Page 13 of Public Image, Private Heart (K-Drama Love Story #1)

Then, a lightbulb flickered in my mind. Instead of just offering words of advice, why not take action?

“Come over to my place for dinner; I might have some samgyupsal,” I typed out and hit send.

I stared at my phone, knowing Yumi well enough to bet that a pork belly BBQ would be hard for her to resist. And it seemed like a good way to show support beyond just words. Plus, I’d really like to see her again.

The only hiccup was that it was a little past 9 PM, and I needed someone to pick up the samgyupsal. I glanced at the clock and frowned.

Time for a rescue mission.

I dialed my manager, Sangwook, hoping he could come through with the task of finding and fetching samgyupsal.

Sangwook grumbled over the phone, “This morning you asked me to bring you a cake, and now samgyupsal? Are you mistaking me for a food delivery service?” Nonetheless, he managed to drop off the samgyupsal just before Yumi arrived.

He didn’t seem to be in the best mood, as evidenced by his (hopefully) joking comment: “This isn’t exactly in my job description, but here you go, Ji-yong- ssi ”—with an extra emphasis on “ssi.” Despite this, I genuinely appreciate my manager; without him, I’d probably be hopelessly disorganized.

I rushed to find the indoor BBQ grill, the one I’d received as a Christmas gift that lets you grill with minimal smoke and odor, just as I heard the doorbell ring.

“Samgyupsal?” was the first thing Yumi said upon entering, almost as if it were her greeting. I couldn’t help but laugh at her eagerness. As usual, she looks cute in a simple blue knee-length dress with a fitted bodice and a sweetheart neckline.

I welcomed her in, and she seemed genuinely intrigued by my sleek apartment.

I like my place, situated on the top floor of a skyscraper.

It featured two rooms—one for myself and one as a guestroom—a kitchen, a spacious bathroom with a bathtub, a living room adorned with a few designer touches, and an outdoor patio offering a stunning view of the Namsan Tower.

The panoramic vista of shimmering skyscrapers was truly breathtaking.

“Your apartment is so beautiful,” she remarked as I continued showing her around. “But it’s missing a personal touch... it feels more like a hotel room than a place where someone actually lives.” She immediately seemed to regret her words, glancing back to gauge my reaction.

I chuckled to reassure her that I didn’t take it personally. “You think so? I do have some personal items, but I prefer to keep them hidden. Let me show you...” I opened a large white cupboard in the living room and pulled out a few photo albums, handing one to her.

She settled onto the cream sofa next to the cupboard and eagerly flipped through the album.

“You haven’t changed much since you were a kid!

” she said with a laugh. “Is this your grandma who makes the amazing jangjorim?” She pointed to a photo of me as a toddler, sitting on a woman’s lap and clapping my hands.

I nodded. “Yes, that’s my grandma. I actually saw her today.” I then told her about how my grandma had been urging me about procreation, and Yumi laughed heartily, her eyes forming that perfect ‘n’ shape once again.

“Your family sounds like a lot of fun,” Yumi said with a thoughtful smile. “You’re lucky to have such a close-knit family.”

There was a brief pause before I asked softly, “Do you have any family nearby?”

She gave me a wistful look. “I have an aunt, an uncle, and two cousins... but they don’t live close, and we’ve never been very close. So...” She shrugged. “Maybe I should think about procreation too,” she added with a wide grin, trying to lighten the mood.

Then her eyes lit up as if a lightbulb had switched on. “I’ve got an idea! Let’s try out one of those dating apps that everyone’s talking about.”

My stomach dropped upon her remarks. “Dating apps...?” I scoffed in disbelief on her absurd idea.

“Yes! Just try it for fun. Aren’t you curious about the single people around you and who might be matched with you through technology and algorithms?”

Well, I AM curious about the person right in front of me, and I don’t need technology or algorithms to tell me how desperately I want to kiss her right here and now.

I startled at my own thought. The intensity of my feelings caught me off guard, and I wondered if she could sense the turmoil within me. My heart pounded in my chest, and I could feel my cheeks warming.

She looked at me, her eyes reflecting a mixture of curiosity and something else I couldn’t quite place.

For a moment, the world seemed to narrow down to just the two of us, the background noise fading away.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself, but my thoughts kept racing. Was she feeling the same way?

My mind flashed back to all the moments we had shared—the cozy cuddle on the sofa, the cupcake fiasco, the laughter and teasing, and all those little gestures that seemed to carry more meaning than they should.

Everything was adding up to something bigger, something I couldn’t ignore.

And at that moment, the urge to kiss her became almost unbearable.

She extended her hand, pointing at my phone. I sighed but handed it over, intrigued by where this might lead.

She swiftly downloaded the app and began setting up a profile for me, murmuring as she confirmed the details.

“Height? Let’s see... maybe 1.85 meters.

” She scanned me from top to bottom to confirm.

“Likes and dislikes? Hmm, likes: drawing, spicy food, and joking around. Dislikes? What don’t you like? ”

“Nosy people,” I said sarcastically, adding a laugh to show I was joking.

“Let’s just write... scary movies and DIY projects,” she decided, looking satisfied with her work. We then reviewed my photos and uploaded a few—some from professional shoots and others just for fun.

Before long, we started swiping left and right on various profiles, commenting on them with a mix of humor. After a few minutes, the app made a ‘ding’ sound, signaling a match. Not just that, but my ‘match’ had already sent a message.

But instead of seeing some nice messages as I had hoped, we clicked on the message and saw: “How dare you use Ryu Ji-yong’s photo for your profile, you creep! I’ll report you.”

I exchanged a look with Yumi, and we both burst into laughter.

Before we could even send a reply, she had already blocked my profile.

More messages with similar tones followed, accusing me of having a fake profile.

Soon enough, we received a notification that my account had been temporarily banned.

We laughed like hyenas until our sides ached.

“See what you did there...” I managed to say between fits of laughter. “Now I’ll never find someone to procreate with.”

We laughed some more, and I teased her about creating a dating app profile for her too.

Considering the time, though, I moved to the kitchen to prepare the samgyupsal.

It cooked up quickly, and I served it with warm rice and fresh salads for wrapping.

We finished the meal swiftly on my patio, enjoying the warm start of summer with a couple of beers.

Yumi yawned and shifted deeper into her seat, looking cozy. “Mm, that was really good,” she said with a satisfied smile. “But I should head home soon. I have a shoot tomorrow, and... it’s my first kissing scene with Ryan.” She suddenly looked a bit anxious.

Jealousy sparked in my veins, and I blurted out without thinking, “You know... since we’ve done that before,” I began, standing up and leaning against the wall on the patio.

“Yes?” she responded, unsure.

I chuckled nervously, absentmindedly tousled my hair while striving to keep my tone relaxed. I felt a mix of nerves and excitement about what was about to unfold.

“I could help you practice,” I suggested, a playful grin spreading across my face, hoping I didn’t come off like the creep I’d just been accused of being on the dating app.