A Reunion No One Imagined
Minju stared at him, frozen in place.
The staff's instructions faded into the distance, and instead all she could hear was the pounding of her own heart. Thud. Thud. Thud. Her fingertips had gone cold, her breath ragged.
Why here, why now…
She had vaguely supposed, once or twice, that she might run into him again someday. But never in her wildest imaginings had she pictured a reunion like this.
He dipped his head briefly, the corner of his mouth lifting. It was too polished to be called a smile, too cold to be called a greeting.
"Hello."
That low, hard voice reverberated through her chest like something raking across an old wound. And in that instant, the memories from ten years ago—the ones she'd believed forgotten, no, the ones she had fought tooth and nail to forget—came flooding back all at once.
The night she had run out the door after receiving that last text. The door that wouldn't open no matter how long she pounded on it through the night. The replies that never came, even to her voice message thick with tears. The memory of being discarded without ever being given the chance to ask why crashed over her like a wave.
But in the man standing before her now, there was no trace of who he had been then. The sharp line of his jaw, the deep, sunken look in his eyes, the hair swept back in immaculate order—everything about him seemed like a complete stranger.
His greeting finished, Kwon Seokjun started toward his seat. Was it his model-tall frame, or his self-assured stride, or simply that aura that kept people at arm's length? The women's gazes trailed after him as if bewitched, and even the men, while pretending indifference, kept sneaking glances his way.
Seokjun seemed entirely unaware of any of it. Composed, he took the seat directly across from her. While the other contestants sat rigid, their spines stiff with nerves, he leaned back against the sofa as though he were in his own living room—and yet, strangely, it didn't come across as arrogant or rude.
Then, at that moment, Kwon Seokjun raised his head.
Their eyes collided before she had any chance to look away. Minju froze as though the breath had been knocked out of her.
Ten years had passed, but his gaze hadn't changed one bit. That cold, deep stare bored into her chest as though it could see straight through her. The cameras, the lights, the murmur of the crowd—all of it seemed to vanish, as if the two of them were the only people in the vast space, the very air around them warping strangely.
Minju tried instinctively to break the eye contact, but her body wouldn't move, as though tethered by some invisible cord. Unlike her, frozen like a plaster statue, his expression showed no change at all. He simply held her in his unwavering gaze, calm and unmoving.
What is this? How can he look so completely unbothered?
Don't tell me he knew I'd be here.
But that was impossible. The only people who knew about her appearance on Love Camp were her family. She hadn't even told her company. When she'd taken all her unused vacation days at once, her coworkers had asked curiously where she was traveling, and Minju had dodged the question, saying she was just going to rest at home. Even without the writer's plea to keep it secret until the program aired, she hadn't wanted word getting out before the show had even begun.
So there was no way he could have known in advance.
Which means that blank expression of his means he simply feels nothing for me anymore.
Ten years ago, he'd grown tired of her and left. Of course there would be nothing left of his feelings now.
For a fleeting moment, Minju scorned herself for having dared to hope, and a bitter smile formed behind her eyes.
Just then, the Love Coach's voice broke the silence.
"And now, all of our contestants are here."
At those words, the gaze that had clung to her so relentlessly slowly let go. Only then did Minju realize she had been holding her breath the entire time.
It's just that I haven't seen him in a while. Pull yourself together, Seo Minju.
Exhaling the breath she'd been holding in a long, slow stream, she finally returned to reality.
"Before we move to the residence, we'll begin with brief introductions."
The Love Coach held up the tablet in her hand. "Today, you need only give your name. First impressions speak more truthfully through breath and expression than through words."
When the Love Coach finished her instructions, the first female contestant rose from her seat.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Na Seon-young, and I'm here to find the partner fate has in store for me."
Luxurious waves of hair, a bold red lip, and a brimming confidence made for a striking impression. After her brief greeting, she cast her eyes toward Seokjun and gave the faintest of knowing smiles—the look of a woman who knew full well what her weapons were.
And he drew more than just the first contestant's attention. The other women were visibly trying to burn themselves into his memory too—raising their voices a tone higher, laughing while brushing their hair back, letting their eyes linger just a beat too long. As though they'd take even a few seconds of his notice, a subtle current of competition ran through the air.
Then the fifth contestant, who had been chatting with her, rose with a hand pressed to her chest.
"It's my first time on anything like this, so I'm honestly so nervous. I came from Incheon—oh, right, we're only supposed to say our names. S-sorry, let me start over."
Her adorable stumble sent laughter rippling through the contestants and staff alike, and the awkward atmosphere lightened considerably. When the cue signal fell again, she properly announced her name this time.
"I'm Baek Seolhee. I hope we all make wonderful memories over these ten days."
After the smiling fifth contestant finished her introduction, it was her turn. As Minju slowly rose to her feet, the gazes of the male contestants seated across from her swung toward her all at once.
And of course, Kwon Seokjun's gaze as well.
Minju tilted her head slightly, determined to avoid a repeat of the calamity of meeting his eyes. Perhaps he noticed her evasion, because the corner of his mouth lifted almost imperceptibly. It might have been mockery. It might have been nothing at all.
"Hello. I'm Seo Minju."
A tidy impression, her long straight hair pulled back in a low knot. A beige shirt and black slacks, nothing excessive anywhere. Amid the other contestants' flamboyant finery, it was Minju's understated elegance that stood out. Several of the men exchanged glances.
When her greeting ended, the men's introductions followed.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all. I'm Han Sangho."
The third man, neat in a crisp shirt with a gentle face, was memorable for the fine lines that gathered at the corners of his eyes when he smiled. "I look forward to the next ten days with all of you."
He lifted his head, and his eyes met Minju's. In that brief instant, his gaze brushed past hers, soft and warm. Her lips were just beginning to curl upward at his disarming smile when a familiar voice cut through the air.
"I'm Kwon Seokjun."
She turned her head and came face to face with his gaze once more. The tension flaring up anew, Minju's smile faded little by little.
"Fate has a funny way of deciding when, and where, you'll meet again."
It was delivered in a placid tone, and yet every word rang strangely, pointedly significant. Whatever reaction he read in the way her expression hardened, he simply gave a smile that gave nothing away.
"Now that such a fine opportunity has come my way, I have no intention of letting it slip."
The contestants applauded his confident manner, but Minju's heart hammered uneasily in her chest—because his words had felt less like a greeting and more like something aimed directly at her.
Don't get it wrong, Seo Minju. Whatever there was between you and Kwon Seokjun ended long ago. So stop reading meaning into everything.
Her coolly rational mind's reprimand brought her blurred senses gradually back, and her turbulent heart began, slowly, to settle.
"Now that introductions are over, please cast your vote for the person who has caught your heart."
At the Love Coach's words, Na Seon-young's eyes went wide with surprise. "Already? We haven't even had a chance to talk yet!"
"As I said, the eyes say far more than words ever do." The Love Coach smiled placidly and continued. "Write down the name of the one person here you feel most drawn to. And for any couple who chooses each other, we will grant the chance for a first date today."
At the words first date, anticipation and excitement spread among the contestants. Just then, Seolhee, seated beside her, leaned in and whispered.
"Who are you going to pick, Minju?"
She'd noticed it earlier too—the way Seolhee called her by name so naturally the moment introductions ended. She was clearly the type to warm up to people in an instant.
"…I really don't know."
"Every single one of them seems great, so I'm torn."
Unlike Seolhee, deliberating in earnest over her choice, Minju's heart was tangled up in knots. Cautiously, she took the tablet in hand and began swiping through the faces one by one. Then her finger stopped on the screen—on Kwon Seokjun's photo.
That easy smile, those eyes brimming with confidence. His gaze on the screen seemed to be staring straight at her, and for no good reason she felt suffocated. Her discomfort mounting, she hurriedly swiped to the next screen, and this time Han Sangho's photo came into view.
A warm smile, gentle eyes. His mild, easygoing presence radiated even from the photograph, and before she knew it, the tension drained from Minju's shoulders. After a moment's hesitation, her fingertip pressed down slowly on the screen.