Haeyoung slowly studied his face, trying to figure out what he was thinking. But she couldn't tell. It was only their fourth meeting, including past lives, so it was understandable.
No, the person in front of her seemed like someone she wouldn't be able to figure out even after meeting ten or a hundred times.
"Is it true?"
"Yeah."
Haeyoung was left speechless and just stared at Yoon-hyuk.
She couldn't make sense of his every joke.
Not only Haeyoung but also the viewers who would watch this later would probably be just as confused.
A handsome "leading" contestant who sparked curiosity because no one could figure out what he was thinking — it was easy to imagine the PD cheering about that.
Just as their conversation seemed to have reached a natural pause, the assistant director outside the car signaled to start the product placement.
What should she say?
"Your jokes are something else... But I really am tired. Maybe it's because I didn't sleep well last night, or maybe it's because the car is just too comfortable. You should lean back too—it's really cozy."
It was a sudden and awkward compliment.
His lips curled up as if he'd found a new target to tease. Heat rushed to her face. Her awkward line kept running through her head.
"Th-the ride's really smooth."
But that didn't mean she could just ignore it. Still, Yoon-hyuk didn't cooperate easily.
"Ride comfort? I think it's terrible. Uncomfortable—for my back and legs."
"Why? What's wrong?"
"What do you mean?"
"This car's design is really nice. Comfortable and sleek."
"That design just made the wind noise worse. I think sales will be bad."
Haeyoung's eyes darted around, confused.
"If it were me, I'd never buy a car like this."
He delivered the final blow. Haeyoung frantically signaled him not to say that, but Yoon-hyuk just grinned.
"I—I think it's nice."
In the show, product placement was practically the lifeline. They should have exaggerated how great the product was, but Yoon-hyuk kept being so sarcastic—it was hard to understand why. He must have been told about the PPL, too...
Haeyoung glanced out the window. In the distance, the PD wearing headphones was scratching his head as he listened to their conversation. That probably meant this scene wouldn't be used.
Thinking that way ironically made her feel a bit more at ease. Her posture relaxed on its own. She realized she had been tense all along, just because they were in front of the camera.
"I hope you come back soon."
The words slipped out with a sigh.
"Should we go back today?"
"How?"
"Just storm into the dorm. They probably won't kick you out. That's the dorm, right?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? No, don't do that. That's not it."
Haeyoung was startled and glanced around nervously, aware that the crew might be listening to everything. Fortunately, they seemed to take it as a joke, and it stayed quiet outside.
Perhaps thinking there was no more useful conversation to be had, they signaled to end the talk and receive the details of the date location.
When Haeyoung looked at Yoon-hyuk, he pulled out an envelope from his side as if he understood.
"Here. This is for you."
Yoon-hyuk held out a letter envelope. When Haeyoung reached to take it, he hesitated and didn't want to let go.
After a little struggle and some effort, she finally snatched the envelope away.
"Who are you meeting with?"
When Haeyoung opened the envelope, Yoon-hyuk tilted his head closer. His face was uncomfortably close, and his scent suddenly filled the air. Her ears felt hot.
It seemed it had been a long time since she'd been this close to another man.
Haeyoung reminded herself that she and Yoon-hyuk were supposed to be close friends and tried to act nonchalant.
"Move your face away. It's making me uncomfortable."
"That's right, I'm handsome. You almost forgot."
Yoon-hyuk smiled with his eyes narrowing and stepped back.
When expressionless or just slightly smiling, he gave off a somewhat cold and intimidating vibe, but when he smiled brightly like this, the chilly atmosphere disappeared instantly.
With his handsome looks, radiant smile, and playful personality, some might dislike him, but surely far more viewers would like him.
Your first date partner is waiting. Please proceed to the address.
"There's no name written."
"Who could it be? You better not fall for some jerk again."
"Are you going to keep saying weird stuff like that?"
Yoon-hyuk reached out and gently brushed the hair that had fallen onto Haeyoung's forehead aside.
Had her hair fallen down? Haeyoung pushed his hand away and quickly swept her hair back.
"Have a good date."
"Yeah, I'll do well."
"Don't get too excited. Don't smile too much. And don't give your heart away."
Ignoring Yoon-hyuk's reluctant farewell, Haeyoung got out of the car.
She rode in the crew's car and headed toward the address. Looking out the window, she wondered who would be waiting at the location.
The first date on Friendship Romance is decided by viewer votes—commonly called the "Visual Match Vote."
On the first day of filming, yesterday, Friendship Romance 2's homepage posted profile photos of all the contestants, and viewers voted for the first date couple based solely on their pictures.
Neither the viewers nor the contestants could predict anything—it was literally a visual-based match.
The same went for Haeyoung. She could try to persuade Yoonhyuk or other contestants based on the information she knew for other schedules, but for this, there was nothing she could do. That made her even more nervous.
Since Yoonhyuk wouldn't be chosen, her possible partners were limited to four: Jaeyoung, Chanwoo, Dojin, and Sungjun.
Hopefully, the first date partner will be... well...
*****
• "Mingtu, please do a reaction to Friendship Romance. The photos just dropped, and the visuals are no joke! This might be the best yet."
• "ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Unni, please, *Woyeon*... let's run togetherㅠㅠㅠ It's Friday and Saturday... 8 o'clock (heart)."
• "Stop the Friendship Romance viral marketing."
"This one bombed... only 170,000 views? Sigh…"
These days, Minju's reviews of remarriage shows have been getting more and more boring. As viewers have massively dropped the live broadcasts, naturally, the views on Minju's reaction videos have decreased as well.
And that's not all. There were plenty of comments saying they should quit this show and switch to another program.
This is why being a reaction YouTuber is so tough. No matter how hard I try, what's the use? When the original broadcast tanks, the viewers drop off drastically.
• "Friendship Romance looks super fun just by looking at the male cast's faces. Can we expect a reaction review for this?"
ㄴ It's Friendship Romance.
• "Mingtu, you're definitely going to react to Friendship Romance, right? We really liked you during Woyeon Season 1."
• "Please do Friendship Romance for the neighboring channel! Let's stop getting mad and just laugh together... Apparently, PD Eun-hye, whom we trust, is directing again."
"Do I really have to switch channels?"
Honestly, the previous season of Friendship Romance was already wrapped up, so I was determined to do a reaction for this season no matter what. But once I start, I have to see it through to the end — I can't just start blindly.
Maybe I'll test the waters with a short clip.
Minju set up her phone camera vertically and adjusted the lighting. Behind her, the old-fashioned bedding she sleeps on every day was clearly visible.
Creating comfortable videos with natural, relatable presentation while balancing between the two was the most important part of being a reaction YouTuber.
She pressed the record button.
"Apparently, the photos of the Friendship Romance 2 cast have been released? You know my friend Anne, right? She was in the reaction video for Run with Soonjae before. She was really excited, insisting I had to see the photos — like, nonstop! But honestly, I might just watch the photos and not upload a reaction. I need my heart to really feel it." she said.
That was true when I first started making reaction videos.
The channel I run now, "Mingtu Gadaba," began purely for my own fun. But as subscribers grew and ads started rolling in, it crossed the line from hobby to job.
Gradually, no matter what I watched, I found myself acting more and more exaggeratedly to get a stronger reaction. Even when something wasn't fun, if viewers responded well, I kept going. Now it's just about making money.
Ugh, I didn't like that earlier line. It felt too wordy. I should cut most of that in editing.
Thinking that, I opened the Friendship Romance 2 website on my iPad.
"Oh, the banner's up."
Friendship Romance Season 2, cast photos public release. First date voting in progress.
"What is this? It feels like a poster! I guess they made it bigger since they made some money last season."
Yeah, let's hope this season does well too. Let's all make money together!
With a nervous, excited expression, I clicked on the contestants' profiles.
"...Huh? Oh? Wow!"