#94
The day to make the final choice had finally arrived.
Before moving to the final choice location, Jin Woohyeon called me aside for a moment. Perhaps he had asked the production team for permission, as there were no cameras visible in the small room he led me to.
“I had a good talk with my manager hyung.”
I nodded slowly.
“I think the problem was that we had different ways of thinking and got misaligned. I… was planning to finish filming first, see how things go with hyung, and then resolve the agency issue.”
“Your manager thought it should be resolved before the final choice was made?”
“Yes. I acted unlike my usual self, so he thought we wouldn’t be able to communicate. Whether it was due to competitiveness, wanting to provoke jealousy, or just a whim.”
That’s why he went to see me, Jin Woohyeon said.
“Ah. I’m not asking you to understand. I’m just saying that’s how it came to be. Whatever caused it, it’s a fact that both my manager and I wronged hyung.”
“The meeting?”
“We decided to arrange one. Just like hyung said, so we can all meet together.”
He answered in a serious voice.
“After filming ends, let me know whenever hyung is available. There’s a nice restaurant near the company building, I think it would be good to meet face to face there. To explain and apologize.”
I cautiously voiced the worry I had been carrying inside.
“Are you sure there’s no problem if you choose me?”
“Yes.”
Jin Woohyeon took my hand and slowly interlaced our fingers.
“We talked again, and I explained that it was sincere. It’s true that due to the nature of being an actor, there’s an atmosphere of avoiding dating rumors or public relationships. But if you’re seriously dating well with someone your age, there’s no problem. Plus, if used well, it could even have a marketing effect, but…”
I couldn’t help but laugh at his words that he didn’t want to do that because it would be like using me. Even in the midst of all this, he still had room to worry about me.
“So hyung can just choose as your heart leads.”
Jin Woohyeon saying this somehow looked a little dejected.
“…It might be a petty excuse, but it was because this wasn’t planned. I’ve never liked someone this much before, so I’ve never had to revise my life plans before and didn’t know how to handle it.”
That’s right, he’s only twenty-five this year. It would be nice if he could judge wisely and handle things capably, but realistically, he was at an age where it was somewhat difficult to handle everything that way. Even I had taken detours due to lingering attachments despite knowing the right answer.
“I’m a bit embarrassed too. When I should be doing everything to look good to hyung, something like this happened. I hate the thought that hyung might worry about whether dating Jin Woohyeon would be troublesome. I’m also upset that someone around me treated hyung poorly under the excuse of being for my sake.”
“It’s okay.”
I answered slowly while holding his hand in return.
“I have my shortcomings too. If problems arise, we can solve them little by little. I…”
I hesitated for a moment before adding,
“I want to choose you, but I didn’t want to become a burden to you.”
“Absolutely not. How could hyung be a burden to me?”
Jin Woohyeon, whose grip on my hand tightened enough to make it ache, said in a somewhat urgent tone,
“I’ll just wait for hyung to choose me.”
“…Woohyeon.”
“I know. I’m desperately trying to do well, but honestly, I’m not that good of a person. There are many things I don’t know and things I can’t do. But I want to try. I’ll do better.”
All his words sounded like the same thing to me. Please choose me. Please like me.
“Please remember, Sanho hyung. My feelings are unwavering.”
He was so nervous that I could feel the hot body heat from his palm that enveloped my hand completely.
I looked up at Jin Woohyeon’s earnest face and pondered what to answer for a moment, but unable to find the right words, I just smiled. Because I knew that no words would have meaning right now.
Now it was time to prove it with actions.
* * *
‘Can Love Be Transferred Too?’
The ten participants had now reached the end of their journey and it was time to make their final choice. Would they let go of their arduous past love and decide on a new beginning, or would they return to the love that was once their everything?
“I think we need to be honest.”
Main MC Han Dajeong, holding cue cards, said with a gentle smile.
“It’s a choice for your future self. So I hope you make careful decisions solely for yourself.”
Juyeon, sitting beside her, clenched his fist and said dramatically,
“…Sanho-ssi, please.”
“Ahaha.”
“Please. Love can be transferred. You’re at the transfer station right now…! It’s okay to transfer!”
“But if it were me, even knowing it wasn’t a kind and sweet love, I don’t think I could have given up easily. It’s such a long time, right? Ten years.”
At Mariella’s words, Juyeon nodded.
“That’s right. Of course it’s scary. Is it really possible? Sometimes it seems impossible to even gauge. But… you must have courage for change.”
“That’s true. But I’m not too worried. From what I could see, Sanho-ssi was gradually gaining courage. It wasn’t just Woohyeon-ssi one-sidedly showing interest, I could feel Sanho-ssi’s heart gradually leaning as well.”
Ari chimed in while sipping her drink.
“Right. If there are no surprises, I think those two will become the final couple. Maybe that’s why I’m more curious about the others. The most curious thing would be… Han Jiwon-ssi and Bae Taeseong-ssi’s choice, right?”
As she stirred her straw making the ice clink and glanced at Kim Yeseok’s drink, Kim Yeseok slightly raised his hand to cover the glass in front of him.
“Whatever happens, we’ll know the result today. I’m going to drink today, so don’t stare like that.”
“Aw. What a waste!”
While the panel was chattering, the screen changed.
Jin Woohyeon and An Lei were opening envelopes placed on a table and examining their contents. Inside was a stiff card with the following written on it:
「Participant Jin Woohyeon will guide participant An Lei to the final choice point. Please safely guide your partner to the location marked on the map. Participant An Lei may remain at that location to wait for a new partner, or may choose the guide and return together along the path you came.」
After reading the contents, both looked up simultaneously. At the end of their gaze was an arch-shaped entrance, beyond which walls of greenery stretched on.
The place where the ten participants had come to make their final choice was a maze park somewhere in Jeju Island.
“So this is why we came all the way to Jeju Island.”
“Right.”
Jin Woohyeon smiled broadly.
“Interesting. It’s somehow symbolic too.”
“……”
“Shall we go? Lei hyung.”
Jin Woohyeon unfolded the small map that was another item inside the envelope and walked ahead. An Lei followed behind him with quick steps.
On the walls of the maze that the production team had prepared in advance, several photos from when the two were together were attached. They were items brought from the X Room.
“I’m sorry.”
Jin Woohyeon, who had been looking around to confirm if they were finding the path correctly, discovered those photos. After staring at the two people smiling brightly for a moment, he said quietly,
“I know now that I wasn’t a particularly affectionate person to hyung. So even when we were dating, I made you lonely… hmm.”
He smiled slightly as if embarrassed.
“It wasn’t intentional, but I ended up showing a more affectionate side to someone else here.”
“I guess I didn’t quite capture your heart that much?”
An Lei shrugged.
“It would be a lie to say I wasn’t disappointed, but it’s okay. We broke up cleanly and even came to a place like this.”
“Right.”
“You met Sanho hyung thanks to me, right?”
Jin Woohyeon answered with the corners of his mouth turning up,
“Yeah. I’m kind of grateful for that.”
Following the maze inward, they could see a small prepared space.
Jin Woohyeon checked a small card placed on a bench. A large “A.”
It meant they had arrived at point A, their destination.
“Thank you for everything, Lei hyung.”
Jin Woohyeon extended his hand and smiled at An Lei.
“You’re going to choose Chan hyung, right?”
“Yeah.”
An Lei smiled with relief and clasped Jin Woohyeon’s hand.
“Thank you too for everything.”
“I hope you receive back as much love as you give, wherever you are.”
“You too, Woohyeon.”
It was a clean ending without a trace of lingering attachment.
As the two turned their backs on each other, subtitles appeared below:
– An Lei → Chooses Lee Chan / Waiting at Point A
– Jin Woohyeon → Chooses Yoo Sanho / Waiting at Point B
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
