<Welcome to the Marriage Information Company> Is Real Marriage Possible? [12]

You can't be loved by everyone.

The place I contracted with operated on a 3-person team system.

A counseling manager who provides consultations and mental care at the time of contract,

A team leader who compares the information of actual members and finds a suitable match, and the member themselves.

It's important to remember that, even though it's a paid service, it's still people doing the work, so there's no need to upset each other.

An overbearing attitude or unkind behavior is only a negative, never a positive.

That being said, there's no need to be overly humble and subservient either. Maintain your self-respect and be kind.

After a few days, all the procedures were approved, and the long-awaited first match came in.

Surname and family relationships. Age. Height and build. A brief self-introduction written by the person themselves.

A text message was sent with their current residence and workplace location listed only down to the 'gu' (district) level.

The matching team leader recommends several people and asks if there's anyone I'm particularly drawn to.

Once both parties agree to meet, a date is set.

Unless the individual has a strong preference, the location is usually chosen from a list of 'good first-date spots' that the company maintains.

The profiles that came in initially were too impressive, with a professional occupation and a high salary, and it felt excessive, so

I honestly said I was uncomfortable, and the counseling manager spurred me on, trying to convince me.

“Oh, what are you saying? You shouldn't be uncomfortable. You absolutely must meet him. Why would you turn down a man with such good conditions?”

Once the date, time, and location are set, the phone numbers of both parties are exchanged on the day of the meeting.

It's not very common for someone to contact the other early, usually, it's just a quick message saying who arrived first, right before the scheduled time?

The first meeting is always at a coffee shop. If things go well, they recommend requesting a follow-up and having a meal next time.

I liked that part too, as it's not overly burdensome.

Since those who participate are not necessarily against marriage and have the intention and readiness to marry,

there's no need to cautiously check, which is a plus, but otherwise, it's not much different from a regular blind date.

The counseling manager cautioned me not to ask the other person why they joined the service.

They said that since they willingly joined and are using the service, there's no point in dwelling on their reasons for doing so.

Ironically, many men asked me that very question from the start.

The day after the introduction, each person's matching team leader contacts them.

They check for feedback on whether the meeting went well and if there's any interest in meeting again.

Like, 'I really liked them', 'They seem like a good person, but I'm not sure', 'They weren't a good fit', 'They were okay, so I'd like to meet again', etc.

If it's positive, they give them more time to meet again, and if it's ambiguous or negative, they immediately start searching for a new match.

My matching team leader was a bulldozer type, and if a guy's response was lukewarm,

she would say, “Cool, let's move on and meet someone else. I'll find someone else and get in touch.”

She encouraged me not to worry about the other person's reaction and to quickly move on to the next person to avoid wasting time.

However, there was a risk of getting involved with multiple people at once.

If I said that I wasn't against meeting again with someone, but then they introduced me to a new person in the meantime,

I could refuse, but they mostly encouraged me to meet them, which was the most awkward part for me.

There's also a limit on the number of times, so I became more cautious and felt pressured.

In such cases, it's best to talk to your matching team leader instead of worrying alone.

Although they might urge you to hurry things along if you take too long.

There was a rumor that they'd send the 'best' person first,

and then gradually introduce less desirable matches to create dissatisfaction and encourage re-enrollment, but

I didn't really get that impression.

I thought the matching team leader's brain might explode if they tried to meticulously calculate matches like that.

I felt like they simply recommended the person they thought was the best match at that particular time.

My matching team leader confidently assured me that I'd meet a great person soon, so I should trust them.

But neither the first nor the second meeting went very well with the guys.

“It seems like it wasn't meant to be. Let's find someone else.”

They were good at phrasing things in a sophisticated way so I wouldn't feel bad about being rejected.

To maintain my self-esteem while using the services of a marriage introduction agency,

I had to accept that there are many people out there who are far better than me and that you can't be loved by everyone.