Gyeol, who had been tilting his head, became conscious of the camera and composed his expression before unfolding the first card.
The rolled omelet was really delicious. Amazing. (P.S.) The rolled omelet is delicious and the owner is pretty.
Next to the somewhat crooked writing that looked like an elementary school student had written it, there was a drawing of a crop that could be either a potato or sweet potato with eyes, nose, and mouth attached, and a ‘thumbs up’ drawing.
How cute. Thinking that, Gyeol checked the other cards one by one.
Sportsmanship. You were amazing.
Sportsmanship. What is this about?
You were really cool during the game. I’d like to go on a date with you later.
Seeing this card, he understood the ‘sportsmanship’ comment on the previous card. Giving up victory and going to help Yoon Isu seemed to have been packaged as so-called sportsmanship and won favor.
Even so, who would’ve thought it would appeal not just to viewers but even to the Alphas.
Still, getting all the votes in the first selection seemed excessive. He had seen many cast members who received a flood of votes in the first selection only to sink miserably as it went on. And even they had never received all the votes.
In other words, it was unprecedented for Go Gyeol to receive all the votes among both Alphas and Omegas.
He didn’t know whether to see this as good or bad. With mixed feelings, Gyeol unfolded the fourth card.
It’s been 8 years. I missed you.
Gyeol’s hand holding the corner of the card tensed slightly. It was Shin Junoh. It might as well have had his fingerprint on the card.
SAVE ME disbanded 8 years ago. The person who, during the most important period that determined the group’s life or death, slipped away without even saying a word to him, the visual member who became the decisive cause of the group’s disbandment, was none other than Shin Junoh.
‘He missed me.’
Go Gyeol swallowed a bitter laugh inside. To Gyeol, Shin Junoh was the most cowardly bastard in the world.
After Shin Junoh ran away, the two hadn’t even contacted each other once, let alone seen each other’s faces.
Without you, we’re finished.
Please come back.
How can you do this to me.
Gyeol vividly remembered the content of the texts he had sent him at the time. But Shin Junoh neither replied to the texts nor answered the phone.
And the following year. He heard the news that Shin Junoh had debuted with the idol group Moving. Also the news that Shin Junoh was the leader.
‘Shameless bastard.’
He had dreamed for all 8 years that if they met again, he would curse at him to his face. But the place of their reunion happened to be in front of a romance program camera.
As if swallowing fire, Gyeol’s insides blazed fiercely.
Missed me? It’s been 8 years?
If that’s how he was going to play it, he would thoroughly use him. Since he had sent his first impression vote to him, Gyeol decided to use even Shin Junoh as an opportunity.
Gyeol lowered his gaze diagonally and made a sad expression.
Then he pursed his lips, folded Shin Junoh’s card, and wiped the tear that had formed in his right eye with his sleeve.
After transitioning to an actor, shedding tears was now a piece of cake.
After pretending to collect his emotions for a moment, Gyeol opened the last card.
Think only of me. Because I think only of you too.
The neatly written phrase contained somewhat explicit content.
There were 4 Alphas. 5 cards.
‘Catfish.’
The meaning of one extra card was obvious.
‘Catfish’ was a term derived from the ‘catfish effect,’ a form of applying to romance programs the hypothesis that the existence of a powerful competitor can draw out the potential of other competitors. It meant a powerful presence that shook up the landscape.
‘But……’
Among all past AlX○ Connect seasons, there had never been a case where a catfish showed interest from the start. Then it must be a special setting given to Season 10.
Gyeol decided to move according to the production team’s intentions. As if not understanding the situation, he counted the number of cards several times and tilted his head. Then, with a calm expression, he left the mailbox area.
– All the Alphas chose Go Gyeol-ssi. How do you feel?
“I was really surprised. Honestly, I thought it wouldn’t be zero votes, but……. I opened the mailbox and something was piled high. For a moment, I thought I was dreaming.”
– You looked cool when you gave up first place and went to save Yoon Isu-ssi. It seems like that really appealed to the Alphas too.
“Save is too kind of you to say. It wasn’t that grand……. Isu-ssi is my roommate, and it looked like he was hurt, so I just couldn’t keep going. I’m just grateful that you viewed it positively.”
– What do you think about receiving a total of 5 Alpha cards?
“It’s an extension of what I said earlier. I thought I was dreaming. So I recounted the cards several times. But it really was 5 cards. Wow, what? Why? I still can’t grasp it. AlX○ Connect is really no joke. I’m looking forward to what’s ahead.”
***
After finishing the interview, Gyeol zipped up his hoodie as he walked along the narrow path. Perhaps because it was by the sea, the wind that blew after sunset was quite chilly.
As he walked along the path, he reviewed the interview content. Whether there were any mistakes. Whether there were any concerning points.
‘I’m glad Seong Yohan wasn’t there.’
When it was his turn for the interview, what Go Gyeol worried about most was none other than Seong Yohan. If Seong Yohan were present at a place where questions and answers were personally exchanged, it seemed like it would be difficult to hide all the awkward and uncomfortable feelings.
‘But where did that bastard go? Did he just show his face briefly and leave?’
Mulling over his thoughts, he turned onto a downhill path. The surroundings were dreary. Except for the sparse temporary lighting the production team had set up, everything was dark and thick silence hung heavily.
Gyeol’s steps gradually quickened. He wanted to return to his accommodation quickly.
Just then, suddenly someone appeared from behind and stopped Gyeol.
“Go Gyeol-ssi.”
“……!”
Gyeol was greatly startled. He was so startled that his shoulders visibly rose and fell. The other person must have seen it too.
Embarrassed by the shoulder he had unconsciously grabbed, he brushed off his arm and turned around. As soon as he confirmed the other person, a second surprise found Gyeol.
“Why are you so surprised?”
Immediately after, displeasure washed over him.
“Is someone going to eat you or something?”
“…Seong Yohan-ssi.”
A shadow fell over Seong Yohan’s face with his back to the light. Especially while the area around his eyes was dim, his eyes glittered with a strange color, giving off an inexplicable sense of pressure.
“I was surprised. You’ve changed, way too much.”
His eyes slowly scanned Go Gyeol from top to bottom. It was a blatant gaze.
Although he had strategically taken on the appearance of a ‘beauty,’ perhaps because he wasn’t pleased with his own appearance, Gyeol felt like Seong Yohan was mocking him.
“…I prepared appropriately for the program.”
The other person was the co-PD of the program.
The past is the past. Now is now. Go Gyeol was no longer a novice who couldn’t hide the shame he felt. Even if he couldn’t smile brightly, he could act calm.
“Hmm, is that so. It seems successful. Receiving all the Alpha votes, that is.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you? Interesting.”
Seong Yohan lifted his chin and let out a laugh. It wasn’t just his imagination. It was close to derision.
“Still, it seems you can at least function in society now. Failed idol actor wannabe Go Gyeol-ssi?”
Heat surged up from the nape of his neck. Because of the cold wind slapping his face, he could feel the heat rising in his body even more vividly.
Failed idol actor wannabe.
It was the derogatory term Seong Yohan used to call him in the past.
Vivid hostility could be felt. The gentlemanly appearance Seong Yohan had taken during the day was nowhere to be found.
The arrogant dogmatist Go Gyeol remembered existed right before his eyes. Even at this moment, his face was terribly beautiful, making each word he uttered feel all the more discordant.
“But how come your acting hasn’t improved at all. Forced expressions, artificial speech, gestures……. There’s nothing proper about any of it.”
It was something he had been worried about since Seong Yohan appeared.
He could deceive other people. But not Seong Yohan.
As long as Seong Yohan was sitting as PD, could Go Gyeol deceive him with acting?
“Are you going to keep acting like that?”
His doubt was quickly resolved. Gyeol stared straight at Seong Yohan with his molars clenched tightly.
Silence flowed between the two for a moment. He frantically searched for a breakthrough in his head, but it was utterly hopeless.
“Huh? What are you two doing here?”
The unexpected relief pitcher who appeared was the youngest writer. She revealed herself at the point where the downhill path began, and upon discovering the two people, waved her hand.
“I ran into Go Gyeol-ssi on my way up, so we were greeting each other.”
Seong Yohan smiled, creasing his eyes, and waved his hand back. It was a completely different appearance from threatening someone just moments ago.
“Ah, you were coming up to the filming site. You don’t have to come up! Everyone’s withdrawing now!”
Soon, staff members appeared one by one behind the youngest writer’s back.
“Then, Go Gyeol-ssi. Go back and rest well.”
Without batting an eye, Seong Yohan offered Gyeol a handshake.
He didn’t want to take it. However, Gyeol had only one choice given to him.
“…It was nice to meet you, PD Seong-nim.”
In the tautly drawn tension, he grasped Seong Yohan’s hand. Seong Yohan’s hand was large, no different from before.
Gyeol tried hard to shake off the past that came flooding in while keeping his molars tightly clenched.
‘Is it that hard to rub your lips? Did you gild them or something?’
The man’s breath that had toxically colored his lips.
‘Failed idol actor wannabe Go Gyeol-ssi.’
The grip strength of a hand held tight.
‘If you keep acting like this, you’ll only live at the bottom forever. Even the name of unknown actor is too good for you.’
But this moment was reality, not the past.
“It was nice to meet you, Go Gyeol-ssi.”
He felt like he would get burned by the body temperature wrapping around his palm.
