Chapter 155

“Pick a good one.”

“What counts as a good one?”

Gyeol gave Yo Han Sung’s shamelessly smooth remark a chilly reply and left the room.

“...Did I eat too much?”

He had eaten more breakfast than usual, leaving him excessively full.

When had that man become so shamelessly charming? Yo Han Sung kept teasing and needling Gyeol, and their constant bickering had stretched out the meal. As a result, Gyeol had completely finished even the dessert and drink he normally would not have been able to eat.

“He really is ridiculous.”

Just thinking about Yo Han Sung made a disbelieving laugh escape him.

In any case, his hangover was gone thanks to him, and his stomach felt comfortable. In a fairly good mood, Gyeol headed down the stairs.

“Gyeol.”

Hee Jun Kang spotted him coming down and waved cheerfully.

“Gyeol!”

But one huge yellow thing was clinging to his back. The moment Gyeol saw him, a quiet laugh slipped out.

“Didn’t they say only the Omegas were supposed to come?”

Stepping down from the final landing, Gyeol waved back.

“That’s exactly what I said. He was sitting there looking like a rain-soaked potato, saying he wanted to see the main building, so I had no choice but to bring him. Good grief.”

“A rain-soaked potato? When did I ever do that? I only said once that I wanted to come see it too....”

Tommy and Hee Jun Kang were still getting along well. No, they seemed to have grown even closer overnight.

Gyeol watched the two of them with a warm feeling. Tommy’s face was practically glowing, leaving no doubt that he had enjoyed an incredible night.

“Did everyone sleep well? We’ll begin the drawing.”

Producer Yoo, whose dark circles had grown much deeper, announced the start of the drawing from behind the camera.

“You’re the one who didn’t sleep, Producer Yoo....”

“Tss.”

Hee Jun Kang stopped Tommy before he could finish speaking. Gyeol suppressed the laughter trying to escape. Their dynamic could not have been clearer.

The narrator took the microphone and began explaining.

We will now begin the Time Booth drawing.

Except for the location having been changed to Ivory Mansion, all rules remain the same as before. Each couple will draw one of the three available Time categories.

Tommy and Hee Jun Kang will draw first.

“Pick a good one, Hee Jun! A good one!”

He said exactly the same thing as Yo Han Sung.

Gyeol gave a quiet laugh.

Hee Jun Kang clenched his fist and stepped forward for the drawing.

“So, did you swim, use the hot tub, and even eat French toast, King Potato?”

Taking advantage of the short break, Gyeol struck up a conversation with Tommy.

Tommy broke into a broad smile at the mere recollection.

“Yes. We did all of it. Hee Jun must have been tired, but he went along with everything I wanted. I had so much fun.”

Happiness filled his entire face. Tommy possessed a brightness that made people smile whenever they saw him.

That’s a relief.

Quietly reassured, Gyeol nodded emphatically.

“That must have been nice. Hee Jun really seems like a wonderful person.”

“...Wh-what are you two talking about?”

Hee Jun Kang happened to return from the drawing at that exact moment, his face flushed. He was visibly at a loss after walking straight into praise of himself.

“Oh, that was supposed to be a secret.”

“I heard everything....”

At Gyeol’s playful response, Hee Jun Kang fanned his face with one hand.

“Hee Jun, Hee Jun. What did you draw?”

The result for Tommy and Hee Jun Kang is Pheromone Time.

The two of you must close the bedroom door and release your pheromones for one hour.

At the perfectly timed announcement, Tommy covered his mouth.

“...That’s what happened.”

“I told you to pick a good one...!”

“What counts as good? We already did Skinship Time, so let’s move on to the next stage, King Potato.”

“Uuugh....”

“You trust me, right?”

“I don’t!”

Gyeol chuckled as he waited for his turn.

Which one would be best to draw? The safest choice would probably be the first one, Skinship Time. If necessary, we could survive the entire hour by doing nothing but holding hands.

...But wouldn’t that make the footage far too uneventful?

They had already kissed several times and even done more than that. If they merely sat there holding hands now, the scene might end up unbearably dull.

I’ll only hold your hand while I sleep.

Gyeol Go, you crazy bastard.

Suppressing the urge to slap his own cheek at the memory that had suddenly surfaced, Gyeol needlessly rubbed the back of his neck, trying to lower his rising body temperature.

The second category, Pheromone Time, seemed... dangerous. Not for Yo Han Sung. For Gyeol himself.

Even though I was drunk....

It was true that he had used the alcohol to do something insane, but he could not deny that it had reflected his own desires. Alcohol might make Gyeol commit mistakes he would never make while sober, but he was not someone who acted in ways entirely removed from his true feelings.

Therefore, if Gyeol Go had done something, it was because he had wanted to do it.

Gyeol had wanted to kiss Yo Han Sung.

He had wanted to kiss him deeply.

He had wanted Yo Han Sung to touch him.

And after that....

Next, the Yo Han Sung and Gyeol Go couple will draw.

Gyeol took a deep breath before stepping in front of the camera.

Even now, merely thinking about Yo Han Sung’s pheromones sent a tingling current through his body. Pheromone Time was not an option. He could not trust himself. He had no idea what truth inside him might rear its head and come bursting out.

Then what about the final category, Off-Time?

That was unexplored territory.

Now that he and Yo Han Sung had finally started talking comfortably, they might spend a fairly relaxed hour together even with the cameras turned off.

Or they might be able to do something in secret.

Faint goosebumps rose along his arm as he reached into the box, his fingers sifting through the balls.

And the ball Gyeol pulled out was....

***

Off-Time begins now.

The Yo Han Sung–Gyeol Go couple may not leave the bedroom for one hour. Movement is restricted to the bedroom and the bathroom inside it.

The two of them sat side by side on the edge of the bed.

They were doing so at Producer Yoo’s request, so the production staff could capture the moment before the cameras switched off, but there was nowhere else for them to go anyway.

As though the bedroom itself were urging them to stay pressed together on the bed and sleep, all Ivory Mansion’s bedroom contained was an enormous bed, an end table, and a dressing table.

Once Off-Time begins, every camera inside the bedroom will be switched off.

However, audio recording through the microphones will continue. Please keep that in mind.

For an instant, their gazes met.

Sitting side by side on the bed with barely two meters between them felt indescribably awkward.

The cameras will switch off after the alarm sounds three times.

Beep— Beep—

Beep—!

After the familiar alert sounded, every blinking red camera light went dark at once.

A peculiar silence settled over them. It was nothing significant, yet after spending more than ten days constantly conscious of the cameras and exposed beneath their gaze, it felt as though the third party that had been watching them all this time had disappeared and they had finally been left alone together.

“What should we do now?”

Gyeol flinched and stiffened at Yo Han Sung’s gently spoken question.

Yo Han Sung wore his usual easy smile.

“I don’t know....”

His mouth suddenly felt dry, and Gyeol ran his tongue over his lower lip. Yo Han Sung watched him for a moment, then beckoned.

“Come here.”

“...Why?”

“Are you going to stay that far away the entire time?”

“We don’t have to sit together.”

“I don’t know about that. I don’t want to spend an entire hour apart from you, Gyeol.”

Gyeol pressed his lips into a straight line and glared at him. The teasing smile on Yo Han Sung’s face softened into something tender and warm.

“You’re not coming?”

He opened both arms.

Again. Gyeol’s heart began its low, heavy pounding again.

He bit his lip, but eventually rose from his seat.

In truth, Yo Han Sung’s invitation did not matter. Gyeol wanted to close the distance between them too.

The moment Gyeol sat beside him, Yo Han Sung slipped one arm beneath the backs of his knees and supported his shoulders with the other, gathering him into his arms.

“......!”

“Shh....”

Yo Han Sung pressed their foreheads together and whispered softly.

Then, with practiced ease, he settled Gyeol on his lap and hugged him tightly, as though embracing an enormous teddy bear.

“...What are you doing?”

“Charging.”

“What?”

“Fast charging. I’m really tired today....”

“Why don’t you take a nap if you’re tired?”

“Do you think that’s what the viewers want?”

Openly mentioning the viewers, Yo Han Sung lowered his head and gently rubbed the tip of his nose against Gyeol’s. The ticklish sensation made Gyeol draw his head back slightly. Soft, warm breath shimmered over his lips.

“Besides, time’s too precious.”

He added the words in an utterly composed voice. No one hearing that tone could possibly have guessed that they were holding each other so closely, staring into each other’s eyes as though they might kiss at any moment.

It tickles....

He has to be doing this deliberately. He’s trying to unsettle me. He doesn’t want to give me any room to think about something else or pull away. Sometimes it feels as though he has a hundred century-old foxes living inside him.

“Soon I won’t be able to be alone with you anymore.”

As he spoke, Yo Han Sung pressed a light kiss to Gyeol’s lips without warning.

His heart throbbed painfully.

“We can still talk after we leave, and there’ll be other chances to go on dates.”

Gyeol tried to sound as composed as possible, but he was not confident he had succeeded.

“We’ll have to use separate rooms. ...Should I ask Isu to switch rooms with me altogether?”

Between each phrase, Yo Han Sung’s lips pressed firmly against his again and again.

His breath control was so perfect that the kisses did not disrupt the flow of his speech in the slightest. Even through his daze, Gyeol found himself impressed by the skill.

“Isu would faint.”

“Or I wouldn’t mind the three of us sharing a room.”

He kissed him. This time, once before the words and once after.

“We don’t have another bed to offer you.”

“Just give me half the space beside you.”

And once more at the end.

Gyeol swallowed hard. His face had begun to burn outright.

After nervously trying to steady his shallow breathing, Gyeol squeezed his eyes shut and pulled Yo Han Sung closer by the neck.

“...Big brother, you’re leaving me wanting more.”