Falling for the Omega Idol

"YES, a police officer will come by later to take your statement," Kyungho said. He noticed Haneul’s mother’s eyebrows furrow and quickly added, "Don’t worry, it’ll be standard procedure. The officer will just ask a few general questions for the record."

"Then would I need to go to trial as a witness?" Haneul asked, wanting to be sure. If he did, the program would need to make arrangements. He was more than willing to testify if it meant Jeon Hyunsik would be held accountable for what he’d done. But he needed to make sure it wouldn’t affect his place in the competition. The show would have to work around that.

"No, you won’t need to do that," Kyungho answered. He paused, debating whether to share more. But then he decided Haneul deserved to know, given what Jeon Hyunsik had put him through. "It turns out there are other victims. And from what I’ve heard, what Jeon Hyunsik did to them was nothing short of... barbaric. Since it’s a case that needs to be tried in a higher court, he’s already been transferred to Seoul."

He didn’t mention that with Jeon Hyunsik’s family connections, there was a chance he could post bail or that his family might try to pressure for a lighter outcome. But Attorney Cho had assured him that Jeon Hyunsik would face a full trial and wouldn’t walk away from this unscathed. Haneul and his mother didn’t need to know about the legal back and forth. What mattered was that Jeon Hyunsik would face real consequences.

Eunji clicked her tongue in disapproval. "Don’t you people do proper background checks on contestants before letting them join the show?"

If that Jeon Hyunsik bastard had done this before, there should have been some kind of record, right? If the show’s staff had done their jobs properly, maybe none of this would have happened to her son. The thought made her jaw tighten.

Kyungho wanted to say that even if they had done a background check, they wouldn’t have found anything. Jeon Hyunsik’s family had made sure of that. But he held his tongue because she had a point. Vnet’s staff rarely did thorough checks on their contestants. It was the same with their previous survival shows, which was why bullying scandals kept breaking out.

The only reason this show hadn’t gone the same way was because JH Entertainment had stepped in and tightened the screening process. In fact, before he took over as PD, several contestants who had already been accepted were suddenly cut, and emergency auditions were held to fill their spots. But even with that, Jeon Hyunsik still managed to slip through.

JH Entertainment checks were better than Vnet’s, but clearly not thorough enough.

"Yes, and for that, all I can do is apologize," Kyungho said, deciding it was better to admit their fault than to make excuses.

Eunji sighed in frustration. "Just make sure nothing like this ever happens again. We parents trust you with our children’s safety. So do your job right."

What else was there to say? She could complain and confront everyone involved, but ultimately, there was little else she could do.

"I promise you, nothing like this will ever happen again," Kyungho said, holding Haneul’s mother’s gaze to make sure she understood how serious he was.

And he meant it. If anything like this ever happened again while he was still in charge, he might as well hand in his resignation.

Haneul kept eating as he listened, letting the conversation wash over him. He was hungry, so he might as well finish his meal. But he wasn’t just eating. He was also watching. He noticed the way the PD’s expression would flicker with discomfort from time to time. He’d always been good at reading people, and he could tell the PD wasn’t telling them everything. He didn’t point it out, though. If he did, his mother would probably start arguing with the PD, and she already had enough stress to deal with. He didn’t want to add to it.

The PD cleared his throat, shifting the conversation. "Has the doctor come by to see you yet, Haneul-ssi?"

Haneul nodded. "He came by earlier. He said he’d be back later with the results of my pheromone test. And probably to let us know if I can be discharged today."

Kyungho had expected as much. "Then, do you mind if I stay and hear the results as well? In case there are any precautions we need to take once you’re back on the ship."

He said the last part while looking at Haneul’s mother. She let out a scoff, then, as if giving him permission, handed him a small brown paper bag. And Kyungho nearly dropped it from how hot it was.

He peered inside and saw it was a street toast. No wonder it was so warm.

"If you’re going to stay, you might as well eat breakfast with us," Eunji said, picking up the remaining street toast and taking a bite herself.

Kyungho scratched the back of his head. He was about to say there was no need, but he got the feeling that refusing would only make Haneul’s mother see him more negatively. So he simply said thanks and took a bite of the toast.

The three of them ate in silence. And as if on cue, Doctor Kim walked back in just as they were finishing up.

"Good news," Doctor Kim said in a warm voice. "Kang Haneul-ssi’s pheromone levels have returned to within normal range. The temporary mark appears to have done its job in stabilizing his system. There’s no sign of any lingering hormonal imbalance, so barring any unexpected developments, you should be cleared for discharge by this afternoon."

Eunji let out a breath of relief when the doctor announced the news. The knot of worry that had been in her since all this began began to loosen up. She let out a slow breath, her hands unclenching at her sides. "Are there any precautions we should be aware of?"

"There is," the doctor said. He turned to look at Haneul before continuing. "But I think your young Alpha should be here to hear it as well."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!