The difference between love and wanting to be loved…

Shin Jun couldn’t help but ponder if that was why he gave Lao Yun a chance originally. 

He hadn’t wanted to find love, and yet the affection he received from this man felt good. Lao Yun chased him to the point it was difficult to say no to him. 

He appeared in front of his classroom with food or flowers, a charming smile gracing his face as he expressed his intentions to chase him. 

He would accompany him to his classes even when he had a class in another building.

He would pull him away from the campus to go get food or drink at the bar.

Shin Jun would scoff at first, but later on, he gradually became used to the attention. He craved the affection he received from someone who wasn’t a family member, it made him feel special. Wanted.

Though he couldn’t deny that he would later feel love, a love so powerful that he went against his own beliefs… It likely started in that way. 

He glanced up at the man in front of him, leisurely sipping his coffee, and gave a small smile, forgetting about the cameras and leaning back to look at the ceiling. “I’ve only been in that one relationship so I can’t speak on others, yet, it likely began similarly to what you mentioned. I can understand the feeling.”

Ryung looked at Shin Jun thoughtfully. He seemed pure when speaking of relationships but his temperament wasn’t immature or naive. He wanted to learn more about this first blind date of his but he couldn’t go against the rules of the show and ask things that could identify them… He found a loophole. “What were you like growing up?”

Shin Jun glanced at the man in front of him and tilted his head with a chuckle. “I liked to learn a lot, but not because I specifically loved learning. I was just so bored - I would learn one thing, and get tired of doing it because I felt like I had nothing left to learn. Personality-wise, I was fairly docile and weak as a child. How about you?”

Ryung nodded along and answered, “My brother was sick so I was home-schooled with him until I was ripe for middle school, he had just graduated high school so there was no need for me to stay home and learn with him. I was always a little troublemaker, so I was always bringing trouble to my parents once they set me free.”

Shin Jun laughed. “I was also home-schooled but when I went to public school I was non-existent.”

“It’s hard to make new friends when you join later than everyone else, you’re either accepted into a friend group immediately or the kids look at you like you came out of a zoo.”

“I was avoided like the plague!”

“At first I was too, but then I forced others to notice me by joking around or starting fights.”

Shin Jun glanced over the man in front of him with a skeptical look that read - you, starting fights?

Ryung held up his hands and defended himself immediately, “Hey, I was a little demon but I learned and grew up eventually.”

The two men looked at one another and burst out laughing. Although Ryung looked buff, Shin Jun really wouldn’t have guessed he started fights based on his temperament. The way he held himself was just like his eldest brother, a businessman. 

He looked at Ryung who was about to roll up his sleeves and waved his hands, still laughing brightly. “Alright, alright, I believe you!”

He suddenly felt like this man was someone who he could become close friends with in the future. Even if they’re on a dating show with one another, their personality is very similar.

He hadn’t realized that the atmosphere that was originally awkward and stiff had turned light and fluffy like two old friends getting together to chat about the time they’d missed one another.

Ryung leaned forward once again with a smile on his face. “So you have siblings?”

Shin Jun nodded and threw up his fingers. “Three brothers, but two cousins who are as close as brothers. Ah, I’m the youngest in the family though.”

Ryung threw up one finger. “I only have one brother, he’s older but I feel like I’m older than him.”

“They have that sort of personality too, sometimes they seem like wise old men and overprotective hens, while sometimes I wonder how they can be older than me yet be so stupid.”

“My older brother is smart, but he’s been sickly since he was a child so he can be naive to the outside world.”

Suddenly, the waiter who had served them before came out and glanced at their table. “The producers said it’s time to go back, the other contestants are on their way back now as well. I hope you have a lovely day!”

The two men quickly left their seats and Ryung held the door open on their way out.