Chapter 263
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 263
[Title: Apparently, this is Seo Ho-yun’s younger brother.
This is a sighting from today lol. Someone caught a photo of Seo Ho-yun leaving a restaurant.
OO_Korean_Table_dhote_Sighting.jpg
Photo_leaving_the_restaurant.jpg
Their vibes are so damn similar lolololol.
Someone said he called Seo Ho-yun "Hyung," so he must be the younger brother. He’s insanely handsome, holy crap.]
The post was quickly flooded with comments and deleted shortly after, but the photos spread in an instant.
It was impossible to tell who took them—whether it was a sasaeng or just a regular person—but the images were very clear.
This meant that anyone who knew Seo Ho-jin would recognize him immediately, and his personal information was bound to be exposed.
[Omg, for real? That’s Seo Ho-yun’s brother?!
He’s so damn handsome.
Well, obviously. He’s Seo Ho-yun’s literal brother.]
[Crazy lololol. He looks like that one university senior who absolutely does not exist in real life lolol.]
[Lolol, my thoughts exactly... The genes in this family are truly superior.]
An idol’s family relationships were often easily consumed as light gossip.
The initial reactions from those who saw Seo Ho-jin’s photos were surprise and praise.
[Wait, he’s the brother?? Are you sure;;?
They don’t look that much alike. Isn’t he just an acquaintance?
└ The more you look, the more they look alike, don’t they??]
Naturally, information about Seo Ho-jin began to leak soon after.
[Pretty sure they’re brothers. His name is Seo Ho-jin.
└ How do you know that?
└└ Photos are popping up all over the S University community lol. He’s the Department of Political Science and Diplomacy rep.
└└ Whoa, wait, seriously?? What’s with those credentials;; He must be a genius.]
[Omg, their names both having "Ho" is so cute..ㅠ!!]
Simultaneously, more photos of Seo Ho-jin began appearing on university community sites and social media.
[Title: I think he really is Seo Ho-yun’s brother.
Proof from seeing him in the department.
He’s 25 this year and about to graduate.
S_University_PolSci_Seo_Ho-jin.JPEG
Deleting in 5 minutes~]
There were photos of him giving presentations or group shots from department retreats.
From where he lived to what food he liked, his hobbies, specialties, and even where he worked part-time.
It took less than twenty minutes for everything to be dug up.
At this point, it wasn't something that would go away just because I denied it.
I watched the situation spiral out of control with a sense of helplessness until the staff urged me to get on stage for the concert’s ending.
“Everyone! Please give us a round of applause!”
I tried my best to maintain a bright smile.
At the very least, I struggled to wave to the Noeuls and respond to their cheers.
‘Fuck, fuck.’
But how was I supposed to focus?
The positive reactions toward Seo Ho-jin from moments ago... how would they have mutated by the time I finished the stage and went backstage? Endless negative thoughts flooded my mind.
‘No. I’m overreacting.’
This wasn't my PD days when I ate insults for breakfast. The interest would die down soon.
Family members being exposed was a problem everyone with fame had to deal with.
The members, who had caught on to the situation through the manager’s and my behavior, stood around me with bright smiles, effectively blocking the cameras like a shield.
“Great job, everyone!”
“Yes, good work.”
After somehow finishing the schedule, I picked up my phone again inside the van heading back to the dorm.
I skipped past posts like, ‘Didn’t Seo Ho-yun’s expression look bad during the ending today?’ and searched for other reactions.
Despite my attempts to reassure myself that it was nothing, posts were already appearing that picked apart the very things I was worried about.
[Lololol, look at everyone losing their minds just because he’s handsome and smart lolol.
└ Well, Seo Ho-yun is super popular lately lol.]
[But the brother thing is weird.
If he’s 25, aren’t they the same age? How is he the younger brother?
└ My friend is in S University PolSci, and they said he was born in December.
└ Isn’t Seo Ho-yun born in January? Then timing-wise, it’s possible.]
[The fans didn’t seem to know. Why didn’t he ever mention his family?
└└ There was that accident and so much happened, he probably didn't want his brother mentioned...
└└ Omg... ㅠㅠ]
[I thought he was an orphan after seeing him sell out his parents during Shas lololol. So he had a brother... Huh.. I thought he was all alone in the world.. Just saying...^^
└ ?? What are you talking about? Having a brother would have made it even harder for Ho-yun.
└└ Are you illiterate? I’m saying if he had a brother, he should’ve been more careful when selling out his family history lol.
└└ Holy shit, anyone listening would think Ho-yun was the one who brought up his family history first lol. Who was the one bullying the kid who was just staying quiet? You’re talking nonsense right now.]
[But then, was the brother not there during the car accident?]
I knew they would wonder about that eventually.
Cyber Wreckers, who had already caught the scent of controversy, were quickly uploading videos.
‘The reason a popular idol didn’t reveal his family for two years after debut,’ ‘The reason Seo Ho-yun looked grim at the Hallyu Con ending + a hidden younger brother?’, ‘The reason a family was torn to pieces,’ and so on.
I scrolled through the titles and pressed my fingers firmly against my brow.
‘They sure are creative with their clickbait.’
Cyber Wreckers were the type to blow up a one-second expression from a broadcast into a "power struggle" or edit a single exchange to make it look like a major incident.
To them, a lead like this was nothing short of a feast.
Within minutes of being uploaded, the view counts surpassed tens of thousands.
I didn't bother clicking to see the content. I didn't need to see it to know what kind of fiction they had scribbled down.
‘Think, think about how to handle this.’
I couldn't just wait for the whole mountain to burn down once the spark had been lit.
I was stroking my lips, trying to force my sluggish brain to work, when I felt a nudge at my side. I turned my head to see Kang Yi-chae gesturing for me to get out.
“Hyung, we’re at the dorm.”
“Oh. Right.”
As I followed Kang Yi-chae out, I heard Kim Seong-hyeon’s voice.
“Are you okay?”
Only then did I notice the other members hesitating or watching me quietly.
Kim Seong-hyeon took a step forward, trying to meet my eyes.
“...Of course.”
“There are no more schedules today, so get some rest. I’ll go talk to the company.”
Seeing his face full of concern, I forced a grin.
“Yeah. Thanks.”
I gave Kim Seong-hyeon’s shoulder a light pat and walked past the members' worried gazes into my room.
“...Fuck.”
The moment the door closed, the suppressed curses spilled out.
Only then did my heart calm down slightly, and my stalled brain began to creak back into motion.
I picked up my phone and texted Seo Ho-jin.
[Me: Don’t answer if you get calls from numbers you don’t know.]
[Me: Don’t go outside either.]
[Me: I’ll call you back soon.]
For a moment, Kim Jae-yeon’s number flashed in my mind along with the names of several other celebrities.
Public interest was like a reed; it was easily swept away and drawn toward more provocative incidents.
‘Then this will be buried quickly.’
This whole situation stemmed from my carelessness. I had naively thought it would be fine since we only met once every few months.
If my connection to Kim Jae-yeon was revealed in this state, then even I wouldn't be able to control the fallout.
‘It would have been easier to solve if the Item Shop was available.’
I called out for the System Window, but my vision remained empty. I closed my eyes.
I could just have Daepasung sue the bastards spreading weird rumors....
‘Let’s not move rashly.’
The entertainment industry was noisy anyway.
It was a place where things happened every single day; I just had to wait quietly.
I would smile in front of the camera as if nothing had happened, and if anyone asked, I’d just brush it off with a smile. Just like that.
.
.
.
The next day.
《Top Actor A, Illegal Gambling Worth Hundreds of Millions?》
《"Kind" Actor A Was Actually a "Power Tripper"》
Sure enough, a new incident had already broken out. Instead of Seo Ho-jin, another person’s name was dominating the portal news sections, social media real-time trends, and online communities.
Since he was an actor loved by the public for his clean image, the backlash was even greater.
The more I hit F5 on my laptop, the more I could see the public’s attention shifting.
‘As expected.’
Even the mentions among Noeuls and some K-pop fans were buried in an instant.
‘Even if it was unavoidable, I was too hasty during Shining Star.’
Though my image had been rehabilitated quite a bit through variety shows, I had judged that there was no other way during Shining Star Season 2.
Honestly, I didn't regret what happened back then.
Even if I went back to that time, I’m the kind of bastard who would sell out my family history multiple times if it meant winning.
I had picked the most provocative scenes from the black box footage of the car accident and meticulously refined the sentences on how to spread them. Why would someone like me have regrets?
However, the arrows I fired back then were now piercing Seo Ho-jin.
Since I was so used to packaging and selling other people’s misfortunes, I should have been more mindful that it could return as a blade against my own brother—
“Fuck... whatever.”
It was already done.
A slight sense of exhaustion washed over me.
I stared at Seong Ji-won’s empty bed for a moment before calling Seo Ho-jin.
[Hello? Hyung!?]
The dial tone rang a few times before Seo Ho-jin’s voice came through.
“......Seo Ho-jin.”
Hearing that familiar voice made me feel a bit more at ease.
I spoke as naturally as possible.
“It’s me. Were you surprised?”
[Ah, no.]
“You know the gist of the situation, right? It’ll be covered up soon, so just stay quiet until then.”
[Okay...]
I wasn't particularly worried about how Seo Ho-jin would carry himself.
He had always handled things well even when I was a PD.
I was just more concerned that he might be hurt by the nonsense people around him might say.
[—But are you okay?]
As I was choosing my next words, Seo Ho-jin asked hesitantly.
[I’m more worried about you, Hyung.]
“Who are you worrying about right now?”
I knew myself that this was something that would be revealed eventually.
“I’m obviously fine.”
Countless thoughts flashed by in that short moment, and the answer I had been holding back finally came out.
[Hyung, do you want to meet up?]
“......”
[I’ll buy you dinner with the card you gave me before.]
Whether he had decided to act mature today or was just trying to cheer me up, Seo Ho-jin threw out a light joke.
I rubbed my brow with my index finger and glanced at the laptop.
The screen was still covered with reactions to the popular actor who had gambled illegally.
Even though I knew meeting him now would reignite the issue, I couldn't bring myself to say no.
On the other hand, a thought occurred to me: since everything was out in the open anyway, wouldn't it be better to use this as an opportunity to meet my brother proudly?
And above all...
I wanted to see for myself what kind of state Seo Ho-jin was in, and if he really was okay.
“I’ll go to the house.”
I wanted to check in person.