Chapter 229: What a Show

Choi Hosung of ROYB.

He was someone who didn’t exist in the data stored in my memory.

However, when I retraced my memories from around this time, there had been one issue related to Stardust.

A dating rumor involving Jin Sehyun, one of the popular members.

It quickly fizzled out later, buried under the incident of Lee Junhyeok assaulting a fan at a signing event, but at the time, it was quite the uproar.

A question like “Are you dating?” was pointless. We were stuck together 24/7 — there was no way he was secretly dating without me knowing.

For a baseless dating rumor to spread, it meant someone had fabricated the basis for it…

I hadn’t thought about it too deeply at the time, but it now seemed plausible that Choi Hosung had been the cause.

I swallowed dryly and spoke.

“I think I’ll meet him.”

“Why?”

“We should see how he plays it.”

“It’s good to be clear about things, but I have a bad feeling. I think it’d be better to avoid him.”

Jin Sehyun wasn’t wrong. From the beginning, the wise choice would have been not to get involved.

Meeting someone when you don’t know what they’re up to carries risk.

But.

As far as I knew, Jin Sehyun would’ve made that rational decision back then too.

He would’ve avoided Choi Hosung’s contact, leaving no room for misinterpretation.

He was always meticulous like that.

The problem was — the rumor would have broken out anyway.

Rather than sitting still and getting hit, it was better to try something.

I shook my head and said,

“Just in case, I’ll say this now — I don’t suspect you even a little.”

“That’s…”

Choi Hosung had claimed that there was a serious issue involving Jin Sehyun. I made it clear that my intent in meeting him wasn’t out of doubt.

“That’s why I want to meet him.”

“…You’re going to play along?”

“Yes. We need to know how he’s planning to screw us over if we’re going to defend ourselves.”

The foundation of the dating rumor.

I didn’t know how it had been fabricated, but it was convincing enough that fans believed it.

I needed to figure out the process of how that foundation had been created.

Of course, the others, who didn’t know the full story, naturally wanted to stop me.

“Hmm…”

Kang Siwoo swallowed with a worried look.

“You’re going alone?”

“No.”

He looked at me like I was a clueless child wandering near water, but I wasn’t walking into a trap without a plan.

I had one solid ally I could call.

“There’s someone I want to bring along.”

I smiled and gave a little shrug.

[Stardust — is something about to blow up??]

There’ve been rumors lately.

Is it just some baseless gossip spread by a sasaeng?

-??? Where’d you hear that?

ㄴIt was from a secret account, I wouldn’t know either if a mutual hadn’t passed it to me;;

ㄴNever heard of it before

ㄴAh I think I know what this is lol

ㄴ???????

ㄴIsn’t it about that couple profile pic thing?

ㄴCouple profile pic????

-What is this, what’s going on, why are y’all talking like you know something?

ㄴIt’s probably about someone getting caught dating

ㄴ?? All of a sudden? Who?

ㄴJust ignore the trolls, they’ve been spouting this nonsense for days without evidence lol

ㄴAh… so it’s just bait…

-Some folks are clearly just trying to drag them down because they’re doing well lol stop spreading baseless rumors~

ㄴExactly haha just ignore it…

ㄴPlease Dusties, let’s just stay out of it ㅠㅠ

ㄴThey made it onto Billboard and now the haters are mad lol go worry about your own faves ㅋㅋㅋ

ㄴ2222 Please…

[What’s this about a Universe Dust dating rumor?]

Who is it?

Is it true it’s one of the Maknae Line?

-Isn’t it about that couple profile pic thing? Long story short, a sasaeng hacked a private Stargram account and found a couple profile pic, but they haven’t revealed who it is yet

ㄴThey say it’s one of the Maknae Line and there’ll be an exposé next week;;

ㄴWtf why keep dragging out something with no proof

ㄴUntil it actually drops, I’m staying neutral…

ㄴNeutral, my ass lol you’re not even a Dusty, real fans obviously trust the boys, why are you stirring the pot

-If you’re already doubting them when nothing’s even come out yet, just leave the fandom already lol

ㄴAgreed, those aren’t fans ㅋㅋㅋ must be antis

ㄴSome people are clearly trying to take down an innocent member no matter what

-They’re rookies and they already have dating rumors? Isn’t that a bit soon???

ㄴNothing’s even happened, ffs

ㄴLook at how sensitive y’all are lol must be true then

ㄴClassic case of people showing up just to beat on the boys…

ㄴHey, go tell your faves to aim for at least the top 100 on Melon before dreaming of Billboard~

[Where there’s smoke, there’s fire]

That old saying just popped into my head lol

-What the hell is this now

ㄴDusties, ignore it please~~~

ㄴLMAOOOO y’all came running even though the post doesn’t even mention “Stardust” once — feeling guilty much?

ㄴToo funny…

-Don’t project your identity onto idols. While you’re buying hundreds of albums to get into a fansign, he’s already inviting his girlfriend to VIP seats at his concert.

ㄴCut the crap ㄴㄴ

ㄴThis is getting tense…

.

.

.

“He’s laying the groundwork.”

He was already starting to bait the hook.

Rumors were flying around without a shred of evidence, but they disappeared after receiving backlash from the fans.

After all, there was no rational basis — the whole point was to stir things up, so they probably let it leak like that on purpose.

They seemed to be carefully building the mood, planning to drop a bombshell later…

“…Hmm.”

Anyway, I arrived at the hotel.

The lobby of the L-Saint Hotel, first floor. It was where I’d agreed to meet Choi Hosung.

Even though it was the weekend, the crowd was sparse — it seemed like he had deliberately chosen an unpopular hotel.

“When will he get here?”

It was nearly time for the appointment.

Just as I was about to check the clock in the center of the lobby,

Dding—

My phone vibrated briefly.

–Sorry, I’m stuck in traffic…

–I’ll be about 10 minutes late. Please wait in the lobby.

It was Choi Hosung. As soon as I read the message, I frowned.

“What’s your angle?”

At this point, it was only right to assume this was part of the trap. I slowly turned my head and scanned the surroundings.

Just as I thought there was nothing special…

Something caught my eye.

And then—

“Waa, it’s been so long!”

A cheerful voice rang out from directly behind me.

“…?”

A face lit up with the brightest smile, as if she were truly happy to see me.

A woman I’d never seen before came running toward me. From head to toe, she was decked out in flashy luxury brands.

“Huh?”

I frowned and looked her unfamiliar face up and down.

It wasn’t just a feeling — this was definitely our first time meeting.

She was acting like someone who knew me well, but clearly that wasn’t the case.

I wondered if she might be a sasaeng, but…

The timing was way too suspicious.

The corners of her mouth rose into an unnaturally wide smile as she spoke.

“Seohan, have you been well?”

Now I understood.

“……”

I let out a scoffed laugh before I even realized it.

“I haven’t been well. Not when someone’s putting on a show right in front of me like this.”

Ah.

So this is what it was.

Choi Hosung’s face gleamed as he gripped the camera in his hand.

That was the agreed-upon spot, but he’d never intended to enter the hotel in the first place.

The plan was to catch a scoop from a distance.

All preparations for that had been completed.

–I’d like to meet at the L-Saint Hotel lobby on the first floor.

Stardust had a notably tight-knit team, so using Jin Sehyun as bait to lure out another member hadn’t been hard.

Especially when it was a clueless kid.

‘If they’re this close, that just works better for me.’

–Yep. Got it!

As expected.

A bright, naive response had come back without a moment’s hesitation.

He seemed genuinely worried, showing how much he cared for his teammate.

“Tsk.”

That gullible kid probably had no idea what kind of trap he was walking into.

The original target had been Jin Sehyun… but it couldn’t be helped if that shifted a little.

“Whether it’s this guy or that one.”

Either way, it would deal a blow to the team.

Stardust was soaring thanks to their Billboard chart entry. If he could ruin things for Doubles while he was at it, that’d be the best.

That was the advantage of someone with nothing to lose. All he had to do was watch others fall into ruin.

‘Hey, I’ve got a favor to ask.’

‘What?’

‘There’s this company I really want to screw over. Can you help me out?’

‘What the hell… and for free?’

He’d called in a contact who used to follow him around eagerly.

She was a trainee and a female streamer. She had grumbled at first, but agreed once he offered her some cash.

Her face was known, so if a dating rumor broke out, it would definitely have impact.

A sweet, innocent maknae idol dating a female streamer BJ?

You couldn’t ask for a juicier headline.

Do Seohan was innocent, but too bad for him.

“Ah, this is already fun.”

Humming, Choi Hosung sent a message.

–I’ll be about 10 minutes late. Please wait in the lobby.

That would buy him a little time.

“Ah, this spot’s perfect.”

He settled in a place with a perfect view of the lobby. With cold eyes, he observed his surroundings.

It didn’t take long before he saw a man walk in from afar, cap pulled low.

“There he is.”

He pressed his body close to the wall and brought the camera up to the windowsill.

He zoomed in all the way and smirked.

The kid had tried to cover his face just enough, probably worried someone might recognize him, but he was clearly caught on camera. If not others, fans would know for sure.

They were the type who could recognize someone from just a silhouette.

“The angle’s perfect.”

At this rate, he should’ve been a journalist instead of an idol.

He waited in excitement, feeling like a reporter from Dis***ch.

And then, at that very moment—

The contact who’d been waiting nearby ran in.

“Waa, it’s been so long!”

She had a knack for acting — her face was glowing with a smile as she waved.

Wiiiing—

Choi Hosung zoomed in with a grin.

“Damn, he’s totally stunned.”

The clueless guy was clearly trying to make sense of what was happening.

Still, he didn’t seem completely oblivious — his expression quickly hardened.

“Seohan, have you been well?”

Wham—

Right on cue, the contact rushed toward Seohan, trying to throw herself into his arms.

Of course, he’d push her away — but that didn’t matter.

All they needed was one good shot to blow it all up.

One, two, three.

The angle had just been perfect.

“Wow.”

Click.

Just as he pressed the shutter—

Choi Hosung’s body was yanked backward with force. Someone had grabbed him by the collar.

“Hey, kid — this is a crime.”

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