Falling for the Omega Idol-Chapter 142: SPARKLES

THE staff member cleared his throat politely before speaking. "After reviewing the incident, the production team has decided to disqualify Lee Minjae-ssi. We confirmed he forgot to bring his suppressants and, rather than requesting replacements from the doctor aboard, he decided to put it off. All because he assumed his rut was still a month away." His tone remained professional, but not unkind. "Given this negligence directly caused the situation, disqualification was the appropriate action. He was already transported back to Seoul by helicopter this morning."

Taeyang showed no reaction to the news—his face remained impassive, as if this outcome was inevitable. Robin and Haneul were similarly unfazed, having expected nothing less. Kim Joonhyuk’s lips pressed into a thin line, his expression practically screaming "good riddance", though he wisely kept the thought to himself.

Only Park Seongwoo seemed affected. His head bowed, his lower lip quivered slightly as he stared hard at the floor, saying nothing.

"The production team hopes this incident won’t discourage you," the staff member said, his tone earnest. "Please keep working hard for your next mission. Good luck."

With a final nod, he turned and left the practice room, closing the door softly behind him.

The room stayed quiet for a few heartbeats before Taeyang broke the silence with a single clap of his hands.

"Should we discuss how to move forward with the song now?"

Taeyang’s words acted like a switch being flipped—the heavy atmosphere lifted instantly.

Haneul spoke up first. "I think we should use Taeyang’s arrangement as it is. But that’s just my opinion. If anyone else worked on a different version, we should hear it too."

Kim Joonhyuk scratched his cheek sheepishly. "I didn’t come up with anything, so I’m fine with Taeyang-ssi’s arrangement."

"I agree," Robin said, stretching his arms behind his head. "We can always suggest changes later if needed."

Taeyang gave a small nod. "Everyone’s input will be welcome, of course."

Everyone naturally turned to look at Park Seongwoo since he was the only one who hadn’t said anything yet.

Park Seongwoo bit his lip under their attention, clearly uncomfortable. After a moment, he gave a small nod. "I— I agree too."

"Then, let’s start," Taeyang announced.

***

A sharp electronic tone rang out across the ship’s intercom system, cutting through conversations and practice sessions in every room. After a brief pause, a calm but firm voice addressed all contestants on the ship.

"This is a mandatory announcement for all participants. Contestant Lee Minjae has been removed from the competition, effective immediately due to failure to comply with suppressant protocols, resulting in an uncontrolled rut incident."

The voice continued, its tone turning more serious. "This incident endangered fellow contestants and disrupted production. Let this be a formal warning—any Alpha or Omega contestant found neglecting their suppressant regimen will face instant disqualification without exception. Medical staff are available for any concerns regarding your cycles."

After a weighted pause, the announcement concluded: "The competition will continue as scheduled. All teams, please proceed with your preparations."

The intercom clicked off, leaving a heavy silence in its wake before the ship gradually returned to its usual buzz of activity—though now with hushed conversations about what had just happened.

"Lee Minjae? Who’s that?"

"I think he’s one of the contestants that Jung Taeyang picked."

"And he entered rut?"

"No wonder I saw some staff scrambling yesterday. It must be because of that."

"What kind of idiot doesn’t check their rut cycle before coming on a survival show?"

"Right? It’s basic preparation. Of course he’d get kicked out."

"That’s so irresponsible. What if he’d triggered someone’s heat?"

"Exactly. Good thing they removed him fast."

"Honestly, serves him right. You can’t be that careless around Omegas."

The same discussion spread through the ship like wildfire. Some contestants whispered about what this meant for Jung Taeyang’s team, while others quietly hoped it would weaken them. At the end of the day, Taeyang’s group was strong competition. If this incident shook them even slightly, it could give the other teams an advantage.

Of course, not everyone felt that way. Those who knew the members of Taeyang’s team—like Seojun and Haru—genuinely felt worried for them.

***

By lunchtime, Haneul and his teammates had mostly finalized their version of [Falling For You]. With Taeyang at the keyboard, they’d polished the arrangement the other originally created. But Haneul believed Taeyang deserved full credit—after all, he’d built the foundation. Even with their suggestions, Taeyang was the one who’d woven everything together seamlessly.

If circumstances were different, Haneul would be fanboying hard right now. How could he not, after seeing Taeyang’s composing skills up close? It was like getting a front-row seat to the very talent that made him a fan in the first place.

But now that they were both contestants on the same show, gushing like a fan would just make things awkward. So he kept these feelings to himself. Things between them were already weird as it was. He didn’t need to do something to make it worse.

Taeyang straightened the sheet music in front of him, then glanced up at the group. "It’s already lunchtime—let’s take a break now." His fingers tapped the papers into a neat stack. "We’ll reconvene at 1 to assign parts. Does that work for everyone?"

Haneul hesitated, then spoke up. "What if we ate here together? After that announcement, people might ask questions if we go out. If you’d rather avoid that, we can just stay. I heard the dining hall has boxed meals. What do you guys think?"

Park Seongwoo was the first to nod. "Yes, please. I’d really prefer that."

"I’m fine with it too," Robin said.

"It’s definitely less trouble." Kim Joonhyuk shrugged. "Okay. Let’s just eat here."

Haneul turned to Taeyang, who still hadn’t answered. What he didn’t know was that in that moment, Taeyang saw the way his eyes practically sparkled with hope. The way his lashes fluttered slightly as he waited, lips unconsciously parting in anticipation - it was so exaggeratedly earnest that Taeyang half-expected actual sparkles to come floating out of his face.

Taeyang quickly looked away and stood up. "I’ll get the boxed lunches." His words were as good as agreement. "Which meal set do you want?"