Falling for the Omega Idol

THEY all turned toward the voice and saw a slender Omega walking toward them, or more precisely, toward Seojun. He had straight black hair that fell neatly across his forehead, a slim build, and noticeably large, bright eyes that seemed to take up much of his delicate face. His overall appearance was soft and gentle, much like many Omegas. And being a contestant here, it's a given that he's good-looking.

Haneul recognized him as one of Seojun's teammates from the vocal mission, though he couldn't quite recall his name. It wasn't that the other was forgettable, but with so many contestants around, keeping track of every name had become nearly impossible.

"So there you are, Seojun-ah," the Omega said, smiling warmly at Seojun while completely ignoring the others standing nearby. "It's almost lunchtime. Should we go eat together?"

Seojun stiffened slightly before turning to face the Omega. "I was actually planning to eat with my friends here."

Though Seojun was smiling, Haneul noticed it wasn't his usual warm and gentle expression. The smile seemed tight around the edges, as if he was forcing himself to maintain it.

It was only then that the Omega glanced at the three of them, as if noticing their presence for the first time. His eyes skimmed quickly over Haru, barely registering him. He studied Robin a moment longer, his expression turning slightly critical before a faint smirk touched his lips, as if he'd made some private judgment in his favor. Finally, his gaze landed on Haneul. His eyebrows furrowed slightly, a flicker of displeasure crossing his features, but he smoothed it away almost instantly. Or at least made a visible effort to do so.

"Then they can just join us," he said, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.

Haneul raised an eyebrow. The way the other spoke made it sound like joining them for lunch was some kind of special privilege. Not to mention, everything about his body language screamed that he didn't actually want them there at all.

"Oh sure, let's all go to lunch together," Robin said with a grin that hovered just on the edge of being annoying. "But what was your name again?"

Haneul bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. Robin's comment was clearly meant to irritate the Omega, a subtle way of saying, "you're not memorable enough for us to remember." Normally, Robin wouldn't deliberately provoke anyone, but the Omega's unwarranted rudeness had clearly struck a nerve.

The Omega's expression darkened noticeably, though he kept a strained smile in place. "Oh, of course. How rude of me not to introduce myself earlier. I forgot some people have the memory of a goldfish. I'm Choi Yujin."

A muscle in Robin's jaw twitched. Then he smiled back, just as politely. "I wouldn't know about goldfish. But remembering someone usually depends on whether they make an impression or not."

The friendly mood from earlier vanished. An awkward silence fell over the group, making the air feel stiff and uncomfortable. No one spoke for a moment, the tension hanging plainly between them.

Haru looked completely lost, as if he couldn't follow the tense exchange. Even Seojun wore a pained expression, like he'd eaten something sour.

Seeing the uncomfortable atmosphere, Haneul cleared his throat and spoke up to break the tension. "Should we head to lunch now?"

Haru's face immediately brightened at the suggestion. "Yes, let's go eat!" he agreed eagerly, clearly grateful for the change of topic.

***

As they stood in line for food, Haneul leaned slightly toward Robin and kept his voice low. "Hyung, why did you react that way earlier?"

Haru stood directly in front of them, while further ahead in line were Seojun and Choi Yujin. With their position at the back, Haneul felt confident that their conversation wouldn't be overheard.

Robin shrugged slightly. "He's kind of annoying. It's not about the obvious interest he's showing toward Seojun. If he wants to fall in love with someone in the middle of this competition, that's completely his own business. What really bothered me was the way he acted like some kind of royalty looking down on peasants when looking at us."

Haneul blinked and then chuckled. "Fair enough."

Having been friends with Robin for a while, Haneul knew exactly how he was. Robin was naturally kind and cheerful, but he was also extremely straightforward. If he didn't like how someone was behaving around him, he wouldn't hold back from saying so. In a way, Haneul found that quality refreshing. He preferred having a friend who would speak honestly to his face rather than someone who would only talk behind his back later.

Just then, they heard Seojun calling to them from further up the line. He was already holding a full tray of food.

"I'll go find us a table," he announced.

They saw Choi Yujin quickly move to walk beside Seojun, gazing at him with obvious admiration as if he were the most wonderful person in the world. At the same time, Seojun kept a gentle smile on his face, though it was clear he was making a conscious effort to maintain it.

Robin shook his head and muttered quietly, "If he doesn't want the guy around, he should just say so."

Haneul knew he was talking about Seojun. "That might be difficult for him," he replied. "Seojun hyung is just naturally too gentlemanly to be direct like that towards an Omega."

Robin rolled his eyes. "Being a gentleman should have its limits too. Well, at least no one can accuse him of letting chivalry die."

Before Haneul could respond, they heard Haru say curiously:

"Why does Seojun hyung look like he's constipated?"

Both Haneul and Robin turned to look where Haru was looking. They saw Seojun sitting at a table with Choi Yujin positioned closely beside him. True to Haru's observation, Seojun had a strained expression. His eyebrows were drawn together slightly, his jaw was visibly clenched, and his smile looked more like a pained wince than an actual expression of happiness. He appeared deeply uncomfortable, as if politely enduring something physically painful.

Haru's description of him looking 'constipated' was surprisingly accurate.

Poor guy.