Falling for the Omega Idol-Chapter 115: HANEUL’S TURN TO OVERTHINK

HANEUL paused mid-step when he noticed Seojun smiling at him. The sight brought back his recent conversation with Robin, and he couldn’t help but wonder—was Seojun simply kind, or was there something more behind his actions?

When his thoughts began to drift in that direction, he quickly shook them off. It was fine to be cautious, but slipping into paranoia wasn’t the answer. If he constantly assumed every Alpha who approached him had ulterior motives, he’d never be able to interact with anyone normally. Caution was important, yes—but he needed to remind himself to act naturally and not spiral into some delusional Omega who thought everyone was lusting after him.

The best balance was to remain approachable while staying within the boundaries of propriety.

Having figured out what to do, Haneul resumed walking and came to a stop in front of Seojun.

"Hyung, have you been waiting long?" he asked. "You should’ve gone in and started eating without me."

"I’m not a fan of eating alone," Seojun replied with an easy smile. "Besides, I just got here, so it’s no big deal."

Haneul nodded. "Have you seen Robin hyung?"

Seojun shook his head. "No, I haven’t. Do you want to wait for him?"

Recalling what Robin had said last night, Haneul gave a slight shake of his head. "It’s fine. He’s probably still asleep. We can just go ahead and eat."

In the short time Haneul had known Robin, he had realized that Robin wasn’t the type to be offended if his friends started breakfast without him. In fact, Robin would probably think getting angry over something like that was childish.

The two of them stepped into the dining hall, where a few contestants were already scattered around. Haneul and Seojun joined the line at the buffet table to grab their food before settling at a table near the entrance. They figured it would make it easier for Robin to spot them if he showed up later—a choice that turned out to be wise, as Robin arrived just ten minutes later.

"Oh, thank God you’re still here," Robin said with a relieved sigh as he dropped into the seat beside Haneul. "I really need to start getting used to waking up early." His eyes fell on the half-finished food on their plates. "Can you wait for me? I swear I’ll eat super fast."

Haneul chuckled at Robin’s continuous chatter, amused by how quickly he went from complaining about waking up to bargaining for them to wait. "Alright, hyung, take your time. It’s still early, anyway."

With a wide grin, Robin jumped to his feet and hurried over to the buffet table.

Seojun smiled, shaking his head. "He’s like a whirlwind, isn’t he?"

"Yes, he is," Haneul said with a small smile, his tone warm and thoughtful. "A good kind, if I might say so myself."

"It’s nice to have someone like that around," Seojun said. Then, after a brief pause, he added with a small, genuine smile, "Though, I have to say, I think you bring that same kind of energy, too."

Haneul blinked, startled by the unexpected compliment. "Me? I don’t know about that."

"I mean it," Seojun said softly, his gaze steady and sincere. "You have this calming presence... like people naturally want to be around you."

The wave of awkwardness that washed over Haneul in that moment was almost unbearable. If this was yesterday when he still didn’t have enough self-awareness, he might just smile and say ’thank you’, probably think on the side that Seojun was exaggerating too much. His mentality today was kind of different from the one he had yesterday. So, once again, he couldn’t help but circle back to the thought, ’Is Seojun actually interested in me that way?’

Fortunately, Robin chose that exact moment to arrive, sparing Haneul from having to respond. Without missing a beat, Robin slid into the seat beside him and immediately began digging into his food.

"Are you guys nervous about today’s shoot?" he asked.

Glad for the change of subject, Haneul responded, "I’m more excited rather than nervous."

Seojun also answered good-naturedly, as if he had forgotten what they were talking about earlier. Or maybe it wasn’t such a big deal, and it was just Seojun being his usual self.

And... he’s officially being paranoid.

Haneul shook his head. This was exactly what he had meant earlier. If he didn’t get his thoughts in order and kept circling back to the same thing, he’d only end up overthinking everything and making things more complicated than they needed to be.

He took a calming breath and reminded himself, ’friendly with propriety’.

Surprisingly, it worked. The haze in his mind cleared. That should definitely be his new mantra from now on.

Anyway, it shouldn’t really matter whether someone ended up liking him. As long as he knew for a fact that he didn’t lead them on, then he shouldn’t feel guilty or overthink their feelings. What mattered was being clear about his own intentions.

With that settled in his mind, Haneul felt a weight lift off his shoulders.

Overthinking was truly one of his worst habits. It always led him down a rabbit hole, just like it had moments ago.

So, instead of going further down that rabbit hole, he did what he should have done from the start—he focused on finishing his meal.

Naturally, he joined in on the conversation as well.

Just as they finished eating, an announcement blared through the ship’s intercom, echoing throughout the dining hall.

"Good morning, contestants. This is a reminder that filming will begin promptly at 8:00 AM. The uniforms for today’s shoot have already been delivered to your cabin rooms, so please make sure to change into them before arriving. Additionally, you are required to be at the private lounge located on the upper deck by 7:00 AM to have your makeup done. Thank you, and enjoy the rest of your breakfast. If you haven’t eaten yet, please make sure to do so now—you’ll definitely need the energy for the busy day ahead."