Chapter 50

“My choice... is Gyeol.”

At Yo Han Sung’s choice, Kisoo Yang’s grip tightened violently around the empty beer can in his hand.

The can crumpled with a loud crunch.

Afraid he might miss the next line, he swallowed back his cheering and held his breath instead.

“I don’t think I’ll ever forget the time we spent together at the mansion last night.”

“Yeah, yeah. I won’t forget either, Yo Han. Mm-hm.”

Throwing in commentary like he was personally involved, Kisoo pretended to wipe away nonexistent tears.

“So Gyeol too... don’t forget what I told you at the mansion.”

The camera immediately zoomed in on Gyeol’s face.

The flickering campfire shadows danced across his pale, tiny face, and Kisoo swore this was not just bias because Gyeol was his kid.

Objectively speaking, he looked insanely beautiful.

“There go the gifs again.”

The show’s main background track started playing as the camera slowly widened.

First it framed Yo Han and Gyeol sitting side by side facing each other.

Then it pulled farther and farther back until the entire cast came into view.

And then—

Commercial break.

“Ah, you’re ending it there?”

Kisoo slapped the table lightly with a groan.

“But what does he mean by what they talked about at the mansion?”

Tilting his head, he searched through his memory, but nothing specific came to mind.

Who knew. Maybe Yo Han was referring to one of the countless flirtatious things he had said.

After deciding not to think too deeply about it, Kisoo stood up during the commercials and grabbed another cold beer from the mini fridge.

At this point, cracking open canned beer while watching R-Connect Season 10 live had become part of his routine.

Today he had even chosen Ssommusubi specially because it was Gyeol’s favorite.

“Now that it’s come to this, maybe Ssommusubi should just offer him a sponsorship deal already.”

Or maybe a soju commercial.

After all, nothing symbolized being the hottest Omega of the era more than that.

Kisoo took another sip of the sweet alcohol—closer to carbonated cider than actual liquor—and let out a satisfied sigh.

The stress of the past several days seemed to dissolve together with the carbonation.

The Episode 8 preview had been that shocking.

Even after Producer Yoo reassured him not to worry, Kisoo had remained restless. He had practically been monitoring R-Connect in his dreams.

He wanted to ask Gyeol directly what had happened and discuss the preview in detail, but—

“He’s already busy enough with overseas schedules. No reason to stir things up unnecessarily.”

Once the episode ended, Kisoo planned to call and check in on him instead.

You held out well, Kisoo Yang.

Feeling proud of himself, Kisoo mentally praised his own restraint.

Which meant that up to this point, the actual broadcast edit had contained absolutely nothing problematic.

If anything, it had simply portrayed Woo Seok Jung as a full-blown villain.

Online reactions were largely similar to Kisoo’s own.

Aside from the usual trolls, everyone seemed busy furiously typing comments tearing Woo Seok apart.

So that was the setup all along, Kisoo thought as the commercials ended and the episode resumed.

“Then what the hell was that ‘uncomfortable’ interview about? Our Gyeol would never say something like that.”

As if answering him directly, the next scene immediately cut to an interview.

Gyeol sat neatly against the backdrop of the night ocean.

Producer Yoo really was good at this.

Her editing instinct for scratching exactly where viewers itched was incredible.

“Yeah, let’s see how our kid ended up saying something like that.”

Q. This is the second time since the first day that all the Alphas voted for you. How does that feel?

“Um, honestly...”

The sound of crashing waves filled the screen.

Unlike his usual smooth interviews, Gyeol looked deeply troubled this time.

“What kind of question even is that? How is he supposed to answer it?”

Kisoo immediately became emotionally invested again and gulped down beer aggressively.

Dating shows really were brutal.

Even if someone shoved money into his hands and begged him, he would never go on one himself.

“It made me... uncomfortable.”

“What? That’s where the ‘uncomfortable’ line came from?”

Kisoo let out a long sigh of relief.

Thankfully, there was nothing strange or unpleasant about the context at all.

The preview really had just been aggressively manipulated editing.

Q. Why did it make you uncomfortable?

“...On the first day, it was basically just a first-impression vote, so I understood that. But once the same thing happened again on Day Five, I started wondering if maybe... I’d behaved badly somehow.”

“That’s not true!”

Kisoo shouted immediately.

Sure enough, the panelists in the background all reacted the same way, insisting Gyeol had done nothing wrong.

Q. What do you mean by behaving badly?

“Maybe it looked like I was leaving possibilities open with too many people... I think I should probably organize my feelings more clearly moving forward, just in case.”

One of the panelists argued that Gyeol had never intentionally led anyone on.

It was only Day Five, and getting to know multiple people early on was basically the official rule of R-Connect.

Naturally, discussion shifted back toward not understanding Woo Seok’s sudden behavior.

Q. Your feelings must be complicated.

“There’s nothing I can do about it. I just need to do better from now on.”

The panelists, Kisoo, and viewers alike were all emotionally invested beyond reason.

The comments section exploded.

That’s not true... Gyeol did nothing wrong! Honestly, he hasn’t clearly expressed feelings for anyone yet!

↳ For real... all his choices so far felt more like gratitude or returning kindness. Like he was just trying to be polite.

No but seriously lol forget whether Gyeol left openings or not... isn’t production completely insane? What kind of preview editing was THAT?

↳ 2222

↳ 333333 they straight-up stitched together bait footage for drama;; Gyeol got torn apart online for days because of that ㅠ

↳ What do you mean “got torn apart”? It’s win-win lol. He’s gaining popularity and probably came here to sell supplements anyway. Noise marketing is still marketing, you know? This isn’t your first day watching R-Connect. His agency and Producer Yoo definitely already talked everything out.

“...They absolutely did not talk it out.”

Kisoo swallowed down a wave of emotion.

As the head of a tiny company, he constantly felt guilty for not being able to support or promote Gyeol properly.

This isn’t even the first time lol. Producer Yoo uses previews like this every season. The real problem is all the idiots who immediately started attacking him without waiting for context.

↳ Feels like I wrote this comment myself. Where’s the delete button?

↳ Hey lol didn’t YOU trash-talk Gyeol too? Stop pretending otherwiseㅋㅋㅋ People acting all neutral afterward are always the worst.

Producer Yoo. Apologize to me!!!!!!!!

↳ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

↳ Damn itㅋㅋㅋ I was reading seriously and then lost it laughing holy shit

↳ Apologize. To me...!!!!!

(campfire_Gyeol.gif)

↳ Meanwhile screenshot collectors continue their sacred workㅜ thank you for your service today too~

↳ Saving this immediately

↳ Screenshot collector) >_ㅇ)v

But seriously what the hell was wrong with Woo Seok..? Did I miss something..? Wasn’t he doing well with Jaekyung? Why did he suddenly turn into a deranged Gyeol anti?

↳ Nobody knows. Not me, not you, not anyone.

↳ The scene where he talked with Hanseul got edited out, remember? I saw someone theorizing that the answer’s hidden there.

↳ (comment screenshot.jpg)

The screenshot read:

Why Woo Seok suddenly lost his mind — I think the answer’s in the edited-out conversation with Hanseul.

Looks like Hanseul’s already completely obsessed with Yo Han. Then he arrives as the late-entry twist and surprise~ Yo Han and Gyeol already had some suspicious Ivory Mansion date situation going on.

So Hanseul panics and starts looking for ways to separate them.

Tried manipulating Jun first but failed.

Tommy’s too pure-hearted so he was useless.

Sun and Hanseul barely even talk—just awkward silence.

Which leaves Woo Seok. And Hanseul probably noticed Woo Seok already acting weirdly toward Gyeol when he first arrived.

So he stirred things up and pushed Woo Seok toward Gyeol to get him out of the way while monopolizing Yo Han for himself.

If you disagree then whatever, you’re rightㅋㅋ

↳ Holy shit I came here on pilgrimage

↳ Please become the greatest prophet of the centuryㅠ

↳ If you want to get into college stop watching dating shows and go studyㅋㅋㅋㅋ

↳ Wishing you success in your future career(_ _)

↳ Please let me win tickets to Moving’s world concert,,,, ㅠ

↳ And Silver Salt too,,,,,,,, (Are you crying? I’m crying too. Let’s cry together. Still can’t abandon my boys.)

↳ Pilgrimage comment~

↳ How can someone be THIS absurdly accurate

While distracted by the comments section, Kisoo suddenly noticed the pilgrimage replies multiplying rapidly.

What are they talking about?

Blinking blankly, he quickly rewound the video a few minutes.

Sure enough, the previously cut conversation between Woo Seok and Hanseul finally appeared.

Hanseul’s true intentions remained unclear, but the situation matched the “pilgrimage theory” surprisingly well.

“Hanseul, you probably won’t believe this, but I’m actually really popular outside the island...”

The conversation began with Woo Seok bragging.

Apparently trying to impress Hanseul, he insisted that while he might not seem popular on the island, he was actually an extremely sought-after Alpha in the real world.

“I believe you.”

“Huh?”

“You’re popular here too.”

That single sentence completely shifted the atmosphere.

Woo Seok’s lips immediately curled upward as he puffed out his chest proudly.

“Ahhh. So you noticed too?”

“Of course. I could tell exactly who’s interested in you. Jaekyung, who shares a room with me...”

Hanseul paused thoughtfully before smiling.

“And maybe Gyeol too?”

“When exactly did Gyeol do that?”

Kisoo blurted out instinctively.

Woo Seok asked almost the exact same thing onscreen.

Though after speaking, he quickly tried fixing his expression so he would not look uncool in front of Hanseul.

Pathetic.

Hanseul widened his eyes innocently.

“Huh? It seemed obvious to me. The way he keeps noticing you.”

“...Really?”

“Yeah. Why would I lie about something like this?”

“But... Gyeol’s the most popular Omega here. And he never really talks to me first.”

“Maybe he’s just shy.”

Really?

The doubt on Woo Seok’s face was painfully obvious.

“If you approach Gyeol first, I’m sure you’ll get a reaction.”

“Ha. So that’s why Woo Seok suddenly switched attitudes.”

Everything finally clicked together perfectly.

His sudden personality reversal had felt bizarrely unnatural from the start.

There was no way it happened without outside influence.

Still, jumping straight to the conclusion that Hanseul acted maliciously felt premature.

At least outwardly, Hanseul did not seem malicious at all.

If anything, he sounded gentle and encouraging, carefully supporting Woo Seok’s feelings and trying to boost his confidence.

People in the comments started pointing this out too.

Some argued everyone should wait before judging.

Others mocked the “pilgrimage theory” for jumping to conclusions.

“Right. Gyeol’s my kid and all, but after getting swept up by the preview myself, I should stay neutral too—”

And then—

The screen suddenly shifted.

Quick-cut footage of contestants confessing around the campfire rewound rapidly in reverse before the camera transitioned into a dark dorm interior.

“...Whose room is that?”

The screen was too dark to tell immediately.

Then a tiny whisper echoed out.

“But honestly... isn’t this basically stringing people along?”