Chapter 83

Gyeol did not answer immediately.

Even knowing it wasn’t something that could be answered lightly, Tommy found himself staring desperately at Gyeol’s lips while he waited.

He watched every tiny movement—the pretty lips tinted with soft color parting slightly, hesitating, curling inward as small teeth briefly caught the lower lip.

“Um....”

When Gyeol finally spoke, his first word came carefully.

Holding his breath, Tommy waited for the rest.

Their faces were close enough that Tommy could see everything: Gyeol’s faintly wavering eyes, the subtle blush spreading across his cheeks.

He felt happy.

Happy that his words had affected Gyeol enough to draw out this kind of reaction.

That they’d had some effect at all.

“...Everyone’s staring at us, Tommy.”

Avoiding Tommy’s heated gaze, Gyeol whispered the words softly.

Only then did Tommy abruptly come back to his senses.

Just like Gyeol said, every contestant and staff member had gone silent, completely focused on them.

Tommy’s eyes rolled slowly back toward Gyeol.

Gyeol’s face was even redder than before, his gaze lowered shyly.

A beat later, Tommy finally noticed their tightly clasped hands.

Suddenly the warmth of Gyeol’s skin and the softness of his touch became vividly real.

“...!”

Awareness crashed over him all at once.

Startled out of his mind, Tommy instantly let go of Gyeol’s hands.

He wanted to apologize, but his face burned so fiercely his tongue barely worked.

“S-sorry. Uh....”

“No, no, it’s okay. I just thought I should say something.”

Waving both hands quickly, Gyeol soothed him.

Now even Tommy’s body felt hot.

Honestly, he wanted to dive straight into the freezing sea.

Maybe scrub himself down in cold water and then get swept far, far away by the saltwater current.

At this point, naturally drifting away from Pheromone Island altogether didn’t sound bad.

He could even go straight back to America.

“Wow, King Potato. Thought you were shy, but guess not. You’re a real man.”

“Seriously. Tommy steps up when it counts.”

“A total man among men.”

“...Please stop teasing me.”

Burying his face in both hands, Tommy practically whimpered.

Gyeol patted his back gently, which only made it more embarrassing.

“Gyeol, I’m okay....”

At Tommy’s strained mutter, Gyeol’s hand stopped.

After hesitating awkwardly, Gyeol stepped a little closer and spoke in a tiny voice only Tommy could hear.

“I’ll seriously think about going to Ivory Mansion with you, Tommy.”

“......!”

The embarrassment and humiliation vanished instantly.

Tommy dropped his hands and jerked his head up.

Startled by the sudden movement, Gyeol let out a small laugh.

“So first, let’s win.”

“...Yes!”

Grinning broadly, Gyeol smiled with his eyes.

Even the angle of his curved eyes, the way they folded when he smiled—there wasn’t a single imperfect thing about him.

And Gyeol’s face was still flushed pink.

I can do it too.

I can make Gyeol blush too.

Tommy’s heart pounded so hard it felt like it was physically swelling larger inside his chest.

Then Gyeol held out a fist.

Lightly bumping it with his own, Tommy felt like he already possessed the entire world even though the game hadn’t even started yet.

If he’d had wings, he probably would’ve flown.

Then suddenly he made eye contact with Hee Jun Kang, who was watching from over Gyeol’s shoulder.

Startled, Hee Jun smiled awkwardly, waved at Tommy, then made a little fighting gesture like he was cheering him on.

Feeling a pang of guilt, Tommy gave him a small wave back.

Lately, this had been one of the things troubling Tommy the most.

Hee Jun had consistently shown interest in him, and Tommy genuinely wanted to respond kindly if he could.

But just like so many people on dating shows...

Hee Jun was the comfortable one.

And Gyeol was the exciting one.

It wasn’t even like Hee Jun pressured him or aggressively pushed for his feelings to be accepted.

If anything, that made Tommy feel even more conflicted.

During the second pheromone matching, Tommy had already known Hee Jun’s pheromone.

And despite being undeniably most drawn to it, Tommy deliberately chose another scent instead.

He’d been too confused to let things look like they were officially becoming a couple.

But then Hee Jun had chosen Tommy again anyway.

Afterward, he treated Tommy normally like always and even sent him a favorability card.

Tommy felt so guilty he could die.

I really don’t think someone like me fits a dating show.

Weighing people against each other didn’t suit Tommy’s personality at all.

But he also didn’t have the courage to boldly charge straight ahead like Sun did.

And honestly, that would feel far too cruel to Hee Jun too.

— R-Connect Lovey-Dovey Team Match will now begin.

— All contestants, please move to your designated positions immediately.

The contestants paired off in teams and spread into a circular formation while the announcement continued.

— Just like the previous game, the match will begin immediately after the signal sounds three times.

— Everyone, please carry your partner now.

“Excuse me, but can the Omega carry the Alpha instead? Hee Jun’s stronger than I am.”

“Stop talking nonsense and crouch down.”

At Jun Shin’s joke, Hee Jun jabbed him sharply in the side with his elbow.

“Ugh!”

Groaning dramatically, Jun crouched down and offered his back.

“Get on, Hee Jun.”

Tommy bent down like an ox and gestured toward Gyeol.

“Then excuse me.”

“I hope you’re not uncomfortable....”

“...I seriously don’t think that’s possible.”

Slight exaggeration aside, Tommy’s back was broad enough to carry two people.

If they were Yuli’s size, he could probably fit three.

At this point it felt less like a back and more like a human carriage.

The moment Gyeol carefully climbed onto him, Tommy wrapped his arms beneath Gyeol’s legs and rose in one smooth motion.

The sudden sensation of being lifted high into the air made Gyeol instinctively throw his arms around Tommy’s neck.

“You okay?”

“Yes. Very. Tommy, isn’t this heavy? I weigh a little more than most Omegas.”

“Not at all! You’re light as a feather. This is exactly why I spent all that time eating enough for twenty people. Seriously, just hold onto me tight. Don’t fall. You can choke me if you need to.”

“No, I don’t really want to torment you like that....”

— Beep—

The first signal cut Gyeol’s words short.

Tommy tightened his arms and adjusted Gyeol more securely on his back.

Every pair exchanged tense looks.

— Beep—

— BEEEEEP!

The instant the final long signal sounded, Jun Shin’s team moved first.

“Forward!”

“Yes, sir!”

With Hee Jun’s booming shout, Jun sprinted straight toward Woo Seok at terrifying speed.

“Huh? Huh?! What the hell? Why are you coming at me?!”

Panicked, Woo Seok twisted around and tried fleeing the other direction.

“Why are you running instead of taking the hit head-on and knocking him over?”

“Because he’s charging at me like a psycho!”

Grabbing Woo Seok’s hair split neatly down the middle like a scene out of Ratatouille, Hanseul yanked the right side sharply.

“Turn right!”

“Ow! Hey! That hurts! What are you doing?!”

Complaining the entire time, Woo Seok still obeyed Hanseul’s steering like a marionette dangling from strings.

Meanwhile, Yo Han and Sun immediately launched into their own second showdown.

On their backs, Isu and Jaekyung were carried helplessly all over the place while desperately stretching their arms out whenever tiny openings appeared.

“I’ll finish this quickly so you won’t get tired, athlete Choi.”

“Thank you for saying that. But I’m not tired.”

Neither of them could even brush the other’s headband with the tips of their fingernails.

The two Alphas practically carried their partners with one arm while using the other to desperately reach for tails.

From the very start, the team match was total chaos.

Caught in a scene so ridiculous it was impossible to tell whether to laugh or cry, Tommy and Gyeol ended up awkwardly standing off to the side like forgotten extras.

“W-what do we do?”

Tommy fidgeted anxiously.

On his back, Gyeol shook his head.

“It’s okay. Don’t waste your energy. Staying back quietly and conserving strength is strategy too in situations like this.”

“Ooooh. Got it. Okay.”

While Tommy admired Gyeol’s brilliance, Jun finally caught up to Woo Seok.

“Persistent bastard.”

“Give up, Woo Seok.”

Already exhausted, Woo Seok clicked his tongue while glaring at Jun’s smug grin.

“Hah!”

Suddenly Hanseul climbed higher onto Woo Seok’s back, practically driving a knee into him as he stretched his upper body forward.

Ignoring Woo Seok’s scream, Hanseul desperately reached out and snatched Hee Jun’s headband clean off in one motion.

“Hey! Hanseul, seriously?!”

“Use your arms more. Feels like I’m about to fall.”

Woo Seok exploded in outrage, but Hanseul remained shameless.

In reality, Woo Seok was so physically useless that Hanseul was basically hanging onto him entirely with leg strength.

In a way, they were a perfect combo.

“Sorry, Jun...!”

“It’s okay. Hold on tight!”

Taking advantage of the moment while Woo Seok and Hanseul bickered, Jun abruptly lowered his body and attacked from below.

The cat tail attached to Woo Seok came off with a riiip the instant Jun grabbed it.

“Ah. They stole our tail. What are you even doing? Back up, back up.”

“Stop yanking my hair!”

Hanseul pulled Woo Seok’s head backward, forcing him to stagger clumsily in reverse.

Jun didn’t miss the chance.

He instantly hooked his leg behind Woo Seok’s calf.

“Ah! Hey!”

With a desperate shout, Woo Seok’s body tipped backward.

Hanseul clung to his back until the very end, but once Woo Seok—the actual base holding him up—lost balance, survival was impossible.

In the end, Woo Seok and Hanseul crashed backward together like a collapsing sandwich.

— Woo Seok Jung and Hanseul Ga eliminated.

“Yes.”

Jun calmly lifted his chin.

Then his eyes searched for the next target.

And immediately locked onto one spot.

King Potato and Gyeol.

“H-holy shit, h-he’s coming. He’s coming, Gyeol.”

“I can see that too. Be careful. Jun Shin isn’t just athletic—he’s smart.”

Tommy and Gyeol raised their guard together.

But intelligence wasn’t the only problem.

The instant Jun looked directly at Gyeol riding on another Alpha’s back, something inside his head snapped completely.

Jun Shin’s eyes look seriously messed up right now....

Gyeol noticed instantly.

“Tommy. Whatever happens, don’t let him push you back.”

“Huh?”

Right after Gyeol’s warning, Jun approached them and spoke.

“Sorry. But this time, I absolutely have to win.”