Indirect Intent.
“In my experience as a judge, I often encounter cases involving implied malice. If recognizing the consequences of one’s crime is considered definite intent, then implied malice would be the opposite term. Most offenders with implied malice refuse to acknowledge the results stemming from their actions.”
An elderly professor with graying hair stands at the podium.
“In a humorous sense, the pledges of politicians running for election can also be considered fraudulent acts of implied malice. Most politicians do not keep their promises after being elected. However, the offenders themselves neither try to understand nor resolve the gravity of their implied malice because they do not realize they have committed a crime.”
Students listen intently, their eyes shining.
“Even as a judge, ruling on cases involving implied malice is not easy. As I mentioned before, the offenders do not acknowledge that they have committed a crime.”
The professor picks up a newspaper from the desk.
The headline reads, “The Shocking Past of Actress Cha Hyejin—!” with her face prominently displayed.
“Since this is a case that has caused a stir in South Korea, you all must be aware of it. The actress exposed the crimes she had endured and appealed for rightful punishment. However, the media was different.”
The professor puts down the newspaper and licks his dry lips.
“It’s a classic political tactic: attack the messenger when you can’t refute the message. The media dug into the actress’s past, which had nothing to do with the current incident. Eventually, the actress decided to end her life and attempted suicide. But none of the media outlets showed any remorse; instead, they were busy reporting on her suicide attempt.”
The professor’s eyes gleam as he looks at an empty seat.
It was a student who had never missed a class despite being an actor. But today, his absence was understandable.
It was an incident involving a colleague he worked with. He hoped his student was not too deeply affected by it.
“Let’s assume the actress had died. As law students, do you consider this case a suicide or…”
The professor asks the students one last question.
“…a murder by implied malice?”
Dark clouds gather, covering the new moon.
The darkness over the jar stand seems to reflect the state of mind.
The branches of the old pine tree remain still, despite the spring breeze.
It was while he sat in the hall, sighing endlessly.
“You seem deeply troubled.”
It was his grandfather. Despite it not being summer yet, he was already wearing hemp clothes. He sits beside him with a rustling sound.
“Is it the actress, Cha, that you’re worried about?”
“……”
“Are you feeling regret for not being able to help?”
“I gave her advice… to either continue being dragged along or to crash into the situation and end it.”
“It’s not just worry; it’s choking you.”
It was like igniting a fuse. His past experiences were not helpful this time. He had never encountered such a situation before and was ignorant of the weight of his advice.
The weight pressing on his shoulders stemmed from guilt. His grandfather speaks.
“Such things happened in the past as well. The incidents in Chungmuro and the broadcasting industry were beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Immoral acts and behaviors that defied common sense. But it was the same back then. No one stepped forward. They crouched, hoping the sparks of complex interests wouldn’t fly their way, without a shred of guilt.”
His wrinkled eyes reflect memories of the past.
“Because of that, a rising star in Chungmuro took her own life. I wish I had given her a word of comfort, but decades have passed, and the guilt still haunts my mind.”
“……”
“I was no different. I didn’t want my youthful efforts to go to waste, so I pretended not to know. When I finally mustered the courage to visit the funeral, no one was there. Not even the manager who had been in charge of her. It was a clear indication of the adults’ cowardice, distancing themselves even from the dead.”
His grandfather holds his hands. The warmth beyond his wrinkled palms is fully felt.
“But don’t worry. Now…”
At that moment, a sudden spring breeze rings the wind chime hanging from the eaves.
The next day.
“Youngguk, don’t worry too much. Cha Hyejin is okay.”
The first news Youngguk received upon visiting Songwon Entertainment was about Cha Hyejin’s condition.
He wanted to visit the hospital, but the reporters were camped out, and the hospital was off-limits to non-related persons, so he couldn’t even visit her.
“Is she really okay?”
“They said it was an overdose of sleeping pills. Fortunately, after a stomach pump, she’s physically fine. She’ll need to stay hospitalized for a few days due to mental instability, though.”
“Whew.”
Only then did he feel a bit of relief from the weight on his chest.
“Youngguk, don’t worry too much. Cha Hyejin will be fine. Bongchun is also worried. He said you’ve been brooding ever since you came up from Busan.”
“Will she really be okay?”
“……”
CEO Kim Sunghwan couldn’t easily answer Youngguk’s question. He also knew what kind of path the actress Cha Hyejin would walk in the future.
Regardless of the court’s ruling, the public would remember Cha Hyejin’s past more than the corruption of BS Entertainment.
At that moment, CEO Kim Sunghwan made a determined statement.
“If she really wants to act again, I’m willing to help. Since she has cut ties with BS Entertainment, no other agency will take her. Whether she can muster the courage is the key, but if she can stand up, I want to help as the CEO of Songwon Agency. It’s only natural for an actor to live as an actor, isn’t it?”
What if actress Cha Hyejin had heard CEO Kim Sunghwan’s words of comfort? Knowing that there was at least one adult who cared for her so much. She might not have attempted such a thing.
Youngguk was grateful to CEO Kim Sunghwan but still couldn’t easily shake off his guilt towards actress Cha Hyejin.
It was then.
“CEO!”
With a knock, the loud voice of manager Lee Bongchun is heard. When CEO Kim Sunghwan says, “Come in,” Lee Bongchun enters, sweating like a bear.
“Why so urgent? Is something else wrong?”
It feels like his heart dropped. Could something else have happened?
But the answer that followed was unexpected.
“They’re holding a live press conference right now.”
“A press conference? What press conference?”
“I’m not sure, but they said it’s related to the current incident.”
There was no way not to know what the “current incident” referred to.
Soon, the television in the CEO’s office shows the press conference venue.
Reporters are puzzled by the sudden press conference.
“What’s this sudden press conference about?”
“I only got the notice a little while ago. They said the host is Chungmuro. I saw the broadcast teams setting up already.”
“Kim, have you heard any rumors?”
It’s a tumultuous time in South Korea. The story of actress Cha Hyejin had caused an uproar.
Ironically, however, the entertainment industry remains eerily quiet, unlike the public’s interest. They have been anxious, fearing that the sparks might fly their way.
“Is this about some new scandal?”
“Even if it is, it’ll quiet down soon. Everyone’s going crazy over Cha Hyejin’s past right now. Reporter Yang, you got a big scoop recently, didn’t you? You were the first to break the story about Cha Hyejin’s past.”
“I was just lucky.”
The reporters shrug their shoulders, unaware of their wrongdoing.
Indeed, the public’s focus was more on a top actress’s past than on the corruption of entertainment agency CEOs. Hyena-like reporters wouldn’t miss that.
Reporter Kwak Myunghwan, who was watching the scene, furrows his brows.
“Scumbags.”
Though his voice was low, the surroundings fall silent in an instant.
Some reporters twitch their cheeks but don’t dare to protest. Isn’t he a journalist who commands both fame and respect in the broadcasting world?
Even in the same field, some become war correspondents while others churn out tabloids. Kwak Myunghwan is a journalist deeply committed to the truth.
Just then, someone enters the press conference room.
“The press conference will start in five minutes. All journalists, please take your designated seats.”
At that moment, a reporter raises his hand.
“Why did you gather us all here? I see even the terrestrial broadcasters are here. We deserve to know the reason.”
“Although I cannot provide specific details, I understand it is related to actress Cha Hyejin, whose issue has recently surfaced in the entertainment industry.”
At the mention of agency corruption, everyone’s eyes widen. Some hyenas are already licking their lips, hoping for an exclusive scoop.
How much time had passed? The buzz dies down as the main doors of the press conference room open.
And everyone looks in astonishment at those entering the room.
“Director Baek Janghoon?”
Isn’t he the godfather of Chungmuro? Moreover, their eyes widen again at the person following him.
“Director Jung Ikchul, Director Kim Sugyeong, and even actor Ahn Junghyun?”
Each of them is a notable figure in the South Korean film industry. Not only have they established themselves firmly in Chungmuro, but they are also living legends among movie actors.
At that moment.
Youngguk, watching the live broadcast of the press conference from the agency, couldn’t believe his eyes.
Not only was the press conference held so suddenly, but the hosts were none other than the titans of Chungmuro.
“But don’t worry. Now…”
Youngguk recalls his grandfather’s last words from the previous night in the hall.
“It’s the adults’ turn to step up.”
