The Probability of Meeting My Ex in a Heterosexual Dating Program

Chapter 1

“Let’s break up.”

Ki Seo-jung finally uttered the words that had been circling in his mind. Contrary to his worries, his voice came out calm. He felt relieved at that.

It was all the result of effort. “Let’s break up.” Those four syllables were so difficult that Ki Seo-jung had stayed up all night, muttering them over and over. The deep sighs that mixed with each word were just a bonus.

His lips, having done their job, closed tightly again. The words that had come out so easily despite the long hesitation quickly dissipated, and a heavy silence filled their place.

Enduring the pressure of the silence, Seo-jung slowly closed and opened his dry eyes. At the end of his downward gaze, he caught sight of the untouched coffee cup. The steam that had been rising from it had disappeared without a trace. As he looked at the cold cup, waiting for the other’s response, it happened.

Suddenly, a loud laugh rang out. Ki Seo-jung reflexively raised his head. His vision blurred momentarily with the movement, and then the person who had broken the silence came into view.

He saw a man in a hospital gown covered with the hospital’s name. It was Cha Yoon.

Confirming the source of the sound, Seo-jung swallowed hard, feeling a sharp pain in his heart. It felt like once again confirming that the person sitting across from him was not the Cha Yoon he knew.

Cha Yoon, who had been laughing without regard for the stares from the neighboring table, finally stopped after a while. He seemed to have calmed down and rubbed his eyes. Seo-jung followed the movement with his gaze.

He could see the plump aegyo-sal beneath Cha Yoon’s crescent-shaped eyes. It was one of the many features of Cha Yoon that Ki Seo-jung had loved.

“…Ah, this is fucking hilarious.”

A low voice resonated. In stark contrast to his lovely eye-smile, Cha Yoon’s first words were almost vulgar.

“I thought it must have been some grand love affair to date a guy for 7 years.”

“…”

“Guess it wasn’t.”

“It’s so fucking easy.” Cha Yoon started to draw his own conclusions, as if talking about someone else’s story rather than his own.

“No, maybe you’re just trash.”

Cha Yoon, who had been leaning back in the sofa chair, straightened up and pulled his body closer to the table.

“To break up with your ‘lover’ as soon as he wakes up with a fucked-up head?”

Cha Yoon’s eyes sparkled as he made a mischievous expression. As if he had found something quite interesting.

Ki Seo-jung didn’t respond to the string of comments. To be precise, he chose not to respond rather than being unable to. There was nothing wrong with what Cha Yoon had said. His silence was an affirmation.

What they had for 7 years wasn’t a grand love affair, but just a common relationship that ended like this.

And he was indeed trash for trying to let go of Cha Yoon, who had lost all memories of the past 7 years because of him.

As the silence stretched on, Cha Yoon, who had been momentarily still, quickly lost interest and leaned back. Ki Seo-jung’s response didn’t matter to him anyway.

“Alright then.”

Cha Yoon nodded as he spoke. Ki Seo-jung knew this was Cha Yoon’s answer to his suggestion to break up. It carried about as much weight as Cha Yoon’s hair swaying with his nod – that light.

Cha Yoon stood up. His movements showed no sign of lingering attachment.

“Ah.”

Cha Yoon, who was about to turn and leave, paused. He seemed to remember something, fiddled with his fingers for a moment, then tapped the table.

“You can keep this.”

“I don’t need it.” The object that left Cha Yoon’s hand fell onto the table. It rolled across the table with a clatter before stopping right in front of Seo-jung. Ki Seo-jung slowly lowered his gaze.

“…”

What Cha Yoon had left behind was a small ring. A ring with the same design as the one hanging on his necklace.

At that moment, Cha Yoon’s voice from a month ago suddenly echoed in his ears.

‘We’ve been dating for 7 years, that’s long enough.’

‘So, let’s stop dating and get married.’

Cha Yoon’s voice, with a smile brighter than the sunset, against the backdrop of a golden sea.

When he looked up, he saw Cha Yoon’s back, already distant. Seo-jung closed his eyes. He wanted to keep that image of him in his mind for as long as possible.

This wasn’t so bad. It might be a shallow and short time compared to the “forever” they always talked about, but it was good enough…

Somehow, the more reasons he tried to find, the more pathetic he felt, so Ki Seo-jung soon gave up on everything.

As he turned his head, he saw snow piled up white outside the foggy window, not knowing when it had started falling. As he quietly stared at the snowy scene, Seo-jung suddenly burst into laughter. Ha ha, the small laughing sound slowly faded. He bit the inside of his cheek.

And so, the not-so-grand love affair of Cha Yoon and Ki Seo-jung ended after 7 years. It was a painfully cold winter day.

***

[News][Official] ‘Please Take Care of My X’ Returns with PD Kim Seo-hyo, Production Confirmed

[Every News = Reporter Jung Yoo-won] ZVING’s original variety program ‘Please Take Care of My X’ is coming back under the name ‘Please Take Care of My X Returns’. It’s been about 3 years since Season 5 of ‘Please Take Care of My X’ ended.

The direction of ‘Please Take Care of My X Returns’ will be handled by PD Kim Seo-hyo, who has moved back to GZ ENM. PD Kim Seo-hyo successfully launched Seasons 1 and 2 of ‘Please Take Care of My X’.

According to Every News’ investigation on the 9th, the specific filming and broadcasting schedule for ‘Please Take Care of My X Returns’ is under discussion, and it has been confirmed that they are currently in the process of recruiting cast members.

‘Please Take Care of My X’ is a dating reality program where couples who have broken up for various reasons gather in one place, live together, and reunite with their ex-lovers or meet new connections.

(omitted)

Comments 301

– OMG crazy

– Huh? They’re doing ‘Please Take Care of My X’ again? Didn’t the last season flop?

– Wow, they’re doing this again ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

– Hmm..

  ⤷ For real lol

– Even bone broth isn’t boiled this much

  ⤷ At this point, it’s just water

  ⤷ Boiling what’s already been boiled and boiled again..

– Please Take Care of My X: Kill me….

– A typical example of not leaving when you should

  ⤷ lolololololololololol

– Huh? Why are the reactions so negative??? I don’t watch dating shows but wasn’t this popular???

  ⤷ Yeah, Seasons 1 and 2 were okay, but after that, it was just full of people who wanted to get famous, so it became boring..

  ⤷ 1 and 2 were the best, but up to 4 was still okay. But in 5, there was an issue with one couple faking their breakup, so public opinion plummeted

– What’s this about faking?

  ⤷ Simply put, one couple pretended to have broken up and appeared on the show

  ⤷ (link) If you watch this, you’ll understand. It’s a video summarizing the ‘Please Take Care of My X’ controversy

  ⤷⤷ Oh, I didn’t know that happened;

  ⤷⤷ So what happened to them? Did they leave the show?

  ⤷⤷⤷ The scandal broke after filming was already finished, so I think the show aired as is? They probably just minimized their screen time

– To be honest, as a dating show fan, let me say.. The public opinion nosedive last season wasn’t exactly because of the faking.. From the start, most shows featuring ordinary people follow the rule that once they blow up, the next season is full of people who just want to become influencers, and the public knows this lol As long as they provide ^dopamine^, no one cares if they fake or whatever lol The problem was the visuals of the male cast.. Damn; I turned on the TV and saw guys you could find anywhere on the street, how could that generate any dopamine? It just made me angry

  ⤷ 22 Exactly. Despite all the talk about it being artificial or scripted, dating show fans will watch as long as it’s entertaining. Season 5 got hate because of the messed up male cast^^

  ⤷ Take a breath, damn lolol

Oh, this atmosphere isn’t right… Sorry..

  ⤷ 3333 If that’s the case, I’d rather watch ‘I’m Solo’…

  ⤷ 44 I agree with every single word

  ⤷ 55555 On top of that, the horrible direction by the male PD who had zero sense for this kind of show contributed. Watch Season 5, it’s so frustrating,,lol

  ⤷ 6 If they’re going to do it, please pay attention to the visuals of the male cast..; The gap between the male and female cast’s visuals is so big, it doesn’t generate dopamine but anger;

– How bad were the faces of the Season 5 male cast for public opinion to be this bad?

  ⤷ (photo)

  ⤷⤷ ?

  ⤷⤷ Damn

  ⤷⤷ That’s harsh..

  ⤷⤷ What is this, a marine ecosystem research center? Just deep sea creatures?

  ⤷⤷ The replies lololololol (actually not funny..)

– If PD Kim Seo-hyo is directing, can we expect something good?

  ⤷ OMG crazy, you’re right

  ⤷ I really hope soㅜㅜㅜ I still can’t forget the thrill of watching Seasons 1 and 2 of ‘Please Take Care of My X’ㅜㅜㅜ

– Huh? When did Kim Seo-hyo return to GZ???

  ⤷ Probably this yearlol But I didn’t expect her comeback to be with ‘Please Take Care of My X’

– OMG this is huge

– Found my future food buddy lol

– I came in thinking ‘This zombie is back again;;’ but if it’s PD Seo-hyo, it might be okay. I heard PD Seo-hyo has really high standardslol

  ⤷ True, and her directing sense is good too

  ⤷ Agree, I still can’t forget the catfish entrance scene in Season 2

  ⤷ Please make a masterpiece that surpasses Season 2ㅠ I still watch Season 2 clipsㅜㅜ

  ⤷ But for someone with such high standards.. the faces of the male cast in Seasons 1 and 2 weren’t that outstanding.. shh

  ⤷⤷ lololol damn, harsh (though compared to Season 5, they were like idols;;)

  ⤷⤷ Considering the overall downward trend of street visuals in Korea, that level is pretty goodㅜ

  ⤷⤷⤷ This is accurate….

– Knowing that PD Seo-hyo is directing makes me a bit nervous…

  ⤷ 22 I hope they set the broadcast date soonㅠㅠ

– PD Seo-hyo, please take care of my dopamine