Chapter 41

Gyeol and Tommy chose the swing set perched along the hillside for their conversation.

Tall trees cast cool shade over the area, while waves crashed refreshingly below them.

“The breeze is really nice up here. I like it.”

“The other guys said this place was nice, so I wanted to check it out. They were right.”

Tommy had only been a burning Potato for a moment before returning to his usual grinning self. He sat down on one side of the swing bench. He was so huge that it felt like Tommy alone occupied two-thirds of the long seat.

“There’s room for me too, right?”

Feeling playful, Gyeol teased him.

Tommy let out a startled noise and scrunched up his bear-sized body. But all that happened was that he became a giant round ball. No matter how much he folded himself up, the amount of space he occupied did not decrease.

“I’m kidding. There’s plenty of room.”

Gyeol waved his hand and sat down in the empty spot.

Though he said that, Gyeol himself was fairly tall and broad for an Omega, so their bodies fit snugly together. Their shoulders and thighs pressed tightly against each other.

Feels like riding swings with Yuli.

Of course, the size was different.

The swing he rode with Yuli was the ordinary single-person type found at neighborhood playgrounds, while the one he sat on now with Tommy was a large wooden swing that could probably fit three people if they squeezed together.

Gyeol pulled the towel off his head and draped it over his shoulders.

When he slowly pushed off with his feet, the swing began to move with loud creaking friction sounds.

A cool breeze blew past and scattered his hair.

“This feels nice and cool, doesn’t it?”

“Hrk—yes!”

Gyeol burst out laughing at Tommy’s overly disciplined response.

“Why are you answering so energetically?”

“Did I? Sorry.”

Tommy awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. His youthful face was flushed red.

Unlike calm and composed Gyeol, Tommy could not relax at all.

For a long time, he had wanted the chance to talk alone with the pretty older Omega.

Probably ever since the first moment he saw Gyeol smiling like an angel.

But Gyeol was incredibly popular.

So popular that no matter how Tommy tried to seize an opportunity, one of the other contestants always took Gyeol away first.

Because Tommy’s nature was so gentle, yielding came easier to him than competing. He told himself it could not be helped, but he still found it difficult to suppress the disappointment.

And now, finally, his chance had come.

After carefully choosing this swing, their bodies unexpectedly fit perfectly together.

Gyeol did not seem bothered at all, but Tommy could not stop noticing every place where they touched.

To make matters worse, every time the wind blew, the half-dried strands of Gyeol’s hair carried a pleasant scent with them.

As that scent brushed against his nose, Tommy could only fidget pointlessly with the swing ropes.

What if Gyeol thinks I’m a pervert?

Swallowing dryly, Tommy tried desperately to focus on the scenery spread out before him.

He was already worried that Gyeol might think he was weird after the embarrassing mess he made during the pheromone matching.

He absolutely could not disgrace himself further.

Even while knowing there was nowhere else for him to move, Tommy forced his shoulders inward as tightly as possible and shifted his hips to the side.

“You don’t have to apologize. I just thought it was cute.”

Gyeol’s casual comment shook Tommy to his core.

He had heard people call him cute countless times before.

Every time he streamed on YouTube, the comments flooded with messages like [Our Potato is so cute♡].

The management director for Potato TV had even added sparkle effects and a potato illustration to the phrase and turned it into a subscriber-exclusive emoji because it was so popular.

Even here, people had called him cute every day.

Though it felt slightly embarrassing hearing smaller Omegas call him cute when they were so much tinier than him, Tommy never thought much of it.

He was simply too used to hearing it.

But with Gyeol, it felt different.

Heat rushed through his body, and at the same time, a strange self-loathing rose inside him.

“...Um, can I ask something?”

“Hm?”

“Am I really that un-Alpha-like?”

That was exactly why he felt this way.

At Tommy’s miserable question, Gyeol’s eyes widened.

“No, that’s not what I meant....”

Tommy looked at the oddly troubled expression on Gyeol’s face, then shook his head hard.

His bleached blond curls, stiffened from repeated dye jobs, rustled dryly.

Then Tommy abruptly stopped moving and blurted out his feelings in a rush.

“It’s not that I want to make you uncomfortable. It’s just—I! I want you to think well of me!”

The confession came completely out of nowhere.

The instant the words left his mouth, Tommy realized what he had done.

But spilled water could not be gathered back up.

If only he could stop here.

Unfortunately, once the brakes had failed, stopping the reckless acceleration was not easy.

“You’re really beautiful, Gyeol. I think I fell for you at first sight. I didn’t realize it at first, but... during the campfire, when you smiled like an angel then too, so....”

Without pausing for breath, Tommy continued firing off confession after confession, his face growing redder and redder.

Without even giving himself time to breathe, without giving Gyeol any room to respond, he became a completely roasted red Potato and launched his final attack.

“I want to seem cool, not cute!”

The end of his sentence echoed strangely in the air.

Silence followed.

The empty space was filled by the sound of distant waves.

I’m doomed. What the hell did I just do?

Tommy finally regained his senses and was overcome with despair.

Just as he started feeling like crying over his own stupidity, Gyeol carefully placed a hand over the back of Tommy’s hand.

“Okay. I understand.”

“.......”

Tommy blinked rapidly with watery eyes.

Looking straight up at him, Gyeol spoke firmly.

“Then instead of thinking you’re cute, I’ll think you’re cool.”

“That’s not... I mean, I don’t want to force you to say that or anything.”

When Tommy mumbled awkwardly, Gyeol softly patted the back of his hand.

“I didn’t think you were forcing me. I just realized I hadn’t understood how you felt.”

“.......”

“I wanted to talk with you more too. Somehow we just never got the chance, right?”

His soothing voice was unbelievably warm and sweet.

For some reason, Tommy suddenly felt emotional.

Ever since arriving on Pheromone Island, he had thought he was adapting well thanks to his naturally outgoing personality, but without realizing it, pressure had steadily piled up inside him.

As Gyeol gently comforted him, the area around Tommy’s chest melted softly.

Eventually, tears welled up in Tommy’s eyes.

“Ugh, I’m sorry.”

His face burned red with embarrassment, but he could not stop the flood once the dam had burst.

Tears dripped steadily down his cheeks.

Furiously rubbing at his eyes with his sleeve, Tommy hurried to explain himself.

“It’s not because of you, Gyeol. It’s just... it feels like you understand all the things that were weighing on me.”

“Don’t worry. It’s okay to cry.”

Gyeol slowly rubbed Tommy’s back.

Even while feeling as though he had become a little kid, Tommy could not stop crying so easily.

He curled his massive bear-like body into a giant ball and hid his face behind his large hands.

“You probably already know this, but everyone says you’re cute because they like you and feel comfortable around you. Even I get tense sometimes, but whenever I look at you, I end up smiling.”

“...Y-yeah.”

Tommy’s tearful voice came out muffled.

Each time he nodded, the swing swayed with him, letting out creaking noises.

Even that was adorable.

Gyeol unconsciously steadied his voice to stop himself from laughing.

Tommy really did not seem to realize that anyone looking at him would find him lovable.

At the same time, Gyeol felt sorry for the pressure someone so young must have been carrying.

Even Gyeol himself, already in his mid-twenties, found life here exhausting, so how much harder must it be for Tommy, who had barely become an adult?

And yet Tommy always tried to brighten the mood with a smile.

He never forgot to warmly look after each contestant one by one either.

It was genuinely admirable.

“Thank you for thinking well of me. Let’s have more fun together from now on, okay? Let’s talk a lot too.”

“.......”

Tommy nodded repeatedly.

After hesitating for a moment, Gyeol lowered himself so they were eye level and held out his pinky finger.

“I’ll keep today a secret.”

“...I’m so embarrassed right now.”

Tommy peeked up with only his eyes visible and mumbled quietly.

The tears seemed to have stopped, but his swollen eyes made it look as though two tiny potatoes had sprouted on top of the giant Potato.

Smiling brightly, Gyeol hooked his pinky around Tommy’s and locked them tightly together.

“So what? It’s a secret anyway.”

The setting sun cast an orange glow behind Gyeol’s back.

To Tommy, it looked like a halo.

His softened heart felt as though it were sinking into sweet, sticky chocolate.

As he realized his affection was changing into fluttering excitement, Tommy tightened his pinky around Gyeol’s and pressed their thumbs together.

***

After finishing his brunch date with Isu Yoon, Jun Shin headed toward the lounge at the staff’s instruction.

Hanseul Ga greeted him while sitting in the exact same seat as before.

He did not even pretend to stand up out of politeness.

Jun Shin had not expected much in the first place, so he simply smiled and gave a rough greeting before sitting across from him.

The second benefit granted [N O V E L I G H T] to the Omega late-entry twist was a scheduled chance to talk with every Alpha contestant.

“Did you talk with the others a lot already?”

“Yes.”

A curt answer came back to Jun Shin’s polite question.

The conversation immediately stalled.

Normally, Jun Shin would have worked hard to fill the silence by finding topics to discuss, but exhaustion hit him first this time.

He had stayed awake all night worrying about Gyeol at Ivory Mansion, and on top of that, he had gotten into an emotional struggle with him in the ocean.

If it meant drawing Gyeol’s attention back to himself, he could throw himself into the sea dozens or hundreds of times.

That truly meant nothing to him.

But ending up with a disastrous result was another matter entirely.

Honestly, he just wanted to go lie down in the dorm.

He wanted to forcibly shut off the thoughts drowning his mind in regret.

But the cameras did not stop rolling, and the program continued.

Jun Shin was a celebrity.

Even if he had entered this island carrying deeply personal emotions, his responsibilities and role remained clear.

“You look tired.”

Leaning crookedly against the backrest, Hanseul Ga spoke lazily.

Even if they worked in different fields, Jun Shin was undeniably Hanseul’s senior in the entertainment industry.

Jun Shin was not asking to be treated specially, but Hanseul was excessively rude.

Especially after the way he behaved toward Gyeol at their first meeting.

Suppressing his displeasure, Jun Shin smiled out of habit.

“I didn’t sleep well last night.”

“Why?”

Why?

The unnatural question irritated him.

When someone said they had not slept, wasn’t the normal response to offer comfort, encouragement, or at least let it pass casually?

The way Hanseul stared directly at him like someone trying to pry something out of him also bothered Jun Shin.

“I don’t know. I just couldn’t fall asleep.”

Keeping the smile on his face intact, Jun Shin answered vaguely.

Hanseul tugged at the corner of his mouth in a faint smile and asked,

“Because of Gyeol Go?”