Falling for the Omega Idol-Chapter 230: EUNWOO’S REMINDER

HANEUL hesitated. He wasn’t sure how to answer without bringing up Jeon Hyunsik. And he didn’t want to do that. He didn’t want to bother Taeyang with his own problems, especially not when those problems involved another man. Taeyang had feelings for him. If he told him what was going on, Taeyang might do something reckless. Something that could hurt his chances of debuting. Haneul couldn’t let that happen.

So he smiled instead. "It’s fine. Our team’s doing pretty well. Eunwoo hyung is a good leader. You two are friends, right?" 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Taeyang wouldn’t exactly call Eunwoo a friend. They were more like close acquaintances. He was pretty sure Eunwoo saw it the same way. That guy appeared gentle and kind, but he could be cold and calculating when he needed to be. He made it look easy to get close to people, but really it was the opposite. Eunwoo was good at keeping people at arm’s length. Taeyang didn’t mind, since he was the same way.

But if he said that out loud, he’d probably come off as someone with no friends. So instead, he just nodded and said, "We’ve known each other for a while. I’m actually the one who told him to audition for the show."

Haneul hadn’t expected that. So they were actually close? It made sense in a way. They didn’t give off the same vibe exactly, but there was something similar to them. Both of them had this polished way of carrying themselves. He couldn’t really put it into words.

"Then it’s a good thing you convinced him to join," Haneul said simply. "It would’ve been a waste of his talent if he hadn’t."

A flicker of something sour went through Taeyang’s chest when he heard Haneul complimenting Eunwoo. "You really think he’s that good?"

Haneul was about to say ’yes’ when he noticed the way Taeyang’s mouth pressed together just slightly. His eyes had dropped to the side, not quite looking at Haneul anymore, and the muscles in his jaws tightened a bit.

Was he actually... sulking? Haneul paused and blinked. Was Taeyang jealous? Of Eunwoo? The realization made him want to laugh even more. He found it amusing, the idea that someone like Taeyang would get jealous over something so small. But underneath that amusement, something warm spread through his chest.

"Yes," he answered, then added with a warmer smile, "But you’re much better, of course."

The tightness in Taeyang’s jaw finally eased. He cleared his throat. "Well, not that much."

Haneul chuckled. Seeing the smile on Haneul’s face helped Taeyang relax. But then his eyes landed on those dark circles again, and the worry came back. He remembered what Eunwoo had told him the night before.

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Taeyang was walking back to his cabin after practice ended for the day. His body was tired, but there was a sense of satisfaction too. His team had finally finished their choreography. They’d [Crown the March]. The original dance for that song was known for being difficult, so they couldn’t just put together something simple. If their version didn’t match the level of the original, it would fall flat. So, their team tried their best to come up with a good choreography.

In this part, Taeyang was grateful Lee Haru was on his team. Taeyang could compose music fine, but choreography was not his strength. Haru, though, was something else. The kid was a natural, a real genius in dance. He’d created most of their routine on his own. Everyone on the team had solid fundamentals, which was why they’d picked [Crown the March] in the first place. But even combined, their input didn’t come close to what Haru had contributed.

He’d talked to Haru before, mostly because the kid was close to Haneul. But they weren’t exactly that friendly. Being on the same team now gave him a chance to actually get to know him. Haru talked a lot. Not just a bit, but a lot. And he had more energy than anyone needed. But other than that, he was fine. Taeyang could see why he and Haneul got along.

He was about to turn a corner when someone suddenly fell into step beside him. Taeyang glanced over, a bit surprised, and saw Baek Eunwoo.

"Are you interested in Kang Haneul?" Eunwoo asked, his voice low enough that only Taeyang could hear. The smile on his face was warm and casual, the kind that would make anyone watching think they were just making small talk. At least, that’s what would surely appear on camera.

The question came out of nowhere and nearly made Taeyang stumble. Thankfully, he caught himself just in time.

"Based on that reaction, I’ll take it as a yes," Eunwoo continued smoothly. "Don’t worry, I don’t really care either way. I just thought you should know that one of my teammates has been giving him a lot of unwanted attention."

Taeyang stopped walking. His expression darkened. "What do you mean by that?"

"Keep walking. Lower your voice. And fix your expression," Eunwoo said, his own expression still carrying that pleasant, camera-ready smile. "I’d rather not have the editing team pick up on what we’re actually discussing."

Taeyang forced himself to calm down. He smoothed his expression back to neutral and started walking again. "Explain."

"You already know Haneul and I are in the same group," Eunwoo continued, keeping his voice even and his smile in place. "We have a teammate named Jeon Hyunsik. The one ranked fourth last elimination. He’s been... very attentive toward Haneul. Nothing serious yet, don’t worry. He hasn’t actually crossed the line yet. But I’m the leader of this team, and my priority is making sure we deliver an excellent performance. The only reason I’m telling you this is so you’re aware. In case you see firsthand how Jeon Hyunsik acts around him. I don’t want you to do something rash. Like, punch him or something."

Taeyang wanted to frown. He wanted to let his face show exactly what he was feeling. But he held it back. He kept his expression blank, just like Eunwoo had told him to. What he couldn’t stop were his hands. His fists clenched at his sides, tight enough that his knuckles went white.