Main Character of a Dating Reality Show C7

Chapter 7

Pheromone Matching.

The Alpha X Connect’s signature system—a scientific method designed to measure and analyze the pheromones of Alphas and Omegas, calculating the optimal compatibility ratio between potential pairs.

When the system was first introduced in Season 5, the show achieved record-breaking viewership.
It was Pheromone Matching that cemented Season 5 as a legendary installment and turned Alpha X Connect into a long-running phenomenon.

Of course, the public’s obsession had little to do with the science itself.
The real dopamine rush came from one thing—

– As you all know, the participants’ pheromones have been pre-collected.
– Each participant will now enter the Pheromone Booth one by one.
– Inside, they will be exposed to both Alpha and Omega pheromones for a set duration.
– During this time, the cameras will only film participants from the chest up. In other words, any physical reactions or movements below the frame will remain unseen—known only to the participants themselves.

That was the problem.
That was the part that had given Alpha X Connect its notorious 19+ rating, fueled endless gossip, and kept it at the center of controversy for years.

“Ugh, I’m so nervous. What should I do?”

To have your reactions, inside a closed chamber, broadcast while being exposed to the pheromones of the opposite trait—it was a setup crafted for chaos.

“Aren’t you nervous too, Gyeol-hyung?”
“I am. Really nervous.”

He replied with a light chuckle, rubbing at his neck. Yoon I-soo had started calling him hyung so naturally that Gyeol didn’t even blink anymore.

He needed to stay composed.
There was a reason Season 5 became infamous for this very segment.

Because one of the Alpha contestants… hadn’t been able to control himself inside the booth.

– Is he seriously jerking off right now…?
– What the hell am I watching??
– No way. He wouldn’t—there are cameras rolling!
– The fact that the producers kept the camera above the chestline… genius or evil? People are going insane guessing right now.
– And why is there no sound?? That’s way more suspicious!
– Wait, I swear I’ve seen this face in one of those “baseball” videos.
⤷ What’s a baseball video?
⤷ Never mind. Go to sleep.
– The lighting… the humidity… yeah, it’s happening.

The incident had caused a nationwide uproar.
Even after the participant himself released a statement—“It was during my rut period, I was sensitive, and I definitely didn’t do anything inappropriate”—the public refused to believe him. The producers never confirmed nor denied anything, only fueling the myth further.

Rumors spread like wildfire across YouTube and social media.
Speculation grew wilder with every retelling.
And viewership skyrocketed.

It was a devilish cocktail of manipulative editing and provocative design.

That was why Gyeol was nervous.
Even before arriving on Pheromone Island, he had already anticipated this would be his greatest trial.

I took the meds, so I’ll be fine.

He’d taken strong hormonal suppressants to prevent any involuntary reactions.

I’ll be okay.

And this wasn’t even a one-time ordeal.
During filming, there would be four separate pheromone matching rounds.

– In the first pheromone matching, participants will choose the pheromone that most strongly attracts them.
– If two participants select each other, the owner of that pheromone will be revealed to them.

Meaning—if both an Alpha and an Omega chose each other, they’d learn the identity of the person whose scent had drawn them in.

If the feeling wasn’t mutual, nothing would happen.

A system designed purely on instinct.
A bestial mechanism masquerading as romance.
To choose the person who your body reacts to—what dignity was there in that?

It might have been an experiment in biological compatibility, but critics called it dehumanizing every single season.

– Then, we’ll begin the first Pheromone Matching.
– Alpha Choi Seon, please enter the booth.

At the sound of his name, Choi Seon rose calmly from his seat.
Unlike the visibly anxious Alphas beside him, his demeanor was steady—almost monotonous.

“Good luck, hyung. Fighting!”

Shin Joon-oh held out a fist, his grin easy and familiar.
Right—they shared a room. And it seemed they’d gotten close fast.

Seon lightly bumped fists with him, then turned—his eyes meeting Gyeol’s.

Huh? Did he just—

For a moment, Gyeol blinked, unsure if it was coincidence. But then he figured it made sense; they had shared a date earlier, after all. Some camaraderie was natural.

He smiled faintly, mouthing a quiet Fighting.

A rare curve of Seon’s lips followed.

“Wow, Seon smiled?”

Omega Kang Hee-jun gaped, and laughter rippled among the group. Leaving that noise behind, Seon entered the booth without hesitation.

Moments later, Seon emerged, ears flushed red.
He’d been given private time to recover—standard courtesy after exposure.

He said nothing, simply walking off, and the others, sensing something intense, didn’t dare stop him.

Then came Kang Hee-jun’s turn.

Each participant entered tense, but came out… differently.
Some pale, some flushed, some visibly—reacting.

“Ahhh—please, don’t look at me!”

The cry came from the massive, potato-haired Alpha—Tommy.
Even from across the room, the… effect was unmistakable.

“Holy—his size is insane,” someone muttered.
“You said that out loud.”
“Ah! Sorry! I didn’t mean—”
“You’re seriously reacting to another Alpha’s reaction? That’s a first.”

Jung Woo-seok waved his hands frantically, while poor Tommy fled, face scarlet.

Tommy, right?

Gyeol couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.
The producers were ruthless—they’d absolutely air that.

Tommy, the bright-haired twenty-something YouTuber from the States, was the youngest contestant. His Korean was clumsy, his mannerisms even clumsier—big-hearted, bumbling, endlessly earnest.

He reminded Gyeol of someone.

Yuli.

His little boy.

Sure, Tommy was over a decade older than Yuli, but their mental ages sometimes felt dangerously close.

– Omega Go Gyeol, please enter the booth.

His turn.
He took a deep breath. Think of Yuli. Think of the national anthem Yuli sang last week. Think of anything but this.

He rose, expression solemn.

Inside, the booth was smaller than he’d imagined—dimly lit, quiet, and cool.

The first scent drifted in.

A crisp forest breeze.
A soft sweetness—fresh bread.
A faint trace of clean soap.

They came one after another.

The forest scent made him oddly uneasy.
The bread scent—warm, comforting.
The soap—neutral, unremarkable.

Maybe they’re using weaker concentrations since it’s the first round.

What fascinated him, though, was how each scent triggered a different emotional response.
So the rumors were true—different pheromones did elicit different physiological and emotional reactions.

That’s how they quantify “compatibility,” huh? Turning instinct into data.

He was just starting to relax—when it hit.

A scent so achingly familiar it made his heart twist.

Shin Joon-oh.

A vivid burst of citrus—clean, sharp, unforgettable.

He’d never been able to forget that scent.
Distinct. Dominant.
It was his signature, from their idol days together.

Every time they practiced late into the night.
Every time Joon-oh had slung an arm around his shoulders.
Every time he’d pulled him close.

That scent had enveloped him then too.

“…”

He clenched his jaw, struggling to keep his face neutral.
He couldn’t let the cameras catch anything in his eyes.

He hadn’t expected this.
It wasn’t his body that reacted first—it was his heart.

He tried to think of Yuli. His bright laughter. His tiny voice singing the anthem.

“Dad!”

That did the trick.
The ache subsided, replaced by a soft smile.

But just as he exhaled, another scent hit him—

Heavy. Head-spinning.

His skin prickled. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around himself.

A deep musk, raw and feral.
Something dark, intoxicating, alive.

It wrapped around him like smoke, seeping into his pores, setting his nerves alight.

Right. There were five Alphas.

He held his breath.
He knew he shouldn’t inhale—knew it was dangerous.

But it was too late.

The unknown Alpha’s pheromone was already inside him—sliding under his skin, flooding his lungs, soaking into every nerve ending.

No. No.

His pulse spiked.
Heat spread rapidly through his body, thick and dizzying, like swallowing pure liquor.

His breath turned shallow, erratic.
And then—he felt it.

The rush of blood, pooling low in his abdomen.