Chapter 84

Tommy let out a dumbfounded noise at Jun Shin’s words, which sounded almost ominous.

“Huh...?”

But Gyeol reacted differently. He immediately yanked Tommy’s neck backward and pulled their center of gravity away.

“Tommy, fall back!”

Gyeol’s shout, Tommy stumbling backward, and Jun Shin lunging forward all happened at the same time.

“Ghk—”

Tommy swallowed a gasp.

Two hand spans.

If Gyeol hadn’t read it in advance and hurried Tommy into motion instead of staying frozen in place, they would have collided head-on with Jun.

“Jun, aren’t you coming at us way too terrifyingly all of a sudden?”

Realizing what had just happened, Tommy recoiled in horror and jerked his body the opposite way. Despite his huge build, he moved surprisingly fast. He was absurdly strong to begin with, so even carrying Gyeol, the extra weight clearly didn’t slow him down much.

Jun Shin chased right after them anyway.

Clinging to Tommy’s back, Gyeol watched Jun’s hand close in like it was about to grab the stag tail at any second.

“Tommy, grab my arm!”

“Huh?”

The answer ended as a question, but Tommy instinctively did exactly what Gyeol told him to, grabbing the arm hooked around his neck.

At the same time, one of Gyeol’s legs came free.

He twisted hard and kicked at Jun’s arm.

“...!”

The kick didn’t land cleanly, but Jun clearly hadn’t expected Gyeol to move like that. He looked genuinely startled.

The moment Jun faltered, Tommy instantly sprinted the other way. Gyeol wrapped his legs around him again, and Tommy firmly readjusted his grip beneath Gyeol’s thighs. The two of them moved together with seamless coordination, like they’d practiced it beforehand.

“You dodge well.”

And that exact fact only provoked Jun even more.

A disbelieving laugh escaped him before he charged again.

The instant Tommy and Jun’s chests slammed together, Gyeol didn’t miss his chance. Tightening his legs, he dropped his body low.

Straight for Jun’s waist.

Straight for the bear tail.

Hee Jun Kang didn’t stay still either. At the exact moment Gyeol tore off Jun’s bear tail, Hee Jun struck away Gyeol’s long stag antlers.

“Tommy, back up!”

“Yes!”

Tommy hurried backward to widen the distance, but—

Snap.

The stag antlers finally hit the ground.

It didn’t matter.

Because the remaining bear tail was already clenched tightly in Gyeol’s hand.

Jun Shin, Hee Jun Kang. Eliminated.

“Ah... we lost.”

“Hah... ngh...”

Hee Jun let out a sigh while Jun dropped heavily onto the ground, breathing hard.

For a split second, Jun and Gyeol’s eyes met in passing.

One brief instant.

But enough to carve itself in like branding.

Only for a moment, though.

Gyeol quickly tore his gaze away to follow Tommy’s movements. This wasn’t the time to get trapped in pointless emotions.

“Tommy. Are you okay?”

“My legs are kinda shaky... but they already were since this morning! I’m fine!”

“Since it’s come to this, let’s wipe them all out fast.”

“Yes!”

When Gyeol smacked Tommy’s back twice, Tommy answered loudly.

Only two teams left.

Grinding his teeth, Gyeol looked ahead and saw—

“Do it properly.”

“I am doing it properly.”

Sun Choi and Yo Han Sung were locked in fierce combat.

Sun’s team had lost their headband, while Yo Han’s team had lost their tail. Seeing the remaining tiger headband and dog tail, Gyeol lightly tapped Tommy’s shoulder, signaling him to stop for now.

With opponents like those two, jumping recklessly into the chaos was suicide. Reading the situation came first.

“I don’t think you are.”

“Who would dare hold back against an athlete like you?”

Both of them were breathing heavily while exchanging a bizarre conversation no one else could understand.

Confusion spread across Gyeol’s face.

Jaekyung Park and Isu Yoon, riding on their backs, looked equally lost.

Bodies collided.

They chased and countered each other through several brutal exchanges before facing off again.

“Eek.”

Tommy inhaled sharply at the terrifying pressure between them.

Still, he couldn’t just stand there staring forever.

“Gyeol. What do we do? Should we jump in?”

“Wait a little. Better to look for an opening than rush in and get crushed between whales fighting.”

There was something between Yo Han and Sun beyond the excitement of the match itself.

I can’t explain it exactly, but...

Gyeol could at least tell that Sun’s expression looked unusually vicious.

His confusion barely had time to settle before Sun suddenly stepped forward and slammed directly into Yo Han.

With his left shoulder.

Anyone watching would’ve expected Yo Han to meet the attack head-on with force.

But he didn’t.

“...!”

Shock flashed across Yo Han’s face.

After getting hit by Sun, Yo Han lost his balance and stumbled sideways.

“Ah!”

Unable to withstand the recoil, Isu lost his grip on Yo Han and fell.

Yo Han Sung, Isu Yoon. Eliminated.

“Oh no— I’m sorry, Yo Han.”

“It’s fine. I lost my balance. You worked hard, Isu.”

Grinding his molars together, Sun stared down at Yo Han before turning around.

The intense gaze aimed in their direction immediately put Tommy on guard.

Gyeol unconsciously inhaled too.

The same thought crossed both remaining teams’ minds.

Only one team left.

Steal the tail.

Or take the entire team down.

The dog tail is way longer than the stag tail. We’ve got the advantage.

As long as Tommy could hold out.

Leaving empty space between them, the two Alphas slowly circled while glaring at each other.

Under the scorching sunlight, sweat streamed down the backs of their necks and along their thighs.

Sun really wasn’t an easy opponent.

The reassuring solidity he’d had as an ally transformed into overwhelming pressure the moment he became an enemy. Even the look in his eyes when facing someone felt different from ordinary people.

Pressing himself tightly against Tommy so he wouldn’t fall, Gyeol whispered into his ear.

“Tommy, I’m going to count backward from three. When I hit zero, can you charge in fast and close the distance as much as possible?”

They couldn’t drag this out.

Everyone was already exhausted. They had to finish it in one decisive move.

“Yes. I can do it. I will.”

“Good. Three...”

The arms gripping Gyeol’s thighs tightened harder.

“Two. One...”

From where their bodies touched, Gyeol could feel Tommy’s entire body pulled taut with tension.

“Zero. Now!”

The instant Gyeol shouted, Tommy exploded forward at full speed.

Every time his feet pounded against the sand, his body jolted violently. Feeling like he might fly off at any moment, Gyeol wrapped both arms tightly around Tommy’s neck.

“Jaekyung. Hold on tight.”

“Huh?”

But there was one variable Gyeol hadn’t accounted for.

The near-animal athletic instinct of someone who had spent his entire life as an elite athlete.

Sun Choi didn’t move until Tommy and Gyeol came right up to him.

He didn’t charge toward them.

Didn’t dodge sideways.

He simply stood perfectly still.

What? Why...

A split second after confusion flooded Gyeol’s mind—

Sun disappeared from his sight.

“...Gyeol!”

“I know! Tommy, lower your—”

Unable to stop because of the momentum, Tommy shouted frantically as he lurched forward.

Tommy hurriedly lowered himself.

But it was already too late.

Sun was already underneath them.

Gyeol threw himself downward instinctively—

Only to freeze for a moment because Sun’s face was suddenly far too close.

Something white swept past his vision in slow motion.

The stag tail.

Tommy, Gyeol Go. Eliminated.

“AAAAAAAHHHHH!”

Tommy collapsed to the ground screaming.

Even then, he never let go of Gyeol.

Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, Gyeol patted Tommy comfortingly before climbing off his back.

“You worked hard, Tommy. Sorry. I reacted a second too late.”

“No, it’s okay. My legs gave out too...”

The winners are Sun Choi and Jaekyung Park.

Congratulations.

“Wait, seriously? We actually got first place?”

“You worked hard, Jaekyung.”

“Sun, you’re seriously insane. This was all because of you.”

When Jaekyung raised a hand for a high five, Sun awkwardly slapped it back, all the fierce momentum from moments ago completely gone.

Sun Choi and Jaekyung Park have won the Ivory Mansion date pass.

Please invite the person you wish to visit Ivory Mansion with today.

After bowing politely toward Jaekyung, Sun straightened and strode forward.

The cameras zoomed in tightly on him.

His bronze body gleaming beneath the sunlight.

Broad shoulders.

Muscles sculpted so perfectly they looked carved by meticulous master artists.

And finally—

Sun’s face.

The sharp, aggressive gaze he’d worn throughout the entire match, reminiscent of his athlete days, slowly softened at last.

The moment he helped Tommy back to his feet—

And looked at Gyeol.

“Gyeol.”

Sun called his name, his voice roughened slightly from the intense exertion.

Gyeol knew exactly what was coming next.

Or maybe because he knew, his chest tightened painfully.

Then Sun held out his hand.

“Will you go to the mansion with me?”

The sea crashed wildly around them.

The blazing sun warped the air itself.

Yet Sun’s presence remained painfully vivid.