Chapter 82

“Huh?”

The moment Hanseul tried pushing more fuel onto the fire, Woo Seok’s eyes widened immediately.

“No matter how interested someone is, you still have to approach carefully. Aren’t you forgetting something, Woo Seok? This season of R-Connect is a celebrity special. Public figures.”

Carefully choosing his words, Hanseul gently soothed Woo Seok, who still looked completely clueless.

“No matter who it is, even if they like someone, they can’t just make it obvious right away. Think about it. Today’s only Day 6. There are still nine days left, right? You’re supposed to play things carefully, test the waters a little. If you come on too strong too fast...”

“So Gyeol’s playing hard to get with me?”

That wasn’t what Hanseul had said at all.

If the cameras caught it framed that way, it would be a problem.

Hanseul smoothly shoved the responsibility back onto Woo Seok. Technically, he really hadn’t said anything like that.

“Mmm.... Is that how you see it, Woo Seok?”

“Uh....”

Woo Seok groaned thoughtfully.

Watching him agonize over something this stupid was honestly pathetic.

“I think that’s it.”

Not even remotely.

Hanseul nearly sighed aloud, but instead he kept smiling and continued pretending to comfort and support Woo Seok.

“I don’t know.... It’s hard for me to say for sure. I mean, I can’t exactly know everything going on between the two of you.”

“Mmm....”

At Hanseul’s cautious response, Woo Seok folded his arms and sank into thought.

After a long silence, he finally frowned and announced his conclusion.

“...The more I think about it, the more that has to be it. The way he pulls away after spending time with me, the way he keeps hovering around me and drawing my attention but denies it at the crucial moment...”

Good enough.

Hanseul simply listened while Woo Seok rambled on, nodding occasionally.

“I get it now. He got upset because I used the Time Booth with Jaekyung.”

“Ahh.”

“Ah, that’s definitely it. Why didn’t I realize it sooner?”

Woo Seok aggressively raked a hand through his hair like he’d made some incredible breakthrough.

This was terminal.

“Seriously.... He went to the Time Booth with Sun too, and this is how he expresses jealousy? Cute.”

That was the conclusion of the endless filibuster.

“If he genuinely hated me, there’s no way he would’ve acted like that. Honestly, it’s impossible for him to truly hate me in the first place, right? From now on I’ll talk to Gyeol more, clear up the misunderstandings, show him how sincere I am. If I make him feel secure, he’ll open up about his feelings too.”

There was more nonsense after that—about how Gyeol was more timid than expected, how much work he required—but none of it was Hanseul’s problem.

Hanseul simply listened patiently, comforted him, encouraged him.

“Right. Let’s both do our best for the rest of the show, Woo Seok.”

Just like countless contestants on dating programs before them.

“Hey, Hanseul. Seriously, thanks. You’re seriously a good guy.”

When the hell did we get close enough for you to call me Hanseul? Fucking asshole.

Feeling the corners of his mouth twitch dangerously, Hanseul rose from his seat.

He was reaching the limit of what he could tolerate.

“Then I’ll head back to my lodging now.”

“Yeah, yeah. Seriously, thanks. Honestly, coming on R-Connect was worth it just to gain a good younger brother like you. Let’s stay close from now on.”

Go fuck yourself.

Giving a vague little nod to end the conversation, Hanseul left Woo Seok behind and hurried out of the lodging.

Then he fled all the way back to his own place without looking back once, worried Woo Seok might try grabbing him again.

Immediately afterward, he learned that during the favorability vote Woo Seok had voted for Gyeol instead of Jaekyung.

And then he heard about the insane things that had secretly happened between Woo Seok and Jaekyung.

“Still, I feel reassured. I’ve got Hanseul on my team.”

Woo Seok’s smugly familiar tone shattered the memory of the previous night.

Hanseul regretted it deeply.

If he’d known Woo Seok was this utterly lacking in boundaries, he never would’ve gotten involved with him at all.

He’s not gonna pull some crazy shit, right? And then blame all of it on me afterward or something?

Yo Han Sung?

Yeah, Hanseul wanted him.

But not enough to destroy his own reputation on some trashy reality show.

Fuck. I seriously don’t want to team up with Woo Seok. Makes me wanna quit the show.

Suddenly Hanseul’s body stiffened.

Woo Seok had slung an arm around his shoulders without warning.

“Let’s take first place, Hanseul.”

Holy fuck.

What the fuck.

How is this happening.

It felt like his entire body broke out in goosebumps.

Lowering himself to slip free from Woo Seok’s grip, Hanseul forced a smile.

“Sure, Woo Seok.”

“Hey. What’s with ‘Woo Seok’? Call me Woo Seok. Like an older brother.”

Swallowing down the flood of curses rising in his mouth, Hanseul pretended not to hear him and refused to answer until the end.

Instead, he deliberately wedged himself between Jaekyung and Sun and struck up a conversation with them.

Meanwhile, Gyeol watched Woo Seok and Hanseul closely.

Things he’d never paid attention to before suddenly stood out glaringly once he started noticing them.

The two of them were closer than he’d thought.

Much closer.

At this point, it was impossible to dismiss it as mere suspicion anymore.

Now there was actual evidence.

— R-Connect Lovey-Dovey Team Match.

— We will now explain the rules of the game.

— The Omegas will wear the animal headbands selected during the individual match. The Alphas will wear their partner’s tail.

— The Alpha will carry the Omega on his back as the game begins. If both the headband and tail are stolen, or if the Omega’s feet touch the ground, the team is eliminated.

— The final remaining couple will be declared the winners.

“Doesn’t the title ‘Lovey-Dovey Team Match’ piss you off?”

“Pretend you didn’t hear it.”

Standing beside Jun Shin, Hee Jun looked much more relaxed than before.

Back to his usual energy, he joked around with Jun while listening to the narration.

Tommy, overhearing their banter, let out a muffled laugh.

“...Pff.”

“You can laugh normally, you know.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m not actually someone who laughs that easily.”

Standing shoulder to shoulder with Gyeol, Tommy was unbelievably stiff.

He looked tense all the way to the tips of his fingers and toes.

Almost pitifully so.

— The winning team of the group match will receive an Ivory Mansion date opportunity for both the Alpha and Omega.

“Gasp.”

Tommy instinctively reacted with his usual enthusiasm before suddenly remembering Gyeol was beside him and clamping both hands over his mouth.

He really didn’t need to be this nervous.

Feeling a little sorry for him, Gyeol lightly patted Tommy’s back.

“That’s a pretty huge reward, huh?”

“Yes...! I really want to win it.”

Tommy answered with shining eyes.

Gyeol burst into soft laughter and teased him,

“Because you want French toast?”

“No! Are you seriously teasing me too?”

Tommy immediately cried out in a wounded voice.

Then he slumped miserably and muttered,

“...I want to look cool, but I keep acting like a kid.”

“Cool? Is that why you’ve been standing there quietly without saying anything?”

“No, it’s just....”

“Tommy, you already look plenty cool.”

Wearing a faint smile, Gyeol adjusted the stag headband onto his head.

He’d already looked beautiful from far away, but seeing him this close was devastating.

Tommy hadn’t expected animal ears to make his heart race this much.

Did he actually have some kind of weird preference after all?

“Okay, turn around. I’ll help you put it on.”

“I can do it myself....”

“I’m not treating you like a kid. I tried doing it myself earlier and it was harder than it looked.”

How could someone speak so beautifully?

It felt like Gyeol was considering Tommy’s feelings while also soothing the exact insecurity Tommy was worried about.

The slight hurt lingering in Tommy’s chest melted away completely.

Following Gyeol’s gesture, Tommy turned around.

For a brief instant, Gyeol’s hand brushed his waist.

Tommy sucked in a breath.

The sight of those pale hands moving at his waist felt completely unreal.

Blood rushed straight to his head.

Then Gyeol firmly pressed down the Velcro one last time.

A violent shiver ran through Tommy’s entire body.

Oh no.

His instincts immediately encouraged a highly inappropriate physical reaction.

Face burning bright red, Tommy desperately began reciting the American national anthem in his head.

He hadn’t sung it even once since moving to Korea, so it came floating up from some distant corner of his memory.

At this rate, how was he supposed to play the game?

A piggyback game meant their bodies would be pressed together the entire time.

And not just that—below his back would be Gyeol’s...

Tommy abruptly cut the thought off and shook his head violently.

Are you insane? Get it together, Jung Thomas Choi.

Recalling even the full name he almost never used, Tommy fought to regain control of himself.

Maybe appearing on this crazy dating show was making him lose his mind too.

Apparently having embarrassing erections like a teenager going through puberty wasn’t bad enough—now his thoughts were spiraling into dangerous territory too.

This was why environment mattered.

What kind of environment you lived in and what you exposed yourself to mattered.

“All done. Try moving around a little.”

Tommy had barely managed to calm himself down, but guilt still kept him from looking directly at Gyeol’s face.

Head lowered deeply, he swayed his waist side to side.

Each movement made the fluffy stag tail attached behind him bounce softly.

“Mmm. Cute. It doesn’t seem like it’ll come off easily.”

“Thank you.”

Still bowing his head, Tommy dipped even lower while thanking him.

Then he straightened stiffly and stared out toward the distant sea.

“Tommy? Are you okay?”

“Yes, I just... please give me a moment alone.”

“Huh?”

“......”

Jung Thomas Choi.

Are you seriously running away right now?

You promised yourself you’d show Gyeol a different side of you. A cooler side.

And now you’re going to waste the perfect chance you finally got?

Tommy clenched both fists tightly and squeezed his eyes shut before reopening them.

Then suddenly he grabbed both of Gyeol’s hands.

Even though he held Gyeol’s uninjured hand, Tommy treated it like the most fragile and precious thing in the world, barely holding on while warmth spread through his palms.

From up close, he stared into Gyeol’s clear face.

“Gyeol. I’m really going to do my best.”

“Huh? Y-yeah. Me too.”

“I’m seriously going to give it everything I have. We’re taking first place.”

Even with surprise widening his eyes, Gyeol still looked beautiful.

White.

Bright.

Blinding.

French toast didn’t matter anymore.

Just looking at Gyeol made Tommy’s throat feel sweet, like swallowing an entire mouthful of cotton candy.

And because of that, Tommy found the courage to say it.

Gathering every ounce of bravery he had, he confessed with all his strength.

“If we win... come with me. To Ivory Mansion.”