Chương 64: WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SMILE

AS Haneul's eyes met Jung Taeyang's, his steps slowed briefly, everything around him seeming to blur for a moment. It wasn't until Jung Taeyang gave a polite nod in greeting that he returned to the present, nodding back almost instinctively, just as he had during the contract signing.

Seeing the scene before him, it hit him once again—events in this world could unfold quite differently from those in his original one. Yet, the gravity of that realization didn't fully sink in. Because right now, his thoughts were entirely dominated by the sight of Jung Taeyang.

"Haneul, there aren't any empty seats next to each other."

Robin's voice pulled Haneul's attention away from Jung Taeyang. He glanced around in response to Robin's words, and sure enough, there weren't any empty seats together on the bus. The bus wasn't full, but each pair of seats had at least one person sitting, leaving no adjacent seats completely empty.

The two of them had planned to sit together while walking to the bus. Given how comfortable they were with each other, it felt natural for them to sit together, regardless of the bus's destination. But now, that plan was out of the question.

They could ask another contestant to move, allowing them to sit together, but if there were cameras inside the bus and that moment was caught on film, they might be labeled as 'selfish trainees' right in the first episode. They could also leave and try their luck with another bus, but what if the situation was the same there? In the end, it was better to accept that sitting together wasn't an option.

But then, a simple solution came to mind.

"We could take the aisle seats across from each other," he suggested.

So even if there was an aisle separating them, they could still talk to each other.

Robin quickly recognized what a good idea it was and responded, "Okay, let's do that."

Haneul expected they would first decide where to sit, but Robin suddenly moved forward and took the nearest available spot. The only problem was that the seat across from Robin happened to be the empty one next to Jung Taeyang. This meant that if Haneul sat there, he'd be next to Jung Taeyang for the entire bus ride. And he wasn't quite sure how he felt about that.

But what could he do? It wasn't like he could ask Robin to choose a different seat. So, after swallowing a sigh, he made his way to the empty seat beside Jung Taeyang.

Haneul offered a polite smile and asked while pointing at the empty seat in case the other didn't hear him because of the headphones he's wearing, "Hi. Do you mind if I sit here?"

Jung Taeyang looked at him, and for a moment, Haneul wondered if it was just his imagination, or if Taeyang's gaze lingered on his face a bit longer than usual. But before he could be sure, Jung Taeyang nodded, showing that he was okay with it.

Haneul muttered a quick thanks before sitting down. He considered saying something more, but remembered that Jung Taeyang was wearing headphones. Deciding against it, he began to turn toward Robin. But before he could, Jung Taeyang spoke up:

"How have you been?"

Haneul paused and instinctively turned to Jung Taeyang, who had already slipped his headphones down around his neck. It was likely just a polite question, so Haneul opted for a standard reply. "I've been well. How about you, Jung Taeyang-ssi?"

Jung Taeyang's furrowed slightly, as if there's something he didn't like. But that happened only for a second, as if it didn't happen at all, and his expression returned back to normal. "I think we're about the same age. Please, just call me Taeyang," he said, meeting Haneul's eyes. "And in return, can I call you Haneul?"

Haneul was surprised when Jung Taeyang suddenly dropped the formal speech. He even felt a slight flutter in his chest at the way he said his name. Then he quickly caught himself and looked down. What flutter? Was he insane? He bit his inner cheek to remain calm and to not let his mind wander into a weird direction.

After taking a deep breath, he lifted his head and smiled at the other, also forcing himself to drop the formal speech. "Okay, Taeyang."

It might look like what he just did was nothing, but deep inside, he was a bit stressed out. And maybe, a bit excited? But it's only natural to feel this way, right? After all, he was a big fan of Jung Taeyang's music. Talking to him, and now being on a first-name basis, was something he'd never imagined would happen. But here he was, sitting beside Jung Taeyang.

Haneul swallowed another sigh. Should he be grateful that he had better control over his expressions than most people? Even when he was panicking or feeling nervous inside, he could still manage to keep a calm smile. He just hoped he wouldn't be like this around Jung Taeyang for the rest of the survival program.

Lost in his thoughts, Haneul didn't notice that Jung Taeyang was once again staring at his face for far longer than normal. No, it was not his face but his smile he was staring at.

Because what a beautiful smile it was.