation. Well, actually… they just vanished”.

 “What?” Sunoo’s eyes widened. “What do you mean by vanished?”

Jake hesitated before answering.

They all had a limit on how much they could share about their ex-partners, so it was understandable that he was trying to phrase it carefully.

“One day, they just took all their stuff from our flat and stopped answering my calls”.

Silence. Deep, profound silence.

Had he really been abandoned without an explanation?

“Honestly, I’ve always had trouble in relationships, but when I met the person I married, it felt different for me…” he let out a dry laugh, rolling his eyes. “My family really supported us and we were married for three years before the split, which basically happened when I got a letter from the court telling me I needed to sign the divorce papers”.

 “That’s fucking mental!” Heeseung turned fully towards Jake.

Jake let out a wry chuckle.

“I know, right? I had no clue what was going on. One day, I went to work, and when I came back, they were just… gone. All their stuff had disappeared, and no one could tell me where they’d gone”, he gestured impatiently. It was the first time Jay had ever seen him genuinely annoyed. “It was humiliating”.

“Did you two ever speak again?”

“Never!” Jake answered Sunghoon immediately. “I didn’t even see them when I went to sign the papers. There was just a lawyer with a court order in their place. So, no, we never saw each other again”.

 “What a wanker” Sunoo muttered, arms crossed, looking like a gangster about to start a fight. “Do you want me to off them?”

Everyone burst out laughing.

It was inevitable.

This was exactly what Jay meant when he thought about the dark side of Sunoo’s personality — he was the kind of person who’d actually go through with murdering someone if necessary, and it didn’t take long to figure that out.

“Nah, you’re alright. You can keep your clean record for another occasion, cheers”, Jake laughed. He looked annoyed and bitter about how his marriage had ended, but he didn’t seem devastated. “As for how long I’ve been divorced… yeah, I’ve been single for two years and five months”.

Jay wanted to comfort him, even if he didn’t seem to need it.

“Was there any reason you decided to start looking for love again now, or was it more of a spur-of-the-moment thing?” Jungwon asked.

Jake pondered before answering.

“Ah, bit of both, really. It just sort of happened, so I don’t have any grand reason for deciding to start dating again now. This program seemed like a good idea because, honestly? I’m sick to death of meeting absolute bellends…”

The group laughed. They always ended up laughing in the end.

It was light-hearted.

And Jay felt less pressured.

“I reckon I’m the same” Jungwon nodded at Jake before turning back to Sunghoon, who was still teary-eyed. It must have been incredibly difficult for him to talk about this. “... I’m really sorry you weren’t given a choice in how things ended. I think that person was absolutely heartless for not even giving you the chance to prepare for what was coming”.

Jay agreed.

People needed to communicate better.

They couldn’t just disappear and notify their partner that the marriage was over like that — it was completely unfair.

 “I’ve been divorced for three years and eight months”, Jay heard himself say before his brain even registered that he was ready to go next. Everyone turned to look at him. “Ah, in my case, the divorce was because of cheating…” he held onto the pendant around his neck.

“Whose side?” Sunoo asked curiously.

Jay shot him an uncomfortable look, “Theirs”.

Everyone nodded in understanding.

It was obvious that Jay wasn’t the kind of person who could betray someone’s trust, and after nine days, Sunoo should have realised that Jay’s personality wouldn’t allow him to be that cruel.

“We’re together for a total of seven years. Met at uni, became friends, dated for five years. Were married for two before the divorce”, he explained anxiously, pressing the pendant between his fingers. It felt odd having so many eyes on him. “The truth is, they had cheated before. While we were dating, we broke up multiple times because of it, but I always ended up going back to them because I was in love”.

“So they mugged you off from the start?”

Jay shot Sunoo an annoyed look.

It wasn’t as if it was a lie, but he could have been a bit more tactful instead of making it sound like Jay was a complete muppet for falling for it in the first place. “Sort of...” he replied through gritted teeth. He wasn’t too keen on Sunoo’s personality. “This person had their own issues and traumas to deal with, but I always thought we’d figure things out, and in the end, there was nothing left to be done”.

Sunoo nodded.

“So, this person ended up cheating on you again?”

“Mmh-hmm”, why was he so bloody interested in talking about the fact that Jay had been cheated on instead of asking something else? “We were married for two years, and for nine months, this person carried on with someone else…” this was the part that stung. Yeonjun had cheated on Jay with a mutual friend, someone Jay had trusted. “With someone we knew”.

“Bloody hell!” Jake’s jaw practically hit the floor. “A friend?”

“A way too close one. Someone I’d known since childhood, someone I grew up with…” Jay nodded, licking his lips. “I thought they were someone I could trust, someone I could turn to when things weren’t going well but it turns out that wasn’t the case at all. They were having an affair, and I caught them together one day...” he swallowed hard. “In our own home”.

Sunghoon’s expression mirrored exactly what Jay had felt when he realised the truth — his husband was nothing more than a complete tosser who couldn’t keep it in his trousers and would rather shatter Jay’s heart a thousand times over than just leave and let him find happiness elsewhere.

Jongseong regretted every single chance he had given him.

He had tried his best, given Yeonjun everything, made him the centre of his entire universe, and in the end, he walked away with nothing but a broken heart, because that was all Yeonjun had to offer. “They got married a month after our divorce, and now they have a three-year-old child”.

Jungwon covered his mouth, utterly shocked.

“Christ! They were expecting a baby while you were still married to them?”  Heeseung asked, shifting in his seat. Jay nodded. That was the most pathetic part. It wasn’t just that he had been cheated on repeatedly, but the fact that, while they were together, his ex-husband and his lover had been preparing to have a child. “That’s proper fucked up, Jay-ssi”.

Jay thought Yeonjun was a massive jerk.

“Was the divorce rough?” Jake asked.

“Yeah! The person wanted half of everything I had since we were married because that’s the kind of agreement we had, so it was exhausting because I didn’t think it was fair”, he admitted. “But in the end, I gave in and just followed what our marriage contract stated”.

Sunoo uncrossed his arms to grab a drink, “So they even got to walk away with your money?” he shook his head in disbelief. Jay puffed his cheeks out. In truth, he would have given up even more money just to get it over with because he was sick of crying over it. “When we leave here, we should take a shit on their doorstep”.

“Why do you say things like that?” Heeseung burst out laughing, turning fully towards Sunoo. ‘Because he’s trying to lighten the mood’, Jay thought for the first time. Everyone always laughed when Sunoo said things like that, so it made sense that he was just trying to make things feel less grim. It was intriguing. “Don’t listen to him, Jay-ssi, we’re not shitting on anyone’s doorstep”.

“Speak for yourself”, Sunoo smirked. “If you’re in, I’m in”.

Jay let out a quiet chuckle, rolling his eyes.

He appreciated the effort, but he wasn’t doing that.

“I’d rather they live happily ever after and just let me live my own life in peace”, he giggles, gesturing for Sunoo to stop, and Sunoo simply shrugged, leaning against Jake as if they’d been best mates for ages and it was completely normal to do that.

He reached for a glass of wine, finally feeling like he had moved past that phase, now able to relax even just a little, since he no longer had to think about how to string together the words to explain how his marriage had ended in complete disaster.

“I was married-”

“I’ve been divorced for-”

Jay didn’t know where to look because Sunoo and Jungwon spoke at the same time, but in the end, Jungwon got the floor, since the blond was clearly trying to be considerate.

Jungwon cleared his throat, smiling in appreciation.

“I got married out of convenience, to someone I had known since we were young”, he gestured to himself, looking around to make sure everyone understood what he was trying to say. “We were best mates and this person knew my family well. I come from a pretty dysfunctional home, with a difficult mum and back then this person offered to help me...” he explained to them. “We were engaged for a long time, then my mum passed away, and shortly after, I got married”.

“You got married to get away from home?”

“Huh. I knew I wouldn’t still be here today if I hadn’t found a way out from my family, so getting married at that time felt like the only possible solution I had…” Jungwon nodded at Jake. “My dad passed away after two years, so a few months later, we got divorced because, despite having a lot of respect and care for each other, we weren’t in love”.

“It was your way of escaping”, Heeseung agreed.

“Yeah, yeah. It was my way of escaping, keeping myself mentally sane and physically safe from everything”, he rolled his eyes because that was all he could do now. “So you could say I wasn’t really married, since there were no real marital ties, but we were legally wed. And yesterday marked four years since I got divorced”.

Sunghoon raised his eyebrows, “Four years?!”

“Uh-huh. Our marriage only lasted two years, so it’s been ages”.

With every story Jay heard, he realised he wasn’t the only one carrying baggage that made him feel uneasy and anxious. They had all been through tough and messy breakups — even Jungwon, with his supposedly ‘amicable’ split, had been through something difficult with his parents and had ended up in a relationship based purely on self-preservation.

Perhaps he was an omega because some omegas sought relationships with alphas for protection, financial and emotional stability, and physical security — it would make sense with his story.

Jay shook his head, scolding himself for even thinking about it.

“Do you want to go first?” Sunoo asked Heeseung, who shook his head.

He smiled and adjusted in his chair, grabbing what must’ve been his fifth or sixth glass of wine before looking around and deciding to start talking about how long he’d been married, why they’d split, and how long he’d been divorced — Jay wished he’d just get on with it.

Sunoo clicked his tongue and twisted his lip.

“I also...” he gestured to Jungwon. “Got married young. I was young, ah... when I got married. And the reason I got married was because of my parents too. They were always very strict, religious and authoritarian over me all my life, so I didn’t have much of a choice back then”.

“Was the person older than you?” Sunghoon wanted to know.

Sunoo thought about it, “About 5 years older...” he nodded, taking a deep breath. He drank from his wine again before continuing. “I was married for 5 years, and it was always a turbulent, violent and disrespectful relationship for me”, he said seriously. Jay looked at Sunoo with new eyes. If he’d been in an abusive relationship, it made sense that he was always on the defensive and ready for action. “It was toxic and violent shit”.

“Did they hurt you?” Jay heard himself ask. “They hit you?”

Sunoo looked at him coldly.

“Mmh-hmm. We had that kinda of relationship”, he nodded, biting his cheek. “There was a lot of verbal and emotional shit, which, at least for me, was much worse than the physical violence. Back then, I could handle being treated that way, but mentally, it was really hard to live like that because it was always so... complicated”.

“I’m really sorry about that”, Jake held Sunoo’s hand.

Sunoo nodded with a smile, “It’s okay now. I’ve been in therapy and I have a more comfortable life. But it was complicated getting here. I had to go through a lot to get divorced because the other person didn’t want the divorce. This person has an important social position, so they didn’t want anyone to know who they really were...” he explained to everyone. Jay sighed in frustration. He’d thought his breakup was complicated but Sunoo was on another level. “So, we reached a breaking point when something really serious happened, and I couldn’t take it anymore”.

“Can’t you talk about it?”

Sunoo shook his head — maybe if he talked about it, it would give away some information that wasn’t supposed to be revealed yet to the participants or the public. But Jay started imagining a thousand scenarios because it was hard to figure out how someone socially important would accept a divorce unless they’d made a huge mistake.

And, honestly, he didn’t want to think about Sunoo suffering.

“My parents also passed away”, Sunoo gestured again to Jungwon, as if he knew exactly what he’d been through to achieve freedom. “Which made the divorce and everything more possible for me”.

“Have you been divorced for long?” Heeseung asked.

“It’s been 2 years”, Sunoo looked at him with a smile. “I’ve literally been single for 2 years because I decided to focus on myself, went to therapy and now, after so much work on me, I know I’m ready for a relationship again”.

Heeseung nodded thoughtfully.

He was probably very interested in Sunoo.

Jongseong wanted the chance to talk to Sunoo and Sunghoon at some point, to tell them how strong he thought they were for everything they’d been through. He also wanted to talk to Jake because no one should be abandoned — as for Jungwon, it seemed his divorce had been truly amicable and the only option for the others.

“Looks like it’s my turn…” Heeseung laughed. “And I think my breakup was similar to yours”, he said, pointing at Jungwon. “Of course I sympathise and feel really sad for you guys, but my breakup was also amicable, and it was the best decision for both of us...” he gestured. “I was married for 9 months, and I’ve been divorced for a year and a half. The person I was with was introduced to me by a matchmaker”, he laughed, shaking his head.

“Woah, you must be from a traditional family”.

Heeseung thought for a moment, “I don’t think so. It was more like, ‘Oh, you must be tired of looking for a marriage, let’s find someone interesting for you, don’t worry’, you know?” he laughed at his own impression. Sunoo laughed heartily. “But basically, we got married because the matchmaker said it would work out, but clearly, it didn’t!”

“Did you break up because of differences?”

“Actually, we broke up because I worked too much”.

“What do you mean?” Sunghoon laughed. “Who breaks up a marriage because one person works too much? Shouldn’t work help?!”

Heeseung made a face, “In my case, I really worked excessively. I was a workaholic. I was rarely home, never had the energy to do couple things, so it just got harder and harder...” he shrugged. “So, the other person asked for a divorce because they wanted to be happy in a different way, and I didn’t think it was fair to continue if it was like that, especially since we wanted different things”.

“Ah, so your future plans didn’t align either?”

“Not at all!” Heeseung denied, clearly frustrated. Jay’s eyes moved toward Sunoo, who was listening intently to everything Heeseung had to say. “We had very different interests in life. The future the other person wanted was completely against what I wanted, so we ended up understanding it was really for the best”.

It made sense.

An amicable breakup was better than a hostile one.

Jay had a thousand questions for Jungwon, for Sunghoon.

Even for Sunoo — he had so many questions for Sunoo.

He wanted to know what it was like to go through a toxic relationship and how it felt now that he was free to choose. He wanted to know if he was really okay and if things had truly ended because he knew many people who’d been in toxic relationships and were still clinging to their feelings out of fear.

Was he still afraid?

Was he sure why he was on this show?

They were silly questions and serious ones.

Their phones buzzed — Jay grabbed his.

Everyone reacted in surprise to the message, “‘You will be divided into two groups of three, and each group will participate in an activity to establish connections. The groups will be formed randomly...’” he read aloud with a laugh. “‘You must go to the dining room, where you’ll find a box and draw a coloured ball that will show which group you’ll be in for tomorrow’s outdoor activity’”.

They exchanged glances before starting to get up.

Sunghoon was the first to reach the dining room, Jay was the last.

“How are we doing this?” Jungwon asked.

“All at the same time?” Heeseung suggested, since the box was spacious enough for everyone to put a hand in and try to grab a ball. “I think that works, so no one gets stressed”.

They agreed because it was the only option.

Each of them put a hand inside the box.

“On three?” Sunghoon suggested. He looked around at the other participants with a smile. “One...” he said, and Jay automatically grabbed a ball. “Two...” he smiled even wider, eager for the reveal. Jay wanted to get it over with and find out if he’d be in the same group as Jake. “Three!”

When he pulled his hand out of the box, holding a ball, his eyes were closed out of pure reflex, and he was extremely surprised to hear Jungwon and Heeseung exclaim at the same time about having drawn the same colour — he opened his eyes and looked at the ball in his hand.

Yellow.

He lifted his head, looking around.

His heart almost stopped.

“Looks like we’re having another date, Jay-ssi!” Jake said excitedly, showing that he’d also drawn a yellow ball. It was a huge relief. He always felt more comfortable with Jake by his side and had really been hoping to go out with him again. “Ah, Sunoo-ssi. You too?”

Jay’s expression paled.

He had questions for Sunoo, but he didn’t want a date with him.

He was the only one Jay didn’t want to go on a date with.

“Brilliant...” he muttered impatiently.

Sunoo sighed, “Looks like we’re having a threesome…”

Chapter Text

Their meet-up was to be an activity at a pottery studio.

Jay had never done pottery before, nor had he ever been on a triple date, but he was buzzing because Jake would be there, and they’d built a bit of a bond over the last few days. They’d been chatting loads and were always doing things together around the house, so he wasn’t as nervous as he’d been the first time.

He’d woken up early, washed his hair, picked out an outfit he felt comfy in, and headed to the car. Sunoo was the second to get in, greeting him with the same expression he always wore — apart from the smile he usually saved for Heeseung. He was dressed in black.

He’d been wearing a lot of black lately.

“Did you sleep well?” Sunoo asked out of the blue, buckling his seatbelt.

Jay had hoped Sunoo would sit in the back, given how obvious it was that Jay and Jake had been getting on like a house on fire, but he’d plonked himself in the passenger seat. “... Heeseung had trouble sleeping. We were up till the wee hours”.

Jay wasn’t surprised.

He’d also struggled to nod off, and it wasn’t exactly a shock that Sunoo had spent the night chatting with Heeseung.

They seemed pretty keen on each other, so it made sense.

“I had a rough time too”, Jay admitted.

Sunoo nodded, licking his lips.

He kept glancing around, checking his reflection on every shiny surface in the car and sighing deeply now and then, as if he were bored out of his mind, “Are you having fun in here?”

Sunoo looked at him.

“AI’d say so”.

Jay nodded patiently, looking around.

Jake needed to hurry up so the vibe could improve.

“It’s been a different experience…” Sunoo added, adjusting his jumper.

Jay watched his movements quietly.

Sunoo seemed like someone who had their life together — everything had its place, and he was very tidy. “And you?”

Jay smirked. “It’s been a bit of a challenge”.

“A challenge?” Sunoo raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

But before Jay could answer, Jake came bounding out the door, waving and heading to the car, cutting the conversation short. He nearly opened the passenger door but clocked it was already taken and hopped in the back, laughing.

“I went blind for a sec and didn’t see you there”, he explained, buckling up. Jay turned to hand him the coffee he’d saved for him. “Thanks!” Jake replied in English, with a spot-on accent. Jay could feel Sunoo’s eyes on them. “You look proper good in black, Sunoo-ssi. Suits your skin tone”.

Sunoo nodded, turning back to face the front.

Jay wanted to ask if he was alright, but there was probably some awkwardness because Jake and Jay had been chatting non-stop lately, and the others had been going on about how well they got on. It must’ve been a bit odd for Sunoo to share a date with them.

“Shall we head off?” Jay asked, starting the car and checking the mirror to make sure Jake was ready. “We’re off to a pottery studio. Have you lot been to one before?”

Sunoo fixed his hair, putting on his sunglasses. “Once”.

“I actually go whenever I can”, Jake chimed in, rolling down the window to take in the view. They had a 45-minute drive ahead, so there was plenty of time to natter in the car. “I like this kind of thing — it’s dead relaxing”.

“I’ve never been in one before”, Jay admitted.

They chatted loads — Jay and Jake, that is.

Sunoo was more reserved, only answering direct questions.

He didn’t join in much, and part of Jay was relieved because it made it easier to pretend it wasn’t weird having a third wheel tagging along.

It was like Sunoo was, in a way, invisible.

Jay knew it was a bit harsh to think that, but there wasn’t much he could do. They didn’t have much to talk about and Sunoo seemed proper uncomfortable, especially since the other two were so lively and full of things to share with each other.

He probably regretted sitting up in front.

When they arrived at the studio, they were greeted by a lovely lass with pink hair and a kind smile. She explained how the class would work, where the protective gear was, and that she’d be around if they needed help since it was a group activity.

Jake sat between them.

They worked in complete silence.

Partly because the instructor was explaining things, and partly because they’d already chatted loads, and it felt like the right time to recharge before grabbing a cuppa. Jay was surprisingly good at pottery. He’d never done it before, but it was dead easy, and he was having a blast.

“Do you have a type?”

Sunoo, who was completely focused on the mug he was shaping, looked up, his hair falling into his eyes. It was the first time Jay really noticed them — they were proper striking, like a fox’s and ridiculously hazelnut.

“Someone reliable”, Sunoo replied. Jay liked reliable people too, especially since he’d been burned before. “I like it when someone gives off that vibe, like I can trust them and they show it through their actions to me, you know? Respect, too. I don’t care much about looks — it’s not what draws me in. But trust and respect? That’s the good stuff”.

Jake nodded, still working on his plate.

“I think I like cheerful people”.

“Cheerful?!” Sunoo snorted. “Interesting. I thought you’d go for someone more reserved, like Jongseong-ssi”.

He was the only one who called Jay by his full name, as if to make it clear they weren’t close and probably never would be, given the cold, distant tone he always used. Jake laughed, covering his mouth.

“Jay’s not reserved!”

‘Woah, he used my name’, Jay thought.

No formalities — they were proper mates now.

Sunoo furrowed his brow.

“His personality seems reserved but Jay just needs time to warm up with someone. After that, you realise he’s really welcoming and cheerful person”, Jake explained, going back to his plate. Sunoo nodded, trying to understand, pressing the stamp with his name into the clay. “But honestly, I’ve always dated people like Heeseung-ssi”.

Jay glanced at Jake.

Heeseung clearly had a thing for Sunoo.

“Ah, you men the classic tall bloke with a bad boy vibe who’s actually a big softie?” Jay laughed, as if he knew Heeseung inside out. “He’s a sweetheart. Proper different from what you’d expect”.

“He’s like Bambi”.

Sunoo burst out laughing, “True!” he said, pointing at Jake.

Jay wasn’t sure when the conversation had turned into a bit of a chinwag about the bloke they fancied, but it was awkward since this was supposed to be a date for the three of them to get to know each other, not to gab about a fourth person.

“What about you, Jongseong-ssi?” Sunoo changed the subject.

Jay blinked, caught off guard, pretending he hadn’t been staring at the two of them. He turned his attention back to his work before answering,

“Reliable people. Someone who’s a good mate, likes spending time together and has a sense of humour because I’m always taking the mick...”

Sunoo watched him.

Jake had picked up on a few things about Jay, so he was right in saying

Jay wasn’t reserved at all.

He was a bit shy at first because it’s hard to meet new people, but otherwise, he was very sociable, full of beans, and always cracking jokes with his mates because he had a proper fun personality.

A bit later, after their pieces were done, they got a message saying they’d have one-on-one dates between the three of them — Jake and Sunoo went first, then Jay and Jake, and finally Sunoo sat across from Jay with a cup of coffee in hand.

They sat in complete silence for ages.

It was a timed date, just 20 minutes, and if they didn’t start talking, they’d be wasting time. And on this show, every second together mattered.

“Did you enjoy the date?”

Sunoo licked his lips, “It was different”.

“Yeah, it was different for me too”, Jay tried to smile.

It was awkward!

They had nothing to talk about and nothing in common, so it was obvious they wouldn’t be able to hold a conversation even if they tried really hard. It was frustrating — he could’ve been chatting to Jake about anything right now, and it would’ve been way more fun.

“Do you have loads of people you want to chat with?”

Jay stared at him for a moment.

Just one.

“One person...”

Sunoo gestured, “Just one?!”

Jay nodded.

“Woah!” Sunoo nodded, running his fingers over his neck, seemingly searching for something. Jay quickly clocked that it was a necklace. He was surprised for a split second, but then he remembered that Jake had one too. Maybe Sunoo had one for the same reason as them.  “... Interesting”.

“What about you?”

Sunoo licked his lips. “Ah, I reckon three?"

“You reckon?” Jay raised an eyebrow. “Is that even possible?”

“Well, one of the people I want to chat with already seems dead set on what they’re doing in the programme, so it’s a bit frustrating, and it makes me feel a bit wary. So, two people for sure, and one of them… kinda of”.

Jake?

Sunoo was interested in Jake?

Because Sunghoon seemed interested in Jungwon, but he wasn’t exactly making it obvious, so maybe he was one of Sunoo’s ‘for sure’ choices. But Jake seemed properly keen on Jay, so it’d make sense if he was the ‘kind of’ option.

“Got any hobbies?”

“I play the bass and the guitar”, Jay answered with a grin. “You?”

“Piano”, Sunoo fiddled with the necklace around his neck. He made a lot of eye contact, which was unexpected and a bit out of Jongseong’s comfort zone, since he wasn’t really one for heavy eye contact. But looking away felt almost impossible. “Skincare. And collecting vitamins”.

“Skincare?” Jay let out a chuckle. “Vitamins? What d’you mean?!”

Sunoo laughed back — for the first time.

“Ah, I dunno. I didn’t really care much about that stuff before, especially ‘cause before my divorce it felt like I didn’t even have the option to look after myself, you know? It wasn’t a choice...” Sunoo gestured, reaching for his coffee. “But after I got divorced, I started taking better care of myself and my health, so now it’s kind of a hobby”.

“You just go around buying skincare and vitamins?”

“It’s more fun than it sounds!” Sunoo promised, leaning back in his chair with a big smile. Jay bet it was. “When we get back home, I’ll give you some vitamins as a present. You’ll see how much good they do you, and then you can tell me what you think”.

Jay grabbed his cup from the table.

“You should take me to buy skincare. I haven’t got a clue where to start, and I think I need some decent products. The only thing I use is foundation ‘cause my mum gave it to me”.

It was the first time he’d seen Sunoo’s eyes light up — at least, in his presence — so he didn’t regret letting the words slip out before his brain had even processed their meaning. He and Sunoo would have to spend time together to go shopping, which meant they’d have to leave the house alone and wander around a shopping centre together.

“Ya! Jongseong-ssi, you can’t say stuff like that to someone who’s clearly addicted to beauty and health products!” Sunoo joked, taking another sip of his coffee. Jay rolled his eyes at him, grinning. It was the first time they’d had a light-hearted conversation — and it was about beauty products and vitamins. Unreal.

“Why do you call me Jongseong-ssi?”

Sunoo looked at him, puzzled.

“Isn’t that your name?”

Jay gestured with his hands, slightly anxious.

“Yeah, yeah! It’s my name but you’re the only one who calls me that, and I was wondering why…” he admitted. “Do you just not like me or is it some sort of attempt to wind me up by calling me that?”

Sunoo blinked. Once. Twice. Three times.

He looked properly baffled by what Jay had just said.

The bloke ran a hand through his blond hair and tilted his head.

“Did I make it seem like I was trying to wind you up?” he asked, pointing at himself, as if he were genuinely confused. Jay blinked back, startled. He probably shouldn’t have asked that. Why the hell had he asked that? Sunoo quickly shook his head, his fingers returning to his necklace. “Sometimes I might come off as a bit too blunt or nosy, and I can sound a bit sharp in conversations, but it’s never on purpose”.

Jay probably shouldn’t have asked.

It was daft.

It didn’t matter whether Sunoo called him Jongseong, Park Jongseong, or Jay — he didn’t want to make him uncomfortable, and now he couldn’t take it back and pretend he hadn’t just asked if he was trying to annoy him.

“As for the way I call you...” the blond ground his teeth slightly, his brows furrowing. “It’s ‘cause I think your name’s pretty. It’s a strong and beautiful name, so in my head, I thought it was alright to call you by your full name, Jay-ssi. I wasn’t trying to wind you up”.

Jay scratched his ear.

Sunoo liked his name?

Was that the reason he used his full name?

“Ah, did I get the wrong end of the stick?” Jay wondered. It made sense. He also thought he had a nice name, but at the same time, it was a bit weird ‘cause no one else — not even his mum— called him by his full name. But Sunoo preferred Jongseong over Jay. “Okay. Got it”.

“I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression”, Sunoo furrowed his brows again. He looked uncomfortable, just like he had at the start of this meeting. Jay wanted to smack himself. “That wasn’t my intention”.

“‘It’s alright!’” Jay quickly said, but in English. Sunoo scratched his eyebrow and, for the first time, looked away. “I misread the situation, I thought you were trying to wind me up, but I don’t mind you calling me by my full name. I was just curious and I think I worded it a bit rudely — sorry about that”.

Sunoo nodded, accepting the apology.

Jay was a proper idiot.

He could have just let it go.

“But since that's how it is...” Jongseong needed to at least smooth things over because he didn’t want Sunoo to have to end the meeting on a weird note. “If you don’t mind me asking in this way, I’d like you to call me whatever you prefer, but let’s ditch the formalities”.

Sunoo frowned, “Ditch the formalities?”

Jay gave a firm nod, stretching his hand out to Sunoo.

“Let’s scrap the formalities and talk comfortably, like we’re mates”, he suggested, hand still extended. Sunoo eyed it carefully. “What do you reckon, Sunoo?”

Sunoo’s fox-like eyes darted to Jay’s face.

He grinned, “Woah. So, we’re going informal, yeah?” Jay nodded again, pushing his hand even further towards the blond, who finally took it in a firm shake. “Alright, Jongseong. Let’s drop the formalities from now on, Jongseong. This is gonna be proper fun, Jong-”

“Alright, I get it!” Jay cut in, feigning impatience.

The two locked eyes.

It was impossible not to burst out laughing.

‘He’s different when he laughs’, Jay thought as he chuckled.

But just a minute before they could catch their breath, a message came through saying the date was over and they needed to head to the entrance to meet Jake and move on to the next location.

It took them a while to realise that, unlike what they’d thought, they wouldn’t be heading home after coffee but were instead off to some sort of camping spot to spend the night.

Jay’s eyes widened.

“We’re sleeping out? The three of us?”

A staff member gestured, confirming it.

His jaw dropped, and he turned to the other two.

“Are we really on Love After Divorce?” Sunoo teased in a playful tone, making Jay glance his way. He was still trying to process the fact that they would be sharing a tent. One of the staff handed them their backpacks, which they hadn’t even considered would be used for this date. The blond adjusted his cap. “Are you sure this isn’t Single’s Inferno?”

The whole crew laughed. “Trust me, it’s not”, director Minju replied, even more playfully. “You’ll spend the night here and head back to the mansion in the morning, but you’ve got a choice to make…”

Jay turned his attention to the director and the cameras.

“Based on your first impressions, we’ve reshuffled the groups and placed each of you in the location where the person you chose in the early days is currently staying...” the woman explained. Jay’s heart skipped a beat. No one had picked him on the first day. “One of you had the highest number of votes as the best first impression over the past days. The three of you will be separated, and the one who received the most votes gets to pick between the other two to find out who they voted for”.

Jay felt his expression pale.

He’d voted for Jake as his first impression — and if he was right, Jake had been chosen by at least one other person because he was so sociable and had had great conversations. So, Jake knew Jay had chosen him from day one.

He knew the premise of the show was to get romantically involved, but it felt too soon. He didn’t want to come across as weird or obsessed for having chosen Jake from the start like some lovesick puppy.

“But the three of you will have the option to choose whether you stay at this campsite or move to the next one to spend the rest of the night getting to know the people who chose you as their best first impressions”.

Jongseong wanted to drop to his knees and beg them not to reveal his votes.

“So...” Jake narrowed his eyes. “We’re choosing between sticking together and spending the night here or moving to another camp with the people who chose us?” he laughed as if it was the funniest thing in the world.

Jake always seemed to be having a great time.

But Jay found the whole thing a bit cruel.

It was the ninth day, and no one had picked him.

A part of him was starting to wonder if it was his fault, if he wasn’t attractive enough or if he wasn’t trying hard enough. Maybe he was spending too much time with Jake — who hadn’t picked him either — and because of that, he hadn’t had the chance to chat with the other contestants as much as he would’ve liked.

“We can only pick between ourselves?” Sunoo wanted to know. From what Jay had gathered, he was probably keen to find out if Heeseung had chosen him. “Or can we pick anyone from the cast?”

“Just between the three of you for now...” the director clarified.

The blond sighed deeply and nodded, impatient.

Then, three staff members took them apart.

Jay was the last to decide.

He wanted to stay at that camp.

He wanted to talk a bit more with Jake, spend some quality time with him because that’s what he valued most in a relationship — companionship and quality time with the person he was interested in. So, despite being slightly nerve-wracking, it was an easy choice.

Choosing to stay was a clear statement of what he wanted.

“... why do I get the feeling they’re not coming back?” he asked directly to the camera. He had patiently watched the whole crew check the cameras that had likely been installed while they were out enjoying the day, had had a bit of a chat with one of the makeup artists and had shared a few laughs too. But he had been waiting for quite a while now.

“Why d’you think that?” the director questioned.

The reason was obvious!

No one had chosen him in the last days.

“Just think it’d be hilarious if something like that happened”, he shifted the mood, picking at his cuticle. He tried to keep his face unreadable. “If no one comes back, do I actually have to stay here on my tod?”

The director nodded, confirming it.

Jay wanted to scrunch his face up, throw a wobbly, and leg it.

More time passed before the tent door finally swung open.

Jay turned fully towards the entrance.

His eyes widened at the sound of a sweet, “Hello again”.

He followed the other’s movements with sheer confusion.

“You decided to stay?” he asked before the director could say anything about Sunoo’s choice to remain at that camp. The blond nodded without even glancing at Jay. It was a surprise. “Why?”

He watched Sunoo furrow his brows as if he didn’t get the question.

But then the door opened again — Jay’s heart stopped for a brief moment — and they were utterly shocked to see Lee Heeseung stepping through the entrance of the tent they’d now be sharing for the night, completely unprepared for his arrival.

Jay’s jaw dropped, “Heeseung-ssi?”

“Evening my people!” Heeseung chuckled awkwardly, moving to sit beside Jay in front of the cameras. Sunoo cast a curious glance at Heeseung but said nothing. He must have figured out the obvious too, and Jay would love to chat about it. “... surprised?”

“Extremely”, Sunoo said.

“Not in the slightest”, Jay quipped at the same time, grinning.

“The group for Camp 1 is now full”, the director informed them, snapping them out of their thoughts. Jay turned to the woman, even more baffled, his brows shooting up. Had Jake really decided to go to the other camp? “So, the three of you will be spending the night here. Make the most of it, get to know each other better and try to make sense of your choices”.

Jake had actually chosen to switch camps?

Jay was proper baffled — he’d thought that, even if he hadn’t been anyone’s best first impression in the last nine days, all those chats and the time they’d spent together would’ve created some sort of bond. So, he’d assumed Jake would stay and Sunoo would leave.

And now, Jay had to camp with two other people.

Chapter Text

Jongseong could’ve expected anything, but he hadn’t expected Jake to be so upfront about his thoughts and feelings. He’d really thought they were getting somewhere, but the fact that Jake had chosen to move to another camp proved that Jay had completely got the wrong end of the stick.

Jake must’ve fancied someone in the second camp.

So now Jay was stuck with Heeseung and Sunoo — who were clearly into each other — because he’d misunderstood the kind of feelings Jake might have had for him. He’d genuinely thought there was mutual interest, that all those late-night chats meant they were at least heading in the same direction.

But the simple choice to leave that date camp with him and go off to be with someone else meant that maybe Jay was the only one who’d seen their time together as anything more than it was.

Sunoo cracked open the third bottle of wine, “Why so serious?”

They’d decided to have a barbecue because they were at a campsite, and it was the perfect spot for that kind of grub. So, after picking their beds and having a shower, each of them had taken on a task, and now they were sitting by the fire, sipping wine and tucking into some meat.

Heeseung had popped off to the loo.

“Do I look serious?”

“You look down and frustrated”, Sunoo said, always brutally honest.

Jay wasn’t a huge fan of that kind of personality, but he was starting to accept it because there wasn’t much he could do about it. Sunoo was a grown man, and no one in the world could change him, even if they tried.

And Jay wouldn’t try, even if he wanted to, because he was starting to appreciate Sunoo’s peculiar, straight-talking way of saying things.

It was as if Sunoo had no fear.

Jongseong blinked calmly, “How are you so confident?”

The blond looked at him, slightly confused and surprised.

Sunoo hesitated for a moment, taking a sip of wine.

“I can’t really say for sure”, he admitted. “I wasn’t always like this, but I learned bit by bit. I realised I liked myself enough to keep my chin up and act with confidence. No one else can do that for me — that was the first thought that made me stick to this mindset”, he nodded to himself, flipping the meat on the grill. “And I wasn’t lying when I said I’ve had therapy”.

Jay smirked.

‘You’re really different from what I thought’, he couldn’t help but think, realising that Sunoo’s words made sense even to Jongseong, who’d held back on certain things during his marriage because his ex-husband wasn’t sociable enough — or just didn’t like his friends — and was extremely jealous whenever Jay went out alone or took care of himself.

It was as if his ex was always suspicious.

And now, thinking about it, it made sense — his ex had been cheating and was scared Jay would do the same, which said a lot about Yeonjun.

As for Sunoo, it was unbelievable how he always had a positive outlook.

He was one of the participants with one of the messiest divorce stories, arguably the heaviest due to the domestic violence and psychological abuse he’d faced. Yet, he was always willing to see the bright side of his life now and didn’t mind making that clear.

Maybe Jongseong should be more like him.

“Maybe I should get therapy, then…”

Sunoo laughed, taking off his cap to fix his blond hair.

Jongseong had really wanted to spend the night with Jake to get to know him better, but Jake had chosen to go to the other campsite for reasons unknown. Still, Jay felt more at ease now and wasn’t as bothered about pleasing anyone else, which made the situation far less awkward and stressful.

So, in that moment, he decided he’d just have a good time.

“… you want to know about my interests?” Sunoo asked to confirm, raising an eyebrow, making Jay watch him cautiously. He hadn’t really stopped to properly look at the blond because all his attention had been on Jake, but Sunoo was genuinely good-looking. “Why tho?”

Jongseong shrugged, taking another sip from his drink.

Sunoo stared at him for a moment, “What do you want to know?”

“Anything you can tell me about yourself without breaking the show’s rules…” Jay smiled back, tilting his head. Sunoo bit his lip, nodding patiently and cautiously. “Your favourite colour”.

Sunoo pretended to be offended. “You’re pushing it now!”

Jay laughed, throwing his head back — Sunoo was wittier and more cheerful than Jongseong had realised over the past nine days. He was confident and a bit too blunt, but he was bright, lively and his eyes always held a sparkle.

How did he do it?

How could he be so laid-back with all those cameras around, the pressure of being watched by everyone — probably even people who knew him personally — and the risk of being judged if they found any flaw in his behaviour?

It was a proper shock that he could be so happy like that.

“Mint?” Sunoo shrugged. “Purple, pink… maybe blue”.

“You don’t know?”

“It’s not like that! I just like them all. I dunno, it’s hard to choose when you look good in any colour, so I haven’t really thought about…” he replied with a grin, as if he’d known Jay would ask that question and was ready to use his charm to his advantage.

“Woah. Your ego is unbelievable”, Jay laughed, shaking his head.

“Ego? Never! I just have really high self-esteem, and it’s not like I’m lying, is it?” Sunoo suddenly stood up, striking a pose so Jay could get a better look at him in his black outfit. He was handsome.

He had sharp cheekbones, light brown eyes, ridiculously radiant skin, and he wasn’t even wearing makeup. Sunoo also had a cracking body.

He had broad shoulders, a slim waist, and well-proportioned hips.

He was tall. Not taller than Jay, but tall.

His nose was really nice, and his lips-

“Jongseong?” Sunoo called his attention, making Jay look away from the blond’s lips and clear his throat. Sunoo smiled knowingly, as if he’d just uncovered something intriguing. “… I’m good-looking, aren’t I?”

Jay shook his head nervously, “You look good in black”.

“No”, Sunoo straightened his posture. “I don’t just look good in black or shit like that. I look good in anything. And that’s not what I asked. I asked, ‘I’m good-looking, aren’t I?’ and you should’ve said, ‘absolutely’”.

Jongseong opened and closed his mouth.

He hadn’t the foggiest idea what was going on.

Yes, he — now that he’d stopped to pay attention — thought Sunoo was good-looking. His physical features were quite attractive, but he wouldn’t say that out loud because he didn’t think there was a good enough reason to admit he fancied him.

Jongseong swallowed hard, looking away again.

‘Attractive?’ he thought to himself. ‘No! He’s not’.

“I wouldn’t know…” he lied.

Sunoo rolled his eyes impatiently.

“Oh, give over! Anyone with eyes could tell, Jongseong”, he teased, saying his name with a hint of disdain as he sat back down. “If you get this flustered over something like that, how are you going to manage asking Jake-ssi to spend the last days with you?”

Jay choked on his water, coughing loudly.

Sunoo looked at him, clearly chuffed with his reaction.

But no more was said because Heeseung returned — after what felt like an eternity — apologising for taking so long and explaining that he’d slipped in a puddle and had to change his clothes.

Sunoo kept his eyes on Jongseong the entire time.

He thought he’d been discreet about his crush.

Sure, he’d chosen Jake for a few of the challenges, but he’d always tried to play it off as them just being mates, getting closer because they had things in common. But he hadn’t stopped to notice how obvious it was that he fancied him.

He fiddled with the pendant between his fingers, biting the inside of his cheeks.

At some point during the early hours — after playing a few random games and chatting about life and the reality show experiment — they decided it was time to call it a night.

So, they binned the rubbish, tidied up, and got ready to hit the hay.

And as he said his goodbyes and headed to his own tent, Jay wasn’t surprised to hear Heeseung ask if Sunoo could stay a bit longer to chat. It was obvious Heeseung fancied the blond, and Jongseong’s presence, even if quiet, might’ve been a bit awkward.

He bit his lip and paused for a moment.

 Sunoo laughed softly — the way he only ever did for Heeseung — and his response was more surprising than Heeseung’s request, as Jongseong could see they were both on the same page.

“Ah, actually I’m knackered”, was what Sunoo said.

Jongseong swallowed hard and, with a smile, went to bed.

˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

Jungwon had gone to fetch Jay ‘cause they were about to play a game.

The production team had prepared some sort of question-based activity, and everyone had to be in the living room, so Jungwon was tasked with rounding them up like a proper leader — sometimes Jay wondered if Jungwon wasn’t an alpha, given how he naturally took charge in almost every situation and went out of his way to look after the other participants.

Either he was an alpha or older than he looked.

Jay zipped up his jacket and headed to the living room.

He had just enough time to overhear a side conversation before sitting next to Sunghoon and asking if they’d been given any explanation about what the activity for the evening would be. But he didn’t even hear the answer because he was too busy eavesdropping on Sunoo and Heeseung’s chat about the camping trip.

He’d gone to his tent after what sounded like Sunoo turning down Heeseung’s request to spend more time together, but now, blatantly listening to their conversation, it seemed they’d carried on talking and were clearly much closer now.

Jongseong clenched his teeth.

He glanced at Sunoo and Heeseung again.

They really did seem a lot closer.

Jungwon finally returned with Jake.

And, as expected, Jungwon took charge and removed the cover from the board that explained what they’d be doing that evening — everyone was gobsmacked by the content of the activity.

Sunoo stood up. “I’m going to ask again…” he said, pointing at the cameras around the room. “Are you lot sure we’re on the right show? This isn’t Single’s Inferno, and we’ve been duped this whole time?” he laughed.

Heeseung chuckled, pulling him back down to sit.

“Woah, I have to agree. This is unexpected”.

“Are we really doing this?” Heeseung asked, staring at Jungwon as if he had the answers, even though he was just another participant. “And this is going to be broadcast for everyone to watch? So, it’s going to be rated 17+?”

Jake burst out laughing, “Shut it!”

Heeseung laughed back, sticking his tongue out at Jake.

Jungwon fetched the box of questions from the pantry.

The others were in charge of drinks because it was obvious some of them wouldn’t be able to answer unless they were a bit more ‘relaxed’ — they’d signed a contract, after all, agreeing to all the show’s activities, even if they didn’t know what they’d entail.

It was clear they’d have to take part in the activity.

“It says here that if we want to add a rule, we should do it before starting the game”, Jungwon passed the card around for the others to read, shaking the box. It seemed to have loads of questions.

Heeseung opened a bottle of beer, “We could make a rule like ‘Never Have I Ever’, and if someone doesn’t want to answer, they have to take a shot of the strongest drink we’ve got”, he suggested.

“I’m in!” Jake shrugged, mixing beer and soju.

“Fine by me,” Jungwon, Sunghoon, and Sunoo replied, sitting around the table full of drinks. The blond offered to prepare the shots — a mix of tequila and vodka. “Jay?”

Jay nodded, opening a bag of seaweed snacks.

“Brilliant! Rule added, then” Jungwon finally sat down in the circle, laughing but clearly apprehensive about what might be written on those questions. “Who’s brave enough to go first?”

They all looked at each other.

Jay wasn’t brave enough.

And apparently, neither were the others — except Sunghoon.

Sunghoon laughed, crumpling the paper. “Why me…”

“You’re the one who volunteered to go first!” Jungwon reminded him with a grin, gesturing for Jay to pass the bag of crisps.
Sunghoon rolled his eyes and sighed, reading the paper: “The question is, ‘Would you have an open relationship?’” he glanced at the shot. It wasn’t exactly the spiciest question, but it could stir up some drama if he didn’t answer. “No. Honestly, in the past, I might’ve considered it, but not in this moment of my life. I prefer being monogamous”.

“Boring!” Sunoo sang, laughing when Sunghoon threw a crisp at him.

Jay blinked at the blond, surprised.

Would Sunoo have an open relationship?

But the show was about monogamous relationships, bonds that were supposed to lead to potential marriages.

Was Sunoo here for a serious relationship?

“‘If you met the participant you’re interested in outside the house, would you sleep with them on the first date?’ Woah”, Heeseung’s eyes were on Sunoo, answering, “Absolutely, without a second thought”.

Jake laughed.

“You cheeky devil!” he teased. “He’s totally your type, isn’t he?”

“You bet he is!” Heeseung shot back.

Jungwon rolled his eyes, “You lot talk too much”, he retorted, picking up a paper. He snorted. “‘Ask an intrusive question to another participant,’ it says,” he showed the paper. He looked around the table, hesitating. He’d probably pick Sunghoon, who he’d been spending a lot of time with. That’s what Jay thought until he heard his own name. “… what’s the most unusual place you’ve ever had sex?”

Everyone turned to look straight at Jay.

He moved his glass away from his face, stunned.

“Ah...” Jongseong scratched his nose. “Just one, right?” he asked, placing the glass on the table. It’s just that Jay had had one or several sexual experiences that could be considered awkward, thrilling, or downright bizarre. “I reckon it was in a shop changing room...”

Sunghoon nudged him, “With people in the shop?”

“With loads of people...” Jay laughed, feeling his cheeks burn.

He’d been a very active young adult, keen on experimenting, so he’d done something like that with his husband because they fancied trying out unusual places for a bit of fun, and a changing room seemed intriguing due to the whole public setting.

“And no one suspected you were taking ages?” Jake wanted to know.

“The shop assistant came to check a couple of times...” Jay nodded as he remembered that day. It had been a right laugh in their marriage. One of those moments that felt like it was going swimmingly. “But we just pretended we were trying on loads of clothes before buying them”.

Jungwon sat on his knees, “Now, an important question — did you actually buy the clothes you took in there?”

Jay laughed, shaking his head.

“That’s proper grim!”

“We didn’t use the clothes!” he defended himself, passing the box.

Jay and Heeseung bantered, laughing at Jake’s question as if they hadn’t just admitted to something equally dodgy. They were nearly on the fifth round when Sunoo, who had been eagerly answering up until then, downed a shot of tequila and vodka in one go and shoved the question slip into the back pocket of his jeans without giving anyone a chance to convince him to read it out loud.

Jongseong was curious to know what kind of question had made him bail on his spotless record of perfect, safe answers, especially since Sunoo didn’t seem the type to back down once he’d thrown himself into something — he pulled out another question slip.

“‘Have you ever used a sex toy? Which one?’ Isn’t this a bit of a dodgy question?” he asked. “Is it about using it on myself or someone else?”

He passed the slip to Sunghoon. “How am I supposed to answer this?”

“On yourself”, Sunoo suggested. Jay looked at him. “I reckon it says a lot about who you are. Do you have hang-ups? If you answer and we can figure out your subgenre or bet on something based on your answer”.

Jay furrowed his brows — if that were the case, the production team had made a right hash of it by choosing that kind of question because it went completely against the idea of keeping things under wraps.

Everyone knew that by the end of the day, they’d find their respective jobs, which meant that soon after — maybe in three days — they’d know if they had kids, and with that, their subgenres outside of their sexual preferences.

“Oy!” Jake retorted when Jay turned a shot. “I was curious”.

Jay smiled without showing his teeth, shrugging.

He wasn’t going to answer, even if he’d never used any sex toy on himself, he preferred to keep the tension of the ‘possibility’, the mere chance that no one would know his subgenre yet.

It was fun, it made him interesting.

“‘Do you like being spanked during sex?’” Sunghoon read, laughing, shaking his head. “Hm, during sex... huh. I do. Quite a lot”.

Sunoo burst out laughing, “Who doesn’t?”

“I don’t!” Heeseung retorted, looking at him. “If anyone’s going to dish out the spanking during sex, it’d be me...” he said, almost like a challenge, sticking his tongue out. The blonde waved his hand, joining in the fun.

Jay picked up a piece of paper, “‘Would you accept being a couple’s ‘lunch box?’” he frowned. “What exactly does ‘lunch box’ mean in this context?”

“It’s when you have a threesome with a couple” Jake explained as if it was obvious. Jay frowned. “It’s kind of a term that refers to a person who occasionally joins in on a ménage à trois”.

“Then why not use ‘ménage’ instead of lunch box?”

“It’s a trendy term on social media”, Jungwon shrugged.

Jay rolled his eyes, “I’ve done that. About three times”.

“So you like being the sexual toy?!”

Jongseong rolled his eyes at Sunghoon, “I was going to slag you off, but it’s not worth it, and people might think I’m being harsh,” he fired back. It wasn’t that he was the sex toy, but for a while, he thought it might be the best solution to avoid broken hearts. Couples usually weren’t looking for romantic connections, and Jay could handle that. “Next!”

About seven or eight questions later, they were surprised by notifications that made all the phones buzz on the table like some sort of symphony, and, as expected, since they’d started this completely different season from anything they’d seen before, they were notified that they would now reveal their professions.

Sunghoon flopped on the sofa, “Why am I not surprised they’ve rushed everything again?” he pretended to be frustrated. “Are they going to finish the show quicker too? Hello, production? You in a hurry to screw us over or something?”

Jay looked at the message again.

It wasn’t just that, they also had an order to follow.

Jungwon would be the first to speak.

Jay would be last.

Chapter Text

“I’m quite chuffed” Jake said, plonking himself on the floor.

Heeseung shook his head, “Speak for yourself”.

Jake and Jungwon laughed — Jay settled into the armchair, close to Sunoo, who was on the sofa next to Heeseung and Sunghoon. He was a bit on edge too, because his job could say a lot about where he lived or even his availability for a serious relationship, given how much dedication it required.

Some people saw his job as a bit of a problem.

It had been a problem for Yeonjun for a while, because his ex-husband kept pointing out his absence during moments that were supposed to be important — or even during dinners with his mates — and for a while, Jay wondered if that hadn’t been another reason why his ex had carried on an affair right under his nose.

His job had already been the reason for breakups and plenty of ‘no’s.

“Do we have to spill everything in detail?” Jungwon asked.

“I reckon we’ve got to be careful”, Sunghoon said, crossing his legs on the sofa. “Because your job might end up giving away where you work or something like that, so I think we’ve got to be a bit canny about it”.

“Ah, fair point”, Heeseung agreed.

Jay noticed a bit of a natter between Sunghoon and Jake before Jungwon plonked the soju bottle on the table, cleared his throat, and got ready to finally reveal what he actually did for a living.

Jungwon wet his lips, “I work with… grains”.

“A barista?” Sunghoon asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Mmh-hmm! I’m a barista”, Jungwon nodded firmly.

“That’s why your coffee’s so bloody good!” Jake chimed in. It really was top-notch. Jay loved waking up to the smell of fresh coffee, and Jungwon always made a point of picking the best beans whenever they went to the market. “Woah. I thought you were just a caffeine addict”.

Jungwon laughed, “Actually, that’s one of the reasons I became a barista, because I’m proper obsessed with caffeine”, he gestured, as it was pretty obvious how often he drank coffee. Jay thought it was a bit dodgy, as it couldn’t be healthy to consume that much caffeine. “And because the person I was married to before owned a coffee bar. We ended up expanding and becoming business partners, so now I’ve got my own coffee shop”.

“Is it somewhere famous?!” Sunoo tried.

And with a tiny slip, Jungwon almost spilled the beans.

“Woah! You’re a proper snake”, he teased.

Sunoo shrugged, “Don’t hate the player, hate the game!”

Jay laughed. Sunoo was such a beta.

Actually, Jay was starting to wonder if he wasn’t an alpha.

He didn’t have many physical traits, but Jay had met people who were completely different and had surprised him with their subgenders, so it wouldn’t be a shock if, on the day of the reveal, everyone was gobsmacked to find out Sunoo was actually an alpha.

“... you’re all invited!” Jungwon replied to something. “When the show’s over and no one’s at each other’s throats over romance anymore, I promise I’ll organise a meet-up for everyone”.

Sunoo clapped excitedly, reaching out to shake Jungwon’s hand.

They definitely wouldn’t get involved romantically, but they’d be great mates once the show was over — in fact, they were already pretty close, like two old mates reuniting after God knows how long.

Jake was next.

“I’ll let you lot have a guess…” he always tried to be the one to ramp up the excitement. No matter what kind of dynamic or activity they had to do, he always suggested an extra step to make it more engaging for the audience, and Jay thought he might be a reporter because of that.

“... you work in media, do you?” Jongseong was surprised.

Jake shook his head, laughing.

“So you’re...” Sunoo pondered. “A makeup artist?”

“A makeup artist?” Jake giggles. “Why tho?”

Sunoo shrugged, “Your skin’s flawless, and your makeup’s always spot on, with really precise techniques. It’d make sense if you were a makeup artist or worked in cosmetics, maybe an aesthetician”.

“Oh, thank you!” Jake replied, chuffed. “I’ve put in a lot of effort to get to this level of perfection”, Jay smile at his enthusiasm. He loved how Jake was always so full of himself. “But no. That’s just self-care”.

“Don’t tell me you’re a barista too”, Jungwon joked.

“The job of the moment!” Jay joined in the banter.

Jake rolled his eyes, “No, you muppet. But I’d be bloody good at it if it were my job, I make a proper decent espresso!”

“And why haven’t you made coffee for us, then?”

Jake looked at Sunghoon, “Did you ask me?”, he raised his eyebrows impatiently, crossing his arms before being hit with a cushion. Jay watched them quietly. They seemed close. On the day of the camping trip, Jake had chosen to switch groups, and now, seeing him with Sunghoon, Jay wondered if that was the reason. “It’s got to do with fire”.

“A chef?” Heeseung raised his hand like a schoolkid.

“Nope!”

“A glassblower!” Sunoo said, already laughing.

Jay burst out laughing, nearly getting a kick from Jake for finding it funny, but he wasn’t the only one because everyone was in stitches at the idea, “It’s called a glassworker! Not a glassblower!”

“Are you a glassworker?” Jungwon asked, laughing.

“No!” Jake glared at him. “I’m a fucking firefighter!”

It was hilarious.

Not his job — thinking about it, it actually suited him — but the fact that Jake had asked them to guess and then got proper narked when they didn’t get it right. Of course, they wouldn’t get it right; they were always taking the mickey out of each other and barely knew enough about each other to make accurate guesses. One thing was imagining the possibility, another was actually getting it right.

“Woah! You work saving lives…” Heeseung clapped along with everyone, his expression full of surprise. “I could never have guessed that, Jake. Is it as knackering as it looks in films?”

“Not really”, Jake admitted. “We work a lot and I have to do plenty of shifts, but overall, it’s not that exhausting if you’ve got a well-balanced team... Or maybe I’ve just been lucky because my team’s proper brilliant, and we work well together”.

“Interesting. Doesn’t it scare you?”

“Saving lives is the only thing I know how to do”, he said matter-of-factly, taking a swig from his bottle. “I couldn’t be scared even if I stopped to think about how dangerous this job can be”.

Sunoo agreed, “If we end up single and disillusioned after this show, let’s go out for a drink. I want to take advantage of having a fit firefighter as a mate...”, he stuck his tongue out when Jake nearly flipped him off, saying he refused to go out alone.

Jay chuckled softly, sinking into the armchair.

Sunghoon pointed at Jungwon, “I own a coffee bar”.

Jungwon’s eyes went wide.

“Really?” he asked, surprised. “I never thought I’d meet someone in the same line of work as me. How long have you been in the business, and how did you get started? A coffee bar is quite interesting”.

Sunghoon ran his hand through his hair.

“It was my parents’ business, and then it passed on to me as an inheritance. It’s a bit of a family thing, you know? So, there’s not much of a big story behind it. I just learned it from a very young age and stuck with it. I studied fermentation and economics to help out.”

“Must be a busy place, then,” Heeseung said.

Sunghoon was a good strategist, always coming up with solid ideas and suggestions, and that kind of skill was essential in any business.

“We’re doing really well, thanks for asking…” he admitted with a satisfied smile, shifting his attention to Sunoo, who was next to talk about his work. “Sunooya, go ahead. What about you?”

Sunoo stopped laughing immediately.

He sat up straight and took off his cap, “I only started working recently...” Sunoo replied hesitantly, glancing around the room. “Before my current job, I was always too busy with other things”.

“You had a routine that didn’t leave room for work?”

He looked at Jake and puffed his cheeks out, thinking.

Jongseong frowned.

Was it really that hard to explain what kind of job he did?

Was it a dodgy job?

“Sort of...” Sunoo answered, narrowing his eyes as if he hadn’t quite bought his own explanation. “It’s all I can say without giving too much. I’m just trying to figure out how to explain what I do and why it’s so recent”.

“Does it have anything to do with your ex-partner?” Heeseung asked.

Sunoo ground his teeth. 

“If my current job has anything to do with them or something like that?” he shook his head. “No. No in this way, we do completely different things. What happened is, I got married quite young, so I had to take on other responsibilities. The family of the person I was married to was financially well-off, and none of the people married to their kids needed to work…”

Jay emphasised the clarity of the information with a long, drawn-out ‘ah’, but chose just to nod along and wait for Sunoo to continue — he’d married someone rich, so he didn’t need to work. As he’d said, the person he’d been married to had an aggressive behaviour, probably not letting him go out as if they were in a toxic, abusive relationship.

“So!” Sunoo laughed, clapping his hands. “At the moment, I’ve been working for less than a year as an audio translator from English to Japanese subtitles, and English to Korean for the...” he looked at everyone, as though he was really relishing the curiosity on their faces before finishing with a smile. “Netflix. I work for Netflix KR”.

Jongseong had finally, finally discovered something about Sunoo that had left him absolutely gobsmacked simply because he never would have imagined it — he’d made assumptions about a divorce because Sunoo seemed like someone prepared to fight, of course, domestic and psychological abuse hadn’t crossed his mind, but it wasn’t a huge surprise because he’d considered a difficult relationship.

But he’d thought he worked with beauty products, maybe selling skin treatments or even vitamins, not a translator — not that he didn’t believe in his competence, but he just couldn’t imagine it. The truth was, the things he mentioned didn’t indicate in the slightest that he was a translator.

But every time Jay or Jake spoke in English, Sunoo would argue that they were on a Korean programme, recording for a Korean audience and that they should use words everyone could understand, so Jay assumed that maybe he just didn’t understand English that well, which is why he was complaining.

But no! Sunoo was a translator.

For Netflix!

“You work for bloody Netflix?” he was irked by his surprised tone, but couldn’t help it. He adjusted himself on the armchair, turning fully to face Sunoo. “So, you’re really good at English?”

Sunoo nodded with a smile on his lips, “Actually, I’m fluent in four languages, including English...” he said modestly, pointing to himself. The participants were really surprised, and from where Jay was observing, the blonde seemed happy with the reactions. “And before I came on the programme, I was learning my fifth language”.

Jake and Jungwon’s jaws dropped.

Jay wanted to applaud him because not everyone had the dedication to learn so many languages, and besides, if Sunoo had been working for less than a year, and that was his first real job, it meant he was really good at it.

“Does Netflix pay well?” Sunghoon asked curiously.

Sunoo thought it over, nodding.

“Yeah? How much a month?” Jungwon joined in the interrogation.
Sunoo pursed his lips and gestured for Jungwon to come closer, cupping his hands around his ear, and answered in a whisper so no one else could hear, but they didn’t need to because Jungwon’s extremely surprised expression said it all. For instance, that Sunoo must make a lot of money.

“Maybe I’ll switch careers...” Jungwon said, genuinely surprised, running his hand through his hair as he plopped down on the couch. “Woah, you’re amazing, Sunooya. Please don’t forget about me when we leave here”.

Everyone burst into laughter.

“Heeseung-ssi!” Sunghoon shouted, excited. “Go on. Your turn”.

“Oh, I won’t keep you hanging either, because I have quite a common job. I don’t think it’s as glamorous as being a firefighter or a Netflix translator,” he chuckled. Sunoo rolled his eyes at him, and Jake pretended to be offended, but it was obvious he liked the comment because he had that kind of personality. “I’m a Hagwon teacher”*.

Sunoo stood up, doing an exaggerated surprise gesture with his body.

“Woah!” Jake grabbed his hair.

“And he came in with this ‘my job isn’t that cool’ spiel before dropping this bomb...” Sunghoon laughed like a hyena, pressing a cushion to his face before shouting. “Please, Seonsaengnim*, forgive me for all my mistakes up to this point. I respect you loads”.

Heeseung threw a cushion at Sunghoon.

“Unbelievable!” Sunoo laughed, sitting back down.

“What do you teach?” Jay asked.

“Maths”, he explained with a proud expression. He must have felt really proud, not everyone became a Hagwon teacher, and that was massive. Teachers like him were responsible for a high demand of exams like the CSAT* and preparations for international exams, such as TOEFL, IELTS, or SAT*. “I teach maths.”

“Please, fans of Professor Lee Heeseung, forgive me if I’ve been rude at any point,” Sunghoon suddenly said, standing up and bowing to the cameras. Everyone laughed, especially Heeseung, because it was genuinely hilarious.

But at some point, Jay realised he might have to apologise too because Hagwon teachers were quite famous and usually had a very loyal fanbase.

His thought was interrupted when all eyes turned to him, making him remember that it was his turn. Everyone had already talked about their jobs and received all sorts of questions and attention they deserved, now it was his turn to reveal the kind of profession he had.

“How about we try to guess first?” Jake suggested since he’d done the same with him. “Seems fair, right? A little guessing game!”

Wouldn’t be so bad.

It would give him time to breathe and process the situation.

“Just give us one clue,” Sunghoon requested. “Is it an academic job?”

“That’s not how clues work!” Jungwon laughed, looking directly at

Sunghoon with furrowed brows. He gestured, “He decides what clue to give, not the other way around. Jay! What’s the clue?”

Jay laughed. “Ah...,” he looked at Sunghoon, all his anxiety to find out more. “My job involves diamonds, but I never carry jewellery”.

Jungwon and Sunghoon exchanged looks.

“Diamonds...?” Heeseung hugged the cushion. “In a real concept or something like in a game, for example? Because you could be that character who usually does the mining in some games”.

Jay tried to hold in his laugh.

He didn’t know much about games, but it had nothing to do with that.

“No. Nothing to do with online games”.

Heeseung raised his hand. “Jeweller?!”

Jay patiently shook his head, opening a bottle of soju.

“Jewellery designer?”

Jay scratched the back of his neck. “I did dream of being a jewellery designer, when I was a bit younger, but I ended up going down a different path”.

“You said it’s not about online games...” Sunoo narrowed his eyes, biting his lip as he stared at Jongseong. “And it’s not about selling jewellery. It’s got diamonds, but you don’t carry jewellery...”

Jay moved the bottle away, hoping someone would at least get close.

“Ah, you’re...” the blonde hesitated, tilting his head. “A player?”

Jay thought it over, nodding. “Something like that!”

“What’s the deal with diamonds and players?” Jake asked.

“Is the ‘diamond’ a reference to the geometric shape?”

Jay flashed a wide grin, licking his lips as he nodded.

Sunoo perched on the edge of the sofa, pointing at him.

“Baseball player?!”

Jongseong pointed back at him, making a sound of confirmation.

“What the hell do diamonds have to do with baseball players?!”

“Well, in baseball, the term ‘diamond’ refers to the geometric shape of the infield”, Jay explained, laughing at everyone’s confusion. He was also surprised that Sunoo knew that. “When you look at the field from above, the bases form a diamond shape, which everyone just calls a diamond”.

Heeseung turned to Sunoo, “How did you know that?”

“I’ve subtitled a baseball documentary”, he said with a laugh, honest and with no intention to hide the fact that he didn’t know much about the sport but had worked on something that gave him an advantage.

“For a second, I thought you knew”.

Sunoo shook his head patiently, “I’m not the biggest fan of that kinda of sport.”

Jongseong stared at him for a minute.

Ah, so he wasn’t the sporty type.

That was an issue because Jay’s life revolved around sport, and he hoped to meet someone who at least had a bit of interest in his work, especially since it had been one of the issues that led his marriage to fall apart early on.

“Come on, give us a formal introduction!” Jungwon asked.

He cleared his throat, bowing formally:

“Hello everyone, I’m Park Jongseong and I currently play for a team in the KBO League as a pitcher” he said professionally. “I’ve been the Closer for the KIA Tigers for 5 years. Park Jongseong. Nice to meet you”.

Silence.

The whole room went dead silent.

Partly because Jongseong seemed way too formal.

And partly because, even if they didn’t know much about sport, everyone knew the KBO League and everyone in the country knew the KIA Tigers — they had 11 titles, they were the fourth highest-paid team in the country and probably third or fourth in terms of popularity.

They were stars.

11 titles in the KBO League.

Jake stood up, “I need something stronger to drink”.

“Ya!” Jongseong laughed. “It’s not that serious”.

“Not that serious?” Sunoo scoffed. “You were just making a fuss because I work at Netflix and because Heeseung’s a star teacher, but you... Woah! Jongseong, you’re unbelievable”.

Jay noticed how Jake’s eyes flicked between the two of them.

Sunoo was the only one who called him ‘Jongseong’. Everyone else called him Jay or, when they wanted to annoy him, Park Jay.

“How much is your contract?”

“Jake!” Sunghoon laughed. “But... it’s a good question. That could change a lot in terms of our choices, you know? Roughly how much?”

Jongseong burst out laughing.

They were idiots.

He hoped that, even if he didn’t leave the experiment with anyone, he could deepen the bonds they were forming and they could be friends in some way because he’d miss that kind of atmosphere. They were always joking, teasing, giving each other advice.

Even Sunoo knew how to be friendly, and it’d be nice to be close to him.

“Unfortunately, I’m not that expensive”, Jay made an X with his hands. He wasn’t the most famous Closer, having switched teams twice before getting a fixed contract with the KIA Tigers, but he was doing well financially. He wasn’t like Choi Hyunjun*, who was worth almost 1.7 million, but he was doing fine. “Sunoo must be richer than me”.

The blonde rolled his eyes, “Alright. I can pay anything for you. You don’t need to be so blunt, you know? You can play, and I’ll pay the bills”.

Jongseong burst into laughter.

Jake glanced at them again.

Now everyone knows about each other’s jobs.

There were some really good surprises, others unexpected, and in the end, they were a peculiar group, where each one was doing well in their own area and took pride in what they were doing — it was nice getting to know them a little better, and now, since Jay could handle his anxiety better, he felt like he couldn’t wait for them to reveal more secrets.

He wanted to get to know them more and more until there was nothing left.

“Sunoo!” he heard Heeseung call with a smile. Everyone had been assigned something to clean, so everything had gone back to its place in a very organised and quick manner. “Fancy a drink in the trailer?”

He stayed silent, staring at Heeseung and Sunoo.

Heeseung was always punctual in inviting Sunoo to do something.

And Sunoo always said yes. Always.

“Jay…” Sunghoon waved. “Fancy a game of pool?”

Jongseong shifted his gaze and smiled at Sunghoon, who was with Jake and Jungwon — they had plenty of free time after the dynamics or reveal, and since there wouldn’t be any more meetings, it made sense to do whatever they wanted. It was better to play than to be alone.

He grabbed a can of Coca-Cola and followed them to the games room.

“... I wonder what those two take so long to talk about?”

“They seem to get on well”, Sunghoon added, potting a ball directly. He cheered and clicked his tongue. “And Heeseung’s into him”.

“You think?” Jake asked.

Jungwon laughed, “Isn’t it obvious?” he put on a song. “He’s really into Sunoo, it’s even a bit weird seeing them orbiting each other like they’re circling without knowing how to find each other”.

Jay furrowed his brow.

“It’s all Heeseung’s fault tho”, Sunghoon agreed. “If he were more proactive and was clear about what he wanted, Sunoo would’ve followed his lead with more certainty. But he keeps dragging it out”.

“What do you mean, ‘be clear about what he wants’?” Jake sounded curious.

“I don’t know, when we went out the first time...” Sunghoon said, pointing at Jungwon, stepping away from the table after missing the shot.

Jay took his place, aiming for the 6 ball.

“I came here knowing exactly what I was looking for, Jungwon did too. We said, ‘I like you, I want to get to know you better, and if in the end, we still feel the same, then that means the interest has grown into something bigger and I’d like to go out with just you’, that was our agreement”.

“Wait, wait!” Jake stops them. “So, you’re not open to meeting others?”

“Are you just going to keep seeing each other?”

“It’s not quite like that!” Jungwon laughed. “Like, at the start, I was so fucking into Sunoo. I like a lot of different people but he’s someone who definitely caught my eye first with that pretty smile and those fox-like eyes...” he stuck his tongue out at Sunghoon when he made an ugly face for him. “But I think our vibe is more… like friendship”.

Sunghoon raised his hand, “Guilty. I liked him too”.

Jake looked at the two of them.

“Both?” he scoffed. “Was I the only one who didn’t like him like that?”

“I didn’t either”, Jay defended himself, missing the shot.

“Just because you’re obsessed” Jungwon pointed at Jay, since it was clear who he was interested in. At least at the start. “And you’re daft, you act the same way with everyone. You and Heeseung should go out more because you’ve got so much in common. It’s not that we’re not going to go out with you or anything, but if we keep circling back to each other, then we’ll leave this experiment together”.

Jay smiled.

It was cute.

He’d already noticed that Sunghoon and Jungwon were great together, they had the same kind of energy, always talking, laughing together, joking. It felt light, young, and fun. Jongseong imagined they were the only real pair so far and that they’d actually end up together.

So it was really, really cute to see them admitting so easily that they liked each other and had agreed to go ahead with the experiment but thinking about the possibility of being together at the end.

And Jay hoped they were the final couple.

It didn’t matter if he left with someone or not, he wanted Sunghoon and Jungwon to be happy and make it work — but of course, they knew things could change. They had changed for Jay.

He moved towards the window.

Heeseung liked Sunoo.

And Sunoo always said ‘yes’ to him.

Maybe Sunghoon was right, and he should be clearer.

“Hey Jake?” Jay suddenly called. “Fancy a chat?”

*Hagwons: are private academies that offer extra classes outside of school hours. We see them a lot in dramas, and the teachers are often called “star teachers” because they’re quite famous.

*Seonsaengnim (선생님): the most ] respectful term to refer to a teacher, instructor or master.

*CSAT (College Scholastic Ability Test): it’s the national university entrance exam in South Korea, known as Suneung (수능). It’s responsible for determining students’ eligibility and level for admission to South Korean universities.

*TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language): a standardised test that measures the English proficiency of non-native speakers.

*IELTS (International English Language Testing System): like TOEFL, IELTS assesses the English proficiency of non-native speakers. It’s accepted in many countries, including the UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.

*SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test): a standardised test used by private secondary schools in the United States, Canada and other countries for admitting new students. It evaluates the academic aptitude of elementary and middle school students who want to enrol in high-performing private schools.

*Choi Hyunjun: fictional. Based on veteran player Choi Hyoung-woo, whose contracts can reach up to $1.7 million.

Chapter Text

On the tenth day, they had a group activity.

They went to the beach to learn how to surf.

It was proper fun — Heeseung was brilliant at it.

Jungwon was a complete disaster.

Jake was probably born somewhere near the beach because he was a cracking swimmer, and despite being a firefighter, he had that kind of ease that only comes from growing up by the sea.

Sunghoon was a bit of a scaredy-cat.

And Sunoo hurt his foot because of the instructor.

On the eleventh day, they had one-on-one dates again.

The production team set up little date spots all over the house, and they had to rotate every 15 minutes to chat about any topic — within the allowed ones — and at the end, they had to answer a quiz about the information shared during the dates.

Whoever matched the most correct answers would go on a date outside the house. Jay went out with Sunghoon, and he had fun.

But they were just mates.

He’d realised that straight away.

Jungwon went out with Jake.

And Heeseung — as if it were fate — with Sunoo.

On the twelfth day, they were told they had to choose someone, other than the people they’d already been out with, for an individual date in the city — Jay went out with Jungwon. Heeseung went out with Jake, and Sunghoon went out with Sunoo. It was proper chaotic and hilarious.

The pairings were getting more random and dead funny.

Jongseong tried his best to enjoy himself and have a good time.

On the fourteenth day, they got a message from the production team saying: ‘Today, you have the day off to do whatever you want. Remember: the experiment is coming to an end soon. There are 6 days left to choose your partner for the next stage outside the house. Make the most of it’.

So Jay just grabbed the cap on the dresser — which wasn’t his, it was Jungwon’s — got up in a rush, didn’t even wash his face, and headed to the room at the end of the hallway, opening the door.

They had a rule to never knock if it was too early, and they wanted to call someone for some kind of date, so they were supposed to just walk in and go to the person’s bed to wake them without disturbing the others.

He squinted, confused for a moment.

The room was dark, and he was still half-asleep, so he had to be careful not to wake the wrong person, or he’d have to invite the wrong one because it wasn’t in his nature to make someone feel bad for being mistaken.

He squinted and poked the blonde by the foot, “Sunoo...”

Jongseong had a chat with Jake.

After what Sunghoon said, about them needing to be more upfront about what they wanted and what they were really thinking, he thought he should understand better what Jake was actually feeling because Jay was starting to feel a confusing shift in his emotions.

He didn’t want to hurt Jake by having two people in mind.

So they had a conversation, partly because Jay wanted to make sure his feelings were reciprocated and partly because, if they weren’t, he’d feel less guilty about his changing feelings.

At first, he hadn’t thought of it that way; he’d latched onto the things he had in common or thought he had in common with Jake, and Sunoo made things a bit challenging, but now he was interested in getting to know him better — even if he didn’t like sports, Jongseong had started to take an interest in him.

“Sunoo-ssi!” Jay calls again, sitting on the bed next to the blonde, who just mumbled in response. “What time did you go to bed last night, for heaven’s sake...” he grumbled sleepily, pulling the duvet before noticing Sunoo wasn’t wearing a top. He looked around, spotted the camera, and covered himself back up. “Oy, we’ve got the day off”.

Sunoo groaned sleepily, turning over in bed.

He looked the same as when he had makeup on.

Sunoo’s skin was properly flawless, and his hair, though messy, was ridiculously good-looking — he knew if he watched that episode, he’d regret getting out of bed without a face mask because, unlike the blonde, he probably didn’t look that attractive at the moment.

“Oh. Jongseong?” Sunoo asked hoarsely, covering his eyes with his arm. “What time is it? Why are you waking me up? What’s going on?!”

“We’ve got the day off today”, Jay repeated, covering Sunoo a bit better because he could see too much skin. Sunoo had a tattoo. He couldn’t tell what it was because he’d only seen it briefly, but it was definitely a tattoo. “I thought we could spend the day in the city.”.

Sunoo stayed silent.

Jay had talked to Jake but hadn’t had the chance to speak to Sunoo yet because the blond was always being followed by Heeseung, so this should be news to him. Jake had liked Heeseung since day one.

He didn’t need to spell it out, Jay’s question was pretty specific and simple: ‘Who did you pick as your first impression?’ They were on day 14, so Jake had chosen Heeseung for 14 days as his best first impression and his romantic interest.

That was all Jay needed to understand.

It was a relief tho.

Things weren’t progressing, and Jungwon was right when he said Jake treated everyone the same, so it was good to understand what kind of relationship they really had because there wasn’t much time left to choose their final partner.

“Is it going to be a date?”

Jongseong blinked, “Do you want it to be?”

He and Sunoo had been talking a lot lately.

It wasn’t like Heeseung and Sunoo, but it was more than in the early days, and they were having fun together now. At least Jay thought Sunoo was having fun with him now, and they could build on what they were already sharing — plus, leaving the house would give Jay the chance to have Sunoo’s full attention on himself for a change.

The blonde nodded, looking at Jay from behind his arm.

“Then it’s a date…” he agreed. He pushed the duvet under Sunoo’s body when the blond moved lazily, showing more of his skin. “Stop moving so fucking much, you’ll end up naked on camera”.

Sunoo smiled, “Oh! Jealous already?!”

“I’ll take back the invite if you keep it up”.

The blonde laughed again, cheekily.

He turned onto his side.

“What time do you want to leave?” he asked in a murmur.

“I’ll let you sleep a bit longer and come back to get you”.

Sunoo nodded with his eyes closed, breathing deeply and loudly.

Jay watched him for a moment and got up — but didn’t leave the room because Sunoo grabbed his pyjama trousers and mumbled something inaudible, forcing Jongseong to lean in closer to hear.

“If we’re really going out today...” he said again, with a sweet smile on his face. “You’re mine all day. We’re only coming back when we run out of things to talk about. Today’s all mine”.

Jongseong felt his cheeks burn.

That was one of the things about Sunoo that had made him change his mind and have a sudden shift in feelings. The blond was very direct about everything he did, very honest, and confident even when he wasn’t fully understood, and Jay liked that.

He didn’t know he could like that kind of personality, but he did, and he was genuinely interested in getting to know him more and more.

“Heeseung’s going to go mental over it”.

Sunoo laughed, letting him go, “If you feel bad, invite him too”.

“Not a chance!” Jay said without hesitation. Both of them laughed because they knew exactly what it meant to have Heeseung as a third wheel, and that’s why Jay had been so quick after getting that message — he didn’t want to miss his chance. “I’ll wake you. Just sleep more”.

Sunoo put the pillow over his head.

Jay smiled because he never thought, in a million years, that he’d end up asking Sunoo out on a date of his own free will.

˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

Sunoo seemed to really love music.

He was always humming and dancing to the rhythm of anything that even remotely sounded like music, so Jay made sure to pick his best playlists and got completely absorbed in the traffic — pretending he couldn’t see Sunoo dancing enthusiastically in the passenger seat — while the blond enjoyed the time they had until their first stop.

“Ah!” Sunoo turned completely towards Jay. “Heeseung asked me out today too...” he said, as if he’d just remembered. Jay glanced at him sideways and took a deep breath. “I think, aside from the production’s schedule dates and the matched ones, it’s the first time another participant besides him has asked me out on a date”.

Jay gripped  the steering wheel, “And that’s bad?”

The blond pondered, “It’s not that it’s bad. It’s just... unusual”.

“Unusual?” Jay pursed his lips.

Sunoo ran a hand through his hair, pushing the blond strands back before putting his cap back on — Jay was starting to like his laid-back, youthful style. He was forming new assumptions since he’d begun developing an interest in the blonde.

He looked proper fit in a cap.

“I thought you hated me…” Sunoo said, turning off the air conditioning and opening the window. He leaned his face close enough to feel the breeze. “Besides, you were really into Jake since day one”.

“It’s not that I hated you. Hate’s a strong word”, Jay denied. “I just thought you were indifferent about opening up to me. It was hard to talk to you...” he explained. “Maybe I made it difficult too, but you always seemed to hate it when I asked you questions, so I figured we wouldn’t work out”.

Sunoo turned to face him again, “And now you think we might?”

Jay was trying to figure it out.

After Jake, Sunoo had started becoming his option to invest time and effort into, so if it didn’t work out with him either, he’d leave alone and was fine with that. But he was still trying to figure out if they could really work romantically.

“I think there’s a chance we might be compatible….”

He could feel Sunoo’s eyes on him.

“I thought you were a right idiot...” the blonde admitted, making Jay burst out laughing. “You seemed so impatient and I don’t really like that kind of personality of yours. I didn’t consider you as a match until the camping trip… I think”, he said, pouting. “After that, it became clearer to me that there was something interesting about you when you took care of my foot”.

Jay shook his head, “At the camping trip?” 

Then it hit him.

Sunghoon had voted for Sunoo as his best first impression.

So had Jungwon, and probably Heeseung.

Sunoo was the participant with the most votes. 

“... you chose to stay at that campsite?”

“I wanted to talk to you properly”, the blond shrugged.

“But I didn’t choose you on any of the days…”

“Oh tell me more about it!” Sunoo said, laughing. “I found out who you voted for on the first day, and that’s when I realised I was right — you were into Jake from day one. But it didn’t mean much to me. We’re on a telly show to find a potential romantic partner, so I thought it was understandable that I’d take a chance to know you too”.

Jongseong opened and closed his mouth.

He would’ve never guessed.

Honestly, he’d assumed Jake had gotten three votes, but Sunghoon had made it clear that he and Jungwon had voted for Sunoo. And Heeseung’s vote was obvious. But at the campsite, Sunoo had chosen to see who Jay had picked on the first day and still decided to finish the date with him.

“Why?”

“Why what?” the blonde frowned.

“You know Heeseung has a crush on you…” Jay rolled his eyes, quickly turning to Sunoo when they stopped at a red light. “So, if you saw I didn’t choose you, why take the chance?”

Sunoo sighed deeply, “Because I like a challenge...?”

“You... like challenges?” Jay laughed. “That’s it?”

“And because you looked like you’d be a right good shag”.

Jongseong couldn’t even process it.

He looked around the car, at all the cameras pointed at them, and then back at Sunoo as if he couldn’t believe the blond had actually said that out loud without a hint of shame — Jay definitely should’ve been interested in the blond because, in any other situation, he would’ve combusted and mysteriously disappeared after what he said.

But he just laughed, surprised, excited and buzzing.

It had been a long time since someone had referred to him as someone who could give them pleasure, and in this case, Sunoo was just speculating based on God knows what criteria, but it felt brilliant to know the blonde had that kind of impression of him.

Sunoo smiles, “You get all flustered and cute!”

“I’m not flustered!” Jay said, turning his attention back to the road.

Sunoo laughed again, loud and youthful.

Jongseong was starting to wonder just how young Sunoo was because he radiated this aura of someone who hadn’t even hit their 20s yet, and that was a possibility that scared him the most now.

He could handle anything — if his was alpha, if he had years of student debt that cost a fortune, or an overdue mortgage, even a restraining order against him — but he couldn’t deal with an extreme age gap because he wasn’t at the age where he could date someone significantly younger than him.

“But seriously...” Sunoo put on his sunglasses. “I think it’s about timing and feeling. It’s not that I’m saying I wouldn’t go out with Heeseung again if he asked me or that I don’t see myself with him. I think we’d make an interesting couple. But that time at the campsite, and then the day at the beach… hmm, that changed my mind”.

Jay smiled, excited. 

“I think for me, it was a few days after the camping trip. I started observing you more and listening to you talk about your divorce, how things were... it made me think, ‘Ah, I’d like to know more about this person’ in a good way. You seem to have many layers, and that makes me curious...”

“And you also think I’m proper fit”.

Jay burst out laughing.

It wasn’t a lie.

Now that that initial stiff impression had transformed into something else, he could admit that he found Sunoo attractive. He was dead handsome, always stylish, always smelled amazing and it didn’t even matter if he was wearing makeup — he was just really good-looking, and that drew Jay in.

“This is so funny” Jay shook his head. “Because outside the house, in the real world, we’d never have met. I usually go for people...” he thought for a moment. “Different from your look”.

“Oh God, you only date ugly people?”

“Sunoo!”

“At least I made you laugh”, Sunoo laughed back, shaking his head.

Jongseong really, really wanted to know his age.

Sunoo’s age would determine a lot of things.

He could deal with his subgender later and make things work somehow if they ended up being in the same page, but the age thing scared him. Those were two deal-breakers for Jongseong at this stage in his life: age and kids.

It would be hard to stay firm in his choice depending on those two factors because Jongseong didn’t have much room in his life due to other people and the baggage he carried, and he wouldn’t know how to handle someone much younger because the kind of job he had already come with a lot of prejudice and judgment.

If he showed up with some random young bloke...

He knew it was selfish, but he couldn’t do it.

“Is there anything that scares you?” Jay asked. “In terms of information about me. Is there anything that could make you reconsider and go in a different way if it didn’t align with what you’re looking for?”

Sunoo took a breath, “I had a similar conversation with Heeseung”.

“And did it end well?”

“Hm, depends on your perspective. It gave me clarity about a lot of things, especially about how we might not be completely compatible in some interests...” he gritted his teeth. “But it was enlightening. So it’s curious that you’re asking me this”.

It made sense.

There was a lot more to his divorce story as well.

“And I think my schedule worries me. My job might seem a bit easy, but there are projects where I can't leave my office for days!” he explained it to Jongseong. “For some people, that might be really hard to follow on, so it worries me that I won’t have time for you”.

“Oh I got you!” and he really did. “That was one of the problems in my marriage. The person complained a lot about my schedule, but unfortunately, there’s not much I can do about it”.

Sunoo was probably observing him because Jongseong could catch a glimpse of him out of the corner of his eye, so it must’ve been a topic that made him apprehensive since he was being so attentive.

“Do you think you’d be able to balance it?” Jay asked.

“It’s not impossible, but it’s not always easy”, Sunoo was honest.

Jay nodded, “Yes. It would be really nice. And I don’t want to become the kind of boyfriend who demands attention. I know your work is fucking important and serious, so that’s why I asked if you could balance your time so we’d have some free hours to be a couple...”

Sunoo smiled.

Jongseong chuckled back, even though he didn’t quite get it.

“What’s funny?”

“You talking as if we’re already a final couple” the blond licked his lips, sliding on the seat and putting his feet on the dashboard. “It’s cute. I see Sunghoon and Jungwon acting like that, and even though Heeseung is interested in me for now, we don’t talk like that”.

Jongseong nodded.

He’d imagined that since they’d been going out since the first day, they were already heading down a similar path toward making a choice, but now he knew that wasn’t the case. Maybe because Heeseung was a bit slower with his feelings and Sunoo was the opposite — not that Jay was any quicker. He usually needed time to adapt and then it took a bit longer to get there but once he did, he went all in.

But he was willing to run to catch up to Sunoo’s pace.

“We’re on the fourteenth day...” Jongseong murmured, looking for a parking spot. Sunoo unbuckled his seatbelt, dancing in his seat. “And you’ve been going out with Heeseung a lot. Do you think, even if you’re not heading toward being a ‘final couple’, you could still choose him?”

Sunoo grabbed the bag Jongseong had bought him during their group beach date, “To be honest with you… huh. That could happen”, he said, closing the door behind him. “I think it depends a lot on how our conversations go from here. There are only a few days left, and everything is soooooooo decisive, so I can’t say I wouldn’t choose him”.

“Woah, you change your mind a lot…”

“It’s not changing my mind. It’s not like I like one person and then suddenly like another. It’s just that we don’t really know anyone deeply, and things can shift in a short time...” Sunoo countered, stuffing his hands into his roomy pockets. “It depends a lot on our conversations moving forward, and I think it’s the same for you. I mean, if Jake wanted to backtrack, would you not even consider continuing things with him?”

No.

Jake had been interested in Heeseung from day one.

He didn’t know if they would ever get anywhere, and he had no clue whether Jake would be able to make Heeseung look his way, given he seemed like the type to hyper-focus on whatever interested him. He himself had said that was a flaw that had hurt his relationship — he’d been so focused on work that he’d neglected everything else.

And he wasn’t hoping for some miracle where they suddenly decided to give each other a chance just so he’d have an opportunity with Sunoo. But having spent so much time with Jake, he thought Jake deserved the things he wanted, and if he wanted Heeseung, then he hoped he got him.

“But!” Sunoo adjusted his cap. “If it makes you feel any better, right now, I’m more inclined towards you. I’ve got no clue how that happened for sure… Maybe it’s that special way of yours that makes me either want to slap you or lose my rag”, he laughed, “but I’ve been enjoying where our conversations are going. You seem sure for everything”.

They were led to a table, and Jongseong asked for the menu before they continued talking. He’d already been out for food with Sunoo and the others and knew the blond got antsy without something to eat.

“Order for me”, Jay suggested, making Sunoo glance up.

“You sure about that?!”

He nodded with a smile, crossing his arms.

Sunoo grinned at the waitress, “For starters, we’ll have a Bruschetta and a Caprese salad. For the main...” he looked at Jay with puffed-up cheeks and spoke again. “Oh, I think I want the Osso Buco, but I also fancy the Spaghetti Carbonara...” he’d eat everything if left to it.

He simply ate a lot — and ate really well.

He was careful with his health and fitness, always exercising, running, or doing some kind of push-ups, but he knew how to fuel himself, and Jay found that fascinating because he was a picky eater.

“I’ll let you nick some of mine”.

The grin Sunoo flashed him was enough to make him happy too.

Jongseong tolerated this sort of thing because he was finicky about food — he hated when people tried to nick bites off his plate — but he was trying to make more of an effort for Sunoo. Because even though he was independent and had a strong, even cheeky personality, he was the type who liked gestures.

Maybe Jay had an advantage over Heeseung because, while getting closer to Jake, he’d had plenty of time to observe Sunoo and notice things about him that Heeseung didn’t seem to.

He was quite verbal, so he liked to get the same in return.

He appreciated honesty, even when it was harsh, and small gestures of affection — he didn’t seem too keen on physical contact, was mindful of his personal space, but he liked knowing that someone was willing to be there for him through thick and thin.

The word he had used at the camp to describe the kind of person he was interested in and looking for was ‘reliable’ — someone he could have a relationship of mutual respect with, where actions spoke louder than words.

Sunoo paid attention to the little things.

“… so, about what we were talking to” Jongseong murmured, taking a sip of wine before carrying on. Sunoo looked at him, twirling some pasta around his fork. They had swapped dishes after both felt satisfied with their own choice of main. “The fact that I seem sure — does that make you feel confident?”

Sunoo nodded firmly, chewing slowly.

Jongseong leaned back in his chair, “So if I weren’t, maybe you wouldn’t feel like we could go ahead and spend the ten days outside the programme together?”

The blonde gestured for him to wait a moment and took a sip of water.

“It’s not that. My opinion and my feelings for you now aren’t just based on the fact that you seem sure about wanting to get to know me better in this process” he explained. “And I think the same goes for you. Or are you only interested because Jake fancies someone else now?”

Jay shook his head.

“It’s the same for me. It’s been a mix of everything”, he said with a shrug, thinking for a moment. “Obviously, we’ve got pretty different personalities. I’m a bit rough around the edges, maybe even a bit blunt, and you’re a bit impatient…” he took off his cap and ran a hand through his hair. “But those things actually made the other details stand out more in my eyes”.

“How so?”

“Well, for example, you had a go at Sunghoon when he tried to nick food from your plate. But after hearing me say I wanted to try two dishes from the menu, you didn’t hesitate to offer me some of yours” the blond nodded, smiling with his eyes. “And also, I can see you’re making an effort because we both move at different speeds. I like things here and now, while you take a bit of time to get a feel for the situation”.

Jongseong chuckled. “That’s true”.

“I also get the feeling that you’re not the type to just walk up to someone and tell them you fancy them”, he gestured, wetting his lips as he looked at him. “It seems like you take ages trying to figure out whether you’re stuck in the friend zone or not with Jake. But I can tell you’re trying to be clearer with me and actually say what’s on your mind”.

“Jungwon said that he and Sunghoon had made a deal to be honest with each other, meet other people, and if they ended up back where they started, they’d give it a proper go”, Jay nodded, explaining his change in attitude. “And that I was a lot like Heeseung in the way I put energy into going after what I want”.

“Oh, and that made you rethink your strategy?”

Jay scratched his forehead.

“That and the fact that you once said you liked people who were honest about their feelings because you thought it was fairer”.

“Mmh-hmm. That’s true. I’d rather people be upfront, whether they like me or not. At the end of the day, I just want everyone to be on the same page. I had a really tough time in my last relationship. We had loads of differences and problems, but the worst part was that the other person didn’t care and didn’t even try to put in the bare minimum for us in a good way”.

“Well, I’d like to try more than just the bare minimum”.

Sunoo looked at him with those gorgeous hazel eyes and smiled.

He nodded, twirling the pasta on his plate, “That kind of thing matters the most to me…” he admitted. “I like sincerity because I never had enough of it in my life. So now, I reckon it’s one of my top priorities. The lack of it makes me pull away from people, even if there’s a chance we could work out, because I don’t want to feel like I’m the only one making the effort”.

Jongseong picked up his glass.

“You won’t be. At least, not with me…” he said with a shrug.

It wasn’t that he thought he was better than Heeseung — he actually believed Heeseung had plenty of good qualities — but it was up to Sunoo to decide that. And from the looks of it, the blonde was leaning towards him.

Sunoo leaned back in his chair, biting his lip with a soft smile.

Jay should have started paying more attention to Sunoo sooner.

That way, they would have spent less time faffing about and more time actually getting to know each other. Because now, as they talked openly about everything on their minds, he realised that the differences he once thought would push them apart were the very things that intrigued him and kept them moving forward.

“Fancy going to the cinema?” Jay suggested with a grin. “You and me?”

˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

It was quite late at night when Sunoo and Jay got back home.

They had been to the cinema to watch a film — which was so nice because it had been ages since Jongseong last had a bit of free time to do something like that with someone else. Afterwards, they’d gone out for dinner and had a few bevvies to the point where they needed a driver.

It was… amazing. Warm. Cosy.

Sunoo smelled lovely.

Jay didn’t have a clue what cologne he was wearing, but it was proper nice and he loved the journey back, how their hands ended up finding each other on the seat and how they kept chatting away without making a big deal out of it, simply because they were enjoying themselves.

But it was well late by the time they got back.

No one else was up.

Sunoo giggled, covering his mouth with his hand, “Did we go a bit over the top?!”

Jay shook his head, grinning just as much.

They’d had an absolute blast and had agreed to hit up an amusement park the next day if they had a bit of free time at some point, so it didn’t matter if they’d gone overboard or if it was way past the time everyone usually got back. The production team had given them the green light to do whatever they fancied.

Besides, they had a date tomorrow.

Too many wins to be stressing about.

“I’m just gonna grab some water and head up”, Sunoo whispered.

Jongseong wanted them to stay up a bit longer, wanted to keep chatting even though they’d spent the whole day doing just that because it was one of those days where you could just enjoy life without worrying about all the stuff going on around you — but he nodded.

The blonde waved him off, gesturing for him to head to bed as well.

Jay bit the inside of his cheek, taking a deep breath.

When Sunoo went upstairs, he was still standing in front of the room.

“What?” the blonde asked with a curious smile, slightly surprised to see him. He’d taken ages to get into the kitchen because he’d tidied up the dishes in the sink. “What’s up?”

Jay scratched his neck, “I was thinking…”, he started, feeling a bit awkward, which made Sunoo step closer to hear better. The blonde gestured for him to carry on. “What if we crashed in the rec room? Just you and me…”