Falling for the Omega Idol Chapter 9: HIS NEWFOUND DETERMINATION

WHEN Haneul was a child, he had been very shy and reserved. Probably because it was a ti when their family was still struggling financially. His parents were both licensed teachers. But at that ti, his father was the only one who could work. And because he was only a new teacher with practically no experienced, his inco was also not very high.

With him and Haeun being only three years apart, their mother had to stay at ho to take care of them. As a family of four, a new teacher's inco was barely enough. Both his parents also didn't have any family mbers they could rely for help. They basically only had each other.

Since childhood, Haneul understood the weight of responsibility that ca with being the eldest son. He knew he couldn't afford to be selfish or add to his parents' burdens. Consequently, he was always cautious in his actions, determined never to disappoint his parents.

This stemd from the fact that he once saw his mother crying in his father's arms.

He could no longer rember all the details back then because he was so young. He just rembered that a nightmare startled him while sleeping. So, he left his room to look for his mother. His parents' room was just beside the room he shared with Haeun. He was planning to go there when he heard voices in the living room. So, he went there instead.

What he saw was his mother crying on his father's shoulder and his father comforting her. He heard his mother say while crying how hard it was and how she wished things could be easier for them.

That scene beca a core mory for Haneul. And since then, he had always tried not to be a burden to his parents. But it just resulted in him suppressing himself a lot.

During that ti, his favorite source of entertainnt was watching idols perform on music shows. They seed so radiant in his eyes that he often wondered how they could sparkle like that. In his youthful and naïve mind, he dread of sharing the sa brilliance, wishing he could shine just as brightly.

It was the start when he beca interested in music.

But as he grew older, even when their family's financial situation beca better, nothing really changed for Haneul. Although he was no longer as shy and timid as before, he still remained very much reserved. Not daring to do things that might cause discomfort to his parents.

For example, despite his interest in idol music, he had never tried to audition to any entertainnt companies to be an idol. Mostly because he thought his parents would prefer him to finish university and then have a stable job.

Not that they said that to him directly. He just assud because of how much they emphasized education and stuff. But now that he thought about it, it might be just because they were teachers and it didn't really hold much aning. But he, being the overthinker that he was, simply assud that was the case.

Then once the accident happened, Haneul no longer had the ti to worry about any of that.

Despite his parents' considerable savings, his sister's dical condition proved to be financially draining. Even with governnt subsidies, the expenses remained overwhelming. Before he realized it, the savings were depleted, and he was forced to sell their ho.

As he began working, he quickly realized that his reserved personality was a hindrance in the pursuit of earning money. He was forced to be assertive and cunning. Because if he didn't, he would end up being exploited. All of that he learned in the hard way.

If before, he wouldn't dare to go audition anywhere. After experiencing those 10 years, he now wouldn't mind if he had to sing and dance in front of a million people. Sothing like that could no longer faze him.

This was his second chance at life. With his family's accident out of the way, he could now dare to fulfill the dream that he had only kept in his heart all these years. And he knew exactly where he should start.

Boys Odyssey.

An idol survival program that would start filming in June, which was less than two months from now. From what he rembered, around this ti, Vnet - the music channel set to broadcast the program - posted an announcent saying that they would hold one last public audition at the end of April.

He rembered it pretty well because he considered going to the first audition that they held. If the accident didn't happen, he might really have gone to that last public audition.

That's actually not the only thing he rembered from Boys Odyssey. He rembered most of the things that happened in that idol survival program. At least the ones that were broadcasted.

Of course, this didn't include the small details. Like the nas of all the contestants and every small thing about them. But the rest? He could rember everything vividly.

Because during a period when he struggled to cope with overwhelming sadness and pain, watching Boys Odyssey provided a brief reprieve. It offered a small but welco distraction, montarily easing the intensity of those negative emotions.

Now, Haneul had the chance to be part of Boys Odyssey.

With fists clenched, he made a solemn promise to himself: he would give everything he had to ensure he passed the public audition.

As he was thinking that, he suddenly felt the need to go to the restroom. Thankfully, this private room had its own restroom, so he didn't have to go out. He got down from the bed and made his way to the restroom at the corner.

When he walked inside, he stopped almost imdiately and just stared wide-eyed at his reflection in the mirror.