Not a Lover, But a Sister

The Woo Ri-na Trio had gathered at Woo Dan-wol's house. They were watching the awards ceremony and exploding with laughter.

As fans who had sharpened their claws through countless clashes with Jang Seon-woo's supporters—known in the industry as "Seongi dogs"—this moment felt especially sweet.

It had been such a frustrating few years. Their brother was clearly the better actor! Yet they always got dogpiled for "lacking seniority" and bombarded with bizarre hate comments. It made no sense.

What infuriated them most was how other fandoms stayed quiet while only his fans behaved that way. So Jang Seon-woo's supporting actor win felt like poetic justice.

"Congratulations!"

"Lululala~"

They were dancing around like fools when three KakaoTalk notifications went off at the exact same time. All three girls froze.

A wave of dread washed over them. The trio were administrators of the Woo Dan-wol fan open chat. The only thing that would set off all their phones simultaneously was trouble.

"What the hell?"

"Is it a hit-and-run post?"

They pulled out their phones in perfect sync and opened the app. Three different faces twisted into the exact same expression.

"Fuck..."

There was no other word for it. Among them, Woo Ri-na's face crumpled the most.

"No... way..."

Her kind older brother. The brother who was so obsessed with acting that he barely registered the existence of women. The brother who was constantly running around because of his packed schedule. Him?

The headline posted in the group chat was so sensational it practically forced them to click. Woo Ri-na nearly fainted on the spot. Her friends didn't even bother catching her—they were already frantically tapping the link.

Real-time search rankings were quickly flooded with the acting awards and Woo Dan-wol dating rumors. Woo Ri-na stared into space like a patriot who had just lost her country. She kept repeating "It can't be, it can't be" like a broken doll.

At that moment, Jin Yu-jeong, who had been examining the only piece of evidence—the collection of photos—tilted her head. The woman's face was mosaiced since she was a civilian, but the hairstyle and clothes looked strangely familiar.

Students wear uniforms. How many days a year do they not wear them? Especially a third-year middle school girl who, like most girls her age, didn't pay much attention to fashion.

Yet the outfit felt familiar. Jin Yu-jeong racked her brain over the elusive clue until her eyes landed on the broken-looking Woo Ri-na.

"Hey!"

"Y-yeah?"

"Where's your closet?"

Jin Yu-jeong moved like a detective on a mission. She had a duty to uncover the truth. Following Woo Ri-na's trembling finger, she entered the room. There hung a black long puffer jacket.

It looked familiar. Because it was Woo Ri-na's. And there ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was the hat. The knit sweater. The skirt! Every single item from the photos was right there.

"Ha..."

Jin Yu-jeong's lips twisted. Lee Da-bin, who had followed her in late, asked what was going on. If Woo Ri-na had seen the article herself, she would have figured it out faster, but a panicked middle-schooler wasn't exactly in problem-solving mode.

Jin Yu-jeong grabbed the puffer jacket and marched back to Woo Ri-na, tossing it at her.

The soft fabric covered her face. Woo Ri-na blinked in confusion before Jin Yu-jeong's urgent tone made her stand up.

"Put it on. Hurry."

"Okay."

She began pulling the clothes on. Her devastated expression slowly cleared as she watched Jin Yu-jeong's determined face. Willpower really was contagious.

"Turn around."

"Like this?"

"Yeah... Ha. Those crazy bastards. I swear."

Jin Yu-jeong kept glancing between the turned-around Woo Ri-na and her phone. It was a perfect match. Her language grew increasingly colorful.

"Those fucking trash reporters?"

"C-calm down!"

"What? What is it?"

Only then did Woo Ri-na finally check the article. Her face slowly morphed into the expression of a dog whose snack had been stolen. Now that she knew the truth, the betrayal and anger came rushing in.

Lee Da-bin, who had brought the clothes a beat too late, finally caught up. Her judgment had been one step behind.

"Do I... not need to wear this?"

"...No."

They would wear it. They would take photos. They would leave clear evidence. They would bury the reporters who had packaged lies as truth and stirred up controversy.

Of course, they wouldn't step forward themselves. The wise Woo Ri-na and Jin Yu-jeong simply sent the photos to Woo Dan-wol and left the rest to the agency. That was the deepest consideration two civilians and close fans could offer.

January 1st. It was supposed to be a hopeful day. The old year had been sent off and the new one welcomed with good feelings and good intentions. However, the atmosphere at Haesung Entertainment was anything but bright.

"CEO, it's completely blowing up out there."

"Why haven't we released a statement yet..."

Lee Hye-ri finished handling the paperwork with a calm expression. Knowing the truth, a swift response would have been best. But—

"Noona, you're here?"

"Yeah. Are you really okay with this?"

"I was curious too. Don't you want to see her?"

"To be honest... I do."

Woo Dan-wol was casually munching snacks in the CEO's office. Both the company and the entire entertainment industry were burning hot. It had only been two days.

The dating scandal had broken on December 30th. Even now, on January 1st, it was still scorching the internet. Two days might seem short, but online it was an eternity. Countless curses and articles were flooding every corner of the web.

Of course, some people remained neutral since no official position had been released yet. But the voices cursing Woo Dan-wol were growing louder, far outnumbering his defenders.

"It's really heating up."

"...They can't mean it."

"You think so?"

Woo Dan-wol smiled bitterly as he read through the articles. The public cursing his name. He wanted to believe that most of them didn't truly hate him.

From Lee Hye-ri's perspective, the situation was becoming increasingly nerve-wracking. Image was everything for an actor. Now a male lead was caught up in dating ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rumors and scandals. Even she couldn't hide her bitter feelings.

While some comments crossed every line, there were still fans who believed in him. Thanks to them, Woo Dan-wol could watch the situation without falling apart.

As the days passed, the curses grew harsher and more vicious. Then, before the first day ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had even fully passed, the agency's official statement finally dropped.

The fans who still believed in him clasped their hands and prayed. Was it wrong for an actor to date? No. But for someone only in his mid-twenties, such rumors were still considered controversial in Korea.

Even if most ordinary people didn't see it as a big deal, the internet was a space where the loudest, most abnormal voices could dominate.

The moment the statement appeared, public opinion flipped completely.

And just like that, all the arrows turned toward the reporter who had published the false story.