Morning arrived a little calmer than the day before.
The contestants slowly gathered in the living room after breakfast.
Some were still sleepy.
Others looked more energetic after yesterday's mission.
Merlin sat on the couch beside Luna, scrolling through her phone while listening to Minho complain about the maze challenge again.
"I'm telling you," Minho said dramatically,
"that bush attacked me."
Luna laughed.
"You walked straight into it."
"That's because you gave terrible directions!"
Merlin leaned back against the couch.
"I think the bush deserves an apology."
Minho pointed at her.
"You're supposed to be neutral."
"I'm observing."
"That's suspicious."
Suddenly, the giant screen in the living room turned on.
The host appeared once again.
"Good morning, contestants."
Everyone looked up.
The host smiled.
"I hope you all enjoyed your first night in the Idol Mansion."
Minho crossed his arms.
"It was peaceful until the alarm."
Luna raised her hand.
"I liked the alarm."
Minho stared at her.
"You're a problem."
The host continued.
"Today, we will introduce a special part of the experiment."
The screen behind him changed.
New words appeared.
THE HEART VOTE
The room grew slightly quieter.
Merlin leaned forward with interest.
"Oh?"
The host explained.
"At the end of certain days, you will send an anonymous message to the contestant you felt the most interested in."
"No one will know who sent which message."
"However…"
He paused slightly.
"The person receiving the message will know someone in the house is thinking about them."
Luna gasped.
"Oh my god, this is dangerous."
Minho nodded.
"This is how drama starts."
The host smiled.
"Today, each of you will send one message."
"The messages will be delivered tonight."
The contestants exchanged curious glances.
Already, thoughts were forming.
Merlin leaned back slightly.
Her mind immediately began analyzing the situation.
Anonymous messages.
Hidden feelings.
Uncertain intentions.
This was exactly the kind of unpredictable situation she enjoyed.
But it was also complicated.
Because two people had already entered her thoughts.
Jisoo.
And Leon.
Across the room, Leon watched her quietly.
He didn't speak much.
But his expression had grown more thoughtful.
Yesterday's conversation on the balcony replayed in his mind.
Her curiosity.
Her honesty.
Her laugh.
Without realizing it, he had started paying more attention to her.
Meanwhile, Kiara walked over to the kitchen counter where Jisoo was pouring himself coffee.
"So," she said casually, "are you planning to send a message?"
Jisoo glanced at her.
"Maybe."
Kiara smiled slightly.
"Careful."
"Why?"
"You might make someone curious."
Jisoo smirked faintly.
"That might be the point."
Across the room, Aria noticed the interaction.
Her eyes shifted between Kiara and Jisoo.
Then briefly toward Merlin.
Interesting.
Later that afternoon, the contestants were given their message tablets.
Each person sat alone in different corners of the mansion.
A simple message box appeared on the screen.
Send your Heart Vote message.
Merlin stared at the screen for a moment.
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard.
This felt strangely serious.
She thought about the day.
The maze.
The conversations.
The balcony.
Her mind replayed two different moments.
Leon catching her when she stumbled.
Jisoo standing beside her on the terrace.
She exhaled softly.
"This experiment really is dangerous."
Then she slowly began typing.
In another room, Leon looked at his tablet.
His message field was still empty.
He normally didn't overthink things.
But this time…
He did.
After a moment, he typed a short message.
Then pressed send.
Meanwhile, Jisoo sat quietly in the rooftop lounge.
He looked at the message screen for several seconds.
His mind replayed Merlin's words from the night before.
Curiosity is dangerous.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Then he typed something.
That evening, the contestants gathered again in the living room.
Everyone looked slightly nervous.
Even Minho seemed unusually quiet.
The screen turned on once more.
"It is now time to reveal the results of today's Heart Vote."
The room grew silent.
The host continued.
"Tonight, several contestants will receive messages."
"But remember…"
"The senders remain anonymous."
Merlin watched the screen carefully.
Her heart beat slightly faster.
Why was she nervous?
She didn't know.
The screen flickered.
Then a name appeared.
MERLIN TVARA
Luna gasped immediately.
"OHHHH."
Minho leaned forward.
"Already popular."
Merlin blinked in surprise.
A message appeared on the screen.
"You trust people easily. I find that interesting."
Her eyes widened slightly.
That sentence felt familiar.
Very familiar.
Across the room…
Leon remained completely calm.
The screen flickered again.
Another message appeared under Merlin's name.
"Curiosity can be dangerous."
This time Merlin froze.
That sentence was unmistakable.
Her eyes instinctively moved across the room.
Toward Jisoo.
But his expression revealed nothing.
Two messages.
Both anonymous.
Both meaningful.
Merlin leaned back slowly.
Her mind raced.
One thing was clear.
This experiment had officially become complicated.
Across the room, Aria noticed the subtle tension.
Her gaze moved between Merlin, Leon, and Jisoo.
And she smiled slightly.
The triangle had begun.