Chapter 16
Chapter 16
The Past Can Be Observed
[Cruelty Hidden Behind Innocence]
[Did the Agency Really Not Know?]
[Was Verification a Failure, or Was the Concealment Just That Clever?]
[When Will the Entertainment Industry Finally Escape the Endless Cycle of School Violence?]
Every entertainment news section was exploding with stories about Winter Castle.
It honestly felt like the entire country had united solely to tear Hwang Hyejin apart.
Even I felt like I was losing my mind from all this.
I couldn’t even imagine how the person directly involved must feel inside.
“Hyejin. We know you’re not that kind of person, okay? But is there anything at all that comes to mind? We need to know everything before we can respond properly. Don’t leave out even the smallest detail. Tell us everything.”
The PR team leader held onto Hwang Hyejin while speaking in a soothing tone.
But was he really comforting her?
His voice and expression were gentle,
yet somehow it still sounded like an interrogation.
Unable to keep watching silently, Team 3 Leader Jo Woonseok stepped in.
“Team Leader Lee. What exactly are you trying to imply right now? Do you seriously think Hyejin was involved in school violence?”
“From Hyejin’s perspective, maybe not. But the other side might’ve seen things differently. I’m just saying we need to shake out every tiny detail.”
“When we signed her exclusive contract, we thoroughly checked her background and confirmed there weren’t any issues. Does it even make sense for something this ridiculous to appear now? This is slander.”
“I believe that too. But the accusations are incredibly detailed, and apparently there’s more than one accuser. That’s why we need to establish the facts clearly from the very beginning.”
The real issue was Hwang Hyejin’s reaction.
I expected her to firmly insist on her innocence.
Instead, her face had turned deathly pale, and she couldn’t speak at all.
At that point, even Jo Woonseok’s expression started dying alongside hers.
“Hyejin. Why do you look like that? No, right? It’s not true, right?”
“…It’s not.”
“Right? Of course. I trust you.”
“But….”
“But what?”
The PR team leader suddenly leaned forward with gleaming eyes like a paparazzi who’d finally found a big scoop.
Seriously, he looked exactly like a paparazzi.
Could that really be considered an acceptable attitude toward an agency artist?
“…There is something that comes to mind.”
“What is it? Hurry and tell us.”
“When I was in middle school first year, I got into a really huge fight with some classmates.”
“How huge are we talking? Who started it first?”
“I didn’t start it.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
The PR team leader nodded in satisfaction.
Only now did he stop looking like a paparazzi.
“Tell us in more detail.”
According to Hwang Hyejin’s explanation, it absolutely wasn’t school violence.
If anything, she’d been the victim-side position in the situation.
There was a troublesome group in class—not full-on delinquents, but close enough—
and they had singled out one weak student and bullied them relentlessly.
Things escalated too far,
so Hwang Hyejin stepped in because she couldn’t bear watching anymore.
During the confrontation, the fight turned physical,
and the other side ended up seriously injured.
“How badly injured?”
“…Her face got hurt. I think they said she’d probably have a major scar for life.”
“And after that?”
“I don’t know. She transferred schools. And my family moved away too, so I transferred shortly afterward.”
“The student you said you helped—can you still contact them?”
“No….”
Road-manager hyung first sent Hwang Hyejin home in the van.
Then the PR team leader crossed his arms and spoke confidently.
“How much of Hyejin’s story can we actually believe?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“How many times have celebrities lied about their pasts in this industry? Team Leader Jo, you’ve experienced enough of this yourself. Why are you acting like this?”
It was the first time I’d ever seen Jo Woonseok become speechless.
The PR team leader continued in a soothing tone.
“I know Hyejin is kind and gentle. It’s entirely possible she really did nothing wrong. But they said the other girl was left with a permanent facial scar.
The public honestly doesn’t care that much about who was right or wrong.
What matters is what sounds more shocking.”
“But kids can fight sometimes. And according to her, the other side started it first….”
“That’s why finding the student who got bullied is critical. Until then, don’t let Hyejin appear publicly at all.”
“What do you mean no public appearances? Filming for the drama literally just started.”
“This isn’t the time to casually continue filming dramas.”
The PR team leader clicked his tongue.
“They deliberately waited until the press conference ended before attacking. That means they’re confident.”
“….”
“I don’t know whether this is old revenge resentment or something else entirely. But either way, now is the time to stay hidden.”
“Are you saying she might have to leave the drama?”
“She might not choose to leave. She could be forced out under the current circumstances. You know that too, Team Leader Jo.”
“….”
Jo Woonseok fell silent again.
Even my own heart dropped.
They could really remove her?
Nothing had been proven.
She’d only been unilaterally accused.
“This is seriously rotten luck.”
The moment Jo Woonseok called me aside privately, he aggressively scratched his head and spat those words out.
After venting alone for a while, he finally calmed down slightly and looked at me.
“Doyoung.”
“Yes.”
“Hyejin isn’t that kind of kid. I’m not blindly defending her just because she’s mine. I know she genuinely isn’t that type of person.”
“….”
“What’s with that expression? You’re thinking even monkeys fall from trees sometimes, aren’t you?”
“No, absolutely not.”
“I’ve been in this industry long enough to see all kinds of disgusting situations. I’ve gotten stabbed in the back by celebrities I trusted and ran myself ragged cleaning up their messes. But this time is different.”
“I want to believe that too.”
“Don’t say you ‘want’ to believe it. Just believe it. Ah, never mind. You only joined recently, so your reaction makes sense. I understand.”
I also didn’t think Hwang Hyejin seemed like someone capable of that.
And the timing felt far too suspicious.
“The timing really is strange.”
“Strange? How?”
“They waited until the exact moment the press conference ended. That means they knowingly held onto this while waiting for Hyejin’s debut.”
“Right. Exactly.”
“But if it were me, after sharpening a knife that long, I wouldn’t release it this early while the hype could still deflate.”
“You mean you’d wait until she climbed even higher before dragging her down?”
“Yes. Since they already waited this long, I think they would’ve waited a little longer before striking.”
Jo Woonseok suddenly started thinking deeply.
“You’re right. They definitely timed it intentionally. But if they’d truly endured this resentment for years, it’s too early. At minimum, attacking after the drama aired would’ve damaged Hyejin much more severely….”
“Unless they needed her removed before the drama aired.”
“Removed before airing….”
Jo Woonseok’s face changed completely.
The despair vanished,
replaced by anger.
“Actually, another agency competed with us for the role of teenage Han Yuna. We almost lost it, but the writer loved Hyejin’s face so much that we ultimately won.”
“Do you think that agency got tipped off and held onto this until now?”
“Now we investigate.”
Jo Woonseok immediately pulled out his phone and rapidly started sending urgent messages everywhere.
“And I have a favor to ask.”
“Yes?”
“You and Hyejin haven’t known each other long, but she already relies on you a lot. Could you visit her when possible and help keep her mentally stable?”
“Of course. I’m Hwang Hyejin’s dedicated cameraman anyway.”
Unexpectedly, Hwang Hyejin remained calm.
I thought she’d at least be crying or depressed.
Instead, she worried more about the company.
“If I get removed because of this, the company will suffer huge losses. That’s what worries me.”
“This isn’t the time for you to worry about the company. The company won’t collapse over something like this, so focus on protecting your own mental state.”
“My mental state is fine.”
She looked too fine.
Which only worried me more.
What if she was merely pretending to be okay while rotting apart inside?
Gentle people like Hwang Hyejin often turned out like that.
And she was still only a high school sophomore.
“Do you believe me, oppa?”
“Of course I do.”
“You’re not just pretending to believe me? Celebrities lie about stuff like this all the time.”
Was there some perfect thing I could say here?
This useless video app was no help whatsoever at times like this.
After forcing my rusted brain cells to function desperately, I finally came up with something.
“I can tell by watching your acting.”
“My acting? What does that have to do with anything?”
“You always try to completely understand your character’s upbringing, story, values, ideal type—everything.”
Hwang Hyejin stared quietly at me.
“You’re the kind of actress who tries to understand even fictional characters from birth to death, despite them not even existing in reality.”
“….”
“Could someone with that much empathy really commit school violence? I don’t think so.”
A faint smile finally appeared on Hwang Hyejin’s face.
“Oppa, then can you listen to the whole story from beginning to end?”
“Huh? I already heard everything earlier behind the PR team leader.”
“That was the shortened version. If I explain everything properly, it’s pretty long.”
“Alright. I’ll listen.”
“Thank you.”
And before long, I regretted agreeing.
Hwang Hyejin proceeded to explain what happened for over three straight hours.
Was she always this fond of endless detailed storytelling?
Honestly, I almost fell asleep listening—
【Model Hwang Hyejin has granted permission to visualize her past memories.】
【Would you like to visualize the events from Hwang Hyejin’s perspective at the time?】
What?