After the selfie mission, Haneul and Taeo sat in opposite corners of the break room. The air felt thick with unspoken words and the awkward memory of the video messages lingered between them.
Taeo decided to break the silence first.
“Earlier—during the video, I actually had something I really wanted to say.”
Haneul’s heart skipped a beat, which she tried to cover up with sarcasm.
“Oh? Planning a confession or something?”
Taeo grinned, letting his playful side show.
“Don’t tell me you were waiting for it?”
“Me? Absolutely not. Just curious, that’s all.”
Their eyes met for a half-second before both quickly looked away, fingers tracing invisible circles on the table.
Suddenly, the waiting room door burst open. Sujin marched in, clapping her hands.
“Alright, attention! Next mission: ‘Jealousy Interview’!”
Jimin hurried in after, adding, “This time, you’ll interview rivals, not partners. You have to say things guaranteed to make the other jealous. That’s how you win!”
Haneul gave a dry laugh. “Seriously? So we’re supposed to fight on purpose now?”
Wooseok slid in next to Taeo with a teasing smile.
“I’m so ready to make Haneul jealous today.”
Taeo glared at him.
“You’re the one who might end up crying, you know.”
Haneul shook her head, looking back and forth between the boys.
“Honestly, you’re both such kids…”
But deep down, she felt strangely excited for the challenge and couldn’t quite hide her anticipation.
“Fine. I’m not backing down, either. Get ready.”
On the way to the mission room, Haneul and Taeo found themselves walking side by side, both sighing at the exact same moment.
“Honestly… do you think we were like this in our past lives?”
Taeo smirked.
“I bet it was even worse back then.”
There was a charged glance between them, the mixture of nervousness and excitement building as they stopped outside the mission room.
Just before opening the door, Haneul tugged gently at Taeo’s sleeve.
“…That thing you wanted to say. Tell me later, okay?”
Sharing a secretive smile, they pushed open the door together.
The new round of the jealousy game was just about to begin.