Falling for the Omega Idol-Chapter 231: IN YOUR CORNER

"HOW attentive are we talking about here?" Taeyang asked. His voice came out tighter than he meant it to.

"Right now he’s basically acting like Haneul’s personal butler. Towels, water, snacks, you name it. And," Eunwoo paused, like he was weighing whether to say more. Then he seemed to decide to just go ahead. "He’s tried to initiate skinship with Haneul multiple times. But don’t worry. Haneul’s been good at dodging him without making it obvious. And when he can’t, I step in."

Taeyang’s jaw tightened. His hands stayed clenched at his sides. He kept walking, kept his face blank, but inside he could feel his anger building.

He should’ve expected that some Alpha would eventually show interest in Haneul and be obvious about it. He’d thought that even if someone liked Haneul, they’d be like Han Seojun, subtle, keeping it to themselves, not actually doing anything. But now Eunwoo was telling him there was someone who was actually trying to get close to him. Going as far as being physical about it.

His anger flared up again. How dare that guy keep trying? If Haneul was actively avoiding his touch, that meant he didn’t want it. So why wasn’t he stopping?

Taeyang had gotten too comfortable in this world. He’d forgotten why Alphas were called Alphas in the first place. Most of them were egotistical. They believed that if they wanted something, they deserved to have it. But even with that reminder, there was nothing he could do right now.

It wasn’t like he could use his family’s connections to have Jeon Hyunsik removed from the show. He couldn’t even walk up to the guy and warn him to stay away from Haneul. With all the cameras around, there was nothing he could do. Any move he made would get picked up, talked about, and twisted. It was so frustrating.

He clenched his fists, then slowly released them, trying to calm himself down. A hard look settled in his gray eyes. If he ever caught that bastard being inappropriate with Haneul, even just once, then he’d have a reason to deal with him.

"Huh..." Eunwoo studied Taeyang’s face as they walked. "You’re really serious about Haneul, aren’t you?"

Taeyang met his gaze without hesitation. "Yes, I am."

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Of course he was serious. Everything he felt for Haneul was new to him. The way his heart raced whenever Haneul was near. The way his palms would sweat a little when he knew he was about to see him. The way he couldn’t help but breathe deeper whenever Haneul’s caramel scent drifted his way. He’d experienced none of that before. It all started with Haneul. And he wanted more.

That’s just how special Haneul had become to him.

This was exactly why the idea of some Alpha jerk trying to take advantage of Haneul made him so angry.

Haneul tilted his head, confused by how dark Taeyang’s expression had suddenly turned. "Um, Taeyang? Are you angry about something?"

Taeyang blinked, caught off guard by the question. Had he let his anger show? He thought he’d kept it under control, locked away behind his usual blank expression. But apparently not.

He thought about whether he should answer honestly. In the end, he went ahead with it. This could be a way to bring up Jeon Hyunsik naturally. He needed to know how Haneul felt about everything that guy had been doing.

"Yes, I’m angry," he admitted honestly. "But not at you. Never at you."

Haneul felt his heart pick up speed at those words. For a second, he wanted to ask something stupid, something like ’what if I did something unforgivable, would you still not be angry?’ But he caught himself before the words could leave his mouth. Clearly, that wasn’t the point of what Taeyang had just said.

He scolded himself internally. Why was his mind suddenly full of strange thoughts? He shook it off and asked, "Then who are you angry at?"

Before answering, Taeyang glanced around to make sure there really was only one camera nearby. He’d already checked when he first approached Haneul. Seeing that there really was only one, he turned to face Haneul, positioning his back toward the camera so it wouldn’t catch his expression or Haneul’s face. It’s the reason why he stood in this position in the first place. So that the camera wouldn’t capture anything significant. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"Jeon Hyunsik," he responded.

Haneul paused, caught off guard. He hadn’t expected that name to come out of Taeyang’s mouth. Then Eunwoo’s face appeared in his mind. He just now found out that Eunwoo and Taeyang were close. Which meant Eunwoo had probably told him about Jeon Hyunsik. And knowing how Eunwoo always found a way to step in whenever Haneul couldn’t shake Jeon Hyunsik off on his own, he’d definitely noticed something was off. Now he’d passed that information on to Taeyang.

Seeing how Haneul had gone quiet, Taeyang pressed further. "Has he done anything to you? Anything inappropriate?"

Haneul was startled by the question. When he saw the dark look on Taeyang’s face, he had a feeling that if he said yes, Taeyang might actually go find Jeon Hyunsik right now and attack him. So he shook his head quickly. "No, nothing like that. He’s just... annoying."

Taeyang studied his face for a moment, like he was trying to read past his words. Whatever he saw must have convinced him Haneul was telling the truth, because he nodded. "If he ever crosses a line, and you’re alone, don’t hesitate. Protect yourself. Kick him where it counts. Or if Eunwoo’s around, let him handle it."

Kick him where it counts? Was Taeyang really telling him to aim for the family jewels? The thought made him laugh a little.

He looked up at Taeyang, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Okay."

Finally, the dark expression on Taeyang’s face dissolved. A small smile appeared on his handsome face. "If anything happens, anything at all, just remember I’m here. I’ll always be here, in your corner. I’ll protect you from any backlash, so don’t be afraid to do anything."