Jung Daesoo, Jaegal Minhyuk, Ma Taeoh, and Lee Yiyeon stood in front of the lines drawn by the production team.
The game was as predictable as fire. Seeing the flags planted in the waist-deep sea, it was clear it was a running game.
While physical strength seemed to favor Jung Daesoo overwhelmingly, speed was likely an advantage for Lee Yiyeon or Ma Taeoh.
Jaegal Minhyuk looked as if he might collapse if he stayed in this heat any longer.
Having already sensed the outcome, Dansol focused more on pretending to cheer for Jaegal Minhyuk.
-When the production team gives the signal, Alphas, please grab the single flag in the distant sea. The Alpha who gets the flag first will have the privilege of deciding the matchups.
“READY, START!”
Dansol, shielding his eyes from the sun, watched with his mouth agape at Jung Daesoo’s sudden burst of speed.
Though Yiyeon and Minhyuk followed closely behind, they couldn’t catch up to Daesoo.
He seized the flag without much trouble and roared. However, the most surprising was Jaegal Minhyuk.
Usually looking dazed as if he were on drugs, he overtook Yiyeon to come in second.
If Daesoo had hesitated a bit longer, Minhyuk would have snatched the flag.
Minhyuk splashed the seawater in frustration, looking like a scene from a commercial.
Waiting nearby, Dansol handed a towel to the now-soaked Minhyuk.
“Sorry. I should have run faster.”
“No… you were fast enough. I was surprised. Oh… you’re bleeding!”
Dansol, eyes wider than when Minhyuk came in second, shouted towards the production team.
Minhyuk’s palm was scratched, likely from grabbing the flag.
“The saltwater must sting… you should get that treated quickly.”
Minhyuk felt grateful for Dansol’s concern but also embarrassed.
It was bad enough not to win first place; he didn’t want to appear weak because of an injury.
One of the production crew approached Minhyuk, saying that Jung Daesoo used to play American football in the U.S. and advised him to take it easy to avoid getting hurt.
Inside the show, the rule was to let go of everything, but everyone’s managers and coordinators were waiting outside, wary of any damage to their celebrities.
Even though Minhyuk wasn’t from a small company like Dansol, for some reason, his manager was kept away, making the production team answer his worried calls every thirty minutes.
Minhyuk smiled, seemingly unaffected by the concern of those around him.
He had once been a youth national soccer player.
He had to quit due to an injury, but his competitive spirit was second to none.
“This is nothing.”
As a soccer player, he had suffered much worse injuries.
Dansol’s worry over such a small injury just seemed cute.
Minhyuk, with his left hand held by Dansol, used his right hand to gently pat his small head.
From head to toe, pretty people were pretty all over.
His soft, light brown hair slipped through his fingers, tickling his palm.
“Ugh, I hate that guy.”
“Yeah, me too.”
At Han Jisoo’s muttering, Jung Daesoo’s eyes gleamed.
He was already holding a dodgeball. In his large hand, the big dodgeball looked like a bouncy ball.
“Pick Lee Yiyeon and Yoo Doohyun. Yoon Yeomin is terrible at sports. I’ve seen him shaking like a newborn deer at the gym several times.”
“You want me to attack Joo Dansol?”
“Do you want to give a date ticket to Joo Dansol? I’d rather kill that greasy bastard first than see him cling to Dansol. Are you just going to watch him hanging around?”
“I’ll pick Lee Yiyeon and Yoo Doohyun.”
Without a word, Daesoo chose Yiyeon and Doohyun.
Jisoo and Daesoo stared daggers at Minhyuk, who was teaching Dansol dodgeball techniques by holding his hands and touching his waist.
Their eyes seemed to be on fire.
Dansol was purely focused on learning dodgeball tips from Minhyuk, but Jisoo and Daesoo were 200% sure Minhyuk was making a move.
-Alright, the teams are set. Team A: Jung Daesoo, Han Jisoo, Lee YiYiyeon, Yoo Doohyun. Team B: Jaegal Minhyuk, Joo Dansol, Ma Taeoh, Yoon Yeomin.
-As you all know, in partner dodgeball, if your partner gets hit, you lose. Therefore, Alphas, please do your best to protect your Omega from the ball.
-The winning team of the warm-up game, Jung Daesoo and Han Jisoo’s Team A, will start with the offense.
“READY, START!”
Unlike the Omegas hiding behind their Alphas like paper dolls, Han Jisoo took an offensive stance, far from Jung Daesoo.
Daesoo faked a throw towards Minhyuk and passed the ball to Jisoo. Jisoo mercilessly struck Yoon Yeomin’s head with the ball while he was off guard.
With a bang, Yeomin crumpled to the ground.
It was more accurate to say the ball stuck than hit.
Even their teammates Lee Yiyeon and Yoo Doohyun seemed stunned by their teamwork.
“Oh! Are you crazy, hitting someone’s head? What were you doing, not blocking?”
“You should have hidden better, senior! I tried my best…”
Usually calm, Yoon Yeomin snapped, but Han Jisoo and Jung Daesoo didn’t care.
Their eyes were fixed solely on their target.
The Predators Alliance was determined to eliminate any obstacles in their way and disgracefully eliminate Jaegal Minhyuk so that Joo Dansol wouldn’t feel any affection for him at all.
There was an inexplicable sense of solemnity in their silent exchange of glances.
Even the typically fearless Yoon Yeomin seemed deflated as he grumbled his way out of the arena.
“Ugh, is this the Olympics or what…? Just make sure to edit out the parts where I get hit. If you slow-mo it, a lawsuit will be coming your way.”
After Yoon Yeomin and Ma Taeoh’s disheartening elimination, a tedious rally happned between Team A and Minhyuk.
The three members couldn’t bring themselves to hit Dansol’s adorably protruding head, so Daesoo, Jisoo, and even Yiyeon’s attacks lacked vigor.
Unable to bear it any longer, Doohyun let go of Yiyeon’s waist, which he had been holding purely out of selfishness, and grabbed the rolling ball, aiming it precisely at Dansol.
Bang―.
When everyone turned towards the sound, all they could see was Minhyuk’s broad back. He had turned 180 degrees to shield Dansol, taking the hit himself.
Minhyuk quickly grabbed the ball, attacked Dansol, and lightly tapped the defenseless Doohyun, eliminating him. Even the production crew watching was impressed by his considerate manner despite the opportunity to attack.
Yiyeon, who had been watching, sighed in defeat and exited the arena as if chased out.
“What a joke.”
Jisoo watched Minhyuk’s actions with a disapproving expression.
His face, asking Dansol if he was okay with just his lips, was way too close.
Dansol’s innocent face, nodding in reassurance, was so much to his liking that, if not for the cameras, he would have wanted to snatch him up and run away.
Daesoo felt the same way.
He caught the ball that crossed into his territory and bounced it on the ground a couple of times.
Although an Alpha wouldn’t be knocked out even if hit by the ball, rendering them unable to play would be enough.
Minhyuk, catching the other men’s deadly stares, gulped nervously.
Despite the fierce standoff among the three men, Dansol, stuck to Minhyuk’s back like a shell, had no idea what was going on.
Every time he tried to peek his head out, Minhyuk would pull his back, making him wonder if he was even being filmed.
‘No, but if Senior Minhyuk is performing so well, wouldn’t it look bad if I don’t even show my face? We obviously can’t win, but why is he trying so hard…?’
Dansol was solely focused on the broadcast.
Before the regression, after partnering with Yiyeon and winning many strategic games, Dansol had earned several dating tickets.
The memory of being criticized for free-riding suddenly flashed through his mind. If he remained passive, he would be criticized again.
Moreover, seeing Minhyuk struggle so hard to win, Dansol, who thought of him as a frail musician, felt sorry for him.
‘He already looks so exhausted… He’s been hit so many times because of me today… His hand was injured earlier… I can’t just stand here like this!’
Steeling his resolve in secret, Dansol lifted his head just in time to see a pink dodgeball flying towards him at high speed.
The game should end if he was hit, but it seemed it was aimed at Minhyuk due to poor aim.
‘If I catch it without getting hit, I could become the hero, right? You can do it, Joo Dansol!’
The ball was headed straight for Minhyuk’s face. In a split second, Dansol envisioned himself as the dodgeball hero.
Just as he pushed Minhyuk aside and reached out to catch the ball, it was much faster than he anticipated. The ball, thrown with all of Daesoo’s might, skimmed Minhyuk’s hair and struck Dansol’s face.
Smack―!
Thud.
―Victory for Team A! Congratulations!
His vision flashed as the sky came into view.
Something hot was running down under his nose, but he couldn’t tell if it was tears from the pain or snot from the shock.
Given the metallic smell, it seemed to be a nosebleed.
‘I just… Is this how I die again…? If I die this time, I hope I don’t reincarnate. It’s so tiring… I’m so sleepy…’
Voices sounded distant as his hearing dulled.
“Dansol! Stay with us!”
“Are you crazy? How could you throw it at him?!”
“Someone call an ambulance!”
* * *
[Next Week’s Preview]
Q: Mr. Jung Daesoo, are you okay?
Jung Daesoo: Ah… Yes. I’m… sniff… Just a moment, please. Hoo… I’ll do the interview later. I don’t usually… cry like this. Ha.
***
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