Falling for the Omega Idol-Chapter 86: NO ’RIGHT’

HANEUL let out a small, helpless smile. "I want to do that as well, but you know how much I struggle with dancing. If I don’t work twice, thrice as hard, no matter how good my voice is, I will definitely get eliminated sooner or later. Especially in this first mission, where the top 60 will be chosen by the mentors. If I only depended on my voice, and show that I couldn’t even follow along with the choreography, there’s no way they would pass me. Even if by some miracle they did, my rank would be at the bottom. Worse, viewers might think I don’t deserve it. After all, this is a survival program to debut an idol group, not a solo artist."

Robin couldn’t find the words to respond. Haneul was right—everything he said made perfect sense. How could he tell him to take it easy after hearing all that? In the end, all he could do was let out a quiet sigh and offer a comforting pat on Haneul’s shoulder.

They stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the ground floor. Once the doors opened, they headed directly to the hotel restaurant.

Although it was still early, the restaurant was already busy with contestants having breakfast. Some were sitting in groups, chatting energetically, while others sat alone, focused on their meals.

Haneul and Robin were about to grab trays when they noticed a familiar figure heading their way—Taeyang. He looked like he had just finished eating and was on his way out. When he spotted them, he seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if unsure whether to approach. After a brief pause, he seemed to have made up his mind and stopped in front of them.

"Good morning," Taeyang greeted them.

"Good morning," Haneul greeted back after Robin.

An uncomfortable silence settled between them after that. Haneul couldn’t quite understand why the atmosphere had turned so awkward. It was different from the silence they experienced yesterday in the elevator. Back then, it felt like they both had things they wanted to say but didn’t know how to start, so they stayed quiet. But this time, it wasn’t the same. Now, it felt as though Taeyang didn’t want to be here at all.

Just as Haneul opened his mouth to break the awkward silence, Taeyang spoke up first.

"Then, I’ll go ahead."

Just like the day before, when he abruptly left the practice room, Taeyang walked away before Haneul or Robin had a chance to say anything.

"What’s up with him?" Robin asked, watching Taeyang’s retreating figure. "Yesterday, he couldn’t stay away from you, but now it seems like he couldn’t get away fast enough."

Haneul chuckled a little at that. "It’s not that he couldn’t stay away from me. We just happened to sit next to each other on the bus, and since he’s a bit familiar with me, he just stuck around."

Although Haneul brushed off the first part, he couldn’t deny the second. Even he felt like Taeyang was trying to distance himself. Perhaps Taeyang had a realization last night that he shouldn’t get too close to his fellow contestants. After all, this was still a competition. That could explain why he left so abruptly during practice yesterday and why he was acting so distant today.

If that was the case, it was understandable—but that didn’t make it any less disappointing.

After deciding to see Taeyang not as an artist he admired, but as an equal, Haneul had hoped they could become friends. Now, it seemed that possibility had vanished. The disappointment he felt only deepened, now tinged with a hint of sadness. And beneath it all, a flicker of anger started to grow.

He stopped, suddenly questioning himself. Why was he feeling all these emotions? Was it really just because he couldn’t be friends with Taeyang? He shook his head in disbelief. Maybe he had gotten carried away after their interaction yesterday, expecting something more than what was there. Something that he clearly shouldn’t have if he had his wits about him.

In the first place, there was no reason for him to be feeling all these emotions. It didn’t make sense—first, it was completely illogical. And second, he had no right to feel this way.

Yes, "right." It’s like having a sense of entitlement. Just because they talked and practiced together didn’t mean he had any claim to a deeper connection. He wasn’t owed anything, least of all a friendship. The more he thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed. He had no right to expect anything from Taeyang, let alone feel upset when things didn’t go the way he imagined.

Besides, wasn’t he worried what would happen if he got to close to Taeyang? Now he didn’t have to worry about that anymore.

Yes, this was better.

But even as he tried to convince himself that, the disappointment still lingered. As well as the other emotions he had felt.

"Is it split personality?"

Robin’s comment interrupted Haneul’s train of thought. He turned to the other. Robin said that a completely serious face, as if he were presenting a genuine theory. The contrast between his tone and the ridiculousness of the comment made it all the more amusing.

Haneul’s scattered thoughts came into focus, and a soft laugh slipped from his lips. "Let’s just eat breakfast, hyung."

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"I’ll go ahead, hyung," Haneul said to Robin after they finished eating breakfast.

He had a ’Song’ session with the mentors at 7 AM, so he decided to head there early—it was far better to be early than risk being late.

"Alright, good luck, Haneul. You’ve got this," Robin said with a supportive smile, raising his fist in a gesture of encouragement, his hand clenched tightly as he gave a small pump in Haneul’s direction. "Fighting!"

Haneul smiled. "Thank you."

After they parted ways, Haneul headed for the elevator and made his way to the room where the session would be held. As he opened the door, the first person his eyes fell on—unsurprisingly—was Taeyang.