Chapter 138

Even filtered once through the door between them, it was a familiar voice. A voice Gyeol’s ears could not possibly fail to know.

“It’s me. Gyeol.”

Not long after he gave his name, the door opened. The one who showed his face was Jun Shin.

It was their first direct face-to-face encounter in days, after they had put a complete period on things.

The contestants had all scattered to their own lodgings, the shore, or other places to rest, and the production staff, having finished filming a major segment, were in a temporary lull and maintenance period, so the surroundings were extremely quiet.

“Should I call someone for you?”

Even as he tried not to be conscious of it, Gyeol felt like his back was stiffening for no reason. All the more because his business was with another Alpha, not Jun Shin himself.

Wondering why a relationship that had clearly ended eight years ago felt as though the true farewell had happened only days ago, Gyeol opened his mouth.

“Yeah. Is Sun inside?”

Even after hearing Gyeol’s words, Jun Shin did not show much disappointment. Instead, there was something in his attitude like certainty that Gyeol would not have come looking for him.

“Yeah. I’ll call him.”

Gyeol let his gaze drift diagonally downward and nodded. Jun Shin’s lips, caught in his field of vision, parted as if he were about to say something more, but in the end, they closed without a word.

“Wait a second. Actually, it’s hot. Do you want to wait inside? I think Sun went into the bathroom.”

He pushed the doorstop down with his foot, keeping the door open by about two handspans, and spoke as he went back inside.

How could I go in there? Into a place where Yo Han, Sun, and Jun Shin were all gathered together.

“I’m fine. I’ll wait here.”

Left alone again, Gyeol quietly composed his expression.

Even without a camera following him, several cameras had been installed in front of the lodging to film constantly, twenty-four hours a day. Between the trees, at the corners of the lodging buildings, in places contestants would have trouble noticing and were therefore more likely to let their guard down.

People who appeared on reality programs, especially dating shows, often left comments afterward like, “I didn’t know I was making that kind of face,” or “My emotions were written all over my face,” didn’t they?

It was not as if they had completely forgotten they were being filmed. Besides, it was not only ordinary people who made those kinds of confessions. Famous people, even celebrities whose job involved camera exposure, went through similar situations and often suffered all kinds of trouble because of them.

Of course, exaggeration, distortion, and misunderstanding were easy to mix in. And for a program like this, where cameras ran twenty-four hours a day while filming contestants closely for anywhere from a week to as long as a month, no matter how hard anyone tried, it was impossible to hide every emotion.

Gyeol, too, had been constantly making an effort to stay sharp and conceal his emotions, but after passing through countless twists and turns... he naturally had no certainty that he had been perfect, and he even found himself wondering how the edited version would air later.

It was not pessimistic resignation. It was simply that the difference between what he had understood before throwing himself into filming and what he understood afterward was too great.

Before coming to the island, Gyeol had rewatched every past season four times each, promising himself success and resolving to win... but, well. The world he had actually encountered was far from what he had imagined.

Every contestant had their own story and emotions.

Everyone had come here carrying their own circumstances. Someone because they wanted to fall in love. Someone because their agency suggested it. Someone to meet new people and find some fun. Someone to reunite with an old lover. Someone to meet in person someone they had admired.

And someone else, like Gyeol, to use this opportunity as a stepping-stone and draw a future for tomorrow.

In a place where such different people met and mixed, revealed their emotions, and confessed. In this place where sincerity, whose depth could not be measured by vague imagination, passed back and forth. How could he dream only of “success” in the flat meaning of the word?

Only, Gyeol had simply done his best.

Through a series of moments—being foolish, lacking, reflecting, looking back into himself, and finding strength again—he had, ironically, been growing little by little.

He did not think he could say there were no moments he regretted or wished he could undo. At some point, there must have been a better choice, a better best he could have done.

Still, everything had flowed and flowed to now.

A place created by the accumulation of the best choices Gyeol had made.

So he did not intend to look back anymore on the things that had passed. He intended to tie off one more knot and move on to the next.

“Gyeol.”

The door opened, and Sun Choi appeared.

“Sun. Do you have a moment?”

***

/ Title: Emergency roll call for the Sun-Gyeol squad SOS

Is the preview that went up today for real? My blood vessels are tightening so hard they’re about to burst.

From the looks of it, the pheromone matching is coming Friday,

and since Sun-Gyeol matched during the last pheromone matching, I had hope like, maybe this time too!!!!! But what... is this? What is this request for a conversation?

Yo Han Sung is way too much of a bulldozer...

Fuck, honestly, even as a Sun-Gyeol shipper, I was like, ah, I can’t even say anything about this... I was just clutching my ship and sobbing my eyes out.

But there’s that saying. It’s not over until it’s over??? Honestly, even when things look like they’re going well, R-Connect is the show that smacks you in the back of the head with a massive twist in the ending. Yeah. So I decided to trust this woman called Producer Yoo and not let go of hope until the very end...

But why is Gyeol... why... why... why... why... He probably met Sun in the Time Booth, right? (wishful thinking.) So why is he calling Sun out separately? And why is Producer Yoo using that in the preview?

I’m so scared of this woman called Producer Yoo. I’m so scared ㅠㅠ

I’d rather the preview be total bait. I’m a capital-N, so I’m imagining 18,937,891 bad scenarios right now. Is this okay?

I can’t not watch the live broadcast either, fuck. What do I do? My king... sob gasp sob... ㅠㅠ

At this point, I should clear out the master bedroom in my house.

<Comment 202>

What the hell is that sudden acceleration in the last line?

⤷ Right? It slid in so fucking naturally lmao

⤷ King. To my bed. (It’s humble, but I’ll turn on the heated mat for you.

I’m not watching..

⤷ I’m leaving the show..

⤷ You only say that, but you’re gonna watch..

⤷ Sun-Gyeol.. Sun-Gyeol..

⤷ A gathering of people with only souls left..

Ah, this is the first time I’ve gone this insanely overinvested watching a dating show.. And over the king of the pool’s ship, of all things lmao..

⤷ This is a veryyyy serious case of second-male-lead syndrome

⤷ FUCK!!!!! Don’t call him the second male lead!!!!!!

⤷ It is second-male-lead disease

⤷ Same thing!!!!!

Yo Han... Did you really have to go that hard?

⤷ My words exactly .. like.. no.. is he planning to retire?

⤷ lmaoooooooooooooooooooo

⤷ Why would Yo Han Sung retire, dumbass

⤷ (This comment has been deleted due to reports.)

⤷ (This comment has been deleted due to reports.)

⤷ (This comment has been deleted due to reports.)

⤷ Wait, what are these curse comments suddenly flooding in for; it was just a joke;

⤷ I reported them..

⤷ No, I’m so flustered, what just happened?

⤷ ㅠㅠ.. Since Yo Han Sung lost his mind and became a bulldozer, people from that fan café have been flooding in like fucking crazy..

⤷ Just don’t feed them and report

⤷ I see.. wow, that startled me

⤷ Damn.. If “dumbass” up there is still left.. what the hell was in the comments that got cut?

I was so sad that nobody even asked, but I made a compilation of Sun’s interviews.. Please watch it a lot..

⤷ Link: http://www.youtube.com/bestisthebest9129

⤷ ㅠㅠ thx thx

⤷ Thank you.. Today’s grave is here

⤷ falling asleep holding it

...

Let’s think of a happy future instead. Dating shows are variety shows too. Since he pulled public attention this time, doesn’t that mean we might get to see Sun in other places from now on?

⤷ .. I’m a hardcore fan.. .. .. .. .. .. (silent)(silence follows)

⤷ .................

⤷ Fuck, what do we do with this atmosphere..

⤷ The swimming federation begged and begged until he shot a commercial~~ his agency pushed and pushed until he barely came on a dating show.. .

⤷ Still, the dating show was kind of a good .. uh. thing. Right.

⤷ Haha, right.. This is the first time we’ve gotten to see something? with this much of Sun. There were a lot of new developments too.. And we got to see Sun have interest in someone and charge straight in. There was vicarious fluttering too, so it was nice.

⤷ Right, right, I agree with all of the comment above. It really was nice. ^^ Love you, king

⤷ King! I love you!

⤷ I’ll never forget any of the moments Sun showed us on R-Connect...

The mood here kind of feels like that .. When you watch apocalyptic zombie stuff and they’ve lost everyone precious to them, the base got raided too, and the survivors who barely made it out sit gathered around a campfire...................

⤷ Fuck, you destroyed the mood lmao

⤷ You’re seriously awful lmao

⤷ (crash crash crash crash!!!!)

⤷ (headshot)

⤷ Ahh, aah, ahh, please save me

Guys.. ㅠㅠ.. Sun’s Stargram..

⤷ ??? Did he post something?

⤷ ?

⤷ Holy shit

⤷ Go look right now....... #lastwords

⤷ ! ! ! ! ! !!!(screaming!!!!!!!!!

⤷ What is it? I don’t know his Insta IDㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

⤷ @bestisthebest39

(A selfie of Gyeol Go and Sun Choi in casual clothes together. It seems to have been taken in some waiting room.png)

⤷ Mom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

⤷ Dad!!!!!!!!!!

⤷ Brother!!!!

⤷ Ah fuck, the only one left is,, our man?

⤷ lmaoooooooooo that comment above lmao ah

⤷ ㅠㅠㅠㅠ ㅠㅠ sob sob Fine, good. Be happy

⤷ What is this? What new development is this? Sun isn’t the kind of person to just post anything

⤷ I don’t know, I don’t know ㅠㅠ I’m just clutching it and crying

⤷ Uwaaaah sob sob sob

***

“May I say something presumptuous?”

It was the question Sun asked as soon as they sat facing each other on a bench in the woods not far from the lodging.

It was somewhat sudden, but Gyeol did not let it show and nodded.

“Yes, please speak freely.”

Above their heads, white fabric that did not suit the atmosphere of the woods in the slightest hung like a drape. This, too, was an area decorated for conversation dates.

Maybe we should have chosen the shore, no matter how hot the sun was. I chose this place because I felt bad that Sun had to shield me from the sunlight...

As he absentmindedly stared at the fabric swaying in the wind, unexpected words came from Sun.

“I think I know what you are about to say to me.”

Gyeol went still.

The white fabric kept fluttering. The situation and background were terribly mismatched.

“I mean what you intended to say tonight. Since you are leaving for an Ivory Mansion date, you thought you needed to speak to me before that, didn’t you?”

“...Yes.”

“Thank you. You must be exhausted yourself from going from place to place. Thank you for worrying about me during the time you should be resting.”

“......”

Sun was thanking Gyeol. He was absolutely not someone who deserved to hear words like that.

“Of course it’s my part to do. Because I... made a promise.”

And he also had no right to be upset or cry. Even so, the tip of his nose began to sting.

“...Not just about today, but when I went to Ivory Mansion with you too, Sun. Because I promised.”

“Yes. Then it was indeed what I thought you were going to say.”

“......”

Gyeol nodded.

“You’re rejecting me, aren’t you?”