Chapter 187: HAD HE DONE SOMETHING?
ROBIN narrowed his eyes at Haneul and Taeyang sitting across from him. When he had arrived in the dining hall earlier, he was surprised to find the two of them sitting together. Not just that, they were talking so comfortably. To his astonishment, Taeyang was even smiling, which nearly made him look twice to be sure.
After he got his food and joined them, the contrast became even clearer. He meant the difference between how they used to act around each other compared to what he was witnessing now.
Robin had long noticed that Taeyang was trying not to get too close to Haneul. He had an idea as to why. The other probably didn’t want to completely fall for Haneul. Which was understandable. They were all in a competition with only five people surviving at the end. Falling for someone during the program would just complicate things.
He understood that. That’s why he didn’t comment too much on Taeyang’s behavior even though Haneul seemed to be slightly affected by it. In fact, he felt like it was better that way. As Haneul’s friend, he wanted the other to debut with him, and getting tangled up in complicated feelings during a competition could only lead to distractions neither of them could afford.
He thought Taeyang felt the same way. So what exactly had changed so suddenly?
"Did something happen between you two?" he finally asked, unable to hold back his curiosity any longer.
Both of them turned to look at him. Taeyang’s face showed clear discomfort, as if he wasn’t sure how to respond to Robin’s question.
Haneul, however, smiled naturally and said, "We talked things out and settled our differences."
Robin studied them with suspicion. Was it really just about settling differences? He wanted to ask if they had suddenly decided to start dating. But he stopped himself. What if a camera picked up his question and created unnecessary drama? He decided to wait and ask later when they were alone and out of the cameras’ view.
Just then, Seojun walked up to their table carrying his food tray. "Hey, good morning. Mind if I join you?"
Robin glanced at the other and motioned toward the only empty seat left at their table, which happened to be right beside him. "Go ahead."
Seojun smiled gratefully and sat down next to Robin, placing his tray on the table. He picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.
It was a good thing he had decided to wake up earlier than usual. Otherwise, he would likely be having breakfast with Choi Yujin again. He knew it was unkind to feel this way about someone who simply wanted his company, but he genuinely did not enjoy their time together. This left him feeling guilty, as though he were doing something wrong. His upbringing clashed with his true feelings, and the conflict was stressing him out.
Besides, he glanced at Haneul. It felt like forever since he had last spent any real time with him. That was why he felt especially relieved to find the other having breakfast now. At least he could spend a little time with him, even if it was just during a meal.
"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" he asked, referring to tomorrow’s elimination.
"Honestly, I’d rather not think about it," Robin replied. "I’ll just get more anxious if I do, so it’s better to keep my mind off it."
"I agree," Haneul said in an even and practical tone. He looked at Seojun. "Worrying now won’t change tomorrow’s outcome, anyway."
Seojun nodded in agreement with both of them. Truthfully, he was feeling quite anxious about tomorrow’s results. His group hadn’t performed very well. Even though he received the most votes during the live audience voting against the other team, his group still lost. Without earning any bonus points, he worried whether public votes alone would be enough to keep him in the competition.
Although his initial plan by participating in this program was just to be noticed in the hopes that a management company might sign him, he didn’t want to leave this early. He was genuinely enjoying his time on the show. Besides, he stole another quick glance at Haneul. He wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the other so soon.
Seojun felt his face grow warm at his own thoughts. Why was he thinking about Haneul instead of worrying about tomorrow’s elimination? Was he secretly so confident about surviving that his mind could wander like this? He stared down at his food, feeling embarrassed by what was going through his head.
Unbeknownst to him, his reactions were all seen by Taeyang. From his secret glances in Haneul’s direction to the sudden blush while looking at Haneul. Seeing all that, Taeyang’s grip on his chopsticks tightened. If the chopsticks were made of wood, they would have broken from how hard he was holding them.
What’s wrong with this guy? It’s like he’s doing some kind of one man show with no audience watching. Unfortunately, Taeyang saw it all, and for some reason, it annoyed the hell out of him.
No, it’s not exactly ’for some reason’. This feeling he was experiencing now felt very familiar. It closely resembled what he usually felt whenever he saw Haneul interacting with Han Seojun. Now that he had stopped denying the truth to himself and had accepted his own feelings, he recognized this emotion perfectly.
Jealousy.
The emotion churning in his chest right now was none other than jealousy. This was not even the first time he had felt this way. It was just much easier to admit it now.
He didn’t like the way Han Seojun kept glancing at Haneul. Those looks felt too familiar, too much like how he himself looked at Haneul. On top of that, a thread of panic wound through him. Han Seojun would probably be much easier to like than he was. The thought made him stab his pickled radish with such force that the plate nearly cracked beneath it.
Seojun, who had just looked up, noticed Taeyang glaring directly at him. A question mark appeared in his mind. Had he done something wrong?