WHILE Haneul waited for the voting results in the back room, someone sat uncomfortably in his seat back in the main waiting area where the other contestants were gathered.

Taeyang wiggled in his chair, trying to find a better position. The blood in his body was still stubbornly pooled in one spot. He glanced down at his lap. His pants were tight, which made the bulge there impossible to miss. He swore under his breath and crossed one leg over the other, hoping it would hide how hard he still was.

Haneul’s group had left the stage a while ago, and the staff were already clearing it for the next two teams. But Taeyang still felt like he was watching Haneul dance. Or at least, his body seemed to think so. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Haneul moving. The way he rolled his hips, the way he let his body flow through each motion, the way he looked at the camera like he wanted someone to eat him alive. It made Taeyang hot all over. But the thought that so many other people would see Haneul the same way made him want to break something.

The thought that not just the live audience, but everyone watching the broadcast, would see Haneul like that made a vein throb in his forehead. And it wouldn’t stop there. People would clip his parts and post them online. Some would loop them over and over. Some perverts would probably save them for their own private collections, watching Haneul move like that whenever they wanted. Anger flared up inside him just thinking about it.

Despite all his anger, Taeyang’s body still reacted, a fact he hated. It made him feel no different from the creeps in his head. Just like them, he wanted to do unspeakable things to Haneul. He wanted to push him down, press himself so close that Haneul would smell only of him. He wanted to sink his teeth into the back of Haneul’s neck, leaving a mark that wouldn’t fade. He wanted to claim him as his own.

At that point, Taeyang realized that what he was feeling was being amplified by his Alpha instincts. He was reminded again how much being an Alpha had changed the way his body responded to things. If he were still in his old world, no matter how much he liked Haneul, he wouldn’t be sitting here with a hard on in the middle of filming. He had that much self-control. But here he was, his hormones out of control, all because he watched the person he liked dance in a certain way. It made him feel wired and keyed up.

He let out a frustrated sigh. He wished he could just go back to his cabin and stand under a cold shower until his body settled down. Maybe he should try thinking of unpleasant things to kill his excitement.

So he thought about his mother. All the bad memories he had of her. And just like that, whatever was left of his erection died down completely. Taeyang smiled bitterly. The mere memory of that woman was enough to ruin his mood. But this time, at least it was useful.

***

Haneul stared at the screen, his face calm and composed. But inside, his heart was racing. He kept his breathing steady and his hands still on his knees, not letting any of his nerves show.

Suho’s leg bounced up and down without stopping, and he kept wiping his palms on his pants. He stared at the screen like it might show the results faster if he didn’t look away. Eunwoo sat quietly with a relaxed posture, his expression calm. He didn’t seem worried at all. Haneul didn’t bother glancing at Jeon Hyunsik, so he didn’t know how the other was handling the wait.

Then the screen suddenly lit up with a loud bell sound. Haneul nearly jumped in his seat, but he caught himself and kept still. His eyes locked onto the screen. The word "RESULT" was displayed in bold letters.

Then, one by one, each person’s point total appeared on the screen.

Baek Eunwoo - 160

Jeon Hyunsik - 145

Kang Haneul - 200

Lim Suho - 110 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Seeing the numbers on the screen, Haneul finally let out a quiet sigh of relief. Their team’s total score was 615, while the other team only had 385 points. With that, it was clear that their team had won.

Suho jumped up from his seat, unable to contain his excitement. He gave each member of the team a quick, tight hug, shouting "We won!" over and over. He didn’t seem to care that he had the lowest individual score out of the four of them. All that mattered to him was that their team had won.

Haneul wasn’t too concerned about his own individual score either. What mattered more was that their team had won, since that meant bonus votes for the next elimination. Still, that didn’t mean he wasn’t pleased that most of the live audience had picked him out of all eight contestants who performed [Over the Edge].

Eunwoo also seemed pleased with the outcome, a small smile on his lips. But unlike the rest of them, Haneul caught a flash of discontent in Jeon Hyunsik’s eyes. It vanished quickly, replaced by an eager look of happiness. Haneul wondered if it was because he hadn’t gotten the highest score. He hoped that was the case. If Jeon Hyunsik was envious of him, maybe he would stop trying to flirt and start being cold and condescending instead. Haneul would take that over the other constantly looking at him like he wanted to get into his pants.

The other team looked disappointed by the result, but they still put on smiles and offered their congratulations to Haneul and his teammates. Eunwoo walked over to them and shook each of their hands, telling them they’d done well.

Haneul moved toward the other team as well, but before he could take a step, Jeon Hyunsik’s voice came low and close to his ear.

"You really know how to work that Omega charm of yours."

Haneul turned his head to look at the other. Jeon Hyunsik was still watching him with that same undisguised interest, but now there was a cruel glint mixed in with it.