The Probability of Meeting Your Ex on a Straight Dating Show Chapter 1

“Let’s break up.”

Ki Seojeong brought out the words that had been circling only inside his mouth. Contrary to his worries, a calm voice flowed out. That’s a relief. Only then did he feel relieved.

It was all the result of effort. Let’s break up. Because that single phrase, consisting of merely four syllables, was so difficult, Ki Seojeong had stayed up all night, murmuring it over and over. The deep sighs mixed in between each word were a bonus.

Having fulfilled its task, his lips pressed firmly shut again. Despite his long hesitation, the words that came out scattered easily, and heavy silence filled the empty space.

Enduring the oppressive weight of the quiet, Seojeong slowly closed and opened his dry, stiff eyes. At the end of his gaze, which had been directed downward the whole time, the untouched coffee cup caught his eye. The steam that had been gently rising had already vanished without a trace. He was looking at the cold cup, waiting for the other’s answer, when it happened.

Suddenly, a loud laugh was heard. Ki Seojeong reflexively raised his head. His vision wavered briefly with the movement, and soon the protagonist who had shattered the silence came into view.

A man in a patient gown densely printed with a hospital name appeared. It was Cha Yoon.

Having identified the source of the sound, Seojeong swallowed his breath at the stinging pain felt in his heart. It felt like yet another confirmation that the person sitting across from him was not the Cha Yoon he once knew.

It was long after that when Cha Yoon, indifferent to the glances flying from the next table, stopped laughing. Having shrugged his shoulders, he rubbed the corners of his eyes as if finally calming down. Seojeong followed those fingertips with his eyes.

Beneath eyes folded into crescent shapes, the plump under-eye creases were visible. It was one of the many features of Cha Yoon that Ki Seojeong had loved.

“…Ah, fucking hilarious.”

A low voice resonated. Unlike his lovely eye smile, the first words Cha Yoon spat out were even vulgar.

“I heard you dated that bastard for 7 years, so I thought you must have played some grand love game or something.”

“…”

“Guess it wasn’t that after all.”

What is this…, fucking easy. As if observing someone else’s story, Cha Yoon began to reach his own conclusion with a bystander’s attitude.

“No, wait. Maybe you’re just trash.”

Cha Yoon, who had been leaning back against the sofa chair, straightened his upper body and pulled himself closer toward the table.

“If you can drop a breakup notice as if you’d been waiting for it, the moment your brain-damaged ‘lover’ opens his eyes?”

Cha Yoon’s eyes sparkled as he wore a playful expression. Like someone who had discovered a fairly amusing piece of gossip.

Despite the string of words, Ki Seojeong gave no reply. It wasn’t that he couldn’t, but that he didn’t—that was the accurate description. Because there was nothing wrong with what Cha Yoon said. Silence was indeed affirmation.

What he and Cha Yoon had for 7 years wasn’t a grand love game; it was merely a commonplace romance that ended like this, and he, who was trying to let go of Cha Yoon—who had gotten hurt because of him and lost all memories of the past 7 years—was indeed trash.

As the silence lengthened, Cha Yoon, who had been momentarily still, soon pulled back as if losing interest. From the start, Ki Seojeong’s answer didn’t matter to him anyway.

“Alright, then.”

Cha Yoon nodded as he spoke. Ki Seojeong knew that was Cha Yoon’s answer to his words asking to break up. It had just that much weight—as light as Cha Yoon’s hair swaying with the nod.

Cha Yoon stood up. No lingering attachment could be felt from his movement.

“Ah.”

Cha Yoon, who had been about to turn away and leave, paused. He fiddled with his fingers for a moment as if something had occurred to him, then tapped the table.

“You can take this or whatever.”

I don’t need it. The object that left Cha Yoon’s hand dropped onto the table. Rumbling along, the thing that rolled across the table soon stopped right in front of Seojeong. Ki Seojeong slowly lowered his head.

“…”

What Cha Yoon had left behind with him was a small ring. A ring with the same design as the one hanging on his own necklace.

In that moment, Cha Yoon’s voice from a month ago suddenly lingered in his ears.

‘7 years is enough time to have dated plenty.’

‘So, let’s stop just dating and get married now.’

The voice of Cha Yoon, who had smiled more dazzlingly than the sunset, with the golden-dyed sea behind him.

When he raised his head, Cha Yoon’s retreating figure, already far away, came into view. Seojeong closed his eyes just like that. Even if it had to be this way, he wanted to keep his image within him for a long time.

Still, this wasn’t too bad. Compared to the word ‘forever’ he always used to say, it was an incomparably shallow and short time, but still, this was okay……

Feeling somehow more shabby with every reason he attached, Ki Seojeong soon gave up on everything.

When he turned his head, outside the moisture-fogged window, snow—he didn’t know when it had started falling—had piled up white. Seojeong, who had been staring quietly at the snowy landscape, suddenly burst into laughter. Haha, the small continuous laugh slowly died down. He bit the inside of his cheek.

Just like that, Cha Yoon and Ki Seojeong’s unremarkable love game ended after 7 years. It was a bitterly cold winter day.

∞ ∞ ∞

[News][Official] ‘Please Take Care of My X’ Confirmed for Production, Returning with PD Kim Seohyo

[Every News = Reporter Jeong Yoowon] ZVING’s original entertainment program ‘Please Take Care of My X’ is coming back under the name ‘Please Take Care of My X Returns’. It has been about 3 years since Season 5 of ‘Please Take Care of My X’ ended.

Directing ‘Please Take Care of My X Returns’ is PD Kim Seohyo, who has moved back to GZ ENM. PD Kim Seohyo previously launched Seasons 1 and 2 of ‘Please Take Care of My X’ successfully.

According to Every News’s coverage on the 9th, the specific filming and broadcast schedule for ‘Please Take Care of My X Returns’ is under discussion, and it has been confirmed that they are currently in the stage of recruiting cast members.

‘Please Take Care of My X’ is a dating reality program where couples who broke up for various reasons gather in one place to live together, meeting their former lovers again or forming new connections.

(Excerpt)

Comments 301

— Wow crazy

— Huh? They’re doing Please Take Care of My X again? Didn’t last season totally flop?

— It’s coming back, amazing ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

— Hmm..

⤷ For real hmm lol

— Even bone broth wouldn’t be boiled down this much

⤷ For real, at this point it’s just plain water

⤷ Boiling what’s been boiled, boiling it again, and boiling it again…

— Please Take Care of My X : Kill me….

— A classic case of not leaving when the applause is there and getting cursed out for it

⤷ lololololololololololololololo

— Wait but why is the reaction so bad??? I don’t watch dating shows, wasn’t this super popular????

⤷ Yeah, seasons 1 and 2 were fine, but after that it was just full of people who wanted to get famous, so it got boring..

⤷ S1 and 2 were legend, so even up to 4 was so-so, ok. But Season 5, one couple’s fabrication issue sent the public sentiment into the gutter

— Oh? What’s this about fabrication?

⤷ Simply put, one couple pretended they had broken up and came out

⤷ (Link) You’ll understand if you watch this; it’s a summary video of the Please Take Care of My X controversy. Go go

⤷⤷ Wow, I didn’t know that happened;

⤷⤷ So what happened to them? Did they leave the show?

⤷⤷⤷ It burst out after all the filming was finished, so it aired as it was, I guess? With their screen time minimized as much as possible

— Honestly, as a dating show fanatic, let me say one thing.. Last season’s public sentiment going down the drain wasn’t exactly because of the fabrication.. The rule for most ordinary-people shows is that once they get big hits, from the next season onward, it’s just flooded with people who want to become influencers, and the public all knows that lol. Whether it’s fabrication or whatever, if it fills us with ^dopamine^, no one cares lol. The problem was the male cast’s faces.. f**; when I turned on the TV, guys who you’d see a dime a dozen on the street came out and it was an eyesore, sht, how can you feel any dopamine in that?? It just pisses you off

⤷ 22 I totally agree. No matter if it’s contrived or scripted, if it’s fun, dating show fans all watch.. Season 5 got cursed at because of the ugly-ass male cast ^^

⤷ Take a breath, jeez lol

Oops, the mood here isn’t right… sorry..

⤷ 3333 If that’s the case, watch I Am Solo… ha

⤷ 44 I sympathize with every single letter

⤷ 55555 For real, to that, the shit direction of a male PD without an ounce of sense played a part too. Look at Season 5, it’s so frustrating,, ha