MidReal Story
Scandalous Secrets: A Kpop Idol's Dilemma
Scenario: Ruby is a member of a kpop group she has never gotten in a scandal before but now she's in a dating scandal
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Sooyoung Park
another member of the kpop group and friend to Ruby and Jihoon, petite with short blonde hair, optimistic and peacemaker.
Jihoon Lee
fellow kpop idol and close friend of Ruby, involved in the same scandal, tall with styled brown hair, supportive and charismatic.
Ruby Kim
kpop idol under intense media scrutiny, friends with other group members, slender with long black hair, resilient and cautious.
I was in the middle of a photoshoot when I received a text from Jihoon.
I had to keep my phone in my pocket, so I couldn’t check it right away.
But I knew that it was him because he was the only one who would send me a message at this time.
We were both busy with our schedules, but we always found time to talk to each other.
I couldn’t help but smile as I thought about him.
I’ve known Jihoon for more than five years now, and he’s been a constant presence in my life.
He’s always been there for me, through the good times and the bad.
We’ve been through so much together, and I’m grateful that he’s my friend.
I finally got a break from the photoshoot, and I quickly checked my phone.
As expected, it was Jihoon.
He had sent me a link to an article with the caption “What is this?”
I clicked on the link and read the article.
I quickly replied to his message and said, “I have no idea what this is about.
I haven’t heard anything from the company.”
Jihoon replied a few minutes later, “Same here.
But you know how they are.
They’ll probably call us in for a meeting soon.”
I sighed and put my phone back in my pocket.
Jihoon was right.
Our agency, Star Entertainment, was notorious for being strict with their artists.
They had a “no-dating” policy, which meant that all the members of our kpop group weren’t allowed to date or be in a relationship.
If they found out that we were dating someone, they would most likely kick us out of the group or make us break up with our partners.
And with the amount of media scrutiny that we were under, it was impossible to hide a relationship.
The best course of action was to deny it and provide evidence that we weren’t dating each other.
But how do you provide evidence for something that isn’t true?
I shook my head and tried to focus on the photoshoot.
But my mind kept going back to Jihoon’s message.
What were we going to do?
We were debuting on M Countdown today, so our schedules were packed.
We had to rehearse our performance as well as go through our choreography, lyrics and camera blocking for our debut showcase.
So much stuff was happening on this day alone, but it was all worth it if it meant that we could finally show everyone what we’ve been working on for years.
Our group has been training for years, and it has been our dream to debut on stage.
M Countdown is Korea’s No.1 music show which airs live every Thursday on Mnet.
It’s one of the biggest platforms for aspiring singers who are trying to make it big in the K-pop industry.
It’s like everyone’s dream to debut on M Countdown especially if you’re a rookie and today is that day for us.
If you were a K-pop fan, then you knew that M Countdown was a very important music show.
The cameras would be panning back and forth the stage, and there were so many fans in the audience screaming and cheering for their favorite idols.
And if you made it big on this show, then you were guaranteed to become a star.
As I went through the choreography and vocals for our performance, I couldn't help but feel nervous and excited at the same time.
My heart was racing, and I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins.
I’ve always dreamt of becoming a K-pop idol, and I couldn’t believe that it was finally happening.
Our group was going to debut on stage, and I couldn’t wait for everyone to see what we had been working on for years.
I quickly went through all the moves and lyrics, making sure that I had everything down perfectly.
I was jolted out of my focus by the buzzing of my phone, signaling a message from Jihoon Lee.
Jihoon was not just a close friend but also a fellow member of the kpop group, and his message carried a sense of urgency.
He had sent me a link to an article with the caption “What is this?”
I quickly opened the link and read the article, my heart sinking as I processed the content.
It was about us, about how we were allegedly dating each other.
The article mentioned how we were spotted together late at night, after we finished our schedules for the day, hinting that we might have spent the night together in one of our apartments.
It also talked about how we’ve been friends for years and that it wouldn’t be surprising if we started dating each other.
My eyes widened in disbelief as I read the article, and I clenched my phone tightly in my hand, feeling my frustration rising up inside me.
I typed out a quick reply, “I have no idea what this is about.I haven’t heard anything from Star Entertainment.”
Jihoon replied almost immediately, “Me neither.
But you know how they are.
They’ll probably call us in for a meeting soon.”
I sighed and shook my head, knowing that he was right.
Our agency would certainly want to talk to us about the rumors, and they would most likely ask us for evidence that we weren’t dating each other.
Which was going to be very difficult since we’ve known each other for more than five years now and we’ve never been caught dating anyone.
I replied, “Let’s just say that it’s a rumor and ignore it.
We’re already busy with our schedules as it is, and I don’t want this rumor to distract us from focusing on our debut performance.
We can talk about this later when we have more time.”
I pressed send and put my phone away, trying to push all thoughts of the rumor out of my head.
We only had a few hours left before we went live on stage, so I needed to concentrate on making sure that I had everything down pat.
But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake off the sinking feeling in my chest as I knew that this was only the beginning of a very long night ahead of us.
The hours flew by quickly, and before we knew it, we were backstage at M Countdown, waiting for our turn to go on stage.
The lights were flashing, and the cameras were whirring, capturing all the action behind the scenes.
We could hear our seniors in the background getting ready for their performances, their voices echoing throughout the hallways as they talked and laughed with each other.
I took a deep breath and tried to calm my nerves, but it was no use.
There was too much going on in my head right now, and I couldn’t concentrate on anything else.
“Ruby,” Jihoon called out as he walked up to me, his eyes filled with concern.
“Are you okay?”
I forced a smile on my face and nodded.
“I’m okay,” I replied.
Jihoon and I walked side by side down the hallway, our shoulders brushing against each other as we made our way to the stage.
But just as I was about to enter my waiting room, my phone buzzed in my pocket, causing me to stop in my tracks.
I took out my phone and saw that Jihoon had just sent me another message, along with a screenshot of an email that he had just sent to Star Entertainment.
The subject of his message read, “Just sent an email to Star Entertainment.” I quickly opened up his message, and it read:
“Hi, this is Jihoon Lee from Starlight. I just wanted to confirm that the dating rumors between Ruby Kim and I are not true. We have been friends for over five years now, and we have never dated or have any romantic feelings for each other. Thank you.”
It was a simple email, but it was exactly what we both agreed on to say in case we were ever in this situation.
And I was glad that he didn’t throw me under the bus and tell them that we were dating, which would only make things worse for both of us.
I sent him a thumbs up emoji, to which he replied, “What should we do now?”
I typed out my response before hitting send.
Jihoon shook his head in disbelief as he stared at his phone screen, the words “dating rumors” flashing in bright red in the headline.
He couldn’t believe what he was reading.
“Who could have leaked this?
This is pathetic,” he muttered to himself as he ran a hand through his styled brown hair.
He took a deep breath before typing out a message to Ruby.
“It’s just a rumor,” she replied.
“Yeah, you’re right.
But still, it’s annoying,” Jihoon said as he exhaled loudly.
He had been through this before, but it was still frustrating to see such baseless stories about him in the news.
“It is,” Ruby replied.
“But let’s not worry about it until after the performance, okay?”
Jihoon smiled as he read her message.
“Okay,” he replied.
“Let’s focus on our debut performance first.”
The two of them were standing outside a small club, shivering in the cold as they waited for their turn to go on stage.
They had just debuted as kpop idols and were still relatively unknown, but they knew that if they worked hard enough, they would eventually make it big.
“Can you believe how far we’ve come?”
Jihoon asked as he stared at the bright lights of the city in front of them.
Ruby let out a small laugh as she nodded.
She took out her phone from her pocket and opened up an old photo of the two of them goofing around backstage.
The image was grainy and out of focus, but she loved it because it reminded her of how much fun they had when they were still underground idols.
“It feels like yesterday,” Ruby said as she showed Jihoon the photo.
“I know, right?”
Jihoon replied.
“Those were good times.”
Just then, Jihoon’s phone rang, causing him to jump in surprise.
He took out his phone from his pocket and saw that it was from their agency, Star Entertainment.
He hesitated for a moment before finally answering the call.
“Hello?”
