Work Text:
Venturing into the online Huntr/x community isn't something Bobby tends to do.
He isn't opposed to it by any means. He does have to go in and report any posts as part of his job description, but as a personal hobby, he tends to stay pretty far away from it. He loves his girls, of course, but their fans can get a little... overzealous.
Bobby shudders. The amount of statements he's had to draft and put out because of dramatic fans writing authentic sounding fanfics might be more than the ones he's had to draft for the girls themselves. The sheer amount of them probably turned a quarter of his hair white from stress.
This week's incident is no different.
Apparently, some controversial creator in the fandom wrote some short one-shot of Zoey and Mira attacking the leader of the Saja Boys, and the community was outraged enough to start sending death threats to him and his girls. Bobby sighs, typing out and drafting a response to send to the company for consideration. A few minutes later, once he receives the confirmation, he sends it out, watching it load with a sigh.
Well, if he's already here...
So sue him. He loves seeing occasional fan art of his girls, and he loves sending them the really cute ones he sees. Their fans are really talented. Even the slightly obsessed ones. He keeps scrolling through his timeline, liking the occasional post or comment, when he stumbles across the account that had created all the fuss in the first place.
huntrx4lifer:"@aliasname is actually so annoying like they cant stop making unrealistic headcanons and stuff and the fics are better when theyre even a little realistic."
Polytr/xstan420: Replying to 'huntrx4lifer'"C'mon, let people have fun sometimes. Who cares if it's not real? It's just fanfiction. People need to calm down and grow up."
aliasname: Replying to 'huntrx4lifer'"i fear i'm in enemy territory guys...🧍♀️"
Bobby chuckles, liking the creator's response. They clearly have something wrong with them, especially considering the whole 'SajaGate' incident, but they are pretty funny. He clicks on their profile, surprised to see such little information on them considering the type of content they post.
They mostly upload images of WIPs and the occasional meme photo reply, along with a few reposts of Huntr/x art. The account has a pretty big following for a random member of the community, nearly half his own at 500k followers. Most people in the fandom only know him as "Huntr/x's manager" or "The guy that shows up in the background of all Huntr/x BTS videos." He is proud of his title, but he occasionally wants to be known through his own accomplishments.
Specifically from the only time he has truly taken part in the community, through an alternate account connected to nothing except his email and a username.
"Huntr/xdad132" is a remnant he would bury in the past if it weren't for its success. One hundred thousand words and his own dreams of what he wished (or wishes if he's honest. Rumi's gotten better with her work-life balance, but she still needs to be reeled in sometimes.) of his girls had formed the foundation for the most popular work of fiction published in the fandom, and the only work of fiction he has ever created. It certainly didn't help that Zoey had found out about it and boosted the account on her social media. "Happytr/x is peak you should totally go read it 💙" had become the nightmare of his existence for weeks. It's nothing bad he supposes, just a few words of his girls having fun and enjoying themselves while staying healthy. He doesn't think it deserves the amount of attention it got.
But this account is different. It's clearly fan-made, the profile for the account a fan art of Zoey credited in the description, but it's barren save for that. Bobby scrolls through the replies and reposts to make it to the author's official content, surprised to see a link to a popular fanfiction website.
What he sees should shock him, but after years of working in the industry, he's fairly numb to it all. Around 64 works total on the account, all summing up to an astounding nine hundred and seventy-two thousand words, with 62 of them all being about Huntr/x. Bobby squints as he skims through all the pages, noting the consistency of the monthly to bi-monthly uploads. The first few fics posted on the account are old, uploaded nearly 7 years ago, with one on a few DC characters, and the other on the Sunlight Sisters. He flips back to the creator's Twitter page, noticing all the posts made about them and their "characterizations." Bobby reads through a few of them, picking up the gist of it fairly quickly. It seems several people within the community are angry at them for how they write his girls, saying it's 'unrealistic' and 'out of touch.'
Seoulsoulsucker: "Im reading through some of their earlier work and whats really weird is that you can tell that they know how to write the girls. Maybe they noticed how popular they could get by writing crap and started doing that instead. Kinda sad tbh :/ #ragebait"
Fullofvenom: Replying to 'Seoulsoulsucker' "u rlly think so?? even from the beginning the writing seems off lowk..."
Bobby scrolls a little further down their mentioned posts.
Ghostw/athrone: "Like this post to get off of p*lytrx twitter join the light side 💚💜 #zoerumi #polytrxsucks"
aliasname: Replying to 'Ghostw/athrone' "Guys get me back to the dark side wth... TAKE ME BACK TAKE ME BACK TAKE ME BAC-"
Gonnabegonnabesilver: "Seriously what is wrong with polytrix shippers just pick one!!! It's pretty obvious... 😒 #rumira"
aliasname: Replying to 'Gonnabegonnabesilver' "[creature-being-pelted-with-tomatoes.JPEG] The obvious one is polytr/x gang theyre ALL gay for each other..."
Bobby shakes his head, saving the post. The amount of shippers in the community had skyrocketed after Rumi revealed her tattoos to the public during their comeback and finally let Zoey and Mira touch her on stage. Of course, everybody had their favorite ship, but the Polytr/x hate had really skyrocketed for some reason.
Imnotborn2be: "I mean seriously, some of these lines??? "I could never hate you, Zoomie." "Mira's lip trembled at the sight, holding back tears." Girl please 💀 Mira is NOT that soft."
Napalmnobody: Replying to 'Imnotborn2b' "Have you even read half their work? She's so ooc in most of it oml... "She turned the same color as her hair." "Mira giggled at their antics." "Mira pulled her in for a soft, gentle kiss, like she worried she could break her." Stop trying to make Soft Mira a thing, it's not happening!!1!1!"
aliasname: Replying to 'Napalmnobody' "Never gonna stop spreading the Lovergirl Mira agenda until the day I die 🧌🧌."
aliasname: "I mean look at her in half their press appearances, she's PINING for the other two."
Polytr/xtruther: Replying to 'aliasname' "I mean when r any of them not lmao."
He's not going to lie, some of the replies make him laugh a little. Bobby taps his chin in thought, thinking back to most of his girls' live interviews recently. Looking back on it now, Mira was constantly stealing glances at them. But that was just because it was the polite thing to do.
HunterXx: "i'm actually shitting myself how could they do this to my girll 💔💔 #rumimybeloved"
ImposterandaMonster: Replying to 'HunterXx' "No PLEASEE I've been waiting to yap about this for so longgg Why do they always write Rumi so OOC like she isn't the leader of their group!! She's also like, a world class actress and movie star and has been on sets for modeling shoots?? She's not some sad misunderstood introvert who hates social interaction and constantly needs reassurance, she's led them through interviews and concerts without any problem or hesitation! These aren't even headcanons atp, she feels like an OC or an entirely diff person."
AnnoyedLobster: Replying to 'ImposterandaMonster' "Ppl can be different irl and in media btw, js bc huntr/x is more open than most k-pop groups doesn't mean they're all exactly like they say they are, it's still press 😭."
aliasname: Replying to 'AnnoyedLobster' and 'ImposterandaMonster' "Look into my eyes and see the truth...👁👁"
Bobby runs his tongue over the inside of his cheek. It seems the creator was being intentionally vague, even while some of their 'unlikely' headcanons are disturbingly similar to the truth.
Allicanthinkof: "'They mischaracterize Mira!' This, 'They mischaracterize Rumi!' That, WHAT ABOUT ZOEY BRO??? WHY IS SHE A FREAK???"
bodyonbody: Replying to 'Allicanthinkof' "We knew this I fear..."
aliasname: Replying to 'Allicanthinkof' "[guy-pointing-to-himself.JPEG]"
Allicanthinkof: "What happened to her bro she's supposed to be the cute maknae!"
aliasname: Replying to 'Allicanthinkof' "[get-a-load-of-this-guy.JPEG] She was never that and if you did think that how the HELLY did you make it this far into the fandom guys..."
He laughs again, liking the reply once more. The creator is definitely interesting, but nothing's particularly special about them, aside from the occasional nail-on-the-head headcanon, but all fic authors did that sometimes, right?
Maybe not as frequently as this author does, but they still do.
Bobby shuts off his phone, turning in for the night. He moves restlessly in his sheets for a few minutes, getting up again with a sigh. He might not be particularly active in the fandom, but that doesn't mean he can't be...
He pulls up the account right as the sun begins to peek over the horizon.
---------------------------------------------------
Okay, this account is really starting to piss Bobby off.
Maybe his algorithm is being weird, or he followed them by accident, but for some godforsaken reason, he's constantly receiving their posts and updates. Which is fine, some of the stuff they write is great and amazing.
But it's also what has Bobby asking his girls for a impromptu meeting on a Saturday morning during their hiatus.
Don't get him wrong, this is totally necessary and unavoidable considering the severity of some of the details shown. Entire verses of unreleased songs and unannounced side projects leaked weeks before they were shown to the public? This is serious business! He just thinks it was a horrible conclusion to come to at 9 AM on a weekend.
Bobby paces outside the front door for a moment, clutching his phone in his hand. He could go back home, turn this meeting into a call, have it all be over with in a few minutes with a ban and a statement. It wouldn't be the first time, and it sure as hell will not be the last, so why is this one such a big deal?
Why is this one nagging at him so much?
After a few more minutes of useless deliberation, Bobby turns to the door with a sigh, putting on a smile and knocking at the door energetically. If his girls need to slave through this meeting, he's going to let them, even if he has to act a little over the top.
Mira opens the door after a moment of quiet shuffling, glasses perched low on her face and still wearing her pajamas from last night. "Hi Bobby."
Her voice comes out deep and gravely, thick with sleep and a hint of something Bobby still can't quite make out. "You can wait in here for a second, I'll make you some tea." She yawns, leading him into their kitchen. "It'll be a few minutes before Rumi and Zoey get up." She reaches for the electric kettle, the soothing sound of it filling with water the only noise in the early morning. She turns behind her to the cabinet, looking back at Bobby with a questioning glance. To anyone else, it wouldn't have any connotation.
"Chamomile, please. It's gonna be a long one." Mira pulls out the box with a sigh-turned-groan, reaching into another cabinet for each of their mugs. They're cute, clearly well-used and loved by the seams where previously cracked chunks were reverently glued back together and coffee stains from long nights still stain the ceramic's art. Bobby still remembers booking that mug-painting class for the three of them. 'It'll be good team-building!' He'd said, like they needed it.
Rumi had taken Zoey's mug, tigers and giraffes and turtles galore sprinkled all around the inner and outer parts of the mug. Each detail had been painstakingly drawn and painted on with a hyper-focus usually only devoted to producing and writing songs.
Mira's mug had gone to Zoey, the whole thing an abstract mix of colors and shapes that look seemingly out of place yet somehow perfectly balanced in their chaos. A discordant harmony. An organized disaster. It goes well with all the cracks and scratches, side effects of Zoey's distraction while forgetting what's in her own hands.
Mira decided to keep Rumi's mug, the artwork perfect on all sides like everything Rumi has ever chosen to make.
(Only Bobby knows, that right under the handle, there's a piece of writing she has never shown them. Imperfect and terrified under layers and layers of paint, a confession that Rumi would've taken to her grave.)
Even after more than half a decade of use, it's still smooth and unbroken. A showcase to the care Mira pours into everything her girls give her.
The kettle whistles, snapping Bobby out of his trance. Seriously, whose grand idea was it to schedule this meeting at this hour? Right. His. Because he's busy at every other time. Sacrifices must be made in situations like this one he supposes.
Zoey pads into the room slowly, blanket still wrapped around her shoulders and eyes mostly closed like she doesn't have the will to accept that it's the morning and she had to get up. Mira pours boiling water into each of the mugs and into a blank white one for Bobby, passing it over to him. Zoey whines, shuffling over to Mira and burying her face in Mira's neck. Bobby feels the smile on his face soften even more. Sure, it might be way too early for a random morning on hiatus, but it's worth it for them.
"Morning, goguma." Mira mumbles, rubbing her hand up and down Zoey's back despite the utter exhaustion still evident in her voice. She lifts up Zoey's tea, holding it to her and letting the steam warm her face. Zoey grumbles into her neck, turning her face to the side and getting Mira's shoulders to shake from laughter. Bobby meets Mira's gaze, giving him a look that says 'look, I'm about to piss someone off.' As she takes a sip out of Zoey's tea. She slurps the liquid up loudly, getting Zoey's attention.
"Mira!" Zoey bats at her arm, yanking the cup out of her hand. "You're being a meanie, it's nine in the morning and you're already being a meanie," She mutters into her tea, downing almost a quarter of it in one go.
"Don't burn yourself, yeobo." Mira pulls the mug away from her lips, guiding it to the counter. "How am I supposed to kiss you if it hurts?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'll stop." Zoey sets the mug down, tracing her index finger along the rim. They sit in comfortable silence for a few minutes, drinking their tea and waiting for the final member of their group. Rumi comes out of the bathroom after a moment, energetic and eager even at this early hour.
"Good morning, Bobby!" Rumi cheerfully announces herself, both Zoey and Mira shying away from her like she's the sun itself.
"What's got you so excited this morning?" Mira smiles, her grin widening as Rumi pecks her lips happily.
"You know!" Rumi's smile widens. "We're finally being productive again! And I've been dying to get up early and do something for weeks!"
"So you're saying you hate spending three hours every morning in bed with us?" Zoey grumbles, turning to face her with a tired stare. The way Rumi's eyes widen is almost comical, panic shooting through all of her nerves.
"I never- I didn't-"
"No, no, I see where we stand now," Zoey teases, wrapping her arms around Mira's midsection.
"Zoey," Rumi groans, putting her forehead on Zoey's shoulder. "Don't get me wrong, I love you two so much I could write three albums and a single about it right now, but I'm pretty sure if we don't do anything in the next week I'm going to implode." Mira puts a hand on the back of her head, scratching at her scalp softly.
"We got it, jagi. We'll find ways to get you to work," Mira murmurs, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"I don't know if we should, considering how vicious she was this morning." Zoey shakes her head disapprovingly at Rumi, a joking scowl across her face. "She left me on the floor Mira. The floor!" Rumi rolls her eyes, tugging Zoey closer.
"I had to take a shower. And I told you. And you held me captive for five minutes," She counts, even as Zoey simply shakes her head.
"You should be thanking me. It could've been ten." Zoey nods, wrapping the rest of her blanket around Rumi and sitting down at one of the bar stools.
"Okay girls, this is fun and all, but let's get this done so you all can get back to relaxing." Bobby shoots a glare in Rumi's direction, watching as she sheepishly cowers under his stare. "It's not much work, anyway, just patching leaks in the foundation, boring stuff." He waves a hand in front of him, setting his briefcase down on the counter and opening the latches with a soft click.
"I did most of the basic upkeep myself, checked out passwords and emails and anyone who could be leaking these," He pulls out a few papers, screenshots from each of the works where verses and projects were mentioned and the dates they were posted. "But I still don't get how this person could've possibly gained access to these files. I mean, these were kept top secret at Sunlight Entertainment for weeks. Some of the higher-ups didn't even know about them." He watches as they scan each of the documents, Zoey's eyes widening as both Rumi's and Mira's narrow, their gazes sliding towards her.
"I have no idea how those got out, Bobby," Mira says between clenched teeth, glare pinning Zoey to her chair.
"Y-yeah! That's really weird, I mean," Zoey whistles, brushing all the papers aside to look at the ones underneath. "You know how dedicated our fans are!" She laughs awkwardly, not meeting neither Rumi nor Mira's eyes. "They probably just-" She gulps. "They probably just heard us practicing in the Sunlight Entertainment building or caught a page or two of my notebook in the background of a photo or something!" She waves her hand in front of her. "We'll fix it, Bobby."
"Yeah, Bobby. We'll deal with it," Rumi hisses, gathering the papers in a stack and placing them back in the briefcase without taking her eyes off of Zoey once. Bobby tilts his head in confusion, taking his briefcase back.
"Everything alright girls? I'm sensing some... animosity." His brows furrow, looking between the three of them. "You guys aren't fighting again, are you?"
"No, no, no, nothing like that, of course not!" Zoey gives him a trying smile. "We're just... tired! Yeah! Tired." She nods fervently.
Okay?
Sure, they're on break. After everything they've been through, they have a right to be tired, even though they just woke up from sleeping for nearly twelve hours. He's the one who'd woken them up, after all.
"Alright then… I'm gonna head back to work. You three seem like you've got it mostly figured out." Bobby backs towards the door. "Have a nice rest of your break girls."
"Bye Bobby!" They all say in unison, the tension still lingering thickly in the room.
Space. Space and time is what they need. He feels the door shut behind him softly and debates opening it again. What if they're fighting, or stressing out, or ignoring each other, or worse?
Bobby takes a deep breath. His girls can handle a dumb PR move. They'll be fine. He pulls up his phone to his regular delivery service. A bit of pick-me-up precaution won't hurt, though.
---------------------------------------------------
The first few weeks after the hiatus are quiet.
Not quiet in the 'everybody's forgotten about Huntr/x' way, but still quiet.
The aliasname account puts up an announcement a few days after their meeting, saying that their next few uploads will be delayed due to personal issues, and going back to the website now shows that the leaked verses and content have been removed or replaced. Bobby's a little disappointed to see the amount of accounts celebrating the user's hiatus, but it's a necessary precaution.
He's tried to ask the girls what they did to get the account to stop so quickly, but he's met with the same curt response of 'We took care of it.' every single time. It's driving him a little crazy if he's honest. Every time he's tried to get accounts like that to stop or get taken down it's always turned into some big issue that takes anywhere from a week up to several months of reports and constant communication. How they'd managed it in less than a day is beyond him.
"Okay, girls!" Bobby claps, flipping through the papers on his clipboard. "Today isn't too busy, so with the right pace I can have you three home by five." He taps his pen along the schedule, marking down minor changes and details not labeled on the original print.
"First up, rehearsal for tomorrow's live performance. You all have the choreography and costumes down, it's mostly just minor check-ups and adjustments, it'll only take an hour or two. Then a small group shoot for some American energy drink company—a few shots together and a few apart, so you'll have a bit of a break there—followed by a radio show appearance and some planned social media posts."
Bobby stops his anxious tapping to look at Zoey, who turns her head and scratches at the side of her cheek. She's been caught terrorizing the community and scaring some of the fans by highlighting some of their works. Fun in the moment, but an issue in the morning when the higher-ups have questions. Rumi isn't much better, but at least she has the decency to scroll on a separate account. Mira mostly lurks on social media. She's the one who tries to keep the other two in check to stop another PR stunt, and she succeeds most of the time, but a stray repost or reply goes viral sometimes for no perceivable reason.
"Then you three will have to go your separate ways." Bobby points at Mira first, since she'll be the first to finish. "You've got a modeling gig with GAP, and I could maybe pull some strings to get you a monitored car so you can pick up Zoey." He turns his pen towards Zoey now, writing down a note to see if he could get some sort of ordinary sedan. "You got invited onto some podcast with a couple of American rappers, and you'll do a few interview questions followed by a segment where you'll get to have a rap battle? I don't know, I thought it'd be fun." He finally turns towards Rumi with an almost pitying look. "And all the while we're going to be stuck in a shareholders meeting." He gestures between the two of them, laughing at the groan that leaves Rumi's throat.
"Seriously? Do we have to be there?" Bobby nods solemnly.
"I tried my hardest to see if I could get you out of it, but it's unfortunately mandatory unless under extreme circumstances." Without even turning to look at them, he points his pen at the other two girls. "No, that is not an invitation for you to make said extreme circumstances." He can hear the way both of them shrink under his words, muttering 'Sorry Bobby.' sheepishly under their breaths. "I know it's boring, but it's just a few hours. They probably won't ask you for anything anyway."
"Can we at least come? It'd at least be better if the three of us were there," Zoey argues, gripping onto Rumi's shirt.
"Sorry, Zo. I already spent nearly four hours convincing security to let me in there. I can try to-" Rumi takes a deep breath, straightening back up.
"It's okay, Bobby. Thank you."
"Of course, girls. Now who's ready for your first day off hiatus!" He's met with two exhausted groans and an excited squeal from Rumi. "Don't worry, tomorrow won't be as busy." He waves them off, walking towards the camera crew's area.
The rehearsal goes off without a hitch, and they're headed off to the shoot by eight. It's much of the same, sitting around and posing exactly as the photographer wants, but unfortunately they got a picky one this time, so they take longer than usual. Constant notes of 'That's perfect but I need you to move to the left, no to the right, now get up, sit back down, turn around, never mind turn around again-' for three whole hours. At least each of them get a few good shots and an hour of rest before they have to go back to work.
The radio show is much of the same, prodding interview questions with a few 'no comment's and some games, along with a few teases to their next album. Lunch is pretty short, considering all the time they lost at the Monster shoot, but Bobby manages to get them 15 more minutes by some miracle of schedule management.
Mira and Zoey are both carted away to each of their responsibilities, and now they're here. Listening to a bunch of shareholders twice his age talk about 'the best decisions moving forward in terms of personal branding' and 'branching out'. He can see the scowl on Rumi's face grow with each comment, her smile turning more into a grimace every time some higher-up argues against letting them keep their creative decisions. Every time she tries to speak she's interrupted, having to speak over some older boss just so she can keep all of her choices.
By the time they leave the room, Bobby's glad it's Rumi who owns most of the shares of the company instead of Mira. He would've had to dye his hair back to its original color from the stress of dealing with an angry episode. It would be totally valid, don't get him wrong, but getting into or even watching a screaming match at the end of an already long day is not what he envisioned for a first day back from hiatus. Rumi isn't doing much better though; he's pretty sure steam would be pouring out of her ears if the meeting hadn't ended when it did.
"Well!" He claps, getting her attention back. "That might have been completely agonizing, but at least the next one isn't for..." Bobby checks the date on his watch. "Two months! And I can try to find an excuse for why you can't show up ahead of time." He winks, getting a laugh out of Rumi.
"Thanks, Bobby. You're a lifesaver." She smiles at him, tilting her head towards his phone, which is currently blowing up. "By the way, you might want to get that." He lifts his phone and stares at the lock screen, barely skimming his notifications before putting it away.
"Bah, it's nothing. I can check it once you all get home. Speaking of which..." Bobby scans the room, catching a glimpse of Mira's hair near the entrance. She and Zoey are both wearing their 'disguises' (they don't seem like much when your idols have bright pink and purple hair, but they work somehow), and they're both watching something on Mira's phone. Pulling Rumi towards them, he notices their slightly shocked expressions and the grimace on Zoey's face.
"Alright superstars, who's ready to go back home and have some couch time!" He claps happily, wincing at their neutral reactions. "You three are tired, I'd bet. Let's head over to the car, we can talk on the way home." Rumi puts a hand on his shoulder abruptly, staring down at Zoey with her brows furrowed. "Everything alright?" He murmurs, looking between the two of them.
"You're hiding something," She says to herself—or more like states, her gaze flicking over to Mira, and her eyes narrowing even more. "You're hiding something and you're guilty." She looks taken aback, leaning forward to look at them even harder. "What did you two do?!" Bobby is a little shocked at how easily she can read the both of them, with Mira's entirely neutral expression and Zoey's cheery tone.
"Hiding something? Pfft- I- A- What are you talking about, Rumi? We're not hiding anything!" Zoey waves a hand in front of her, face turning redder and redder with each stutter. "We're just- Mira was showing me a funny video! Yeah!"
"Show me, then." Rumi stares her down, not even turning to look at Mira. "Or are you lying to me, Zoey?" Mira holds her phone out towards Rumi, completely ignoring Zoey's distress.
"See for yourself," She sighs, trying almost desperately to hide the grin in her voice. Rumi tentatively takes the phone, unlocking it and scrolling through whatever it is that they're looking at. Bobby watches as her eyes widen with each post, jaw dropping.
"Before you say anything!" Zoey puts her hands out, turning to the both of them. Not just Rumi, for some reason. Uh oh. "Bobby, have you opened any social media in the past hour?" Bobby flinches back, not expecting to be addressed, and pulls out his phone, unlocking it.
"No...? Should I be checking it right now?"
"No!" She reaches out, almost taking it from his hands. "I mean, you can, but it'd probably be better if I tell you this myself." Bobby looks over at Mira, who'd look almost entirely serious if it weren't for her lips, pressed together so tightly from trying not to laugh that she's turning red.
"Okay... Should I be worried?" He puts away his phone carefully, giving Zoey all of his attention. This sounds somewhat important, even if Mira seemingly finds it the funniest thing she's heard all week. Zoey takes a deep breath, looking him in the eyes.
"So you remember that incident from a few weeks ago, right?" Mira turns away, covering her mouth with her hand. "Stop it!" Zoey whines, hitting her on the shoulder petulantly.
"Don't tell me you were the one leaking things to them, Zoey we've talked about this!" Bobby laughs exasperatedly, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I get that it's hard not to share your work in progress, but you've gotta control yourse-" Zoey shakes her head robotically, still looking up at him from her seat.
"I wasn't leaking things to them, Bobby." She scratches the side of her neck, looking away from him. "I- Uhm… Wow, this is a lot harder to say than I thought it would be." She laughs awkwardly, trying to manifest the words as she waves her hands around in front of her. "You know how I really like writing, right?"
"Yes...? I'm not getting your point here." Zoey takes a deep breath, preparing to say the words like they physically hurt her.
"I run the aliasname account," She says quickly, turning away like she's bracing for a blow. Bobby stares at her for a moment, blinking twice. He glances over at Mira, who is trying (and failing) desperately not to laugh as she holds a cackling Rumi in her arms. Usually, he'd think this was some sort of practical joke, if it weren't for the shameful look on her face and the way she was slowly turning redder and redder.
Bobby opens and closes his mouth like a fish, letting out a resigned sigh. "Okay. Okay! This is fine, this is great even! At least there's not someone stealing files from the company or anything." He starts pacing, grabbing onto his chin. "I'm glad you told me this, really, now I don't have to worry about…" He stops in his tracks, trailing off as he turns towards Zoey again. She's standing fully straight, looking away like a child being scolded for getting into a fight at school. "Why are you telling me this now?" Bobby watches as her neck strains, hunching over on herself a little more. Rumi's laughter gets a little louder, vaguely muffled by Mira's shoulder.
"Uhm," She gulps, scratching the side of her cheek. "News may have gotten out about my identity- But I can deal with it! Hold on!" Bobby's sigh is almost automatic, pulling his phone back out to look up the incident.
Two hours ago
@miraonthewall: "Waiting for @rrrrumi while she's stuck in a meeting pray for her soul [attached-image]"
Attached to the post is a selfie of Mira and Zoey waiting at the entrance to the Sunlight Entertainment building in their disguises. Nothing too crazy, regular social media posting. He'd basically told them to do it, and there was nothing wrong with it anyway.
Forty-five minutes ago
miraonthewall: "And she has the audacity to call me a nerd for wearing glasses smh @zoeasyontheeyes [attached-image]"
Once again, a totally innocent social media post. It's a more candid selfie of the side of Mira's face with Zoey focused on her phone in the background. She's wearing the glasses from Mira's disguise, so locked in to whatever she's doing that she doesn't even notice the photo being taken. Bobby looks back up at them, brows furrowed.
"This seems fine to me," He mutters, scrolling down to the comments.
Ripoutmyheart: Replying to 'miraonthewall' "HOLD ON, HOLD ON. ENHANCE. ZOOM IN. ENHANCE. ENHANCE. REVERSE IMAGE. [attached-image]"
There, plain as day, in the enhanced reflection of Mira's glasses, is the aliasname account, all of the works grayed out and editable. It's actually kind of impressive, the lengths people go to to learn just a little bit more about their favorite idols.
This. This is insane.
Imdoneshiningnowimhiding: "chat. chat, there's actually no way."
Cobracutie372: "Guys this is so obviously edited you cant believe everything you see on the internet."
Miciswaytoohigh: Replying to 'Cobracutie372' "It's literally not? Look for it yourself in the original photo."
Bullseyere: "Zoey, girlie, I thought you were a veteran in this. Why is your phone on LIGHT MODE at FULL BRIGHTNESS?? at WORK? at your J*B?"
Preaching2thechoir: "guys. guys does this mean polytr/x is canon? is this the end of all the shipping wars?"
#1jinugooner: "so we arent honna talm abkjt the 100000 worda of polysun smut on thete? 🤨"
Paingotmegoingviral: Replying to '#1jinugooner' "it's not surprising in the slightest tbh."
Fromseoul2la: "I knew it. I knew it. I knew lovergirl Mira was canon..." [im-onto-you-meme.JPEG]
"Okay, but how was I supposed to know they were gonna do that?!" Zoey argues, flipping her phone around to show the enhanced screenshot. "This is insane!"
"It's fine. It's fine! I'll figure something out." Zoey reaches out with a grimace, taking his hand.
"Sorry, Bobby," She winces, trying to smile at him.
"Wait a second." Bobby turns to Rumi and Mira, both of whom are trying desperately to not meet his eyes. Not that they'd be able to, considering both of them are still shaking a little from laughter. "You two knew about this?" He can practically feel his hair starting to turn white. "Why didn't you do anything to stop her!?" He laughs in disbelief, running his hand through his hair and scratching at his scalp. "I said I would try be the best manager for you girls, but you're really making this job hard for me!"
"Have we ever told you we love and appreciate you so much Bobby?" Zoey mutters, patting him on the shoulder.
"Yeah Bobby, you're the best." Rumi smiles, nodding fervently. "Seriously, we can't thank you enough."
"It's fine. I'll- I'll try to see what I can do." Bobby sighs, putting his phone back into his pocket. "I care about you girls, but you three really need to start keeping each other in check."
"We got it, Bobby!" They all respond in unison, giving him three thumbs ups.
"Anything for my girls," He says tiredly, walking to the front of the building. "Now let's get you three home. I know you're all probably exhausted."
"Oh! Oh! Can we get Itaewon corn dogs?!" Zoey shoots her hand up like she's asking a teacher a question in school.
"No," He scolds, scowling (playfully!) at her. "You just confessed to leaking sensitive company documents to the public because you wanted to post your writing on the internet! As one of the creators of the fandom you're writing about!"
"But-"
"You know what your fanbase is like! Something really bad could've happened!" Bobby exhales, turning back to look at Zoey. "Can you at least promise me you'll be a little bit more careful next time? Please?"
Zoey takes his hand, looking at him apologetically as she squeezes it. "Yeah, Bobby. I promise."
"Thank you."
As they all settle in to the chauffeured car, he routes the GPS to the nearest corn dog place to their house. They've worked hard today.
---------------------------------------------------
Okay, as much as he is biased, he has to admit that Zoey's writing is pretty good.
After making it home from the longest day in a while, he decides to sit down and read some more of Zoey's fics, so sue him. On the car ride to get food, she'd actually revealed that they weren't fictional at all, and she'd been recounting moments in their relationship on a random document and decided to post them on an old account, hence the D.C. and Sunlight Sisters works.
(She did tip-toe around the content of the Sunlight Sisters work, but he decided not to push.)
It is quite fun scrolling through some of her old posts though. Now that he knows who she is, it was fairly obvious.
aliasname: "If any of y'all want to hunt me down, my name is Zoey Choi, I grew up in Burbank and I live in Huntr/x tower in Seoul ✌️"
arsonide: Replying to 'aliasname' "Haha, good one. Didn't think we still had Zoey rp accounts."
mirathatsmymmy: Replying to 'aliasname' "Okay sure grandma, let's get you your medicine."
Damn, so she wasn't even trying to hide her identity. Were people in the fandom really so dense that they didn't know it was her even when they were told at face value?
Scrolling through most of the posts mentioning the username, yes, it seemed they were. Obviously there were role play accounts that would pretend to be her, and sure, they had no reason to believe this account specifically was the official Zoey Choi from Huntr/x, but it's still funny in hindsight.
Six months ago
Whatthetruthsoundslike: "I have a bit of a theory involving the controversial polytr/x creator aliasname everyone's been talking about... Specifically involving their identity as Zoey Choi of Huntr/x fame. HEAR ME OUT."
Whatthetruthsoundslike: "Exhibit A: Their constant posts about their identity. Every single time they've been asked any details about themselves, they've always deflected, entirely ignored the replies, or they've provided a description matching that of Zoey during that era. Refer to the following images: [attached-image1] [attached-image2][attached-image3]"
The attached images show the post Bobby just read, one made a few months ago where she had responded to an age question with 'I share a birthday with the coolest and fastest rapper in Korea.' And another post in the beginning of the account's history where the writer was introducing herself as 'Zoey, a Korean-American girl way too obsessed with the Sunlight Sisters :)' a few months before Huntr/x started gaining popularity.
Whatthetruthsoundslike: "it's also worth mentioning that the profile picture for this account is Zoey fanart, which isn't much to note at first until you realize that on a live a few months ago she shared the exact image and its creator and said it was one of her favorites in the fandom. Maybe not as solid evidence, but still food for thought."
Bobby finds himself nodding in agreement almost subconsciously. For someone with such little evidence at that point, they were making a pretty sufficient argument.
Whatthetruthsoundslike: "Exhibit B: The Fandoms. This one is pretty much self-explanatory, most of the author's catalogue is Polytr/x and the occasional platonic Huntr/x fic, but the first works ever posted on the account are a Superbat swap AU and a Sunlight Sisters 'one-shot' that makes up nearly an eighth of all the words on the account."
Whatthetruthsoundslike: "On three separate radio shows, two interviews, a podcast, and a live, Zoey has stated that she is a pretty big D.C. fan, stating on the live that she does ship superbat as well as some other minor ships. She's also been recorded saying that she was a huge fan of the Sunlight Sisters as a kid, and it partially inspired her to audition for Huntr/x in the first place. These may or may not be inconclusive considering the overlap in all three fan-bases, but it is still necessary for consideration."
Okay, so this person is dedicated. Bobby's pretty sure a lot of those interviews were done in the beginning of Huntr/x's career when they were just trying to get as much publicity out as possible. Most of them have been lost to time and/or deleted off the internet for some reason or another.
Whatthetruthsoundslike: "Exhibit C: Constant Zoey interaction. This is another murky one, but based on how often Zoey goes out of her way to like posts and announcements on this account, I'd feel iffy not mentioning it. It's a common fact in the fandom that out of all the Huntr/x members, Zoey is the most active online, if you go and visit her account, most of her likes and reposts are some art, and she has mentioned popular fics and inside jokes in pre/post-concert interviews. (To many's complete and utter terror may I mention.)"
Whatthetruthsoundslike: "Even with this information, though, she doesn't consistently like users work unless she's following them, and if she isn't, she usually highlights them in specific posts or comments on stage e.g. the Huntr/xdad132 situation. She has never mentioned the aliasname account by name and if you spend an eternity scrolling through her following list (like I did for this post without realizing you can SEARCH UP USERNAMES) she isn't following them either. She refuses to acknowledge the account directly, yet she continues liking their posts(?) Maybe not entirely solid evidence but still notable when combined with... everything else."
Wait, is that true? If it is, this person had really done their research.
Whatthetruthsoundslike: "Exhibit D: Leaked lyrics. This one is what got me to do all of this in the first place, because the first time it happened it could've been a coincidence, but the second time was really suspicious. Huntr/x is known for being one of the most secretive groups when it comes to lyrics and music production, managing to keep most of the stages of their songwriting process public without leaking anything whatsoever. Even when the occasional line or two is overheard by random interns and gets exposed to the public, it's usually taken care of pretty quickly."
Whatthetruthsoundslike: "This consistent exposure of unreleased songs and albums is definitely proof of something, because as much as someone could guess a Huntr/x lyric or album name, doing it consistently over the course of nearly half a decade is worth some kind of investigation. The only people who would have immediate access to all of the songs, events, and locations the group would be at is the girls themselves or their manager. This leaves only Zoey, Mira, or Rumi with the ability to constantly leak these tracks and events. (See my previous post about how Huntr/xdad132 is most likely their manager, and the writing styles of the two accounts clearly don't match, along with the posting schedules)"
Whatthetruthsoundslike: "Rumi is not the type to put out half-assed work to the public, both Mira and Zoey have stated in interviews that her creative process is closed-off even to them, so she probably wouldn't post unfinished lyrics. Mira is known to be a lot looser with her work, posting the occasional snippet of a 'confidential' choreography for a dance, but she's never leaked any lyrics or anything text-based. Zoey is known to freely share her work online, mostly because it fits with her brand as the 'kid who started writing lyrics in her basement and now she's at the top'. Photos of concept notebooks and scratch paper are pretty common on her account, and even though these are usually shared after a song is published, Zoey leaking song lyrics to the public before they're released would be a repeat offense."
Whatthetruthsoundslike: "a few years ago, an incident went viral where some random fan DM'd her account spontaneously asking for album spoilers as a joke and for some unknown reason, she actually did send them. It could be unimportant, or maybe her team put up security to make sure no other leaks happened, but it wouldn't be surprising if she did find a way to leak some lyrics."
He takes a deep breath, contemplating for a bit. Had Zoey really been leaking lyrics for that long? Because if this is what happens while having Zoey's accounts on moderate security, they really need to increase their moderation. Or maybe give her some more media training.
Whatthetruthsoundslike: "Exhibit E: Rumira tagging(?). This one is another bs one that should still be mentioned considering everything else I've said so far. Every time 'aliasname' uploads a work, they make a post linking it on their social media saying 'Thank you to my beta readers @rrrrumi and @miraonthewall :)'. Usually, this is taken as a joke, with several accounts even telling them to stop tagging the actual Ryu Rumi and Kang Mira. The part that I feel like mentioning is that the user seemingly hasn't been blocked or reported by the official accounts, and none of their announcement posts have been taken down. I don't really know about this one, just more things that felt important to mention despite seeming normal on their own."
Whatthetruthsoundslike: "This took a stupid amount of research, but I KNOW i'm right this time... I just know it..."
Woof. That was… a lot. And it's surprisingly accurate and makes sense? Well, surely the poster had some supporters, even before it was confirmed, the internet is a wild place.
Babynicetry: Replying to 'Whatthetruthsoundslike' "Oh. Oh wow. That's not-"
Heelsnailsblademascara: Replying to 'Whatthetruthsoundslike' "Just smile and nod honey, smile and nod."
artyzanal: Replying to 'Whatthetruthsoundslike' "And the crowd is concerned!! 🗣️🔥🔥‼️‼️"
Zorumiracanon: Replying to 'Whatthetruthsoundslike' "Brochowski didnt you literally js contradict yourself?? 😭 Rumi wouldn't show half-assed lyrics but she'd let Zoey post their half-assed lyrics??"
He tries to keep himself from laughing, considering he would be a hypocrite if he did. Sure, maybe he didn't know Zoey was aliasname yesterday, but he does now, so he's allowed to laugh at people not knowing, even when provided with a bunch of evidence.
Bobby scrolls back up to the top of his timeline, getting ready to go to sleep when a new post from Zoey's account appears.
aliasname: "I've been exposed... anyway polytr/x canon lol tongue in cheek!!!"
He sets his phone face-down on his nightstand, staring up at the ceiling.
These girls are going to be the death of him.