Smoke and Signals
Tap, tap.
The moment the charcoal grill caught fire, every female contestant's gaze swung toward Seokjun.
“Oh, are you grilling the meat?”
“Yes.”
“I'll help you!”
“That's all right. I prefer working alone.”
The woman who had risen to assist him froze at his firm refusal, then sank back into her seat with an awkward smile.
In that instant, red flames flared up between the coals, casting light along the line of his jaw.
Beneath the lamps, his thick forearms, the cords of muscle standing out sharply, the deep-set eyes—all of it came into such vivid focus that the female contestants caught their breath.
“Wow. Since when was grilling meat this sexy?”
“Seriously, those forearms. Insane.”
As he tended the meat, the women kept up a running chorus of admiration.
Before long, Minju helped Sangho set the dishes they'd prepared on the table. A rich soybean paste stew, freshly tossed salad, seasoned cucumber—food that made your mouth water just looking at it.
Right on cue, Kwon Seokjun finished grilling as well and began setting plates down on the table one by one.
Minju paused when she saw the plate placed in front of her. Neatly arranged on it were slices of perfectly golden grilled pork belly.
That was the moment Minju knew for certain. His buying pork belly was no coincidence.
She quietly lifted her head to look at him. Seokjun was laying the remaining meat on the grill, his face perfectly casual.
He'd always been like this. Passing by, he'd hand her a flower she liked with an offhand “you crossed my mind,” at restaurants he'd silently slide her favorite side dishes toward her, and though he claimed to hate walking, he always strolled through the park with her after a meal.
Back then, they'd been lovers, so all of it made sense. But what about now? Was it mere courtesy—or was she the only one foolishly reading meaning into it?
Confusion creased the space between Minju's brows.
“Seokjun, come sit down and eat.”
“I'll eat slowly.”
“Oh come on, food tastes better together.”
“I'll finish the grilling. Go ahead and start.”
He spoke politely and flipped the meat. Since it was a late dinner and everyone was hungry, the contestants didn't press him and busied themselves with their chopsticks.
“Amazing! This stew tastes straight out of a restaurant!”
“The meat is so good!”
Exclamations of delight burst out one after another over the food Sangho and Seokjun had prepared.
Amid the lively chatter, Minju sat with her chopsticks raised, unable to move for a long moment. All she could hear was the sizzle of pork belly on the grill; the laughter around her felt strangely distant.
“Minju, aren't you eating?”
“Oh—yes, I am.”
At Sangho's worried question beside her, she pulled herself together and put a slice of pork belly in her mouth. The nutty, chewy flavor spread across her tongue, and as if under a spell, she reached for another piece.
Just then, Seokjun approached, carrying the last plate of grilled meat. The female contestants beamed at him all at once.
“Seokjun, you worked hard!”
“The meat was amazing! The best!”
“Glad to hear it. Eat plenty.”
After a brief acknowledgment of their praise, he glanced around, looking for a seat.
At that very moment, his eyes met Minju's—mid-bite on her third piece. At the sight of her cheeks stuffed full, a faint smile flickered across his lips.
Minju's ears burned hot, as if she'd been caught doing something she shouldn't. Just as she was about to look away, Seokjun spotted Sangho seated beside her, and his expression stiffened almost imperceptibly. He didn't look pleased to see the two of them sitting side by side.
Her chest gave a sharp twinge. The absurdity of it—a guilt that felt like she'd done something wrong—made her want to laugh at herself.
Get a grip, Seo Minju. It's been over for years.
She squeezed her eyes shut to rein herself in—and when she opened them again, Na Seonyoung, seated across from her, had her hand thrust in the air, pointing at the seat beside her.
“Seokjun, sit here!”
Minju silently prayed he'd choose anywhere else, but he walked past the empty seats and sat down next to Seonyoung. Suddenly face-to-face with him across the table, Minju felt as if she'd choke on meat she'd barely touched.
Seonyoung glanced smugly across the table at Minju, as if he were her prize now—back off, he's mine—then leaned conspicuously toward him and picked up the liquor bottle.
“I was so surprised to see you earlier, Seokjun.”
When Seokjun looked at her as if to say, what about it? Seonyoung filled his empty glass and went on.
“Everyone finds grilling such a chore that they just hover around waiting, but I never expected you to be the one to step up.”
“Grilling's easier than cleaning up. I got in first on purpose.”
He answered dismissively and drained his glass. Seonyoung studied him for a moment, then curled her lips upward.
“Why do you ask?”
“Because you're handsome, and modest on top of that. It's attractive.”
“Are you always this blunt?”
“Does that bother you?”
She propped her chin on one hand and shot back the question challengingly. Seokjun didn't look away—he held her gaze for a beat, then gave a light shrug.
“No one hates a compliment.”
Whether those words registered as interest in her, Seonyoung stayed glued to his side afterward, showing no sign of leaving.
Discontent soon rippled through the other female contestants who'd been waiting for a chance to talk to him.
“Aren't those two getting a little too cozy?”
“Right? I was about to talk to Seokjun, but Seonyoung won't give an inch.”
Minju pretended to focus on her meal, but her attention stayed fixed on the pair across the table. The din of voices meant she couldn't make out what they were saying, but Seonyoung's unwavering smile said enough—the atmosphere was clearly good.
So the way he looked after me was just coincidence. I was imagining things all along.
What is this, playing with people? Seriously.
“Minju, try it this way—it's really good.”
Sangho's gentle voice beside her didn't register at all. She forced her gaze down to her plate, but the two of them smiling at each other in the firelight kept snagging at the edge of her vision.
The next morning, broadcast equipment stood assembled in the resort's living room. Sunlight poured through the windows onto the tables, and the contestants' chairs had been arranged in a semicircle. In stark contrast to last night's laughter, the same tension from the first day hung on every face.
Minju quietly steadied her breathing, silently rehearsing the introduction she'd practiced.
Then the Love Coach's voice rang out.
“Very good. Today, we'll take time to get to know one another a little better. Your occupation, your age, where you live now—just speak comfortably.”
The camera panned slowly across the contestants' faces and finally came to rest on Baek Seolhee. Dressed in a yellow two-piece ensemble that evoked a baby chick, Seolhee gathered her trembling breath and began.
“Hello, I'm Baek Seolhee, from Incheon. I'm twenty-nine, and I work as a broadcast writer.”
A murmur went around the room when she finished.
“Wow, I never would have guessed you were a writer.”
“I'm full of surprises, aren't I?”
“Yes.”
Seolhee added with a laugh, “I've always been behind the camera, so standing in front of it like this... it's more nerve-wracking than I expected.”
Her witty remark set off a ripple of laughter, and the taut, nervous air softened considerably. The camera soon glided naturally to the next person.
“I'm Na Seonyoung. I'm thirty-two, and I live in Seoul. I work in marketing for a fashion brand.”
Confidence radiated from her assertive tone. The moment she finished, a male contestant who'd been showing interest in her raised his hand eagerly.
“How do you feel about long-distance relationships?”
“I'm the type who has to see someone the moment I miss them, so long-distance would be tough for me.”
Disappointment clouded the man's face at her answer. Then another male contestant beside him raised his hand.
“What's your ideal type?”
“Someone passionate about what he does.”
Seonyoung answered with a smiling glance. “I work fourteen hours a day these days—do I stand a chance?”
“That sounds less like passion and more like exploitation, doesn't it?”
Her smooth comeback drew a burst of laughter.
“Next is Han Sangho.”
At the Love Coach's cue, Sangho—light blue shirt under a white jacket—rose from his seat with a gentle smile.
“Hello, I'm Han Sangho. I'm thirty-three this year, and I run a veterinary clinic in Sokcho. I've spent so much time caring for sick animals that I never really took care of my own heart. I came here because I'd like to treat my own feelings, just this once.”
The moment Sangho finished, the women's questions came flying.
“If it's Sokcho, you must commute with a view of the ocean every day?”
“I do. The sea's right in front of the clinic—open a window and you can hear the waves.”
“Wow, that's a total healing workplace.”
Just then, Lee Hayun, who worked at a PR agency, threw out a question. She was the contestant who'd openly declared since before introductions that she intended to marry a well-off man.
“How large is the clinic?”
“We expanded recently, so it's... about 290 square meters now.”
In an instant, the expressions of Hayun and the other women changed noticeably.
“Whoa, 290 square meters?”
“A clinic that size by the beach? That has to be hugely popular.”
“Wow! Impressive.”
As the women buzzed, a male contestant cut across the flow with a question. “Is there someone here who's caught your eye?”
At the question, Sangho glanced around the room for a moment, then let his gaze come to rest on Minju.
“Yes. There is.”
Their eyes met, and Minju blinked in surprise for an instant before a faint smile spread across her lips.
The Love Coach nodded with a pleased expression. “Lovely atmosphere we have here. Then... next is Kwon Seokjun.”
The air, only just settled into warmth, shifted in a subtle way. Not a single person failed to turn toward him.
Immaculate in a deep navy suit, he straightened his back and spoke calmly.
“I'm Kwon Seokjun. I live in Seoul, and I'm thirty-four. I invest in domestic and international franchise brands and restructure them. Until recently, I worked in New York.”
His low, steady voice drew the room's full attention at once.
“So you're a businessman. I knew you weren't an ordinary office worker.”
“What exactly does 'restructuring' involve?”
Curious questions came in a stream. Seokjun answered with a faint smile.
“Simply put, it's reviving brands that are dying. You analyze the problems, change the structure, and get things running again.”
The decisive tone made the female contestants' eyes gleam. Just then, Seonyoung raised her hand.
“How long were you in New York?”
“About ten years.”
“I studied in New York too—we might have actually crossed paths.”
“I only went back and forth between home and the office. Probably not.”
Seonyoung, desperate to manufacture some connection, looked briefly deflated by the sheer height of the wall he'd put up—but she quickly recovered her smile and pressed on.
“So have you moved back to Korea for good?”
At her question, Seokjun's gaze flicked briefly toward Minju.
“I'm not sure yet. I'm checking whether the reason to come back is here.”
At the low resonance of his voice, Minju's heart lurched.
What does that mean? Is the 'reason' he's talking about work—or a person? Could it be... did he come on this show thinking about marriage?
Given that he'd joined the program at all, it didn't seem like a completely absurd thought.
In that moment, an inexplicable tightness surged up in her chest. She couldn't put it into words, but it was unmistakably laced with discomfort. Perhaps because the day suddenly surfaced in her mind—the day, just over a year into their relationship in college, when he'd abruptly announced their breakup.
Back then, her chest had felt so hollow it was as if she couldn't even breathe properly.
Hayun threw out a question. “Could you keep working with New York remotely?”
“It's possible. Most of it's remote these days anyway.”
At his measured reply, Hayun smiled as if she'd been waiting for exactly this opening.
“Then, even after marriage, would you be open to living abroad? Or would you want to settle down in Korea?”
The moment the word marriage landed openly on the table, every female contestant's gaze whipped toward Hayun. She added without a hint of hesitation, “I'm considering a move to the States for my career, that's all. I'm just curious whether our lifestyles would be compatible.”
With a rival's entrance, the corner of Seonyoung's mouth tilted upward at a sharp angle.
Seokjun answered after a brief silence.
“That hasn't been decided yet.”
At those words, the corner of Hayun's mouth dipped ever so slightly—but she quickly hid it behind a light laugh. As if to say, there's still plenty of time.