Work Text:
[enter-talk] ARE HAOBIN REAL?
Does anyone else remember how popular this couple was? Seriously, their fandom was huge. I remember that it set the record for the most sales from a joint-member C-Bar. They had legendary power back then ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
I was a Zerose back in high school, so I know about all the members’ interactions. I even got a signed album (attached below). I wasn’t even a fan of this ship, but the more I think about it, the more suspicious it gets.
Here is my proof so far:
- Almost all of Hanbin’s Chinese schedules line up with when Zhang Hao went back home or to film a new drama.
- Sung Hanbin’s Chinese is way too good... I’m sure he had a motivation to learn that wasn’t just his career.
- They’ve been spotted with matching clothes and jewelry items for years. They still have those butterfly necklaces that they wore when they debuted.
- There was news that Zhang Hao bought a house in Taiwan. Do you know what else is legal in Taiwan? That’s right, GAY MARRIAGE.
- They’ve notoriously been two of the closest in the group, of course~
- Do I even have to mention that neck kiss during the finale? I’m not a shipper, but that seriously gave me chills.
- Every Chuseok, there are sightings of Hao in Cheonan, Hanbin’s hometown.
- They haven’t had a single serious dating rumor with a woman, even though they’re in their 30s...
Let me know what you think~
post response:
[+1002, -1859]
- [+672, -85]
OP is just stupid. Sung Hanbin and Zhang Hao were so popular, and they’re close friends, too. Of course they would do fanservice. Assuming things like this is too much.
- [+384, -843]
F*ck, are men not allowed to be friends anymore? You guys stress me out ㅠㅠ focus on your own life and maybe you won’t be making up imaginary scenarios about two rich guys who are probably f*cking some random b*tches right now ㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ This is a really funny thing to say about two men that have never had a real scandal with a woman ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ He's not going to f*ck you because you act like this
- [+335, -291]
It’s been five years since they disbanded ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Why can’t you just support them separately instead of acting like this?
- [+204, -458]
Seriously? Just because Zhang Hao bought a house in Taiwan doesn’t mean he’s gay. Don’t pretend not to be a shipper, we can tell that you’re getting more delusional every day.
- [+106, -399]
Honestly, I agree. I’ve shipped a lot of idols before but none of them were suspicious like this. Seriously, who takes their friend to their parents' house for Chuseok every year ㅋㅋㅋㅋ not to mention Hanbin being spotted in Fujian three times over the past years. Isn't it too much to be a coincidence?
- [+301, -57]
This is genuinely severe… please stop living a life of delusion…
#3 on Trending
DIVE STUDIOS: A MINI-ZEROBASEONE REUNION | GET REAL, S8 Ep. #15:
ERIC: It’s been five years since ZEROBASEONE disbanded.
ASHLEY: I can’t believe it.
PENIEL: Insane. It feels like only yesterday when my cousins were asking me if I could get them a signature from ZB1 during my promotion periods.
ERIC: And of course, I’m sure we all remember when they were sweeping all the end-of-the-year awards.
ASHLEY: With that being said…
ERIC: Right. Let me introduce our guests today — none other than Matthew, Ricky, and Gyuvin, formerly of ZEROBASEONE!
ASHLEY: Welcome!
MATTHEW: I love you, I want you, Seok Matthew! I'm your happy energy Seok Matthew! Wow, I haven't done that in so long, you have no idea.
PENIEL: It's been a while, huh?
MATTHEW: Yep. Missed it bad.
RICKY: Hey. I'm Ricky.
[LONG PAUSE]
GYUVIN: You can do it. Come on, we’re waiting.
RICKY: Young and rich, tall and handsome… I refuse to do more than this.
MATTHEW: I have to say, I missed that even more than my own introduction.
RICKY: Please, let’s move on.
GYUVIN: Hey, I'm Gyuvin! My English has gotten better over the years, so look forward to it. You should also look forward to our new mini album, I have to say that Yujin looks really cute in the photocar–
ERIC: We'll have time for promo in the end! Shall we get started?
The hosts clap. The camera pans to Matthew, Ricky, and Gyuvin, where they’re sharing a couch. Matthew is leaning comfortably on Gyuvin, while Ricky and Gyuvin’s hands are so close that they almost touch.
MATTHEW: Thank you for having us!
ERIC: Our pleasure, man!
PENIEL: So, as I’m sure you guys know — on this podcast, we get real. We talk about things that we couldn’t normally say as idols. Is that okay with you guys?
RICKY: Of course. I’m ready to expose Gyuvin after — what, ten years of working together?
GYUVIN: Twelve, actually.
RICKY: Right. There’s a lot more dirt I’ve got on him now.
GYUVIN: There’s nothing to expose! If anything, I’m ready to expose Ricky.
MATTHEW: And I’ll be exposing both of them. I may not have been in your group over the last five years, but I have a lot of ugly pictures of you guys sleeping from our yearly Jeju trips. No one is safe!
[LAUGHTER]
ERIC: So we want to ask, is there anything that you can say that you couldn’t tell us at the time? You know, since idol image was such a big deal.
RICKY: Oh yeah. So much.
MATTHEW: We’re old now, so we can basically say whatever we want.
[LAUGHTER]
ERIC: I’m not surprised to hear that. I mean, you were known as a bit of a “spoiler fairy” when the group was active. What was it like, trying to hold that honesty back when it’s so natural for you?
MATTHEW: To be honest, I got pretty close to revealing some pretty crucial information when we were still idols — I actually spoiled the fancon date before we even debuted.
GYUVIN: He did it so naturally that we all thought it was part of the script.
MATTHEW: But I wasn’t the one that the managers had to worry about, if you know what I mean.
ERIC: In what way?
MATTHEW: I just mean there were some members that had our PR team working around the clock. Actually, storytime–
[COLLECTIVE GROAN FROM RICKY AND GYUVIN]
MATTHEW: It's not a long story! It's just that the drama that comes with a [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] on the team is insane.
GYUVIN: You're actually crazy, hyung, oh my God-
[LOUD LAUGHTER, THE SHUFFLING OF PAPER, AN ABRUPT CUT]
1,808 Comments
[iwantchu: BROTHER WHAT THE HELL DID MATTHEW SAY THAT THEY HAD TO CENSOR IT THREE TIMES?]
4.7K likes
ㄴ 83 replies
[gyupuppy: i cry every single time gyuvin talks about their disbandment. but SO DOES GYUVIN?]
2.5k likes
ㄴ 14 replies
[zeebees: matthew is the biggest menace to society since the asteroids wiped out dinosaurs]
6.6k likes
ㄴ 29 replies
[strawberricky: ricky how did you survive 2.5 years with both matthew and gyuvin, my poor cat]
1.9k likes
ㄴ 30 replies
OFF-THE-RECORD CLIP A, EDITOR'S NOTE:
i have no words anymore i am going to die of a migraine. anyway, please remove this from the final product. please.
MATTHEW: We never really got into dating scandals, though. We all worked together to hide stuff.
GYUVIN: Teamwork makes the dream work!
RICKY: ...
ERIC: What would you try and hide?
MATTHEW: Nothing illegal!
ASHLEY: No one mentioned anything illegal?
[LAUGHTER]
RICKY: You should probably explain.
MATTHEW: Oh, it's more like, we'd switch dorm rooms when...
PENIEL: You had girls in the dorm? That's pretty intense.
MATTHEW: Girls? Oh yeah–
RICKY: How did you make it worse?
OFF-THE-RECORD CLIP B, EDITOR’S NOTE:
we definitely can’t leave this in… i need at least five more coffees please
RICKY: Matthew, I don’t know if we should say…
MATTHEW: I mean, I’m not really saying anything damning. It’s just… well, it makes sense that we never got into dating scandals, but it’s also really ironic. Let’s just leave it at that.
[LOUD NOISES, OVERLAPPING TALKING]
RICKY: Hyung!
MATTHEW: You haven’t called me that in ages! What happened to just being bros? Our American bond?
RICKY: You’re not even American…
MATTHEW: North America is still America.
GYUVIN: Um, is this okay to go on air?
MATTHEW: Could you cut that? Actually, can I go off the record for a second–
[THE PRODUCERS NOD, THE CAMERAS SHUT OFF MOMENTARILY]
MATTHEW: Okay, thank you. But seriously—I just want to say, weren’t the two of them really obvious?
RICKY: Oh my God.
GYUVIN: He’s not wrong.
PENIEL: Okay, to be fair, I’ve heard things about them, too. And… seen things.
MATTHEW: See, the fact that we don’t even have to explain who we’re talking about proves my point.
MATTHEW: Oh, did you also hear them that one time that they [REDACTED] in the [REDACTED] because I remember they got in so much trouble for that–
GYUVIN: Whoa, hyung–
[LAUGHTER]
PENIEL: Nothing that crazy! Just… like, holding hands around the backstage area in Music Bank.
ERIC: I’m not going to lie, I think I saw [REDACTED] start glaring and muttering to himself when someone else handed [REDACTED] a sandwich?
ASHLEY: It’s kind of an open secret in the industry at this point, isn’t it?
MATTHEW: The fact that it hasn’t gotten out yet is proof that miracles are real, I think. But, well… soon.
ERIC: That's very ominous.
MATTHEW: You'll see what I mean!
PRODUCER: So I think the question of the night is, is [REDACTED] real or not?
[LAUGHTER, MOSTLY FROM GYUVIN]
MATTHEW: Is the sky blue? Does the sun rise in the east? Did Ricky stop dying his hair blond because he was going to lose hair if he kept bleaching it–
[LOUD SLAPPING NOISES, EVEN LOUDER LAUGHTER]
JULY 30TH, 2031. ZHANG HAO'S INSTAGRAM LIVE
Zhang Hao squints at his screen before leaning back. He’s in glasses and a loose sweater, cupping a mug. Even illuminated by dim light, it’s evident that time has been kind to him. The lines on his face are barely visible, but still there. They don’t mar his good looks so much as they simply exist beside them. It’s proof of a life lived well, brought on by sunshine and smiles rather than stress and furrowed brows.
ZHANG HAO: Hello. It’s been a while since I went live, right? I missed you all!
The chat is moving so fast that it’s hard to read, but Zhang Hao still manages. His Korean has improved, and much to some of his fans’ chagrin, it is now almost indistinguishable from a native speaker’s.
[haopeachcrush: it's so late, what are you doing up?]
[myjjangguri: ur performance in snowfall was so good!]
[yuehuaddict: seriously loved it, u are a very sexy spy]
[haobinisreal: WHERE’S HANBIN]
[mycrownprincezhang: your acting just keeps getting better… i can’t believe there was a time when you had to redo your takes for ad reads like 7 times]
[julylover: sometimes i think of the musical you did during boys planet and cry because you’ve improved SO MUCH]
ZHANG HAO: You still remember the musical I did during Boys Planet?
ZHANG HAO: God, that feels like a lifetime ago.
ZHANG HAO: But I remember it too. My acting’s come a long way, hasn’t it?
He winks and gestures at the trophy case behind him. Next to ZEROBASEONE’s impressive collection of “Rookie of the Year” and “Best Male Artist” awards, a Golden Rooster award for “Best New Actor” catches the light.
[jangjang: forever proud, i’ll never forget your performance in the sun prince]
[woongdeongie4ever: jiwoong deserved it more idk] This comment has been removed..
[HaoFansInternational: english plz]
[jw1214: the way they’re literally family? and jiwoong has a million other awards at this point he would HATE YOU FOR SAYING THAT] This comment has been removed.
[haoareyou: there are a couple trophies in that shelf i don’t recognize]
[rosining: maybe from his violin days idk]
ZHANG HAO: I told you guys, I was serious when I said I wanted to try acting! I don’t half-ass, I mean, avoid putting effort into anything.
There’s a loud crashing sound, and Hao’s eyes widen.
ZHANG HAO: Wait — let me go check something.
ZHANG HAO: Sorry about that. I think it was just my dog. I brought Bao here to apologize. Bao, say hi!
He lifts a brown lump up from under the table. It’s a Shiba Inu, slightly overfed but still cute, struggling to get out of Zhang Hao’s grasp as he holds the dog’s paw until he’s forcibly waving at the screen.
[myjjangguri: BAOOOOO]
[julylover: he’s just a Boy… he’s just a little Guy]
[summersky: CUTEST IN THE WORLD]
[rosesforever: speak english plz]
[haneulah: the cruelty of the world washes away when i see him]
ZHANG HAO: Sometimes I think you guys like my dog more than me.
He brings his hands up to his cheeks, pouting.
[bingbing: no we miss you with hanbin]
[haoareyou: we love him but we love you more]
[redpandanight: do you have any plans on releasing an album soon?
[luckyinlove: release the haobin sex tape please] This comment has been removed.
[haohole: i’ve been listening to your music on repeat… that includes your first solo too :’) makes me emotional thinking of it]
ZHANG HAO: Do I have any plans on releasing another album?
ZHANG HAO: Music is my first love, and I feel really bad that I haven’t been able to get in the studio lately. But I do promise you guys that there are a lot of big things coming up.
ZHANG HAO: I’ll be able to tell you about it soon, but just know that I’ll be very involved in the production process, too... I want to be writing a lot of it myself.
The door behind Zhang Hao begins to creak open slowly.
[mylittleraccoon: SELF-WRITTEN CONTENT ROSINS WE WON TODAY]
[allinwithhaobin: NEWWWWW ALBUMMMMMM i just jumped out of my chair]
[2binzer: HAO BEHIND YOU]
[hellokitties: who else fell to the ground and screamed and cried and crode and crew]
[luckyzfan: is that a ghost?]
There is a figure in the doorframe. It could be a ghost, or something worse.
Or it could, if ghosts were corporeal enough to steal clothes from Hao's closet. Right now, the ghost (maybe?) leans against the doorframe in a loose blue sweatshirt that reads FUJIAN NORMAL UNIVERSITY across it. The stretched-out collar reveals three distinguishably dark blobs on otherwise unmarked skin.
When he raises a hand to his face to rub the sleep from his eyes, something shines on his finger.
[junejuly: you guys are stupid it’s probably just his brother or something]
[myjjangguri: um… hao doesn’t have any siblings]
[bingbing: idk, their face is out of frame but they have some tattoos… doesn’t that remind you of someone we all know?]
[sky0725: who the fuck would be in his house at 3AM?]
He glances behind him. When he looks back at the screen, there’s a smile spreading across his face, slow and molasses-sweet.
ZHANG HAO: Sorry, guys. I have something I need to get to.
[icepanda: did you guys notice? i think there was a ring on that guy’s finger]
[skyking: come on it HAS to be hanbin don’t tell me you guys don’t see the connections]
[zhakgae: oh here you fucking haobinists go again]
ZHANG HAO: I’ll go live again soon! Before that, though, I have a couple of announcements to make. There are some things to get out of the way before I can talk about my project more.
"One minute until it comes out." Zhang Hao grimaces as he turns his phone on Do Not Disturb.
"You excited?" Hanbin peers at his face. "It was your idea, after all."
Zhang Hao makes an inhuman noise and buries himself into Hanbin's chest in lieu of an answer. It's a nice place to be, in between Hanbin's heart and his very impressive bust. He can feel the shake in Hanbin's breaths from here, and he straightens up, brow creasing with worry. "I'm okay, I think. What about you?"
"I'm..." Hanbin has an expression on his face that Hao knows better than to try and read. "I'm not sure." He brings Hao's hand up against his chest, and Hao knows what that means. I'm nervous. I need you with me to get through this.
"We'll be okay, right?" Hanbin worries at his lip with his teeth a bit too hard, and Hao presses a kiss to his mouth so that he stops.
Hanbin's phone immediately pings. Then, it pings again. And again. And again. And again. And–
"Hanbin!" Hao stares at him, horrified. "You didn't silence your phone."
"Oh God." Hanbin looks at the phone with abject horror. The time in between pings somehow keeps decreasing, until the sound is a shrill, impossibly repetitive pi-pi-pi-pi-ping. Hanbin grabs for the mute button–
And he misses when Hao pulls Hanbin off of the couch, twirling him around. "It's kind of like EDM, isn't it?"
Hanbin's whole face folds into a smile, luminous in the dim lamplight. Hao can see his own reflection in the deep brown of Hanbin's eyes, and it's hard to make out his expression there, but something tells him that he must look happy.
"Come on, dancer, show me what you've got!"
He kicks his feet and sways, and he's sure he looks ridiculous when he dips Hanbin once to an indignant yelp. It's the sweetest kind of revenge when Hanbin dips him back twice. Hao feels dizzy; whether it's from the dancing or with joy, he's not so sure.
They're spinning sock-footed and bathed in refrigerator light, pink-cheeked with joy while they ignore the insistent pi-pi-pi-ping of Hanbin's phone.
DONG-A DAILY:
[BREAKING] FORMER ZEROBASEONE MEMBERS ZHANG HAO AND SUNG HANBIN REVEAL THEIR RELATIONSHIP
IMAGE: Zhang Hao and Sung Hanbin sit together in a field of flowers. They smile at each other, seemingly unaware of the camera. Hanbin is wearing a shirt cut barely low enough to make out his tattoo. There are new marks over the familiar sun, moon, and stars, visible over the angry red of skin freshly pierced by the tattoo needle. Newly etched onto his collarbone, there is a dandelion that sits on top of the moon.
Former members of record-breaking boy group ZEROBASEONE Zhang Hao and Sung Hanbin, now actors and soloists of their own acclaim, broke an exclusive interview to Dispatch shortly after announcing their relationship.
That also means that today, Dispatch has officially broken its tradition of not reporting on gay couples when it announced the marriage of Zhang Hao and Sung Hanbin. The policy was initially implemented to avoid outing people before they are ready — though that stops being an issue when the people in question have come forward themselves.
Dong-a Daily reached out to Studio Gl1de and Yuehua Entertainment for comment.
Yuehua commented: “Due to the privacy of the artist, it is hard to give additional information at this time.”
An insider at Studio Gl1de commented: “I don’t know anyone who works harder than Hanbin. If anyone deserves to be happy, it’s him and Zhang Hao.”
DISPATCH:
[EXCLUSIVE] ZHANG HAO AND SUNG HANBIN ANNOUNCE THEIR MARRIAGE
IMAGE: Sung Hanbin, in a white suit with his hair swept up, is clasping Zhang Hao’s hands in his own. Matching silver rings glint on their ring fingers. There is a thin silver dandelion wrapped around the band. Zhang Hao, in a black suit and a bloom of wildflowers in his pocket, is looking at the camera. Sung Hanbin is looking at him.
In an exclusive statement to Dispatch, Zhang Hao and Sung Hanbin revealed that they had sealed their engagement years ago in Jamsil Stadium, immediately after the closure of ZEROBASEONE’s last world tour. The two eloped in Taiwan in July of 2031, and plan to have a small ceremony to celebrate with family and friends.
We were able to sit down for a brief interview with the couple.
Congratulations on your marriage, first of all.
SUNG HANBIN: Thank you. I still can’t believe that this is real life.
ZHANG HAO: Thank you. I’m very happy.
Both of you were living in Taiwan for a while. But you’ve been in Korea for a few months now. What brought you back after so long?
ZHANG HAO: Sung Hanbin did.
SUNG HANBIN: I mean–yes, [laughs] but mostly wedding planning.
ZHANG HAO: Had to say hello to the in-laws!
SUNG HANBIN: So no, we didn’t fly in for the interview, or to make an announcement. It was just for family.
Can we ask what drove you to reveal your marriage?
SUNG HANBIN: Other idols as old as we are do it all the time. There’s no reason we shouldn’t, right?
ZHANG HAO: Well, besides the risk of losing all our fans.
SUNG HANBIN: Besides that [laughs].
ZHANG HAO: We wanted to be the first. We hope it has an impact on the industry.
SUNG HANBIN: A good impact! But I think we should also say that we don’t want to be role models or icons or trailblazers. I just want people to know that it’s okay to love like this, too.
ZHANG HAO: That’s right. Just putting it out there.
By doing this, you are also coming out. You are now the first openly gay couple in K-pop. What are your thoughts on this, and the future of diversity in the K-pop industry?
SUNG HANBIN: With how the industry is, I’m surprised — but also not surprised. There are so many wonderful and talented people in the scene of all sexualities. I wish it was okay and safe for them to be proud, too, but…
ZHANG HAO: It’s great to be a first, but it is also a sign that what we are doing is not safe for many other people. We’re an exception, not the rule.
Anything else you’d like to add? Maybe something you’d like to say to other young LGBT people in similar positions?
ZHANG HAO: To be honest, it’s really hard being gay. It might kind of suck — actually, it’s a miracle that we haven’t been blacklisted from the industry.
SUNG HANBIN: Dear, we’re supposed to be inspirational here…
ZHANG HAO: I’m just telling the truth! I can’t sugarcoat things.
SUNG HANBIN: Alright, go on then.
ZHANG HAO: It’ll be hard, and I can’t even say it’ll always get better. But if you’re fighting for the right person, I think it’s worth it. I think love–
SUNG HANBIN: When did you get so sweet?
ZHANG HAO: Let me finish! I’m always sweet.
SUNG HANBIN: Sure, sure.
ZHANG HAO: No one can promise you that it always get better. Maybe there will be days where you feel like everyone is against you. But work hard enough, look hard enough, and there will be people who support you, and that’ll keep you strong. It’ll keep you going. And maybe, amongst those people, you’ll find the one for you too.
SUNG HANBIN: That’s a lot of ‘maybe’s.
ZHANG HAO: Well, our story is one in a million. I don’t think anyone can just replicate it. So I don’t really have any advice besides ‘find people that love you enough to fight for you.’
SUNG HANBIN: I guess that’s not bad advice, all things considered?
ZHANG HAO: I know. Your turn!
SUNG HANBIN: I don’t know if there’s anything I can really say to make things better. But live, and keep living for the future — because I do agree and disagree with Hao, here. Things don’t always get better, but I think there's a definite condition that ensures that they can. If you live hard, work hard, and love hard, things are definitely going to get better.
ZHANG HAO: This is just general advice. You sound like a “live, laugh, love” corkboard.
SUNG HANBIN: Don't be mean.
ZHANG HAO: Sorry, sorry.
SUNG HANBIN: Anyway. I’ve always said this, but I think luck and life are something you make on your own. You don’t take up too much space. If the world is too small for you, try to make it bigger.
ZHANG HAO: Now, that’s profound. Good job, my love.
1,293 Comments:
[zhakgae: it's over]