novelraw Chapter 1: I Became a Viral User Because of Being a Camera
Chapter 1: I Became a Viral User Because of Being a Camera
"Eileen-xi, do you have anything to explain about the man who pinned a big red flower on you during your hosting the day before yesterday?"
"Eileen-xi, what exactly is your relationship with him?"
"Eileen-xi, are you two dating?"
"Eileen-xi, can you answer our questions?"
The flashes of light in front of her turned the area into daylight, and Bae Joo-hyun instinctively wanted to squint. The microphones held up to her nose were almost poking her face.
Even more jarring than the flashing lights were the sharp questions the reporters kept throwing out.
Her instinct was to take a half step back, to create some distance so she could catch her breath.
But she can't.
This so-called "press conference" was arranged by the company from the very beginning to fuel this wave of hype, and she had no room to back down.
Recently, as the popularity of other fourth-generation girl groups continues to rise, Red Velvet's momentum has indeed fallen behind.
The company needs buzz, it needs exposure, even if it's just rumors—
No, perhaps the scandal is exactly the kind of spark they want.
Bae Joo-hyun took a deep breath, her lips slightly parted: "I..."
Before she could even speak, a reporter suddenly raised his phone and shoved a photo in front of her.
It was a picture that was obviously taken from a distance. The resolution was low, but you could clearly see a person sitting in front of the makeup mirror. It was her. Behind her stood a man whose face was blurred out by a mosaic.
The man's hand was reaching into her hair, seemingly putting something on her head—the big red flower that later went viral.
"Eileen-xi, may I ask who the man in this photo is to you? Is he your boyfriend?"
Are you two dating? How long have you been dating?
"Witnesses claim to have seen you behaving intimately. How do you explain this?"
……
The first reporter's question was like opening a floodgate, and other reporters rushed forward to press their microphones forward. Questions came in rapid succession, and the sounds mingled together, making Bae Joo-hyun feel dizzy.
The woman in front of me is currently the most popular member of SM Entertainment's top group. If she were to have a dating scandal, the level of attention she would generate would be unimaginable.
"No..." Her voice was a little tight, and she subconsciously shook her head.
"So you're already in a flirtatious relationship?" the reporter pressed, staring intently at her. "When did you two meet? Does SM Entertainment know about this?"
"Is the man in the video an SM Entertainment employee?"
"No..." Bae Joo-hyun shook her head again, her voice even softer than before.
She could feel the nervous look from her agent and the fine beads of sweat gathering on her forehead.
"When did you two meet? Under what circumstances did you meet?" Another reporter squeezed forward, his phone screen almost touching Bae Joo-hyun's face.
The video in the picture is the one that has gone viral online: she is sitting in front of a makeup mirror, and the man whose face is blurred walks behind her and gently tucks a big red flower into her hair.
In the video, she laughed very relaxed and even gently patted the man's shoulder. Her expression and actions certainly didn't seem like she was treating an ordinary staff member.
"Is the content in this video true?" the reporter pressed.
The flashbulbs went off again.
Bae Joo-hyun, who had kept her eyes open the whole time, finally closed them briefly. When she opened them again, the panic in her eyes had faded somewhat.
"It's true." Her voice was much calmer. "We've known each other for a long time, but we're not in a romantic relationship."
"What's the reason behind Eileen's intimate behavior with him?"
"Are you sure you're not dating? Doesn't this level of intimacy go beyond that of ordinary friends?"
"Is Erin's statement credible? Can you answer our questions directly?"
"Was SM Entertainment aware of this?"
……
Upon hearing Bae Joo-hyun's answer, the reporter's questions became even more pointed.
Some of these are genuine journalists who are there to break the news, while others are "plants" arranged by SM Entertainment to ensure the process proceeds smoothly.
"The company knows." Bae Joo-hyun slightly raised her head, her gaze fixed on the lens of the front camera. "This is my—"
She paused for a moment.
The draft her company had given her flashed through her mind, with the words "younger brother" written in black and white on it.
She clearly remembers the expression on her agent's face when he repeatedly told her: "Just say he's your younger brother, a distant relative. That way, it won't cause too much controversy, and it'll leave some buzz for you to generate later."
She bit the tip of her tongue, and then...
"It's my... friend."
The agent standing to the side had turned mostly pale.
This old lady...
The company's draft clearly stated "younger brother," how dare she change it to "friend" without permission?
This change threw the whole rhythm into disarray.
While the "younger brother" claim was initially untenable, it at least gave the company something to exploit for future publicity—today they could say he was their younger brother, tomorrow they could clarify that he wasn't their biological brother but just a close friend, and the day after that they could escalate it into a "suspected romantic relationship"...
A single topic can be discussed repeatedly for a whole month.
But now when she says "friend," those two words are too vague.
Oh no, I'm definitely going to get yelled at when I get back.
I wonder if that little devil can cover for him. He glanced subconsciously towards the backstage area.
The reporters' questions then overwhelmed the scene, and the flashbulbs kept going off.
After saying those words, Bae Joo-hyun calmed down completely, as if she had unloaded some burden.
The subsequent interview lasted about twenty minutes, and the reporters left the scene satisfied, carrying their notebooks full of notes.
The flashbulbs went out, the noise subsided, and only Bae Joo-hyun, a few staff members tidying up equipment, and her ashen-faced manager remained in the large room.
"Eileen, why would you say that?" The manager asked, her face contorted with grief, her hands unconsciously clenching the folder. "What happened to the younger brother you promised? How am I supposed to explain this to my superiors..."
Given Bae Joo-hyun's current status, the company won't do anything to her for the time being, but her manager could be replaced at any time.
"Mianhe, Oppa. I felt that it would be easy to get caught if I said something about my younger brother." Bae Joo-hyun looked apologetic. "The backlash might be even more severe then."
Actually, she had a deeper idea, but it was an idea that she herself wasn't even sure about.
"That's exactly what SM wants, backlash." A voice came from backstage, unhurried.
Bae Joo-hyun and her manager turned their heads at the same time.
The curtain backstage was lifted by a hand, and a young man walked out.
He looked to be in his early twenties, tall but not thin, with high and sharp brow bones that made his eyes appear exceptionally deep.
His lips curved slightly upward, a very faint smile, yet it inexplicably made people feel warm.
However, his calmness, which seemed out of place for his age, slightly disrupted the sunny feeling—it was a kind of tranquility that one only comes after seeing and experiencing too much.
"..." The agent hesitated for a moment, but did not refute the person's words.
"Xiao Yuan!" When she saw the young man come out, Bae Joo-hyun's whole body lit up, and even the smile on her face became noticeably wider and more genuine.
"You shouldn't have come out. What if someone saw you..."
"It's okay, it's already been exposed." Li Yuan shrugged.
His name is Li Yuan, and he is the male protagonist of this "big red flower" incident, the man whose face is blurred.
Sometimes, Lee Won felt wronged. He had only added the big red flower that should have been there to Bae Joo-hyun's head, but he never expected it to turn out like this.
He was originally a faceless streamer who worked behind the scenes, specializing in popularizing K-pop girl groups on Bilibili. His voice was familiar to everyone, but his face had never been revealed.
But now, thanks to SM Entertainment, his face will soon be "known to everyone"—even though it's been blurred, people who know him well can still recognize him by his figure and voice.
It's worth noting that this video has started circulating in China, and he's even been harassed by text messages from some of his die-hard fans.
"This time the buzz is pretty good, isn't it?" Li Yuan turned his head and looked at his manager with a half-smile.
The gaze wasn't intense, yet it made the agent unconsciously look away.
At the SBS variety show concert, Bae Joo-hyun's white dress with a big red flower really amazed many people, and that look became a trending topic in many countries and regions.
But no one expected that a video of him putting a red flower on her would be leaked shortly afterward, completely steering the discussion from its original focus on styling to the topic of their "relationship".
Then, while Li Yuan was thinking of ways to remedy the situation, SM seemed to have known in advance and directly provided a solution.
Li Yuan would never believe it if you said it wasn't their doing.
"Yes, the president said he really hopes to see you again."
"You want to see my song, right?" Li Yuan said with a smile.
The agent did not answer the question, but his silence was the best answer.
The story begins a few days ago...