One step to you

scandal

Oh, before we proceed, I want to tell you something because of the serialization!

Currently, there are a lot of things that have suddenly come up, so I am dealing with them(?), so the update speed of the work is a bit slow.

I'll upload at least twice a week and when it stabilizes, it'll go back to how it was before, so let's go together until the end, everyone ㅠ

Thank you for watching today too

이서연

“Ow… It’s noisy… What is it?”

Seoyeon buried her face in the pillow and fumbled for her phone.

I clearly set the alarm for 1:00— but it didn't feel like that much time had passed.

But the vibrations continued unceasingly,

I finally got up, rubbing my eyes at the ringing sound of the bell.

이서연

“…Um…What time is it…”

I checked my phone, which I'd left on the bedside table. It was around 11:00 AM.

이서연

“...Did I set the alarm like this...?”

As I was muttering to myself, I suddenly realized that the ringtone wasn't an 'alarm' but a 'phone call'—

My eyes widened.

Dozens of missed calls were on the screen. And messages were piling up like a torrent.

- Seoyeon, where are you? Why aren't you answering your phone?

Hey! The article just came out! Let's talk about what's going on.

- Seo Eun-ho's side is going to state their position now. What are they going to do?

이서연

"…what's this…"

Seoyeon opened her eyes wide and opened her messenger and news app with trembling hands.

And within it, a shocking title caught her eye.

[Exclusive] 'Syndrome' Seo Eun-ho and drama co-star Lee Seo-yeon are rumored to be dating. — Spotted being affectionate in private, even outside of filming.

이서연

"…what...?!"

Seoyeon clicked on the article as if she couldn't believe it.

And the moment I saw the photo in that article— I was breathless.

That very scene where I was sitting on the bench at night.

Jeonghan was wearing a hoodie, and Seoyeon was leaning on his shoulder.

The streetlights were dim, and his face was half-obscured, but in that moment, it was clearly him.

But— The man in the photo's name was listed as 'Seo Eun-ho.'

이서연

“...That’s ridiculous…”

My grip on my phone tightened. It goes without saying that Jeonghan was a completely unrelated person.

Why with that person of all people...?

When my thoughts reached that point, a chill ran down my spine.

이서연

‘…Someone secretly filmed us last night. And they… linked us to that person.’

Discomfort and fear washed over me at the same time.

Seoyeon bit her lips hard, brought her fingernails to her lips, and began to bite them as if it were a small habit.

And then I called the manager right away.

이서연

"...What's going on here...? I'm not that kind of person.

이서연

“We’ve never met in person… and we’ve never been in contact…”

매니저

[Hey, why aren't you answering the phone?]

매니저

[First, calm down—Eunho's side is saying they're going to give their position now, right? But what's your position?]

매니저

[I understand that you said it wasn't him, but... who are you? Are you really dating someone?]

Seoyeon hesitated for a while, her lips trembling.

이서연

“…Uh… Oh, no. No. ...We’re just friends. We’re not related…”

I couldn't tell the truth.

Because the moment he mentioned the name Jeonghan, it was clear that all the waves would crash down on him.

매니저

[..Okay, I got it. Let's sort it out for now.]

매니저

[I'll contact your agency as well. I'll wait.]

As soon as the call ended, Seoyeon took a deep breath and turned the internet back on.

Dozens of articles. And comments from social media communities, etc.

Now, reality was slowly sinking in.

???

"Thank you for your effort!"

The Seventeen members were returning home one by one after finishing their schedules.

As soon as he left the set and got into his car, Seungcheol looked at his phone.

He seemed to be checking something on the internet for a while, then suddenly turned towards Jeonghan.

에스쿱스(승철)

"Hey, what is this?"

Jeonghan turned his head.

정한

"huh?"

에스쿱스(승철)

“Weren’t you meeting Seoyeon?”

정한

"Yeah, why?"

As Jeonghan stared blankly, Seungcheol thrust his phone into his hand.

[Seo Eun-ho and Lee Seo-yeon dating rumors]

Jeonghan's eyes widened for a moment, and he quickly scrolled through the articles on the screen.

That picture. A familiar bench. A familiar self.

정한

"...Is this me..?"

The end of the words was lost in the air.

Jeonghan swallowed once and zoomed in on the photo again. The face, deeply tucked into his hat,

Seoyeon leaning against him.

No matter how I looked at it, it was Jeonghan himself.

정한

“…Why is it like this…”

Seungcheol also looked closely at the article.

에스쿱스(승철)

“Hey, is that really you?”

정한

"Yeah, it's me. But... why am I like this?"

Jeonghan quietly took out his phone and started calling Seoyeon.

His fingers trembled. His expression hardened, and worry began to creep into his eyes.

정한

'..Seoyeon must have been really surprised... I'm so worried.'

As the signal rang for a long time, Jeonghan quietly pursed his lips.

It felt like I was being thrown into some external wave.