The Probability of Meeting My Ex in a Heterosexual Dating Program

Chapter 3

What’s this? Ki Seo-jung tried to understand the situation unfolding before his eyes but failed. This was beyond his comprehension.

Immediately, denial of reality set in. Is this a dream? Seo-jung clenched his fist. Pain shot through as his nails dug into his palm.

It’s not a dream. Then a hallucination? This was also possible. After all, thinking about Cha Yoon was part of Ki Seo-jung’s daily life.

He closed his eyes tightly, wishing for Cha Yoon to disappear like magic. However, unfortunately, Cha Yoon was still there when he opened them. Of course. There was no such thing as magic in Seo-jung’s world.

Further denial was pointless. Seo-jung decided to accept reality. The person standing there was indeed the ‘real’ Cha Yoon.

Why is Cha Yoon here? Seo-jung hadn’t encountered Cha Yoon even once in the past six months. That was normal, and he thought it would continue to be so.

But shattering his expectations, he met Cha Yoon.

And that too on a dating show, as a fellow participant.

His train of thought suddenly stopped. Fellow participant. That meant Cha Yoon had also appeared on this show with his ex-girlfriend.

As he realized this, Song Joo-ah’s face flashed through his mind. The two who had been childhood friends for so long. Cha Yoon, who had never dated a man before being with him. Like pieces of a puzzle coming together, a picture was completed.

So they ended up becoming lovers after all.

Seo-jung lowered his head and took a sharp breath. In contrast to Ki Seo-jung’s visible agitation, Cha Yoon seemed completely unfazed.

He found an empty seat and sat down. It was directly across from where Ki Seo-jung would see him if he looked up.

“Now that our last resident has arrived, shall we introduce ourselves once more?”

“Sounds good. Then starting with our last resident… Your name?”

“Cha Yoon.”

“It’s just one syllable, right? Such a pretty name.”

“It suits your face so well!”

Cha Yoon just smiled slightly without making any particular response.

“I’m Gong Min-wook.”

“I’m Yeo Ji-yoon. Nice to meet you all.”

Different voices followed. Yet, Cha Yoon’s eyes remained fixed on Seo-jung. Soon, it was Ki Seo-jung’s turn.

“Seo-jung?”

Min-ha’s hand tapped Seo-jung’s shoulder. Seo-jung barely managed to collect himself. At that moment, Cha Yoon’s expression changed subtly as he looked at the two of them.

“…I’m Ki Seo-jung.”

Although he had repeated this six times already, his body felt stiffer than ever. The perceptive Min-ha noticed Seo-jung’s tension.

“Seo-jung, why are you suddenly so nervous?”

“Oh, you’re right. Seo-jung was speaking so well until just now.”

“Could it be that Seo-jung’s ex showed up and that’s why he can’t control his expression?”

Attention suddenly focused on Seo-jung. The last question struck a chord with Ki Seo-jung. But pretending to be fine, acting as if nothing was wrong, was something he was already well-practiced in. Seo-jung steadied his voice.

“I guess I got nervous because Cha Yoon looks so much like a celebrity.”

“Wow, so even good-looking people get surprised when they see another good-looking person. That’s interesting.”

He gave an appropriate answer while keeping his gaze fixed on Seo Min-ha. Just as he was looking for a chance to change the topic from himself, it happened.

“Ki Seo-jung.”

A pleasant voice rang out. It was Cha Yoon who had interrupted the conversation. Without time to think, Seo-jung turned his head.

Inevitably, their eyes met. They were cool eyes, devoid of warmth.

“……”

Seo-jung’s fists clenched. His effort not to look at Cha Yoon had crumbled in an instant. Just from Cha Yoon calling his name.

He could feel the other participants’ attention focusing on them. Yet he couldn’t manage his expression. Even his well-practiced composure turned to nothing in front of Cha Yoon.

Cha Yoon paid no attention to the piercing gazes. He repeated Seo-jung’s name several times, as if savoring it in his mouth.

“I think I should remember it.”

Cha Yoon pulled at the corner of his mouth. It looked like he was smiling at a glance, but he wasn’t really. There was still a cold glint in his eyes.

“And if you’re going to talk about me, you should look at me while doing so.”

“……”

“This makes it seem like Ki Seo-jung is ignoring me.”

I feel hurt. His tone was as if he was throwing a tantrum. With that one remark, the tightly stretched atmosphere loosened. Cha Yoon played with the mood just by changing his tone of voice.

Finally, the people who had been watching cautiously began to speak. That’s right, you should compliment him directly. Cha Yoon must be at an age where he wants attention. Comments supporting Cha Yoon continued.

It was a somewhat familiar scene. Seo-jung felt a strange sense of déjà vu watching Cha Yoon’s behavior. He couldn’t understand why Cha Yoon was acting this way, but one thing was clear. This situation shouldn’t be prolonged. He didn’t want the others to feel uncomfortable because of him.

“I’m sorry for the misunderstanding. I’ll make sure not to make you feel hurt in the future.”

“Yes, please make sure to keep that promise.”

Ki Seo-jung gave what he thought was the best answer to resolve the situation. Cha Yoon seemed quite satisfied with the response and nodded. But he didn’t forget to add one more thing. It sounded almost sarcastic, but Seo-jung didn’t point it out.

“Have you seen the house rules on the table? Apparently, we need to scan them with the ‘Please Take Care of My X’ app.”

“That’s right! I discovered it!”

Seo-jung naturally turned his gaze and pointed to a pink piece of paper. With Min-ha’s voice joining in, the other participants who had been alternately looking at Cha Yoon and Ki Seo-jung shifted their attention. Except for one person.

While others were reading the house rules on their phone screens, only Cha Yoon remained in his seat, staring at Seo-jung. More precisely, at the area around his neck visible through his dress shirt.

“What exactly are you trying to do?”

I don’t understand. A series of quiet mumbles could be heard. It seemed like he was talking to himself, but Ki Seo-jung stubbornly kept his eyes on the screen.

“Shall we decide on rooms first?”

“Sounds good. I was wanting to change into comfortable clothes anyway.”

As Gong Min-wook clapped his hands loudly to get everyone’s attention, Song Joo-ah supported his suggestion.

“Then let’s unpack and meet back here.”

“Alright. Let’s hurry and eat after that.”

“The women’s room is on the first floor. Let’s go check it out quickly, ladies.”

Amid laughter, the female participants disappeared to explore their rooms. Gong Min-wook, who had been watching their retreating figures for a moment, got up from his seat.

“Shall we go upstairs too?”

On the second floor, there were two double rooms in total, excluding a locked door. The room conditions were better than expected. Each room had two beds side by side, a dressing room, and even a private bathroom.

Amidst the excited participants, only Ki Seo-jung and Cha Yoon were quiet. Cha Yoon because he wasn’t particularly interested, and Seo-jung because of his complicated feelings.

It was a room they had to use for a month. It was already troublesome enough to run into each other coming and going, but Seo-jung didn’t want to share a room with Cha Yoon.

However, he couldn’t say he didn’t want to share a room with Cha Yoon in front of the cameras. Is there no other way? After being lost in thought for a while, Seo-jung spoke up. His body was turned away from Cha Yoon.

“Is anyone here a heavy sleeper?”

“Why? Does Seo-jung snore?”

“I heard he doesn’t have any sleep habits.”

Oh, what’s this? Ex’s testimony? Seo-jung just laughed off the playful question.

“Due to the nature of my job, my wake-up times aren’t consistent. I’d feel less guilty if I could room with someone who can sleep through my getting ready for work.”

After some consideration, he brought up his variable wake-up times. Given his profession, Ki Seo-jung worked in three shifts.

Cha Yoon, being sensitive, used to wake up easily at the slightest sound. So if he heard this, surely Cha Yoon would choose a different room…

“Share with me.”

“You will? Then I’ll share with…”

Ki Seo-jung, who was responding reflexively, stopped mid-sentence. The voice had come from behind him. Seo-jung turned around with surprised eyes. He saw Cha Yoon tilting his head askew.

“Why are you so surprised?”

“Aren’t you a light sleeper?”

“Have you slept with me before? You speak as if you have.”

It was a cutting remark. As Seo-jung just moved his lips without speaking, Cha Yoon spoke again.

“I’m taking a break from work these days, so it doesn’t matter to me.”

In the end, he was saying he would sacrifice himself. Just as Seo-jung was about to politely refuse, saying that wasn’t necessary, Cha Yoon conspicuously looked at the camera installed on the ceiling.

“So unless you hate sharing a room with me, just share with me.”

He cut off all possible refusals Seo-jung could make with this simple method. Now Seo-jung couldn’t even hesitate. Even that brief pause would make it seem like he disliked Cha Yoon.

“…Alright then.”

Seo-jung gave a reluctant answer. Only then did Cha Yoon smile with satisfaction.