Hidden Match: An Alpha-Omega Dating Reality Show

“I only managed to find two.”

“Two? I found one.”

When Sian gave a bitter smile and showed him the coin, Hwajin burst into laughter.

“What? You searched so hard your face turned red, and you still only found one?”

“……That’s just how it turned out.”

His face was flushed because of Kang Juho, but since he had nothing else to say, he gave a vague answer.

While the two of them were talking, Jung Taeoh and Kim Kanghyun approached.

“Oh, it’s Taeoh-ssi and Kanghyun-ssi! Did you two find a lot of coins?”

When Ryu Hwajin waved and asked, Jung Taeoh answered.

“I found four.”

“Four? Wow, that’s amazing! What about you, Kanghyun-ssi?”

“……I found two.”

Kim Kanghyun seemed offended that he had found fewer than Jung Taeoh, and he subtly turned his head away as he answered.

“Haha, I found two too. Then Sian-hyung’s in last place. Sian-hyung only found one!”

“…….”

Sian knew Hwajin hadn’t meant anything malicious by it, but he still felt a surge of irritation.

He tried to tell himself it was fine because the program had only just begun, but he didn’t want to come in last on the very first mission.

“Ah, Taeoh-ssi. Your body’s seriously amazing. What kind of exercise do you do?”

At Hwajin’s question, Sian also glanced at Jung Taeoh.

Since he was wearing only a swimsuit, Jung Taeoh’s body was fully exposed, and it looked firm without a trace of excess fat.

“I’ve just done various kinds of exercise.”

“I don’t think that’s a body you can build with just ordinary exercise. Have you trained in some kind of martial art?”

Jung Taeoh avoided his gaze without answering.

– Five minutes remain.

At that moment, the announcement echoed throughout the area.

Sian immediately started moving. He intended to find at least one more coin in the remaining time. Determined to avoid coming in last, Sian gritted his teeth.

When Sian resumed searching first, the others also hurried off to look for more coins.

As Sian wandered around the pool, something gleaming underwater caught his eye.

“Huh?”

The others were far away. After hesitating, Sian dipped his legs into the water. The pool didn’t look very deep, and even with his fear of water, he thought he could retrieve it if it was only this much.

“Phew, phew. Right. This much is fine.”

The water rose to just below his chest. His heart pounded as though it would burst, but it was bearable as long as he held on to the edge of the pool with his arms.

Sian steadied his breathing and stretched out his leg.

The coin caught against the tip of his toes. Sian wiggled them, struggling to grasp it. But the more he tried, the farther the coin drifted toward the center of the pool.

……Should I just give up?

For a moment, Sian considered giving up, but when he remembered Kang Juho’s face as he mocked him and walked away, his stubbornness flared.

Sian took a deep breath. He thought he could somehow endure putting his head underwater for just a moment.

“Huh?”

At that moment, the hand that had been firmly gripping the side of the pool slipped weakly.

His body tilted in an instant, and he fell into the water as though being sucked in. As luck would have it, that particular section of the pool suddenly dropped into much deeper water.

In an instant, no matter how desperately he kicked his legs, his feet couldn’t touch the bottom. Cold water flooded deep into his lungs.

Even his scream for help dissolved into bubbles.

Then, just as his mind went blank.

Someone pulled Sian’s body toward them with tremendous strength.

Scorching body heat reached him through the cold water.

Sian instinctively reached toward that warmth. A strong arm pulled him above the surface.

“Puhah! Haah, huhk….”

“Shh… It’s alright. I’ve got you.”

Sian’s blue lips and jaw trembled uncontrollably, making his teeth chatter.

With his legs wrapped around the man’s waist, Sian pressed himself tightly against him without leaving any space between them. He rested his face against the man’s shoulder and wrapped his arms around his neck.

Thump, thump.

The other man’s heartbeat traveled between their pressed chests. Sian could feel firm muscles through the single layer of thin fabric between them. He raised his trembling eyes and looked up at the man holding him.

When the man lightly shook out his wet hair, his sharp yet striking features were revealed clearly beneath the moonlight.

The moment Sian saw him, he felt a sense of déjà vu.

He couldn’t smell anything at all, but he felt as though he knew what the man’s scent was.