[Seo Hoyun Syndrome…
Is this for real…]
If you trace back to the origins of “Seo Hoyun Syndrome”, some might point to the variety show Wanna Sing With Me? while others would say it arose because “he was just that kind of person.”
A week before the “Seo Hoyun Syndrome” took off, just after Wanna Sing With Me? ended, people started questioning his actions.
Comments like “Is he seriously trying to challenge the fans?”, “Why isn’t he following the script?”, and “Does he think that behavior will work with the other groups from the survival show?” were popping up everywhere.
Each fandom had to endure a bit of a headache.
Of course, most of the fans tried their best to ignore it.
[If he had followed the script, you would’ve criticized him for being clueless and crying, sigh]
[Guys, just say it’s great that he’s popular~]
And among them, especially within the Noeuls, the topic quickly shifted.[I was amazed watching this program
Isn’t Hoyun honestly really kind?
Is it possible to promote his personality?
└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋJust take the fan meeting videos with Noeul, and it’s possible…]
[I want to marry Seo Hoyun
And then divorce him
And then marry him again]
[Haah ㅠ I love how Hoyun likes sweet things, thinking about it makes him even cuter
You turn girls into lunatics…]
They ignored the trolls and tried not to feed them.
[Look at them, just saying whatever they want regardless of what’s going on outside
└FR, the real idol…]
Although it was only a short special variety show, Kang Yeonhu and Seo Hoyun gained significant public recognition; however, that was the extent of its impact.
The program’s premise made it unsuitable for continuation as a regular series, and neither Seo Hoyun nor Kang Yeonhu showed interest in appearing together on other shows.
As a result, the heated controversy gradually died down.
Instead, other topics started rolling in among of the fans.
[Hey, are they really getting ad offers?]
[Wow, is this for real???]
[Did our kids become world-class???]
From various broadcasts to ads, love calls were pouring in for Kang Yeonhu and Seo Hoyun.
[Public broadcasts are indeed strong. This time both of their images were solidifiedㅋㅋ]
[Yeonhu getting caught up is so cute ㅠㅠ He seems so mature, but he’s now breaking out of his imageㅋㅋㅋ
└What about Seo Hoyun?
└└That guy’s a bastard…
And my personal angel (^//^)
└└Yes… be happy]
[Hoyun is indeed an angel (feat. Japanese fans)]
After the announcement that the V app service would soon end, the Noeuls, who were diligently backing up videos, edited and uploaded funny moments from past V-Lives onto YouTube.
[Title: Reviewing old stuff is freaking hilarious, Seo Hoyun was just consistent
– Dajun: “They say Hoyun-hyung’s nickname in Japan is ‘real angel.’ Did I learn Japanese wrong??”[1]
– Hoyun: “Can’t you see the wings on hyung’s back?”
– Ichae: “Flap flap~”
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
These shameless guys…
└But when Seonghyeon asked if he could be grouped together as an angel alongside Seong Jiwon, Hoyun remained silentㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ[2]
└└Yeah… Hoyun, even you should have that much conscience…]
At the same time, compilations of Seo Hoyun’s sweet moments with members of The Dawn were created in large numbers.
Coincidentally, Kim Seonghyeon, who was doing a V-Live, sighed deeply at the fans’ request and opened YouTube to search for “Seo Hoyun.”
“Ha…”
Then, videos with titles like “Compilation of Sweet Moments of Seo Hoyun,” “Is Seo Hoyun a Lover or What?”, “Baby Bunny Hoyun is Here,” “The Dawn Members Messed Up,” “My Favorite Seo Hoyun Moments,” and “Thinking About Marrying Seo Hoyun in 3 Minutes and 25 Seconds” popped up in abundance.
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋSeonghyeon is flusteredㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Ah, so cuteㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Kim Seonghyeon glanced at the fans’ comments once more before finally clicking on one of the videos.
At first, he watched in silence.
But when March 14th—his birthday—appeared on screen, he let out a sigh and rubbed his fingers against his forehead.
The video was shot during the early days of Shining Star Season 2.
Seo Hoyun, who was wandering around the waiting room, approached Kim Seonghyeon and poured something out from his pocket.
Kim Seonghyeon, surprised but careful not to drop anything, accepted it.
– “What’s this?”
– “A gift.”
– “Ah… wow. Thank you.”
Seeing the small, round objects wrapped in colorful, pretty paper, he naturally thought they were candies.
He was used to receiving such gifts since his birthday was on White Day.
Kim Seonghyeon smiled brightly and unwrapped one on the spot, putting it in his mouth.
And immediately spat it out.
– “It’s bitter! And chewy! What is this… Hey, what is this?”
– “Gongjindan.”
– “…Not a candy?”
Who in the world would give gongjindan as a birthday gift to a young man in his twenties?[3]
Seo Hoyun, however, seemed perfectly content as he tapped away on his phone, lounging on the sofa next to him.
But when he heard Kim Seonghyeon’s question, he lifted an eyebrow and glanced over with narrowed eyes.
– “On White Day? Me, to you?”
– “No, wait. Sorry.”
– “Are you saying that you want candy right now?”
– “Please! Ah! My ears!”
Feeling creeped out, Kim Seonghyeon shuddered, covered his ears, and jumped up, fleeing to the corner of the waiting room.
Seo Hoyun chuckled.
Jeong Dajun, who had been watching a drama rerun on his phone, muttered quietly,
– “Gongjindan on White Day, that’s so lame…”
And it was all caught on video.
“Ha… No matter how many times I see it, it still pisses me off.”
Contrary to Kim Seonghyeon’s reaction, the comments section was abuzz about how sweet and considerate Seo Hoyun was.
Some even joked that the gongjindan he gave must have tasted like honey.
Kim Seonghyeon’s eyelashes trembled as he watched the video.
“Seriously… why?”
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Seonghyeon ㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[Seonghyeon has really been through a lot lately… Pat pat…ㅜ
└He’s probably booming in this person’s heart
└└Booming~b]
For three months, Seo Hoyun hadn’t let up, constantly teasing him with remarks like “Aren’t you looking for my love?” or “Aren’t you hungry for my love?”
It was enough to make Kim Seonghyeon clench his teeth in frustration.
Kim Seonghyeon suddenly shot up from his seat, stormed outside, and came back with Jeong Dajun, who had a sausage in each hand.
Without a word, he played a video of Seo Hoyun’s sweet moments.
“…I can’t watch this anymore.”
“Lost your appetite?”
“Yes…”
[The best diet video of the century
Highly recommended
└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Ah fuck ㅠㅠ You idol fans are comedians ㅠㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Just as Jeong Dajun was about to give up after barely taking two bites of his sausage, Kang Ichae and Seong Jiwon peeked in with cup noodles and kimbap.
Although Jeong Dajun tried to dissuade them, they boldly announced they would watch it, saying if they lost their appetite, it would count as body management.
“What are you doing?”
At that moment, Seo Hoyun appeared, holding a caramel frappuccino piled high with cream.
Just looking at it could make one’s sugar levels rise.
“Oh, hyung. Do you want to join?”
Seo Hoyun sipped through the straw, swallowed, and eased into the chair, settling down.
– “Thank you so much for coming. See you next time, for sure.”
“But why are we even doing this?”
“No matter how many times I watch it, it gives me chills.”
“Why are we subjecting ourselves to this torture?”
[The dancer line’s commentary is fucking hilarious]
[This tone full of disbelief]
Kim Seonghyeon and Jeong Dajun couldn’t bring themselves to eat anything, while Kang Ichae and Seong Jiwon ate nonchalantly.
Kang Ichae even chuckled while slurping the soup in between.
However…
“…”
“…”
The moment Seo Hoyun greeted a fan in a legendary Japanese fancam, one still revered by Noeuls, the smile disappeared from Kang Ichae’s face.
Seo Hoyun desperately ignored him.
While two were struggling—one feeling uncomfortable, the other breaking into a cold sweat—only Seong Jiwon remained calm.
“Haha, Hoyun is really kind.”
“Watch the next part before you say that, hyung.”
– “The One Who Turns Back Time!!!”[4]
“…”
However, even that didn’t last long.
When a scene from one of their self-produced contents during the Apocalypse trilogy appeared, Seong Jiwon dropped the kimbap he was holding with his chopsticks.
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋJiwonㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Hey, Jiwon froze]
[Even Jiwon has parts that piss him offㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Sitting next to him, Seo Hoyun, with honey-glazed eyes, personally fed the kimbap into Seong Jiwon’s mouth.
“You need to eat, Jiwon-ah.”
“…”
[Ah
My blood pressure is rising
Hey, even my blood pressure is rising, you bastard]
[Jiwon-ah…ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
In the end, that day’s V-Live ended with no one in a good mood.
Afterward, the video spread under the name “Seo Hoyun Diet,” and as people laughed and enjoyed it, “Seo Hoyun Syndrome” subtly began to take hold.
[Why are there so many people on the street dressed like Seo Hoyun these days, like the Conan criminal look?][5]
At first, it was just that there was a noticeable increase in black or monochrome outfits on social media.
Then, Seo Hoyun’s hairstyle seemed to be trending as well.
However, since neither the clothes nor the hairstyle was particularly special, no one suspected anything at that time.
[Hoo Hoo ~ㅋㅋ]
[I want to keep it just between usㅋ]
[I like sweet thingsㅋㅋ]
Slowly, reactions that would make Seo Hoyun shudder if he knew began to emerge.
[Title: Hey, I think my younger brother caught the Seo Hoyun Syndrome
He’s suddenly wearing the Conan criminal look, brushes his hair every 0.5 seconds, and crunches on candy
The kicker? He goes around saying to his girl friends, “I’m feeling butterflies!” Acting very ridiculous.
Crazy bastard, my fists are shaking]
Whenever the camera started rolling, Seo Hoyun dialed his personality down to 0.1% “bastard” mode, and somehow, people seemed to like that subtle, edgy taste, igniting the widespread phenomenon known as the “Seo Hoyun Syndrome”.
[Seo Hoyun Syndrome
Banning guilty catchphrases
Banning smirking
Banning eating only sweets, this is only possible because it’s Seo Hoyun, seriously, ban it, fuck]
However, this wasn’t something that only applied to Seo Hoyun.
[Kang Ichae Syndrome
Pretending to be flashy, pretending to be sly, carrying a notebook, pretending to scribble something
Fuck, stop it, I’m dying]
Kang Ichae’s disaster also hit South Korea.
And its influence even reached the shoot for a cosmetics ad.
“Please make it a bit more Seo Hoyun-like!!”
“I am! Seo Hoyun! Flashing a smirking smile!”
“…”
After enduring instructions for nearly three hours, without even getting the chance to properly enjoy the beach scenery, things crossed the line from annoying to outright incomprehensible.
What more could they possibly want from him?
He was “Seo Hoyun,” after all—how could he be more like himself?
Even when the shoot finally wrapped up, the photographer didn’t look pleased.
He clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction before turning to the next person in line, Kang Ichae, with the same demands.
“Ichae, a bit more Ichae-like! Make me want to catch the ‘Ichae Syndrome!’”
“Ichae-like~!”
Kang Ichae was the true master.
He responded so slyly that you could almost see a real heart at the end of his words.
When the photographer pushed further, asking for a lively yet dazzlingly brilliant rap, he delivered without hesitation, his performance radiating the message, “Still thinking it’s just a coincidence, your naivety stays the same.”
The excited staff adjusted the lights here and there, and the photographer, caught up in the moment, rolled across the floor snapping the shutter nonstop.
Is Kang Ichae crazy?
Seo Hoyun, with a tired face, observed the scene as Jeong Dajun, having wrapped up his solo shots and already enjoyed splashing in the sea, brushed the sand off his body and asked,
“Hyung, why don’t you call me Bang Bang these days?”
He no longer wanted to use the nickname, since people would immediately call Jeong Dajun “Bang Bang” the moment they saw him.
“You’ve also been wearing your masks these days.”
That was because whenever he encountered someone, they kept asking him to smirk, so he wanted to prevent it in advance.
And was that all?
People around him started using the “Do you~,” “~isn’t it,” and “Is that so?” speech pattern, and Seo Hoyun was slowly getting annoyed.
“I don’t start conversations.”[6]
“…”
So, these days, he unified all his sentence endings to the formal speech style.
“Jiwon-hyung… I’m really worried about Hoyun-hyung.”
“He seems to be quite in shocked… Let’s leave him be.”
As if too tired to talk anymore, Seo Hoyun waved his hand dismissively, and Kim Seonghyeon, who had finished his individual shot, approached.
He was drying his wet hair with a towel in one hand.
His muscles appeared and disappeared repeatedly beneath the tight white rash guard clinging to his body.
He plopped down in the empty seat next to Seo Hoyun.
“The manager just told us, we’re getting a sudden schedule next week.”
“What schedule?”
“Are you still using formal speech? Well, anyway, FNL. Friday Night Live.”
“…!”
It was much bigger than expected.
Moreover, it was a variety show that Seo Hoyun had been eyeing, so he even dropped the formal speech pattern and showed a hint of excitement.
“Really? When?”[7]
Seeing him unexpectedly excited, Kim Seonghyeon, finding it surprising, propped his chin with his hand.
“They said they need to check the schedule again to know exactly when. But, they said they’re going for a ‘Seo Hoyun Syndrome’ concept?”
“…”
For a moment, Seo Hoyun seriously considered just diving into the sea and searching for the Dragon Palace.[8]
[1] Episode 139 is when Hoyun got the nickname.
[2] Episode 140 is when Jiwon received that nickname.
[3]Gongjindan is a traditional Korean herbal medicine ball, typically small and round, often wrapped in thin gold or silver foil
[4] Author’s footnote: Reference to SBS variety show Running Man (2010.07.11.~) Christmas special superpower episode (Episode 74).
[5]Detective Conan
[6] Seo Hoyun often ends his sentences with 하냐 (“Do you~”), ~아니냐 (“~isn’t it?”), and ~그렇냐 (“~is that so?”), especially when teasing others. These endings are casual, direct, and playful, but they can sometimes come across as blunt or even slightly mocking. In this instance, however, Seo Hoyun does something unusual when addressing his fellow members—he switches to the 다나까 style. This formal and polite speech pattern is typically used in professional settings or where your hierarchy compared to others matter such as workplaces and the military.
[7] Here, Seo Hoyun switched to an informal tone when he said, “진짜? 언제?” If he had stayed salty and stuck with formal speech, it would have been, “진짜입니까? 언제입니까?”
[8] The Dragon Palace is where the Dragon King—guardian of the seas and ruler of underwater realms—resides.
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