"He is the victim": Fans send support to Fantasy Boys' Kim Gyurae following allegations of him dating his 22-year-old hairstylist

On Sunday, December 17, an anonymous netizen uploaded several alleged pieces of evidence showcasing Fantasy Boys' Kim Gyurae dating his 22-year-old hairstylist. The netizen not only posted a narrative of them spotting the two closely engaging with each other when they visited the hair salon that Fantasy Boys frequently go to, but also posted alleged chats between the two that revealed their close relationship.

Many were shocked to learn about the reported age gap between them - Kim Gyurae is only 14 years old and his alleged relationship with his 22-year-old hair stylist was not well received by the masses.

However, fans soon came to the idol's defense by saying that he was the victim and needed help to get out of the possibly dangerous circumstances.

---

Fans defend Fantasy Boys' Kim Gyurae as netizens slam the idol for his alleged relationship with a 22-year-old

14-year-old K-pop idol, Kim Gyurae, housed under Pocketdol Studio, recently debuted in the group, Fantasy Boys, after bagging the second rank in the survival show conducted by MBC, Fantasy Boys.

While fans have been excitedly looking forward to their activity as a rookie group, several scandals on the internet have resulted in the group being pulled in different directions.

On December 17, an anonymous netizen took to X to claim that they had spotted the idol and his stylist closely interacting with each other while holding hands. The netizen reportedly observed this when they went to the hair salon where the Fantasy Boys' members are frequent clients. The caption of the post read (as translated by Twitter):

"Just wait, all the evidence will be revealed!"

Here's what the post read:

"After seeing him for the first time in April of this year, I started visiting Korea from Japan to support him at every shoot. And I was in Korea often to see him at music shows, too. Please help me get the word out. I have a friend who works at the hair salon that Fantasy Boys frequently go to. And I went there to get my makeup done by my friend. There, I saw him in front of the salon, holding hands with his hairstylist. I was shocked because he’s 15 (Korean age)."

They continued:

"How can a middle schooler idol be in a relationship with his hairstylist? It’s like something out of a novel. And I was so sad and disappointed to have seen it with my own eyes. So, I asked my friend to share the private IG handles that the hairstylist and the idol used. And I asked one of the best hackers in Japan to access the accounts. He does not care for his fans. I’m going to let the truth be told to his fans who genuinely love and support him. Leave the group, Kim Gyurae!"

Following this post, they also posted screenshots and recordings of the conversations shared by the two after allegedly hacking into their private Instagram handles. The first conversation they revealed was between the two chatting during Fantasy Boys' video fan call event.

Kim Gyurae was allegedly texting the stylist and sending photos of himself at the event in between the fan calls.

The netizen captioned the message with:

"Even during the minute-long breaks in between the video calls, you’re talking to So Yee. (Alleged name of the hairstylist). I should’ve known something felt off when it was my turn for the video call. You were so shameless. You were waiting to record a video for your girlfriend!"

Another set of messages showcased the two chatting with each other during the Fantasy Boys' concert, and the screenshots showcased Kim Gyurae sending selfies of him to the stylist. The netizen captioned this set of screenshot releases with:

"Your girlfriend was the one who picked your concert hairstyle. During the concert, when a unit was performing and Gyurae was not on stage, he was talking to his girlfriend backstage. You didn’t share anything with your fans on Twitter for weeks. But you were sending selfies to your girlfriend every day."

The netizen also posted a video revealing the voice messages that Kim Gyurae and the stylist allegedly shared through their Instagram DMs. They uploaded it with the caption:

"I voted for you even though you sing and dance like sh*t, and got you to debut as a second-place winner on the show. A 15-year-old (Korean age) middle schooler… But three months after debuting, you start dating your stylist?! You’ve let down all the fans who ever voted for you. You’re letting down your fellow Fantasy Boys members. You need to leave the group now."

The final set of messages shared between the two allegedly showcased the stylist flirting with Kim Gyurae and asking him to come over to her house. The idol was also seen suggesting that she takes him for drinks, even though he is underage. The netizen's caption for this was:

"What would a 15-year-old male idol do, going over to the house of a 22-year-old hairstylist at night?...Him asking his girlfriend to take him drinking with her."

After allegedly exposing the two, the netizen also shared that the idol and the stylist have since deleted their private Instagram accounts.

Following the controversy, Kim Gyurae's agency, Pocketdol Studio, responded to the same by denying the allegations put forth by the netizen. They also added that legal action will be taken against the netizen who spread false information and allegedly fabricated the texts.

Regardless, when these posts landed on the internet, fans were shocked about the situation. However, they weren't interested in blaming the idol for the same as they felt that he was the victim in the situation.

Many called out the hairstylist for allegedly "grooming" a 14-year-old and also criticized other netizens for sending hate towards Kim Gyurae.

---

While several people pushed the agenda that the idol should leave the group to safeguard Fantasy Boys' reputation, fans defended him by expressing that his young age needs to be taken into consideration and rather than criticizing him for his relationship, the idol needs to receive appropriate help to get himself out of the situation.