Falling for the Omega Idol-Chapter 228: WATCHING WITH THE KANG FAMILY

LET’S go back to an hour before the sixth episode started. At the Kang household, Kang Hyunwoo, Park Eunji, and Haeun were all gathered in the living room, waiting for the broadcast to begin.

"I’m feeling a little nervous," Eunji said. "This is an elimination episode, isn’t it? Do you think your brother will make it to the next round?"

"Don’t worry, Mom. Oppa did really well in the vocal mission, so there’s no way people wouldn’t have noticed him," Haeun said, trying to reassure her. "Also, you might not know this, but Oppa has a lot of fans now. Lots of people leave nice comments about him online."

There were plenty of negative comments too, but that couldn’t be helped. Every celebrity had haters, it was just part of the job. But it was also true that her brother had gained a lot of fans. Even at school, people talked about him now. Whenever she overheard classmates praising Haneul, she couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride.

"You heard our daughter. No need to be so nervous," Hyunwoo said, giving his wife’s hand a gentle pat.

"Maybe I should start checking online reactions too," Eunji said.

She wasn’t really into social media, so she’d never bothered looking at forums or sites. But if she saw a lot of positive comments about her son, maybe she wouldn’t feel so nervous right now. Maybe she’d have more confidence. She knew Haneul had a wonderful voice, of course. But she also knew that alone wasn’t enough to get through the next round. Not when everything depended on public votes. If she could see people praising him online, at least she’d have a better idea of how popular he really was. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"No, no, Mom, that’s really unnecessary," Haeun said quickly.

Knowing her mother’s temper, if she came across those nasty comments, especially the ones that hit below the belt, she’d definitely try to fight back. That would be fine if she knew how to do it anonymously. But her mom wasn’t good at using social media. She might end up commenting using her real name without even realizing it. Then people could attack her back, maybe even dox her. It wouldn’t just affect Haneul. It could affect her job as a teacher too.

"Haeun is right," Hyunwoo added. "You know how social media nowadays is like a cesspool of negativity. For your peace of mind, I think it would be better to not go looking. Haeun is here anyway. She can just keep us updated on anything about Haneul."

He had made the mistake of doing exactly that the night before, after the fifth episode aired. He still wasn’t sure what pushed him to do it. But after watching that episode and seeing so many scenes between Haneul and that Alpha, Jung Taeyang, something about it bothered him. The way the show edited their interactions, it felt like they were trying to suggest something more was going on between them. Maybe it was just him being a father, but he really didn’t like it. So he went online, hoping to find other people who felt the same way. He regretted doing it almost immediately.

The amount of hatred he saw was shocking. He couldn’t understand how people who had never even met these contestants could say such awful things about them. When he came across comments attacking his own son, he almost lost it. It took everything he had to stop himself from responding. Even he knew it wouldn’t look good for Haneul if people found out his father was out there arguing with strangers online.

But he knew his wife. She wouldn’t be able to just ignore nasty comments about their son. So instead of putting her through that stress, it was better if she just didn’t know about it at all.

Eunji looked at her husband and daughter. She could tell they weren’t telling her everything. But before she could ask, the episode finally started. Her attention immediately shifted to the television screen.

After the contestants finished their cute introductions, Lily walked on stage, and the elimination officially began. As more names were called, the tension in the Kang living room grew. Each announcement made them more nervous. The only breaks from the anxiety came whenever the show cut to behind-the-scenes footage from the vocal mission. Those moments were a relief, especially when Haneul appeared on screen.

"Look at our son, always so helpful," Eunji said proudly as they watched Haneul guiding the other contestant, Lee Haru.

"But is this little guy really an Alpha?" Hyunwoo asked. "He’s a bit on the short side."

"I think he’s still in his growth spurt," Haeun commented, silently hoping she wouldn’t end up in the same position. As an Alpha, she wanted to be as tall as she could get. She was fine for her age right now, but she still wanted to grow more.

The elimination carried on until only ten contestants were left to be called.

And because neither Haneul’s name nor Robin’s had been called yet, the tension in the living room grew even thicker.

"Will Haneul and Robin be alright?" Eunji asked no one in particular. She just wanted to voice her concerns.

"There are still ten names left to be called," Haeun said. "I’m sure Oppa and Robin Oppa will make it." But even as she spoke, she didn’t sound fully convinced. She clasped her hands together and prayed silently that their names would really be called.

"Haeun is right," Hyunwoo said, trying to sound reassuring. But in his mind, he was already preparing for the worst. Even if one or both of them didn’t get called, they would still be here for them no matter what.

When the ninth rank was announced, Robin’s name was finally called. All three of them smiled, genuinely happy for him. But the worry didn’t go away because Haneul still hadn’t been called.

Then Lily announced the sixth rank. She paused, letting the tension build. The Kang family held their breath. And then she said it. Kang Haneul.

Haeun jumped to her feet. Her parents wrapped their arms around each other, both of them beaming with excitement and relief. After that, none of them really paid attention to the rest of the rankings.