The clear weather and the green hills made for a perfect day.
Every now and then, just glancing back at Minji struggling behind them gave her a strange burst of energy.
Still, Minji's situation wasn't the worst — Jaeyoung had been by her side the entire time.
He supported her by the arm, helping her up the hill, and the two of them looked pretty close.
Although I managed to stop Minji from getting her perfect photo, it didn't seem like I could stop Jaeyoung from growing more fond of her.
Just like Gaeun gave her heart to Sungjoon again, is it the same for Jaeyoung?
Can a person's heart not be changed?
I wish that could be changed too.
*****
After more than an hour of hiking, they finally reached the summit.
When the sheep appeared, the cast members forgot their exhaustion and excitedly rushed over.
The kind, white-haired owner of the ranch helped them go inside the fence so they could feed them directly.
The most popular spot, without a doubt, was where the baby lambs were.
"Wow, they're so cute!"
"Ahhh, they keep running at me!"
"One of them just licked me!"
"They're so fluffy!"
Some people were frightened by the sheep's eager approach, but most of them were enjoying themselves.
Minji, however, seemed too tired to join in. She stood still, simply watching the others.
"Minji, you should join us!"
"Oh, I'm okay, really!"
"They're so cute. Just give it a try."
Jaeyoung handed a carrot to Minji. She awkwardly held it out.
A small sheep came over, flicking its tongue, but Minji kept backing away, so it couldn't reach the food.
"Here—hold it a little closer like this."
"Ah, I… Aaaah!"
"What? What's wrong?"
"Ahh! It bit me!"
Minji clutched her hand tightly. The commotion drew attention from the other cast members.
Both the cast and the staff rushed over to Minji in surprise.
"Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"
"My hand!" Minji whined.
But her hand was completely fine. In fact, the sheep seemed more startled by her scream than anything else.
"Oh, sheep don't have upper front teeth, so even if they bite, it doesn't hurt. Don't worry," the ranch owner explained.
Still, Minji kept huffing and puffing angrily.
"So it's okay if they bite just because it doesn't hurt? That's disgusting!"
"We have a place where you can wash up after the activity—"
"So until then, I'm just supposed to stay dirty like this?"
Minji's voice was full of unfiltered irritation.
It seemed today's hike had really pushed her over the edge.
She really seemed to have lost a lot of patience. Still, it wasn't like she had completely lost control—after glancing around at the others, she quickly fixed her expression.
"You really scared me…" Minji muttered as she stepped out of the pen.
A staff member hurriedly handed her a wet wipe, and she scrubbed her hands vigorously.
Filming was paused for a moment.
Baa—
The baby lamb that had supposedly bitten Minji walked over to Haeyoung and bumped its forehead gently against her knee.
Maybe it felt bad after Minji's scolding, because it looked a little sulky.
"It's okay. You did great.
If only you had teeth—it would've been perfect for a nice, hard bite."
Haeyoung crouched down and whispered quietly.
She gently scratched the lamb's curly little chin, and it rubbed its head against her hand, clearly pleased.
Its gentle eyes looked as if it were smiling.
Seriously, what part of that is supposed to be gross? It's nothing but adorable.
The lamb gently nestled its head into Haeyoung's arms as if asking to be held.
Soft, warm, and squishy—
Just being around the baby lamb seemed to melt away all the stress and pressure that had built up over the past few days.
Yes, watching the lamb was far more comforting than looking at Woo Minji.
At that moment, the camera zoomed in on Haeyoung, capturing her pure, genuine smile like never before.
Her radiant face seemed to sparkle in the sunlight, and the cameraman, who had just been changing the battery, didn't miss the chance and quickly hit record.
Minji, who was handing her used wet wipes to a staff member, caught sight of the scene—and her eyes immediately flared with jealousy.
As filming resumed, Minji acted as if nothing had happened and stepped back into the pen, laughing brightly.
She petted and hugged the same baby lamb she had just called "dirty," repeatedly exclaiming how cute it was.
For a while, everything seemed fine—until suddenly, a loud scream came from Minji.
Maybe the lamb could sense her fake enthusiasm.
Its mother rammed into Minji with a headbutt, sending her flying and tumbling straight into a pile of sheep droppings.
The dress that was supposed to be a sold-out item, her shoes, her hat—everything ended up covered in sheep poop.
"AAAAAAAH! Are you kidding me?!"
In the end, Minji had no choice but to finish filming in a bright orange souvenir T-shirt sold at the ranch.
*****
In the end, a big blue bruise formed on Minji's chin—she must have hit something when she fell.
When the cast returned to the lodge, everyone was completely exhausted.
No one had the energy to cook, so they ordered a mountain of delivery food and started drinking early.
Minji didn't come out of her room for a long time.
It wasn't until later in the evening that she finally appeared, smiling as if nothing had happened.
"Earlier, I was just so shocked that I cursed... I'm really sorry. I never usually curse."
She scratched her head, her face flushed red.
Chanwoo reassured her, saying it was okay—he sometimes swore out of surprise too—and comforted her.
Since it was still early in the shoot, the scene of Minji swearing would of course be edited out later.
But none of the cast could forget what had happened.
Even if she hadn't been chosen, she had still managed to leave a strong impression…
Minji's initial image—small, delicate, and gentle—among the male contestants had been completely shattered.
"It looks like it's text message time again..."
The contestants were visibly tense.
Reflecting on the day, many of them already seemed deep in thought about who they might text.
But then, at the appearance of a sudden message, everyone jumped to their feet.
There will be no text voting today.
"Huh? Seriously?"
"Wow, that's such a relief! I suddenly feel so much better."
"Wait—hold on. There's another message coming in!"
Instead, a gift has arrived.
"A gift? No way…"
At that moment, a phone vibrated.
They said there wouldn't be any messages—so what was this?
[I'm here.]
Haeyoung instantly knew who the message was from.
Her heart started racing. A shiver, like a mix of anticipation and nerves, ran from her fingertips through her entire body.
My person is coming.
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang loudly.
"Kyaa!"
"Looks like someone new has arrived!"
Both the female and male contestants screamed excitedly without distinction. It was Maggot's arrival.
Without waiting for anyone else, they all rushed toward the entrance in a swarm. Haeyoung followed them slowly from the back.
Her heart was unusually fluttery. Why? She already knew Maggot would be arriving around this time, and that it was Yoonhyuk—but why was her heart racing so fast?
Because he was the one person she didn't have to pretend around?
Or because Yoonhyuk's arrival meant she could finally play the game more freely, according to her own feelings?
She couldn't quite gauge her emotions.
"Hello!"
"Welcome!"
The door opened, and all the contestants greeted him.
The entrance was so crowded that Yoonhyuk's face was hard to see.
Only his silhouette could be glimpsed now and then.
Her mouth went dry.
Then, as Jaeyoung stepped slightly to the side, Yoonhyuk finally came into view.
His gaze locked onto Haeyoung. A faint smile lifted the corners of his mouth.
A lazy smile, a sharp nose, and kind eyes.
For a moment, silence fell over the room. Everyone waited for Yoonhyuk to speak.
"Hello."
His low voice came out slowly, yet his eyes remained fixed on Haeyoung.
"Have you been waiting long?" his eyes seemed to say.
Haeyoung's lips slowly curled into a smile.
At last, my person has arrived.
*****
Just moments ago, the lively chatter at the dining table shifted noticeably with Yoonhyuk's arrival. A tense atmosphere settled in.
The female contestants glanced at Yoonhyuk with a mix of awkwardness and shy curiosity, while the male contestants watched him warily, trying to size him up.
Though it could have been overwhelming, Yoonhyuk calmly met each person's gaze head-on, as if handling focused attention was nothing new to him.
That confidence was so typically Yoonhyuk.
Meanwhile, Haeyoung, who was seated farthest from him, found it strangely difficult to look directly at Yoonhyuk.
She already knew he was handsome—but was he really this good-looking?