Chapter 134

Several cameras simultaneously captured close-ups of the contestants’ faces. Their images appeared across three monitoring screens lined up side by side, each screen divided into four sections.

Producer Yoo scribbled the names of Tommy, Hee Jun Kang, and Gyeol Go—whose eyes had widened especially dramatically—into her notebook. At the top of the page, along with the date, she had written the title Third Pheromone Matching.

Tommy and Hee Jun were emotionally candid and highly expressive, making them ideal choices for the kind of baiting, reaction-driven direction producers liked to use.

Jun Shin’s sharp little comments were good too, and so was the back-and-forth between Jaekyung Park and Hee Jun, like a comedy routine.

As the days of filming accumulated, relationships and emotions changed, and some contestants lost the qualities that had once made them entertaining on camera. That was a shame, but Producer Yoo was used to it. The same thing had happened in every previous season, so it was nothing worth making a fuss over.

In any case, they were nearing the end. The framework of the program, which had begun as nothing more than a rough sketch, was finally taking shape.

We definitely got provocative footage. Though it was a little disappointing in terms of how far things went...

Producer Yoo wrote the number 19 in her notebook. She had absently circled it several times when the narrator continued, making her pen stop.

As special rules are being applied, there will be no limit on the number of contestants allowed to participate in this Ivory Mansion date.

Therefore, if every contestant matches successfully and five couples are formed, all five couples will go on an Ivory Mansion date.

However, if not a single couple matches successfully, the date passes to Ivory Mansion will become completely invalid. In that event, no additional game will be held to compete for them.

“So we might just lose the chance to go on a date altogether?”

“Exactly. No, wait...”

The contestants stirred uneasily.

Escalation. To draw people in, the tension had to keep rising, no matter what happened.

Exposition, development, crisis, climax, resolution—the basic principles of a five-stage narrative structure did not exist for nothing. They worked because they touched something close to human instinct.

After checking the contestants’ reactions, Producer Yoo wrote escalation two or three times in her notebook and decided that pushing the staff so hard last night had been worth it.

That was right. This variation on the pheromone matching had not originally been part of the plan.

To put it bluntly, what had inspired Producer Yoo was Yo Han Sung and Gyeol’s Golden Date.

That included the sudden talk of wishes, the business gay performance among them, and even the heartfelt confession.

It had been the youngest writer, not Producer Yoo, who suggested giving them two hours of free time during the Golden Date. At first, it had seemed like an unusable idea. The key to any dating show was exposing private relationships and emotions, making viewers feel as though they were peeking into someone else’s intimate affairs. That was the essence of the genre.

When even showing more would not be enough, they were going to show nothing at all?

It had seemed like too much of a gamble. It would be one thing if the contestants returned from their private dates and reacted in ways that sufficiently stimulated the viewers’ imaginations, but there was no guarantee of that. The risk of ending up with something neither here nor there had been far too high.

But Season 9 had fallen short in both ratings and public attention, so the production staff, led by Producer Yoo, decided to embrace the clever idea.

The result had been astonishing. Beyond expectations—no, at this point, it was a jackpot.

The outcome of Jun Shin and Gyeol’s Golden Date had been fairly satisfying as well, but Yo Han and Gyeol’s had given them something that could not be described as mere satisfaction. Even the way they had neatly brought the situation to a close by declaring that the final outcome would be a business gay performance.

The dopamine rush they had provided left Producer Yoo dizzy. She could not even remember the last time she had slept properly, yet she felt no fatigue at all, remaining in a state of heightened alertness.

The success of Season 10? She had stopped worrying about that ages ago.

How many years had she spent in this industry? One glance at the raw material was enough to know the answer.

If anything, the problem was that they had too much usable footage and no idea how to cram it all into the edit.

“It’d be such a waste to lose the date passes.”

“But we can’t share our pheromones in advance, can we?”

“Of course not.”

The contestants’ concern continued to build. It made sense. Unlike an ordinary date, where people directly chose the person they wanted, pheromone matching involved far too many variables.

Not a single couple? As if that would happen.

But Producer Yoo was not worried in the slightest.

All the talk about whether the date passes might disappear was nothing more than hype. If there had been any real risk of that, they would never have introduced the new rules in the first place.

Yo Han Sung and Gyeol are guaranteed.

Yo Han had sent every single one of his interest cards to Gyeol without exception.

He had also chosen Gyeol during the previous pheromone matching.

The first pheromone matching did not count because Yo Han had still been pretending to be a producer before entering as the late-entry twist.

That meant he had technically participated in only one pheromone matching, but the way he had made his choice was extremely unusual.

Inside the Pheromone Booth, Yo Han had shown no reaction at all. Literally none. Not even a minor change in complexion, much less a physical response.

He had sat back against the chair, arms folded, quietly taking in each Omega’s pheromones.

Then, when the third scent—Gyeol’s pheromones—began to flow, he had raised a hand and spoken.

“I’ll choose this pheromone.”

There were still two Omega pheromones that had not yet been released.

Producer Yoo and the production staff had been more than a little flustered.

Strictly speaking, it was not against the rules. There was no clause stating that he had to experience every pheromone before making his selection.

Still, there was such a thing as an unspoken rule. If someone asked, Choose the best of these five cakes, the implicit condition would naturally be that you tasted all five first.

Yo Han had broken that assumption head-on.

There are still two contestants’ pheromones remaining, and once you make your decision, you cannot change it. Are you certain you wish to choose this pheromone?

His answer came immediately.

“Yes. I’ll choose the third pheromone.”

Yo Han adjusted his posture and explained that he was not saying he would skip the remaining scents. He added that he would fulfill his role to the end, and that they could edit the footage however they found most convenient.

In the end, the broadcast was edited into an ordinary sequence in which Yo Han experienced all five Omega pheromones before choosing the third. It was done to avoid viewer backlash over rules and fairness.

In truth, R-Connect’s pheromone matching had one blind spot.

“Yo Han Sung seemed like he knew it was Gyeol’s pheromones when he chose them, didn’t he? Even so, I didn’t think he’d make it that obvious halfway through.”

“No way. We put so much effort into eliminating their scents.”

“He’s not just any contestant, either. Gyeol doesn’t seem like the type to treat the rules casually. He uses pheromone neutralizer constantly.”

“No. Yo Han Sung and Gyeol filmed a drama together years ago, remember?”

“Oh, right. That’s true.”

That was precisely the issue.

There was no way to prevent contestants from having met before filming began, nor could production prevent pheromone exposure that had occurred during those prior encounters.

“And they filmed a pretty intense physical-contact scene. If they were that close during filming, it’d be stranger if they never got exposed to each other’s pheromones.”

“True. They say that even if you spray a ton of pheromone neutralizer and stay careful, some leakage is unavoidable when you repeatedly film scenes like that.”

Yo Han and Gyeol, who had prior contact. Jun and Gyeol, who had belonged to the same group. Jun and Hee Jun, who knew each other through the music industry. They all fell into that category.

Unlike previous casts, this season’s contestants had been selected from celebrities and other public figures. It would have been nearly impossible to investigate every instance of prior pheromone exposure and exclude people on that basis.

The viewers were not unaware of that either. They simply watched the show according to the rules and limitations established by the program, because everyone had agreed to operate within them.

It was also the editor’s job to preserve that carefully constructed world without allowing it to slip out of alignment.

“But Yo Han Sung doesn’t seem like the type to do that, which made it even more surprising. You’d think he’d be extra careful, knowing they might recognize each other, but he just charged straight in.”

“I guess that’s why this season is more entertaining.”

“Honestly... he just seems completely out of his mind.” ℯℯ𝘭.

“Agreed.”

“Are you the viewers now? Get a grip. What the hell are you talking about?”

At Producer Yoo’s sharp warning, the youngest writer, assistant director, and members of the makeup team all shut their mouths at once.

Even though she had silenced them, Producer Yoo’s own thoughts were not much different.

After all that, after yesterday’s date, after agreeing to grant his wish, Yo Han Sung and Gyeol aren’t going to match today? As if.

Tap, tap, tap.

The tip of Producer Yoo’s pen struck the notebook.

In addition, the rules of the Time Booth will apply during the Ivory Mansion date.

In other words, the contestants must follow the existing Time Booth rules for one hour during their Ivory Mansion date.

“Ughhh...”

“What if something happens? Especially in that place... with all the... uh...”

Apparently unable to say sexual tension outright in front of the cameras, Jaekyung trailed off.

“This is a problem whether we match or not.”

“What are you talking about? We absolutely have to match. I want to go on an Ivory Mansion date too.”

At Gyujin’s words, everyone burst out laughing despite themselves.

“Anyone want to match with me?”

Not stopping there, Gyujin raised his hand with a swagger, openly recruiting a partner.

“You’re making me embarrassed for you, Gyujin...”

“Really? I’m proud of myself.”

Tommy grabbed Gyujin’s arm and pulled it down.

Jaekyung looked quietly expectant.

As for Hanseul Ga...

Ever since finishing his conversation with Yo Han and shutting himself inside the lodging, Hanseul had remained in a foul mood. A few staff members had barely managed to persuade him to come out and sit down, but with his arms crossed and his gaze angled toward the floor, he looked openly uncooperative.

He can’t quit now. We’re too close to the ending to bring in someone else, and losing two contestants would be too much of a risk.

Feeling a stress headache begin to throb, Producer Yoo wrote the three syllables of Hanseul Ga’s name in her notebook, then slashed two heavy lines through it.

The network director had personally ordered her to cast him, forcing her to cut a famous Omega influencer she had originally planned to bring in. She had added him reluctantly, and contestants who came in that way never ended well.

This time was no different.

Tap, tap.

The pheromone matching will now begin.

Tap.

Only when the announcement came over the speakers did the tip of her pen finally stop.

***

We will now announce the results of the third pheromone matching. The first successfully matched couple is Tommy and Hee Jun Kang. And... Yo Han Sung and Gyeol Go. Congratulations!