An Idol's Scandal

2017 was the year that marked DXD's peak of success in South Korea and the phenomenal rise of the value of the stocks of their agency, UOI. DXD is a boy band consisting of 7 members including Minho, Yoonsu, Sehwan, Minjun, Hanbin, Seungkwan and Sunoo, and one of them, Park Sunoo, had started to gain massive attention from the media across the entire planet. He was a charming member with the kindest smile and the warmest heart out of all of the seven. Girls swoon for him and guys, some glare at his pictures on the billboards while others, well, also die-hard screaming for him in sold-out concerts among their fellow female friends in the fandom, XD. Meanwhile, the winter of 2017 marked the debut year of Diversi5, a female band consisting of 5 members: Jeongyeon, Karla, Jooyeon, S.H., and Sooyoung. When they debuted, all the girls, even though was positively criticized by the experienced leaders of the K-pop industry, have yet managed to skyrocket into what is known as the 'average level of fame' every idol group should get after their second album. Their struggle had remained as a question for not only their company, JMH entertainment, but also for the public in general. However, a scandal broke out in February of 2019. Sunoo and Sooyoung became the two infamous names in the k-pop industry. There cannot be anybody in Seoul that did not know them, and perhaps no one from their respective fandoms did not gossip about Sooyoung as the spark of their dating scandal at the time.  The scandal began when Dispatch, a popular paparazzi organization, released a capture of Sooyoung wearing Sunoo's signature necklace. Hence, netizens of the two fandoms spit fire at each other and strangely, JMH's stock price shot sky-high but that of UOI fell gradually. Subsequently, both agencies had decided on a crucial meeting with all of the members from two of the bands. It was 1:00 in the afternoon, near the end of spring of 2019, when the leaders of the two agencies sat in the office room of UOI's CEO, Ong Jungwon, opposite to each other on a classic creamy sofa. The members, however, were standing behind their directors, each had their fingers laced in front of their crotches and head tilted downward. Sunoo, being annoyed as he was already since the start of his scandal, stared straight at Sooyoung. "Firstly, I would like to thank you for clearing your schedule to spend time with us." Ong Jungwon smiled at JMH director, Kim Heungmin, sat opposite him. "No, it should be us thanking you for arranging this meeting." Kim Heungmin immediately replied. Ong Jungwon said: "Then without further ado, let's get straight into what we should be talking about. Whatever that happened has already passed. I'd rather we talk about dealing this unceasing scandal about Sunoo and Sooyoung." Sunoo's eyes grew wide open at the mention of this. He wanted a proper explanation behind Sooyoung's doing, that was why he agreed to attend this meeting. It infuriated him. He had to plunge down his impatience further down and stop his legs from striding their way out. Still, Sunoo had his hands curled into fists. His chest rose and sunk.  Kim Minho, also known as the leader FELLO of DXD, extended his arm and held Sunoo's fist but still kept his focus on the leaders. After several seconds, Sunoo's fists finally loosened, his shoulders relaxed. On the other hand, Kim Heungmin wiped his head and finally released a breathe. "Yes, yes, yes. I also think that we should think of a solution to this issue." Kim Heungmin responded as he shoved his handkerchief back in his pocket. Sooyoung only stared into space. The rest of the members did nothing but pursed their lips. "Alright." Ong Jungwon looked at Minho.  Minho nodded and sat on the sofa beside his leader before presented the leaders a list of ideas written as solutions to the scandal. "As you can see, we have tried almost all of these solutions including negotiating with Dispatch. The ones that are crossed out are the ones that we have accomplished." "But I'm afraid that you have crossed out almost all of the solutions." Kim Heungmin gave Minho a questioning look. "Exactly. Even though we accomplished them, they still leave such a small impact on the crowd. And I'm worried that continuing to ignore the scandal can hardly put both parties at an advantage in the long term." Minho clarified before giving his analysis and explanation of several ideas on the list. "That is why we came with a risky solution and we need both Sunoo and Sooyoung to cooperate on it." Ong Jungwon nodded at Minho. Sunoo and Sooyoung tilted their heads up to look at Ong Jungwon at the mention of their names. "It's a compromise that must be made by both sides. We need to create a story about their relationship and announce that netizens' doubt is true. Eventually, I'm going to ask you guys to live together like a couple and show affection." Said Minho. Sunoo widened his eyes. "I strongly disagree!" Sunoo shrieked. "I agree." Sooyoung did not hesitate to approve the idea. Sunoo looked at Sooyoung with disbelief. In a blink of an eye, Sooyoung averted her gaze from him and stared at the floor whilst Sunoo twitched a corner of his eye. "I understand that, that it leaves both of us in an awkward position. However, however, this method might as well be effective." Sooyoung stuttered. She fidgeted her fingers and avoided the intimidation spread from Sunoo's glare. "Effective? Effective my-" "Sunoo, language." Jung Minjun interfered as he push Sunoo's shoulder down, preventing him from rising up any further. Sunoo grumbled and crossed his arms. "Sunoo, whether you like it or not, it's the first time I'm gonna ask you to make this sacrifice. UOI and JMH's reputations are not the only things that depend on you now." Ong Jungwon calmly explained. It seems that in the expression of his face showed that of a wise man. "I think it's not the best idea but still, we need to try all we can." Kim Heungmin commented. The members of Diversi5 also nodded their heads as though each has figured out the reasons why the risk is worth taking. "I'm sure that any of us would have remembered the situation dealt in early spring of this year. Kenny and Jai, members of Pack-blink and Kiss&Hug, have also faced a similar scandal. It is very likely that we might overcome this challenge by following what they did." Minho looked at everyone to see them nodding and finally relax their stiff figures. The room seemed to have brightened up a little. "I agree with this idea. Like Mr. Jeon said, it's not the best but we should still try it." Spoke Jeongyoon, the leader of Diversi5. "It's definitely not the best, but not the worst either." Hanbin tugged a smile after massaging his temples. All of the other members agreed with their group leaders, except for Sunoo, who was reluctant to nod along. "I'm doing this only because of UOI and DXD." Sunoo stated firmly. "Thank you for your cooperation, Sunoo, Sooyoung." Kim Heungmin said. When the meeting ended, the DXD members escorted Kim Heungmin and Diversi5 out of The UOI building. "Sooyoung, I'd like to have a word with you in private." Said Kim Heungmin when they reached JMH building. The rest of the members bowed to their director before entering their practice room, continuing with the remaining tasks of the day. Sooyoung's gaze was trailing after Sunoo until she was interrupted by Kim Heungmin. She thought of following after Sunoo, but in the end, she decided to nod lightly at the middle-aged man before following him. The day after that, Sunoo and Sooyoung moved into a separate rent in the suburban area of Seoul. For a week after they enter the same apartment together, there was only silence between the two. Some of the staffs were concerned, hence, they advised Sunoo to tolerate it further and treat the girl with more kindness. Little did they know, for Sunoo, this was the only way for him to stay polite as much as possible.  Nevertheless, the real obstacle has yet to begin. Several days after, Minho and Yoonsu visited their house. "What?! This is going way too far." Sunoo stood up the instant Minho finished talking. Minho closed his eyes and sighed heavily before opening up again. What is there to say, he already expected this reaction of Sunoo before coming to their place. "We've gone as easy as much as we can on you. Holding hands, feeding each other desserts, and being with each other most of your free time are the most basic things a couple should be doing." Yoonsu snapped at Sunoo and was leaning forward as if he wanted to stand up from the sofa to point out Sunoo's immaturity. "I don't care! I'm not going means I'm not going." Sunoo crossed his legs at where he was sitting before twisting his body around on the sofa, facing his back toward his hyungs. Yoonsu immediately rose up on his feet. He pointed his index finger at Sunoo before screeching: "What are you? A kid? We haven't even asked you to kiss her yet!" Sunoo instantly jumped off the sofa: "Don't you dare!" Up until now, the scandalized couple has yet to show affection to each other. The avoidance that Sooyoung has been receiving has prevented them from discussing anything. As for Sunoo, he has been exhausting himself in practice rooms and intensifying his singing rehearsals until the very next day. On some nights he did not return home and slept in a corner of the practice room. Enraged by his hostility toward Sooyoung, Yoonsu had asked Minho to come over at the couple's place to talk about their behavior. Moreover, even after the announcement made by both companies: confirming that the scandal was true, little progress was made. Some of the most emotional fans have harshly interrogated Sunoo at fan signs, others either did the same to Sooyoung or invaded the BigHit building to ask for clarification. However, the main problem did not lie there. It was the sparks of doubts toward the confirmation of the couple in the media. There have been critics that claim the confirmation was just a trick played by BigHit to get more attention, hence raising their stocks. "Sorry, Sooyoung. Sunoo can be a little harsh sometimes." Minho grinned shyly at Sooyoung. Sooyoung smiles back and only shook her head gently. She has been looking down on the floor and pressing her hands together as if torturing them throughout the entire time Sunoo and she were told to sit on the same sofa facing Sunoo's other members. "No, it's not his fault. It's my fault for making him uncomfortable." Sunoo, who had already sat down on the sofa, had a cold look on his face, and perhaps, Minho was the only one who saw him snorting lightly out of mockery toward Sooyoung's kindness. Yoonsu, who sat down after Sunoo, said: "Let's not get all personal here." "Yoonsu's right, no one wanted this to happen." Minho added. Sunoo snickered: "Are you sure none of us wanted this of happen?" Sooyoung felt bitterness at the tip of her tongue. Sekjin gritted his teeth:"Sunoo!" "He's right, Yoonsu-sunbaenim. Maybe, maybe some of us have wanted this to happen." said the brunette. Yoonsu, for the first time in a while, felt as if he was a bystander. He saw Sooyoung tried to bear all of the bitterness on her own, and as if there was more to what is going on behind the scenes. He felt ambivalent, and similarly, Minho too. They were pulled in different directions and were baffled at where to start untying the knots without tangling them again. The person in front of them and her action did not match. However, Sunoo's signature necklace was hung on her neck. The evidence was clear as broad daylight, what was there to argue for her? "Like I said, let's not get all personal. Right now, we need to make it seem real enough. Minho and I have discussed this, and with the consent of Bang PD-nim and Mr. Joen, we've cleared both of your schedules on Sunday to go on a date." "I don't want to." said Sunoo. Yoonsu cheekily added: "Unless you want to stay in a hotel for the night, you have too." "Fine." Sunoo pursed his lips before he left for his bedroom. He was annoyed by this undignified way of Yoonsu convincing Sunoo himself. What bothered Sunoo the most was that it always work on him and that triumphant smirk on his face. As for Sooyoung, her cheeks flushed bright red at Yoonsu's "stay in a love hotel for the night".