Falling for the Omega Idol-Chapter 152: THE FIRST EPISODE (III)

"HEY, mind if I practice here too?" the new guy asked, flashing that perfect smile again.

Then the screen cut to his interview clip, introducing himself as Han Seojun.

Haeun tilted her head. With those sharp but elegant features and that natural charisma, he looked less like a trainee and more like some rising drama star—the kind who’d play the male lead in a school romance. Even his voice had that smooth, polished quality actors had when delivering lines.

She could tell right away this guy would pull in votes just by existing. If he had even halfway decent skills and wasn’t a total jerk, making the finals was practically guaranteed. That’s just how much star power he had.

As she was thinking this, the scene shifted to show the inside of the practice room Han Seojun had just entered. Haeun’s gaze immediately snapped to one of the three people already there.

"That’s our Haneul!" her father exclaimed.

Eunji leaned forward. "He’s with Robin and that handsome boy from the start of the episode—what was his name again? Ah! Jung Taeyang-ssi."

Haeun kept her eyes glued to her brother on screen. Those glasses were still on his face—which meant Jung Taeyang would naturally catch people’s attention first in that room. She just hoped the cameras wouldn’t overlook Haneul completely because of it.

The four of them began practicing together. The camera focused on Robin, then cut to his interview clip where he introduced himself. He explained a bit about his background—like how a French guy ended up speaking Korean so fluently.

Then, it cut back to the four practicing. Since Haeun was so laser-focused on her brother, she saw the exact moment Haneul tripped on his own foot and lost his balance. Her mother also saw this and gasped. But thankfully, before Haneul could fall on his ass, Han Seojun held his shoulder from behind. The moment Haneul raised his head, that’s when the camera fully focused on his face.

With the camera zoomed in, Haneul’s face filled the screen—glasses crooked from his stumble, their usual face-obscuring effect partially broken. His eyes were a light brown, so pale it edged into amber. His lips, naturally rosy, parted slightly as he caught his breath, cheeks flushed pink from exertion.

The close-up lasted only a few seconds. Yet Haeun was certain that single image would have people talking online. A grin spread across her face at the thought. Well—she really hoped so, anyway.

"Why is that boy still holding onto Haneul?" Hyunwoo said, voice tight.

He understood his son would have to interact with Alphas, but seeing it firsthand still unsettled him—especially knowing Haneul had only manifested as an Omega less than two months ago.

Haeun glanced at her father first—his face set in that tight frown he always got when something bothered him. Then she looked at her mother, whose expression had darkened even further. The deeper scowl made one thing clear: she didn’t approve of what was happening, either.

She cleared her throat to get their attention. "Look, Oppa’s being interviewed now."

It worked. Her parents stopped fixating on Haneul and Seojun’s interaction and focused on the interview instead. But Haeun knew they’d go right back to worrying the next time something similar happened.

She understood why. Her brother was a newly manifested Omega in a survival show packed with Alphas—any parent would be concerned. Still, a program this big wouldn’t let anything happen to an Omega contestant. The lawsuits would be disastrous. And with so many Alphas around, Haneul couldn’t exactly avoid them. Maybe she needed to help her parents get used to the idea.

Haeun turned her attention back to the screen. Her brother still wore those glasses during his interview, but as he spoke, the camera kept zooming in—each close-up revealing a little more of the good looks he usually hid. Whoever was editing this definitely knew exactly what they were doing.

The episode ended with the four mentors sitting together, all wearing serious expressions. A floating subtitle appeared: ’Who would make it to the next round?’

***

The moment the episode finished, discussions exploded across domestic community forums and international platforms like X. It was unexpected to see community forums packed with Boys Odyssey] discussions, given how often people said they were tired of survival shows. It was now also trending under X’s K-Pop topics. Streaming it live on Vnet’s YouTube with English subtitles clearly made a difference—no language barrier meant more people could engage and understand what was happening.

One of the major discussion threads on a popular community forum was the following:

[Did you watch episode 1 of <Boys Odyssey>? What’s your opinion?]

- I thought it would have the same format as Idol Producer, but it didn’t, so it was kind of refreshing?

└ Right? I was expecting non-stop performances with some drama mixed in and the contestants getting ranked into grades. Instead we got this laid-back, behind-the-scenes style show.

└└ I like it though. A lot of the contestants got some screen time.

└ Yeah, it felt really different - not just the same old survival show format.

- All the contestants they showed today were really good-looking. I just hope they can actually perform too.

└ Seriously, same. There’s nothing worse than idols who only have looks going for them.

└└ Oof, sounds like someone’s talking about a specific group... LOL

└└ I don’t know about that. Aren’t these guys all independent trainees? Maybe they’re not talented enough, that’s why they’re not signed to any companies.

└└└ Come on, stop being so negative. You just sound like a bitter hater.

- Calling it now - these two are my favorites and I need them to make it to the finals! *attached screenshots of Taeyang and Seojun*

└ Picking favorites already? That’s wild.

└└ Not really. Some people just have that "it" factor right away. And these two? They’re practically oozing charisma.

- I need to see him without those glasses. Can you imagine how stunning he’d be without them? *attached picture of Haneul’s close-up*

└ That close-up had me GASPING. Those glasses are a crime against humanity—imagine his face fully uncovered?! The editors better give us a glasses-off moment next episode or I’ll riot.

└ The way his cheeks flushed pink after stumbling... I’ve replayed that scene 20 times. Whoever decided to zoom in deserves a raise.

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