After the first broadcast, countless clips flooded every community.
[JUSTDOL Season 4 | Star girl group SAVEN visits junior contestants in Jeodol Season 4, Episode 1 Clip | SAVEN Clips]
Starting with the official channel videos.
[SAVEN I Do-hui's Male Friend #SHORTS #IDohui]
[JUSTDOL 4 Trainee Who Is Childhood Friends with I Do-hui]
[Absurd Dating Rumors About SAVEN's I Do-hui and ZY Entertainment Trainee Baek Hwi]
Clips edited into bite-sized pieces by YouTubers.
[Idols' Secret Dating (idols date): Are They All Secretly Meeting in Reality?]
[SAVEN's I Do-hui, JUSTDOL 4 Contestant ZY Ent. Baek Hwi, Fact-Checking the Dating Rumors]
And even a few malicious clickbaiters.
Of course, the majority of the public tended to simply brush it off, thinking they were just friends.
Do-hui was still only sixteen, a middle school student—too young for dating rumors to stick.
However, there were also those who were all too delighted by this situation.
Namely, the toxic fandoms of rival girl groups and malicious commenters jealous of Do-hui.
They did not pursue outright criticism.
\-Wow... They really look good together. Seriously, a gorgeous couple.
\-Whoever they date, celebrities are people too. Their privacy should be respected...
\-Whether it's true or not, they could be dating. Well, I hope they're happy while they're together\~
\-No, they're just friends. If they were dating, do you think they'd mention it on broadcast? Use some... common sense.
└Please just understand and stop catching feelings for a fake relationship, lol...
Their method was to first lay the groundwork for the rumors by reacting as if they affirmed the dating speculation.
As these comments piled up and piled up, even a broken chimney began to let out wisps of smoke.
Namely, the affirmative opinions of the general public.
\-I don't know about Do-hui, but wouldn't that guy like someone with that body and that face? And they're childhood friends on top of that?
\-But if they stick together like that, it's enough to make feelings grow even where there were none...
\-Why am I the only one without a childhood friend like I Do-hui? Seriously, fucking jealous.
\-Childhood friends turning into pure love? I'll accept that.
Once they judged the embers had caught to some degree, they slowly added kindling to grow the fire.
\-No, isn't it weirder to think a girl like that wouldn't have a boyfriend? She's at an age where she'd be interested in the opposite sex. She could be dating, so what's the problem?
\-But I always got the feeling Do-hui went around flirting with guys, lolol.
\-The problem isn't dating; it's deceiving the fans. Anyone can date, but if you deceive them, isn't it natural for fans to lose affection?
\-Kids always act the way they look, lol. Pretending to keep her distance from guys when it's obvious what's going on behind the scenes, lololol.
And so, the flames grew larger and larger in a chimney that had no reason to smoke.
[I Don't Know Why It's Blowing Up Now, But Everyone Knew They Were Dating (Proof Included)]
And finally, a post that fanned the flames perfectly was uploaded to an entertainment community.
\*\*\*
"The first week of July, number one on Mpulse is... SAVEN! Congratulations!"
Thursday's music show and the fansign. With the day's schedule finished.
It was the dead of night when everyone was asleep.
I was out on the balcony, clearing my head in the dawn air.
"Do-hui, what's really going on between you and that contestant?"
How many times had I been asked the same question at the fansign today alone?
The fans seemed to want a clear statement from me.
"We're nothing, so what statement is there to make..."
Of course, I could do it.
I could just shout that Mwave had edited things maliciously.
The reason I didn't was simple.
Malicious editing would damage the image of the survival program that had emphasized fairness.
It would also damage SAVEN's image.
"Besides, our agency would be put in a difficult position with Mwave."
I did wonder what it mattered since it wasn't even my company.
"Sigh. I'll have to ask for stock options later."
And there was another way.
I could say that Baek Hwi and I were friends, and I was only sending him support.
But this wasn't a good option either.
There was a high chance I'd take all the blame and get cursed out for being the previous season's top-ranking contestant who singled out and supported one contestant on a survival program in a way that went against fairness.
"Haah... There's really no answer. Why do I have to suffer because of him?"
Of course, I knew.
That he was only sixteen, still lacking in thought, and hadn't acted with malice.
But I couldn't help being annoyed anyway.
I sighed for a long while, but I knew complaining was meaningless.
So I started thinking again.
"I should check public opinion first."
I took out my phone and went into a major entertainment community frequented by hardcore users.
And I could see a best post ranked real-time number one, swarming with comments.
[I Don't Know Why It's Blowing Up Now, But Everyone at School Knew They Were Dating (Photo Included)] — [381]
"Don't tell me this is about me."
\==========
First of all, everyone probably already knows that I Do-hui and Baek Hwi are childhood friends.
But not many people probably know they went to the same middle school.
(Photo of Do-hui in school uniform smiling at Baek Hwi)
They stuck together every break to the point anyone could see they were dating.
Especially since Do-hui was always first in the entire grade and Baek Hwi was second.
The school atmosphere was one of accepting that the top kids were dating each other.
If you're wondering why I'm suddenly revealing this...
Originally, everyone kept quiet because they were afraid of facing repercussions.
But now, Do-hui is so loathsome that I can't stand it anymore.
Actually, Do-hui was famous for being extremely class-conscious in how she treated people.
\.\.\.
\==========
The lengthy post that followed elaborated in detail on my usual behavior.
It even contained detailed descriptions of my expressions and examples of how I had ignored the writer.
Had I not been the person involved, I would have been convinced.
\==========
\.\.\.
Of course, with that face, being first in the grade, a piano grand prize winner, and even an idol trainee, I suppose it's understandable that she'd be like that at a young age.
But doing all that and then acting easygoing and cheerful now for image management—
Really, I Do-hui, you really shouldn't do that.
How many kids have suffered because of you.
Best - I had a feeling she was that type. Not like she beat up classmates or anything, but the type to look down on and ignore kids at school.
Best - I went to the same school as I Do-hui. I was a year older, and since she'd been a trainee since she was young, she couldn't openly hit anyone. But looking down on people is true. A junior I know was a really quiet kid, and Do-hui subtly ignored her, which made things really hard for her. They said it was even worse in elementary school.
Best - The photo of I Do-hui and Baek Hwi—anyone can tell they're dating. I had a feeling this would happen.
Y/N - Anyone can tell it's a rumor, lol. Get a life, you loser bitches.
\==========
A hollow laugh escaped with a sigh.
Funny enough, it was because of a post like this that I thought I wouldn't need to issue a statement after all.
\*\*\*
Late dawn.
The entertainment community, where only shitposts popped up sporadically.
At a time when only the community's heavy users remained, battling in the comments with opposing takes.
A provocative headline instantly captured the users' attention.
[I Found Proof the Do-hui Controversy Is Fabricated]
(Edited photo) (Original photo)
Compare the two.
And I've saved the original post as a PDF.
The post contained a photo of Do-hui and Hwi laughing and chatting.
Attached was another photo with the same composition: Do-hui facing a mosaic-covered girl, laughing and chatting.
And the heavy users who checked the post poured out fierce reactions.
\-If you just flip it horizontally, it's definitely the same composition, right?
\-What, is it real?
\-OP, where did you get this?
└It was a photo posted on Do-hui's friend's Instagram.
└Huh, how did you get that?
└I sent follow requests to all the classmates who mentioned stories about Do-hui's school days.
└Lolol, that's absurd.
\-Omg, can someone compare them directly and confirm?
\-But if you just flip it horizontally, it's definitely the same composition, right?
Soon, a post containing comparison shots was uploaded to the board.
[I Zoomed In and Did a Comparative Analysis]
(Photo) (Photo)
They match exactly. It's an edit.
\-It really was edited, lolol.
\-How severe must their victim complex be to go as far as editing photos to fabricate this stuff;\;
\-So the entire post was fabricated?
└Of course, lol. It's a bitch who'd even edit photos.
└Her inferiority complex is insane.
\-Do-hui's fans must be having a hard time... Sigh, when will the forum witches' killing of female idols end?
└Do-hui fans, don't get hurt. On this board, being targeted = still doing well in real life. So many hate posts are going up these days, but Do-hui is definitely still doing well in reality. Fighting\~\~
\-Wait, unrelated, but Do-hui's proportions are seriously insane, lololol.
\-Ah, the board analyst has arrived, lol.
Along with the rapidly increasing comments, it wasn't long before—this time—a post collecting stories written by classmates when Do-hui made her TV debut a year ago was uploaded.
[SAVEN's I Do-hui As Told by Her School Classmates]
(Photo) (Photo) (Photo) (Photo)
During breaks, far from dating, she sat at her desk studying and solving practice exams.
She always helped and looked after the other kids and never cursed.
She went straight to the company to practice after school.
It's the complete opposite of the controversy post, lol.
\-I knew something was off from the moment they said she was with Baek Hwi every break, lol.
\-It was obvious it was fake. Inferiority complex exploding as always.
\-Believe what you want to believe, but would a kid who'd been a trainee since she was eleven even do that?
\-Ugh... They're seriously mentally ill.
\-A pretty young kid is doing well, so their stomach must hurt like hell. Forcing a controversy out of nothing, sigh.
Since a popular celebrity's dating rumor was stimulating material, screenshots of this post quickly began spreading to other communities.
[Do-hui Dating Rumor Conclusion (feat. Board Aunties)]
[The Truth Behind the I Do-hui School Violence Rumor That Went Viral]
[That Board's Current Situation (SAVEN I Do-hui)]
The community where the controversy had erupted had not exactly had a clean track record.
Along with reactions that the community was up to its old tricks again, the controversy surrounding Do-hui was definitively denied, facing a backlash.
But some people still insisted, "Even if the photos are edited, the dating rumors could still be true," being obstinate.
Fans found it difficult to refute this claim.
Because there was no physical evidence of the dating rumors to begin with.
And amid this situation, episode 3 of SAVEN's reality variety show aired.
[Do-hui: Wow, I'm going crazy... Why is he so handsome...?]