THE four buses that had been parked in the Jeil ENM Center's lot had already departed. Before setting off, a staff member on each bus announced that they were heading to the location where the contestants would stay for the next three days. This location would also serve as the venue for filming the first segment of the survival program.
The contestants on each bus were buzzing with a mix of excitement, nervousness, and anticipation. Some exchanged encouraging words, trying to calm each other's nerves, while others stared out the windows, lost in their own thoughts. Every smile, every glance, carried the weight of their dreams—the chance to debut and make a name for themselves in the fiercely competitive world of idols. The air inside the buses was thick with the unspoken understanding that this was the beginning of a journey that could change their lives forever.
The bus Taeyang was in was no exception to the buzz of excitement, but he remained apart from it all. His gaze was fixed on the window. But he wasn't really looking at the passing scenery; his focus was on the reflection of the person sitting beside him, captured faintly in the glass.
Kang Haneul was chatting animatedly with the pink-haired Alpha sitting across from him. Though Taeyang had his headphones on, no music was playing, so he could clearly hear their conversation. It was just casual talk—wondering where the bus was headed and sharing their excitement about what lay ahead. Nothing out of the ordinary, just the kind of conversation you'd expect from people in their situation.
But it was still vastly different from the short conversation they had earlier. Theirs was almost on the borderline of politeness. It was only when they called each other by their name that the polite speech was dropped. And even Taeyang could tell Kang Haneul was very awkward doing it.
Unlike now that he was talking to the pink-haired Alpha. Kang Haneul was smiling. A real smile, unlike the one he gave him earlier. Yeah. He only now realized after seeing him smile at that pink-haired that the smile he gave him was just perfunctory. Because why else would the smile he was showing that pink-haired much more beautiful?
Taeyang knew he sounded stupid saying that. Because how could the beauty of a smile become the basis of whether it's fake or not? But somehow, he just knew that he was right.
He stared again at Kang Haneul's reflection. Seeing those beautiful eyes hidden behind glasses, Taeyang couldn't help but think it was a shame. He wished he could remove the glasses and simply admire those eyes without any obstruction.
Stop! What was he thinking? He shut his eyes tightly, trying to erase Kang Haneul's reflection from his mind before his thoughts could spiral into something even more foolish.
It wasn't just those pair of eyes that bothered him, no was it the smile. It was the way Kang Haneul was happily chatting with the pink-haired Alpha that grated on his nerves. Why did it even affect him this much? He barely knew Kang Haneul, yet the other stirred up emotions he couldn't quite understand. And still, he couldn't bring himself to play any music in his headphones to drown out their conversation.
He even found himself wishing he were better at making conversation. Then maybe that initial exchange wouldn't have ended so quickly. Perhaps he would be the one chatting with Kang Haneul now instead of the pink-haired Alpha.
Wait—seriously? What was wrong with him? Was all the sugar he'd been consuming finally messing with his brain? Why was he even thinking about all this nonsense?
Despite those thoughts, Taeyang still reached into his pocket for a piece of candy to calm his frayed nerves. He unwrapped it and popped the round candy into his mouth, the sweet taste of caramel spreading over his tongue. Finally, he began to relax.
But then, the taste of the candy he was eating suddenly triggered a memory in his mind. It was during that contract signing when he suddenly smelled a whiff of caramel as Kang Haneul was leaving.
At the time, he dismissed it as nothing—after all, he had been munching on a toffee just moments before. But then, a part of him was thinking, what if it's actually that? You know, that pheromone thing?
He almost laughed at himself at that thought. How could that even be possible? He shook his head, trying to push the thought away. If he kept entertaining such ridiculous notions, he might actually end up doing something insane—like sniffing the back of Kang Haneul's neck. And that, without a doubt, would be a disaster.
Unbeknownst to him, Haneul wasn't actually faring any better. Though outwardly, he seemed engaged in what Robin was saying, his attention kept drifting back to Jung Taeyang. He was hyper-aware of his presence, which didn't bode well for him at all.
Why? Because he wanted to avoid continuously having this 'fan mentality'. What if he and Jung Taeyang ended up in the same group during the program? If he kept thinking like this, he might find himself agreeing with everything Jung Taeyang said, simply because, in his mind, anything Jung Taeyang said about music had to be right.
And Haneul didn't want that. He didn't want his judgment to be clouded by his biased opinion. It could harm his chances in this survival program, and he couldn't afford that.
As those thoughts ran through his mind, a sweet scent suddenly caught his attention, making him instinctively turn toward Jung Taeyang. Just then, the other looked up, and their eyes met. Before Haneul could react or look away, Jung Taeyang lifted his hand, palm up, revealing a piece of candy resting on it.
"Want one?"
The question caught Haneul so off-guard that he instinctively nodded. Before he could even process what was happening, his hand was already reaching for the candy. As he picked it up, the only words that came out were, "Thank you."
After those series of actions, he could only internally sigh as he looked at the candy he picked. At the end, he could only unwrap it and eat it. The sweet flavor of caramel spread in his mouth.
And so, the bus journey continued. Though their conversation remained sparse, the shared candy left both of them with the sweet taste of caramel lingering in their mouths.