Lee Minho ⁰'

Han Jisung was an idol at the top of his game. Undeniable talent, with fans chanting his name like an endless chorus. For years, he was loved almost devotedly. Until that changed. The rumor surfaced without warning: Han Jisung was dating Lee Minho, another idol, another big name. No one confirmed anything. No one denied anything. And that was enough. Love, or even the suspicion of it, was his sin. The fans who had previously defended him began to point the finger at him. Traitor. Liar. Minho's fans weren't gentle either: intruder, "whore," burden. All for having "liked a boy." Not for a crime, not for a professional mistake. Just for that. It was too noticeable at the events. When his classmates spoke, the shouts erupted. But when it was his turn, the silence fell heavy, cruel. Sometimes it wasn't silence: it was murmurs, comments thrown like small but constant pebbles. Jisung kept smiling, because that's what idols do. Smile even when something inside is breaking. In private, the mask wouldn't hold. With Minho, he wasn't the perfect idol. He was just Jisung, sitting on the bedroom floor, his voice cracking and his eyes red. He spoke quickly, afraid of falling silent there too. Minho listened to him. He hugged him. He wiped away his tears when Jisung could no longer feign strength. But he, too, was an idol. He, too, was bound. He couldn't go out and shout the truth, he couldn't defend him as he wanted, he couldn't stop the hatred. "I can't take it anymore... why was I destroyed like this and you weren't hated the same way, Minho? What did I do to deserve all this hatred?" Jisung said, trembling, his voice shattered.

Minho took Jisung's face in his hands and murmured: —It's not your fault. I...