Falling for the Omega Idol-Chapter 202: ANOTHER INCIDENT (I)

HANEUL smiled at Seojun and gave him a sincere congratulation. "Congratulations, hyung. I’m really happy for you."

And he was. Although a part of him still thought that Taeyang deserved the first spot, that was really just his own bias talking. He was just glad that his appearance in this program didn’t really affect Seojun’s popularity. It was one thing he’d been worried about, considering all the changes that had happened so far. Even though there was no genuine need for Haneul to feel guilty, he probably wouldn’t have been able to stop himself from feeling that way if Seojun had ended up with a low rank. It would’ve felt too much like it was his own fault. After all, his presence was the only big change that could’ve affected the other’s ranking. But it seemed like he didn’t really have to worry. At the end of the day, Seojun was still the public’s favorite.

Seojun smiled shyly. He actually still couldn’t believe he’d ranked first. It was like he was still in a dream. He felt even happier seeing Haneul genuinely happy for him. He’d thought the other would feel awkward congratulating him since he was also friends with Taeyang, but there was none of that awkwardness. In his mind, he wanted to think that it was because Haneul felt closer to him.

"Thank you, Haneul-ah," he said with a gentle smile. "Congratulations to you too. I’m happy we can still continue on this journey together."

Taeyang, standing to the side, narrowed his eyes as he watched Han Seojun. The guy was looking at Haneul with that soft, fond gaze, and it felt like he was practically announcing his feelings to the whole room. And then there was that line about ’continuing this journey together.’ What was that about? Did Han Seojun really think it was just him and Haneul in this whole competition?

He looked down at the floor, taking a slow breath to force himself to calm down. If he didn’t get a grip, he might end up stepping right between them and shoving Han Seojun away from Haneul. That’d make him look like some kind of possessive caveman. Sure, it’s true he felt possessive over Haneul, but that didn’t mean he wanted Haneul to see him that way. He really didn’t want Haneul to start thinking of him as some narrow-minded, jealous jerk. Even if, deep down, that was probably exactly what he was.

So, he stayed where he was and did the next best thing. He spoke to Han Seojun to pull his attention away from Haneul.

"Congratulations," he said.

Seojun was slightly startled by Jung Taeyang’s voice. He turned to the other. Seeing his expressionless face, Seojun only realized now that Taeyang was actually standing right beside Haneul. This just showed how focused he’d been on Haneul.

He offered an awkward smile. "Thank you. Congratulations to you too."

"Seojun-ah!"

The sound of that familiar voice made Seojun tense up. It almost made him want to close his eyes, because he felt sure that some kind of problem was coming right after it. He turned to look and saw Yujin running straight in their direction. And he subconsciously just moved in front of Haneul.

Yujin’s mind was so full and jumbled with what Mirae had told him he honestly did not know what to do next. All his thoughts were tangled up. The only clear thing he wanted right now was to get the truth out to Seojun. He needed to make it absolutely clear that Kang Haneul was a recessive Omega, and that Seojun was just being tricked by him. He was convinced that if Seojun knew this, he wouldn’t be so interested in that jerk anymore.

But when he finally got close, he saw Seojun step in front of Kang Haneul, right after he had called out to him. It looked like Seojun was positioning himself to shield that jerk. To shield him from Yujin.

That was the last straw. And Yujin just saw red.

"Ahm, Y-Yujin--"

Seojun wasn’t able to finish what he was about to say because Yujin just rushed at him, shouting; 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Do you even know that Kang Haneul is a recessive Omega?"

When Yujin saw how Seojun tilted his head, he looked genuinely confused. It was like Seojun didn’t understand why Yujin was saying these things out of nowhere, or why he was making such a huge deal out of it. That blank, confused look made Yujin feel like he was going to explode on the spot.

Without thinking, Yujin reached out and shoved Seojun hard to the side. He had no idea where the sudden strength came from. It felt like a rush of pure adrenaline was pumping through his entire body. Then he turned and faced Kang Haneul. He released his own pheromones, pushing them out and directing them straight at the other.

Haneul, who was also confused by Choi Yujin’s sudden approach, suddenly smelled something sickeningly sweet in the air. The smell was so strong it made his stomach turn. At the same time, a heavy pressure seemed to push down on his whole body. His legs felt weak, like they might buckle under him at any second, and a deep tiredness washed over his muscles. His chest felt tight, and it became harder to take a full breath.

What the heck was happening?

He raised his head and saw the mocking look on Choi Yujin’s face. It was as if Haneul’s own reaction was all the proof Yujin needed. What was it he’d said, that Haneul was a recessive Omega? And what if he was? What’s so wrong about that? He then noticed how most of the contestants standing close by had backed away, some even covering their noses. Were they smelling the same awful thing he was smelling?

Haneul suddenly remembered the incident with Lee Minjae. And the first thing he thought of was ’pheromones’. Was he smelling Choi Yujin’s pheromones? He couldn’t really think straight because he was still fighting the strong urge to just fall down.

And that’s when he smelled a familiar and comforting scent, followed by a strong arm wrapping around his shoulders, stopping him from falling.