The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter 96

[Announcement] Hello. This is WB Entertainment.

We would like to address the posts spreading online regarding our artist, Se-hyun from ‘SPACE’.

As this incident has forced the person involved to revisit a long-standing pain, we had to approach it cautiously, which resulted in a delay in our official statement. We ask for your understanding.

A few days ago, a post titled ‘Story about Kang Se-hyun from 2nd year, class 4 of Baekji High School’ was uploaded to a certain community. The post claimed that the author, a former classmate of Se-hyun, had been bullied by Se-hyun for a long time and had to receive hospital treatment due to excessive violence.

We will speak only about the clear facts. Se-hyun was subjected to verbal abuse by the author, Kim ○○ (alias), for nearly five months. Below is the full transcript of the recording authenticated by a shorthand corporation.

(Full Transcript.PDF)

At that time, Se-hyun was a trainee at our company preparing for his debut. Despite the abusive language, he did not respond rashly. Despite being young, he responded maturely by calmly recording the abuse.

However, on XX of XX, 20XX, Kim ○○ (alias) verbally assaulted Se-hyun with unimaginable words such as ‘Your mom was a prostitute, right?’ and ‘I should have raped her before she died.’ This incident triggered a physical altercation between the two.

We understand that physical violence is condemnable regardless of the reason, even if Se-hyun was provoked by insults to his deceased mother. Neither our company nor the artist intends to justify this.

After the incident, Se-hyun expressed his desire to leave the agency, but the matter was resolved through mutual apologies with Kim ○○ (alias).

Therefore, we assert that Kim ○○ (alias)’s claim of being a one-sided victim is clearly false, and we are preparing a strong legal response.

Since this incident has left a significant scar on the person involved, we sought ways to clear up the public’s misunderstanding without making it public. However, due to our inadequate response, we ultimately had to release this statement.

We earnestly hope that our artist, who prioritized the members of SPACE, agency staff, and drama production crew despite our poor handling of the situation, will not suffer any further.

* * *

“It’s okay.”

This was my impression after reading the entire statement.

As expected, a professionally written piece was different.

It was masterfully crafted, with words that naturally guided the reader’s thoughts in a specific direction.

‘Indeed, major entertainment companies are different.’

WB Entertainment was also where Noh Bi-hyuk was a trainee.

Since he was good at handling situations, I didn’t think such incidents would occur, but I felt reassured about the company’s response in the future.

I checked various communities to see the reactions.

It was clear that the atmosphere had completely changed after reading just a few posts.

—Wow, this is crazy. I’m glad I stayed neutral.

—Am I the only one who read the full transcript? The content is disgusting… I’m more shocked that such a vile human exists.

—Se-hyun, the one and only leader of SPACE. As a fan, I always feel proud of you. I’m sorry I didn’t know about your pain earlier. I’ll support you forever.

—My friend is an ‘all-fan’ of SPACE and has been crying since earlier… Kang Se-hyun is famous among fans for not showing his struggles. Maybe that’s why it’s more shocking.

—Being an idol is really tough. How did he endure it for five months with a murderous urge?

—But WB Entertainment must really care about SPACE lol. I’ve never seen such a long and sincere statement from an agency.

New posts kept appearing every time I refreshed the page.

The internet was heated all day with unexpected news and provocative content.

When things calmed down slightly in the evening, another post on Kang Se-hyun’s SNS stirred things up again.

It was an apology, sincerely expressing regret for causing a disturbance.

It also included details not mentioned in the agency’s statement.

‘I was deeply troubled when I received the drama offer. As a singer, I knew it wouldn’t look very positive for me to act as ‘Han Yeo-reum.’ I was worried about hurting those who love acting and dramas, but I still wanted to try because of Han Yeo-reum’s past.’

Han Yeo-reum had a personality like any other male lead in a drama.

His personality stemmed from being bullied by his friends.

The main plot involved him transferring to another school and getting involved with the female lead due to this bullying.

Since this was already mentioned in the character introduction, when the controversy first arose, he was criticized twice as much for playing such a character without conscience.

The following post stated, ‘I was drawn to Han Yeo-reum’s story of healing after meeting Kim Hye-yoon.’, ‘I am approaching this role with sincerity, so I humbly ask for your positive view.’

I clicked on the comments to see the reactions but was surprised to find only English.

Does SPACE have more international fans than Korean ones?

After translating, the responses weren’t bad.

That’s a relief. This means the drama will proceed without issues.

Just then, I received a message from the person in question.

[Kang Se-hyun Sunbae: I heard the shoot resumes tomorrow. Thanks a lot for this. See you tomorrow.]

It was a straightforward thank you message.

The lightness of the message made me feel more at ease.

‘I was worried he’d feel too grateful.’

I did it more for the drama than for Kang Se-hyun anyway.

I also felt sorry for peeking into his memories without permission.

His calm reaction put my mind at ease.

‘I can forget about this and go back to filming normally.’

I fell asleep with a lighter heart and arrived at the set feeling refreshed the next day.

And I wanted to punch my past self.

“Really, really… really, thank you.”

“Sigh… Okay, please stop now.”

“I’m really grateful. I couldn’t express my gratitude through a call or message. It feels insufficient even to say it like this. I’m considering renting a billboard in front of here. That might express about a tenth of my gratitude.”

“….”

It would be better if he were teasing.

Seeing his sincere eyes made me sigh.

I asked him to stop if he was thankful, and he finally quieted down.

Though he still stuck close to me.

“Still, it’s a relief that it was resolved well. The original post is already down.”

“Yeah. I heard they contacted the agency to apologize yesterday. I don’t plan to settle, though. It’s all thanks to you. Really, thank you. I won’t ask how you got it… since you told me not to. Just, really, thank you.”

“You must have had a hard time. Well done.”

“… By the way, do you know everything that happened to me? Like… when I was young.”

His smile was slightly tense.

He had no idea how much I knew, so it was natural for him to be nervous.

I knew a bit about his family history thanks to the memories Mist showed me, but it wasn’t something I should be concerned about.

So I responded as indifferently and bored as possible, just as I did in the car.

“No. Sorry, but I’m not interested in your personal matters.”

“…”

“I got involved because of the talk about the broadcast being halted. I don’t plan to intervene any further, so don’t worry. I don’t have enough connections to spread it around either.”

“Then… you helped me purely for the drama?”

“I also hoped your situation would improve. It would make acting easier for you.”

I wondered if I sounded too cold. But it was the truth without any lies.

Kang Se-hyun had a complex expression.

“You’re really serious about acting… Do you like this drama that much?”

“More than liking or disliking, it’s a job. Since I’m getting paid, I have to do it properly.”

“Bringing up money now? Gosh, you’re really unpredictable. You’re surprising.”

I was surprised, too.

What did my thoughts have to do with his confusion?

“Let me ask one more thing. Aren’t you uncomfortable with me acting?”

“Should I be?”

“I’m an idol. Honestly, I’m not interested in acting. The post I put on Instagram yesterday was all lies.”

“…? Yes, I know. I suggested those words to you.”

When I visited Kang Se-hyun’s place, I mentioned that it would be good to tie it in with Han Yeo-reum.

Saying there was a special reason for choosing the drama would lessen the backlash against an idol acting, increasing the chance of the drama airing.

The SNS post included the phrases I suggested.

So I knew better than anyone that it wasn’t his own thoughts, but what was he suddenly talking about?

As I responded, bewildered, his expression twisted further.

“So! Doesn’t it make you angry?”

“Sorry, but I’m not following the conversation―”

“I’m just playing the lead role because I’m popular, without any sincere interest in acting! Even with all this happening, I still don’t care about the drama. I’m only doing it because the company told me to. These thoughts are deceiving everyone here, and knowing this doesn’t make you angry?”

He seemed more upset than anyone else.

I quietly watched him fuming with a reddened face.

“Hyung. While it’s just us here, if you talk that loudly, others might hear. Please calm down.”

“… Yeah. Sorry for raising my voice.”

“No problem. Also, while it’s important for an actor to be sincere about acting, it doesn’t concern me directly. I can’t be angry about that.”

“What?”

His barely smoothed-out brows furrowed again in disbelief.

“If you’re not sincere, who is? You even helped me for the sake of the drama.”

Hmm, how should I explain this?

I couldn’t explain that I had another purpose for acting.

Since I couldn’t mention the misfortune factor, I pondered for a while before changing the subject.

“As you said, there are many actors who are sincere about acting. It might seem unfair to them for you to take the lead role. Many actors are still struggling without getting a chance to shine.”

“I know…”

“But Hyung, a lot of people are involved in bringing a single project to life.”

I looked around slowly.

People installing equipment in dusty clothes, people running around sweating profusely.

“In a situation where so many people are dedicated to a project, once casting is done, it’s most important not to cause any trouble. For an actor, not causing trouble means acting well. By that standard, I don’t think you’ve done anything wrong.”

“…”

There was no response for a while.

Kang Se-hyun silently gazed at the scenery I was looking at.