Chapter 292: ANNOUNCEMENT

FROM what Haneul had gathered, it was clear Taeyang didn’t have a good relationship with his mother. His father had abandoned him as well. And the way he said he barely counted as part of the Taesung family showed just how little he saw himself as one of them. But then Haneul remembered the Omega he’d helped in the mall bathroom, the one who had turned out to be Taeyang’s cousin. And he also recalled the way Taeyang spoke about the cousin who owned JH Entertainment. It seemed Taeyang was still close to those cousins, which gave Haneul some comfort. At least Taeyang wasn’t completely alone in that family. But still.

The two people who should have given Taeyang unconditional love and care had failed him. Even without asking, Haneul could tell that Taeyang’s life with his mother hadn’t been good. The fact that he referred to her as "the woman who gave birth to me" instead of "my mother" said enough. But the way he spoke about his father was different. There was anger, yes, but also something sad underneath. This suggested that before his father disappeared, Taeyang had likely lived a happy life with him.

Haneul felt a mix of confusion and heaviness settle in his chest. He didn’t want to press further, because it was clear Taeyang wasn’t ready to share the full story about his family. But he knew one thing. He knew what he could do right now.

He reached for Taeyang’s hand and squeezed it tightly. "What you went through doesn’t define you. You’re so much more than that. And for what it’s worth, Taeyang-ah, I think you’re amazing."

Taeyang paused when he felt Haneul’s grip on his hand and blinked at his words. He turned to look at him. Haneul was staring back with a firm, steady gaze, like he wanted to make sure Taeyang knew he meant every word. The way he held his hand felt like he was trying to pass some of his own strength to Taeyang. It was both amusing and deeply moving at the same time.

He wasn’t sure how to respond. Haneul’s words hit him straight to his heart. They were simple, but they landed with more force than anything he’d heard in a long time. He looked down at their hands, then back up at Haneul. His throat felt tight, and he realized he didn’t know what to say. So he just gave Haneul’s hand a small squeeze in return.

"Thank you, Haneul-ah," he said quietly. "I can’t tell you everything yet. It’s still... heavy for me to even think about. But when I’m ready, would you listen?"

Haneul nodded quickly. "I will. Of course I will."

Taeyang let out a quiet breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. He’d known Haneul would answer that way, but hearing it still brought him a small sense of ease and comfort.

Trying to lighten the mood, Taeyang joked, "I hope you won’t think differently of me now that you know I’m a pseudo chaebol."

Haneul snorted. "As if. Besides, I already had a feeling you were some rich kid, so nothing’s really changed."

Taeyang’s eyes widened in mock surprise. "What part of me screams rich kid?"

Haneul acted like he’s considering Taeyang’s question. "Hmm... everything?"

"Wow. I think I’m a little offended," Taeyang said, but there was no real heat behind his words.

They looked at each other for a moment, then both burst out laughing. The tension from earlier melted away as they walked side by side toward the parking lot, their steps obviously lighter than before.

***

By the time Haneul and Taeyang returned to the ship with the PD, the official Boys Odyssey account had already posted two updates that immediately caught the public’s attention.

[We regret to inform you that contestant Jeon Hyunsik has been removed from the program, effective immediately, due to a violation of the show’s rules and regulations. The safety and well-being of our contestants are our top priority, and we take any actions that compromise these values seriously. We ask for your understanding and respect for the privacy of all individuals involved as we continue to uphold the program’s standards.]

[Please be advised that this Friday’s broadcast has been canceled. Instead, this Saturday’s episode will be an extended three-hour special to make up for the delay. We appreciate your patience and continued support.]

As expected, the announcements caused a frenzy among fans. The first post, especially, was met with immediate backlash and confusion across local forums and various social media platforms. The sudden removal of Jeon Hyunsik soon became a hot topic as many users speculated what could have led to his departure. With him being ranked so high, many people were shocked and wanted to know more about what happened.

- What the heck happened? Why did Jeon Hyunsik suddenly get kicked out of Boys Odyssey?

└ He must have done something serious to get removed like that.

└└ That’s what I’m thinking too. But what could it have been?

└└└ The statement mentioned something about violating the show’s rules. What rule could he have broken?

└ The post said "safety and well-being of our contestants are our top priority." Maybe Jeon Hyunsik hurt someone on the show.

└└ Don’t throw accusations like that without proof. You could ruin someone’s reputation.

- Jeon Hyunsik was ranked in the top 5 last elimination, and yet the show didn’t hesitate to remove him. Whatever he did must have been serious.

└ That’s what I thought too. But the announcement was too vague. They should have at least mentioned what he did.

└└ If it really was something serious, the show is probably keeping it vague to protect their reputation.

└└└ But if it involved another contestant’s safety, they should still be honest about it.

- This is so unfair! How could they just kick Hyunsik out like that?

└ The production team clearly has something against him. They probably saw how popular he was getting and wanted to get rid of him.

└└ Exactly! This came out of nowhere. There has to be more to it. 𝖋𝙧ⅇ

└ Oh please, stop with the victim act. He was removed because he did something wrong. Maybe he hurt an Omega or something.

└└ Shut up! Our Hyunsik would never do that.