Falling for the Omega Idol-Chapter 141: BACK TO THE PRACTICE ROOM

THE morning after the incident, Haneul and most of his teammates—everyone except Park Seongwoo—gathered again in the same practice room. They sat in tense silence, waiting for the PD or a staff member to arrive and announce their decision about Lee Minjae’s fate.

Kim Joonhyuk cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably in the silence. "So... that whole mess yesterday," he began, rubbing the back of his neck. "That was... something, wasn’t it?"

Robin smirked, stretching his legs out. "Yeah, ’something’—like a train wreck where we all played the unlucky passengers."

The dry remark pulled a surprised chuckle from Haneul, and even Taeyang’s lips twitched—though he quickly schooled his expression into its usual indifference.

Kim Joonhyuk seemed to take Robin’s comment as permission to keep talking. "Honestly, I still can’t believe Lee Minjae didn’t take his suppressants," he said, shaking his head. "I mean, we all signed the same contract. How hard is it to follow basic rules?"

He glanced at the cameras, then lowered his voice slightly—though not enough to actually avoid being recorded. "The way he almost jumped Seongwoo-ssi as well. That poor guy. He must have been very scared."

Haneul almost smiled. Joonhyuk was clearly trying to be careful with his words, but he didn’t need to bother. If Lee Minjae got disqualified, none of this footage would ever air, anyway. They could say whatever they wanted.

Of course, that logic only held if Lee Minjae actually got disqualified. If by some chance he wasn’t, then being careful with their words now would prove wise. But Haneul seriously doubted that outcome—there was no way the production team would let this slide.

Even though Haneul had only lived in this world for two months, he understood one thing clearly: the public would never accept an Alpha carelessly going into rut around Omegas. The production team knew this too—they wouldn’t risk the show being criticized as problematic. Not after investing so much time and money into it. Letting Lee Minjae stay would just be asking for trouble.

Kim Joonhyuk leaned back against the practice room mirror, rolling his shoulders as if trying to shake off the lingering awkwardness from yesterday. "Well, if we’re looking for silver linings," he began, a half-smile playing on his lips, "at least now I know none of your scents do anything for me." He froze mid-stretch, eyes widening slightly as his own words registered. "Wait—I mean, the Omegas’ scents! I’m not including the Alphas! Not that it’s any better, but still—"

Robin’s eyebrow arched slowly, his mouth curling into a wicked grin. "That’s called sexual harassment, you know?"

Kim Joonhyuk’s hands flew up in immediate surrender, his ears turning bright red. "No! That’s not—I wasn’t—!" He dragged a hand down his face with a groan. "I just meant yesterday was so intense, I couldn’t help noticing! Not that I was trying to! Forget I opened my mouth!"

The panicked flailing was so absurd, Haneul couldn’t help the quiet laugh that escaped him—which only made Joonhyuk look more mortified.

Taeyang, on the other hand, was annoyed at first when Kim Joonhyuk mentioned smelling the Omegas pheromones. He didn’t really care if Kim Joonhyuk smelled the others, he just didn’t like the idea that an Alpha might smell Haneul’s caramel scent. But when he saw that the other didn’t really mean anything by it, he forced himself to calm down. Even snorting at Kim Joonhyuk’s way of explaining.

And just like that, the heavy air in the room lightened.

But before it could last, the door of the practice room opened and Park Seongwoo walked in. The other hovered in the doorway, his shoulders hunched slightly. He gave a stiff nod that looked too formal to be casual, too quick to be polite.

"Uhm. Good morning," he mumbled, eyes darting between the floor and his teammates.

He shifted his weight from foot to foot, clearly torn between joining them on the practice room floor or remaining standing by the door. His fingers fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, crumpling the fabric nervously.

Before the awkward silence could settle, Robin was already on his feet. He crossed the room with purposeful strides and gently looped an arm around Park Seongwoo’s stiff shoulders.

"Come sit with us," he said, his voice warm but firm, leaving no room for protest. He guided Park Seongwoo toward their circle. When Park Seongwoo hesitated at the edge of the group, Robin gave him an encouraging nudge toward the open space on Haneul’s right. "There’s plenty of floor for everyone."

Park Seongwoo’s posture remained tense, but he allowed himself to be steered, folding his legs beneath him as he sat down.

"...Thanks," he murmured, eyes fixed on his own knees.

Robin didn’t mind the short response and just sat down beside the other.

Haneul turned toward Park Seongwoo, his eyebrows knitting together slightly in concern. "Are you feeling better now, Seongwoo-ssi?"

Park Seongwoo kept his gaze lowered, fingers picking nervously at the fabric of his pants over his knees. "Y-yes. Thank you for asking." He swallowed hard before continuing, his voice barely above a mumble. "And... I’m really sorry for causing so much trouble yesterday."

"Seongwoo-ssi, you didn’t cause any trouble. That wasn’t your fault at all," Haneul said softly.

Kim Joonhyuk nodded vigorously. "Yeah, come on. If anyone should be apologizing, it’s Lee Minjae."

Even Taeyang, who usually stayed quiet in these moments, added a low, "You were the one affected most. Don’t apologize."

Robin reached over and gave Park Seongwoo’s shoulder a light, reassuring squeeze. "Seriously, don’t blame yourself. The only person who messed up here is the guy who couldn’t be bothered to take his suppressants."

Park Seongwoo’s shoulders relaxed just a fraction at their words, though he still kept his eyes downcast.

"Th-thank you, all of you," he said quietly. Then he hesitated, biting his lip before blurting out, "Do you... do you know what will happen to Minjae-ssi now?"

As if to answer his question, the practice room door opened and a staff member stepped inside.