HANEUL froze when they turned and saw Taeyang standing there. He and Robin had been keeping their voices low, so he wasn’t sure how much Taeyang had actually heard. But the fact that he’d asked them to tell him whatever they’d been talking about meant he’d definitely caught at least the last part.

Robin let out an awkward laugh. "It’s nothing. We were just saying we should tell you how good your performance was."

Haneul let out a quiet sigh of relief at Robin’s quick save. Not that he didn’t want to tell Taeyang about Jeon Hyunsik. The problem was that they were in the hallway, and there were cameras every few steps. When it was just him and Robin, they could murmur to each other and it would look like they were just having a private chat. But if Taeyang joined in, it would look like the three of them were plotting something about the show or another contestant. That would draw too much attention, and the production team might try to turn up the volume on their conversation just to hear what they were saying. Which would be bad.

But when Haneul looked at Taeyang, he could tell the other hadn’t bought Robin’s excuse. Taeyang said nothing about it, though. He just fell into step beside Haneul and kept walking with them.

"Your teams did well too," he said simply.

"I bet you enjoyed watching Haneul’s performance," Robin said, wiggling his eyebrows with a knowing grin.

Haneul wasn’t sure why, but Robin’s tone made it feel like he was hinting at something. He glanced over at Taeyang and nearly stumbled when he saw how red the other’s face had turned. Not just his cheeks, but all the way from his neck to the tips of his ears. Haneul blinked. Just from that reaction alone, he could tell Taeyang’s mind had gone somewhere related to his performance. But what exactly had he been thinking that would make him blush like this?

Taeyang cleared his throat. "It was... um, it was good."

"Yeah, those hip rolls were chef’s kiss," Robin said, keeping up the same teasing tone.

When Haneul saw Taeyang’s face turning even redder at Robin’s words, he suddenly realized what might be the reason the other was blushing. Taeyang was obviously thinking about his dancing, and whatever was going through his head was clearly not innocent.

At that realization, it was Haneul’s turn to feel his own face heat up.

Was Taeyang really thinking about that kind of thing? Just the idea of what might have been going through Taeyang’s head while watching him perform [Over the Edge] made Haneul’s face grow even hotter. He couldn’t picture the usually serious Taeyang having those kinds of thoughts. Especially not about him. But then again, Taeyang was still a guy, and he had already confessed to liking him. Haneul also had to remind himself that Taeyang was an Alpha. And from what he’d slowly been learning, Alphas had very active hormones. Those hormones might have nudged Taeyang’s thoughts in that direction.

But even with all that reasoning, it was still embarrassing. And maybe, just a little bit, he was flattered. Because now at least he knew Taeyang was attracted to him. Judging by how red he’d turned, he must be very attracted. That was a nice boost for his ego.

This time, he was the one who cleared his throat and steered the conversation elsewhere. "Do you guys want to go somewhere with, you know, less..." He glanced at the cameras, hoping they’d understand what he meant. Somewhere with fewer cameras.

"I’m up for that," Robin said right away.

"Same here," Taeyang added, scratching his cheek.

***

The three of them headed to the stern of the ship, the same spot where Haneul and Taeyang had talked alone before. They positioned themselves away from the only camera in the area. Haneul stood between Taeyang and Robin. With no cameras nearby to pick up their conversation, he finally told Taeyang about his growing concerns regarding Jeon Hyunsik.

Since he had already told Taeyang about Jeon Hyunsik in this same spot before, he only needed to update him on what happened after the live voting results. Once he finished, Taeyang’s expression changed. His gray eyes hardened, and his jaw went tight. There was a controlled anger simmering behind his calm face.

"I know I told you to kick him if he ever crossed a line," Taeyang said with a dark expression. "But since he’s making you this uncomfortable, maybe I should just go find him right now and make it clear he needs to stay the hell away from you."

Taeyang didn’t just want to warn Jeon Hyunsik. He wanted to beat him. He wanted to knock him down and make sure he never came near Haneul again. The fact that Haneul had even brought this up said a lot. Haneul wasn’t the type to complain about other contestants or make a big deal out of small things. So if he was sharing this much, it meant Jeon Hyunsik had really gotten to him. And that made Taeyang even angrier.

From what Eunwoo had told him and from his own conversations with Haneul, Taeyang already knew the bastard was interested in Haneul. But he’d assumed the guy wouldn’t be stupid enough to actually try anything. They were all here to debut. If Jeon Hyunsik did something to Haneul, it would be career suicide. Not to mention, societal suicide. But it seemed Jeon Hyunsik might not have the brain cells to realize that.

Robin let out a sudden laugh. "That’s a good idea, actually."

"No, it’s really not," Haneul said quickly, then turned to Taeyang. "Please don’t confront him. I don’t want you getting into trouble because of me. Besides, it’s not like he’s actually done anything yet. From now on, I’ll just make sure I’m never alone with him."

Taeyang looked at Haneul and let out a quiet, helpless sigh. He reached over and took Haneul’s hand, giving it a light squeeze. "You can keep being careful around him. But just remember I’m here too. I’ve got your back. Always."