Chapter 97

Jun Shin’s face filled the screen in close-up as he stared at the mailbox with eyes that looked wet with tears.

Apparently Kisoo Yang wasn’t the only one who could read the deep turbulence crossing that expression.

/ What the hell happened during those 2 hours seriously I’m imagining everything right now somebody tell me

/ Uh fuck why am I crying?

/ What is that look on Jun’s face he looks like he lost his country

/ Were Jun-Gyeol actually dating during SAVE ME or what...? There’s no other explanation for that expression

/ brain: melting

Jun Shin, who had stood frozen for a long time, finally moved.

He walked toward the mailbox.

The tips of his fingers brushed over the two characters attached to it.

Gyeol Go.

/ holy shit what IS THIS???? what am I looking at??

/ I’m unstanning Moving as of today fuck this

The moment Kisoo thought, Is he really going to put the card into Gyeol’s mailbox like this?, the screen overlapped into another shot.

A pale hand with long elegant fingers slipped a card into the mailbox labeled Jun Shin.

The camera, which had been tightly focused on the hand, slowly pulled back and widened the frame.

The person placing the card into Jun Shin’s mailbox was Gyeol Go.

The screen split into two.

Jun Shin appeared on the other side, putting his own card into Gyeol’s mailbox.

But that wasn’t all.

Gyeol inserted another card into Jun Shin’s mailbox.

In other words, he had put in two cards total.

“Huh? Why are there two cards...?”

/ holy shit the first one was THAT card

/ The card Jun Shin gave him?

/ Then what’s the second one??? Did he put in Jun Shin’s card AND today’s favorability card??

/ ??????? my brain stopped working is this rejection or not?

Kisoo was just as confused.

The answer appeared on-screen immediately.

It showed Jun Shin checking the two cards he had received from Gyeol.

One was exactly what everyone expected—the Day 6 card Jun Shin had belatedly given him.

And the second card—

Thank you.

Only four neat words were written on it.

It was unmistakably Gyeol’s handwriting.

Kisoo’s vision blurred.

What kind of feelings had driven Gyeol to write that card?

What kind of heart had Jun Shin opened it with?

Even Kisoo, who knew both of their {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} pasts, could no longer begin to guess at what either of them was feeling.

Then the free-time verification photo appeared on screen.

The selfie taken in front of thick brush made it difficult to identify the exact location.

The expressions on both their faces were ambiguous.

They didn’t look happy.

But they didn’t look sad, either.

The picture merely proved that, in that moment, Gyeol Go and Jun Shin had been together.

***

Thank you for spending today with me.

A single Polaroid fluttered out from inside the card.

When Gyeol picked it up to check, it was a picture of himself alone.

Bright sunlight.

Tall trees and broad shadows cast by thick leaves.

Under scattered rays of sunlight filtering through the branches, Gyeol sat staring off somewhere far away.

Jun Shin’s gaze.

Gyeol tucked the photo back inside and folded the card shut.

The aftermath of their long-awaited reunion still refused to fade.

Even so, he did not regret his choice.

Not now.

Not ever again.

Gyeol steeled himself with that conviction.

After setting aside Jun Shin’s card, two remained.

I truly enjoyed the time we spent together at Ivory Mansion. I’ll never forget it.

I keep thinking about you.

As Gyeol checked the cards one after another, tension slowly tightened along his jaw.

He was far too exhausted today to untangle anything more complicated.

Gathering the cards neatly into one hand, Gyeol left his seat.

He wanted to return to the lodging and fall asleep as quickly as possible.

***

Even after showering, Gyeol’s exhausted mind suddenly jolted awake as though cold water had been dumped over him.

It was because he checked his phone for the first time in ages.

He had briefly turned it on to take the verification photo with Jun Shin, but because of security restrictions, he hadn’t unlocked it—he’d only snapped the picture and powered it back off.

Which meant he had gone nearly two full days without checking his phone.

He intended to send production the Golden Date verification photo and quickly check whether anything important had come in.

But the moment he powered the phone on and unlocked the screen, a flood of missed calls and messages poured in—

—and one thing instantly seized Gyeol’s attention.

Yuli was sick.

There were messages from Yuli’s preschool teacher, from Kisoo Yang, and from Bae Hyesung.

Apparently Yuli had started running a fever yesterday, the day Gyeol left for the Ivory Mansion date.

By today he had developed a cough, and his fever had stayed in the high thirty-sevens Celsius range, so he missed preschool and was taken to the pediatrician for medicine.

“Ah... what do I do...?”

Gyeol muttered the words like a groan and bit down hard on his lip.

Attached to Hyesung’s message was a photo of Yuli lying beneath a blanket, cheeks flushed bright red.

His face looked faintly swollen too. Even at a glance, he clearly wasn’t doing well.

My kid’s sick, and I didn’t even know...

Guilt rapidly spread inside him.

Pressing hard against his forehead, Gyeol quickly typed out a message to Bae Hyesung, desperately hoping he was still awake.

He wanted to call immediately, but that was too dangerous.

There were no cameras in the bathroom, but he couldn’t rule out the possibility of his conversation being overheard outside the door.

[ Bae Hyesung ]

Hyesung, are you awake?

1

I just saw the messages..

1

How’s Yuli?

1

Unable to calm himself, Gyeol paced circles around the bathroom while staring fixedly at the phone.

Thankfully, a reply arrived soon after.

His fever went up to 38 earlier

Gyeol’s heart dropped with a heavy thud.

As he hurriedly typed a response, another message arrived first.

It’s gone down to around the mid-37s now

Around 37.5–6

He cried asking for you and eventually fell asleep

At that final message, tears instantly welled in Gyeol’s eyes.

The emotions he’d forced down all day collapsed in a single moment.

He felt so sorry for Yuli.

Truly.

Terribly sorry.

Gyeol deleted everything he had been typing and started over.

Hyesung, I’m really sorry but...

Could you stay with Yuli tonight and keep an eye on him?

I’m really sorry..

Don’t worry about it. I’m already watching him anyway.

I’m studying tonight so I’ll be up all night regardless.

I’ll keep checking on him in between, so don’t worry too much.

Tears streamed down Gyeol’s cheeks.

“Hng...”

He sucked in a shaky breath and wiped his eyes roughly with the back of his hand.

If anything happens, I’ll contact you somehow.

Somehow.

The word sounded reassuring—and painful at the same time.

Because it reminded him of the reality that he was in a place where he couldn’t even freely contact people while leaving his child behind.

After thanking Hyesung and telling him good luck with studying for exams, Gyeol buried his face in both hands and stayed motionless for a long time.

Yuli was Gyeol’s deepest weakness.

The day his brother abandoned the baby and ran away, Gyeol had briefly entertained terrible thoughts.

It felt like standing at the edge of a cliff.

He had struggled desperately for so long, only to be cornered over and over again by reality.

Nothing felt like it would ever improve.

Everything left ahead of him seemed destined to be just as bad as before—or worse.

That night, he had lain beside the sleeping baby crying quietly.

Then the baby grabbed his index finger.

Gyeol could still remember the sensation vividly.

The tiny strength of that little hand.

The instinctive will to live.

The heartbeat pulsing clearly against his palm.

I need to survive.

No matter what, I have to protect this child.

That was how Gyeol and Yuli became a real family.

After that, Gyeol poured every ounce of himself into protecting Yuli and raising him safely.

He had never imagined such paternal love existed inside him.

Or maybe it wasn’t something noble or grand enough to call fatherhood at all.

Maybe he was simply bound by a sense of duty.

The responsibility of supporting a small, fragile life as the older, more mature existence between them.

Either way, Gyeol wanted to raise Yuli well.

He wanted him to grow up happy.

Pretending that appearing on R-Connect had been a decision made entirely for Yuli would be a lie.

Even so, Yuli had undeniably been one of the biggest reasons Gyeol chose to join the show.

And yet now things had become like this.

His child was sick and crying for him, but he couldn’t even stay by his side.

There was no contradiction crueler than this.

“Haa...”

Gyeol forcibly gathered together the dark thoughts spreading wildly through his mind like flames racing across a field.

Think rationally.

You’re only emotional because today exhausted you.

That’s why your thoughts keep spiraling somewhere darker.

There’s nothing you can do for Yuli right now anyway, Gyeol Go.

Just survive seven more days.

Only seven.

After taking a long, deep breath, Gyeol switched his phone to silent mode instead of turning it off.

***

Day 9. Morning.

After lying awake worrying about Yuli until nearly four in the morning, Gyeol finally drifted off and woke late.

Isu Yoon had already left the lodging after leaving behind a note saying he’d gone ahead to the lounge.

By coincidence, just like last night when Isu had fallen asleep first, Gyeol once again avoided running into him that morning.

Honestly, Gyeol thought it was for the best.

Part of him had been worried about how he was supposed to talk to Isu Yoon now.

Even if the purpose of the Golden Date had ultimately been closure, the fact remained that Jun Shin and Gyeol Go had publicly gone on the date together.

After showering and getting ready, Gyeol checked his messages.

Bae Hyesung

Yuli’s sleeping well

He’s staying home from preschool today too

(photo)

The sight of the sleeping child bathed in sunlight near the window eased Gyeol’s heart, if only slightly.

By the time Gyeol arrived at the lounge, most of the contestants were already gathered there.

But the atmosphere felt strange.

Normally people would have been chatting noisily and fooling around, but instead everyone sat silently glancing at one another.

Tommy, meanwhile, looked utterly devastated and confused.

Something’s weird here. What’s going on?

Gyeol took an empty seat.

He deliberately ignored the darkness on Jun Shin’s face.

When his eyes met Yo Han Sung’s, he looked away.

He returned Sun Choi’s morning greeting politely.

He exchanged simple greetings with Tommy, Isu Yoon, and the other Omegas as well.

Then silence settled again.

No matter how I look at it, something’s off... Did something happen yesterday while I was gone?

Just as his suspicion reached its limit, the broadcast speakers echoed through the room.

— Pheromone Island, Day 9.

— Before today’s schedule begins, we have an announcement.

— First, please welcome a new guest.

Clatter.

Someone abruptly shoved back their chair and stood.

When Gyeol turned, it was Tommy.

After noticing Tommy’s stunned expression, Gyeol followed everyone else’s gaze.

“A new late-entry twist?”

A tall man was walking across the beach toward the lounge.

“Holy shit, I think it really is.”

“No, I mean... I kind of get it, but still...”

But the contestants’ reactions felt different this time.

Very different from before.

— Our new Alpha contestant, Hwang Gyujin.

Hwang Gyujin finally reached the lounge.

The others stepped outside to greet him.

Gyeol rose as well, intending to greet the newcomer from behind the group, when sudden unease prickled through him.

Wait. Isn’t someone missing? Feels like we’re short a person.

The broadcast continued.

— Our next announcement.

— Alpha contestant Woo Seok Jung has been expelled from Pheromone Island for violating program rules and has been forcibly removed from the show.