Main Character of a Dating Reality Show C6

Chapter 6

When Gyeol came out of the shower, Yoon I-soo was lying on his stomach on the bed, the room dimly lit by a single mood lamp, reading a book.

“I-soo, aren’t you sleeping yet?”
“Ah. I was waiting for you. Wanted to chat before we sleep.”

Closing his book, I-soo straightened his upper body and sat neatly on the bed.

“How’s your ankle?”
“Luckily, it’s just a light sprain.”

He rotated his foot lightly, the patch of medicated plaster still stuck around his ankle.

“That’s a relief.”

Gyeol replied sincerely, taking a seat on the bed opposite him. The moment he did, as if waiting for that cue, I-soo changed the topic.

“Who did you pick?”
“…Sorry?”
“The first impression vote. Who did you choose?”

So he was just going to ask that outright?

Gyeol hesitated for a brief moment.

While the show’s rules varied from season to season, it was common for contestants who shared the same secondary gender to confide in each other. Such exchanges often led to closer friendships, sometimes lasting well beyond filming.

For example, in Alpha X Connect Season 7, two Omegas formed such a strong bond that, even though neither ended up with an Alpha, their friendship stole the audience’s hearts—and the duo went on to model for magazines and release a song together.

If used wisely, this could be a good move.

But it came with risks.

Namely, if both ended up falling for the same Alpha.

That was when things got ugly—friendships cracking, gossip flying, backstabbing fueling the most dramatic edits of the season. It could ruin reputations on both sides.

Gyeol met I-soo’s clear gaze.

He seemed kind and harmless enough, but it was far too early to tell what kind of person he really was. Since Gyeol had already built an on-camera bond with him—especially after sacrificing his win to help him—it was better to tread carefully.

Besides, the first day’s filming had been chaos. He’d been too busy managing his own image to pay attention to who was eyeing which Alpha. He had no clue which one had caught I-soo’s attention.

“Are we even allowed to talk about that?”

Of course, Gyeol already knew they were. Every season’s cast had done it. But pretending to be cautious served him better—it made him look respectful of the show’s structure, responsible, and deliberate.

Hopefully, I-soo would catch the hint: Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We can talk about something else.

“It should be fine! If you don’t wanna say first, I’ll go.”

No, that’s… that’s not what I meant.

Gyeol could feel a headache coming on. Noted—Yoon I-soo didn’t pick up on subtext.

Before he could redirect the conversation, I-soo blurted out:

“I picked Shin Joon-oh.”

What?

“Ah! Don’t look at me like that! It’s not because I’m a SAVE ME fan, I swear!”

…What look? He hadn’t even given him a look. And what “look” was he imagining, exactly?

Watching him hide his flushed face in his hands, Gyeol smiled.

“I wasn’t thinking that. Oh, so you picked Joon-oh.”

And just like that, I-soo had not only revealed his choice but also given away his reasoning.

Maybe he was a genuine SAVE ME fan. From the start, he’d shown interest in whether Gyeol and Joon-oh knew each other and acted overly friendly whenever their names came up.

“Yeah… I was debating it, but he came up to me earlier to ask about my ankle and check if I was okay. It was really sweet of him.”

Well, that was fine by him.

Shin Joon-oh. The one person in Season 10 Gyeol wanted absolutely nothing to do with.

If I-soo’s interest was directed there, that meant they wouldn’t cross paths romantically. Perfect.

“He can be really considerate sometimes,” Gyeol said, smiling lightly.

He meant it. Joon-oh had always been thoughtful and caring, the kind of person who held a group together.

“Exactly! I was touched today—by both you and Joon-oh. Makes me feel like my old SAVE ME fangirl heart wasn’t wrong after all…”

Please stop talking about that.

Clearly, I-soo lacked awareness. Still, Gyeol listened with polite patience, even nodding along while the other man chatted cheerfully.

From the looks of it, he hadn’t been genuinely curious about Gyeol’s choice at all—he just wanted to share his own.

“Ah, sorry! I’ve been rambling about myself nonstop.”

Fanning his face shyly, I-soo smiled, his features neat and delicate. Joon-oh’s taste had always leaned toward the gentle, unassuming type.

“Anyway, I told you mine. Who did you pick, Gyeol?”
“I chose…”

– Brunch Date: Choi Seon has chosen Go Gyeol.
– Matched couples, please enjoy your brunch dates.

If he’d known this would happen, he’d have picked someone else.

“Good morning, Gyeol.”
“Good morning, Seon. Beautiful day, isn’t it?”

Of all people—Choi Seon, the one with a brunch date coupon.

“The sunlight’s quite strong. You should sit on the inside.”
“Thank you. Mm… but you’ll be in the sun then. Let’s pull your chair over here instead.”
“You’re very considerate.”

Last night, for his first impression choice, Gyeol had chosen Choi Seon, the former national swimmer. Not because he liked him—but because it was the safest choice.

Seon was stoic. He kept to himself, rarely initiated conversation, and avoided flirting. Even though his victory in the Alpha Team Challenge had earned him quiet admiration from a few Omegas, his replies were curt and detached.

Before long, their interest had cooled. While others mingled and built early alliances, Seon remained politely distant. He hadn’t spoken a word to Gyeol, nor even looked his way.

“Here, I’ll cut your French toast for you.”

That was exactly why Gyeol had chosen him.

He didn’t want any early rivalry or messy triangles, nor did he want a mutual match on day one.

“Thank you. Would you like iced Americano or orange juice?”

But fate had other plans.

Every Alpha had chosen him.

Which meant, naturally, that Seon had too.

“I only drink black coffee in the morning to avoid blood sugar spikes.”
“Ah. Right. Blood sugar spikes.”

So the most neutral choice possible had suddenly turned into the headline match of the day—complete with a romantic brunch under the sun.

A disaster. Who could’ve seen this coming?

Suppressing a groan, he set an iced Americano in front of Seon.

Meanwhile, the Alpha, after diligently slicing the toast, let out a quiet sigh.

“Though… eating French toast is going to cause a blood sugar spike anyway—pfft.”

Gyeol clamped a hand over his mouth, trying and failing not to laugh.

The poor French toast looked like it had been through a war.

“I… only ever trained, never cooked,” Seon muttered.
“Sorry. I shouldn’t laugh.”

But he couldn’t stop. The once-fluffy toast now looked like a tragic crime scene, drenched in melted ice cream and raspberry jam.

“Ah, I really shouldn’t—but this is too funny.”
“Just laugh, then…”

That did it. Gyeol burst out laughing.

A tall, straight-faced Alpha who looked like a model citizen had just annihilated a piece of bread—it was absurdly endearing.

“What did that poor French toast ever do to you?”
“I didn’t mean to kill it.”

The tips of Seon’s ears turned red.

Huh. Kind of cute, actually.

Feeling playful, Gyeol feigned a mournful expression.

“It’s too sad. I can’t eat it.”
“…”
“I really can’t. It’s too tragic.”
“Are you… planning to keep teasing me?”

Now he was stammering, eyebrows sloping like a guilty puppy.
That did it—he really did look like a big, sulky golden retriever.

“Sorry. It’s just such a masterpiece. I should’ve taken a photo.”

After another laugh, Gyeol took a sip of orange juice, the cool sweetness calming his throat.

Seon, still expressionless but clearly nervous, speared a mangled piece of toast with his fork and held it out.

Without thinking, Gyeol leaned forward and took a bite.

A loud clatter—Seon had dropped his fork.

Wait…

Around them, the camera crew exchanged knowing smiles.

Oh, no.

“S-sorry! I thought you were feeding me.”

It was habit. He’d developed it after years of raising Yuli—his little boy. The child often poked food at him, chirping, “Dad, ahhh!” And Gyeol would obediently open his mouth.

That reflex had just betrayed him.

Now Seon’s ears were burning bright red.

“A-are you okay? You look overheated.”
“You made me overheated.”
“Huh?”
“You made me hot, Gyeol.”

Declaring it firmly, Seon grabbed his iced Americano and downed the entire thing in one go. Then, as if to prove a point, he shoved three forkfuls of toast into his mouth at once.

“Didn’t you say you avoid sugar spikes?”
“Right now, I need a sugar spike.”
“What are you even saying?”
“You caused my blood sugar to rise, Gyeol.”

“You’re ridiculous, Seon.”

Gyeol couldn’t hold back another burst of laughter. Turns out, the serious swimmer was actually a lovable goof.

What he’d expected to be a dull, awkward morning had turned into an unexpectedly enjoyable date—full of laughter, teasing, and warmth.

– Brunch dates are now over.
– Pheromone matching will begin shortly. All contestants, please gather at the Pheromone Booth.