Chapter 48

Even Yo Han Sung’s true thoughts were impossible to read, but on the surface, he too was acting like someone interested in Gyeol.

Gyeol had wanted to become the main character of R-Connect Season 10. Naturally, the more popular he became, the easier it would be to dominate the spotlight.

But he had never wanted this kind of situation.

“Jun. We were talking about going swimming together sometime.”

True to his name, Sun explained it kindly. It was the first time his good nature had felt so cruel.

Because Gyeol had already known this bastard Shin Jun would react exactly like this.

“...Gyeol? Swimming?”

Jun raised his eyebrows like he had just heard the most absurd thing imaginable, and Gyeol cursed internally.

Back during SAVE ME’s debut days, they had once been invited to the Idol Athletics Championship. It was a large-scale program that gathered everyone from famous idols to complete nobodies from the outskirts of the industry.

The problem was that the events assigned depended on popularity. High-profile sports like soccer or sprinting went to senior groups and famous idols, while rookies like SAVE ME were pushed into the unpopular categories.

Among those less popular events, water polo was considered one of the better options. Fans liked seeing male idols show off their physiques, so it still had a relatively dedicated viewer base.

At least, that had been Kisoo Yang’s analysis when he shoved Jun and Gyeol forward.

Gyeol had never even properly gone swimming before, let alone learned how. Still, he had thought it would be manageable. Even if he was not as naturally athletic as Jun, years of dance practice had trained his body well enough. The agency had even arranged private swim lessons. He figured he could at least learn the strokes necessary for water polo and move around freely in the water.

He had been wrong.

The first obstacle had been floating.

People kept telling him to relax his body, but how exactly was he supposed to do that? He kept sinking no matter what he tried. He had probably swallowed gallons of pool water.

Meanwhile, Shin Jun transformed into a seal almost immediately.

It had been genuinely unbelievable.

Jun mastered every stroke in no time at all.

“I can’t do it. I’m not doing it. You go by yourself.”

Gyeol would do almost anything for SAVE ME’s success, but swimming was impossible. It was not a matter of effort or determination.

Some people simply could not float no matter what.

And Gyeol Go was one of them.

Jun, stubborn beyond belief, refused to give up on him. Even after official lessons ended, he stayed an extra hour every day to help him practice.

It was completely useless.

Gyeol still could not float. Worse, the training exhausted him so thoroughly that he collapsed into bed every night, and his already thin frame kept losing more weight.

Eventually, even CEO Jo and Kisoo Yang took pity on him and allowed him to escape swimming hell.

“It won’t work.”

Jun grinned and dropped into the seat beside Yo Han. The sight of his smiling face was unbelievably irritating.

Don’t sit down. Get lost.

Why had Isu gone with him only for Jun to return alone?

While grumbling internally, Gyeol’s eyes drifted toward Jun anyway.

His wet hair and completely bare face made him look younger than usual. Like the Jun Gyeol remembered from years ago.

Instead of the wine-stained shirt from earlier, Jun now wore a black zip-up hoodie with oversized graffiti across the back. It was a limited-edition piece from P-brand. Gyeol vaguely remembered seeing an article about it and thinking the design looked obnoxiously divisive.

But Jun wore it absurdly well.

The casual look only emphasized his youthful charm.

Some things pulled at your attention whether you wanted them to or not.

For Gyeol, everything about Shin Jun was like that.

Even when he did not want to notice.

Even when he had believed he no longer would.

“There’s no such thing as impossible. Anyone can learn to swim.”

“I think Jun just activated Athlete Choi’s competitive side.”

Sun answered stubbornly, and Yo Han chimed in playfully.

Wait.

These two were getting along way too well.

“Gyeol really is good at almost everything. But apparently there are some things even he absolutely can’t do.”

Jun sighed dramatically, eyebrows drooping in fake regret. He sounded so natural that it was hard to believe he had been crying only hours earlier.

“And that thing is swimming?”

Sun asked.

“That’s unexpected.”

Yo Han added.

“Well, if someone’s too perfect, they stop feeling human. Let’s just say being unable to swim is Gyeol’s human side.”

Jun seized the chance to tease him immediately.

“Can you stop already?”

Face burning red, Gyeol grabbed a random canned beer and shoved it toward Jun.

The message was simple: Please shut up and drink this instead.

Yet Jun actually froze for a second in surprise.

The reaction was tiny—so slight that only Gyeol noticed it.

But even that faint flicker tightened painfully around Gyeol’s heart.

As Jun accepted the can, their fingertips brushed.

Jun’s eyes curved visibly.

Time seemed to stretch strangely around that tiny moment.

It was not a pleasant feeling.

“We can start with a life jacket.”

“Gyeol floating around in the water wearing one of those thick life jackets...”

Yo Han trailed off and covered his mouth, clearly trying to hide his laughter.

Gyeol nearly exploded.

“What? You’re imagining it, aren’t you? Don’t. And Sun, stop making swimming plans too.”

When Gyeol grumbled, Jun let out a low laugh.

Caught in the middle of all those tangled emotions, Gyeol felt nothing but confusion.

At this rate, appearing on R-Connect twice would genuinely destroy his sanity.

The conversation between the three Alphas continued warmly.

And every single topic somehow revolved around Gyeol.

Embarrassment, discomfort, and alcohol combined until Gyeol’s face turned bright red. Several times he interrupted the conversation outright.

Each time, the three men only laughed harder.

Fortunately, the rest of the cast soon returned.

Everyone except Woo Seok.

“Woo Seok hyung... fell asleep.”

Tommy looked half-dead already despite only thirty minutes having passed. The way he trailed off made it obvious he was omitting a lot of what had happened.

“It can’t be helped. Woo Seok did at least express his feelings, so we’ll continue without him.”

Producer Yoo quickly organized the situation and instructed the assistant director to check on Woo Seok. Looking deeply unwilling, the assistant director sighed heavily and trudged away.

“But there aren’t any seats left...”

Tommy hesitated awkwardly.

During the break, everyone’s seating arrangement had become completely mixed up.

At the moment, Gyeol himself was stuck between Yo Han and Sun.

Tommy’s eyes wandered uncertainly before briefly hovering near Gyeol.

There was obviously no space for him there.

“Tommy. There’s an open spot here.”

Hee Jun raised his hand. The seat at the very end beside him was empty.

Tommy clearly would have preferred sitting near Gyeol, but it was too late now. He quickly shook off the disappointment and hurried over with a bright smile.

After everyone clinked glasses again to lighten the mood, the favorability vote resumed.

Calling it a “favorability vote” sounded nice, but in reality it was practically a direct confession delivered face-to-face.

Nervous, Gyeol carefully considered his own choice.

“Well... Tommy. I guess it’s the charm of a giant younger guy who still fidgets nervously all the time.”

Hee Jun casually opened the round.

“Wha— huh? Thank you!”

Tommy shot to his feet instantly and bowed at a perfect ninety degrees, making everyone burst into laughter.

No official order had been established, but naturally the person who got picked became the next speaker.

“So then, Tommy?”

Tommy sat rigidly upright, visibly agonizing over it.

Even after gulping down beer, he still could not gather the courage. After watching him struggle for a while, Hee Jun gently offered,

“If it’s too hard right now, someone else can go first?”

“No. I’ll do it.”

Tommy declared it with forced determination before jumping to his feet again.

“Ooooh—”

Cheers rose around the campfire as everyone turned to him.

Most people expected Tommy to choose Hee Jun. After all, they had been the only successful pheromone match, and Hee Jun had just chosen him moments ago.

“I’m choosing Gyeol today. ...The conversation we had earlier really comforted me.”

The prediction was completely wrong.

Several people widened their eyes.

Tommy’s face burned bright red as he bowed his head deeply. It was hard to tell whether the gesture was directed toward Gyeol, whom he had chosen, or toward Hee Jun for choosing him earlier.

But for some reason, the atmosphere instantly turned strange.

Up until now, everyone had laughed at Tommy, called him cute, teased him, clapped for him.

Now all those reactions disappeared.

Park Jaekyung and Hee Jun especially went quiet.

Neither openly looked displeased, but compared to their usual behavior, the lack of reaction felt obvious.

What?

Why does the atmosphere suddenly feel like this?

Quickly assessing the situation, Gyeol answered Tommy politely first.

“Thank you, Tommy.”

“Yes!”

Tommy answered loudly before immediately sitting back down.

At that moment, Hanseul let out a faint snicker.

It was quiet, but because he was sitting right beside Sun, Gyeol heard it clearly.

Jaekyung drank his beer with a stiff expression.

Hee Jun looked like he no longer knew where to look.

Every detail prickled at Gyeol’s nerves.

The atmosphere felt wrong somehow.

Not unnatural enough to define clearly, but unsettling all the same.

Apparently Jun noticed it too.

Before the silence could drag on too long, he smoothly stepped back into the MC role.

“Then next... Gyeol.”

Gyeol had been expecting this moment, but his mouth still refused to open.

Should he stick with the choice he had already decided on?

From the perspective of entertainment value—and public image—there was clearly one person he should choose right now.

But instinct kept warning him.

Pick someone else.

This is going to become uncomfortable.

Something unpleasant might happen.

“I...”

The one thing Gyeol knew for certain was that he could not hesitate too long.

On a dating show, even a few extra seconds before a confession could easily be mistaken for the weight of genuine feelings.