Free Web Novel* * *
[Perhaps Spring Breezes Have Finally Reached Our Princess Too (Please Read)]
Author: MelonMaru
Just heard the news. Quite. Surprised..^^ So she finally found someone. I have a feeling this project. Might truly bloom in romance. I met my current wife. Around that age too. (Though of course... there were years of heartfelt courtship. lol) I think Time Seven. Is going to be a huge hit. Please continue soaring higher and higher. And that song you sang on the second day. At the fan meeting. Please sing it on the first day from now on too. A request. And another request....
Reporter Wi had entered Han Yeoreum’s fan café <Summer Day> under the excuse of monitoring. It was even hotter now than after the recent fan meeting, when the fandom had already reached unprecedented intensity.
‘The reaction is better than I expected.’
Even Reporter Wi felt somewhat empty inside, but he had to fulfill his professional duty.
After monitoring entertainment news portals, various communities, and SNS reactions—
“Don’t they look good together?”
Negative reactions were approaching zero.
“Usually when a scandal breaks, the male side’s fandom gets weird. But this time it’s too quiet.”
“Han Yohan’s fandom has always been strange.”
Han Yohan had gathered fans through flawless action performances, and during his hiatuses he literally did nothing. Occasionally, there would be sightings of him in mountains or temples.
If he had no project, there was simply no content.
He had left behind only his legendary roles—the so-called ‘career-defining characters’—and disappeared. During every hiatus, fans had nothing to do but suck their fingers. New fans eventually left.
As a result, the fans who remained were not people who would be shaken by something like a dating rumor.
Revelation @Revelation
Go ahead and date if you're gonna date, but please make a Yousta account already so we can see couple posts.
41 Re-trits 67 Likes
↳ What kind of nonsense is this...ㅠ
↳ How much longer do we have to survive on official photos? Let us have boyfriend pictures just once.
↳ Be grateful he doesn’t upload selfies. You want to see those again?
↳ Ah please, anything but that.
His tiny fandom was truly cool.
“Han Yeoreum’s core fanbase is much stronger.”
“Han Yeoreum’s fans are going crazy.”
“They have every right. Though they’re not angry. If the guy had been Noh Seungchan, they probably would’ve sent trucks.”
“But in terms of popularity and momentum... even I think Han Yeoreum is too good for him.”
“Still, Han Yohan’s fine. He’s a decent person, and visually they make a pretty picture.”
The Daily Media reporters were fond of Han Yeoreum, who had made December burn hotter than ever.
Even before Kim Jisang’s school violence controversy had died down, Jo Eunnara’s arrival and then Han Yeoreum and Han Yohan’s dating rumor had turned 〈Code Name: Time Seven〉 into a cheat code for views.
“Huh? The official statement is out.”
At someone’s words, Wi Jaehwi refreshed the page faster than ever before.
And then sighed.
[Unexpected Dating Rumor Around <Code Name: Time Seven>? “Just Good Senior and Junior Colleagues” Han Yeoreum Dismisses Incident...]
‘Yeoreum...!’
Because this—
“Then it’s 100 percent real.”
—was the most classic excuse in history.
“They’ll admit they developed feelings after filming ends.”
“Looks like Dispatch asked questions. If they poke around, they’ll definitely find something.”
“Holy shit. It was real.”
The Daily Media reporters became noisy.
At this point, it was obvious.
‘Other reporters are going to rush in immediately...!’
[Han Yeoreum Says “We’re Like Brother and Sister” — Entertainment Industry’s Official Phrase Appears... When Is D-Day For Confirming The Relationship?]
[Han Yeoreum and Han Yohan Declare “Senior-Junior Relationship” — Advertisers Relieved, Netizens Disappointed... How Will The Rumor Affect The Drama?]
[“Dating Rumor Right After School Violence?” Netizens Cheer Han Yeoreum’s Straightforward Actions]
The clickbait headlines were dizzying.
Their determination to make people click was palpable.
* * *
SweetWatermelon had been forcibly put on a diet over the past few days. The waist of the Nam Pyeonghwa tracksuit she had ordered through B-bly same-day delivery had become loose.
‘No....’
Compared to when Han Yeoreum had been taking all the hits immediately after the school violence controversy, this was much better.
But SweetWatermelon still couldn’t bear it.
‘It’s all lies!’
She barely remembered how she had taken her exams.
Because Han Yeoreum kept appearing in her mind.
‘What if they announce marriage at this rate... no....’
At this moment, SweetWatermelon had only one goal.
“Huh? Park Sumin, what’s with you?”
“Han Taeyang! I need to talk to you!”
Park Sumin waited until Han Taeyang turned in his paper and dragged him into a nearby café.
“What?”
But the words refused to come out.
SweetWatermelon desperately tried not to reveal she was Han Yeoreum’s fan.
“So... ha....”
Then she blurted out:
“What do you think about dating??!!!!!”
The surroundings stirred.
“What?”
“Looks like she’s confessing....”
But SweetWatermelon stared at Han Taeyang without wavering.
She had to determine immediately whether he looked flustered or not.
“I don’t really care.”
“You, you can’t not care!”
Han Taeyang casually chewed on the remaining ice.
SweetWatermelon suppressed the urge to yell, “Your sister’s involved in a dating rumor and all hell has broken loose, and you don’t care? You pathetic thing, do you even deserve to be her brother?”
“If she dates, she dates.”
You should deny it....
SweetWatermelon swallowed her words and thought quickly.
Leading questions were the answer.
“R-right. Younger people shouldn’t date before older people, right? It’s rude and arrogant, right?”
Depending on Han Taeyang’s answer, she would know if it was true or false.
But Han Taeyang disappointed her again.
“What... are you from the Joseon era?”
Having finished all the ice, Han Taeyang stood up without hesitation.
“Where are you going?”
“I’ve got work. Go home.”
Left alone, SweetWatermelon bit her lips coated with Nam Pyeonghwa lip gloss.
“So is it real or not....”
People nearby whispered.
“Looks like she got rejected....”
* * *
At the new JC ENM headquarters, Team Leader Ma of the marketing team was half buried in his neck pillow again, chuckling.
“Ahh-. This is fun.”
As soon as they denied the rumor half-heartedly, packs of wolves came running from every direction.
A smile bloomed across Team Leader Ma’s face as he monitored one sensational headline after another.
“Isn’t it adorable how they do exactly what we want? Right?”
“Sometimes you really seem like a villain, Team Leader.”
“Free publicity... ahhh... so sweet....”
The thrill Ma Suyeon felt came from more than Han Yeoreum devouring Jo Eunnara’s buzz.
“The scale of public attention, how long it lasts, and the continuity of interest....”
The public definitely knew something unconsciously.
Just by seeing Han Yeoreum’s face in an SNS thumbnail.
Just by seeing Han Yeoreum’s name in a headline.
There was certainty that it would be entertaining.
“She’s definitely going to become the top. Ahhh! My little cutie!”
Not everyone possessed that talent.
The so-called star quality.
The ability to attract attention and maintain interest without doing anything.
A star created by the world itself.
Foundation.
Team Leader Ma hummed while savoring that word that naturally came to mind whenever he thought of Han Yeoreum.
“We’ll play with them just a little longer.”
JC released another statement that practically screamed, “You bastards know everything already, stop this.”
[KBC Responds To Han Yeoreum–Han Yohan Dating Rumor: “We Must Be Careful, As It Could Spoil The Story...”]
A new item was added to the entertainment industry’s list of classic answers.
After the worn-out excuses of “close seniors and juniors” and “difficult to confirm because it concerns private matters,” this time came the shield of “possible spoilers.”
In short, the agency’s statement regarding the rumors surrounding the stars of 〈Code Name: Time Seven〉, Han Yeoreum and Han Yohan, was:
“It could spoil the story, so we cannot explain in detail.”
How clever.
And irritating.
Of course, from the broadcaster’s perspective, the fate of a twenty-billion-won blockbuster was at stake.
But using actors’ private lives as bait for drama promotion and [N O V E L I G H T] then refusing to answer under the pretense of protecting the work felt almost deceptive.
“Send this link to Team Leader Hong.”
Looking at the sharp article, Team Leader Ma giggled.
The conditions for being a star.
Drive both fans and haters insane.
* * *
“Nara, it’s probably not true.”
“Not true, my ass. Tell them to stop talking bullshit.”
On the way from the airport to the hotel, Jo Eunnara’s manager recited the official statements.
“They really can’t talk because it’d spoil the story, but they said they’re just close seniors and juniors! Look at the articles!”
“You believe that? You believe it? It’s obviously a pathetic excuse. Who the hell would fall for that... ha, forget it. Ah... I told them I didn’t want to do this....”
Jo Eunnara’s heart had frozen as cold as the subzero weather.
“Fuck, I’ll never trust anyone in this industry. They’re all crazy bastards. Sons of bitches. I know exactly how these people are.”
As if confirming her words, the atmosphere at the hotel was cheerful.
“Nara, you’re here!”
“Wow! Our relief pitcher!”
“We’ve been waiting for you!”
Jo Eunnara smiled while looking at the welcoming 〈Code Name: Time Seven〉 staff.
‘Fuck... I knew it.’
The public opinion was a mess, she had just arrived, and yet everyone was so positive.
There was only one answer.
‘They all planned it before I got here. I know how this goes. Try fooling someone else.’
The dating rumor between Han Yeoreum and Han Yohan had to be real.
And since she was a complete outsider, they were obviously deceiving her.
If keeping secrets from leaking out meant making one fool out of Jo Eunnara, that was easy.
Punching bag.
Bullet shield.
After surviving for years in this world where every problem became Jo Eunnara’s fault, she knew immediately.
‘Otherwise why is nobody telling me the rumor is fake?’
Being excluded was familiar.
But pretending to welcome her while isolating her hurt even more.
“Hello, sunbaenim!”
“Welcome.... You’ve had a hard trip, so please rest well tonight....”
Han Yeoreum and Han Yohan had come down to greet Jo Eunnara.
And they had come down in the same elevator.
‘Like hell they’re just good seniors and juniors.’
They had obviously been in the same room.
Jo Eunnara had intended to pretend she believed everything.
But she couldn’t endure the exhaustion from the airport and the irritation of going through the same thing again.
“Oh? Looks like you two came down together to wait for me. Riding the elevator together and all?”
She smiled.
Han Yeoreum smiled brightly back.
“We had some script revisions, sunbaenim. The writer was going over them with us before you arrived. I’ll give you the new script later. You still have the old version, right? The new one is really amazing.”
Jo Eunnara sneered inwardly at the picture-perfect lie.
‘Look at this shameless face?’
Then again.
Someone who had climbed that high at such a young age couldn’t possibly have an ordinary personality.
She was definitely materialistic.
Completely calculating.
Jo Eunnara sharpened her instincts.
From now on, she swore that she would never, truly never again trust anyone.
