Chapter 18
Chapter 18
Did Oppa Remove the Audio?
Creating an alibi for the video source was important.
But I couldn’t drag things out too long.
The production team, already cornered by scheduling pressure, might eventually have no choice but to remove Hwang Hyejin from the cast.
To broadcasters and studios, the most important thing was maintaining the airing schedule.
Avoiding delays at all costs.
Hwang Hyejin’s innocence wasn’t an important business issue to them.
So I stayed only three hours in the provincial town where the middle school was located.
To make it look like I was traveling with someone else, I even ordered two coffees at a time.
Then, three hours later, while returning to Seoul, I reported back to Team 3 Leader Jo Woonseok.
I also sent over the edited video file extracted from Hwang Hyejin’s memories.
As expected, Jo Woonseok reacted with explosive excitement.
—We did it! We finally did it! This footage is so clear and straightforward that anyone who watches it will recognize Hyejin’s innocence immediately. But seriously, where the hell did you even get this?
“I don’t know either.”
—What do you mean you don’t know?
“One of my acquaintances handled everything. They just told me something like this is better left unexplained and that I should simply make good use of the results.”
—Hmm…. Sounds dangerous enough that I’ll just let it slide. I’m a simple citizen who doesn’t enjoy opening Pandora’s boxes.
I stopped briefly at a highway rest area and checked the online reactions.
As expected, the response work was lightning-fast.
Entertainment news sections everywhere were already flooded with articles defending Hwang Hyejin.
[The Innocent Hwang Hyejin—Her Only Crime Was Having Courage for a Friend]
[Hwang Hyejin Fought 4 VS 1 to Protect a Bullied Classmate]
[Not Pure and Fragile, But Pure and Unmatched?]
Ah, this really wasn’t ideal.
I’d edited the footage as carefully as possible to preserve her innocent-and-fragile image.
But since distortion itself was impossible, maybe this was simply the limit.
Still—
the sight of her desperately fighting four people while protecting her friend really was unbelievably brave.
Which completely clashed with Hwang Hyejin’s normal image, where she looked like she might burst into tears if someone poked her lightly.
‘Sorry, Hyejin. I really did try my best to protect your image, but apparently 30th-century ethics policies refuse to allow that.’
Thinking about it now, maybe this outcome was better.
Even though it was unlikely—
what if someone else also possessed the original recording?
What if I’d released a distorted edited version created through the video app as evidence?
The situation would’ve turned into an ugly mud fight.
Not that the video app would ever lose a tampering authenticity battle,
but it was still safer this way.
[Brave Hwang Hyejin]
[Invincible Hwang Hyejin]
[4 VS 1 Hwang Hyejin]
[Warrior Hwang Hyejin]
[Pure and Invincible Hwang Hyejin]
Seriously.
What the hell happened to the related search terms all of a sudden…?
“Doyoung oppa, I think this video is fake.”
I thought Hwang Hyejin would feel relieved after proving her innocence.
Instead, the very first thing she said upon seeing me was that.
“A fake video? Why would you think that?”
“There’s no way I fought those girls that aggressively. I remember getting beaten by four people, then finally closing my eyes and throwing one desperate counterattack that accidentally injured her face badly….”
Yeah, no.
That was your brain’s beautified and distorted memory.
The real you back then was brave, relentless, and basically a warrior queen capable of unleashing vicious profanity at delinquent girls without hesitation.
“Then your memories are probably the wrong ones.”
“That doesn’t make sense…. I seriously can’t fight. I practically faint at the sight of blood.”
Hwang Hyejin covered her cheeks with both hands in confusion.
Even her ears had turned red, so she probably really was dying of embarrassment.
Good thing I only used highlight scenes and muted the audio.
If the full version had been released?
It probably would’ve spread Hwang Hyejin’s name throughout the entire country instantly.
She might’ve even gained a nickname like Dopamine Generator.
A lot more people probably would’ve liked her too.
But in exchange, her image as a pure and fragile high-school actress would’ve been permanently destroyed.
“Anyway, everything turned out fine now, so let’s focus on acting again.”
“…Okay.”
She still looked gloomy.
That’s how cognitive dissonance works.
Facing reality is painful.
Not everyone adapts easily after swallowing the red pill.
Right then, Team 3 Leader Jo Woonseok entered the room with an unusually bright smile.
Ever since I joined the company, this was honestly the first time I’d seen him smile that widely.
“Ah, our Doyoung’s here. Good work. Seriously, amazing work. Even the CEO praised you for handling a huge crisis.”
“It was nothing. I only did what an employee should do.”
“Come on, this wasn’t even part of your job. And honestly, nobody else could’ve pulled it off either.”
Come to think of it, I was curious what happened to the false accusers.
Before I could even ask, Jo Woonseok answered first.
“The false accuser contacted us. Begged desperately.”
“You’re not seriously planning to let them off, are you?”
“We’re not planning to file a lawsuit. At least not legally.”
Meaning they intended revenge through other methods instead.
The meaningful smile on Jo Woonseok’s face strangely pleased me.
“And remember what you said felt suspicious earlier?”
“Huh? About what?”
“You said the timing was too fast for someone who’d supposedly waited patiently to take a sniper shot.”
“Ah, that.”
“The false accuser spilled everything. Jung Suji’s agency was behind it.”
“Jung Suji… ah, the actress who competed with Hyejin for the younger Han Yuna role?”
“Exactly. They needed Hyejin removed before the broadcast aired, so they released the attack at the tightest possible timing.”
“Ha.”
“I checked with the PD. The writer insisted on waiting exactly two more days. If you’d found the evidence even two days later, the role would’ve gone to them.”
“What a bunch of trash without any professional ethics.”
“This industry has always been like that. If they can steal someone else’s chair, they don’t care whether the other person falls down, breaks their legs, or gets a concussion in the process.”
“And we’re just letting it go?”
“What choice do we have? There’s no evidence. Are we supposed to drag completed business conflicts into the media just because we’re angry?”
That would mean willingly stepping into a filthy mud pit.
And the public hates seeing stars covered in dirt regardless of who’s right or wrong.
Stars are supposed to shine brightly and beautifully.
Without even a single speck of filth on them.
That’s why they’re called stars.
“Of course, I’m not saying we’ll truly leave it alone forever. We just have no way to respond right now. But we’ll remember this permanently.”
“I’ll remember it forever too. Jung Suji and that agency….”
“Ah, just remember the agency and the managers. What would a girl not even twenty years old fully understand or lead on her own?”
“Is that really true?”
“It’d actually feel better revenge-wise if Jung Suji became successful later and we stole her away ourselves. Though the chances are low.”
Everything returned to normal.
The company mobilized its full marketing power to spread Hwang Hyejin’s innocence everywhere.
The public, already sensitive about school violence issues, actually liked Hwang Hyejin more after learning she fought to protect a bullied classmate—
especially after hearing it had been a 4 VS 1 situation.
└I thought she was pure and fragile, but she’s pure and invincible;;;
└Honestly I like her even more now
└Saw the video. She honestly looks talented at fighting sports
└But it looked like she was shouting something nonstop. Kind of sad the audio was muted
└Apparently the informant’s phone microphone was broken at the time so no audio got recorded
└But who even submitted the footage?
└Judging by the angle, it looks like a classmate secretly recorded it. Better to leave it alone
└Yeah. The anonymous informant probably had their reasons. No need to dig deeper
Honestly, it was slightly unfortunate that such a huge portion of the company’s marketing resources got spent protecting Hwang Hyejin’s innocent image.
“It’s okay, Hyejin. Everything already passed. People will eventually forget.”
“No matter how much I think about it, that video makes no sense. I seriously don’t remember fighting that violently… I thought I just got beaten up the whole time before landing one hit.”
Everything returned to normal.
But one thing changed:
the way I looked at Hwang Hyejin.
Before this incident, whenever I looked at her, all I imagined were innocent and fragile female leads.
Tragic heroines.
Sad romances.
Fresh and emotional romantic comedies.
Things like that.
But lately, I kept imagining her as a narcotics detective, a spy agent, or maybe the daughter of a mafia boss.
Thoughts like those kept appearing suddenly.
Apparently my inner thoughts were leaking onto my face.
“Doyoung oppa, what were you just thinking while looking at me?”
“Hm?”
“The expression you had while staring at me looked suspicious. Hurry up and tell me honestly.”
“I was just thinking our Hyejin is still delicate and innocent as always.”
“Liar.”
“No, seriously.”
Another thing changed too.
That thick, mocking voice Hwang Hyejin used while staring directly into the eyes of four delinquent girls and unleashing filthy curses.
Whenever I watched her perform elegant, innocent acting now,
that memory suddenly resurfaced inside my head without warning.
“Doyoung, I’m heading to the restroom for a bit.”
“Yes, hyung. Take your time.”
While road-manager hyung stepped away,
only Hwang Hyejin and I remained inside the van.
Like always, I was sketching scenes from the script that might help with her acting.
Scratch scratch.
Scratch scratch.
The sensation of the video app borrowing my hands to sketch still felt fascinating every single time.
I pretended to focus on drawing while secretly admiring the images appearing across the paper.
“Doyoung oppa.”
“Yeah. You worked hard today.”
“That’s not it. Oppa, maybe….”
“Maybe what?”
I asked while keeping my eyes fixed on the paper.
“That informant video… did you remove the sound yourself?”
A chill shot down the back of my neck.
It felt like someone had suddenly poured ice water over me.
