Chapter 42

It was a remark that struck directly at Jun Shin’s most sensitive nerve. Subtle tension settled at the root of his tongue.

Without outwardly revealing even the slightest irritation, Jun quietly weighed Hanseul Ga’s intentions during that brief pause.

He and I never crossed paths before R-Connect in the first place. We were strangers.

Countless rookies stepped into the entertainment industry every day. Some rose to fame as stars, only to vanish overnight. Even Jun Shin, who knew the industry inside and out, had no reason to know a rookie actor who had only just appeared in the drama world instead of the music scene.

To be honest, he had never cared enough to look.

Does he have something against Gyeol?

That seemed far more plausible. The rude way Hanseul had spoken to Gyeol earlier felt less like a natural personality trait and more deliberate.

“Why do you think that?”

“Is that important?”

“Of course. I just didn’t expect someone who arrived on Pheromone Island not long ago to be curious about that.”

“......”

Jun answered pleasantly, and Hanseul stared at him silently before speaking.

“Maybe I’m interested in you, Jun Shin.”

Jun nearly laughed.

If the cameras hadn’t been filming them, he probably would have.

“I don’t think that’s it. Your attention seems to be pointed somewhere pretty obvious.”

“......”

Hanseul did not deny it.

Instead, he offered unsolicited kindness neither requested nor wanted and began drawing his own conclusions about Jun’s feelings.

“There’s only one reason someone suddenly can’t sleep. Last night, Actor Yo Han Sung and Gyeol Go went on the Ivory Mansion date. An overnight date.”

Resting his chin against his hand, Jun leisurely watched Hanseul continue.

“And earlier, you didn’t look this exhausted... but after talking with Gyeol Go, you suddenly looked drained. You know that?”

Jun tilted his head lazily with a shrug.

Perhaps expecting a clearer reaction, Hanseul tightened his mouth before finally abandoning the indirect approach altogether.

“What kind of relationship do you have?”

“With what?”

“You and Gyeol Go.”

Of all places, to hear that question from a third party while cameras were rolling.

It was absurd.

Jun let out a low laugh with an unreadable expression and adjusted the way he sat.

“Hanseul. What exactly are you trying to say?”

Jun Shin was not someone who got swept up by such shallow tricks.

Not now.

Not after everything since his trainee days.

And especially not when it involved Gyeol.

The possibility that Hanseul somehow knew the truth Jun had hidden for eight years was slim. And even if he did know, there was no way he would recklessly babble about it in front of cameras with his own career on the line. It would damage his image, and behind Jun stood Moving’s enormous fandom.

“There’s a reason nobody messes with Moving because the fandom’s terrifying.”

That was basically an open joke throughout the industry.

Which meant Hanseul’s probing was probably nothing more than clumsy fishing.

His real objective was probably—

“You don’t have to talk in circles. If you’ve got something to say, just say it.”

—somewhere else.

“You have feelings for Gyeol Go, don’t you?”

And Jun’s prediction proved correct.

“I want things to work out with Actor Yo Han Sung.”

Hanseul, who had maintained that cold attitude the entire time, finally straightened his posture and extended a hand across the table.

“So let’s work together.”

Jun’s gaze fell to Hanseul’s hand.

Without hesitation, Jun smiled gently and spoke.

There was no reason to hesitate.

***

I’m sorry, but I’m already struggling just to deal with my own situation right now.

Recalling Jun Shin’s answer, Hanseul stomped across the beach in irritation.

The wording had been polite, but it was rejection all the same. His grip tightened around the parasol in his hand.

Hanseul did not give up easily. He had kept waving the offered hand around, stubbornly trying to persuade Jun.

That’s exactly why I’m saying we should work together. We could help each other.

Well....

But Jun had been immovable.

Worse, he had casually scraped at Hanseul’s nerves with that endlessly smiling face.

It just doesn’t seem fair. I prefer fair play.

“Fuck.”

Swearing under his breath, Hanseul kicked an innocent pebble.

The stone flew up in a spray of sand before dropping uselessly back near his feet.

Even that irritated him.

“What, is he saying I’m playing dirty or something? Arrogant bastard.”

Cursing viciously with that pretty face of his, Hanseul ground his teeth.

He had used exhaustion from consecutive conversations with the Alphas as an excuse to secure a break, but in reality, he simply needed time to vent his irritation.

His patience had already reached its limit, and he could no longer keep his expression under control.

“And there’s some useless hanger-on glued to Actor Yo Han Sung’s side...”

Insulting Gyeol without hesitation, Hanseul recalled his arrival on set.

He had already gathered information that Yo Han Sung had entered filming for R-Connect before him. Naturally, he assumed he would see him immediately upon arrival.

Instead, Yo Han had apparently gone off on an Ivory Mansion date with some completely unknown Omega who had the least presence among the cast.

Hanseul had never watched dating shows before, but R-Connect was famous enough that even he knew the Ivory Mansion thing involved an overnight date.

Yo Han’s absence instantly soured his mood.

Hanseul Ga was the cherished only son born late in life to his agency CEO father. He had grown up pampered without lacking anything.

Debuting had been easy.

Not only that, but thanks to his father’s money and connections, he had steadily built an impressive filmography filled with prestigious projects.

But Yo Han Sung alone had never gone the way Hanseul wanted.

Hanseul had admired him since before his own acting debut. Getting close had not been difficult.

The problem came afterward.

Yo Han was kind and impeccably mannered to everyone, yet he kept everyone at a distance.

And he let no one beyond that wall.

Hanseul had not been an exception.

He could not stand being treated the same as everyone else by Yo Han Sung.

From subtly lingering around him to outright flirting, Hanseul had tried every possible tactic.

All of it had been useless.

Yo Han never reacted at all.

Hanseul’s pride had been crumpled to pieces.

At this point, it was half stubbornness and half obsession.

He had the kind of personality that could not rest until he possessed whatever he wanted.

And then Yo Han suddenly appeared on some dating program of all things.

Not just any dating program either, but the trashy adults-only dating show R-Connect.

At first, Hanseul had been so dumbfounded he assumed it was nothing more than a ridiculous rumor.

But it was true.

Yo Han Sung?

Why?

Without finding an answer, Hanseul had immediately hounded his father relentlessly. He refused to eat, refused to move, and demanded to appear on R-Connect Season 10.

In the end, he succeeded in following Yo Han onto the island.

And the moment he arrived, Hanseul immediately understood why Yo Han had come here.

Gyeol Go.

“...Fuck.”

That was the answer.

The Ivory Mansion date itself had already twisted his stomach, but compared to the way Yo Han treated Gyeol, it was nothing.

Hanseul had forced himself to suppress his disgust and climbed all the way to that mountain-top Ivory Mansion—or whatever luxury pension it was supposed to be—just to see Yo Han.

But Yo Han had neither looked surprised nor pleased to see him.

I didn’t expect to see you somewhere like this.

That was all.

A calm smile and an offered handshake.

And yet, the moment Hanseul mentioned the Ivory Mansion date, Yo Han’s mouth had visibly stiffened.

It was a subtle shift no one else would have noticed.

But Hanseul, who had watched and followed Yo Han almost obsessively, could recognize even the tiniest crack.

A small opening in the wall Yo Han had always kept perfectly sealed.

His suspicion solidified into certainty after they returned to the lounge.

Hanseul saw it.

The look in Yo Han’s eyes as he watched Gyeol return with another Alpha.

The expression Yo Han carefully rearranged the moment Gyeol stepped into the lounge.

The way Yo Han’s gaze kept drifting toward Gyeol even while Hanseul himself sat right beside him.

Yo Han had not cared about Hanseul at all.

Accepting that reality was difficult.

I’ve spent all this time standing outside the wall... and for Gyeol Go, he built a door and opened it willingly.

“...Am I really just going to—”

Lose him?

The words stuck in his throat.

Breathing harshly, Hanseul stopped walking.

His head burned with humiliation and fury.

His manager had already summarized the cast profiles and major fandom reactions for him beforehand, so Hanseul at least knew Jun Shin and Gyeol Go had once belonged to the same failed idol group.

No wonder it felt strange.

Jun Shin was so transparent it bordered on blatant.

There was no doubt he had feelings for Gyeol.

Hanseul even suspected Jun might have joined the show chasing after Gyeol the same way Hanseul himself had followed Yo Han.

Since he had already figured out the basic picture, Hanseul had intended to use him.

Entering the show four days late meant he needed a strong ally.

Someone who would separate Gyeol from Yo Han without Hanseul needing to dirty his own hands.

“Arrogant bastard. How dare some washed-up idol act superior to me?”

Except it had all failed.

Irritably brushing back his hair as the sea breeze tossed it around, Hanseul checked the time.

It was about time to head back to the lounge.

“...I seriously don’t want to go back. Why the hell do I have to waste time talking to random nobodies?”

Completely forgetting the responsibilities expected of a dating-show contestant, Hanseul grumbled while continuing forward.

Meanwhile, his thoughts kept turning rapidly.

From the looks of it, Gyeol Go’s monopolizing all the attention.

For now, it would be best to test the other Omegas first.

That alone isn’t enough. I need at least one idiot on the Alpha side I can use however I want. Damn it.

Lost in thought, he soon reached the lounge.

The production staff greeted him warmly and hurried over to help attach his microphone.

“Yes, go ahead. And get me something to drink too. It’s hot, and walking around made me thirsty.”

“Ah, yes. We’ll bring it right away. Hey, youngest staff writer!”

There really wasn’t a single thing about this place he liked.

A filming set where even managers weren’t allowed.

The thought of surviving here for ten days already made him feel suffocated.

Still—

If it’s for the sake of making Yo Han Sung mine....

Hanseul’s thoughts abruptly stopped as he entered the lounge while sipping a cold drink.

“Hanseul.”

Because an Alpha suddenly shoved his chair back and shot to his feet.

Someone who had openly hovered around him without even trying to hide his interest.

Without giving him so much as a proper glance, Hanseul handed the rest of his drink to a staff member and curved his eyes lazily toward the man.

“Woo Seok. Have you been waiting long?”

I think I could use this bastard to screw Gyeol Go over.