WHEN the PD told them they could go, Eunwoo didn’t leave right away. He felt like he needed to talk to the PD. Because he had a feeling that if he didn’t step in, Haneul might end up getting removed from the show. Some people might think that was a good thing. One less person to compete against, after all. But Eunwoo didn’t want things to go that way. Especially not when Haneul didn’t deserve to be eliminated like this.

"Eunwoo hyung, are you not... leaving?" Suho asked, looking back at him from the hallway. The office door was shut behind them both, but Eunwoo hadn’t moved from where he was standing.

Eunwoo gave him a small smile. "No, I just remembered there’s something I forgot to tell the PD about what happened earlier. Go ahead, I’ll catch up later."

Suho looked confused for a moment, his brow furrowing slightly. But he asked no more questions. He just nodded and turned to walk away.

Eunwoo was relieved Suho hadn’t pressed him for more. Once Suho’s figure disappeared around the corner, he turned back to the door. He raised his hand to knock, but stopped when he heard the PD’s voice through the wood. He was clearly on the phone with someone.

"If Haneul’s mother decides to let him stay in the hospital... he would have to drop out..."

"There is another option..."

"Temporary mark... compatible Alpha."

Then he heard PD Song apologizing to whoever was on the other end of the line. Even with just the snippets Eunwoo could catch, it was clear he was talking to Haneul’s mother and telling her what had happened. The PD must have explained Haneul’s condition and laid out their options. From what Eunwoo gathered, Haneul could either stay in the hospital and withdraw from the competition, or... or he could receive a temporary mark from a highly compatible Alpha. The choice Haneul’s mother made was obvious.

It would definitely be the first option. Which meant if he didn’t speak up now, Haneul would end up being forced out of the show. So before he could talk himself out of it, Eunwoo pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The PD’s eyes went wide at his sudden entrance. Eunwoo didn’t give him a chance to speak first. If he let the PD talk, he knew he’d lose his nerve and wouldn’t be able to say what he needed to say.

"Sir, I’m sorry for eavesdropping on your call. But I think there’s a way to fix this without Haneul having to leave the show."

Kyungho stared at Baek Eunwoo, taken aback by the way he’d walked in without even knocking. His shock only grew after hearing what Eunwoo said next. Part of him wanted to scold the other for eavesdropping, but he also knew Eunwoo didn’t seem like the type to do that on purpose. So, it was most likely accidental. Still, more than that, Kyungho found himself curious. He wanted to hear what Eunwoo had to say.

"What exactly do you mean by that?" he asked.

Eunwoo wasn’t sure if he was doing the right thing. But he also knew this might be the only way Haneul could stay in the competition. So he took a breath and said what needed to be said.

"I know an Alpha who could be compatible with Haneul," he said. "And I don’t think Haneul would be against receiving a temporary mark from him."

***

Hyunwoo did his best to hold back his anger. His wife had just finished telling him what happened to their son. It was a good thing he’d already left the faculty office. If any of the other teachers had seen the look on his face right now, they would have been shocked. Because no matter how hard he tried to keep it together, the anger still seeped out of him in waves.

He gripped his phone so hard his knuckles went white. His jaw was tight, and his chest felt hot with anger. Beneath that, there was an icy knot of fear. Someone had tried to hurt his son. That was the only thought running through his head. He took a breath and forced himself to focus. He could be angry later. Right now, he needed to calm Eunji first.

"Eunji, listen to me," Hyunwoo said, keeping his voice as steady as he could. "You already bought a ticket, that’s good. But you can’t fall apart right now. Haneul needs you to be strong when you get there. We can be angry and scared later. First, we focus on him. Okay?"

He heard a sniffle on the other end. "Yes, Oppa."

The fact that his wife was calling him "Oppa" told him everything he needed to know about how shaken she was.

"But was my decision really right?" she added, her voice wavering. "Would letting Haneul drop out of the show really be the best thing for him? He worked so hard for this, Oppa. I can’t be the reason his journey ends like this."

"Let’s get a few things straight first," Hyunwoo said in a stern voice. "You’re not the reason this happened. That’s on the psycho who drugged our son. And as for what we should do, I think you need to ask Haneul what he wants. Give him a chance to decide for himself. Let him choose what happens next."

That was the thought running through his head as Eunji finished telling him everything.

"Then, we’ll respect that decision."

***

Taeyang stepped onto the ship’s deck, his team trailing behind him after a long day of driving around Jeju. All he wanted was to get to his cabin and stand under a cold shower. He hoped they never had to do this kind of activity again. Not that he hadn’t enjoyed parts of it, but he’d rather do it when the sun wasn’t trying to cook him alive.

He was about to head inside when a staff member stopped him. "Jung Taeyang-ssi, please come with me."

The staff didn’t wait for an answer. He just turned and walked off as if he already expected Taeyang to follow. Taeyang raised an eyebrow but fell into step behind the other anyway.