It was Sun Choi.
He even gestured as he called Gyeol over, and thanks to that, Tommy—who had been sitting beside him—let out a small “Ah!” and quickly gave up his seat.
“Yeah, Gyeol—come sit here!”
Tommy beamed brightly, patting the empty spot he’d just vacated.
“Wow, Sun Choi. You’re being pretty forward, aren’t you?”
“You two even went on that brunch date together.”
Hee Jun Kang and Jaekyung Park teased him from the Omega side.
“......”
Sitting upright and stiff, Sun Choi’s eyes wavered noticeably. It was lucky the flickering campfire light masked it—if this had been broad daylight, everyone would’ve seen how red his ears had turned.
“Hey, I think Sun Choi’s eyes are shaking. Right?”
The teasing didn’t stop once they got a reaction.
Even so, Sun Choi stubbornly kept his arm raised, motioning again for Gyeol.
“Gyeol.”
“Aren’t you all a little too playful?”
Gyeol waved a hand lightly, then naturally slipped into the seat between Sun Choi and Tommy.
That saved me.
Relief softened his expression into a gentle smile. The moment he sat down, he lightly tapped Sun Choi’s thigh and leaned in, lowering his voice.
“Thanks for looking out for me, Sun Choi.”
“Ah—no, it’s nothing.”
Ah. He’s freezing up again.
Grateful—and finding it oddly endearing that someone built like a mountain kept fumbling like this—Gyeol’s eyes curved into a bright smile without him even realizing it.
Sun Choi froze for about a second, then abruptly cracked open a beer can. He immediately started chugging it down, drawing jeers from the others who were still picking out their drinks.
“Sun Choi! We haven’t even made a toast yet!”
“Someone’s in a hurry.”
“Is it because you’re sitting next to Gyeol? Thirsty already?”
Jaekyung Park hit the mark dead-on, and Sun Choi choked, coughing.
“See? That’s it, that’s it.”
Hee Jun Kang and Jaekyung Park chattered excitedly. Maybe because they shared a bungalow, the two seemed especially close. Then again, Gyeol also felt more at ease with Isu, who shared his room, than with the others.
“Gyeol—what kind of beer do you like?”
Tommy, seated on his right, fussed over him attentively. His wide grin made him look surprisingly young.
For some reason, he reminds me of Yuli every time I see him.
Gyeol pointed to one of the sweeter craft beers.
“Oh! I like that one too. Summusubi!”
Tommy lit up with delight.
“It’s sweet, so it goes down easy.”
“I’m so happy we have the same taste, Gyeol!”
His energy is insane.
Was liking the same beer really something to get this excited about? His energy was on another level entirely.
He really is like a kid.
Yuli used to get just as excited when her favorite snack happened to be the same as his. Those chocolate puff snacks. Whenever he took her to the supermarket and told her to pick one, she always chose those.
‘My dad and I both love these chocolate puffs!’
She’d brag to the store clerk, and randomly bring it up to neighbors or her daycare teachers too.
How adorable that had been. How lovable.
“I’ll open your beer for you. Here...”
“Thanks, Tommy.”
As Tommy handed over the can, he suddenly found himself at a loss for words.
Because Gyeol’s face—softly lit by a faint smile—was just too beautiful.
From the first time he saw him, Tommy had thought this older guy was pretty.
But it wasn’t just that. He gave up first place to help someone else. He had a kind heart. And even from the perspective of a YouTuber who specialized in eating-show content, his cooking skills were clearly exceptional.
There wasn’t a single flaw.
But right now... it felt different.
Crackle, pop.
The firelight flickered across Gyeol’s face, illuminating his gently curved eyes and that warm, gentle smile—
Like something out of an angel.
Everything except Gyeol blurred out of focus, as if the world had dimmed around him. The blink of his eyes, the movement of his lips, the simple motion of taking the beer—everything slowed.
Tommy’s heart dropped.
“Alright, alright—Yo Han Sung, give us the opening toast!”
Tommy snapped out of it with a gasp at Hee Jun Kang’s shout. Clearing his throat for no reason at all, his face was already a burning Potato—even though he hadn’t had a single sip.
“How should we do this? Call and response?”
“You say, ‘To R-Connect Season 10,’ and we answer, ‘Cheers!’ Sound good?”
“Perfect. Let’s do that.”
Good thing it’s dark.
Turning his head quickly, pretending to focus on Yo Han, Tommy kept thinking—over and over.
As everyone held a can of beer, Yo Han Sung stood up.
“It’s great that we’re all gathered here like this. Thank you for welcoming me. Let’s all get along well here on Pheromone Island. Now—R-Connect Season 10!”
“Cheers!”
They all shouted together, clinking cans with those nearby.
To hide the irritation he felt toward Yo Han, Gyeol quickly pretended to take a sip of his beer.
“Gyeol. Is it really okay for you to drink already?”
Sun Choi asked, his thick brows drawn together in concern as he studied Gyeol’s face.
“I’ll just have a little, to match the mood.”
“I’m worried. ...I wanted to be the one to save you.”
Sun Choi muttered quietly.
Honestly, I would’ve preferred that too. Not him.
Sun Choi looked unusually downcast, and it tugged at Gyeol’s chest.
Am I overstepping?
But if he put himself in Sun Choi’s place—being an Olympic gold medalist swimmer and losing first place in a swimming event of all things—it wouldn’t feel great.
He might’ve interpreted it a little off, but either way, he wanted to cheer him up.
So Gyeol lightly waved his arm.
“I’m perfectly fine thanks to you.”
“Thanks to me? I didn’t do anything.”
“Come on, that’s not true. Oh—Sun Choi, what do you want for snacks? Want some green onion pancake?”
“Huh? Pancake...?”
“Yeah. If we’re drinking anyway, you’ll have to give up on avoiding a blood sugar spike today.”
He slipped in the phrase they’d joked about earlier between them.
Sun Choi rubbed the back of his neck, his lips curling into a faint smile.
“Right. Blood sugar spike. I guess I have to give up.”
His face—usually so expressionless—softened into a smile that overlapped with the one Gyeol had once seen on the news, back when Sun Choi won his gold medal.
He really is incredible.
Someone who looked like he’d succeed at anything.
It felt unreal, being on a dating show with someone like that.
“Your smile looks good, Sun Choi.”
“Ah... ah. Yes.”
There he goes again.
Gyeol let out a small laugh and placed a serving of pancake in front of him.
After taking a bite and swallowing, Sun Choi spoke quietly.
“...Gyeol, you’re really a good person.”
“Hm?”
Gyeol tilted his head, not quite following.
Sun Choi didn’t explain further—he just held his gaze.
Against the dark ocean backdrop, that faint smile on his face filled Gyeol’s vision.
“Let’s play Truth Game!”
The brief moment broke with Hee Jun Kang’s shout. Realizing a beat too late that he’d been staring at Sun Choi, Gyeol quickly turned his attention to the suggestion, a bit embarrassed.
Truth Game was practically mandatory at drinking gatherings on dating shows. And since they’d just done the favorability vote, the timing was perfect.
“If you can’t answer, you drink. But you can only pass by drinking twice!”
“Sounds good. Then whoever answers asks the next question?”
“Exactly. Nice thinking.”
Jaekyung Park, who clicked well with Hee Jun Kang, quickly laid out the rules.
Everyone agreed, and the game began.
Hee Jun Kang raised his hand first.
“I’ve got a question for Jun Shin!”
“Yes, Hee Jun Kang. What are you going to ask? I’m already scared.”
The two, both top-tier idols, had good chemistry, their banter flowing easily. With a mischievous grin, Hee Jun Kang spoke.
“Come on, we’ll take it easy at first. How many people are you interested in right now?”
“That’s not taking it easy.”
Woo Seok Jung chimed in, and laughter rippled through the group.
This feels bad.
“For me, it’s you.”
That bastard. He’s not going to say one, is he?
Still, Jun had sharp instincts for broadcasts. Gyeol had no choice but to trust that.
His mouth felt dry. Even though he hadn’t been penalized, he took a swig of beer.
“Two.”
“Ohhh!”
The cast burst into exclamations.
That was unexpected. Gyeol had thought he’d either say one or dodge the question by drinking.
A strange feeling crept in. He took another sip of beer. The carbonation stung his throat, but his chest felt hollow.
Before he could even process why, the game continued without pause.
“I’ll ask Sun Choi.”
Jun Shin’s gaze landed right on them—where Gyeol and Sun Choi sat side by side.
“Have you already decided on one person?”
What the—
Gyeol nearly spat out his beer.
This bastard...
He hadn’t named anyone, but it was obvious who “one person” referred to.
Gyeol.
Hadn’t everyone been teasing them about it since the start?
“Wow, idols really are different. That’s savage.”
No, you know exactly what you’re doing.
It was only Day 3 out of 15. Barely a fifth of the time had passed.
And he was already asking if someone was going all-in?
It felt deliberate—like he was aiming straight for the jugular.
But Sun Choi didn’t waver.
Amid all the teasing voices floating around, he remained completely steady.
Then, calmly, firmly, he spoke.
“Yes. I’m going to focus on one person.”
The cast erupted into screams at his answer.