Transit Love After Revenge Chapter 7

“I’m a little weak to compliments, you know.”

 

Haeyoung quietly studied Minji with an objective eye.

 

Minji, fanning her face furiously to cool down, looked genuinely lovable, even to Haeyoung.

 

“Then it seems like everyone is here, so shall we take a tour of the house?”

 

“Sounds great!”

 

At Minji’s enthusiastic suggestion, everyone got up from their seats. Minji ran ahead of everyone else.

 

Haeyoung followed slowly from the back, observing the cast members. No one had made any moves yet, no small talk, no signs of affection or interest.

 

Seongjun lingered awkwardly near Haeyoung a few times, mouth twitching as if he wanted to say something. But perhaps wary of the cameras, he never managed to speak.

 

Every time they stepped into the yard, kitchen, or shared spaces, gasps of admiration broke out. Bathed in sunlight and impeccably clean, the house looked like it had been pulled straight from a high-end interior magazine.

 

“The production budget must be huge. Then again, I heard there were almost two million votes just for the final date last season. I guess it’s worth the investment.” 

 

“That explains the fancy house. Still, I didn’t expect it to be this nice.”

 

Haeyoung’s response was sincere.

 

The season 2 House of Fate she had seen on TV before wasn’t this house. That one didn’t even have a yard. The house had been smaller, and the contestants used bunk beds.

 

Why did it change?

 

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t figure out the reason.

 

“Haeyoung-nim, over here! We’re going to check out the girls’ room upstairs.”

 

“Coming.”

 

The male contestants headed to the men’s room on the first floor, while the women made their way to the second floor.

 

At the top of the stairs was a spacious common area with colorful floor sofas and a balcony. On either side were two large rooms.

 

“The rooms are all spacious! The windows are really big!”

 

Minji clapped her hands, her face flushed with excitement. Her eyes sparkled.

 

“I want this room! Can I take it?”

 

“Of course. I don’t mind using the other one.” 

 

“Really? Thank you, Taeri-nim! Then, does anyone want to share this room with me? Gaeun-nim, want to room together?”

 

“I do. I want to room with Minji.”

 

“Wait–Haeyoung?”

 

For the briefest second, a flicker of displeasure passed over Minji’s face, but it vanished so quickly that only Haeyoung, who knew her well, could have noticed.

 

In dating shows like this, relationships with the opposite sex were important, but bonds with same-gender cast members mattered just as much. Building a strong friendship could become a major ‘fandom point’.

 

Some netizens even hurled hate comments, saying people who failed to get along with same-sex contestants must have personality issues.

 

“Is that okay? If you don’t want to…”

 

Haeyoung asked carefully. But she already knew there was only one answer Minji could give.

 

“No! Why would I not want to? I’d love that. Haeyoung-nim, let’s share the room.” 

 

Minji enunciated each word carefully. Her eyes curved into crescent moons.

 

“I’m so happy to have you as my roommate, Haeyoung-nim.”

 

Even though her plan had clearly gone off-script, Minji didn’t show it. She ran over and looped arms with Haeyoung. Haeyoung didn’t pull away either.

 

“Me too. I’m really looking forward to it, Minji-nim. Let’s have a great time.”

 

‘Let’s make it so much fun that you’ll never forget it.’

 

* * *

 

“We’re heading out to do grocery shopping.”

 

“Bring lots of delicious food!”

 

“If you think of anything we need… oh right, we can’t contact each other. Well, we’ll just buy whatever we feel like.”

 

“We’ll stay and move the luggage.”

 

Leaving a few behind, they went outside. The grocery shopping team consisted of four people: Seongjun, Dojin, Gaeun, and Haeyoung.

 

Haeyoung chatted casually with Dojin as they picked out items for the cart. A big camera followed them closely, filming her choosing snacks, picking out meat, everything.

 

“Feels a bit awkward with the camera following us like this.”

 

“Yeah, I know what you mean. I guess we’ll get used to it?”

 

“We should.”

 

Meanwhile, Seongjun kept sneaking glances at Haeyoung throughout the shopping trip. It was obvious he was waiting for a moment to talk to her alone. Haeyoung noticed but deliberately stayed out of reach.

 

Let him squirm a little.

 

As they were wrapping up and getting ready to return to the house, filming paused briefly so the staff could change the camera tapes. Haeyoung excused herself to use the restroom.

 

She washed her hands slowly and stepped outside again. As expected, Seongjun was standing just outside the door.

 

Without a word, he grabbed her roughly and pulled her back into the bathroom.

 

“Hey, ouch,  it hurts.”

 

Click. The door locked.

 

Seongjun didn’t stop there. He grabbed her wrist, trying to reach behind her waist to pull off her mic.

 

Haeyoung looked at his fumbling fingers with a mix of disgust and pity before sighing.

 

“I already turned it off.”

 

Seongjun, who had been searching for the mic’s power switch, shoved it back at her like he was throwing something dirty. Then he ruffled his hair, obviously feeling frustrated.

 

“You crazy… what the hell? What are you doing here? You here to spy on me or something? Afraid I’ll cheat? No, seriously, how the hell did you even get in? Did you come to ruin everything? And what’s with your face and those clothes?”

 

“Are you done asking questions?”

 

While Seongjun spat out his rage, Haeyoung stood there like a bystander, watching someone else’s drama unfold. He scowled, clearly thrown off by her calm.

 

That brief warmth he showed when asking to borrow money had gone without a trace. And this? This was probably the real him.

 

“Explain everything. Right now. What are you playing at?”

 

“I came to help you.”

 

It was a fake expression, a fake smile, fake affection. But Seongjun would never notice that much, she was sure.

 

“Don’t give me that bullshit.”

 

“Why else would I be here? Seongjun, you know I only care about you.”

 

“And what the hell can you do for me?”

 

“I’ll help you get more screen time. I heard popularity is everything on shows like this. What if… what if no one votes for you? You’ll be screwed.”

 

Haeyoung furrowed her brows in fake concern.

 

“Why wouldn’t anyone vote for me?”

 

“Everyone else is really charming. You came all dressed in designer brands, wouldn’t it suck if you got zero attention and zero airtime?”

 

“Are you trying to jinx me?”

 

“No, I just didn’t want that to happen. That’s why I came. If even one person votes for you, it will help with your screen time.”

 

Haeyoung grabbed Seongjun’s hand. 

 

“Don’t you trust me, Seongjun? I only care about you. I worked so hard just to be here…”

 

Seongjun looked her up and down. ‘Worked hard’ didn’t sound like a complete lie, and  it seemed like her anger was gradually subsiding after hearing that.

 

“Ha. If we get caught, we’ll both get kicked out.”

 

“Then we just don’t get caught. Hardly anyone knows we were dating anyway.”

 

Because Seongjun public displays of affection. Aside from the earliest days of their relationship, they had never posted pictures or introduced each other to friends.

 

“So how did you get cast? Minji and I had to do dozens of interviews to make it through. And you, this place isn’t somewhere you can just sneak into with some makeup and no glasses.”

 

“I got lucky. Someone dropped out last minute.”

 

Seongjun still looked skeptical.

 

“It wasn’t easy for me either. You know I hate being in the spotlight. But like you said, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I have been focused on you for six years. If I’m here, I’ll make sure you succeed.”

 

“Don’t get cocky. Who do you think you are to ‘make sure’ anything?”

 

“Shh. Keep your voice down. You’ll get us caught.”

 

When she whispered that warning, Seongjun flinched and glanced nervously at the door. It was quiet outside.

 

“Anyway, we’re not getting any younger. We can’t keep putting things off forever.”

 

“Putting what off?”

 

“Marriage.”

 

“Why are you talking about that so soon?”

 

“Why? You always said we’d get married once your acting career took off. The money I was going to lend you, it’s our wedding fund. For our future home. Unless… you weren’t planning to marry me. then give me back that money–”

 

“Marriage. Yes. We have to get married as soon as we settle down.”

 

‘Liar. You’re just looking for a chance to break up.’

 

Seongjun’s eyes didn’t waver as he looked at Haeyoung. There was no guilt, no shame.

 

“Let’s do it right this time. Outside, we don’t know each other. Don’t forget. Make sure Minji keeps her mouth shut too.”

 

“Worry about yourself. I’ve been acting for nine years.”

 

“Then. Seongjun, you’ll do great. I mean, whose boyfriend are you?”