The beach date was purely a mischievous arrangement by the production team. Last month, PD Seo heard that a gay club event would be held here, filtering for looks, age, body type, and income. In short, about 30 high-quality gay men living in Seoul would gather here for a mixer.

One person in a couple had to pretend to be a stranger and hit on the other. Although there was a chance of being recognized, if they weren’t, would some interesting conflict erupt? PD Seo was very excited.

[PD Seo has such a bad character.] Actress Choo scowled, [If I ever get married, I’m absolutely not going on your marriage show!]

PD Seo’s eyes widened: [What?! What kind of talk is that! There are cameras at the filming location, and only a few people would be so tactless. We’ll clarify everything in the end; it’s just for the sake of entertainment. We directors are suffering, so how can you attack our character? Isn’t that right, Director Lee?]

Director Lee scratched his head: [When we directors work, we cooperate with the scriptwriter to create a story for actors to perform. Everyone knows it’s fake. But for you… it’s hard to say. We’re different, totally different.]

PD Seo: […]

Dramas are meant to tell a complete story, but the highlight of a variety show is the unpredictable aftermath. In any case, PD Seo’s crazy idea definitely whetted everyone’s appetite.

[Netizen: So ruthless. Is he trying to introduce a “catfish” character, just like in a dating show?]

[Netizen: In a dating show, seven or eight people get one “catfish,” but 30 people… what are they going to do…]

[Netizen: That’s why I say PD Seo has a bad character. That old man deserves to be scolded; he’s always getting these “aha” moments.]

As soon as Qi Huai and Yoon Nam-hyuk arrived at the beach, the camera crew handed them a long-awaited new mission card.

The sky was already dark. The ambient lights of the cafes and bars on the beach were soft and romantic. The house band strummed guitars, their voices husky and hazy.

Yoon Nam-hyuk opened the mission card and read: “The couple will draw lots to decide who is the one to hit on the other, and who is the one to be hit on.”

The one doing the hitting on is responsible for initiating the conversation and the topic. The one being hit on, though somewhat passive as they have to go along with the other person’s topic, can decide the location and whether the advance is successful.

Qi Huai rested his chin on Yoon Nam-hyuk’s shoulder and chuckled mischievously: “If I get the ‘to be hit on’ card, I’ll sit in the most crowded place.”

What?!

Yoon Nam-hyuk was stunned.

The most crowded place? Playing the game of a couple pretending to be strangers and hitting on each other in front of everyone? That’s so embarrassing! Can’t this guy be normal!

[Netizen: The social-anxiety-prone is an ‘I’ person, right?]

[Netizen: He seemed so uncomfortable kissing in a crowd this afternoon, lololol.]

“Please draw lots now.” The camera crew held out a small box. “We prepared these slips in advance, put them into capsules with tweezers, and after a day of filming, they’re completely indistinguishable. It’s absolutely fair.”

“You draw first, the remaining one is mine.” Qi Huai sniffed Yoon Nam-hyuk’s hair, not caring which one he got. He began to wonder whether he should have the driver bring a different car without a camera crew to pick them up after the shoot…

The sooner they got home, the sooner he could relax, so he wouldn’t get a fever again tomorrow.

Yoon Nam-hyuk had no idea about Qi Huai’s little plan. He stared at the capsules in the box, hesitant, silently praying: Don’t let Qi Huai get the ‘to be hit on’ one, don’t let Qi Huai get the ‘to be hit on’ one.

He absolutely did not want to play the hitting-on game in front of a crowd. That scoundrel Qi Huai would definitely mess with him.

Yoon Nam-hyuk hesitated for a while, until the camera crew started a countdown of 3, 2, 1. He finally made up his mind and chose a capsule.

[Netizen: So nervous.]

[Netizen: Oh my god, I finally understand the downside of these live reality shows! You can’t fast-forward to see the result!]

[Netizen: PD Seo will definitely play an ad break at the most crucial moment—ha! I knew it!]

After Yoon Nam-hyuk made his choice, Qi Huai took the remaining capsule. Inside the capsules were two small slips of paper. Perhaps Yoon Nam-hyuk’s prayer worked; he successfully got the ‘to be hit on’ identity, while Qi Huai was the ‘hitter.’

Qi Huai was very pleased with this. He thought Yoon Nam-hyuk was too shy. If the other person was responsible for hitting on him, he would probably just ask him to have a drink and then awkwardly ask: Can I sit here? What’s your name? How old are you?

Oh right, he’d probably even remind him to use polite language.

As for Yoon Nam-hyuk, who got the ‘to be hit on’ role, he was also very satisfied. This meant Qi Huai had lost the chance to choose a conspicuous seat.

I must choose a quiet spot, he thought. Preferably where there’s no one around.

They could have a drink, chat, or even secretly kiss with their backs to the crowd, but absolutely no doing shameful things in public! Absolutely not!

The camera crew: “The ‘to be hit on’ person, please choose your seat.”

Yoon Nam-hyuk pulled his baseball cap low, entered the open-air beach bar, and looked around. The most peaceful spot was a small, round table in a corner. There were a few other tables nearby, but only three or five people were sitting there.

It was an area far from the house band, relatively quiet, and even the lighting was dimmer. A stalk of lisianthus was in a vase on the table, which reminded the socially anxious one of his wedding day with Qi Huai, making him feel quiet and at ease.

After Yoon Nam-hyuk sat down, a waiter quickly put down a thick menu and smiled, saying: “The fixed-price meal can’t be changed, but there are ten kinds of cocktails to choose from. What would you like to drink?”

Yoon Nam-hyuk found it strange, not understanding why a beach bar would only have ten types of drinks and only one fixed food option. But he wasn’t in the mood to think too much, so he quickly said, “Whiskey sour, please. Thank you.”

[Netizen: I just saw the mission card on my screen… the menu is very rich. What’s going on?]

[Netizen: Don’t you think these seats are strange? They’re all two-person tables.]

Writer Kim suddenly covered her mouth: [PD Seo, these are the seats prepared for the bar’s social event, right?]

PD Seo laughed: [That’s right.]

All ten tables were two-person tables far from the crowd, with lisianthus in vases and especially dim lighting to create a romantic atmosphere. This was the event area for the mixer, using a flower as a secret signal.

Most importantly, Yoon Nam-hyuk might not have noticed, but the men sitting nearby were talking with shy and ambiguous expressions.

[Netizen: Oh, poor social-anxiety-prone guy.]

[Netizen: It’s like karma for an ‘I’ person…]

[Netizen: He went to great lengths to run right into the fire!]

As soon as Yoon Nam-hyuk sat down, he attracted the attention of others. Everyone was dressed stylishly for the event, with some even in suits.

In contrast, Yoon Nam-hyuk, who had just arrived, was only wearing an inconspicuous hoodie and casual pants, and he kept pulling his baseball cap down, making it impossible to see his face. Wasn’t he here to “socialize”? In that case, this was a bit unfriendly…

“Hello, this is my business card.” A tall, handsome man in a suit suddenly sat down across from Yoon Nam-hyuk. “I’m a very proactive person, and giving out business cards is efficient. I hope you don’t find it offensive.”

Yoon Nam-hyuk: “?”

What’s this guy talking about? Yoon Nam-hyuk frowned. Was this a trick arranged by the production team?

He took the card.

It wasn’t a mission card; it was indeed a business card. It had the other person’s name, “Liu something something.” Yoon Nam-hyuk didn’t look closely. The back of the card had the company and position: a senior luxury car salesman.

Oh…

The socially-anxious one instantly relaxed. He guessed he had been recognized, and the other person wanted to use this opportunity to sell something. Anyone who has been a boss wouldn’t dislike an employee who thinks about work anywhere, so Yoon Nam-hyuk looked up and smiled: “Thank you, I’ll consider it, but it’s not a good time right now. I’ll have my assistant contact you another day.”

“?”

What’s this guy talking about? The man, Mr. Liu, was now the one frowning. Yoon Nam-hyuk, who had looked up, revealed his handsome face. Mr. Liu was both surprised and impressed, but the cold and strange attitude of the other party annoyed him greatly.

“We haven’t even had a conversation yet, have we?” Mr. Liu said. “It’s too hasty to reject me just by looking at a business card. Even if you’re a very wealthy person, it’s ridiculous to just push this kind of thing to an assistant.”

What? Yoon Nam-hyuk was confused. He thought to himself that if there were a suitable car model, he would naturally go see it himself. There was no way to test-drive it now, so what was there to talk about? “I really don’t have time right now, I’m sorry.”

Mr. Liu was angry: “If you don’t have time, what are you doing here? Is my time not worth anything?”

[Netizen: Lololol.]

[Netizen: What? You two can talk to each other so fluently?]

[Netizen: There are too many social geniuses, which makes me feel very ordinary.]

[Netizen: Sheesh! Can you let me in on the conversation too?]

More and more people gathered, sitting down one by one, but they were clearly not in the mood to chat. Their eyes intentionally or unintentionally glanced at Yoon Nam-hyuk and Mr. Liu, wanting to know the reason for the argument between the two.

Yoon Nam-hyuk pulled down his cap and drank the whiskey sour the waiter brought in one go. He was so annoyed. Why wasn’t that guy Qi Huai here yet?

Qi Huai was also annoyed, because the camera crew only told him after Yoon Nam-hyuk had sat down that the person hitting on the other needed to wait ten more minutes before entering.

Ten minutes… well.

Qi Huai paced back and forth at the bar entrance. The camera crew seemed to really enjoy his increasingly agitated expression.

Neither of them noticed that almost every handsome man who just arrived at the bar would instinctively pause at the entrance and sneak a glance at Qi Huai because he was too conspicuous.

A person with a height of 188 cm (about 6’2″) is 190 cm (about 6’3″) in sneakers. He was also wearing Yoon Nam-hyuk’s clothes, and even a simple T-shirt looked like a luxury brand with excellent quality. Although the dim lighting made it difficult to see his face clearly, his physique, body shape, and side profile were things that light couldn’t change.

He’s a super handsome guy…

These people who came to the gay bar event thought to themselves.

More than half of them felt that Qi Huai looked familiar, as if they had seen him somewhere before, but due to the lighting and atmosphere, they couldn’t recall where at the moment.

After almost ten minutes, Qi Huai finally found a poster on the wall that was almost the same color as the wall—”Lisianthus Date: Waiting for You Tonight.”

Huh???

Qi Huai, who now realized something was wrong, let out a cold laugh. He thought to himself: Not bad, PD Seo. A director with so much talent should make more shows and rest less. Let’s have a long-term collaboration in the future. GATE will help you get rich, PD Seo.

“Ah, Actor Qi, the time isn’t up yet! Wait…”

The camera crew couldn’t stop Qi Huai’s temper. He took a couple of big strides and stepped into the bar, spotting Yoon Nam-hyuk’s back in the event area not far away.

An empty glass was on the table in front of Yoon Nam-hyuk, and a not-so-good-looking man was sitting across from him. Wearing a suit at a beach bar was a bit much.

Qi Huai sneered, completely forgetting that his Nam-hyuk also wore suits and shirts everywhere he went, and today he was only wearing his hoodie because he had no other clothes.

Oh?

It looks like there’s more than one man.

Qi Huai narrowed his eyes, seeing that the “NPCs” around were looking at him like crazy. Ha, how speechless.

A semi-Alpha nearing his sensitive period was a bit short-tempered, but he didn’t forget that he was on a show. Qi Huai took a deep breath. He thought it might be a stimulating plot arranged by the production team. Don’t lose your temper, and don’t break things.

Nam-hyuk would not betray me. That drink was definitely not paid for by anyone else. No one’s scent will stick to my gege. Half a meter is a normal social distance. Inside half a meter is only because the bar is too crowded; it couldn’t be on purpose. My geeg is eating because he’s hungry, not talking to someone. The smile on his face must be a cold smile, not because he’s having a good time chatting with someone…

But.

Why isn’t he getting up and leaving?

Why is he still sitting with someone else?

I haven’t shown up for ten minutes. Doesn’t he miss me? Is he not looking for me? Can’t he look around?

After thinking all this, Qi Huai’s face darkened.

The camera crew filming Yoon Nam-hyuk was hiding quite far away. He was still laughing at the scene with Yoon Nam-hyuk, but when he saw Qi Huai’s face, he couldn’t help but inwardly exclaim “Daebak” and started filming like crazy.

Qi Huai walked closer and closer behind Yoon Nam-hyuk, and the closer he got, the clearer he heard. He heard Yoon Nam-hyuk talking to those people.

“Ah… I knew something was off. It really was a misunderstanding.” Mr. Liu was a little embarrassed.

“Yeah.” Yoon Nam-hyuk was also embarrassed. “Sorry, I’ll switch seats.”

“It’s fine,” another man next to him said. “There are only 30 people in today’s event, and there are more than enough tables. You can sit anywhere you want.”

“Are you also gay?” the man suddenly asked.

Yoon Nam-hyuk froze: “What?”

The man couldn’t help but laugh: “You’re not bothered at all after knowing about the event. In this country, a straight man couldn’t be as calm as you.”

Yoon Nam-hyuk smiled.

“I feel like I know you from somewhere,” the man said again. “My name is Ju Seong-hyeon. I just switched careers to become a director. What’s your name?”

“I…”

Before Yoon Nam-hyuk could say anything, he felt a weight on his shoulder and a heat in his ear. A familiar scent enveloped him as Qi Huai hugged him tightly from behind and chuckled: “Hyung, you promised to be with me after the divorce. Why are you secretly meeting so many people behind my back?”

Yoon Nam-hyuk: ?

Everyone around them: ???

[Netizen: Ahhhh! What is this?!]

[Netizen: Weren’t they supposed to pretend to be strangers?!]

[Netizen: How can a stranger be as exciting as this illicit affair?!]

Writer Kim pushed up her glasses: [This idea is great, Director Lee. Let’s think about it.]

Director Lee scratched his head: [Hmm… it’s definitely in line with the trend.]

Actress Choo was excited: [Save a role for me!]

PD Seo: [o-o]

Yoon Nam-hyuk’s face instantly turned so red that his baseball cap couldn’t hide it. He turned his head to glare at Qi Huai: “What are you crazy about now!”

“Hyung, don’t say that about me…” Qi Huai lowered his eyes, showing a pitiful expression. “I’m not crazy. I just love you too much. I want to be with you all the time.”

He held up Yoon Nam-hyuk’s left hand, kissed his wedding ring, and looked miserable: “I want to marry you too. I’ve been waiting for this day for ten years. We’re twins, so why can he get married but I can’t?”

Everyone around them: …Daebak.

They’re married people???

He’s a cheater???

He’s cheating on a twin with the other twin???

Ten years!

Cheating on his spouse for ten years!

Scumbag! Rotten person!

“Yah—! You scoundrel, you—Ugh!” Yoon Nam-hyuk, who was about to die of anger, was silenced by Qi Huai’s kiss. It was a passionate and dominant French kiss, full of possessiveness.

Qi Huai held the back of Yoon Nam-hyuk’s head with his left hand, his face expressionless as he kissed the other person. This look indeed resembled a madman.

He guessed that Yoon Nam-hyuk would be angry, but he couldn’t help it. Kissing him was better than doing something even more out of line.

The spectators were dumbfounded, their minds still replaying “twins”, “cheater”, “divorce”, and “ten years”. Only the new director, Ju Seong-hyeon, looked even more confused, because Qi Huai’s face looked more and more familiar.

Had he seen him somewhere? Is such a handsome person a YouTuber? Or…

Hey, wait, isn’t he an actor?

“You… Qi Huai? You’re an actor, aren’t you!” Ju Seong-hyeon blurted out.

What?

Everyone around them was stunned.

When the kiss ended, Qi Huai successfully calmed down. He held the breathless Yoon Nam-hyuk in his arms and smiled apologetically to the others: “Actually, we’re filming a variety show. This was the production team’s arrangement, to give you all a little scare. Were you scared?”

Ah… so that’s what it was!

When everyone learned the truth, they were both surprised and happy, and their tension eased.

“Yes… we were really scared, haha.”

“Are you two artists? Your acting is so good.”

“Oh, is this a marriage show?”

Qi Huai smiled: “Everyone, don’t worry. The editing department won’t reveal anyone’s privacy. The camera crew over there has the production team’s business cards. You can take one for any future needs.”

The semi-Alpha, whose mood was getting better and better as he smelled his lover’s scent, patiently answered the questions of the people around him. The blush on Yoon Nam-hyuk’s face, who was held in his arms, hadn’t faded, and his anger was soaring.

Qi Huai, you are so dead!

Yoon Nam-hyuk gritted his teeth.