What Sincerity Means
[Notice] Hello. This is WB Entertainment.
We are writing to address the posts currently spreading online concerning Sehyun of SPACE, an artist under our agency.
Because this process required reopening wounds that have tormented him for many years, we felt compelled to proceed with the utmost caution, and we ask for your understanding regarding the delay in our official statement.
A few days ago, a post titled "The Story of Kang Sehyun, Class 2-4 of Baekji High School" was uploaded to a certain online community. In it, the author claims to be Sehyun's high school classmate, alleging that he endured years of bullying at Sehyun's hands and was hospitalized for severe physical assault.
We will state only the verified facts. For a period of nearly five months, Sehyun was subjected to sustained verbal abuse by the author of that post, Kim ○○ (pseudonym). The full transcript, certified by a court-approved transcription firm, is attached below.
— Full Transcript.PDF —
At the time, Sehyun was a trainee under our agency preparing for debut, and thus could not afford to react rashly to such verbal assaults. Though still young, he calmly and methodically recorded the abuse in order to handle the situation as maturely as he could.
However, on 20XX.XX.XX, Kim ○○ (pseudonym) unleashed verbal violence beyond anything imaginable, telling Sehyun, "I heard your mom was a wh*re," and "Before she died, I should've gotten a taste of it too." We acknowledge that this became the trigger for a physical altercation between the two.
We understand that no matter how vile the insults directed at his late mother, physical violence must be socially condemned regardless of justification. We state in advance that neither the company nor the artist has any intention of excusing it.
After the incident, Sehyun expressed his intention to leave the agency of his own accord; however, following discussions with Kim ○○ (pseudonym), the matter was resolved with mutual apologies.
Therefore, the post by Kim ○○ (pseudonym), which paints himself as an innocent victim, clearly spreads false information, and we are preparing strong legal action in response.
Because this remains a deeply painful event for the party involved, we searched for a way to resolve the public's misunderstanding without public disclosure. But due to our own shortcomings, we have ultimately found ourselves writing this statement.
Despite the inadequacy of our response, this artist thought first of the members of Space, our staff, and the drama's production team. We sincerely hope that he will never have to suffer harm again.
"Not bad."
That was my impression after reading the statement through to the end. As expected, there was nothing quite like prose written by professionals.
The artistry of it lay in how naturally they'd woven in words that steered the reader's thinking in one specific direction. A major entertainment company really is a different breed, huh.
WB Entertainment also happened to be the agency where Noh Bi-hyuk was training. The kid was such a smooth operator that nothing like this would ever blow up around him, but even so, it was comforting to know I wouldn't have to worry about how his future agency would handle a crisis.
After reading the statement, I checked the various online communities to gauge the reaction. Even a handful of posts made it obvious that the tide had completely turned.
New posts scrolled up in an unbroken stream every time I refreshed. Shock at the completely unexpected news and its lurid contents kept the internet boiling hot for the entire day.
Then, as things finally began to settle toward evening, chaos erupted all over again when a new post appeared on the singer Kang Sehyun's social media.
Curious how people were reacting, I clicked into the comments — and was puzzled to find nothing but English. Did Space have more foreign fans than Korean ones?
From what I could piece together, the reception wasn't half bad. Good. That meant the drama would go ahead without a hitch, presumably.
It was a plain, unadorned note of thanks, and its very lightness put my mind considerably at ease. I'd been worried he might make too big a deal of it.
None of it had been for the singer Kang Sehyun in the first place — it was for the drama. I also felt a twinge of guilt for having peered into his memories without permission, so this restrained reaction was a relief.
We'll just let it all blow over like it never happened and go back to filming as normal.
Feeling lighter, I drifted off to sleep, and arrived at the set the next day feeling refreshed.
And then I wanted to punch yesterday's me.
"Thank you. Really… truly, thank you."
"Haah… yes, I know. Please, stop now."
"I mean it, I'm genuinely grateful. A call or a text just didn't feel like enough to express it. Honestly, even saying it like this feels insufficient. Maybe I should rent out that billboard up front — that might let me discharge a tenth of what I'm feeling right now."
"………"
It would almost be better if he were teasing me. But there was nothing but earnestness in those eyes, and all I could do was sigh.
When I pleaded that if he was grateful, he'd kindly stop saying so, he finally quieted down. Though he was still plastered to my side, of course.
"Well, I'm glad it worked out. I saw the original post was already taken down, too."
"Yeah. He apparently contacted my agency yesterday to say he was in the wrong. He has no intention of settling, though. It's all thanks to you. Really, thank you. As for how you got all that… you told me not to ask, so I won't ask. Just — thank you. Truly."
"You must have been through a lot emotionally, all this time. You've worked hard."
"……Hey. Do you, by any chance, know everything about what happened to me? Like… when I was younger."
The smile armored across his face looked a touch strained. He had no way of guessing how much I knew, so his unease was more than justified.
Thanks to the memories An-gae had shown me, I wasn't entirely ignorant of his family history — but that was territory I had no business touching. So I kept the same indifferent expression I'd worn in the car, answering as bored as I could manage.
"No. Sorry, but your personal life doesn't interest me, hyung."
"………"
"I stepped in because there was talk of the drama being pulled off the air, that's all. I have no intention of going further than that, so you can relax. I'm not nearly well-connected enough to be blabbing things around, either."
"So… you helped me purely because of the drama?"
"I also wanted your situation to improve. It makes acting alongside you that much easier."
Maybe that came out too cold. But it was the truth, without a single lie in it. The singer Kang Sehyun's face settled into something unreadable and strange.
"You really are serious about acting, aren't you…. Do you love this drama that much?"
"It's not a matter of liking or disliking — it's a job. I got paid, so I do it properly."
"Money?" he said, blinking. "Ha. You really are impossible to figure out. I don't know whether to be impressed or dumbfounded."
I was dumbfounded too. Getting flustered over my own thoughts, of all things.
"One more question. Aren't you uncomfortable with me acting at all?"
"Should I be?"
"I'm an idol. Frankly, I don't even care about acting. Everything I wrote on Instagram yesterday was a lie."
"…? Yes, I know. I'm the one who told you what to write."
When I had visited the singer Kang Sehyun's lodgings, I'd suggested that tying the story to Han Ha-summer might work in his favor. A special, personal reason for choosing the drama would soften public resistance to "an idol's acting career," and in turn raise the odds of the drama actually airing.
The social media post had carried my suggested lines verbatim. I knew better than anyone that none of it reflected his actual feelings — so where was this suddenly coming from?
My dazed reply only made his expression crumple further.
"That's my point! Doesn't that make you angry?"
"Sorry, but I'm missing the context of this conversation—"
"I don't care about acting, and I only landed the lead role because I'm popular! Even with everything that's happened, I still have zero interest in this drama. I'm doing it because the company told me to, nothing more. Every one of those words was a deception — of you, of everyone here — and knowing that, you're telling me it doesn't make you angry?"
For what it was worth, the one asking the question looked the angriest of anyone.
I just quietly watched him, flushed red and bristling.
"Hyung. It's just the two of us right now, but if you keep shouting like that, people will hear you from clear across the set. Take a breath."
"……Right. Sorry for raising my voice."
"It's fine. And look — whether an actor is sincere about acting is obviously an important question, but it doesn't apply to me, so I don't see how I could get angry at you over it."
"What?"
The brow that had only just smoothed out furrowed again, as if he couldn't believe his ears.
"If you're not sincere, then who on earth is? You went out of your way to help me, all for the sake of a drama."
Hm. How was I supposed to explain this one?
It wasn't as though I could tell him I had my own reasons for acting. And since the Misfortune Factor was off the table, I mulled it over for a moment and then simply changed tack.
"You're right, hyung — there are plenty of actors who pour everything into this craft. To them, you taking the lead role might well look unfair. There are a lot of actors out there who never got their chance, still waiting for their moment in the light."
"……I know that."
"But hyung, getting a single work out into the world takes a lot more people than just the actors."
I slowly looked around. People in dust-caked clothes rigging up equipment, people darting in every direction drenched in sweat.
"With this many people pouring themselves into one production, if the casting's already decided, then the most important thing is not to be a burden. And for an actor, the way not to be a burden is to act well. By that measure, I don't think you've done a single thing wrong, hyung."
"………"
No answer came for a long while. The singer Kang Sehyun simply gazed, wordless, at the same scene I'd been watching.