Chapter 10

“…Put me down.”

As soon as they reached the accommodation, Min-joo hurriedly spoke.

Kwon Seok-jun carefully lowered her to the floor.

Her legs nearly gave out beneath her, but Min-joo managed to keep herself upright by putting strength into her toes.

Just then, the Love Coach approached.

“Min-joo, safety comes first right now, so we’re going to pause filming for a while. Please get some rest.”

The Love Coach stopped all the cameras in the room before quietly closing the door behind him and leaving.

Only Kwon Seok-jun and Min-joo remained in the small room.

The faint smell of the lake clung to the air between them.

When Min-joo shivered, Seok-jun quickly found the remote and turned off the air conditioner.

Then he opened the window to let the cold air out of the room.

“You must be cold. Go inside and take a shower.”

At his words, Min-joo nodded slightly and went into the bathroom.

She took off her wet clothes and turned on the shower.

Whoosh.

The moment the hot water touched her body, her stiff muscles gradually began to relax.

But as her body warmed, the moments from the lakeside came vividly back to her.

The sensation of sinking beneath the water.

The terror of being unable to breathe.

The strong arms that had grabbed her around the waist and pulled her up.

The sound of his ragged breathing when they emerged from the water.

Kwon Seok-jun saved me…

The sudden realization made her heart start racing again.

She was grateful and amazed, but she was also so embarrassed that her face burned at the thought of falling into the water simply because she couldn’t properly get into a kayak.

The resolve she’d made to make him regret dumping her had suddenly taken on an entirely different shape in the face of his decision to jump into the water for her.

I shouldn’t have come here…

If she hadn’t, she wouldn’t have had to see him again, experience this embarrassment, or—most importantly—have her heart shaken like this.

From now on, she didn’t even know how she was supposed to face Kwon Seok-jun, let alone the other contestants and staff.

She had even caused filming to be suspended because of her…

She felt sorry for ruining what had been a fun atmosphere.

As the hot water poured over her, Min-joo repeatedly regretted her decision to come here.

After a while, when her trembling had subsided somewhat, she put on a robe and slowly walked out of the bathroom.

The moment she crossed the threshold, Min-joo froze.

In the middle of the room, Kwon Seok-jun stood in the faint breeze coming through the window.

“…Why haven’t you left?”

Startled, Min-joo clutched the edge of her robe tighter.

Drops of water rolled from the tips of her hair and trickled down onto the tops of her feet.

Seok-jun merely lifted his head slightly and looked at her.

“I was worried you might collapse.”

His tone was matter-of-fact, but beneath it lingered a trace of tension and anxiety that had yet to settle.

Min-joo avoided his gaze and took a small breath.

“…I’m okay now.”

But Seok-jun stared at her intently, as though he couldn’t quite believe her.

Min-joo didn’t avert her eyes this time and quietly added,

“I really am.”

Only then did he slowly nod.

“Okay. Get some rest.”

He didn’t ask anything else and turned toward the door.

Just as his hand reached for the doorknob, Min-joo unconsciously called out to him, shaken by an inexplicable tremor.

“Um…”

Kwon Seok-jun’s hand stopped on the doorknob.

His damp hair, already beginning to dry, shifted slightly.

Then he slowly turned around, his gaze immediately landing on Min-joo.

For some reason, her throat felt dry. She swallowed before slowly opening her mouth.

“…Thank you… for saving me.”

It was something she hadn’t been able to say earlier.

At her words, Seok-jun’s expression changed ever so slightly.

His eyes held the same look they’d had when he pulled her out of the lake.

“Why did you go kayaking if you’re afraid of water?”

Min-joo avoided his gaze as she answered.

“I didn’t want filming to be disrupted because of me.”

At those words, the crease between Seok-jun’s brows deepened.

“And someone who panics even when the water reaches their waist still volunteered to do it? Are you stupid?”

“Why am I stupid?”

Min-joo’s eyes widened, and her voice trembled slightly.

“You don’t know? You almost died.”

His voice was quiet, but it had become noticeably colder.

“I was wearing a life jacket.”

“A lot of people die even while wearing life jackets. When you panic, you can flip over and start swallowing water. A life jacket won’t help either.”

Min-joo was momentarily speechless.

His words reminded her of how, in the water, she’d been so terrified that she’d thrashed around without even remembering that she was wearing a life jacket.

Her chest stung, but because it felt as though he was continuing to scold her, a wave of resentment suddenly welled up.

“…Then why are you getting so angry? It’s not like I fell in on purpose.”

At the tremble in Min-joo’s voice, Seok-jun’s eyes wavered for a moment.

He took a short breath and roughly ran a hand through his hair.

“…I’m sorry. I remembered what happened when you fell into the water before… I guess I got emotional without realizing it.”

At that moment, a long-buried memory resurfaced in Min-joo’s mind.

Back when they were dating, there had been a time when he suggested going to the beach. Unable to bring herself to tell him that she was afraid of water, she had forced a smile and gone along with him.

They had been playing around in shallow water when, without warning, the bottom suddenly dropped away.

Min-joo sank beneath the surface and desperately thrashed around, unable to breathe.

Fortunately, he immediately realized something was wrong, jumped into the water, and pulled her out.

[Min-joo, I’m sorry. It was my fault.]

His voice had trembled with fear as he held her in his wet arms.

Only after seeing him like that did she finally confess that she was afraid of water.

He had looked shocked, then angrily demanded an explanation.

[Why didn’t you tell me? If you’re afraid of water, you should have told me.]

[It was my first trip with you, sunbae… I was afraid I’d ruin the mood… so I couldn’t tell you.]

The moment she finished speaking, his expression became even more contorted.

It wasn’t anger so much as a mixture of shock and guilt.

[Seo Min-joo, you’re more important to me than anything else. I… I thought I was going to lose you. I thought I was going crazy.]

After barely steadying his trembling breath, he pulled her tightly into his arms again.

As though he never wanted to experience what had just happened again.

After that day, once he learned how terrified Min-joo was of water, he never suggested going near the water again, even though he loved swimming and surfing.

Remembering that incident, Min-joo understood why he had been unable to control his emotions when he saw her fall into the water again today.

Just as she was about to apologize for snapping at the very person who had gone out of his way to save her, he spoke first.

“…I’m going. Get some rest.”

Before she could even answer, he opened the door and walked out of the accommodation.

Bang.

With the sound of the door closing, the air in the room suddenly felt empty.

Min-joo stared blankly at the spot where he had been standing.

Why did he suddenly leave before I could even finish talking?

I didn’t even properly apologize.

As his face came back to her mind, hurt and guilt washed over her at the same time.

His voice from when she had snapped at him earlier echoed vividly in her ears.

Was I too harsh…?

She had just been saved by him, yet she’d responded by arguing with him. He must have been bewildered and dumbfounded.

Conflicting emotions churned inside her chest.

Then—

Knock, knock.

“Min-joo… May I come in for a moment?”

A familiar voice came from outside.

It was the Love Coach.

Min-joo hurriedly adjusted her robe and opened the door.

The Love Coach’s face immediately filled with concern when he saw her.

“Are you feeling a little better?”

“Yes.”

When Min-joo nodded quietly, the Love Coach cautiously continued.

“There’s something I’d like to discuss with you. May I come in for a moment?”

Min-joo silently nodded and stepped aside.

The two of them sat side by side at the edge of the bed.

“That must have been frightening.”

The Love Coach looked at her with concern.

Min-joo gave him a faint smile.

“…I’m okay.”

Perhaps her expression looked self-blaming, because the Love Coach swallowed a sigh before continuing.

“If continuing the filming feels like too much, you can stop here.”

Min-joo froze for a moment.

“…Are you saying I should leave the show?”

“No, no! That’s not what I mean.”

The Love Coach hurriedly waved his hands.

“I just wanted to tell you that you don’t have to force yourself. Today’s accident happened because we pushed ahead with the schedule even after you told us you were afraid of water… We’re sorry.”

Perhaps remembering how they had told her not to worry and assured her that everything would be fine when she confessed her fear of water, the Love Coach’s expression was filled with nothing but regret and guilt.

Min-joo lowered her head and fell into quiet thought.

Should I leave?

It was difficult enough having to spend all day with strangers, and now her first love—the one person she never wanted to see again—had appeared.

Filming had even been stopped because of her, and she felt mortified at the thought of facing the other contestants.

It was still early in the show, so she didn’t think her leaving would cause any major problems.

She did feel bad about Sang-ho, who had chosen her during the first-impression vote, but there were plenty of women with better credentials, prettier looks, and better personalities than hers.

He would soon turn his attention to someone else.

At that moment, a cold yet familiar voice whispered from the depths of her heart.

Seo Min-joo. Are you trying to run away again?

Me?

Yes. You.

You know better than anyone that you avoided meeting people under the excuse of being busy with work because you were afraid of getting hurt.

The cold accusation cut through her chest like a knife.

It was true.

She was a coward.

Afraid that someone would hurt her again, just as he had abandoned her before, and afraid of being lonely again, she had kept hiding behind her defenses.

Only then did she realize.

She still hadn’t escaped from his shadow.

The uncomfortable truth clawed at her chest.

When she imagined herself quitting and locking herself away in her room, she felt even more suffocated.

She didn’t want to run away.

If she backed down now, she felt as though the version of herself she’d see today would become even more pathetic.

Above all, his behavior—as though he still had feelings for her—continued to bother her.

She wanted to know what he truly felt, why he had left without saying anything, and what the real reason had been back then.

Min-joo slowly raised her head.

“…I’ll do it. I’ll continue filming.”

The Love Coach’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

“Are you really sure you’re okay?”

“Yes.”

Min-joo answered firmly.

“All right. Then don’t push yourself. Get plenty of rest today, and we’ll see you back on set tomorrow after you’ve recovered.”

The Love Coach smiled gently.

After the door closed, the accommodation fell silent once again.

Min-joo slowly exhaled.

I won’t run away anymore.

Her eyes shone with determination.