Chapter 73
Chapter 73
Translator: Penny
Chapter 73
"Wow, the phone cameras back then were actually pretty good, huh?"
Though the image was blurry, it was clear enough to identify the ring I often wore. I couldn't help but marvel at how surprisingly advanced the technology of both the past and present had been.
"This one, right?"
I held up the thick ring on my left index finger, and Ryu Jaehee alternated between looking at my ring and the zoomed-in photo on his phone screen.
This ring was just a men's fashion accessory. I'd bought it after seeing an older friend wearing one and thinking it looked cool. Surprisingly, it suited me well, so I gradually started collecting more.
"The next photo looks really similar to your ring too, Hyung."
"This isn't some custom-made couple ring. Does that mean everyone on Earth who bought the same brand and design is my partner?"
I scoffed and leaned back comfortably against the seat. So much fuss over nothing.
"That's a swing and a miss. Responding to this will only fuel the fire. Just ignore it. It'll die down on its own."
How could I even prove I'm not dating anyone?
I felt like I'd only just drifted off to sleep when Ryu Jaehee shook me awake. Judging by his grave expression, something serious had definitely happened.
"Hyung, another photo's been posted."
Anonymous Account @ADS5FSA15SZN
You keep demanding evidence, so here it is.
#Reve #Yoon Eden #Daydream #Ilmong #REVE #Reve #Eden #Fan Deception
(DatingEvidencePhoto1.jpg) (DatingEvidencePhoto2.jpg) Shared 251 Quoted 1420 Liked 74
On the screen Ryu Jaehee showed me again were two newly uploaded photos.
One showed me walking side-by-side with a woman, and the other captured a cheerful moment where she playfully nudged my arm with her fist.
The first photo only showed our backs, but the second offered a partial profile of me. The woman's face remained hidden.
In the first photo, it was clear from our dangling hands that we were both wearing rings.
We were both wearing black hoodies, making it look unmistakably like couple outfits.
I blinked at the sight of the seemingly happy couple, though the woman was noticeably taller.
"Is this a composite?"
Since I had no memory of walking side-by-side with a woman during my vacation, my suspicions leaned toward it being a fake.
By now, the other members, who had been sound asleep, were all awake and clamoring to know what was going on.
"Eden, are you rumored to be dating someone? Did you meet anyone during your vacation?"
Even Manager Hyung, who was driving, asked with a serious tone.
"I swear on my new studio, I didn't meet any women! I don't have a girlfriend!"
"Then what about this photo? It doesn't look like a composite to me, Hyung."
As the familiar background in the photo gradually came into focus, I blinked again.
"So, this isn't a composite after all? It's real?"
But here's the hidden secret in this photo: the person beside him isn't a woman, but a man.
"Ah, damn it! That's Juseong Hyung!"
This society, steeped in stereotypes, is the problem. This society, where anyone with long hair and narrow shoulders is automatically assumed to be a woman, is the problem!
I was amazed by a comment on a post suggesting the tall person might be a man: "Are tall women not women? Where do you see men walking around with hair that long?"
What kind of "Open Church, Closed" logic is that?
"Juseong Hyung?"
"It's a guy!"
The black hoodies, which looked like couple's outfits at first glance, are actually a wardrobe staple. You see countless men wearing them on the streets.
The ring I was mistaken for a couple ring was actually one I bought because I thought Juseong Hyung's ring looked cool and wanted to get one like it.
Juseong Hyung was the one who recommended the brand in the first place.
It was just a coincidence that we happened to have similar tastes in rings, leading us to wear similar designs.
I bought this ring with the pocket money I'd been saving up little by little since before my debut, so please refrain from speculating that this means we've been dating for a long time.
"I always had unwavering faith in you, Hyung."
"And yet you asked if I was crazy for liking you?"
No matter how I looked at it, there were only two possibilities:
Either someone deliberately took photos to bury me, or someone took a picture of me and then, based on their own misunderstanding, concocted a whole story in their head and turned it into a dating rumor.
Anger surged through me. I swept my bangs back and spat out, "This is so frustrating!"
"Ah, this is seriously pissing me off. Who took this?"
Forbidden phrase "Ah, seriously" detected.
Original Intent Score -1
Profanity detected.
Original Intent Score -2
The familiar pang of Original Intent Pain cleared the fury-induced haze from my mind and vision.
As my vision sharpened, the quest window popped into view.
Surprise QUEST★
▶ Let's debunk this dating rumor!
- Objective: You've been suddenly swept up in a dating rumor. Before your fans get disappointed and leave, why not quickly debunk the rumor and reassure them?
- Reward: Original Intent Score +5
- Deadline: One day
※ Failure to completely eliminate the dating rumor will result in a Regression Penalty!
Are you kidding me? A Regression Penalty?
This photo was undeniably ambiguous, and allowing the rumor to persist would only damage the image of me or the group. We needed to address it as quickly as possible.
"It's still early morning, so the attention is manageable now. We should clear this up before it blows up, Hyung. Wow, looking closer, this person's hands are definitely a man's."
To complete the quest, we had to bury the rumor so thoroughly that no further speculation could arise.
Simply clarifying that it was a man with long hair wouldn't suffice; some people might still doubt it. What if they refused to believe us, like those who deny the existence of Open Church's Closed Faction?
The best approach would be to go to the same location with Juseong Hyung, the other subject of the scandal, wearing the same outfits and striking the same pose. We'd take photos from the front, proving that the person in the original photo was indeed a man.
The problem was that I was currently on my way to Sokcho, and the shoot was scheduled to last for two days, making immediate action difficult.
However, that didn't mean I was completely without options. I had a Plan B.
I could simply post the photos I took with Juseong Hyung earlier that day.
Netizens would surely analyze the hair length, clothing, and rings to draw the correct conclusions.
We didn't have any selfies of just the two of us, but we did have group commemorative shots from our studio sessions with the other hyungs.
"Ugh, if I start calling people now, I'm going to get an earful."
Grumbling, I first searched for Yongcheol Hyung's number in my contacts.
Dealing with this over the phone was far more direct than sending a message to the group chat.
Apparently, none of them were early risers. I got a barrage of curses for waking them up so early.
I explained the situation to everyone in the group photo and got their permission to post it on social media.
Juseong Hyung, who had been involved in a scandal with me, was the most enthusiastic about agreeing.
It was understandable that the idols might not want their faces permanently plastered on their official accounts, but the hyungs willingly understood that it was an unavoidable situation.
With people like this, why did I refuse to believe them before my regression and instead trust those who were tearing me down?
**REVE_official** @LnL_reve
[Eden's Dream]
Finally got a new studio!
Studio housewarming with the members and close hyungs.
#Reve #Eden #StudioHousewarming
(ReveStudioGroupPhoto.jpg) (UndergroundStudioGroupPhoto.jpg)
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To complete the set, I even included a group photo with the Reve members and uploaded the post with the photos.
"Seriously, what is this from morning..."
The number of shares and retweets began to climb rapidly.
Seed @alfka
I wondered why they bothered uploading the second photo, but the long-haired man on the far left is the same guy from Eden's scandal photos!
Similar hairstyle, identical clothes, and the same ring.
Shares: 4,102 Retweets: 2,021 Likes: 6,318
Dream♥Daydream @revedream
OMG, when people said "Isn't he a man?" they got torn apart for saying "Isn't that tall woman a woman?" But...
It's not that I denied the tall woman's gender, but her hands were clearly masculine!
Shares: 421 Retweets: 242 Likes: 702
RIa @riaaaaa
What's all this commotion so early in the morning?
What's this about Eden being involved in a scandal with a man? I thought I was about to enter some alternate, even more chaotic version of South Korea.
Ttutta @double_t
Replying to @riaaaaa
Check out the quote tweets of Eden's post.
He shut down the rumor with a single photo before it even had a chance to spread.
RIa @riaaaaa
Replying to @double_t
Is the trending topic "long-haired men" actually because of this? ㅋㅋㅋ
Byouj @hamzziUJ
The anonymous account deleted and ran.
Next time, don't use an anonymous account—show your face with your real one. If you're going to throw around defamation-level rumors, you should be prepared to face the consequences after the truth comes out.
1,102 shares 15 quote tweets 4,102 likes
Once it was unequivocally proven that Eden was male, public opinion quickly fizzled out.
Dousing the flames with cold water before they could truly ignite was a stroke of genius.
▶️ Debunk the rumors of a romantic scandal! ✓
▶️ Successfully debunked the rumors of a romantic scandal.
▶️ Reward: Original Intent Score 5
Having completely eliminated the Regression Penalty, I could finally relax and drift back to sleep.
"Wow, we're at the beach!"
The winter sea in early February was still bitterly cold, offering absolutely nothing to do.
Especially with the snow falling heavily.
Running around on the sand playing tag, drawing in the sand—that was about it.
After Kim Dobin took off his shoes and briefly dipped his feet in the crashing waves, only to immediately jump back out, claiming he was about to get frostbite, no one even attempted to put their feet in the water.
"Ah, I have a feeling this is going to be the most boring content ever."
"That's why you should only come to the beach in summer."
We strolled slowly along the shore, chatting in front of the camera. There really was nothing to do here.
Seo Yehyeon, the one who had suggested the beach in the first place, stubbornly pretended not to hear us.
"Man, making us stay here until evening is a bit much..."
"Yeah, I guess we didn't really need to rush out so early this morning. Actually, it's probably for the best. If we'd slept in and been late dealing with that rumor... Ugh, just imagining it makes me shudder."
Ryu Jaehee shuddered.
They ate their packed lunches while gazing at the beach, then spent some time getting splashed by the waves before the staff called for them to move on. They shook the sand from their shoes and headed back to the car.
"Do you think we'll get enough footage just hanging around the dorm?"
"No way. Even if we play every random game we know, every game we play together, and a few rounds of board games, it'll never be enough."
"True, we barely spent any time at the beach. And we were just strolling around, so that'll probably only give us ten minutes of footage at most."
"The production team will figure out how to get enough footage somehow."
After getting out at the large supermarket, I used the card I'd been given to pick out groceries for our stay.
This should be enough for about five minutes of footage, I figured.
"Hajun Hyung! Can we get frozen dumplings?"
"What about chicken nuggets?"
"Guys, put those back."
"Hajun, can I get a salad?"
"Sure, put it in the cart."
While Gyeon Hajun was distracted by the flood of questions, I slipped a bag of frozen shrimp dumplings into the cart.
By the time we finished shopping, the sun was beginning to set.
The car climbed deeper into the mountains, battling an increasingly fierce blizzard.
As the sky turned pitch-black, we finally arrived at an old pension that felt more like a mountain lodge.
"Aaaah!"
Kim Dobin nearly fainted the moment he opened the door with the key.
📝 Translator’s Note:
You may notice that certain lines or phrases in this novel appear both in their original Korean (or Hanja) form and in English translation.
This is intentional — these phrases are classical idioms, divine titles, or poetic expressions that carry layered meanings.
To preserve their original tone and authenticity, the raw text has been kept for reference, while the English interpretation is provided right before or after it. This helps convey both the literal and cultural nuance of the original work.
but if you guys dont want tha raw for future chapters or my future other novels u can just text me on discord and say so discord name Mr.Penny