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HOPE BOYS' RAPPER DENIED DATING RUMOR.

Rapper Jun from the famous boy band, Hope Boys denied the dating rumor addressed to him recently. According to his agency HOPVIBE, the rapper and music producer is currently not dating anyone.

"The rumor is false. Jun is currently busy with his schedule," said the agency's representative.

Speculations that circulated the internet started after he made a love confession to a woman through a live stream. The woman, only known as Ki, is rumored to be his long-time girlfriend.

"She's just a best friend. She also has a good relationship with other members as well. She's among the earliest Hope Bunnies that gave them moral support ever since the group was established 5 years ago. There's no romantic relationship between them," the representative continued.

The rumor caused a mixed reaction among fans. Hope Boys' fanbase, Hope Bunnies seems to support the relationship. However, some express a worrisome fact about the age gap between the two, as the woman is 10 years older than Jun.

-She's too old! Feels like she groomed him instead!

-The fact that she has known Jun since he was a trainee seems scary!

The media failed to reach the rapper as he is currently busy with the preparation for the group's comeback. As for the woman, her identity is still unknown.

I held a deep sigh. Put away my tab.

I know this will happen!

This is why I warned Jun. Repetitively. Not once, not twice. Gazillion times I think!

Thinking about his confession, my heart feels burdened. To be honest, as someone older, I did notice his feelings. I tried my best to brush it off for the sake of his future.

But today, the worst day has finally come!

"Unnie... Call for you," Hera passes me the phone. I take the call with a heavy heart.

"Hello?"

"Hello, we're from Entertainment News. Is this Miss Ki?"

"Sorry, you got the wrong number," I cut the call immediately. The phone rings again.

"Hello?"

"Hello, this is BuzzMusic. Is Miss Ki there?"

"This is a cafe. You got the wrong number," I cut the call again. This is getting stuffy!

The phone rings again.

"Sweet!" I wave at her. Sweet lightly runs to me.

"Pick up the call,"

"But-"

"Do it," Sweet slowly takes the phone from me. She answers the call.

"Hello? Hm? Miss Karin?" I frown and shake my head. Sweet passes me the phone.

"It's Tanya-ssi..."

I took the phone from Sweet.

"Hello?"

"Miss Karin, this is Tanya from HOPVIBE. Listen to me carefully. Close the cafe now!"

"Why?"

"I got a tip from someone. The press, they had your location and they might flocking the area soon..." I stand up immediately from my seat.

"What else should I do?"

'Disappear for a moment until we simmer down the news. And yeah, we need to talk," I open the cafe's door and look around. Everything is fine, at least for now.

"Do whatever you can. Let's meet later at my cafe," I cut the call, flip the sign CLOSE, and shut the curtains, one by one.

"Unnie?"

"We're closing down for today. Close the register. Go home, both of you," I say. Sweet looks confused. She goes into the kitchen and comes back with Hera.

"Unnie, what happened?"

"Listen. Send Sweet home now. You should go home as well. Use the back door. I'm closing the cafe," I can see from the corner of my eyes. They look confused as well.

"But-"

"No, but. The press got this cafe's location. That means they will arrive soon. I don't want you to get caught along with me," I tap Hera's shoulder. Sweet quickly runs to pick up their belongings.

"Unnie, what about you?"

"I need to wait here. Tanya-ssi will be here soon."

Hera and Sweet look at each other. Hera grabs Sweet's hand softly and nods.

"Call us if you need anything," says Hera.

"But unnie.."

"Come. Unnie can take care of it," says Hera.

"What if she can't? Who's gonna protect her?" both of us were shocked by Sweet's reaction. She had never been so firm like this before. That's why her name is Sweet. I glance at Hera, giving her a deep meaningful signal.

"Sweet, don't you trust unnie or not?" Hera asks.

"I do. But I don't trust others. They might hurt unnie," Sweet still acting stubborn.

"I know we shouldn't trust them fully. But, you do know that no one in this world can harm unnie. You always said she's a superwoman. And..." Hera pats Sweet's head softly. "Good people will always be loved by all. She'll get all the protection that she needs," Hera persuades her, word by word, bits by bits.

I give them a faint smile. I appreciate how much they care about me. We, in BTC, are not just the workers and employers. Sweet and Hera are more than just workers for me. They are my family.

"Fine. But promise me, unnie. You must call us as soon as the problem is solved," Sweet gives me a warm hug. I cling to her for a few seconds before I let Hera take her away from me. They leave the cafe immediately.

As for me, all I can do is wait.

:::

"Thanks for the warning. Looks like I can avoid the press in the meantime," I invite Tanya and one more person to sit. We are in my office, just a small room upstairs.

"Sorry for the mess. I haven't used it often. Usually, I'm busy making coffee," I feel ashamed a bit.

"It's fine. Besides, we can't take this conversation at the agency. People might disturb you even more," says Tanya. She's the head manager for HOPE BOYS. There are a few more managers who work under her to manage the boy band. But, for public relations, Tanya is fully in charge of that.

"Answer me, Karin-ssi. Did you two date?"

"Ah... Hm... I..."

"You can just tell us about it. It's fine..."

"I don't know, Tanya-ssi! To be honest, that's the first time I heard that from Jun Seo," I reply to her softly.

"I think he had the guts to do that because they will renew the contract soon. The agency decided to lift the dating ban rule," Tanya calmly sipping the coffee.

"He never told me about that,"

"Maybe he is too excited to propose. I knew this was coming. Ever since I saw you in the lobby of the agency 5 years ago, I knew you were a special person for him," Tanya smiles.

I sigh as I shake my head a bit.

"Being in love is not a sin, Tanya-ssi. But, for him to fall in love, it's not easy. I don't want him to walk on a rough spot. As an idol, he has a huge fan base, as well as a good number of haters. I don't want him to get canceled or bullied because of that," I explain things to Tanya.

"I know. Furthermore, this is not the right time. They have a comeback soon," Tanya replies. "I don't want this dating news to overshadow his career journey. HOPE BOYS, they are talented. I just want people to focus on that fact rather than just a lame dating scandal," she continues.

I do agree with that. That's the point that I've been holding throughout these years.

"I know. I understand the whole point,"

"I know you can. You had been their supporter through thin and thick. Since they were just trainees from a small agency like HOPVIBE. I can see how much love you gave to them, especially Jun..." she once again smiles. This time, she gives me a grateful smile.

"That's why I ask you. If you are indeed dating Jun Seo, we, as the agency that manages him will support this relationship. 100% will do. However..." she looks at her assistant. "It's gonna get tough for both of you. You two can't go public. It needs to be in secret."

"I told you, he was indeed confessing but I haven't given my answer yet. I don't know if I can do it or not. I mean..." I showed Tanya those harsh comments on the news outlet's website.

"This is why we need to protect you in the meantime. You only read some comments on the website. You haven't read the comments in the fan cafe yet. They are even worse..." It's her turn now. She showed me the fan cafe chat.

I push the tablet away. I couldn't take it anymore. This pressure is rising and killing me now!

"Some even threaten to make a police report. Just because you're ten years older than Jun Seo... I can't even understand people nowadays!" Tanya sighs heavily.

"I'm sorry that I caused the trouble..."

"No. Never say that. It's a judgmental society. We can't deny the fact that people tend to hate people even more easily than cherish them," Tanya taps my hand.

"I'm sorry, Karin. But, for your safety, you need to hide for a while. We'll release the official statement soon and clear up things. Until then, you need to remain low-key. It's the best if you stay in other places rather than your home. It's not safe anywhere for you now," says Tanya.

I slump on my chair. I think I had enough of this drama mama thang. One after another came back to back. Now, I can't even fight for my liberty!

"I don't know where else should I go!" I sigh.

"I think I can help,"

A man standing in front of the door. I turn facing him and see Hera and Sweet were there too, standing behind them. There's another person next to him.

Judging by his appearance, he is from somewhere that I'm familiar with.

A homie.

"Hera? Sweet? What did you guys do here?"

"We met Khittan oppa on our way back. He was indeed on the way here. We told him the cafe was closed and he asked why..." Sweet fidgeting a bit.

"Sorry unnie, we had to tell oppa the truth..."

Oh my God, now it's dragging to the other side! Jeez...

"Who are they?" asks Tanya.

"These girls are my staff; Hera and Sweet. And them... Well..."

"I'm Prince Kit Than. And this is Prince Yug, my cousin. We are from the small kingdom of Fransco. And Lady Kiran over here, she is..."

I cough a bit. Giving Khittan a deathly glare. He smirks a bit before fixing his stance and continues.

"Lady Karin is the daughter of General Sun, the General of Fransco's military body. She's a royalty as well. Her mother is The King's 3rd cousin," I wanna drop and die now! I thought he got my signal! But, right now he just openly exposes me!

"Unnie! You never told us about this!" Sweet chimes in shock. Everyone is indeed in shock, except for me, Khittan, and his cousin.

"Did Jun Seo know about this?" asks Tanya. I softly nod. He knew because I told him about my life before and about the nightmare that I had.

"You can just call me your subject. No need for deep explanation!" I gush over Khittan.

"So, since you admit that... As your Crown Prince, I'll take full responsibility for your safety. I can help Lady Kiran to hide until the news gets a bit colder," he confidently vouches his words to Tanya.

"But how?" she asks. Khittan looks back at me, slowly drawing a smile on his face.

"Now, I think it's the best time to go home, Lady Kiran..."

And, my day just gets even worse!