Liquid Nitrogen

A struggle broke out between Haeyoung, who was refusing the jacket, and Yoonhyuk, who wouldn't listen. Minji, who was quietly watching the scene, handed her a hot pack.

"Unni, please take mine. I didn't know it was just for me. I've already used a lot by myself, so you should take it."

Whether it was because of Yoonhyuk's jacket or the image of generosity, Minji readily gave in. But her other hand was awkwardly fixed inside the blanket.

"No, I can endure it."

"No, no. Look at your lips — they're purple. You look like a corpse."

Her worried tone didn't match what she said. It wasn't funny at all.

"Alright then, thank you. Minji, you're really kind."

Haeyoung reached out her hand, pretending to take the hot pack, but instead lightly knocked over the wine glass in front of her.

"Ahh! My clothes!"

Minji jumped up quickly to avoid the spilling wine. At that moment, two hot packs fell from her lap.

She hurriedly lifted the blanket, checking if her clothes were stained with wine. Suddenly noticing the silence around her, she froze in place.

Of course. There was no way she would have given her the only hot pack she had.

Earlier, a staff member had handed a hot pack to Haeyoung and said,

"We definitely set aside hot packs for the cast, but I don't know where they went. I'll bring one to you as soon as I find it."

As soon as Minji heard that, she seemed to know where they were. Her blanket looked thicker than the others'.

"What? So there wasn't just one left?"

"Unni was hiding three for herself? This isn't just ignorance, it's something else."

"Right? That's a bit much."

"She must have been like a heated floor by herself. Were you not cold?"

Taeri and Gaeun looked serious, and Dojin sneered. Minji's eyes trembled violently, clearly flustered.

"What's going on, Minji?"

Haeyoung joined in, questioning her gently, as if disappointed rather than angry.

Cornered in an instant, Minji glanced at the window where the production team was, but the lighting made it impossible to see inside.

"Your lifeline, PD Son, just went to take a break. What will you say now?"

Minji opened her mouth several times, then bit her lip hard. Finally, with a trembling voice, she spoke.

"I really didn't know!"

"What do you mean you didn't know? You were hiding three hot packs for yourself?"

"Well, at first I thought they were just for me. When I realized others didn't have any, I was going to share, but PD Son told me not to say anything! He said it would make things difficult for him… I really wanted to share!"

Tears welled up in Minji's eyes. Was she cutting ties with PD Son the moment she was cornered?

"So, the PD deliberately treated you differently?"

"I think so. I really don't know why he did that only to me…"

A commotion broke out. Some cast members went inside and started complaining about the unfair treatment over such a trivial matter.

As the fuss grew, PD Son Hyuntae and the main PD, Lee Eunhye, rushed over.

"Son PD, are you out of your mind? I told you to stay focused and stop causing trouble if you don't want to get kicked off my show! Why did you cause another problem?"

Eunhye scolded Hyuntae loudly enough for everyone to hear. Hyuntae hung his head low and couldn't say a word.

Sometimes, Eunhye would brag to other female cast members about how crazy Hyuntae was about her, but it was all just a bluff.

In the end, Hyuntae was dragged in front of the cast.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to distribute the hot packs like that intentionally. I just gave them without thinking. Yes... earlier I lied about not having any because I was worried filming would be delayed. There was no personal grudge…"

"And,"

PD Eunhye reprimanded Hyuntae again. Hyuntae clenched his fists tightly, probably feeling humiliated.

Why? Even after messing up, I'm the one being blamed?

"Haeyoung, I'm sorry for my harsh words earlier."

His apology was completely insincere, but it didn't matter. Apologies from insignificant people held no value for Haeyoung.

The apologies went on for a while. The filming moved to a warm indoor location.

During that time, Hyuntae glanced at Minji with a certain look, but Minji turned her head away and ignored him.

That was the end of the incident for now. Since Hyuntae took full responsibility, no one dared to question Minji further.

But the atmosphere was never the same. The mood subtly sank.

Once might be a coincidence, but now it was clear it wasn't. The cast thought about the sheep farm work and recalled Minji's occasional harsh words.

Suspicion and caution took root deeply in everyone's heart, and no matter what Minji did going forward, she would be a constant obstacle and eventually be isolated.

At that moment, breaking the silence, the doorbell rang. The atmosphere shifted immediately, as if they were back on the set and inside the program.

"Jae-young must be here. Why is he so late?"

"Wait, I think I know... could it be..."

Everyone turned their heads toward the door at once, sensing the meaning of 'could it be.'

Jae-young opened the door.

Wearing a thin brown coat, he smiled faintly at the focused gaze.

As Jae-young stepped aside, a strange woman appeared.

A new "catfish" cast member.

"Wow!"

"Ahhh!"

Haeyoung and the others pretended to be surprised, but the newcomer ignored it and walked confidently forward.

Her long black hair was darker than the night sky, her skin was pure white, and her figure was voluptuous.

"I'm Kim Suha."

Suha introduced herself as a twenty-nine-year-old model.

"Minji's also a model — do you two know each other?"

Gaeun asked. Minji was flustered, and Suha stared at her intently.

"Which agency are you with?"

"I—I'm not with any agency; I work independently."

"Oh."

The answer was brief. Minji lowered her eyes, looking somewhat displeased.

"Have you eaten?"

"No, I usually skip dinner."

"I guess it's because you're a model and need to manage your figure."

"Yes."

Sungjun asked again with enthusiasm, but Suha neither answered long nor smiled much.

Suha was naturally like that. So much so that after the show aired, she earned the nickname "Liquid Nitrogen" — freezing anyone she talked to instantly.

Although the love line eventually formed with Chanwoo's persistent approach, viewers often criticized her for being lukewarm, calling her "Cold Suha."

Thanks to her blunt speech and honest personality, she initially received lots of criticism but later gained quite a few fans for her refreshing straightforwardness.

"What's your ideal type?"

Sungjun tried asking again.

"A handsome man."

Suha's gaze shifted toward Yoonhyuk.

Huh? This time, it wasn't Chanwoo?

"They were saying you should ask him out. I'm going on a date with Yoonhyuk tomorrow."

"I'm going on a date with him tomorrow."

Minji suddenly interrupted, stopping mid-bite with cheese in her mouth, glaring fiercely at Suha.

Hey, you better watch your expression.

After the earlier incident, Minji lost her composure and couldn't keep a calm face.

After all, Minji was the only one who seriously opposed Yoonhyuk. Haeyoung was just a friend of his.

Minji's first real rival had appeared — a woman not only more successful career-wise but also prettier.

__________✧⁠⑅⁠˖⁠♡｡ﾟ∘⁠˚⁠˳⁠°↝⁠^⁠.⁠_⁠.⁠^___________________

Back at the filming location, Haeyoung boiled a large pot of fish cake soup for the cast who had returned from the cold.

After changing clothes, everyone gathered one by one, blowing on the hot food and finishing it quickly. Naturally, a drinking party started.

The drinking session continued until dawn.

After it ended, Gaeun pulled Haeyoung into a room.

With an extra bed, Taeri, Gaeun, and Suha shared the room.

"Let's talk more before sleeping — Suha, it's your first day, after all."

"Okay."

Minji was absent, but no one looked for her. It was probably because of what happened earlier.

At the dinner party, she had secretly hidden three hot packs and kept her mouth shut.

No one openly blamed Minji. PD Son took responsibility and apologized, and Suha's arrival had distracted everyone, so it seemed like the matter was completely over.

Still, the mood was subtly different. Though not shown on camera, anyone involved would have noticed the change.

Haeyoung sat on Gaeun's bed, and Gaeun pulled her close, playfully rolling around. Their conversation was nothing special.

Suha was curious about how the relationships were developing, so they told her about what happened and who had gone on dates. Suha mostly listened quietly.

About thirty minutes later,

"Everyone's here?"

Minji suddenly entered the room. Wearing a delicate pink nightgown, she looked like a cute yet eerie doll from a horror movie.