“…Me?”
With her sharp intellect, Yusia immediately sensed what I was about to say.
Currently, I was struggling to find female cast members for an avatar blind date.
I was trying to rally my connections to see if anyone would be interested in participating, but it occurred to me that I had forgotten about Yusia.
Hearing what she said, the conditions seemed perfect. Yusia was also single, just like the kayaks who would be participating.
It wasn’t necessary for all the female cast members to be single from birth, but there was no denying that she was fitting for a single special feature.
Of course, I felt it was a bit of a waste considering Yusia was a total knockout…
‘It’s just a blind date, not like they’re really dating, after all. It’s all for fun.’
If it goes well, great! If not, oh well. The single kayaks often struggle with the concept of women in general, so gaining experience through this would be a good way to build immunity towards them.
Anyway, if Yusia was willing to participate, that would be fantastic. She had outstanding looks, so the viewers would likely respond positively, and engagement levels would rise.
But Yusia simply shook her head slowly.
“Why? You don’t like the other single kayaks? They don’t look too bad if you ask me. Many have impressive jobs, too. If you look at the applications—”
“No, that’s not it.”
Yusia hesitated for a moment, as if she had something to say.
Then, with a determined expression, she continued.
“I have someone I like.”
“Um…”
“Even if it’s a variety show, everyone who participates is sincere about it. I can’t just show up like this.”
In fact, even if someone liked someone, they could still appear on the show. Business is business, and personal life is personal life.
In reality, PD Su Hyuk had mentioned that many known entertainment shows had participants who were in relationships while filming dating variety shows.
So, while Yusia having feelings for someone and her participating in a blind date were two entirely separate matters,
“I understand, Yusia.”
Looking at her slightly flushed face, bright red ears, and incredibly serious eyes, I unintentionally replied that way.
Originally, I was planning to convince her by saying it would be fine, as the content was meant to be like that, and she could just stay quiet and enjoy. But…
Did I suddenly feel the sincerity behind her confession? I could no longer persuade her.
She really did like someone. The face of a person in love has a strange charm, often conveying the weight of dozens of words with just their expression.
Ah, the face of a person in love has a peculiar magic; just looking at it can produce the effect of dozens of words.
“Hmm….”
“Why, why are you looking at me like that…?”
As I quietly observed Yusia’s face for a moment, curiosity struck me again.
It was both puzzling and infuriating. Who on earth stole the heart of our editor? It’s been almost two years since we started working together, and I’ve never seen such a face before.
Back when we were heavily indulging in the online community and chatting about everything, there wasn’t much to talk about, so it was clear these feelings developed after we started working together.
‘Kim Jae-jun couldn’t be the one… right?’
As fellow editors, a bond could form, and love might bloom, but there wasn’t even a hint of chemistry between us.
Eventually, my curiosity about the identity of the scoundrel who stole Yusia’s heart got the better of me, and I couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Can I ask who it is?”
“Um… someone I like?”
Nodding my head, Yusia suddenly broke into a smile, as if something amusing had struck her, changing her serious expression in an instant.
Then, with a serene smile plastered across her face, she shook her head.
“Nope, it’s a secret.”
“Huh.”
“What? Did you think I would tell you?”
Honestly, given the mood, I did think so. It felt like the air had leaked out of the room, and an involuntary pout escaped my lips.
“In the past, you used to chatter about what you had for lunch or what happened with your college friends…”
“Oh, no, I was younger then…! And you asked what I did today, saying you had nothing to talk about!”
“Anyway, I might feel a bit left out… I thought we were going to have a fun girls’ talk about your crush…”
In response to my attitude, Yusia flinched slightly but spoke firmly as if saying this was absolutely off-limits.
“But that’s still not allowed. A secret is a secret.”
At that point, I narrowed down the possible candidates. Since she was going to such lengths to hide it, it had to be someone I knew.
“Then can you tell me why you like that person, what their charm is, what they do?”
In my mind, it was just to pick up some clues. But Yusia erupted into giggles and began answering.
“Yeah, that much is fine….”
“What do you like about them? No, no, when did you start liking them?”
Eventually, Yusia continued, her face relaxed like a grandmother telling stories, checking my reactions here and there.
“I first met them about two years ago. We already knew each other but only communicated online.”
“It was about two years ago when we first met. We already knew each other from before, but we only communicated online.”
“Oh, so it sounds like a relationship similar to mine? Like pen pals?”
“Yes, it was a relationship similar to Kayak’s…”
After that, Yusia answered my questions sincerely. It seemed she was happy to share everything about that person—traits and what made her like them—as long as she didn’t have to reveal their identity.
However, after hearing all the stories, I failed at my deductions. I realized I didn’t know much about Yusia’s relationships, which made it impossible to draw any conclusions. It was a bit odd that a boss would have such insight into an employee’s social circle.
Instead, I decided to throw out another question.
“Does that person know you like them?”
“No.”
“Then, are you going to confess?”
There was something I had sensed earlier. Somehow, Yusia seemed more satisfied just watching from afar than actually wanting to connect with that person.
As if my intuition was spot on, she tilted her head slightly and let out a small sigh.
“…I don’t know. I’m just satisfied with our current relationship…”
This is a common issue for unrequited lovers. They hesitate to muster up the courage, fearing that taking a leap of faith might ruin what they already have. So they keep their feelings bottled up.
It’s a question without a clear answer. A confession could lead somewhere, or it might not. The other person could be taken aback, and meanwhile, they might secretly like it—or feel awkward about the whole situation.
So giving advice feels rather arrogant and, in a way, meaningless.
“Why not drop a hint or say something?”
Because some things won’t get conveyed if you don’t say them outright. Even if you get rejected, there’s meaning in voicing it. If I’d known that person better, I might have been able to say something more helpful.
Yet, even this clichéd suggestion seemed to do a lot of good, as Yusia looked at me with wide eyes.
“…Is that alright?”
“I don’t know that person well, but seeing how you look at them, it seems like you really like them.”
Having someone love and cherish you is a rare gift. I realized this too from feeling the love of the viewers.
Yusia wasn’t a flawed person either. Working together for two years had shown me that she was a good person, and I was sure that the one Yusia liked wouldn’t just coldly reject her.
“W-well… I see…”
When I honestly expressed my thoughts, Yusia’s face turned bright red. Earlier, her ears had just flushed pink, but now it was glaringly obvious that she was blushing from head to toe.
The heat in the cave was visibly rising.
Is it that talking bluntly about love is quite embarrassing? Well, body may have grown, but it’s still a kid inside.
I chuckled softly as I recalled the first time I met Yusia at the gallery.
*
“Whew….”
28-year-old Kayak, Kim Sang-yeob, rubbed the back of his neck with a tense expression. Although he preferred casual and comfortable attire, he was dressed up unusually, as if attending someone’s wedding.
A white T-shirt underneath a black blazer, perfectly tailored slacks, and black dress shoes.
Being someone who originally had no sense of fashion, Sang-yeob had no clue whether his outfit was alright. He just wore what his friends told him to.
“Is it somewhat okay…?”
He awkwardly touched his hair, which he had styled at a hair salon, and began to walk. The current time was 12:32 PM, with about 30 minutes left until the appointment.
Sang-yeob’s mouth felt dry with tension, and his heart was pounding. Though he had really wanted to go on a blind date and had submitted an application, he had never thought he would actually get picked.
At that moment, he couldn’t even make sense of what was going through his mind as he headed towards his destination. It was truly a dizzying situation.
He came to his senses when a voice called out to him.
“Kim Sang-yeob?”
She was a stunningly beautiful woman. Also, a face he was quite familiar with.
It was Kayak. She approached him, her unique shimmering silver hair flowing, and asked him.
“Yes, yes!”
“You’re early. There’s really no need to be so nervous. Just wait a moment, and the woman will be here shortly. Here, take this.”
What Kayak handed him was a small earphone. Something that could be plugged into the ear, connected to something at the end.
Only then did Sang-yeob realize and swallow hard. At the same time, he felt a bit relieved.
If he wore this, wouldn’t Kayak provide him with instructions? For someone who was worried about acting like a fool in front of the woman, this was incredibly reassuring.
“Ah, ahem. Hello. Hello, I’m Kim Sang-yeob. Nice to meet you.”
Thus, as he sat in the seat designated by Kayak and cleared his throat,
Ding—
The door across from him opened, ringing a bell, and someone walked in.
“Oh….”
Kim Sang-yeob couldn’t help but open his mouth in surprise.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
