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Here’s a rundown of the drama between Hyeri, Han So-hee, and Ryu Jun-yeol

The weekend was, well, kinda K-messy, wasn’t it?

Basically, the entire K-drama/K-pop community was greeted with the news of Ryu Jun-yeol and Han So-hee dating after the two were seen together in Hawaii last Friday, March 15, 2024. At first, the reactions to the dating news were of disbelief, as the two of them together were never imagined in the first place.

ICYDK: Ryu Jun-yeol is an actor known for his role as Kim Jung-hwan in the drama “Reply 1988” (2015), and Han So-hee is an actress known for her roles in the dramas “The World of the Married” (2020), “Nevertheless” (2021), and “Gyeongseong Creature” (2023). Most recently, she appeared in Jungkook’s music video for his song, “Seven feat. Latto.”

Now, going back. Han So-hee’s agency also initially denied the actors’ romantic involvement in a statement, commenting, “They are not daying, [Han So-hee] went on a vacation to Hawaii with close friends.”

Following those news articles saying that Ryu Jun-yeol and Han So-hee were in a relationship, Lee Hye-ri, a distinguished actress and singer in her own name and was in a relationship with Ryu Jun-yeol for 8 years, posted an Instagram story that drew in all the attention from her fans.

In her IG story that she posted on Friday, it said, “This is funny.”

A quick context in case people were lost: Hyeri and Ryu Jun-yeol were in a relationship for about 8 years, having developed a relationship while filming the drama, “Reply 1988.” The two had broken up in November 2023.

On the same day, Han So-hee took to her Instagram to initially deny the rumors of her being in a relationship with Ryu Jun-yeol. She said, “Explain this situation…I don’t like people who have a asignificant other, I don’t lead them on while saying we’re just friends, I don’t take an interest in them, I don’t develop a relationship with them, and I don’t get in the way of other people’s relationships. I like the program ‘EXchange,’ but there’s nothing like that in my life.”

Han So-hee was referring to a Korean dating show titled “EXchange,” or “transfer love,” which means people move on to a new relationship before ending their current one.

In the same Instagram story, she seemingly clapped back at Hyeri by saying, “It’s funny to me too.”

Then on March 16, 2024, Han So-hee posted a long statement on her personal blog, setting the record straight about the rumors, and retracting her initial comment by saying that she was, in fact, dating Ryu Jun-yeol. She made it clear that her relationship with Ryu Jun-yeol did not coincide with his past relationship/break-up with Hyeri.

In her statement, she also mentioned (albeit indirectly) that she would apologize to Hyeri for her previous IG story, and that she had “lost all reason and behaved impolitely.”

On the same day, Ryu Jun-yeol’s agency C-JeS Studios made a statement about his and Han So-hee’s relationship. In the statement, C-JeS Studios confirmed the relationship, while also making it clear that they will not release any other comments about their actor’s personal life. C-JeS Studios also said that they will be taking strong legal actions towards those who will continue making malicious and slanderous posts about Ryu Jun-yeol.

Despite this, many people still pointed out inconsistencies with Han So-hee’s statement and the timing of Hyeri and Ryu Jun-yeol’s relationship. Some had even gone as far as to comment on her blog post about it.

Han So-hee took the time to reply to some of these comments, with one of them harshly criticizing her for “inventing” claims about the break-up of the former couple.

People were still suspicious about the entire kerfuffle, which led to Han So-hee taking down her blog and putting her Instagram on private.

On March 18, 2024, Hyeri took to her personal Instagram to apologize and to reveal details about their [her and Ryu Jun-yeol] past relationship.

Here is a full translation of Hyeri’s statement (as per Soompi):

“Hello. This is Hyeri.
First, I sincerely apologize for the speculations and controversies that arose over the past few days due to my personal emotions.
I think I failed to consider the ripple effects that each of my minor actions could have. I sincerely apologize to anyone who was harmed because of me.

Last November, the news was released that my eight-year relationship came to an end. It was not a decision made in a short period of time, and even after the breakup news came out, we had a conversation about talking more [about our situation].
However, we have not had any contact or met since that conversation.
And four months later, I think my emotions after coming across a new article were perceived not as actress Lee Hyeri but as just Lee Hyeri.
I apologize once again for causing harm with my impulsive emotions.

Over the past few days, I didn’t explain the reason for my actions because I thought that our conversations were overly personal, and it would only increase fatigue [to the public].
If this caused confusion for anyone, I am also sorry for that.

Moving forward, I will be more careful with my words and actions.
Thank you.

(I will delete this post soon. Thank you.)”

On the same day, Han So-hee’s agency 9ato Entertainment announced that they will be taking serious legal actions towards those that continue to spread malicious comments about her.

Following Hyeri’s statement, many fans expressed their concerns for both Hyeri and Han So-hee. Some also mentioned how people shouldn’t have pit the two against each other, and that Hyeri had only reacted as she should have.

Others pointed out how Ryu Jun-yeol was silent the entire time this was happening and did not speak up once to defend his ex or his current girlfriend.

We hope that Hyeri and Han So-hee are okay after this whole thing. We feel you, girlies.

 

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