Chapter 25

“Sol! Are you hurt?”

“Oh… it’s nothing.”

“It looks serious! Shouldn’t we go down?”

“What should we do…! Let me carry you!”

While Dansol was receiving first aid, Jisoo and his group also arrived at the base camp. Amid the voices of concern for Dansol, PD Choi added her input.

“If we go down now, it’ll be dark. It’s safer to stay here tonight.”

Jisoo glared at his somewhat cold tone. They often, no, frequently seemed to forget that celebrities were people too.

They used the viewers as an excuse to treat the cast members like objects. Celebrities were just very expensive tools that existed solely for the broadcast, much like lights or microphones.

Jisoo was fed up with this life. Although he was accustomed to this world, it was still uncomfortable. It was a place filled with quite cruel traps for someone as innocent as Dansol.

“Where’s Jung Daesoo? Didn’t he come with us?”

Jisoo plopped down next to where Dansol was sitting. he naturally placed Dansol’s swollen foot, still bandaged, onto his thigh and asked.

As Dansol tried to pull his foot back in embarrassment, Jisoo held it firmly and sprayed a pain relief spray meticulously over his ankle.

The touch was so delicate that Dansol’s shoulders, tense with pain, gradually relaxed.

“He went back to get the bags. He had to carry me here… so he went back down to get them.”

“He carried you up? On a mountain trail?”

But at Jisoo’s questioning, Dansol shrank back again. he had insisted on climbing the mountain despite fears of getting scolded.

Was he ruining the broadcast again? Would he be labeled a nuisance by everyone?

Seeing Jisoo’s face harden, he bit his lip in growing fear.

“Yes… I’m sorry…”

But Jisoo was only angry at the thought of Daesoo having close physical contact with Dansol. he didn’t notice Dansol’s head lowering in guilt.

‘Uselessly strong guy…’

Determined to carry Dansol himself on the way down, Jisoo stood up to find PD Choi.

“What? Ugh… then what about the shoot? Everyone’s waiting here…”

PD Choi raised her voice during a phone call, and the atmosphere grew tense.

While everyone looked towards PD Choi, Taeoh, who had grown close to the writers, approached Jisoo and Dansol to relay the news.

“Yoo Doohyun got injured and descended halfway.”

“What about Lee Yiyeon?”

“Seems like it. Dansol came up despite being injured…”

Taeoh’s words, seeming to blame Doohyun, made Dansol’s face flush. Did they talk like this when he couldn’t climb the mountain in his past life too?

“The staff seems to have prepared a lot, but the writers are saying the footage for this episode is completely ruined. They climbed all the way up the mountain for nothing…”

But Taeoh, unaware of Dansol’s feelings, continued. The sudden fall of Doohyun had indeed caused some assistant directors to mutter curses, showing the staff’s dissatisfaction.

It could have been Dansol instead of Doohyun.

Dansol felt ashamed and hated himself for feeling relieved.

Maybe he was the one who deserved their criticism. he had luckily returned and avoided a difficult situation, but his ankle’s condition made it hard to be confident about tomorrow.

Feeling like a criminal, Dansol hung his head low. Above him, Jisoo’s voice was heard.

“You should worry about the injured first… Taeoh.”

Surprised, Dansol looked up at Jisoo, who was sternly addressing Taeoh. His face was uncharacteristically hard.

“What? Oh… hyung, I…”

“This mountain hike was too much from the start. I’ll tell PD Choi to drop these kinds of insane plans. Let’s not blame each other.”

Realizing his mistake, Taeoh’s face showed regret. Jisoo patted Taeoh’s stiff shoulders a couple of times before returning to his usual gentle expression.

“Sol, you too.”

“Huh?”

“You didn’t get hurt on purpose, so don’t act like a criminal.”

“Oh…”

“Shall we go rest in the tent with hyung?”

“I…!”

Ignoring Dansol’s response, Jisoo suddenly picked him up.

Embarrassed to be held by another omega among the busy staff, Dansol buried his head in Jisoo’s chest and squirmed, but to Jisoo, it just seemed like a cute tantrum.

In truth, Jisoo was simply worried about Dansol, who was too busy reading the room despite his injury. he left Dansol to rest in the tent and went outside.

Seeing Jisoo come out, Taeoh, still awkwardly standing by, approached him.

“Um… hyung, I mean, Senior. I’m sorry about before…”

“I get it. Nothing to apologize to me for.”

“Still…”

“Taeoh, we make a living off broadcasts, but we don’t need to be consumed by it.”

“Yes…”

Trying to change the mood, Jisoo spoke to the downcast Taeoh as usual.

“Where are Minhyuk and Jung Daesoo? Haven’t seen them.”

“Senior Daesoo brought the bags up earlier, then went to work out… Minhyuk hyung went into the forest to practice a song for Dansol.”

“Crazy party we have here…”

Wondering if something happened with Daesoo while climbing the mountain, Jisoo was looking for him when he found Daesoo sitting on a nearby rock.

Jisoo spotted his large back not far away, steam rising from his body from all the running around.

“You crazy… Did you secretly dig up wild ginseng or something? What the hell are you doing? Was there some issue with Dansol earlier?”

Jisoo approached Daesoo, who was sitting defenseless, and what he saw through his gray sweatpants forming a giant tent.

“You… you crazy… sick pervert!”

“Be quiet!”

“You… you…!”

“It’s not what you’re thinking! I know what you’re thinking, but it’s not that!”

Caught off guard and exposed by Jisoo, Daesoo hugged his knees and curled up to hide his shame. His large frame made it nearly impossible to conceal anything.

“What do you think I’m thinking?”

“I don’t know, what are you thinking?”

“Did you get turned on by looking at me?”

“No way…! It’s not like that!”

“You’re just like a filthy Alpha…”

“It’s not like that!”

While Daesoo and Jisoo echoed their thoughts at each other, another voice interrupted.

“Jisoo hyung? Daesoo Senior…? What are you guys doing here? We’re supposed to gather for a meal…”

It was Dansol, who had come looking for the two missing people.

“Ah!”

“Sol! Don’t come here! It’s dirty!”

“What? Dirty?”

Dansol, who hadn’t clearly heard Jisoo’s words, limped closer to get a better understanding.

“Please don’t say anything. Please, I’m begging you. Jisoo hyung, please…”

More desperately than before, Daesoo curled up like a ball and clung to Jisoo’s pant leg, pleading like a mantra for him not to speak.

At that moment, countless thoughts ran through Jisoo’s mind. Should he expose Daesoo in one blow or use this weakness to his advantage?

The choice was obvious. he couldn’t let Dansol see this wretched sight for his own benefit.

Quickly, Jisoo descended the rock and supported Dansol.

“Is something wrong…?”

“Let’s go inside, Sol. He wants to be alone for a bit. It seems he’s feeling sentimental up here in the mountains.”

“Oh… are you okay, Senior?”

“Yeah… I’m fine.”

Dansol felt something was off with Daesoo’s shaky voice but followed Jisoo, feeling there was something he didn’t understand between them.