Morning arrived much earlier than anyone wanted.
At exactly 7:00 AM, loud music blasted through the mansion speakers.
In Room 1, Minho shot upright in bed.
"WHO TURNED THAT ON?"
Across the room, Kaito pulled the blanket over his head.
"Why is the music so loud…"
Minho glared at the ceiling.
"This show is violating human rights."
Kaito groaned.
"Just get ready…"
In Room 2, Luna sat up instantly.
"GOOD MORNING!"
Tara slowly opened her eyes.
"It's seven."
"Yes."
"And you're excited?"
"Of course."
Tara stared at her.
"You're unbelievable."
In Room 3, Kiara calmly checked the time on her phone.
7:02 AM.
Across the room, Yuri stretched.
"They enjoy waking people up dramatically."
Kiara smirked.
"It guarantees reactions."
Down the hallway in Room 4, Merlin buried her face in the pillow.
"Please tell me that's not the alarm again."
Across the room, Jisoo was already awake.
"It is."
Merlin stared at the ceiling.
"This show is cruel."
Jisoo gave a small smile.
"You'll survive."
In Room 5, Leon had already stepped out onto the balcony.
Morning sunlight spread across the garden.
Aria joined him quietly.
"That music woke the entire mansion."
Leon nodded.
"Effective."
Twenty minutes later, all ten contestants gathered in the living room.
Some looked exhausted.
Some looked irritated.
Only Luna looked energetic.
"Good morning everyone!"
Minho dropped onto the couch.
"I need coffee."
Tara handed him a cup.
"You said that yesterday."
"Yes."
"And it was true yesterday too."
Merlin sat beside Luna, stretching slightly.
Across the room, Leon leaned against the wall, watching the group.
Kaito poured himself juice.
Kiara and Yuri stood near the kitchen counter.
The large screen suddenly turned on.
Minho groaned.
"Here we go again."
The host appeared.
"Good morning contestants."
The group responded lazily.
"Morning…"
The host smiled.
"I hope everyone enjoyed yesterday's dates and the Midnight Truth Game."
Luna raised her hand.
"Best mission so far."
Minho shook his head.
"Emotionally traumatic."
The host continued.
"Today we introduce a new challenge."
The screen behind him changed.
Large words appeared.
MISSION 4 — COMPATIBILITY RANKING
The room immediately became quiet.
Minho leaned forward.
"That sounds suspicious."
The host explained.
"Each contestant will rank three contestants of the opposite gender they are most interested in getting to know better."
Luna clapped.
"Finally."
Minho nodded.
"That makes sense."
"These rankings will remain private," the host continued.
"But the results will be revealed."
Minho leaned back.
"Oh that's messy."
"Contestants who appear most frequently in the rankings will receive a reward."
"And contestants who appear the least…"
Minho raised an eyebrow.
"What happens to them?"
"They will face a disadvantage in tomorrow's mission."
Minho sighed.
"Fantastic."
Tablets appeared on the coffee table.
One by one, the contestants entered their rankings.
Boys Ranking Girls
Minho
Minho stared at the screen.
Then typed:
1. Tara
2. Luna
3. Merlin
He placed the tablet back on the table.
Kaito
Kaito hesitated for a moment.
Then entered:
1. Luna
2. Tara
3. Merlin
Jisoo
Jisoo looked around briefly before typing.
1. Merlin
2. Aria
3. Kiara
Leon
Leon entered his rankings calmly.
1. Merlin
2. Kiara
3. Aria
Yuri
Yuri typed quickly.
1. Kiara
2. Aria
3. Merlin
Girls Ranking Boys
Merlin
Merlin stared at the screen for a moment.
Then typed:
1. Jisoo
2. Leon
3. Minho
Luna
Luna typed immediately.
1. Kaito
2. Minho
3. Leon
Tara
Tara entered:
1. Minho
2. Kaito
3. Jisoo
Aria
Aria typed calmly.
1. Yuri
2. Jisoo
3. Leon
Kiara
Kiara entered her rankings.
1. Yuri
2. Leon
3. Jisoo
The screen suddenly turned on again.
Everyone leaned forward.
The host appeared.
"We will now reveal the results."
The room went completely silent.
The first name appeared.
MERLIN
Luna clapped immediately.
"I knew it."
Minho nodded.
"Everyone likes Merlin."
Merlin laughed awkwardly.
"I didn't expect that."
The next name appeared.
YURI
Kiara raised an eyebrow.
"Well."
Yuri simply nodded.
The third name appeared.
TARA
Minho blinked.
"Wait… really?"
Tara looked surprised.
The host continued.
"These contestants received the highest compatibility rankings."
Merlin.
Yuri.
Tara.
"You three will receive the reward."
Minho leaned forward.
"What reward?"
The host smiled.
"You will each choose a partner for tomorrow's date."
The room erupted.
Luna jumped up.
"WHAT."
Minho pointed at the screen.
"This is chaos."
But the screen changed again.
Three new names appeared.
The lowest rankings.
LEON
Minho blinked.
"That doesn't make sense."
Leon remained calm.
KAITO
Luna frowned.
"That's unfair."
Kaito shrugged.
KIARA
Kiara crossed her arms.
"Well."
"That's unexpected."
The host continued.
"These contestants will receive the disadvantage."
Minho whispered dramatically.
"This show is ruthless."
Then the host said:
"Merlin."
"You will choose your date partner first."
The entire room turned toward her.
Merlin froze.
Jisoo sat quietly.
Leon leaned against the wall.
Everyone waited.
Merlin laughed nervously.
"Well…"
"This is awkward."
And somewhere behind the cameras—
The producers watched the monitors carefully.
Because whatever Merlin said next…
Was about to change everything inside the mansion.