"Dansol, aren't you tired? Take a break."
Even while plowing through the field like a bulldozer, Minhyeok asked every five minutes if Dansol was okay. A chair, sunscreen, a hat, water, snacks—he'd even brought a fan and a radio. With everything Minhyeok kept bringing over, the area around Dansol had gotten chaotic.
"Minhyeok, I'm fine. I haven't even finished one row yet.... Shouldn't you be the one taking a break?"
Dansol said it while looking at the field Minhyeok had already torn through. While Dansol barely finished one row, Minhyeok had dug three furrows. Farming work seemed surprisingly familiar to him.
"Um.... Then can I work here with you, Dansol?"
"Th-this is your field, Minhyeok. I don't think you need to ask me."
At Minhyeok's shy question, Dansol answered firmly. Before he even finished speaking, Minhyeok plopped down right in front of him.
"Dansol. Do you know why I brought you here?"
"Mm... Because you were short on hands?"
To Minhyeok's overly solemn question, Dansol replied casually. His hands didn't stop digging sweet potatoes. Once he started, he got motivated, and somehow he kept focusing.
"No. Because you looked like you had a lot on your mind."
"Uh...."
Seeing Dansol fumble like he'd been hit right on the mark, Minhyeok continued.
"This is the place I come to when my head's full of noise. You dig carefully so you don't bruise the sweet potatoes, and if you go farther back over there, there's a cherry tomato patch and a pepper field too. Picking those... makes all the tangled thoughts turn simple."
Minhyeok was more delicate than Dansol had expected. And just like he said, once Dansol dug sweet potatoes in earnest, the noisy thoughts that had been tormenting him faded away. It felt like Minhyeok had seen straight through him, and it made Dansol oddly shy.
"Do I... look like I have a lot on my mind?"
"Yeah, well.... I wasn't trying to look, but when I see you, Dansol, you remind me of myself when I was young."
"You, Minhyeok...?"
When Dansol asked back, Minhyeok tossed the hoe he'd been holding—at least for show—far away, then flopped down on the soft dirt with one arm propping him up, like the soil was a bed.
"After I quit sports, my dad passed away. Succeeding as an athlete was my dad's dream, so for a while... my head was a total mess. What am I supposed to live on now... what am I supposed to do next. That's when I found this field. This used to be my dad's. I came here, pulled weeds, tilled the soil, planted sweet potatoes, planted radishes, planted flowers, and as I kept doing that, my thoughts started sorting themselves out."
"...I see."
All Dansol could do was nod. He was grateful Minhyeok shared something that personal with him.
Minhyeok was right. Dansol had regressed, then jumped back into the program—and it had been a nonstop sequence of moments where he couldn't even take one deep breath.
Dansol, who had to run multiple simulations in his head even for a split second just to avoid getting cursed at and to avoid standing out, resembled Minhyeok as a child—suddenly turned into the head of the household.
After regressing, Dansol knew for sure: there were things only people who had already been hurt could see.
Minhyeok had probably noticed that something in Dansol.
"So... what conclusion did you come to back then?"
"...Do what you want."
Dansol nodded faintly. Minhyeok had succeeded as a musician by doing what he wanted—so it sounded like he'd found his answer.
But as if he'd read Dansol's thoughts, Minhyeok said,
"I know that isn't the real answer. I was a lucky case. Not everyone can succeed just because they do what they want. Still... I wanted to give you time to rest. Not your body—your head."
"Thank you. I... I'm really having fun. Today."
When Dansol smiled as he lightly tapped dirt off the sweet potatoes with his hoe, Minhyeok stood up, looking embarrassed, and said in a playful tone,
"I... should've helped you reduce your thoughts even more—sorry. But I want you too, so now I'm going to actually show off my real charm. From now on, think less about other things, and think a lot about me."
Minhyeok ran to where the car was and came back with his guitar. Seeing him in work pants and retro tinted sunglasses, Dansol burst out laughing. With a zziing, Minhyeok plucked the guitar in the middle of the field and said,
"This is the first song I ever made after coming here. You're a singer too, Dansol, so you know, right? How embarrassing your first song is.... I was too embarrassed to sing it anywhere, but you're special, so I'll let you hear it."
Dansol, who had already sung that embarrassing song a cappella on his very first appearance on the show, scratched his cheek, suddenly awkward.
Then Minhyeok's guitar and voice began.
I don't know what I'm supposed to do.
I don't know why I'm even here.
I don't know how to go back home.
Honestly, I don't even know where home is.
I don't want to make mistakes.
I don't want to fall apart.
I don't want to look like a kid.
I want to cry, but I don't want to cry.
I want to cry, but I don't want anyone to catch me crying.
Unlike the bright guitar accompaniment, the lyrics flowing from Minhyeok's voice sounded like they were meant for Dansol. Tears had already filled Dansol's eyes.
Not wanting the cameras to catch him crying, Dansol kept wiping at his eyes as if he were just wiping sweat, but once the tears broke through, they wouldn't stop.
Minhyeok had noticed from the start that Dansol was crying, but he didn't stop playing. The short, practice-like song had ended long ago, but he kept playing anyway—dragging out a flashier progression, like he was stealing the camera away from Dansol.
Sometimes, being comforted and consoled isn't what you want. Sometimes you're more grateful when someone pretends not to notice.
"What the hell is this... playing around in a field.... You crazy bastard... what kind of bullshit is this!"
Jegal Minhyeok's most humble stage since debut ended with the village head's shouting as he reappeared, rattling along on a cultivator.
"Snack time!"
"Whoa! Snack time!"
Only then could Dansol stop crying and smile brightly. The village head came back loaded—like it wasn't a snack break, but an on-site buffet—food piled all over the back of the cultivator.
"Oh...! Village head! What is all this? Why did you pack so much?"
When Minhyeok came over after setting his guitar aside, the village head smacked Minhyeok's back again—whack whack.
"Do you think you're the only one with a mouth? There are people here! And you—! You made the kid do all the field work and then sat there singing and messing around!"
"Come on, would I do that? We finished working and just took a quick break, and you couldn't even stand that—"
"Do you have energy to spare! To spare?!"
"I do, I do. I've got energy to spare, so I'll even help with your place too—so hurry up and bring out the snack."
"Like I asked you to?"
At Minhyeok's slick tongue and the village head's always-angry-but-dripping-with-affection banter, Dansol smiled.
For the first time since regressing, his heart—never once at ease—finally felt comfortable.
"Time's not moving for shit."
"Seriously."
While Dansol was getting covered in dust in the sweet potato field with Minhyeok, Jisu, Daesu, and Yeomin—killing time—were tanning in the pool area at Chunmonggak, shirts off, sprawled on sunbeds.
From the picture alone, you wouldn't even know who went on a date and who stayed at the lodging.
Only Mateo, stuck doing petty errands among the senior celebrities, pouted.
"If we go by our team, I'm the leader though...."
"Oh, right. You were an idol too."
"Yes...."
Mateo was dumbfounded. He was the leader of ZEUS—the monster group that took first place for six straight weeks, swept rookie awards, and even hit 100 million views on YouTube music videos.
But after coming to Chunmonggak, he'd been pushed aside—no, treated like leftovers—by Dansol from Dinosoul, who couldn't even crack the top 100.
Still, Mateo didn't hate Dansol. He was more annoyed at Yoon Yeomin, who used "we're both idols" as an excuse and didn't even give Mateo time to get close to Dansol.
Because I keep getting stuck with that old man, I couldn't even go on a date with Dansol....
"What's your famous song? Sing it."
Sipping an iced americano Mateo had brought him, Yeomin lazily kicked his legs.
"Hey, Yoon Yeomin. Ease up."
"Sit down."
As Mateo stiffened in place like his pride had been hit, Jisu and Daesu stepped in and tried to stop Yeomin. But Yeomin wasn't the type you could stop just because you told him to.
"Huh? You won't? One, two, three, four!"
"Ah, fuck!"
Finally snapping, Mateo clenched his fist and shouted.
At Mateo's sudden outburst, everything went quiet.
Even the staff—laughing because they thought they'd caught a "moment"—froze and started wavering, unsure if they should turn the cameras off, and the atmosphere went cold.
That was when—
"I see.... What you show me, oh my love! You're the only one for me! My eternal love!"
Mateo squeezed his eyes shut and sang while matching the choreography. When the goat-like tremble of a vibrato—like he was forcing down emotion—ended, Yeomin's clap clap clap echoed hollowly through Chunmonggak.
"Hey, fuck.... If you're the dance member, you should've said so. It would've been better if you didn't sing. Sorry."
{Alpha×Omega Inner-Thought Interview}
Q: Mateo, are you okay?
Mateo: Ha... hold on. I'm not crying because I'm sad, hic... I'm crying because I'm pissed. Hoo... when I get mad, I... tears just... hic I feel sorry to the fans... Hoo.... I'm the main vocal, you know.... I could've sung better, but I got emotionally mad and... but what's the point of singing well there anyway.
Q: Yoon Yeomin, aren't you scared of ZEUS fans?
Yoon Yeomin: Why? I gave him screentime. Without me, he wouldn't even get one cut.
Q: Han Jisu, earlier at the pool you stayed glued to Jeong Daesu the whole time—what were you talking about?
Han Jisu: We're not like that. But why aren't the people who went on dates back yet? Did something happen?
Q: It's only 11:30 a.m....
Q: Jeong Daesu, earlier at the pool, what were you talking about with Han Jisu?
Jeong Daesu: We made a bet on who would win if Mateo and Yoon Yeomin got into a fistfight.
Q: Who did you bet on?
Jeong Daesu: Yoon Yeomin.
Q: Why?
Jeong Daesu: If Yoon Yeomin fights Mateo with fists.... Yoon Yeomin is the type to come out with a knife, so I bet on him.
Q: Then did Han Jisu bet on Mateo?
Jeong Daesu: No.
Q: Dansol, you seem like you enjoyed the date?
Joo Dansol: Yes, a lot!
Q: There's dirt on your cheek.
Joo Dansol: Huh! Really? Hehe.... When did it get there...
Q: After this date, will it become clearer where your heart is heading?
Joo Dansol: Uh... I don't know. Does my choice... matter?
Q: Jegal Minhyeok, a sweet potato field date... even the staff were surprised.
Jegal Minhyeok: Really? Maybe... if it wasn't Joo Dansol, I would've just done a normal date.
Q: How was the date with Joo Dansol?
Jegal Minhyeok: It was good. Better than I expected—better than I thought.
Q: If you had to pick couples again, would you choose Joo Dansol again?
Jegal Minhyeok: I would, but.... wouldn't I have to wait for Dansol's choice?
Chapter - 12
When word got out that the filming location was a "sweet potato field," unlike Team B's staff—who left early in the morning looking miserable because only the junior staff were going—Team A, which was set to film Yi Yiyeon and Yoo Dohyeon's hotel date, was all cheerful, humming along. But in just a few hours, the mood flipped 180 degrees.
Even when they first sat facing each other in a quiet restaurant at a hotel about ten minutes from Chunmongdo, the two of them looked so picture-perfect that PD Choi had no doubt they were the true main characters of this episode.
But almost as soon as Yi Yiyeon sat down, she changed the romance genre the staff had been expecting.
"Sunbae, the atmosphere here is so nice. I really wanted to come here with you at least once—"
"You can hint around, but I don't think you'll get it, so I'll say it just once."
"What?"
"Dohyeon, you know this, but I'm not interested in you."
Hearing Yiyeon's words, Dohyeon looked flustered, his hand trembling as he lifted the water cup in front of him.
"Ha... I know you're interested in someone else. But... it's only been two days. We can still get to know each other more, can't we?"
"You and I—were we strangers before this program? No."
"Back then…! That was just me chasing you alone as a fan…!"
At Dohyeon's rebuttal, Yiyeon let out a dry laugh instead.
"And now it's different?"
"What's different? No, I mean, compared to that kid—"
Hit right on the mark, Dohyeon squeezed his eyes shut. The words he couldn't spit out in front of the cameras were obvious.
"...I'm curious. I want to know. I get anxious that other people might find out before me."
"Ha, so what you're saying is… I'm not even someone you're curious about?"
"I already know exactly what you're thinking. How could I be curious about you, about you."
But Yiyeon didn't waver at Dohyeon's reaction and continued calmly.
"Hyung... you'll regret saying that someday."
"I didn't want to string you along, even if it's for 방송. So... you should stop wasting your time on me too."
In truth, Dohyeon showing interest in Yiyeon wasn't something that started yesterday. Even before debut, he'd come by the agency or her house claiming he was an aspiring actor, and after debut, he somehow got Yiyeon's number—calling out of nowhere or showing up at after-parties for her projects.
Because he kept appearing while pretending it was "by chance," people around Yiyeon called Dohyeon "Yi Yiyeon's fanboy."
It had been a long time since the affection Dohyeon showed—once only cute—started to feel creepy and frightening.
From the moment Yiyeon received the cast lineup for the program, she'd already decided: this time, she would draw a clear line.
Dohyeon's feelings had already crossed past affection into something close to obsession.
When Dohyeon stormed off, thumping away from the table, it was Yiyeon who also calmed down the murmuring staff.
"Sorry, everyone. Since we're already here, let's at least eat before we go. PD Choi, look at me for a second."
Even while following Yiyeon out of the building, Mijin's head felt like it was spinning. Should she have been at the sweet potato field—no, back at the lodging? Should she be grateful the assistant PD wasn't here and that she hadn't had to come running over from digging sweet potatoes?
Her head was buzzing.
"PD, I'm sorry. Let's not air this."
"No—! You could've at least warned us. Does Yiyeon think this is her first day on TV? You should've settled this between you two beforehand."
"Did you even give me time to?"
Mijin, fumes rising off her, pulled a cigarette from her pocket and put it in her mouth. At Yiyeon's question, it was true—she didn't have anything to say.
Chunmongdo and Chunmonggak were packed with cameras to an obsessive degree. The only things the cast could control were the cameras in their rooms—but since Yiyeon and Dohyeon wouldn't be sharing a room, it probably felt stifling from Yiyeon's side.
"Still...! I mean...."
PD Choi's pride wouldn't let her say it: if you were going to cause this kind of havoc, you should've gone to a sweet potato field—no, a garlic field—instead of an expensive hotel.
"I'll cover today's venue fee and the staff's meal costs."
When Yiyeon pulled out a black card from her own wallet, PD Choi swallowed the words she wanted to say, forcing them down.
"Still... what if Yoo Dohyeon just refuses to film after that?"
"He's shrewd—so much it's irritating. He doesn't do things that hurt him. Once he cools down, he'll come back, so don't worry."
Just as Yiyeon said, Dohyeon was obsessed with protecting his image. But what gave Yiyeon even more certainty was Dohyeon's fixation on her.
Iyeon's insides were a mess too—things she couldn't possibly lay out for PD Choi.
Normally, even with Dohyeon's constant advances, it would've been enough to play it off like they were just close senior and junior.
But Yiyeon's mood had already twisted when, while out jogging early that morning, she saw Jegal Minhyeok and Dansol leaving together in a car.
If Dohyeon wasn't around, the seat beside Dansol could've been hers.
Because of Dohyeon's overly aggressive pursuit from the start, Yiyeon already felt like she'd been excluded from Dansol's world.
Iyeon was sure Dansol avoided her because of Dohyeon.
"We're back...?"
The date pass was valid until 7 p.m. Originally it had been until 2, but after the assistant PD got an urgent call from PD Choi, the filming time got pushed to 7.
Thanks to that, the two of them—who even downed the makgeolli that came out with snack time—managed, with the help of alcohol, to dig up all the sweet potatoes, then even help out with work at the village head's orchard before returning.
Holding both arms full of fruit to share, Dansol happily opened the door to Chunmonggak.
But no one answered.
After returning from the date with Yiyeon, Dohyeon had shut himself in his room, and Yiyeon, also seemingly in a low-pressure mood, had locked her door, saying her head was pounding.
Taeoh, still upset about what Yeomin did to him, had cried himself to sleep.
Daesu and Jisu had just finished arguing with the staff, protesting the way the production team had extended the date time without warning.
The first person to come out upon hearing Dansol's voice was Jisu.
"Sol, you're back? How was it today? Wasn't it hard when filming got longer all of a sudden?... But what is this? What's with how you look?"
Rubber boots, work pants, even a straw hat—item after item that had been handed to him. Dansol looked exactly like a farmer.
Like a mole dragging around clumps of dirt, Dansol held out the basket he was carrying with both hands toward Jisu.
"Hyung! Look at this! I picked it!"
Even though Minhyeok had offered to carry it, Dansol refused and chose only the prettiest, plumpest ones. The basket held sweet potatoes, tomatoes, apples, even bell peppers—gifts the village head piled on because he was grateful and impressed.
"That... wasn't a date?"
Jisu looked at Jegal Minhyeok with suspicion. Unlike Dansol—who looked like he'd crawled out of a dirt pit—Minhyeok looked fairly fine.
Under Jisu's look—Explain what you did after taking my precious Dansol away—Minhyeok avoided it and carried over the box of sweet potatoes he'd loaded in the trunk.
"Let's roast sweet potatoes for a late-night snack, Dansol. There's so much that even our staff will be able to eat."
As Minhyeok said, the quantity was enormous. Once the staff started helping carry the boxes, the commotion drew the cast out one by one.
Daesu, apparently just out of the shower and wearing a navy bathrobe, greeted Dansol with his eyes.
"Sol... you need to speak up and tell the truth. What did that guy do after taking you out? Did he make you work like crazy?"
"No! Absolutely not! I had a lot of fun today. Hehe."
Still unable to drop his suspicion, Jisu watched as Dansol carried the basket toward the kitchen—going in to wash and prep what could be eaten right away.
Daesu followed behind him.
"Dansol."
"Ah! Sunbae, look at this. It's so pretty, right?"
Like they were his own children, Dansol showed Daesu his harvest the same way he'd shown Jisu.
"Uh... yeah."
Daesu didn't understand what was "pretty" about bell peppers at all, but he answered while looking at Dansol's bright smile.
Dansol, not noticing, turned his back and soaked the vegetables under running water.
"Pretty."
"Let's roast them later. Did you eat dinner?"
"You seem to like stuff like this."
At Daesu's shy question, Dansol kept scrubbing sweet potatoes as he answered.
"Yeah. I didn't know, but… I think I do."
"...Remember that."
"Huh? Wh-what? Sunbae! Where'd you go...?"
With the water running loud, Dansol didn't hear Daesu's reply and asked again—only to find that Daesu, wearing a look like he'd made up his mind, had already left the kitchen.
—Alpha and omega of Chunmonggak, did you enjoy today as well?
—Some of you may have enjoyed a fun date, while others may have spent the day alone back at the lodging.
—But it's too soon to be disappointed. This is only the beginning of your journey in RO Match Survival in Island. You'll have many more chances for dates, so don't worry too much.
—However, you do understand that not everyone can make it through the journey together, right?
—As the title of our program suggests, never forget that you've entered a survival competition.
—This week, the first elimination will occur in RO Match Survival in Island.
As usual, they were sitting around a fire in the front yard, eating the sweet potatoes Dansol and Minhyeok had brought back.
Even though he'd tried to shake off life after regression while spending time with Minhyeok, Dansol was once again thrown into the heart of the survival.
Even before regression, eliminations started from the first week.
—Each cast member receives one elimination vote.
—With this vote, you may nominate exactly one person—alpha or omega—to be eliminated.
—One important point: in RO Match Survival, it is possible to transfer your vote to someone else.
—If there is someone you must compete against for the same person, then use any means necessary to seize another person's vote. Our production team will not condemn you, nor stop you, for striving to obtain votes.
—Because actions done in the name of love always transcend good and evil.
What a joke.
Dansol felt his improved mood crash to the ground and get dragged through the mud.
Those pretty words basically meant: we'll film everything you do to get votes and turn you into a nationwide—no, global—piece of trash.
To Dansol, the vote was the root of malice.
When he shared a room with Dohyeon, a scene of them tearing the room apart looking for Dansol's "missing" vote had been maliciously edited to frame him as a thief who stole Dohyeon's belongings.
Absurdly, Dansol's vote was found in the pocket of an outer coat they'd searched multiple times.
It was obvious someone had hidden Dansol's vote on purpose, then put it back—but Dansol had no choice but to endure it in silence.
Just not sharing a room with Dohyeon made filming this much easier.
Feeling weirdly grateful toward Jisu, Dansol looked up at him, where Jisu was resting his chin on Dansol's head.
"Why?"
Jisu asked with his lips.
Dansol smiled sheepishly.
"Nothing."
Finding that cute, Jisu—fresh from a shower and still soft and fluffy—patted Dansol's hair.
From all around, the alphas' eyes sharpened and gleamed.
But the sharpest shine belonged to Matteo's eyes as he learned about the vote. His face was swollen, like he'd cried all evening, yet only his murderous stare sparkled bright.
A lion doesn't use its full strength to chase a deer. But a deer being chased by a lion runs with everything it has.
Chased by the lion named Yoon Yeomin, Matteo finally decided to become the first alpha in the entire history of R-O Match to eliminate an omega.
{Preview}
Late at night, a man stands under the big pine tree in Chunmonggak's front yard, stacking stone cairns over and over while muttering.
"×××... I'll be the first to get rid of you on this island."
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