Falling for the Omega Idol Chapter 124: DOCKING IN BUSAN

AS The Argo neared the Busan coastline, the ship slowed, gliding smoothly toward a quiet, secluded dock. The city’s skyline stretched out in the distance, a mix of modern buildings and rolling hills, while the surrounding water shimred under the afternoon sun. The faint buzz of the city grew louder as they approached.

The crew moved quickly, securing the ship with practiced ease as it ca to a stop. The gangway was lowered, and the contestants gathered on the deck, their excited conversations filling the air.

"Look at the skyline! It’s huge!"

"I’ve never been to Busan before—this is insane."

"Do you think they’ll let us explore after the mission?"

"Doubt it. We’re here to work, not sightsee."

"Still, the seafood here is supposed to be amazing."

"What do you think the next mission will be?"

"How long do you think we’ll stay here?"

As the excited chatter continued, a staff mber suddenly stepped forward with a gaphone in hand.

"Attention, everyone!" the voice bood, cutting through the noise. "Please make your way to the upper deck imdiately—specifically, to the performance hall. Further instructions will be given there."

The contestants exchanged quick glances and, without hesitation, began to move, hurrying toward the upper deck. When they arrived, they found the performance hall—a simple open space with a stage at the center and 60 seats arranged neatly in front of it.

Since they weren’t given specific seating instructions, everyone simply chose spots at random. Haneul, Robin, Haru, and Seojun found a row with four empty seats and settled in together.

"What do you think the next mission’s going to be?" Robin asked, his voice low but brimming with curiosity as he turned to Haneul.

If the missions were still the sa as they had been in his previous world, Haneul had a pretty good idea of what was coming next. But since he couldn’t tell that to Robin, he had to act like he didn’t know anything.

"Well, considering other survival programs, it could be a group battle," he only said, which was not really far off from the truth.

Robin let out a small groan. "Great. If that’s the case, I hope we’ll be in the sa group. If not, I just want decent group mbers who won’t sabotage whatever team I end up with."

Haneul nodded. He hoped for that as well. There was nothing worse than having soone who was supposed to be on your team sabotage you. But then again, this was a competition. Even if they were in the sa group, everyone would still be trying to stand out. Because at the end of the day, no matter how much teamwork was required, the reality was clear: there were only five slots in the final debut team. And everyone, including him, was fighting for one of them.

After a while, PD Song appeared and walked onto the stage, the room falling silent as all eyes turned to him.

"Good afternoon, everyone," he began. "As you know, we’ve arrived in Busan. You’ll be staying here for the next two weeks or so, depending if we managed to finish everything on schedule. The full details of the next mission will be announced tomorrow, so make sure you’re ready."

He paused, glancing around the room before continuing. "For the rest of the day, you’re free to relax, but I need everyone to stay on the ship for now. No going out just yet. However, you can now use the phone booths to contact your families. Just rember—don’t hog the booths, and follow the rules posted inside."

PD Song’s tone softened slightly as he added, "Also, starting tomorrow, you’ll begin filming content for Boys Odyssey’s social dia accounts. This is your chance to show your personality to the viewers. So, give it your best."

He looked at the contestants, his expression firm but encouraging. "You’ve all co this far because you have what it takes. Keep pushing, stay focused, and rember why you’re here."

PD Song said more encourging words, but Haneul was no longer listening. All he could think of was that he could finally contact his family.

It seed Robin had the sa idea, because Haneul heard the other say, "As soon as they tell us to go, we’re running straight to the phone booths."

"Then we have to be as fast as we could, because I bet everyone here is thinking the sa," Seojun added.

"Agreed," Haru said, his face set in a determined expression that was both amusing and oddly adorable.

Haneul couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.

True to their plan, the mont they were allowed to leave, they bolted out of their seats. But just as Seojun had predicted, most of the contestants had the sa idea. The hall erupted into a chaotic race as everyone made a beeline for the phone booths on the main deck.

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Haneul, thankfully, managed to get in line for one of the booths a bit faster than most. He was currently second in line, close enough to see the person ahead of him wrapping up their call. The wait wasn’t long, but it felt like forever as he stood there, eager for his turn.

Soon, the contestant inside ended his call and stepped out of the booth. Haneul quickly slipped in and closed the door behind him. The first thing he did was read the rules posted on the wall:

- You’re only allowed to stay in the booth for 15 minutes at a ti.

- You can co back later if you want to call again.

- This phone is only for calling and not for surfing the internet or checking social dias.

- Leave the booth as you found it.

Haneul scanned the list, committing it to mory before picking up the phone attached to the wall. The rules were straightforward, but the 15-minute limit ant he’d have to make every second count.

He hesitated for a mont, wondering who to call first. Haeun would be in class right now, so she was out of the question. His father was likely teaching at this hour, too. But his mother, if he rembered correctly, didn’t have a class scheduled. Without wasting another second, he quickly dialed her number.