Sungjoon, seemingly frustrated, messed up his hair.
"Don't do that, you'll ruin it."
Haeyoung stopped his hand and gently fixed his hair again. What had been a mess was quickly neat once more.
Sungjoon looked down at Haeyoung with a displeased expression as she stood close, fixing his hair. But when their eyes met, he quickly looked away.
"By the way, what's with that look?"
"What look?"
"Did you just come from the salon?"
"Yeah."
"Honestly, I almost didn't recognize you at first."
"Is it that different?"
"You should've been like this all along. Every time we met, you always looked like a total mess—so embarrassing."
Would things have turned out differently if I'd looked like this from the beginning? Would you have still looked down on me?
No... maybe I could've changed, just for a moment. But in the end, things would've ended the same.
"Fine. I'll stay like this from now on. You won't ever see the old me again. Not ever."
*****
"Let's finish shopping and head back."
The people who had stayed behind at home began preparing dinner.
Haeyoung went into the dressing area inside the walk-in closet to change into more comfortable clothes. Just then, Minji suddenly walked in.
After Sungjoon... now it's you.
It wasn't even surprising anymore.
"I heard from Sungjoon."
"That was fast."
"Did you really come here just to help Sungjoon?"
Minji was clearly wary of Haeyoung. It seemed she didn't believe what Sungjoon had told her.
"Yes."
Minji stared intently at her, as if trying to figure out her true intentions. It must've seemed strange—Haeyoung, who had always acted like a pushover under the guise of being 'kind,' was suddenly behaving differently.
But what can I do? I'm not ready to let my true intentions show just yet.
Haeyoung blinked slowly. Minji tilted her head, puzzled.
"Then why did you say you wanted to share a room with me?"
"Wouldn't it be nice if you helped, too? I can only help if I'm close by."
"You'd go that far? Just for Jo Sungjoon?"
"Of course. Sungjoon has to succeed this time. That's the only way we can get married."
Minji's eyebrows stiffened for a moment. A flash of contempt passed through her eyes, as if she were looking at something truly unpleasant. Without her usual smile, her expression looked much colder than expected.
"Unni… Sungjoon really hates it when you act like this."
"What did you say?"
"You're here because you're worried he might meet someone else, aren't you? That he might go on dates with another woman, or—"
"You've been spending so much time with him. You followed him all the way here because you were jealous, didn't you?"
It was a tone she never used around anyone else.
Haeyoung had noticed it before. Around Sungjoon or others, Minji would always be sweet and affectionate, calling her "unni" with a cute smile. But whenever it was just the two of them, she subtly looked down on her—just enough to feel it.
This must be the unfiltered version of Minji, the one that showed when she didn't bother to hide her disregard.
"I'm only saying this because I care about you… but Sungjoon says he's exhausted and frustrated because of how you act. He says that even when he tries to treat you well like he used to, he just can't when he sees you like this."
Haeyoung had never once obsessed over Sungjoon.
Whenever he said he was busy practicing acting, I didn't say a word even if he didn't contact me for days.
And though Minji's presence had always bothered me, I hardly ever had an honest conversation about how I truly felt.
I thought that was just the kind of understanding long-term lovers were supposed to have.
"Even as a fellow woman, you come off as creepy and completely unappealing."
If I'd still been in love with Sungjoon, those words would have cut deep. I would've spent days going over what I did wrong, wondering what part of me had pushed him away.
But now that my feelings were fully sorted out, I could hear Minji's words more objectively than anyone else could.
Sungjoon would've changed no matter what I did. That's just who he is.
"So please leave the house. If you get found out, it won't just cause trouble for me and Sungjoon—it'll be a nuisance to the entire production team."
Haeyoung lowered her head.
Minji's lecture continued from above Haeyoung's bowed head.
"There's not much time left. You know this is almost like a live broadcast, right? The first episode airs in just a few days, and once it does, there's no turning back. Every viewer is going to tear you apart. Please. I really don't want to see you get hurt. So before that happens, just come up with some excuse and leave."
She made it sound like she was concerned for others—like she was worried for Haeyoung. But the truth was, she was afraid she might have to leave along with her.
"You know, now that I hear you out… I think you're right. Thanks for worrying about me. You're so kind."
"I'm glad you understand what I'm saying."
Minji's expression brightened—just a little.
"But I've decided not to leave."
"…What?"
Haeyoung lifted the corners of her mouth and gave a pleasant, friendly smile.
It was the kind of harmless smile that disarmed people, draining even the will to argue—something she'd learned from Minji herself.
"Do you not understand what I'm saying right now?"
Minji's voice rose. It was clear she was upset that Haeyoung had outright rejected her words.
"Oh, I understand just fine. It's not exactly complicated. You dressed it up nicely, but in the end, you're just telling me to shut up and get lost before you end up getting hurt, right?"
"W-What? I never said that! That's not it—I'm doing this for Sungjoon—!"
"Huh? But Sungjoon seemed pretty happy about it. He even asked me to support him well."
Minji, having lost her biggest excuse, opened and closed her mouth in silence. Her face flushed red and pale in turns.
It must have been unsettling for Minji—seeing Haeyoung, who had always been in the palm of her hand, change like this.
"If you don't want me here, don't try to manipulate others—take action yourself, Minji. Oh, but if you do, maybe you'll get kicked out too. Well then, guess you'll just have to put up with it."
Haeyoung lightly patted Minji's shoulder.
"You can do it. I once had someone I hated so much that just seeing their face made me want to throw up. But you know what? I held it in—and I managed just fine. For six whole years."
Minji's eyes narrowed. She was probably unsure. After all, Haeyoung's six years aligned exactly with the length of her relationship with Sungjoon.
But she couldn't be certain Haeyoung was talking about her. She'd never expect someone she saw as a pushover to openly insult her to her face.
But the truth is, yeah—it is you. And just so there's no confusion going forward, I'll make that perfectly clear.
Haeyoung brushed past Minji, who stood frozen in place.
*****
Dinner naturally transitioned into a drinking session. Beer, whiskey, wine—all sorts of alcohol were spread across the table.
As the drinks kept coming, one glass after another, the tension that had gripped the group began to ease. Everyone gradually relaxed.
Laughter and conversation grew louder, and just then, a soft ding echoed from the monitor in the common area. The heart-shaped logo that had been displayed disappeared, replaced by a message on the screen:
A friend profile has arrived.
"Kyaa!"
"Ahh, finally!"
Excited screams broke out as Jaeyoung returned holding a thick stack of envelopes.
"Wow, what do we do? This is going to be so cringey."
"I'm scared. I bet there's some cursing in here."
Chanwoo's comment sparked laughter, easing the tension a bit. Before long, everyone had an envelope with their name on it in hand.
Minji stepped forward. As the group gave her a round of encouraging applause, she cleared her throat with a small cough. Her earlier sharp exchange with Haeyoung seemed to have been forgotten—she was as bright and lovely as ever.
"Why is my heart pounding? Okay, I'll read mine.
"My friend Woo-min is definitely like a little chick."
"Wow, that's such a chick-like face," someone joked.
Someone agreed. Minji's face flushed bright red. She continued reading the introduction Sungjoon had written.
"Round, gentle eyes with small lips and nose. Isn't that just adorable? Especially her chubby cheeks! If you pinch them, they're so soft and tender you wouldn't believe it. Minji, who looks so delicate, cries easily—when something sad happens, tears fall from her big eyes. But she hates being a burden to others, so even when she's struggling, she tries to get through it on her own, tears streaming down her face. I hope there's someone out there who will treat my precious friend Minji like a princess—someone truly irreplaceable to me."
Minji looked up, seemingly embarrassed.
"Is this really a friend's introduction? Writing such nice things?"
"It was filled with so much affection."
"But Minji is so cute already, so—"
"No, it's not like that… Maybe my friend wrote it nicely because she's worried I won't be able to date."
Minji twisted her body nervously, trailing off at the end.
Haeyoung rested her chin on her hand and looked at Minji with a fond, affectionate gaze.
Though inside, she thought both of them were being a little ridiculous.