Chapter 199
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 199
[Seo Ho-yun Syndrome... Is this for real?
Is this actually happening right now...??]
If one were to trace the origins of "Seo Ho-yun Syndrome," some would point to the variety show Singing Variety Show, while others would argue it was simply bound to happen because "that’s just who he is."
It all started a week before the syndrome became a full-blown epidemic.
After Singing Variety Show aired, the various fandoms went through a bit of a rough patch. Arguments broke out over things like, "Is he trying to pick a fight with the fans?" "Why isn't he following the script?" and "Does he really want to act like that with a group from a different survival show?"
Of course, the fans tried their best to ignore the noise.
[If he’d followed the script, they would’ve called him a clueless crybaby. Ugh, give it a rest.]
[Guys, just say you're jealous because he's popular~]
And within their own circles—especially among Noeul—the topic of conversation shifted rapidly.
[I was actually impressed watching this show.
Honestly, isn't Ho-yun really kind?
Can we market his personality now?
└ LOL, if you only show the fansign videos of him with Noeul, it’s totally possible...]
[I want to marry Seo Ho-yun.
Then I want to get a divorce.
And then I want to remarry him.]
[Haa... T_T The fact that Ho-yun loves sweets is so precious. Now that I think about it, he’s actually super cute.
You’re turning women into psychos...]
They ignored the trolls and refused to give them any bait.
[Look at him just saying whatever he wants, no matter what’s happening outside.
└ For real, like idol, like fan...]
Despite it being a short special, the public recognition of both Kang Yeon-hu and Seo Ho-yun skyrocketed.
However, that was the extent of it.
Due to the limitations of the format, the program couldn't be picked up for a regular season. Furthermore, neither Seo Ho-yun nor Kang Yeon-hu appeared on other shows together, as if neither side had any intention of being further associated with the other.
As a result, the noisy controversy gradually died down.
Instead, new "bait" began to drop in front of the fans.
[Hey, what’s this? Are they actually getting CF offers?]
[Wait, is this for real???]
[Are our boys world-class now???]
From various broadcasts to advertisements, love calls were pouring in for Kang Yeon-hu and Seo Ho-yun.
[Public broadcast power is insane. Both of them solidified their images this time, haha.]
[Yeon-hu getting dragged into things is so, so cute T_T He’s mature, but he really broke out of his usual image ㅋㅋㅋ
└ What about Seo Ho-yun?
└└ He’s a total bastard...
And my personal angel (^//^)
└└ Yes... I hope you’re happy.]
[Ho-yun is definitely an angel (feat. Japanese fans).]
After the announcement that the B App service would soon be ending, Noeul members were busy backing up videos. They began re-editing funny moments from past B-Lives and uploading them in droves to Nutube.
[Title: Reviewing old clips and this is hilarious. Seo Ho-yun has always been the same.
Da-jun: I heard Ho-yun hyung’s nickname in Japan is actually "Angel." Did I learn Japanese wrong??
Ho-yun: Bangbang-i, can’t you see the wings on my back?
Yi-chae: Flap, flap~
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
These guys are so shameless...
└ But he stayed silent when Seong-hyeon asked how he felt about being grouped with Seong Ji-won as an angel ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└└ Well... Ho-yun, even you have to have a conscience...]
Simultaneously, a massive wave of "Sweet Seo Ho-yun" compilations—clips edited to show him being kind to The Dawn members—began to surface.
Coincidentally, Kim Seong-hyeon, who was in the middle of a B-Live, gave a deep sigh at the fans' requests and opened Nutube to search for "Seo Ho-yun."
"Haa..."
Immediately, videos like "Collection of Seo Ho-yun’s Sweet Moments," "Seo Ho-yun, Is He a Boyfriend or What?", "Baby Bunny Ho-yun Is Here~", "The Dawn-Na-Ri Did Him Wrong," "My Favorite Seo Ho-yun Moment," and "Thinking About Marriage with Seo Ho-yun for 3 Minutes and 25 Seconds" popped up in staggering numbers.
[LOL Seong-hyeon looks so flustered ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[So cute ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Kim Seong-hyeon glanced at the fans' comments before finally clicking on a video. He watched in silence until the moment March 14th—his birthday—appeared. He let out a groan and pressed his fingers against his brow.
The scene was from the early filming of Shining Star Season 2.
Seo Ho-yun, who had been loitering in the waiting room, approached Kim Seong-hyeon and poured a handful of small objects from his pocket into Seong-hyeon's hands.
Though flustered, Kim Seong-hyeon carefully caught them so they wouldn't drop.
【What’s this?】
【A gift.】
【Oh... wow. Thanks.】
Seeing the small, round objects wrapped in colorful, pretty paper, he naturally assumed they were candies. Since his birthday fell on White Day, he was used to receiving those kinds of gifts.
Kim Seong-hyeon smiled brightly, unwrapped one on the spot, and popped it into his mouth.
He spat it out immediately.
【It’s bitter! And chewy! What the... Hey, what is this?】
【Gongjindan.】
【...It’s not candy?】
Who on earth gives Gongjindan—a bitter traditional medicine—to a guy in his early twenties as a birthday present?
However, Seo Ho-yun sat on the sofa next to him with a proud expression, tapping away on his phone. Upon hearing Seong-hyeon's question, he quirked an eyebrow and looked at him with narrowed eyes.
【On White Day? From me to you?】
【No, wait. Sorry.】
【Are you seriously acting like you wanted candy from me?】
【Please! Ah! My ears!】
As if getting the chills, Kim Seong-hyeon shuddered, covered his ears, and bolted to the corner of the waiting room.
Seo Ho-yun cackled. The video also captured Jeong Da-jun, who had been watching a drama rerun on his phone, muttering quietly, "Gongjindan on White Day... that’s so lame..."
"Haa... that still makes me mad every time I see it."
Contrary to Kim Seong-hyeon’s reaction, however, the comment section was exploding with claims that Seo Ho-yun was "so sweet and caring." Some fans even posted "thirsty" comments saying the Gongjindan from Seo Ho-yun would probably taste like honey.
Kim Seong-hyeon’s eyelashes trembled as he read them.
"Just... why?"
[LOL Seong-hyeon-ah T_T T_T]
[Seong-hyeon has really been through a lot lately... pats head T_T
└ You know you’re actually enjoying this.
└└ Thumbs up~ b]
To make matters worse, ever since that day, whenever Seong-hyeon looked for something, Seo Ho-yun would tease him for three months straight with lines like, "Are you looking for my love?" or "Are you hungry for my affection?" Kim Seong-hyeon ground his teeth at the memory.
Eventually, he stood up, went outside, and dragged in Jeong Da-jun, who was holding a sausage in each hand.
Then, without a word, he played the "Sweet Seo Ho-yun" video.
"...I can't watch any more of this."
"Are you losing your appetite?"
"Yes..."
[The best diet video of the century.
Highly recommended.
└ LOL Holy shit T_T Like idol, like fan, you guys are comedians T_T ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Just as Jeong Da-jun was about to give up on his sausages after only two bites, Kang Yi-chae and Seong Ji-won poked their heads in, carrying cup ramen and kimbap.
After hearing Da-jun’s warning, they bravely declared they would try watching it anyway, figuring that if they lost their appetites, they could just consider it weight management.
"What are you guys doing?"
At that moment, Seo Ho-yun appeared, holding a caramel frappuccino piled so high with whipped cream that it looked like a sugar coma in a cup.
"Oh, hyung. You want to join?"
Seo Ho-yun took a long sip through his straw, swallowed, and took a seat on one side.
【Thank you so much for coming. Let’s definitely meet again next time.】
"But why are we even doing this?"
"It gives me the creeps no matter how many times I see it."
"Why are you choosing to suffer?"
[The way the dancer line talks is hilarious.]
[This tone full of distrust.]
Kim Seong-hyeon and Jeong Da-jun couldn't touch their food, while Kang Yi-chae and Seong Ji-won ate calmly.
Kang Yi-chae even chuckled as he slurped his ramen broth between clips.
However...
"..."
"..."
The moment a Japanese fancam—still considered a legendary clip among Noeul—showed Seo Ho-yun greeting a fan, the smile vanished from Kang Yi-chae’s face.
Seo Ho-yun desperately tried to ignore him.
While two members were struggling, one was visibly annoyed, and another was starting to break into a cold sweat, only Seong Ji-won remained peaceful.
"Ahaha, Ho-yun is quite sweet."
"Watch the next one before you say that, hyung."
【I! AM THE ONE! WHO TURNS BACK TIME!!!¹⁾】
"..."
That peace didn't last long.
When the scene from the Apocalypse self-produced content appeared, Seong Ji-won dropped the piece of kimbap he had just picked up with his chopsticks.
[LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL Ji-won-ah ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Wait, Ji-won stopped moving.]
[So there really is a point that even Ji-won finds infuriating ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Seo Ho-yun, sitting next to him, personally fed a piece of kimbap into Seong Ji-won’s mouth with a gaze as sweet as honey.
"You have to eat, Ji-won-ah."
"..."
[Ah.
My blood pressure is rising.
Hey, even my blood pressure is going up, you brat.]
[Ji-won-ah... ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
In the end, that day’s B-Live concluded with no one feeling particularly good.
Afterward, the video circulated as the "Seo Ho-yun Diet." While people were laughing and enjoying it, they slowly began to fall for his charms, and "Seo Ho-yun Syndrome" began to spread stealthily.
[Why am I seeing so many people dressed like Seo Ho-yun on the streets lately? You know, that Conan culprit look.]
At first, it was just a noticeable increase in all-black or neutral-toned outfits on Starstagram. Soon, Seo Ho-yun’s hairstyle seemed to be trending as well.
But since the clothes and hair weren't that unique, no one suspected anything at the time.
[Hoo-hoo-ya~ ㅋㅋ]
[Let’s keep this just between the two of us. ㅋ]
[I like sweet things. ㅋㅋ]
Gradually, reactions that would have made Seo Ho-yun cringe began to surface.
[Title: Hey, I think my younger brother has Seo Ho-yun Syndrome.
He suddenly started wearing the Conan culprit look, brushes his hair back every 0.5 seconds, and walks around crunching on hard candies.
The clincher is he keeps saying "I’m actually fluttering?" to his female friends... You crazy bastard, my fists are crying.]
When the cameras were rolling, Seo Ho-yun would suppress his true personality and activate a mode with about 0.1% "bastard" added in. Apparently, people liked that subtle, slightly chilling vibe, and before long, Seo Ho-yun Syndrome was everywhere.
[Seo Ho-yun Syndrome:
Prohibited: Dropping "guilty" lines.
Prohibited: Smirking.
Prohibited: Eating only sweets. This only works because it’s Seo Ho-yun. Seriously, stop it, goddammit.]
However, this wasn't just happening to Seo Ho-yun.
[Kang Yi-chae Syndrome:
Pretending to be a delinquent, pretending to be sly, pretending to carry a notebook and scribble things down.
Fuck, stop it before I kill you.]
The disaster that was Kang Yi-chae had also descended upon South Korea.
And the influence even reached the set of a cosmetics advertisement shoot.
"Please be a bit more Seo Ho-yun-esque!!"
"I! Am! Seo Ho-yun! Give me that smirking feeling!"
"..."
After three hours of hearing these instructions without even getting a proper look at the beach scenery, Ho-yun went past being annoyed to being utterly confused about what they wanted from him.
I am Seo Ho-yun. How much more "Seo Ho-yun-esque" could he possibly be?
Even after the shoot finally ended, the photographer seemed unsatisfied, smacking his lips in disappointment. Then, he made the same demand of Kang Yi-chae, who was up next.
"Yi-chae-ssi, more Yi-chae-esque! Make people want to catch Yi-chae Syndrome!"
"Yi-chae-esque~!"
The true natural was Kang Yi-chae.
He responded so slyly you could practically see the hearts at the end of his sentences.
When the photographer went a step further and asked for a "cheerful yet delinquent and gorgeous rap," Yi-chae immediately performed his line: "Your innocence in thinking this is a coincidence remains the same."
The excited staff adjusted the lights here and there, and the photographer rolled around on the ground, snapping the shutter repeatedly.
'Is Kang Yi-chae insane?'
Seo Ho-yun watched the spectacle with a look of disgust. Jeong Da-jun, who had finished his individual shots and had been playing in the ocean, came over and asked while shaking sand off his body.
"Hyung, why don't you call me Bangbang-i lately?"
Since everyone started calling everything "Bangbang-i" the moment they saw it, Ho-yun didn't even want to use the nickname he’d once used affectionately.
"I see you've been wearing your mask well lately."
He’d been doing that because people kept asking him to "smirk" whenever they made eye contact, so he wore the mask to block them off in advance.
And was that all? Everyone around him had started using his specific speech patterns—ending sentences with "~hanya," "~aninya," "~geureotnya"—and Seo Ho-yun was starting to lose his temper.
"I am not taking questions."
"..."
That was why he had recently switched his speech entirely to the formal da-na-ka style.
"Ji-won hyung... I’m really worried about Ho-yun hyung."
"He seems to be in quite a bit of shock... let’s just leave him be."
As Seo Ho-yun waved his hand, signaling he was too tired to talk, Kim Seong-hyeon approached.
He was drying his water-soaked hair with a towel. His muscles repeatedly tensed and relaxed beneath his form-fitting white rash guard.
He plopped down in the empty seat next to Seo Ho-yun and spoke.
"The manager told me earlier that an emergency schedule was just added for next week."
"What is the schedule."
"Are you still talking like that? Anyway, it’s FNL. Friday Night Live."
"...!"
It was a much bigger deal than expected. It was a variety show Seo Ho-yun had been keeping an eye on, so he immediately dropped the formal speech and brightened up.
"Really? When?"
Seeing him look unusually excited, Kim Seong-hyeon rested his chin on his hand, looking surprised.
"He said he has to check the calendar again for the exact date. But apparently, the concept is 'Seo Ho-yun Syndrome'?"
"..."
For a moment, Seo Ho-yun seriously considered just walking into the ocean to go find the Dragon King’s palace.
*
1) Reference to the SBS variety show Running Man (2010.07.11~), Christmas Special: Superpowers Episode (Ep. 74).