Chapter Eighteen

"That bastard! Get your dirty little hands off him!"

Three men sat in front of a computer set up with four monitors. Two monitors showcased various camera angles of the mansion the Valley of Light team rented, one monitor showed close-ups of said camera angle as they clicked on them, and the other had an editing software with clips of yesterday's footage pieced together.

Shin Cheng had been hounded for an entire day by Shin Yeong. This arrogant cousin demanded that his little brother be set free from the show, given a private room like a prince, kept away from the men… He thought that showing him the footage would have made his life easier - obviously, Shin Jun was doing fine!

No, it wasn't fine!

He was going to die, he was so dead. Those were the only thoughts in his mind as he paled in his seat.

Why did he think this was a good idea?

Was this dating show going to be the death of him?

"Which hand is it? I'll cut it off!"

He was so dead… He peeked at his two cousins from the corner of his eyes, yet decisively stayed as still as a deer in headlights to not attract the predator's attention.

Shin Hye locked eyes with him, lodged in the middle of the two eldest cousins, and shook his head while mouthing. 'Don't.'

Past him, sitting closest to the 'preview' screen was his other cousin dressed in a simple black business suit and styled black hair. Shin Yeong, the big boss, the heir to the Shin group, the normally calm and collected man who terrorized the business world… Was staring at two men cuddling on the screen.

Fuck.

He's done for.

To be fair, it was obviously Shin Jun who initiated it, turning toward the closest sign of heat and barreling himself right into the other's chest. Tae only subconsciously wrapped his arm around the warm object shoved into him. It was his own smallest cousin's sleeping habits that were about to get him killed.

If it were any other couple he would be ecstatic, jumping in excitement at the juicy scene and signs of romance.

Shin Yeong rose from his chair and glared at Shin Cheng. "You…"

Shin Cheng may not be the heir to his family's business, but that didn't mean he was dumb. He swiftly kicked the chair toward Shin Yeong and began to run.

"Bastard!"

Meanwhile, the participants of the show were unaware that their producer was in trouble as alarms began to wake them up.

At 5:30, Ryung was seen nearly falling over himself as he rolled out of bed and started to get ready for work. By 5:45, he was wide awake, dressed in a black suit, hair styled, and had made himself a to-go cup of coffee. He quietly made his way out of the house and disappeared from the camera's view.

At 6:00, the camera switched to Young-Sun who swiftly turned the alarm off and sat up, looking to make sure he didn't wake Chul up from his sleep. He silently tip-toed to his side of the room, grabbed his clothes, and walked into the washroom to get ready. At 6:10, he reappeared with glossy skin and a black suit, tip-toed to get his bag from the room, and swiftly left the house.

At 6:30, two people on different floors rose from their alarms - Ji, from the triple room, and Hanseul from the double room on the second floor.

Well, it's more favorable to say that Ji rose at 6:30, and Hanseul kept silencing his alarms until In-Su threw a pillow at him without opening his eyes.

Ji threw on a pair of sweatpants, and a comfortable light blue sweater, and didn't even look at the other bed before rushing out of the house. If he had, he would have gotten a good look at two people cuddling.

Hanseul, despite being forcibly woken up, wasn't in a hurry like the other members. He made himself breakfast while still lounging in his pajamas, and was still eating when In-Su rushed out of the house at 7:15 in jeans and a white T-shirt. He then proceeded to get ready by himself in the double room and left after another alarm went off at 7:30.

Tae was the next to wake. He didn't wake to an alarm, just naturally around 8. He had tried to sit up but quickly realized that something was obstructing him his eyes popped open and he stared at the fast-asleep man lying on him.

He slowly laid back down and stared at the man attached to him. Although he'd joked about getting cuddles, he really didn't think he'd get them - especially not on their first night in the house. He detached himself from Shin Jun and got out of bed, gently placing Shin Jun's arms down to not wake him, and walked out of the room with a small smirk and a hand towel.

Chul and Tae left the house one after the other a half hour later, both in jeans and sweaters.

Laters, viewers would note that although a few of them had passed each other in the morning - no one held a conversation. A polite nod or a 'good morning' was all the interaction the members had.

Shin Jun, despite being the first to fall asleep, had surprised the viewers by not only sleeping until a little past ten - but also sleeping through Tae's detaching, and falling off the bed. He slept on the rug for a good half hour!