What is love?
It’s the exchange with others, sharing feelings, laughing and talking about trivial things together, and simply spending time.
At some moments, it’s something you might hate to the point of wanting to kill, but when it’s gone, you feel empty. When together, it makes your heart flutter and brings comfort.
This was roughly my definition of love. Even that felt like a jumble of words floating around in my heart.
So, let’s set love aside for now. What about dating?
It’s the relationship between people. The starting point of love, which these days is sometimes called “something.” It seems like there’s this preparatory phase before jumping into dating, with confession merely serving as a way to confirm each other’s feelings.
Anyway, dating still felt like a pretty tough and unfamiliar mystery to me. Even after having experienced a relationship.
“You’re quite serious about dating, aren’t you…?”
“Is that so?”
Now that I think about it, Yeon Soo said something similar. I’m too serious about everything.
Both my parents passed away early, shielding me from the storm of life. Because of that, I got to understand the world sooner and grow up faster, but really, it felt like it was just my innate personality.
A dull, emotionless, boring person; though I’ve changed quite a bit lately, a person’s nature doesn’t change easily unless a historic event occurs.
That same personality must have influenced my views on dating. In some ways, one might call it outdated.
Many people date lightly, but for me, dating had to naturally become heavy.
“Do you feel like a bit of a pure romantic…?”
“Well, there was only one person I dated. I really wanted it to last.”
“Wow…”
If you had to be picky, it was more about responsibility than purity. I was so grateful and in love with her for choosing me.
Even if betrayed, I’d do my best to cherish her till the end.
“That’s pure romance! Your dating life was so romantic, Kayak.”
“It wasn’t exactly like that…”
“Honestly, the guy who dated a girl like this must be incredibly lucky, right?”
Not a guy, but a girl, still.
Somehow, this ended up being a time where I shared my dating views and experiences while watching a dating show I was part of.
Before I knew it, the conversation almost shifted to Yeon Soo, but I successfully managed to keep my mouth shut just in time.
Haryeong has a peculiar way of extracting information without stealing a soul—she could have been a secret informant or a spy and excelled at it!
Currently, all the parts I appeared in had passed, and other couples were being aired having their conversations.
It felt like they were building up a little conversation, but for modern people soaked in dopamine, it definitely came off as lukewarm.
That was why Haryeong suddenly turned to me and started throwing questions.
“How many relationships have you been in, Haryeong?”
“Yes, eh-heh?”
I thought it was a bit unfair that I was the only one spilling all the tea.
But Haryeong, clearly not expecting the question to be directed at her, was stammering.
“It’s unfair if it’s just me sharing dating stories! How many people have you dated, Haryeong?”
“Well, I…”
Haryeong hesitated for a moment, making a strange expression before finally struggling to answer.
“…I haven’t dated anyone.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said I haven’t dated anyone! I’m a total virgin!”
I could feel the sincerity in her voice as she shouted, sounding almost shy. At least it meant she wasn’t lying.
However, it was quite an unexpected answer, so I had no choice but to ask again.
“But didn’t you say on the broadcast that you had tons of dating experience? Like, giving dating advice to viewers and all?”
“I didn’t say I had tons, I just said I’d dated about 3 or 4 people….”
“…Why?”
Haryeong defended herself as if feeling wronged.
“At first, I said I was a virgin. But people didn’t believe me.”
That made sense. In reality, Haryeong’s looks made it seem absurd that she wouldn’t have a boyfriend. I had also thought she must have a lot of dating experience just by looking at her.
“So, out of frustration, I boasted that I had a lot of boyfriends and that I fell for all the pick-up lines. And surprisingly, people believed it! The dating advice content worked the same way. I just shared some cliché advice I’ve heard somewhere…”
“Must have gotten a good reaction.”
Haryeong nodded vigorously in agreement.
“People said thanks to me, their relationships improved, and ‘Haryeong, the dating master,’ they gave me such titles. Plus, my V-tube views skyrocketed… The viewers really liked me acting like a dating expert…”
“Aha…”
Pretending to be a dating expert and going through skilled girlfriend situations had already become a part of the broadcast.
It had gone way beyond just a simple concept; Haryeong had come a long way.
A person with no dating experience, yet pretending to be rich in romance. So, to sum it up in one phrase:
“She’s like a virgin teetering on the edge… that’s you, Haryeong.”
“…Huh? Where did that come from? More importantly, does it really end up like that…”
Haryeong mumbled, slightly dumbfounded.
*
– Su Hyuk, Kwon Hayeon couple successfully matched!
– Song Hyunwoo, Oh Jisoo couple successfully matched!
– Lim Goon-taek, Park Soohee couple successfully matched!
…
The solo party aired for a total of 12 episodes over about 6 weeks, ending successfully.
In the final episode’s ultimate selection, three couples were formed. Since there were six men and six women, exactly half of the participants found matches.
However, the one individual who drew the most attention among the cast, the talk of the town, Kayak’s name was nowhere to be found.
Even during the final selection, she didn’t choose anyone just like her first choice. It was a stark contrast to her tossing votes to other men on the second and third nights.
– Q: Why didn’t you choose anyone in the final selection?
– It’s a different reason compared to why I didn’t pick anyone on the first day of the solo party. On that day, I had no information and couldn’t choose, but by the last day, I hesitated after having some understanding of everyone.
Everyone was just such wonderful people; if we were to date, they would pour their hearts into loving and cherishing their partners. That’s why I didn’t choose anyone.
It’s amusing to say something like this in a dating program, but I’m still not ready to date. I’ve just realized my true feelings now.
Kayak explained her reasons for not choosing anyone during a serious interview.
At first, people who criticized her, asking why she even showed up if she wasn’t going to choose, or if she just wanted fame, were somewhat quieted after seeing her sincere interview.
Rather, people started to think, “Wow, she really takes dating seriously; this program isn’t fake, it’s the real deal!” and were impressed by the authenticity of the solo party.
The behind-the-scenes video of the solo party was uploaded to the VTube channel the very next day. Without letting the heat of the finale cool, they hurriedly produced a behind-the-scenes video to capitalize on the show’s success.
– Hello, I’m Su Hyuk from the solo party.
– I’m Kwon Hayeon.
– I’m Oh Jisoo!
Among the 12 participants, a group of 6 gathered to watch some episodes of the solo party together.
Watching some episodes of the Solo Party together.
As they watched the video, it unveiled behind-the-scenes stories that the viewers didn’t know about.
– “It’s hard to believe that we’re back together now that the filming is over.”
– “How long has it been since the filming ended? This is all a concept, a concept!”
– “Shall we watch the Solo Party video together?”
– “I’m really nervous about how it turned out.”
The behind-the-scenes video was filmed just the week after the final shoot of the Solo Party.
It was still too soon for the cast’s immersion to break, which allowed for even more genuine reactions.
What they were about to watch was an edited compilation featuring only the highlights of the Solo Party.
First meetings among the participants, the strange tension between the men, the competition among the women. And…
– “Wow… this is a part you can’t miss.”
– “It’s a highlight, a highlight.”
– “She’s so beautiful that all I can say is she’s beautiful.”
The entrance of Kayak. As they watched the scene where Kayak appears on the broadcast, the cast couldn’t help but admire her once again.
– “Kayak unfortunately couldn’t join the behind-the-scenes review due to health issues.”
– “What a pity. I wanted to talk more with Kayak.”
– “Big bro, you went on a separate date, so you talked enough. I wanted to get closer but couldn’t even have a proper chat.”
– “I’m going shopping with Kayak next week.”
– “Without Kayak, our Pro might have flopped.”
The video continued with the cast’s shooting reflections and behind-the-scenes stories.
The video quickly climbed to become a trending video, absorbing the heat from Korea, which had exploded with Solo Party excitement.
And in the comments of the video…
[Though Kayak joined late, she left a more powerful impact than any participant, and thanks to her, I could watch this program until the end. It’s a shame she didn’t get matched, but the biggest beneficiary and star of the show is Kayak.]
[Just when it was about to get dull, Kayak’s appearance revived the show, lol. If she hadn’t shown up, it probably would’ve flopped much earlier.]
[Thanks to the Solo Party, I got to know Mun Ah and Kayak! I’m planning to go and watch their live broadcast.]
[I’ve never seen a dating show like this before, but I tuned in after hearing all the buzz. I hope Mun Ah becomes a celebrity and appears on other broadcasts! I’ve become a fan! It was a joy for 8 weeks!]
The comments were completely filled with discussions about Kayak.
Even though she didn’t appear in the behind-the-scenes video, it felt like she was the true leading character.
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