Falling for the Omega Idol-Chapter 87: SHARED DISAPPOINTMENT

TAEYANG stood at the corner with his earphones on. Since smartphones weren’t allowed, he was probably using an iPod—most likely a Shuffle or a Nano, as the iPod Touch has internet connectivity, which wouldn’t be permitted. Given the rules, it had to be one of those simpler models, just enough for him to listen to music without breaking any restrictions.

His posture was relaxed, his head slightly bowed. His fingers occasionally fidgeted with the cord of his earphones. The small action seemed to match the quiet rhythm of his breathing. He stood still, almost detached from the activity around him. It was clear that, in that moment, the world outside his earphones barely registered.

That was very similar to the atmosphere of Taeyang ’the solo-artist’ Haneul remembered from his previous world. Just looking at him, it almost felt like the friendly interaction he had with the other yesterday was just a short fever dream.

As the disappointment he had buried began to resurface, Haneul quickly looked away. His eyes landed on Song Jiwoo, who was sitting nearby, looking relaxed and almost lazily at ease. Without giving it much thought, Haneul made his way over and quietly sat down beside him.

"Hey," he called the other.

Song Jiwoo gave him a quick glance and a slight nod, then leaned back against the wall, settling into his relaxed position once more.

Haneul glanced around the room, noticing the cameras capturing every angle and several staff members focused on recording. Shifting his attention away from them, he turned his gaze to the other contestants in the room instead.

Including himself, there were already six people in the practice room. Soon, ten contestants would gather here to meet the mentors. Since this was the scheduled "Song" block, the mentors would focus on evaluating their singing of the theme song. In contrast, those scheduled in the "Dance" block would be tested on performing the choreography.

Haneul felt confident about singing the theme song, so there was no sense of worry or nervousness yet. The real challenge would come later, when it was time for the choreography in the afternoon, but that was something to deal with when the time came. Right now, he needed to focus on the task at hand. He didn’t want to make any mistakes by getting distracted thinking about what was coming next.

While Haneul was lost in thought, Taeyang was secretly glancing in his direction. Contrary to what Haneul had assumed earlier—that Taeyang was absorbed in his own world—Taeyang had noticed him the moment he stepped into the practice room. He had just been doing his best to avoid looking his way.

Taeyang had expected Haneul to walk up and stand beside him. After all, aside from Robin, he was probably the person Haneul was most familiar with. With Robin absent, it seemed natural for Haneul to approach him. Especially considering that it would be quite easy to spot him, with him being so tall and all. But when Haneul chose to sit elsewhere, Taeyang felt an unexpected twinge of... disappointment.

He quickly felt ridiculous—and, if he was honest, a bit stupid. After all, he was the one who had decided to distance himself from Haneul. And yet, here he was, disappointed that Haneul hadn’t chosen to sit beside him or even approach him. It hadn’t even been a full day since he made that decision, and he was already acting like this. He should direct that disappointment at himself.

Making a decision and then regretting it almost immediately—that was the height of immaturity. It might be excusable if he were young and inexperienced, but the reality was, he wasn’t even a real teenager anymore! So he should know better.

That’s why he needed to stick to his decision. Not out of pride or an unwillingness to admit he’d acted impulsively, but because deep down, he knew it was the right thing to do.

Yes, it was the right thing to do—not for his own sake, but for Haneul’s. frёewebηovel.cѳm

It wasn’t right for someone with his mental age to be feeling such complicated emotions for an 18-year-old. And with the possessive tendencies of Alphas—something he was slowly coming to understand since meeting Haneul—these feelings would only intensify. For Haneul’s safety and well-being, it was better for Taeyang to keep his distance. At least until he could either put an end to these emotions or gain control over them.

Taeyang tore his gaze away from Haneul and closed his eyes, silently repeating to himself. Yes, this was the right thing to do.

Soon, all the 10 contestants scheduled at this time to attend the ’Song’ session finally gathered in the practice room. And not long after that, two mentors also walked in.

The first mentor to enter was K-Beat, dressed casually in a simple black hoodie and loose-fitting pants, paired with sneakers. Following him was Yoon Jihoon, who wore a comfortable yet fashionable outfit: a light, soft sweater and neatly fitted jeans. His look was easygoing but polished, striking a balance between comfort and style.

Seeing the two mentors, it became clear that the vocal and rap mentors would be leading the ’Song’ session. This also confirmed that the dance and performance mentors would handle the ’Dance’ session, which, given their expertise, should be already fairly obvious.

As the two mentors entered the practice room, all ten contestants quickly stood up and bowed their heads in respect, greeting them in unison.

"Good morning, mentors!"

"Good morning," Yoon Jihoon greeted them with a warm smile. "I know many of you likely stayed up late practicing, but I hope you still managed to get some good rest."

K-Beat chimed in right after with a more serious tone. "Just because you’re the first group up doesn’t mean we’ll be taking it easy on you," he said, looking around at the contestants. "So make sure you give it everything you’ve got."

"Yes!" the contestants responded in near-perfect unison.

Yoon Jihoon seemed to like that, as he nodded in appreciation. "Then shall we start?"