"Haeyoung."
Haeyoung slowly opened her eyes. Taeri was gently shaking her shoulder.
"Are you not feeling well? They said we need to gather soon for the text vote."
"No, I'm fine."
"You look tired."
Checking the time, she was startled. Three hours had already passed.
Was she feeling unwell? This was a disaster. She had wanted to talk to several people before the text vote.
"Maybe it's because I didn't sleep well. Let's go downstairs quickly. Everyone must be waiting."
"Have you decided who to vote for?"
"Um, yes. What about you, Taeri?"
"I really don't know. Today's date was fun, but I'm not sure if it's because that person was fun or if it's genuine romantic excitement."
Hmm, is the date partner Chanwoo?
Jaeyoung isn't the fun type. Especially with Taeri, their chemistry didn't match, so there was no sign of any romantic development.
But it couldn't be Dojin either. Although not publicly revealed on set yet, he's a friend who appeared alongside Taeri. Of course, not much has changed yet, but it will eventually.
"Then what about the others? Is there anyone you want to send a vote to?"
"Hmm, no one."
"Then don't overthink it. If you had fun today, isn't that enough?"
"Keep it simple?"
"Yes. Just focus on who made your heart flutter today."
Taeri's face lit up.
"That's right. No need to complicate things, especially this early on! Thank you, Haeyoung. I feel much more at ease now!"
"I'm glad I could help."
As Taeri went downstairs, she kept chatting about how unusual it was for her to worry like that, and Haeyoung just gave casual responses.
When they went downstairs, the other cast members greeted them. The atmosphere was lively, as if they had already had a few drinks.
Seongjun was chatting excitedly with Gaeun, and Minji was clinking glasses with Chanwoo and Jaeyoung.
"Haeyoung, are you feeling unwell?"
Dojin's question drew everyone's attention to Haeyoung. Minji stared at her so intently it was almost uncomfortable.
"No, I was just tired, but resting made me feel much better."
"That's a relief. Have a seat here."
Dojin handed her a glass and asked if she had any plans for tomorrow. Pretending not to want to get drunk, she made a motion as if to drink but then put the glass back down.
"We're planning to go to the sheep ranch tomorrow with those of us who don't have any schedules. Come with us!"
Oh? Going to the sheep ranch already? That was sooner than I expected.
"Sounds good."
Of course I have to go. This is an event I absolutely can't miss.
Haeyoung promised herself she would go even if she ended up bedridden from being sick.
The moment Haeyoung answered, the logo for "Friendship Romance 2" appeared on the screen.
Who made your heart flutter today?
*****
[You looked really tired today. Please get plenty of rest. And let's have another date when you're feeling better.]
Haeyoung sent a text to Seongjun again today. It was a message that reminded him once more of his indifferent attitude during their date.
On the other hand, she didn't expect to receive any texts herself.
On the first day's first date, unless someone had a strong liking for another person, they would usually send a message to their date that day.
Seongjun would definitely not be the one to send her a message.
After finishing their texts, the cast members continued their conversations. However, the slightly tense expressions on their faces revealed everyone's underlying nervousness.
As Haeyoung carefully observed the faces around her, her phone vibrated silently in her hand. She had received a message.
[Tomorrow is going to be fun!]
Who could it be?
Having lost the evening time, she also felt distant from the other cast members...
Haeyoung hadn't been able to spend much time with the others.
She glanced sideways at Dojin, who happened to be looking at her. Their eyes met, and Dojin smiled gently.
So it was Dojin.
At that moment, a notification sound rang.
The screen shifted.
Dojin — 1 vote
The voting system had changed. To elicit stronger reactions, the monitor displayed each person's name one by one.
Chanwoo — 1 vote
It seemed that Taeri had sent her message following Haeyoung's advice. In the next moment, both their names appeared simultaneously on the monitor.
Seongjun — 2 votes
Jaeyoung — 0 votes
The results were contradictory. The contestants all fell silent.
Seongjun had received two votes — one from Haeyoung and the other likely from Gaeun. That meant Gaeun's date partner was Jaeyoung. Now, all the dating pairs could be matched.
Haeyoung with Seongjun, Taeri with Chanwoo, Gaeun with Jaeyoung, and Minji with Dojin.
Seongjun's gaze briefly swept over Jaeyoung before moving on.
It seemed like he was completely intoxicated by the tremendous feeling of victory from having taken the vote of that arrogant man.
"Sungjun, you need to be careful at times like this. Are you going to be on the bad side?"
Then it was the female contestants' turn.
Haeyoung: 1 vote
Gaeun: 1 vote
Huh? Sungjun definitely gave his vote to Gaeun.
Then who did Jaeyoung, who went on a date with Gaeun, send his vote to? Could it be that he's already chosen Minji?
Since the sheep ranch episode, Jaeyoung had been straightforwardly pursuing Minji. Just like Gaeun, is Jaeyoung's heart inevitably flowing in the path already decided?
No matter how hard one tries, could it really be that nothing will change?
She suddenly became anxious, wondering if nothing could be done to change things.
At that moment, the screen changed.
Minji: 0 votes
Taeri: 2 votes
Haeyoung couldn't believe her eyes. Minji didn't receive a single vote again today.
What's worse, she lost the vote of Jaeyoun to Taeri, who also received zero votes yesterday.
Minji's expression hardened coldly. Because she usually wore a smiling face, now she looked like a completely different person.
Haeyoung quietly let out a sigh of relief.
It can change. It's going the way I hoped.
Right now, Sungjun's pride must be soaring through the roof, while Minji's heart is probably boiling with frustration. Whether you're at the top or the bottom, reaching an extreme always makes you prone to breaking.
Haeyoung quietly watched the contrasting expressions of Sungjun and Minji. Everything was going according to plan.
After the brief aftermath of the public text vote, the contestants once again clinked their glasses and started chatting loudly.
"Haeyoung, you should go upstairs and rest first."
"That's right. You said you weren't feeling well. Go ahead and rest. That way, we can all go to the sheep ranch together tomorrow!"
Taeri, remembering that Haeyoung wasn't feeling well, subtly gave her an opening to slip away. Haeyoung was just about to decide to take the opportunity and go upstairs.
Then Minji stood up, holding cups in both hands.
"Ah… I feel dizzy…"
Minji staggered and dropped the glass she was holding.
The glass shattered loudly.
Jaeyoung, who was sitting next to her, quickly stood up and grabbed her arm. The room fell silent, and everyone turned their attention to Minji in surprise.
"Are you okay?"
"No, please hold me for a moment."
"Move slowly."
As Jaeyoung helped Minji sit on the sofa, the other contestants cleaned up the broken glass.
Minji took a small sip of water brought by Dojin. She drank just enough to seem like she had swallowed, then set the glass down.
Minji's long eyelashes lowered heavily. Her pale face and trembling shoulders made her look fragile and delicate, more so than ever before.
"Do you think I have a fever? I'm suddenly cold and shivering. Did I push myself too hard?"
Minji opened her slightly reddened eyes wide and looked at Jaeyoung.
I think I understood why she acted that way. It wasn't impossible to figure out—after all, I've seen this kind of behavior countless times.
Minji often got sick. No, I'm sure she often pretended to be sick.
Especially on important days: Haeyoung's college graduation, the anniversary with Sungjun, Christmas, the year-end.
While everyone was watching Minji, Haeyoung looked at Sungjun. Normally, he would have jumped up and taken Minji away, but why was he just sitting still?
"Sungjun, today is our 5th anniversary. Are you really going to go?"
"What can you do if someone is sick?"
"You're not a doctor. Just tell her to go to the hospital."
"You're a really bad person if you hate someone just because they're sick."
Minji was clearly the one at fault, but in the situation, Haeyoung always ended up being the "bad person." The bad person who, out of jealousy toward the weak and lonely Minji, neglected someone who was actually ill.
But today, Sungjun didn't step forward like the other contestants; he just watched her silently.
It must mean he didn't feel the need to gain Minji's favor here. After all, Sungjun was in a more popular position.
Just as Haeyoung had been pushed aside between her and Minji, now Minji was the one being sidelined.
"What should we do? Both Haeyoung and Minji seem really tired today," Taeri said worriedly.
At her words, the frown on Minji's face softened just a little.
No one else seemed to notice, but Haeyoung didn't miss it.