Chapter 21: The Clasping of Hands

“Oh my, I heard that Lee Jeong-ssi is a romantic, but seeing you now, Yehyeon-ssi is no pushover either?”

The interview proceeded in a peaceful atmosphere. Yehyeon and Lee Jeong both acted incredibly friendly, and reporter Sooyeon was cheerful too, but there was one person in the room with a distinctly sour face.

“At that level, they should be acting professionally, not just living as ordinary people… They have talent. Real talent,” Jaeryun stood a little away from the three, muttering quietly to Juseok.

Just a moment ago, when they were together backstage, Yehyeon wasn’t that lively. But the moment he spotted the reporter, he changed as if he had become a different person. It was astonishing.

“Ahaha. Is that so? But compared to how well Lee Jeong treats me, I don’t really do anything special.”

“You don’t have to do anything,” Juseok spoke softly, watching Jaeryun stare at the two people acting like passionate lovers with dead eyes. “I agree. I was really surprised, too.”

“Kang Lee Jeong has his image at stake, but why is Yehyeon-ssi trying so hard?”

“That’s… Well, maybe he has personal reasons?” Juseok recalled Yehyeon crying in the alley near his house a few days ago, but then closed his mouth.

“Yehyeon-ssi, well. In the article, you’ll come out as Kang Lee Jeong’s partner, initial Y, so don’t worry too much about being called by your name now. Please answer,” Sooyeon said in a calm voice, starting the interview in earnest. “First, starting with an article from a certain media outlet, your relationship was revealed, and your personal information, as someone with no connection to the entertainment industry, was leaked online. How did you feel when the first article came out?”

“Well… The video that was first released wasn’t very good quality, but it was clear enough for people who knew me to recognize me. Before I even saw the article, acquaintances contacted me right away.” Yehyeon recalled that day, which had been like a bolt from the blue. “Since we were just starting out, being suddenly exposed made it even more confusing. On the first day, I got so many messages that I couldn’t even look at my phone.”

His phone had rung like crazy, and he had even seriously considered changing his number.

“Contacts kept coming from acquaintances, and I worried about what to do about my relationship with Lee Jeong. I think I was really anxious.”

“The next day after the article came out, you visited Lee Jeong-ssi’s agency. It became a hot topic when you unconsciously called him by a pet name in front of reporters.” Sooyeon spoke with a look that said she wanted to hear their love story.

Yehyeon recalled the script he had memorized and spoke. “Actually, as mentioned in many articles, we haven’t been dating that long. Since we were just friends who became lovers, we kept acting like we were still friends. So we decided to call each other ‘honey’ so we wouldn’t forget that we’re dating. I was surprised too when that became news.”

In truth, he had been nervous, and he did it because he was afraid the awkwardness would show if he didn’t do something like that.

“Our honey is a bit shy. That day, he was so nervous that he probably couldn’t even think about how people would take it,” Lee Jeong looked at Yehyeon with gentle eyes and smiled.

Yehyeon met his eyes and smiled back. “That’s right. But actually, I’m not the type to be full of aegyo or anything. My acquaintances were surprised when they saw the article and contacted me. Normally, I’m rather quiet and a bit bland.”

“Oh my, just from talking with you briefly, I don’t get that impression at all.”

That’s because I’m using all my energy to act like I’m in love and not bothered.

“Ahaha. I guess being with Lee Jeong puts me at ease.”

“Even after the article came out, you had to go about your daily life as usual. Did you notice any change in people’s attitudes around you?”

“My coworkers congratulated me a lot. On the first day, they were all in disbelief, and I was busy telling everyone, but we’re all working people. After a few days, it calmed down.” Yehyeon smiled, deliberately erasing from his mind the jerks in his office and in the same building.

“Then I’ll ask Lee Jeong-ssi. This is your first dating rumor in eight years since debut. The fact alone that you’re dating would cause a stir, but with the video of you two being released, the internet went crazy.” Sooyeon turned her head and began asking Lee Jeong questions. “This dating rumor must have been a huge event for you, too. How did you feel when the article came out?”

Yehyeon glanced at Lee Jeong, also curious. Of course, it was probably less of a shock than for him, who had become the most famous ordinary citizen in the country overnight. But it wasn’t exactly welcome for Lee Jeong either.

“I was a bit surprised, too. But rather than worrying about myself, I was more worried about my fans and my hyung,” Lee Jeong spoke, his eyes suddenly growing moist. “I chose a profession that is exposed to people, and I always knew that my private life could be revealed. But for my hyung and my fans, it must have been completely unexpected, so I think I felt worried before I could even think.”

Yehyeon inwardly marveled at Lee Jeong’s model answer.

“I see. But as a result, your dating rumor attracted an unusual amount of public interest, even being called exceptional.”

It was true. Usually, a dating rumor for a star with many fans leads to mass defections and all sorts of negative revelations, but Lee Jeong’s romance was nothing like that.

“I think the reaction is due to the drama-like timeline of your relationship and Lee Jeong-ssi’s good image. What do you think yourself?”

There were several reasons why their relationship wasn’t heavily criticized. The biggest was that articles reported they had just started dating. When a dating rumor breaks, people usually drag out photos and videos from weeks or months ago, accusing them of deceiving fans or making their relationship obvious. But their relationship was too short. How obvious could a couple who had been officially dating for less than a week be?

Of course, since they weren’t actually dating, it wouldn’t matter how long they had been together, but the important thing was that they didn’t even leave room for suspicion. Also, the fact that Yehyeon was a non-celebrity, and the video looked like a scene from a romantic drama, helped.

[ I wish I had a boyfriend like Kang Lee Jeong. ] [ WTF Kang Lee Jeong’s charisma is for real. ] [ I want to be that wall. ]

“I think it’s because my fans love me a lot, and the public also sees me favorably,” Lee Jeong said with a bright smile.

The photographer who came with the reporter kept snapping pictures of his dazzling face.

“And our honey is a good person,” Lee Jeong looked at Yehyeon and said.

“Actually, when it was revealed that Yehyeon-ssi is an ordinary citizen, there was a movement among fans to self-regulate the leaking of personal information. But before Rainz Company put out the article about him being a non-celebrity, there were many conjectures about Yehyeon-ssi. Were you aware?”

Yehyeon blinked in surprise at hearing this for the first time. Noticing that Yehyeon didn’t know, Sooyeon said, “Oh my, you didn’t know. After seeing your video, there were many rumors going around that you were a former idol trainee, an unknown actor, or at least some celebrity or aspiring celebrity.”

“Me?” Yehyeon pointed at himself in astonishment. A celebrity? Why would such nonsense circulate? “Why on earth…”

“Probably because of your looks, don’t you think?”

“Huh?” Yehyeon made a confused face at Sooyeon’s words. Because of my face? What about my face makes me look like a celebrity?

“Hyung is cute, though,” Lee Jeong chimed in with a chuckle.

But Yehyeon couldn’t agree. A celebrity face is something you say about someone like Lee Jeong, not me. That’s ridiculous.

“I didn’t know. There must be a celebrity who looks like me,” Yehyeon shook his head firmly.

“Then let’s move on to the next question. You said you haven’t been dating long, so the sudden article must have been very shocking.”

“I was pretty surprised. I had been waiting for Hyung for a long time. After he finally opened his heart, I wanted only good things for him, so it felt uncomfortable to have him receive so much sudden attention.” Lee Jeong placed his hand over Yehyeon’s.

Yehyeon patted his hand with his other hand, as if to say it was okay.

“At first, I was quite shocked. Just starting out and getting this much attention felt burdensome. But having Lee Jeong by my side made it okay.”

Lee Jeong and Yehyeon looked at each other and clasped hands. To strangers, they looked like a lovely couple, but to those who knew the truth, it was just amusing.

“Quite the married scammers,” Jaeryun muttered quietly, watching them.

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