Chapter 177: AN ANNOYING SCENE
NOW let’s go back a bit. Right after lunch, an announcement echoed through the ship, instructing all contestants to go to the performance hall at one o’clock in the afternoon.
Haneul and the others had just finished their lunch and decided to walk to the performance hall together. The exception was Seojun, who ended up going with Choi Yujin instead. This wasn’t by choice, but because he sensed the awkward tension Choi Yujin’s presence had created. Since he couldn’t directly ask Choi Yujin to leave him alone, his only option was to leave with him to keep the peace.
This showed a key aspect of Seojun’s character. An Alpha who couldn’t bring himself to be unkind to an Omega, always choosing to be gentle instead. Haneul hadn’t fully noticed this quality before, probably because Seojun was naturally kind and gentle with everyone. It wasn’t until he heard Robin’s comment about Seojun being a ’gentleman’ that he truly noticed this part of him.
Not that it was a bad trait. Being a gentleman was still infinitely better than being rude or creepy. Still, it came with its own set of problems, as shown clearly by the situation with Choi Yujin.
The other was clearly interested in Seojun, and Seojun being Seojun could not bring himself to show direct rejection. Haneul wondered whether this was just how Seojun was naturally, or if he had been raised in an environment that taught him to always treat Omegas with extra care. Haneul felt that it might be more of the latter.
His thoughts were interrupted when they reached the performance hall. Just like before, rows of chairs were set up facing the stage. He followed Robin and Haru to an empty row and took a seat beside them.
As he scanned the room, a particular figure drew his attention. Or rather, his eyes seemed to find him automatically. There, three rows ahead, sat Taeyang. He had his arms crossed over his chest and was speaking with Baek Eunwoo, who sat to his right.
Since that day in Busan, the two of them had not exchanged a single word. It wasn’t exactly hard to avoid someone who seemed to be intentionally avoiding him right back. And as much as he hated to admit it, the whole situation felt genuinely terrible. When it came to Taeyang, he kept feeling like some kind of crazy person trying to pretend everything was completely fine while knowing deep inside that nothing about it felt right at all.
No, stop. He was falling down that rabbit hole again. He shook his head and started to look away. But then he noticed Park Mirae walking toward the empty seat to Taeyang’s left, two other contestants following close behind him. Seeing this, Haneul felt an unexpected heaviness settle deep in his stomach, though he couldn’t explain why. Surely it wasn’t just because he disliked Park Mirae. Right? That would make him seem terribly shallow.
Park Mirae smiled and appeared to ask a question. Taeyang glanced up briefly, then frowned. He didn’t respond and instead turned back to Baek Eunwoo. The smile on Park Mirae’s face nearly faltered at the clear dismissal. One of the contestants with him seemed angered by Taeyang’s behavior and moved as if to speak up, but Park Mirae stopped him. He said something to the agitated contestant, likely playing the role of the ’bigger person’ to calm the situation.
He turned to Taeyang once more and spoke again. This time Taeyang looked directly at Park Mirae, clear irritation on his face. He gave a short response, and a triumphant gleam appeared in Park Mirae’s eyes before he settled into the seat beside Taeyang. The two other contestants also took the empty seats next to Park Mirae.
Haneul couldn’t help but frown as he watched the entire scene unfold. What was Park Mirae trying to pull this time? He wasn’t being overly critical for no reason. Park Mirae had repeatedly shown himself to be a calculating person who acted like he deserved to be the center of attention. There was no way he was making this move now without some hidden agenda.
So what was he really after?
As he watched, Haneul saw Park Mirae "accidentally" brush his arm against Taeyang’s. It looked completely unintentional, but Haneul knew better. The move felt too deliberate. Park Mirae was clearly expecting Taeyang to turn toward him, hoping to start a conversation from that small contact. But none of that happened. Taeyang remained perfectly still and continued ignoring him as if nothing had occurred.
Haneul didn’t understand why, but he felt a small surge of pride watching the scene. Somehow he felt certain that if he were in Park Mirae’s position, Taeyang wouldn’t ignore him so completely. The thought was ridiculous, especially since Taeyang was currently ignoring him too. Well, it was more accurate to say they were mutually ignoring each other. But "ignoring" didn’t quite capture what’s happening between them. This felt more like active avoidance, as if they’d both silently agreed that staying away from each other was for the best.
Soon, all the contestants had arrived and taken their seats. PD Song Kyungho then walked onto the stage, holding a microphone as he faced the crowd.
"Good afternoon," he began. "First, I want to congratulate everyone on completing your first live performance successfully. As you might have already guessed, what comes next is an elimination round."
A heavy silence fell over the room the moment the PD mentioned the elimination round.
"We will film the elimination round on Wednesday afternoon after lunch," the PD continued. "Until then, you are free to do whatever you want on the ship. But I strongly suggest you use that time to practice and improve your skills. Does anyone have any questions?"
Haneul saw Robin raise his hand.
"Yes, Robin-ssi," the PD said.
"Can we get off the ship?" Robin asked, sounding hopeful. "Just for one day?"
His question somehow lightened the tense and serious mood. Other contestants quickly joined in, asking similar questions in different ways. The PD raised his hand, and everyone fell silent.
"There will be an off-ship activity on Monday."
That was all the PD said, but it was enough to make everyone excited.