She cleared up the rumors ASAP, but netizens focused on something else.

Fourth-generation female idol SECRET NUMBER‘s Soodam recently apologized after being spotted with a male friend at a baseball game, but netizens had surprising reactions to the interactions.

Recently, Soodam shared some photos looking absolutely beautiful at a baseball game in Korea.

Yet, GIFs had gained the attention of fans, and it was of Soodam with a very handsome man. During the game, the two were shown on a broadcast and looked deep in conversation.

In the next GIF, Soodam was seen giving some food to the man.

It seems like the GIFs gained a lot of attention, so the idol came online to “apologize” to fans for any confusion, explaining that the male with her is just a good friend from high school. Considering the taboo of dating within the K-Pop industry and even idols being seen with people of the opposite gender can cause misconceptions.

I am sorry for surprising you on this happy 4th anniversary. He’s a friend I’ve known since high school, and there’s absolutely no reason for LOCKEY (fandom name) to misunderstand. I sincerely apologize for creating a situation that could easily be misunderstood.

Regardless of who he is, I deeply regret that my actions seem to have disappointed LOCKEY. I should have been more thoughtful, but I failed to consider LOCKEY’s feelings and ended up disappointing you all with my short-sightedness. I am truly sorry.

From now on, I will be more careful to ensure that such incidents do not disappoint LOCKEY again, and I will continue to work hard. I am sorry, LOCKEY.

— Soodam

Yet, while it’s often the case that female idols are criticized for this kind of behavior and netizens demand an apology, the reaction of Korean netizens was very unexpected. In particular, the comments had netizens gushing over her male friend, and some even thought he was a celebrity or should be an idol.

• “Her male friend is really handsome, so I send my sincere condolences to the guy who gets shown right after…”
• “What the- He’s so handsome.”
• “I thought the guy was a male idol too… What the heck? He should debut…”
• “I thought the guy was a male idol;;”
• “It’s because he’s handsome…”
• “Is he from Sunhwa Arts High School? He’s really handsome.”
• “What a good-looking couple… Wow.”
• “So pretty.”
• “I didn’t know which one was the idol until I read the descriptions. LOL.”
• “He looks like Yoo Seon Ho (a Korean actor). At first, I thought it was him. Is he a non-celeb? Wow.”

While it’s not surprising that Soodam addressed the videos and clips, the fact that netizens focused more on the friend’s visuals and that they would make a “handsome” couple was definitely shocking.