episode_0016

[Cruelty hidden behind innocence]

[Did the agency really not know?]

[Did the verification fail, or was the cover-up cunning?]

[When will the entertainment industry be free from the never-ending shackles of school violence?]

The entertainment industry is buzzing with the story of the drama Winter Castle.

It feels like the entire public in our country is only after Hwang Hye-jin.

I think I’m going crazy like this.

The parties involved can’t even imagine how fooled they are.

“Hyejin, we know that’s not true, right? But can’t you see something even a little bit? We need to know everything to respond. So don’t miss even the smallest thing and tell me everything.”

The PR team leader is holding onto Hwang Hye-jin and asking her questions as if trying to persuade her.

But is it really right to appease her?

Your speech and gaze are clearly gentle, but why does it sound like you’re questioning me?

Team Leader Jo Woon-seok, who couldn’t stand to watch anymore, stepped forward.

“Team Leader Lee. What are you trying to do now? Do you really think that our Hyejin is involved in school violence?”

“From Hyejin’s perspective, it’s not like that at all, but the other person might have thought differently. Let’s shake it all off without missing a single bit.”

“When we signed the exclusive contract, we cleared up all the past issues with Hyejin, right? How can such an absurd thing be brought up now? This is slander.”

“I believe that too. But the victim’s claims are too specific and there are more than two people. So I think we need to clarify the facts from the beginning.”

The problem was Hwang Hye-jin’s attitude.

I thought he would claim his innocence, but his face turned pale and he couldn’t open his mouth.

At this point, Team Leader Jo Woon-seok’s face also began to die.

“Hyejin-ah. What’s wrong with your expression? No, right? No, it’s not.”

“… No.”

“Right? Right? I trust you.”

“But… .”

“But? But what?”

The head of the public relations team leans his upper body forward, his eyes shining like a paparazzi.

That’s why you look like some kind of paparazzi.

Can you say that is the attitude one should have toward an agency’s artists?

“… I have a feeling something is wrong.”

“What is it? Tell me quickly.”

“I had a huge fight with my classmates when I was in 1st grade.”

“If there was a big fight, how big was it? Who started it first?”

“I didn’t start it first.”

“Not sure?”

“Yes.”

The PR team leader nods as if satisfied.

Now, the paparazzi-like appearance has disappeared.

“Tell me more.”

***

According to Hwang Hye-jin’s explanation, it was absolutely not school violence.

Rather, Hwang Hye-jin was in the victim position.

There was a group of delinquents, although not to the extent of bullies, who would single out a weaker student in the class and bully him.

Seeing that it was going too far, Hwang Hye-jin couldn’t stand to watch and stopped it.

In the process, the fight escalated into a physical altercation and the other party was injured.

“How much specifically were you hurt?”

“… I think he said that my face was hurt and that I would be scarred for the rest of my life.”

“You don’t know what happened after that?”

“Yes, he transferred schools too. I also transferred schools when my house moved.”

“Hey, can you contact the friend you helped?”

“No… .”

Hwang Hye-jin was sent home by Roadhyung in a van.

The PR team leader crossed his arms and spoke confidently.

“How much can you trust what Hyejin says?”

“What does that mean?”

“How many times has a celebrity lied about their past in this world? Why are you doing this when you’ve been through so much, Team Leader 3?”

It was the first time I saw Team Leader Jo Woon-seok be speechless.

The PR team leader spoke as if he was trying to persuade her.

“I know that Hyejin is kind and gentle. It’s possible that Hyejin really didn’t do anything wrong. But I heard she had a big scar on her face?

The public is less interested in judging right and wrong than you think. What matters is what is more provocative. ”

“The kids might fight, and they were the ones who made the mistake first… .”

“That’s why it’s important to find the student who was bullied. Until then, prohibit Hyejin from being exposed to the outside world at all.”

“No, the drama filming has started right now. What do you mean? Prohibit external exposure? ”

“Now is not the time to be leisurely filming a drama.”

The PR team leader clicked his tongue.

“I aimed for the production presentation to end right away. That shows how confident they are.”

“… .”

“I don’t know if this is because of a long-standing desire for revenge or something else, but either way, now is the time to save yourself.”

“Are you telling me to get off the drama?”

“You might not get off, but you might get kicked out. In the current situation. Team Leader 3 knows that too. ”

“… .”

Team leader Jo Woon-seok is speechless again.

My heart sank, too.

Are you really getting kicked out?

I just suffered one-sided harm, and nothing has been proven?

***

“I really got lucky.”

This is what Team Leader Jo Woon-seok said while scratching his head as soon as he called me out.

After being so annoyed by myself for a while, he looks at me with slightly calmer eyes.

“Doyoung.”

“Yes.”

“Hyejin is not the kind of person who would do that. I’m not just protecting her because she’s my child. I know very well that Hyejin is not the kind of person who would do that.”

“… .”

“What’s with that expression? Do you think that even monkeys fall from trees sometimes?”

“Oh, absolutely not.”

“I’ve seen all kinds of dirty things while rolling around in this world. I got stabbed in the back of the head by a celebrity I trusted, and I was running around like a bum trying to clean up the mess. Anyway, this time it’s not like that.”

“I want to believe that too.”

“Just believe it. I want to believe it, no. Doyoung hasn’t been here long, so it’s understandable. I completely understand.”

I don’t think Hwang Hye-jin would have done that either.

The timing is just so perfect.

“The timing is a bit strange.”

“What’s weird? What’s wrong?”

“Looking at the fact that she blew it up right after the production presentation ended, it seems like she waited patiently even though she knew Hyejin was going to debut.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“If it were me, I wouldn’t have waited so long and sharpened my knife, but I don’t think it would burst like this.”

“Pull it down when it’s at its highest?”

“Yes, since I’ve waited so long, I think I’ll hold it in a little longer and then explode.”

Team leader Jo Woon-seok began to think deeply about something.

“It’s exactly as Doyoung said. It’s true that she blew it up at the right time, but it’s too early to say that she held it in and then blew it up. No matter how bad it was, if she blew it up after the drama aired, it would have been a bigger blow to Hyejin… .”

“Wouldn’t it have been necessary to have him leave before the drama aired?”

“Broadcasting charge.”

Team Leader Jo Woon-seok’s face changed.

The gloom disappeared, and anger rose in its place.

“Actually, when Han Yuna was a teenager, we competed with other agencies for a role. We almost lost, but the writer really liked Hyejin’s mask and we won.”

“Did they receive a tip from that agency and then blow it up?”

“We need to find out from now on.”

Team leader Jo Woon-seok took out his phone and started sending urgent text messages here and there.

“And I have a favor to ask.”

“Yes.”

“It hasn’t been that long since we met, but Hyejin relies on Doyoung a lot. Can you go and help her out mentally whenever you have time?”

“Okay, I understand. Anyway, I’m Hwang Hye-jin’s dedicated cameraman.”

***

Hwang Hye-jin was surprisingly bold.

I thought he was crying or at least depressed, but he was calm.

Rather, I was worried about the company’s position.

“If I get off because of this, it will cause a huge damage to the company. That’s what I’m worried about.”

“Now is not the time for you to worry about that. The company is barely able to move because of something like this, so just keep your mentality strong.”

“My mental state is fine.”

It looks so normal that I’m worried.

I feel like you’re just pretending like everything’s okay, but inside you’re already rotten and decaying.

Because innocent girls like Hwang Hye-jin often do that.

I’m only 2 years old now.

“Do you trust me, oppa?”

“Of course I believe it.”

“You’re not just pretending to believe it, are you? Celebrities often lie about things like this.”

Are there any good words that can be used in times like this?

Video apps are of no help at all in times like this.

I rolled my rusty brain cells around and finally came up with an idea.

“I can tell just by watching you act.”

“Internal smoke? What does that have to do with anything?”

“You try to immerse yourself in the character’s growth environment, story, values, ideal type, and everything else to understand it.”

Hwang Hye-jin looks at me blankly.

“Actress Hwang Hye-jin tries to understand the entire life from birth to death of even a fictional character that doesn’t actually exist.”

“… .”

“Can someone with such high empathy wield something like school violence? I don’t think so.”

Hwang Hye-jin smiles faintly.

“Oppa, can you listen to my story from beginning to end?”

“Huh? I heard it from behind the PR team leader earlier.”

“That’s a short summary. If I were to explain everything in detail, it would be a bit long.”

“Okay, I’ll listen.”

“Thank you.”

And then I regretted it shortly thereafter.

Hwang Hye-jin told the story of what happened at that time for over three hours.

Did he really like being late like this?

I almost fell asleep while listening to it.

【Model Hwang Hye-jin agreed to the visualization of her past memories.】

【Would you like to visualize the situation at the time of Hwang Hye-jin’s incident?】

what?