Chapter 101
The CEO’s office was already filled with people.
The CEO of BHB Entertainment was there, along with Han Hye-ju’s department head—the same man I had seen with Hong Yeon-hee and Won Se-chang at the Japanese restaurant last time—as well as her manager.
And, of course, Han Hye-ju herself was there too.
“You must be pretty flustered by all this, right?”
The agency CEO seemed to be forcing a smile, trying to laugh off the awkward situation.
“I suppose so. You live long enough, and apparently ridiculous things like this can happen.”
I tried to sound calm, but the more I thought about it, the more absurd the whole situation seemed, and the corner of my mouth kept twisting.
Seeing my expression, Han Hye-ju’s department head spoke.
“Actually, we just managed to contact the reporter who published the story first.”
“Really? We were looking for him on our side too. What did he say? Why on earth did he publish such a ridiculous article?”
“He said he merely received the information from an anonymous tipster.”
My forehead creased before I even realized it.
“Ha... an anonymous tipster? Even so, what kind of reporter publishes an article without doing even the most basic fact-checking?”
“Yes. That’s why we’ve already informed him that we’re prepared to take legal action for spreading false information. We’ve also secured the hotel CCTV footage showing Hye-ju and Manager Gwak bringing you there together and then leaving.”
As expected from one of the country’s leading management agencies.
They handled things quickly and precisely.
“An article refuting the dating rumor will be published sometime today.”
Once the hotel CCTV footage was released, it would be obvious that Han Hye-ju and I hadn’t gone to the hotel alone together.
That meant the dating rumor would probably end as nothing more than a minor misunderstanding.
Everything seemed to be getting resolved smoothly.
And yet...
There was one suspicion that had followed me like a shadow the entire way here.
I couldn’t shake it.
“There’s something bothering me... I can’t help feeling that someone deliberately caused this whole thing with malicious intent.”
The agency CEO exchanged a glance with Han Hye-ju’s department head.
Then his expression turned serious.
“So you felt that way too, Team Leader Min.”
The CEO said he had already heard what had happened that night from Han Hye-ju and her manager.
When the pictures had been taken, the manager had clearly been standing right beside Han Hye-ju.
And yet the pictures seemed to have been intentionally framed so that only Han Hye-ju and I appeared in them.
So I wasn’t the only one who had noticed it.
“Then who would do something like this, and why? Manipulating photos to publish a malicious article like that is clearly a crime.”
The CEO paused for a moment before continuing.
“Normally, when something like this happens, money is the motive. Someone brings you the photos, demands money, and if you refuse, they release them out of spite.”
He frowned slightly.
“But this time, there was nothing like that.”
That was what made the situation strange.
No demands.
No contact at all?
“Then... could it be some kind of grudge?”
My expression became serious.
Han Hye-ju glanced at me uneasily before letting out a short sigh.
“I think... this might have happened because of me.”
“Because of you, Han Hye-ju? Are you saying you know who might have done this?”
“Ah... that...”
Han Hye-ju hesitated for a moment.
Then, after another quiet sigh, she continued.
“Isn’t it obvious? It was probably one of the reporters who doesn’t like me.”
Han Hye-ju explained that she didn’t exactly have the best reputation among reporters.
She thought one of them might have planned this to screw her over, and I had simply gotten dragged into it because of bad luck.
She looked apologetic as she said it.
“We won’t know that until we actually find the culprit.”
The mood had grown heavy, so the agency CEO quickly changed the subject.
“Ah, actually, there’s another reason we asked to meet with you separately today, Team Leader Min...”
The CEO gave the department head a look.
The department head picked up a folder and handed it to me.
“What is this?”
“Ah, this is... a written agreement stating that you won’t hold our side responsible for anything related to this dating rumor, even in the future.”
“An agreement? Han Hye-ju and I are both victims here. Why would we need something like this...?”
“I apologize if this offends you. It’s simply a formality. As you already know, Team Leader Min, this industry has more than its fair share of unusual people and unusual situations...”
“Ah...”
I wasn’t particularly offended by the agency’s response.
It was understandable.
Still...
After thinking for a moment, I spoke again.
“Then are you planning to just let this incident end here?”
The CEO looked at me.
“What I mean is... are you not planning to request a police investigation?”
“Ah... an investigation...”
“Yes. If someone deliberately did this with malicious intent, shouldn’t we catch them?”
“That...”
The CEO hesitated with an awkward expression before answering.
“The truth is, we want to catch them too. But... we’re worried about what might happen if Hye-ju’s name is directly brought up during the investigation.”
He sighed.
“If people start saying that an actress is involved in some kind of personal grudge...”
“Ah...”
That made sense.
Actors made their living through their image.
Because of that, there were many occasions when actors suffered unfairly but had no choice except to stay quiet and let things pass.
From the agency’s point of view, protecting their actress came first.
I could understand their reasoning.
But...
I was different.
I wasn’t an actor.
And I had far too strong a sense of justice to simply bury something like this.
“Then I’ll look into it personally.”
Everyone looked at me.
“I want to find out exactly who did this and why.”
“But how...?”
“I’m not sure yet. I suppose that’s what I have to figure out now.”
And with that, our conversation came to an end.
Just as he had when I arrived, the agency CEO arranged a van to take me back.
Han Hye-ju followed me all the way down to the underground parking lot.
“I’m sorry you had to go through all this because of me.”
