Chapter 5: The First Encounter

Shortly after signing the broadcast appearance contract, a date was set for the pre-interview shoot, which would be used for a teaser.

Lee Dohwa wasn’t entirely sure if this was the usual procedure, but after meeting Kim Junhee, they began to reevaluate their perspective. After all, video footage remained a permanent record, and first impressions were undeniably crucial.

In the interim, with some assistance, Dohwa’s wardrobe had undergone a complete overhaul. Newly purchased items were now meticulously organized alongside existing clothes, arranged by designated styling categories.

‘I thought I was going to die trying everything on,’ Dohwa mused.

Nevertheless, the outfits were firmly etched in their mind, allowing for easy selection.

“Without lip color, a person can look quite pale. Ta-da! Doesn’t this make you look vibrant now?”

“…Yes.”

“I recommend buying at least one lip product. And if you ask for touch-up makeup when you get there, they’ll certainly do it for you.”

“Alright, we’re finished.”

After about an hour of hair styling and makeup at the salon, Dohwa was finally able to rise from their chair.

‘If you can’t do it, leave it to the professionals.’

Following Kim Junhee’s advice, Dohwa chose to entrust everything to a nearby salon rather than attempting to do something themselves.

Indeed, the touch of a professional was undeniably remarkable, transforming someone who had just stepped out of their house into a polished broadcast personality. Dohwa had entered hesitantly, but exited with all traces of that awkwardness completely vanished.

“Oh.”

As Dohwa turned on their phone screen to call a taxi, a message they hadn’t noticed earlier appeared in the preview.

[Koo Ye-jin:/]

“A gifticon?”

[Blue Swan Americano Tall Size]

[Koo Ye-jin:/]

The message, accompanied by an emoticon, had arrived thirty minutes ago.

‘If they’re sending something like this, how late must it be?’

For a moment, Dohwa considered asking about the delay. However, given it was their first shoot and they had even sent a gifticon, Dohwa decided it would be best to assess the situation upon arrival.

“Blue Swan is… right next door.”

Upon exiting the taxi, Dohwa spotted the Blue Swan cafe just a block away from the filming location.

They didn’t frequent cafes much to begin with, and chain stores even less, so it seemed prudent to use the gifticon immediately.

*Ding-dong—*

“Welcome!”

Dohwa flinched as they pushed open the door, greeted by the staff’s booming, chorus-like welcome.

‘Are cafes cracking down on discipline these days or something?’

Still somewhat dazed, Dohwa bowed their head in a quick greeting. The shop was a moderately sized cafe on the first floor.

Dohwa joined the line for the sole kiosk. The person ordering in front of them was so large that it felt as though a wall had materialized between the kiosk and Dohwa.

While waiting, Dohwa pondered what to drink. They tended to sip slowly, and an interview would likely take a long time, causing ice to melt quickly and dilute the drink.

As soon as the person in front finished their order and moved away, Dohwa promptly selected a smoothie on the kiosk.

[Strawberry]

Although the gifticon was for an Americano, Dohwa opted to change the menu item.

Their waiting number was 139. Dohwa walked over to the wall near the counter and stood there, awaiting their order.

“Number 139!”

It felt like only five minutes had passed since ordering when their number was called.

Dohwa approached the pickup counter, but instead of the pink hue of a strawberry smoothie, the staff member handed them a dark, almost black Americano.

“Excuse me… I ordered a strawberry smoothie, not this.”

“Oh? One moment, please.”

Seeing the drink that clearly bore no resemblance to a strawberry smoothie, the staff member looked flustered and retreated inside.

“Our apologies. We called out the wrong number. Customer number 138!”

Dohwa nodded, having been asked to wait a moment. As they turned to return to their original spot, a hand large enough to completely obscure the Americano suddenly appeared, taking the drink.

“Thank you! Please come again!”

A black suit.

Dohwa caught a second glimpse of the back of the man who had been standing in front of them at the kiosk earlier.

Not long after, the strawberry smoothie Dohwa had ordered was ready.

“Thank you.”

Dohwa inserted the straw and took a sip, the sweetness spreading delightfully across their palate. It had been a long time since they’d enjoyed a strawberry smoothie, and it inexplicably lifted their spirits.

Contrary to their worries, upon arriving at the filming location, a staff member informed them that the issue had been resolved, and the interview could proceed immediately.

“Just a moment, I need to touch up your lips.”

The makeup artist, noticing that only a portion of Dohwa’s lip color had faded from holding the straw, approached and applied color with a brush.

The camera seemed even larger than when Dohwa had seen it before. Perhaps it was due to the bright surrounding lights, but the dark lens was particularly prominent.

‘When doing an interview, I absolutely must be clean and straightforward.’

Based on the advice Kim Junhee had given them while selecting clothes, Dohwa responded to the interview questions in a simple and earnest manner.

After concluding the interview, Dohwa also completed the individual profile shoot for promotional use. Having arrived at 4 PM and with the current time being 6 PM, it had taken approximately two hours.

“Mr. Dohwa, do you have any plans for dinner?”

“Uh…”

Should they say yes, or no?

Just as Dohwa was about to leave, Assistant Director Koo Ye-jin suddenly approached and asked. Knowing it was best not to lie, Dohwa replied truthfully.

“No, I don’t. I’ll probably just go home and rest.”

They wondered if there was unexpected additional filming or something else, but Koo Ye-jin continued.

“Oh, really? Well, before the broadcast, we wanted to treat the cast to a meal as a gesture of goodwill, but… we were worried it might be awkward or uncomfortable if you ate with us.”

Koo Ye-jin’s expression was fraught with difficulty as they gestured awkwardly. Just as Dohwa was about to politely decline, they spoke again.

“We can’t have the other cast members meet yet, so would you be alright with having an omakase dinner by yourself, Mr. Dohwa?”

“…Tonight?”

“Yes! Uh, we’ve booked it for 7:30 PM, but you don’t absolutely have to go.”

Dohwa blinked, surprised by the unexpected offer. Instead of being invited to an uncomfortable group dinner, they were being offered an omakase meal to enjoy alone.

For a moment, Dohwa wanted to go home. However, with a reservation already made, their resolve began to waver.

“Since you went to the trouble of making a reservation, I’d be grateful to go. Where should I head?”

“If you leave now, you’ll have plenty of time! I’ll send you the address.”

*Buzz—*

Dohwa checked the address that arrived on their phone, finding it was about a twenty-minute journey from their current location.

Normally, they would have conserved their energy, but their outings had been getting longer lately, and their activity had steadily increased. Since it was just 6:10 PM, they had about an hour to spare and wondered if they should visit a nearby bookstore.

“The director is looking for me, so I’ll head off first! Enjoy your meal, and tell us how it was later.”

“Thank you. Keep up the good work.”

Watching Koo Ye-jin quickly disappear with hurried steps, Dohwa slowly made their way out of the filming location.

Since they were getting a free omakase meal, something they rarely indulged in, it meant one less dinner decision to worry about.

Bookstores were ubiquitous, so Dohwa spent their time browsing one near the restaurant until 7:20 PM.

‘I’ll have to come back when my new work is published.’

Dohwa looked at their own books, which they found tucked away in a corner, and imagined their new releases neatly displayed on the shelves someday.

****

“Who hasn’t arrived yet?”

“Mr. Hae-il and Mr. Dohwa are not here.”

“Hmm… Are they going to be late?”

Surely, they wouldn’t just not show up. PD Jang Jae-wook, who desperately wanted all the cast members to appear, felt a surge of impatience.

When the show was first conceived, they had decided to simply accept it as natural if many couldn’t make it due to circumstances. However, human ambition only grew.

After hearing that most had given their ‘okay’ during the first round of casting, his expectations had soared.

It was 7:27 PM.

“Ah, Mr. Hae-il just walked in.”

Writer Choi said, having spotted a man in a suit entering the restaurant three minutes earlier.

Someone else was caught on camera glancing sideways at him as he entered. As he was guided to his seat, the chef, after checking his watch, slowly prepared to begin.

“…No separate contact from Mr. Dohwa, right?”

“No.”

Just as PD Jang Jae-wook was staring intently at the camera feed showing the entrance.

“They’re here.”

It was exactly 7:30 PM.

Since Dohwa entered while the chef was speaking, quite a few people turned their gaze towards them as they took their seat.

“The shot looks good, doesn’t it?”

A bright smile spread across PD Jang Jae-wook’s face as he monitored the multiple cameras displayed across two screens.

Indeed.

The two ‘guests’ disguised as customers were actually staff members. The restaurant, already secured for filming, had been pre-rigged with numerous high-definition cameras. And, all six cast members of Love’s were gathered together.

They were all there, completely unaware of each other’s identities.

“If any unexpected situations arise, report them immediately.”

Ja-man-chu, or ‘natural encounter pursuit’. Could such a thing be impossible in a dating show? If the participants themselves didn’t know, wouldn’t it still be a natural encounter?

Episode 0 of Love’s was currently being created right there.