Chapter 262: PD SONG’S HEADACHE
SONG KYUNGHO felt a migraine unlike any he’d experienced before. When he’d taken the job as PD of this show, he knew there would be problems. What else could you expect when you put a bunch of young Alphas and Omegas, whose frontal lobes hadn’t fully developed, on a ship together? But he hadn’t expected something of this magnitude to happen.
Even though there wasn’t solid proof yet of what Jeon Hyunsik had done, Kyungho’s gut told him he was the reason Kang Haneul was in the hospital right now. He’d noticed Jeon Hyunsik’s attention on Haneul while editing the episodes, but he’d assumed the guy wouldn’t act on whatever attraction he had. It seemed Kyungho had seriously underestimated the level of crazy Jeon Hyunsik was hiding.
He hadn’t spoken to Jeon Hyunsik yet. He wanted to hear from Baek Eunwoo and Lim Suho first to gain a clear understanding of what had happened from their perspectives. Additionally, he was waiting for the hospital results. That way, when he finally sat down with Jeon Hyunsik, he’d have all the facts laid out. And the other wouldn’t have any room to deny what he’d done.
With that, he took a deep breath and stepped into his office. Kyungho looked at the two young men sitting in front of his desk. Lim Suho looked nervous, his fingers fidgeting in his lap. Baek Eunwoo, on the other hand, was calm, his posture relaxed and his expression steady. Well, at least Kyungho could count on one of them to give him a straightforward account of what had happened.
He settled into his chair and looked at them both. "Tell me everything that happened. Leave nothing out."
Just as he’d expected, Baek Eunwoo gave him a full account of everything. From the moment they left the ship, to the places they’d gone and what they’d done there, all the way to what happened at Cheonjiyeon Waterfall. Lim Suho nodded along at the right moments, backing up what Eunwoo was saying.
The more Kyungho listened, the deeper his frown grew. And the more convinced he became that his gut feeling about Jeon Hyunsik was right.
"The staff who went with Haneul-ssi to the hospital told me you asked to have your blood taken as well," Kyungho said, turning to Eunwoo. "They mentioned you wanted it checked for any substances that might also show up in Haneul-ssi’s system. Can you explain why you thought that was necessary?"
Eunwoo answered without missing a beat. "During lunch, Jeon Hyunsik offered to get everyone drinks. He said he was going to the restroom anyway and could grab them on the way back. I ordered iced tea, and so did Haneul. If something other than Haneul’s own biology caused his sudden heat, the most likely source was that iced tea. The only people who could have tampered with it were the waiter who brought it or Jeon Hyunsik. But the waiter had no reason to drug the drinks. That only leaves Jeon Hyunsik."
He paused for a moment, weighing whether he should go all the way and tell the PD about every time Jeon Hyunsik had made Haneul uncomfortable. The hesitation only lasted a few seconds before he decided. He would tell him everything.
"Also, there were several occasions where Jeon Hyunsik’s attention on Haneul went beyond what I’d consider normal. He would always find a way to stand too close or insert himself into Haneul’s space. I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it or seem like I was overreacting, so I never directly told him to back off. Instead, I just did my best to keep them from ending up alone together. Whenever I could, I made sure to stand or sit between them." His tone stayed even as he continued. "That said, I honestly didn’t think he would ever do something like this. If it turns out he’s not the one responsible, I’ll apologize for pointing fingers."
Kyungho listened carefully, and as Eunwoo spoke, his mind drifted back to the footage he’d been editing over the past week. At the time, Kyungho hadn’t paid it much attention. He’d assumed Eunwoo was just being a good leader, keeping the group in order. But hearing Eunwoo explain it now made those moments take on a different meaning.
He pulled his attention back to Eunwoo’s breakdown of how Jeon Hyunsik might have forced Haneul into heat. The way Eunwoo laid it out was clear and logical, step by step, leaving little room for doubt. Anyone listening would probably come to the same conclusion. It had to be Jeon Hyunsik. But Kyungho knew they couldn’t jump to that conclusion yet. Not until they had official confirmation from the hospital. Until then, it was still just a theory, no matter how solid it seemed.
As if on cue, his phone rang. Kyungho pulled it out of his pocket and saw the number of the staff member who was at the hospital with Haneul. He answered immediately.
"How’s Kang Haneul-ssi?" he asked right away.
"It’s bad," the staff said. "The doctor in charge, Doctor Kim, ran some tests and confirmed he was forced into heat. His hormone levels spiked too fast. Doctor Kim also found out from the tests that he’s recessive and only manifested a few months ago. Because of that, the hospital can’t just use strong medication to pull him out of the heat right away. It could cause serious side effects. Doctor Kim said he’ll need to stay in isolation and stay medicated for about a week to let his system settle down on its own."
There was so much information coming at once that Kyungho couldn’t respond right away. But his mind quickly latched onto the part about Haneul needing to be in isolation for a week. If Haneul still wanted to stay in the competition, being away for that long would be a problem. Kyungho didn’t want to push him out of the show over something that wasn’t his fault.
"Is there no other way?"
There was a pause on the other end before the staff stammered. "Doctor Kim said the fastest way to stabilize Haneul-ssi would be if a... a highly c-compatible Alpha gave him a t-temporary mark."
