@Bea Eunhyuk didn't suddenly wake up and think, "Su-ae is ableist." His hearing loss is directly tied to one of the worst moments of his life, so it's something he's learned to hide and be ashamed of. Even if Su-ae is the kindest person in the world, that doesn't magically erase those fears. Plenty of people with insecurities hide things from people they love—not because they think that person is bad, but because they're terrified of being seen differently. You can absolutely criticize the pacing of the story—I agree it's been dragged out—but I don't think Eunhyuk's fear is the unrealistic part. Trauma doesn't follow common sense. It follows past experiences. Whether the writing executed that idea well is a different discussion, but his hesitation itself isn't unbelievable.