‘I am SOLO’ 24th season has opened up the ‘Era of Nerd Guys’.

On the 25th, the real dating program ‘I am SOLO’ of ENA and SBS Plus revealed the identities of the single men and women who entered ‘Solo Nation 24’ and the scene of choosing their first impressions.

This ‘Solo Nation 24’ was a ‘Nerd Guy Special’ and took place in Jinan, Jeollabuk-do, where Maisan Mountain, which seems to contain the aura of miraculous love, is located. Youngsoo, who entered first, was a veterinarian with a ‘White Teddy Bear Face’ and an annual salary of 200 million won. Youngsoo said, “I could still be looking for romance, but I want to have an exciting relationship” and revealed his ideal type, saying, “I like a cat face”. Young-ho, who appeared with a cute image and sunglasses, honestly said, “I know I don‘t have good looks, but I chased after someone who was obviously pretty.” He continued, “I’m a sucker when it comes to love. I gave my girlfriend all kinds of gifts, from flowers to luxury bags,” showing off his ‘Hotchurami’ side.

Next, Young-sik confessed, “I‘ve been in a relationship three times,” and “I haven’t been in a relationship for two years, so I‘m dry when it comes to romantic feelings.” Immediately after, while enlisting in ‘Solo Nara 24’, Young-sik was seen sobbing after meeting his ‘true love’, raising curiosity about the fiery romance he will show in the future. Young-chul, a ‘reversal man’ who got out of a white minivan showing off his healthy physique, was a judo athlete who had been a national representative for seven years until April of this year. After mentioning that he competed in major global competitions such as the Tokyo Olympics and the Asian Games, he expressed his desire, saying, “I’ve been so absorbed (in sports), so now I want to meet someone (to marry).”

Kwangsoo visited ‘Solo Nara 24th Street’ a year after applying for ‘I‘m SOLO’, and shared his recent changes, saying, “After passing the civil service exam with top honors, I transformed from a 5th-grade administrative officer to a new job.“ In particular, Kwangsoo said that he had only followed an elite path from a science high school to Y University and top honors in the high school entrance exam, but “I broke off the engagement because my conflict deepened when I changed jobs.” He calmly said, “It hurt at the time, but looking back, it’s a part of my life.“ Lastly, Sangchul said, “If you watch ‘Extreme Jobs, you‘ll see what I do,” revealing that he’s been traveling around the country working. He continued, “I was attending college in Busan, but my girlfriend said she was going to take the CSAT again, so I prepared for it with her. We even found a gosiwon near her house and studied together in the reading room, but I did well on the test.” He even confessed the reason why he followed his ‘ex-girlfriend and even retaken the exam. Sang-cheol then added, “I want to start a family with someone I can communicate well with, not someone who is vain or greedy.”

Following the ‘6 Nerd Guys’, the single women also appeared with various charms. First, Young-sook with her elegant charm said, “I have decent brains and personality. I‘ve lived freely enough. Now, I want to be ‘bound’ in love.” Next, Jeong-sook appeared with bright energy, saying, “I’m honest and it doesn‘t suit my personality to be picky. I want us to have a passionate relationship,” and added, “I save about 70% (of my salary). ”The biggest expense I spent was buying my dad a watch,“ she said, showing off her smart-aleck appearance. Soon-ja stole everyone’s attention with her small and cute figure and her ”crescent-moon eye smile.“ Soon-ja said, ”I had a meeting with Gwang-soo from the 21st class last winter,“ recalling a special connection, and right after, a cheering video from Gwang-soo from the 21st class was released, making everyone laugh. However, Soon-ja confessed, ”I think the reason I always failed in relationships is because I‘m a ’vegetarian,‘“ and ”I didn’t feel it was consideration because the other person was so accommodating.“ Afterwards, she said, ”I want to meet someone who is sincere in work and love.“ Young-ja, who has a cheerful personality, laughed, saying, ”I don‘t get angry easily,“ and ”I like a nice, good-looking, handsome guy.“

Ok-soon announced the advent of the ’Queen‘ with her model-like physique and confidence. Born in 1988, Ok-soon, who showed off her youthful visuals, said without hesitation, ”My face is pretty, but my heart is even prettier. If you were a man, you’d like me no matter what~.“ She then confidently added, ”I make the men I like approach me.“ Hyun-sook, who joined last, revealed her qualifications as a pharmacist in Jangseong, Jeollanam-do, and emphasized, ”I really want to have children. At least two.“ She also said that she was looking for a caring man who would cheer her on while looking at the picture she had drawn.

Among the 12 single men and women gathered like this, the ‘First Impression Selection’ was conducted. The single men had to take a ‘Two-shot’ with Maisan Mountain in the background. They had to take a ‘Two-shot pose with their number one priority and ask their number two priority to take a picture, which was a ‘Surprise Mission’. Yeong-su chose Ok-soon as his first choice and Jeong-sook as his second choice. Following this, Yeong-ho chose Jeong-sook as his first choice and Sun-ja as his second choice, and Yeong-sik chose Sun-ja as his first choice and Hyun-sook as his second choice. Yeong-cheol chose Jeong-sook as his first choice and Ok-soon as his second choice, and Gwang-soo chose Sun-ja as his first choice and Ok-soon as his second choice. Sang-cheol chose Sun-ja as his first choice and Jeong-sook as his second choice. As a result, in the first impression selections of the single men, Sun-ja got 3 votes, Jeong-sook got 2 votes, and Ok-soon got 1 vote, while Yeong-sook, Yeong-ja, and Hyun-sook all got 0 votes.

The first impression selections of the single women followed right away. The single women revealed their first impression rankings by getting in the cars of the single men, who had taken pictures in advance and saved them on their phones, and driving to their lodgings. Here, Yeong-soo, Yeong-ho, and Yeong-sik got in the car alone, as they were not chosen by anyone for three consecutive times. On the other hand, Yeong-cheol smiled deeply after being chosen by Soon-ja and Young-sook, and Gwang-soo was chosen by Ok-soon and Jung-sook. Immediately after, Ok-soon lightly touched Gwang-soo‘s arm while he was wearing a coat, and said to Gwang-soo, ”I get hot easily,“ and flirted by saying, ”I’m a bit cold, so I need someone hot.“ Also, Ok-soon got into the passenger seat without saying anything to Jung-sook and appealed to Gwang-soo, saying, ”I get more nervous when we‘re together.“ Not to be outdone, Jung-sook responded, ”Gwang-soo is totally my style,“ creating a strange tension. Lastly, Sang-cheol smiled happily after being chosen by Hyun-sook and Young-ja, but he also engaged in a strange war of nerves. Also, at the end of the broadcast, the special plotting scene of Ok-soon, who has been bringing the aura of a ‘trend’ from the first night, and the self-introductions of the 24th generation were previewed, raising expectations for the exciting romance of the 24th generation.

The ‘real identity’ of the 24th generation can be seen on ‘I am SOLO’, which will be broadcast on ENA and SBS Plus at 10:30 PM on Wednesday, January 1, 2025, the first day of the new year.

Jeon Hyo-jin, Donga.com reporter jhj@donga.com