The 24th season of ‘I Am Solo’ was engulfed in a huge aftermath brought on by the ‘random date’.
In the episode aired on the 22nd, the SBS Plus and ENA real dating program ‘I Am Solo’ showcased the ‘random date’ scene filled with memorable quotes from ‘Solo Nara’, and the extreme situation of ‘Solo Nara 24’ where the solo men confirmed their true choices by going back in time with the ‘time machine’ selection.
Before entering the ‘random date’, Young-cheol approached Ok-soon and mentioned, “One line from yesterday stuck in my mind,” referring to Ok-soon’s comment about ‘egg freezing’. Ok-soon teased, “Do you want to have kids?” and a flustered Young-cheol expressed his feelings by handing the same hot pack and vitamins he had given to his ‘number one pick’ Soon-ja to Ok-soon. Seeing Young-cheol’s changed demeanor, Ok-soon joked, “Is this a (direct approach) preview?”
Gwang-soo and Soon-ja, who had talked late into the night the previous day, embarked on a ‘second deep talk’ during the ‘random date’. Soon-ja admired the pleasant scent in Gwang-soo’s car, and Gwang-soo appealed, “I sprayed perfume on the air freshener.” Soon-ja then said, “I sprayed some too,” bringing her perfumed wrist to Gwang-soo’s nose. She expressed her interest by asking, “Has anyone communicated this well with me recently?”
A little later, Gwang-soo asked Soon-ja about her views on dating, and she replied, “At first, there should be a passionate time. I think that’s how we live the rest of our lives as partners, remembering that.” This was the same answer Gwang-soo had given during his ‘2:1 date’ with Young-ja and Jeong-sook the day before. After the random date, Gwang-soo revealed in an interview with the production team that “his interest level has increased,” but also expressed his complicated feelings, saying he was “torn between Soon-ja, Jeong-sook, and Ok-soon.”
During the ‘random date’, the pairing of Young-cheol and Young-sook enjoyed a ‘pork belly date’ that felt more like colleagues than lovers. Young-sook asked about Young-cheol’s feelings, and he said, “Ok-soon gives me a mysterious feeling,” adding, “It’s true that my first choice is Soon-ja, but I want to talk more with Ok-soon.”
Young-ho and Hyun-sook started a conversation based on their commonality of having a nine-year age difference between an older sister and a younger brother. They also shared similar views on marriage, wanting to take wedding photos but not hold a ceremony, and Hyun-sook enjoyed a sweet date by even making wraps for Young-ho. After the date, Young-ho said, “I felt attracted to her because I thought we were similar,” while Hyun-sook admitted, “My interest level has increased, but there’s still no point that really stands out.”
Young-soo, who wanted to date Young-ja, felt excited when he was matched with her during the ‘random date’, saying, “It seems like luck is on my side today.” After having a meal with Young-ja at a meat restaurant, Young-soo candidly shared the reasons behind his decision to retake exams and how he studied hard to become a veterinarian. Young-ja empathized with him, shedding tears over his life story.
However, Young-ja clearly stated, “I have never mentioned Young-soo in any of my interviews with the production team,” indicating that she had no romantic interest in him. Young-soo immediately gave up on Young-ja, saying, “I hope you end up with the person you want,” while also asking her to help him get along with Ok-soon.
Young-sik, who went on a ‘random date’ with Jeong-sook, displayed good manners by opening the car door and expressed his interest by asking, “Aren’t we a good match?” Jeong-sook asked, “Am I your number one?” and Young-sik replied, “You never know what will happen.” However, he revealed to the production team before the date that he would use Jeong-sook as a simulation AI, and even after the date, he confessed, “I felt no excitement as a potential partner at all.”
Sang-cheol, who went on a date with Ok-soon, showed his guard from the start, saying, “I’m pretending to be cool and chic on the outside, but it was a bit annoying.” He firmly told Ok-soon, who was appealing to him as “cute and sexy,” “You’re not really a cute style,” which made her angry.
Recognizing Sang-cheol’s ‘rebellious’ nature, Ok-soon showcased her tailored flirting, declaring, “You will come to like me too.” Ultimately, at the end of the date, Sang-cheol admitted, “I will have to choose you (for future dates),” fully acknowledging his feelings for Ok-soon.
Once the ‘random date’ concluded, the production team announced, as previously previewed, “We will turn back time by 9 hours to confirm the solo men’s ‘true choices’.” Young-soo approached Young-ja again, who had rejected him during the ‘random date’, and they ended up having a ‘late-night spicy soup date’. Immediately after, Young-soo lamented, “I couldn’t turn back. My decision from 9 hours ago...” Young-ho also chose Young-ja, creating a ‘2:1 situation’ with Young-soo, while feeling guilty towards Hyun-sook, whom he had just dated, and unable to look her way.
Young-sik went straight for Ok-soon, while Young-cheol chose Soon-ja. When Ok-soon saw that her crush Young-cheol had chosen Soon-ja, she expressed her burning determination in a candid interview with the production team, saying, “I need to make Young-cheol forget about Soon-ja.”
Following Young-sik, Gwang-soo chose Ok-soon. Jeong-sook, who witnessed this, felt upset but hoped, “Gwang-soo still has me in his heart, right?” Soon-ja also admitted, “I thought he would turn around and come back to me,” acknowledging her wishful thinking.
Gwang-soo, who chose Ok-soon instead of Jeong-sook and Soon-ja, said, “I felt a sense of guilt towards Jeong-sook,” but still showcased a delightful back-and-forth with Ok-soon. Finally, Sang-cheol chose Young-sook, resulting in Jeong-sook and Hyun-sook receiving ‘zero votes’ and having to eat ‘lonely formal meals’.
After the official start of the date, Gwang-soo revealed, “I’m determined to make a decision tomorrow,” while Young-sik declared, “I’m definitely going for Ok-soon,” hinting at his ‘bulldozer direct approach’. Following that, during a ‘1:1 conversation’ with Ok-soon, he assured her, “There’s no one else I want to get to know besides you.” Ok-soon smiled at the ‘younger man’ Young-sik, saying, “You’re so cute.”
Gwang-soo grew closer to Ok-soon during their ‘1:1 conversation’, confirming many commonalities, including views on dating. After the date, Gwang-soo showed signs of being deeply infatuated with Ok-soon, saying, “She’s really an onion-like person.” In an interview with the production team, Ok-soon expressed, “I want to go on a date at least once because Young-sik chose me,” and revealed her growing fondness for Gwang-soo, saying, “Gwang-soo was also really nice.”
Meanwhile, Young-sik read a letter he had prepared in advance in front of the production team, saying, “I want to choose Ok-soon until the final selection,” and directed his heartfelt words towards Ok-soon, saying, “The stars that shone in the night sky on the first night were Ok-soon’s stars...” He then shed tears, conveying the sincerity of the ‘innocent man’.
In the preview released afterward, scenes of Young-cheol and Soon-ja caught in a conflict over ‘vegetarianism’ were shown, along with Gwang-soo expressing interest in Jeong-sook, Soon-ja, and Ok-soon, and the competitive atmosphere among Young-soo, Young-ho, Young-sik, Gwang-soo, and Sang-cheol over Ok-soon, raising curiosity.
The chaotic love lines of ‘Solo Nara 24’ can be confirmed in the upcoming episode of ‘I Am Solo’, airing on the 29th at 10:30 PM.
[Lee Da-kyum, Star Today Reporter]
