Chapter 14

Unlike the low-ranking members of Team B, who were downcast upon hearing that the shooting location was a ‘sweet potato field’ and left early in the morning, Team A, which had a hotel date prepared for Lee Yiyeon and Yoo Doohyun, was cheerful and singing.

However, within a few hours, the atmosphere changed drastically.

Even when the two sat face-to-face in the quiet restaurant of a hotel about 10 minutes away from Chunmong Island by car, PD Choi had no doubt that they were the real protagonists of this episode, given their picture-perfect appearance.

However, as soon as Lee Yiyeon sat down, he changed the genre of romance that the staff had been anticipating.

“Senior, the atmosphere here is so nice. I always wanted to come here with you…”

“It’d be nice if you spoke indirectly. But I think you won’t understand, so I’ll say it just once.”

“What?”

“Doohyun, as you know, I have no interest in you.”

At Lee Yiyeon’s words, Yoo Doohyun, seemingly flustered, trembled as he picked up the glass of water in front of him.

“Ha… I know you’re interested in someone else. But… we’ve only just spent two days together. We can get to know each other more.”

“You weren’t a stranger to me before we came on this show, were you?”

“That was…! I was just following you around as a fan…!”

At Doohyun’s retort, Yiyeon let out a bitter laugh.

“And now it’s different?”

“What’s different? I mean, am I…”

Feeling cornered, Doohyun shut his eyes tight. The unspoken words were obvious, given the cameras.

“…I’m curious. I want to know. I’m anxious that others might know before me.”

“Ha, so what you’re saying is, you’re not even curious about me now?”

“I know everything you’re thinking. How could I be curious about you?”

But Yiyeon continued speaking calmly, unfazed by Doohyun’s reaction.

“You’ll regret saying that someday, Senior.”

“I didn’t want to give false hope, no matter how much it’s for the show. So… stop wasting your time on me.”

The truth was, Doohyun had shown interest in Yiyeon for quite some time.

Before debuting, he would visit his agency or home, and after debuting, he somehow found his number and called or showed up at his after-parties.

His appearances, disguised as coincidences, led Yiyeon’s acquaintances to label him as his die-hard fan.

What once seemed endearing had long since become creepy and scary. From the moment he received the show’s lineup, Yiyeon had resolved to draw a clear line this time.

Doohyun’s affection had crossed into obsession.

When Doohyun stormed off, it was Yiyeon who managed the murmuring crew.

“Everyone, I’m sorry. Since we’re here, let’s at least have a meal. PD Choi, can I talk to you?”

Following Yiyeon outside the building, Mijin felt dizzy.

Maybe they should’ve stayed in the sweet potato field or at the lodging.

Or perhaps he should be grateful he wasn’t here and wasn’t rushing over from digging up sweet potatoes. his mind was a mess.

“PD, I’m sorry. Let’s not air this.”

“Couldn’t you at least give us a heads-up? Yiyeon, you’ve been on shows long enough to know better. You should have sorted this out beforehand.”

“You gave us time for that?”

Fuming, Mijin lit a cigarette. She knew Yiyeon had a point.

Chunmong Island and Chunmong Pavilion were full of persistent cameras. The only ones the participants could control were those in their rooms, and Yiyeon and Doohyun never shared a room, so it must have been frustrating for Yiyeon.

“Still…! You…”

PD Choi couldn’t bring herself to say that if they were going to make such a mess, they should’ve gone to a cheaper place like the sweet potato field or garlic field.

“I’ll cover the location rental and staff meal costs.”

PD Choi suppressed her anger as he looked at the black card Yiyeon pulled out from her wallet.

“But what if Yoo Doohyun refuses to film now?”

“He’s too shrewd to do anything that harms himself. He’ll cool off and come back, so don’t worry.”

As Yiyeon said, Doohyun was keen on maintaining his image. But more than that, Yiyeon was convinced by his obsession with him.

Yiyeon couldn’t confide everything to PD Choi, but his mind was in turmoil.

Usually, he could just pretend to be a friendly senior despite Doohyun’s advances. But seeing Jaegal Minhyuk and Dansol driving off together during his morning jog had already unsettled him.

If it weren’t for Doohyun, he could have been the one next to Dansol. From the start, Doohyun’s aggressive approach had made his feel like an outsider to Dansol.

Yiyeon was certain that Dansol avoided his because of Doohyun.

“We’re back…?”

The date voucher was valid until 7 PM. Originally until 2 PM, but the assistant director received a call from PD Choi and hastily extended the filming time to 7 PM.

Thanks to that, they even enjoyed the rice wine served as a snack and helped out at the village head’s orchard after harvesting all the sweet potatoes.

Dansol, who returned to Chunmong Pavilion with hands full of fruits to share, happily opened the door. But there was no response.

Doohyun, after his date with Yiyeon, locked himself in his room, and Yiyeon, feeling low, had also shut himself in, claiming a headache.

Taeoh, upset by Yeomin, fell asleep after sniffling, and Daesoo and Jisoo had just finished arguing with the crew over the extended filming time.

“I’m back!”

The first to respond to Dansol’s voice was Jisoo.

“Sol, you’re back? How was it today? Was it tough with the extended filming time? And… what happened to you?”

Wearing rubber boots, work pants, and a straw hat, Dansol looked every bit the typical farmer. Covered in dirt like a mole, Dansol held out a basket filled to the brim with both hands toward Jisoo.

“Hyung! Look at this! I picked them!”

Even though Minhyuk offered to help, Dansol refused. The basket was filled with perfectly selected sweet potatoes, tomatoes, apples, and bell peppers, gifts from the village headman as thanks for a job well done.

“Weren’t you supposed to be on a date?”

Jisoo looked suspiciously at Jaegal Minhyuk. Unlike Dansol, who looked like he had just crawled out of a dirt hole, Minhyuk appeared relatively clean.

Jisoo’s eyes demanded an explanation for what Minhyuk had done with his precious Dansol, but Minhyuk avoided the question by carrying a box of sweet potatoes to the trunk.

“Let’s have roasted sweet potatoes for a late-night snack, Dansol. There’s enough for all our staff to enjoy.”

As Minhyuk said, the heer amount of sweet potatoes prompted the production team to start carrying boxes one by one. Hearing the commotion, the other participants began to gathim. Daesoo, who had just come out of the shower wearing a navy blue bathrobe, greeted Dansol.

“Sola… if anything happened, you need to speak up. Did that guy overwork you or something?”

“No! Absolutely not! I had a lot of fun today. Hehe.”

Ignoring Jisoo’s continued suspicious gaze, Dansol headed to the kitchen with the basket. Daesoo followed behind, ready to help with the fresh produce.

“Dansol.”

“Ah! Senior, look at this. Aren’t they pretty?”

Dansol proudly showed off the day’s harvest to Daesoo as if they were his own children, just like he had done with Jisoo.

“Uh… yeah, they are.”

Although Daesoo didn’t really understand what was so pretty about bell peppers, he responded while watching Dansol’s beaming smile. Dansol, oblivious, turned to wash the vegetables under running water.

“They are pretty.”

“Let’s roast them later. Have you had dinner?”

“You seem to like this kind of stuff.”

Dansol, scrubbing the sweet potatoes, responded to Daesoo’s shy question.

“Yeah, I didn’t realize it, but I think I do.”

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”

“What? Oh, senior! Where did you go…?”

Dansol, who hadn’t heard Daesoo’s answer due to the loud water, looked around but found Daesoo had already left the kitchen, a determined look on his face.

– Dear Alpha and Omega of Choonmongak, did you enjoy your day today?

– Some of you might have had a delightful date, while others might have spent the day alone in the dorm.

– But don’t be disappointed just yet. The journey of Alpha Omega Match Survival in Island has only just begun. There will be plenty of opportunities for dates, so don’t worry too much.

– However, you must remember that not everyone will be able to continue this journey together.

– As the title of our program suggests, we are in a survival competition.

– This week, we will have our first elimination in Alpha Omega Match Survival in Island.

We were eating the sweet potatoes that Dansol and Minhyuk had dug up while sitting around a fire in the front yard, just like any other night.

Despite trying to shake off his previous life’s hardships, Dansol found himself thrown back into the midst of a survival competition.

Even before his regression, eliminations had started from the first week.

– Each participant will receive one vote for elimination.

– With this vote, you can eliminate one person, whether they are an Alpha or an Omega.

– Please note that in RO Match Survival, it is possible to transfer your vote to another person.

– If there is a competitor you need to beat, by any means necessary, acquire another person’s vote. The production team will not criticize or stop you from doing so.

– Acts of love always transcend good and evil.

‘Ridiculous.’

Dansol’s improved mood plummeted, as if he were rolling in the mud. The eloquent words boiled down to filming every act committed to obtaining votes, turning participants into national or even global trash.

To Dansol, votes were the root of all evil. In a previous season, his missing vote was maliciously edited to make it look like he was rummaging through Doohyun’s belongings to steal, although his vote had been hidden in his jacket pocket all along.

Someone had intentionally hidden Dansol’s vote and then put it back, but he couldn’t say anything and just had to endure.

Feeling grateful to Jisoo for making the broadcast more comfortable by not sharing a room with Doohyun, Dansol looked up at Jisoo, who was resting his chin on his head.

‘What?’

Jisoo mouthed, and Dansol smiled bashfully.

‘Nothing.’

Finding the gesture cute, Jisoo patted Dansol’s freshly washed, fluffy hair.

Many Alphas’ eyes glinted sharply as they watched, but the brightest gaze belonged to Ma Taeoh, who had just learned about the existence of votes. His face, swollen from crying all evening, glowed with a fierce determination.

A lion doesn’t go all out when chasing a deer, but a deer chased by a lion runs for its life.

Chased by Yoon Yeomin, Ma Taeoh resolved to become the first Alpha in all seasons of Alpha Omega Match to eliminate an Omega.

* *

[Teaser]

Late at night, a man standing under the large pine tree in Choonmongak’s front yard repeatedly stacks stones while muttering.

“… I’ll get rid of you first on this island.”