[Title: Seo Hoyun has a younger brother This was spotted today lool. Caught a picture of Seo Hoyun coming out of a restaurant. OOHansik_Restaurant_Sighting.jpg ComingOutOfRestaurant.jpg The vibe is crazy similar LOOLLLL Someone said he called Seo Hoyun “hyung,” so it must be his younger brother. He’s insanely handsome whoa] The post, quickly flooded with comments, was soon deleted, but the pictures had already spread everywhere in seconds. No one knew if it had been taken by a sasaeng or just a random passerby, but the photos were clear. Which meant—anyone who knew Seo Hojin could immediately recognize him. And that also meant {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} his personal information would soon be exposed. [Whoa, seriously, Seo Hoyun’s younger brother?! He’s insanely good-looking. Well, of course, he’s Seo Hoyun’s actual brother.] [LMAOOOOOOO He looks like that unrealistically perfect college senior who doesn’t exist in real life HAHAHAHA] [LOOOLLLLL That’s what I’m saying... this family’s genetics are unfair haha] An idol’s family ties were easy gossip fodder. At first, people reacted to Hojin’s photos with surprise and admiration. [Wait, a younger brother?? Really;;? They don’t even look that alike. Isn’t it just a friend? └The more I look, the more similar they seem??] Of course, it wasn’t long before information about Seo Hojin began leaking. [Apparently they really are brothers. That guy’s name is Seo Hojin. └└It’s all over the S University community haha. He’s the student rep in Political Science. └└Whoa, seriously?? What kind of academic record is that;; He must be crazy smart.] [Wow, the shared ‘Ho’ syllable in their names is so cute..ㅠ!!] At the same time, photos of Hojin started appearing on his university’s community SNS. [Title: Looks like Seo Hoyun’s brother? I saw him in our department, confirming. He’s 25, about to graduate S_PoliSci_SeoHojin.JPEG Deleted after 5 minutes~] Photos of him presenting, group pictures from MTs. Where he lived, what food he liked, hobbies, part-time jobs—everything was dug up. It took less than twenty minutes. At this point, even if I denied it, there was no burying it. I could only watch in futility as the situation spread, before staff urged me up for the concert’s ending stage. “Everyone! Please give a round of applause!” I forced a wide smile. At least, I tried to wave and respond to Noeul. But of course, that wasn’t possible. The reactions to Hojin that had seemed positive just moments ago would likely twist into something else by the time I stepped off stage. Endless negative possibilities filled my head. ‘No. I’m overreacting.’ It wasn’t like my PD days when I was cursed at daily. The interest would die down quickly. Family ties being revealed was something every celebrity went through. The members, who sensed things from me and the manager, kept smiling brightly but surrounded me as if to shield me from cameras. “Thank you for your hard work!” After somehow finishing, in the van back to the dorm I opened my phone again. Passing a post titled, ‘Didn’t Seo Hoyun look off during today’s ending?’ I searched for other reactions. But instead of nothing, the exact things I’d feared were already being chewed over. [LOLLLLLLL Look at everyone burning with jealousy because he’s handsome AND smart hahahaha └ Well, Seo Hoyun’s really popular these days hahaha] [But isn’t it weird he’s the younger brother? He’s 25. Aren’t they the same age? How is he younger? └My friend at S University says he’s a December baby. └Seo Hoyun’s a January baby, right? Then technically it works.] [Fans are confused. Why didn’t he ever mention having a brother? └└ He’s been through accidents and a lot of stuff, probably didn’t want it brought up. [I thought Seo Hoyun was an orphan after he sold his family tragedy on Shas LOOOLL But he had a brother all along... huh... I just...^^ └ ?? What? If he had a brother, that would’ve made things harder. └└ Do you have reading issues? I meant he should’ve been more careful if he had a brother while selling family tragedy like that haha └└ The fuck, makes it sound like Hoyun was the one who started talking about it haha. Who actually dragged it up? You sound ridiculous.] [Then what, was his brother not there during the car accident?] Of course they’d start digging there. Sensing blood, clickbait “cyber-wreckers” had already uploaded videos: ‘Why Seo Hoyun hid his family for 2 years after debut.’ ‘Seo Hoyun, why he looked grim at HallyuCon ending + his hidden brother?’ ‘The family that fell apart.’ Skimming the headlines, I pinched my brow with a finger. ‘They’re really creative with their bait.’ They exaggerated a one-second facial expression into a power play, or edited one sentence into a major scandal. That was their specialty. This was a feast for them. In minutes, views had already hit tens of thousands. I didn’t click. I didn’t need to—I knew exactly what kind of fiction they’d written. ‘Think. Think of how to handle this.’ I couldn’t just sit around waiting for the whole mountain to burn down. While I was forcing my brain to move, I felt a nudge. Turning, Kang Ichae was gesturing toward the door. “Hyung, we’re at the dorm.” As I followed him out, Kim Sunghyun’s voice stopped me. Only then did I notice the members watching me silently, worried. Sunghyun took a step forward, trying to meet my eyes. “Today’s schedule is over. Get some rest. I’ll go talk with the company.” His face was filled with worry. I forced a grin. I patted his shoulder lightly, then walked past the others’ worried stares into my room. The curse spilled out as the door closed. Oddly, it calmed me a little, and my brain, frozen till now, began creaking to life. [Me: Don’t answer unknown calls.] [Me: Don’t go outside either.] [Me: I’ll contact you again soon.] Kim Jaeyeon’s number and several celebrities’ names flashed across my mind before fading. Public attention swayed like reeds in the wind, always toward the next sensational fire. ‘It’ll blow over quickly.’ This was my own carelessness. I thought it would be fine to see him once in a few months. But if my connection with Kim Jaeyeon was exposed on top of this, I wouldn’t be able to control the damage. ‘If only the item shop were still here, this would be easier.’ But no matter how I called, the system window stayed silent. Spreading weird rumors could be handled with lawsuits via Daepaseong. The entertainment world was always noisy. Incidents exploded daily. I just had to smile on camera, brush it off when asked, and wait. 《Actor A, multi-billion won illegal gambling?》 《The “kind” actor A was actually a power-abuser》 As expected, a new scandal had already erupted. Hojin’s name was replaced across portal news, SNS trends, and communities. Since the actor had a spotless, beloved image, the backlash was even bigger. Refreshing my laptop, I saw attention shifting in real time. Even the mentions among Noeul and some K-pop fans were swallowed instantly. Google seaʀᴄh 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⟡𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕥⟡𝕟𝕖𝕥 ‘I really was too hasty back in Shining Star.’ Variety shows had helped me rebuild my image a lot, but during Shining Star S2, I thought I had no other option. Honestly, I don’t regret it. Even if I went back, I’d sell my family tragedy ten times over if it meant winning. I cherry-picked the most shocking scenes from the car accident black box and polished the words to spread them. Why would I regret that? But now, those arrows I’d fired were stabbing into Hojin. I should’ve remembered better than anyone that selling misfortune always turns into a blade, even against family. Fatigue sank over me. I glanced at Sung Jiwon’s empty bed, then called Hojin. After a few rings, his voice came through. Just hearing him sound normal eased me. I made my voice casual. “It’s me. You surprised?” “You get the situation, right? It’ll blow over soon. Just stay quiet till then.” I wasn’t worried about how he’d handle himself. He’d always managed, even when I was still a PD. I only worried he might be hurt by the noise around him. While I searched for words, Hojin hesitated, then asked. [I’m more worried about you, hyung.] “Why are you worrying about me?” I already knew this was bound to come out someday. “Of course I’m fine.” After a short silence filled with thoughts, I said, [I’ll treat you this time, with the card you gave me.] He was trying to act grown up, trying to lighten my mood with a joke. I rubbed my brow and glanced at the laptop. The screen was still plastered with the gambling scandal. I knew meeting now would reignite the issue. But I couldn’t bring myself to refuse. Part of me even thought—maybe it was better to embrace it, meet him openly, and use it as an opportunity. And more than anything... I needed to see for myself if Hojin was really alright.