On March 15th, rumours swirled about Han So-hee and Ryu Jun-Yeol dating, sparked by sightings of their Hawaiian date, initially denied by both their agencies. Following this, Hyeri, who recently ended a 7-year relationship with Ryu Jun-Yeol, posted a cryptic “That’s fun” on her SNS, fueling transit love speculation.

Han So-hee promptly denied the transit love rumours, indirectly addressing Hyeri with an “I find it fun, too” comment before confirming her relationship with Ryu Jun-Yeol on her blog the next day.

As suspicions about Han So-hee and Ryu Jun-yeol’s romance grew, netizens noted a significant drop in Han So-hee’s Instagram followers, decreasing from 17.83 million to 17.73 million, signalling substantial damage to her public image due to perceived evasive explanations.

In contrast, Hyeri gained 300,000 followers on her SNS, increasing from 8.228 million to 8.514 million, while Ryu Jun-yeol’s follower count saw only a slight uptick from 3.59 million to 3.593 million.

Despite Han So-hee’s attempt to dispel transit love rumours by referencing Ryu Jun-Yeol and Hyeri’s breakup timeline, public sentiment soured, with netizens condemning her for disclosing private matters. As backlash intensified, Han So-hee deactivated her blog and switched her Instagram account to private.

On the 17th, Ryu Jun-Yeol returned to Korea ahead of Han So-hee, reportedly altering his flight schedule due to the dating scandal. He departed the airport with his face obscured, indicating discomfort amidst the ongoing controversy.