Chapter 89

Gyeol’s eyes blinked rapidly.

So that was the sentence Sun had trailed off on earlier.

“I think there’s been some misunderstanding. I didn’t mean it in a bad way—”

“It’s not a misunderstanding, Gyeol. Doesn’t being comfortable mean you don’t feel excited?”

“.......”

He couldn’t argue with that.

But emotions weren’t something that could be divided so simply.

Gyeol was comfortable around Sun. If someone asked him to choose the Alpha on this island he felt safest with, he would pick Sun without hesitation.

Tommy was fun to be around too, but the only person who truly allowed Gyeol to lower his guard was Sun Choi.

At the same time, Sun stood at the complete opposite end of the spectrum from Jun Shin and Yo Han Sung.

Jun tore open old wounds, stirred up buried feelings, and left Gyeol’s chest aching.

Yo Han held secrets over his head, threatened him, and shook his instincts badly enough to leave him confused.

Unlike them, Sun was constant.

Stable.

He put Gyeol’s heart at ease.

And unlike the others, who all shared some kind of connection with Gyeol’s past, Sun was someone he had only met after arriving on this island.

It had barely even been a week.

Trying to define his emotions already felt reckless.

But if someone asked whether Sun meant nothing to him—

that absolutely wasn’t true either.

As sincerely as Sun had treated him, Gyeol wanted to answer that sincerity honestly in return.

He didn’t want to fake feelings he didn’t have or pretend something existed when it didn’t.

At this point, Gyeol finally realized something.

Coming onto a dating program while claiming he only cared about success had been a complete contradiction from the start.

“...I’m sorry. I must really be drunk. I didn’t mean to make things difficult for you.”

Sun released him and slowly straightened up.

“I can’t let you sleep in the living room, Gyeol. I’ll sleep outside.”

“Sun, wait.”

Gyeol hurriedly grabbed his arm.

“I’ll tell you exactly how I feel right now.”

No calculations.

No strategy.

Just the truth.

“Because you’ve been so kind to me, because you’ve treated me sincerely, I want to be sincere with you too. ...No matter what direction that leads in.”

His mouth felt painfully dry.

Swallowing hard, Gyeol continued.

“But I still don’t fully understand my feelings yet. So... please give me a few more days.”

“.......”

“I’ll think carefully about it. Seriously. Honestly. And once I’m certain about how I feel, I’ll tell you my answer as quickly as possible.”

Silence followed.

Sun’s expression twisted faintly before he dragged a hand across his face and let out something close to a sigh.

“...I wasn’t trying to burden you.”

Gyeol shook his head softly.

That wasn’t true at all.

“It’s not like that. You just helped me realize something I needed to face.”

“.......”

“I told you already. You’re someone who has a positive effect on me.”

At those words, Sun gave a strained smile.

Gyeol could tell he was forcing it.

He didn’t add anything unnecessary.

“...Understood. Then I’ll wait. But please remember one thing.”

“Okay.”

“I can wait as long as necessary. One day, two days, several days. Even until the program ends if I have to. ...Because like I told you before, my feelings won’t change.”

Gyeol pressed lightly against his lower lip before finally nodding.

But inwardly, he was thinking something entirely different.

I don’t want to drag this out that long.

Trying to calculate the most advantageous path, getting crushed by circumstances, getting swept around by emotions—

it was time to stop living like that.

In the darkness, Gyeol’s eyes shone clearly.

“...Okay, Sun.”

“I’ll sleep outside. I can’t let you sleep in the living room.”

If Gyeol had been calculating here, he probably would’ve invited Sun to stay in the bedroom with him for the sake of appearances.

But he didn’t.

“Okay, then... I’ll see you tomorrow morning. Good night.”

“Yes. Sleep well, Gyeol.”

Gyeol didn’t want {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} to turn away from the pain still lingering openly on Sun’s face.

He didn’t want to hold onto him selfishly and force him to endure something painful.

This was a moment that needed time.

And distance.

“I’m truly sorry about earlier.”

With one final bow of his head, Sun left the room.

The bedroom door closed soundlessly behind him.

Gyeol remained alone in the dim light.

***

He washed his face, brushed his teeth, changed into pajamas, and climbed into bed—

but sleep refused to come for a long time.

Curled up in one corner of the absurdly oversized bed, Gyeol listened carefully to the sounds outside.

Nothing.

Had Sun fallen asleep already?

Left alone in the unfamiliar room, thoughts flooded in.

What am I even doing here right now?

The endless trainee years.

The brief life he’d lived as part of SAVE ME.

The handful of dramas he’d acted in as supporting cast.

Yuli’s birth.

Everything that had led him here now.

His sleepless mind replayed the years one after another like a spinning lantern reel.

Eventually, Gyeol threw off the blankets and sat up.

Lying still while unable to sleep was the stupidest thing imaginable.

It was better to do something.

Anything.

“Right. There was that.”

He suddenly remembered the Golden Date Card he’d received earlier that day.

He needed to figure out when and how to use it.

Ideally, the card should be used sooner rather than later.

R-Connect moved at an extremely fast pace, and if too much time passed, viewers would naturally forget old systems and events.

If he wanted to maximize the value of this golden ticket he’d earned, he needed to use it quickly.

Turning up the brightness of the mood lights, Gyeol climbed out of bed.

“I put it somewhere in here earlier......”

After reaching deep into his bag, his fingers soon caught on the stiff edge of the card.

Pulling it out, Gyeol carefully reread the back side he’d only skimmed earlier.

The card holder may leave the island one time for a city date.

The card holder may personally choose the date location and course.

The card holder must notify production staff and their chosen date partner no later than the morning of the date.

During the date, there will be two hours of [CAMERA OFF — FREE TIME].

: For two hours, the card holder and their chosen date partner may leave the cameras behind and spend private time completely alone. No cameras, microphones, or staff will follow them.

: It is time belonging entirely to the two of them. As long as they remain together, they may go anywhere and do anything they want.

: However, one verification photo during free time is mandatory. Aside from that, all activities are left to the couple’s conscience.

The final condition caught Gyeol’s eye immediately.

A brand-new addition absent from previous seasons.

That’s pretty bold. They’re deliberately trying to provoke people’s imaginations.

At first glance, it resembled the “off time” from pheromone matching.

But unlike that, this involved an open environment instead of a confined space.

And rather than simply turning off the cameras, it guaranteed complete privacy — no filming, no microphones, no production staff.

Even if it’s a dating show, does giving people two full hours of total freedom really make sense?

Sitting cross-legged on the bed with the card laid out before him, Gyeol sank deep into thought.

Previous Golden Date Cards had mainly been meaningful because they allowed contestants to leave the island itself.

Fifteen days wasn’t exactly a short amount of time, and constantly filming only the island risked making the visuals feel repetitive and stale even with occasional Ivory Mansion dates mixed in.

Some dating programs even filmed for an entire month.

But those shows usually placed contestants in shared housing in the middle of Seoul while allowing them to maintain their ordinary daily routines.

Work.

School.

Normal life.

They simply shared a “lodging.”

Dates happened during free time or on weekends.

A week was too short for emotions to fully ignite.

A month was too long to keep people trapped on an island.

So R-Connect had chosen the compromise: fifteen days.

We’re already past the one-week point. Viewers are probably starting to get restless. If possible, using the card tomorrow would be ideal.

But with who?

Still holding onto the question, Gyeol climbed off the bed and walked toward the window.

When he pulled back the curtains, the full moon cast a long silver path across the black sea.

Even while staring out at the water, the final condition of the card kept circling endlessly through his mind.

***

Gyeol kicked off the blankets and bolted upright.

There were moments when someone woke up and immediately sensed that they were completely fucked.

Sleeping far more deeply than expected.

An unnaturally refreshing feeling.

The strange impression that too much sunlight was pouring into the room.

Sure enough—

when Gyeol hurriedly shoved open the bedroom door, the person sitting on the living room sofa was not Sun Choi.

His first Ivory Mansion date flashed through his mind.

Back then too, Yo Han Sung had been swapped out for another Alpha.

“Good morning.”