The thrilling Singles’ Royale continues as Chayeul grows closer to her new boyfriend, Sanggyu. Everything- including him- seems to be perfect. But there’s a catch! Why doesn’t she feel attracted to him? Meanwhile, Daeseong, Chayeul’s childhood best friend who introduced her to Sanggyu, starts to realize a buried secret. Will he figure out how he truly feels? Let’s find out in Singles’ Royale Chapter 20-21!
Singles’ Royale Chapter 20: That Missing Spark
Singles’ Royale Chapter 20 begins as Sanggyu reluctantly releases Chayeul’s hand as she bids him farewell after their date. Like an adorable golden retriever, he watches Chayeul walk away for a brief moment before dashing to her for a hug.
Later, Chayeul reads the answers to her anonymous question about not feeling the ‘spark’ with an otherwise perfect boyfriend- what should she do? Mixed reactions come flooding back, most of them advising her to prioritise stability over passion in a relationship. Comfort was more important than the intense flames of attraction in the long run… Right? As she mulls over her feelings, her phone rings with a call from Sanggyu. “I love you, Chayeul,” he confesses over the phone, making Chayeul’s eyes widen.
D Is for Daeseong in Denial
Meanwhile, Daeseong hits the showers after a soccer match. He meets up with his high school friends afterwards, without Chayeul, who’d have come if she weren’t on a date with Sanggyu, for a quick catch-up. His friends disbelievingly listen to him argue that nothing had ever happened between him and Chayeul. Not even when they went to Europe together. They were just friends (uh oh, we’ve heard that before)! “So you never had a crush on her? Not even once?” one of them. Daeseong’s chopsticks pause mid-air. He freezes, staring at them in silence. The sudden buzz of his phone rescues Daeseong from his precarious situation- it was Chayeul. He gets up to take it, leaving his curious friends behind.
A few minutes later, Daeseong leaves his group to meet Chayeul for a drink. Sitting face-to-face for the first time in a long while, they talk about Chayeul’s blossoming relationship. She even jokes about the distant wedding bells, which, for some reason, begin to annoy Daeseong. When she finally goes home, Daeseong clenches his fists in a taxi back home. What was wrong with him? ‘Am I just… lonely?’ he wonders in confusion (and denial). However, he realizes the answer to his own question very soon. Singles’ Royale Chapter 20 concludes as Daeseong’s heart begins angrily pounding against his ribcage when he sees Chayeul and Sanggyu adorably walking hand-in-hand.
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Singles’ Royale Chapter 21: The Ballad of the Third Wheel
Singles’ Royale Chapter 21 begins as Daeseong tosses and turns in bed all night. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t get Chayeul out of his mind. He pours himself a glass of water to freshen up, and immediately remembers the day Chayeul offered to make a pact with him: if they were still single at 50, they’d get together in a last-ditch attempt. Daeseong had blatantly refused her. Wait, why was he even thinking of this now?!
The next day, Daeseong tiredly walks through school; he hadn’t gotten enough sleep. He runs into Seona in the hallway, who immediately leads him into an empty room to talk. She confesses that she’d agreed to three dates with Hyeonbin. What did his cousin think? Having seen it coming from miles away, Daeseong casually accepts the matter.
Seona changes the topic to Chayeul’s upcoming birthday; she still needs to purchase a gift. Daeseong, already well-prepared, explains that he’d bought Chayeul the perfume she wanted (of course, he did). Seona wonders if Chayeul would compromise their company for Sanggyu on her birthday, while Daeseong remains quiet in thought. Meanwhile, Mr. Kim secretly listens in on their conversation.
A few days later, Sanggyu invites Daeseong to Chayeul’s birthday dinner. Nervous about third-wheeling, he locks the doors of his car and approaches the happy couple. He spends the next few hours in awkwardness. At one point in the evening, Chayeul and Sanggyu’s actions become so adorable that he has to excuse himself to compose himself.
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The Epiphany
The next day, Daeseong sits at work in exhaustion. Pictures of Chayeul lovingly wiping Sanggyu’s cheek- also the very reason he couldn’t sleep at night- flash through his mind. ‘Do I actually like her?’ he thinks, finally hitting the nail on the head.
When Sanggyu asks him for advice on Chayeul’s birthday gift, Daeseong decides to tell him about the perfume. However, when Sanggyu complains about his girlfriend’s inclination towards expensive luxury items, Daeseong irritably thinks that he’d be a much better gift-giver if he were her boyfriend. Wait, rewind. ‘If he was her boyfriend? ‘
At the gym, Daeseong pays no heed to the children, missing their games and getting hit by balls multiple times. While at the nurse’s office to fix his bruised face, the high school coach notices two fighting boys who are escorted inside. One of them accuses the other of introducing his friend to him, and then ‘stealing’ her away. The other defends himself by arguing that he hadn’t been treating his best friend right. “I know my feelings now, so I can’t let her go!” he yells. Daeseong’s ears perk up. He breaks the boys up and resolves to speak to them individually. Singles’ Royale Chapter 21 concludes as, instead of mediating between them, Daeseong asks the second boy for his advice. How did he win his best friend over?
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