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Spark to Sue Parents... Official statement released through agency

20XX.09.XX 09:00

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▲ UA Entertainment Headquarters. ©Daily Newstar

(Seoul = Daily Newstar) The members of Spark, who have been embroiled in a controversy regarding unfilial behavior, are entering a legal battle. On the 9th, Spark’s agency, UA, announced through a notice that they have filed a complaint against three individuals, including Mr. Kim, for defamation and spreading false information.

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With charges related to child abuse and domestic violence also filed, attention is focused on whether aggravated punishment will follow.

The lawsuit proceeded without a hitch. It was a matter that couldn’t be delayed even if I wanted to. I had to finish settling our position before Exclusive Report aired.

Fortunately, there was more than enough evidence to submit. It wasn’t just my document folder; Ms. Jukyung had recorded every single phone call that had come into UA.

After listening to the recordings to verify the voices and authenticity, I practically prostrated myself in apology to Ms. Jukyung. I heard things in those recordings that I had only ever seen in the ‘Malicious Civil Complaint Casebook’ back at the Hanpyeong Industry.

— You’ve really decided to blow this up, haven’t you? You think what we wrote in that letter is all we have? Fine, let’s see this through to the end.

It seemed they received the notice of complaint, because they even called me...

“I’m not taking your calls anymore. I’ll give you a number; talk through the lawyer. Just so you know, the contents of this call were recorded.”

...I gave a perfunctory reply and hung up. According to the lawyer, the calls were coming in about twice an hour.

Because of all this, I couldn’t attend the production press conference, so I technically had plenty of time to take calls... but I decided to ignore them. Let them stew a little.

Familiar names occasionally popped up on my blowing-up phone. Producer Jeon from Exclusive Report was one of them.

Before posting the lawsuit notice, I had contacted him personally to state that I would clarify my position so as not to harm the drama. I didn’t expect him to reach out again before the situation was fully resolved.

— I saw the press release. You put it out really quickly.

“No, I only feel sorry for causing trouble.”

— If it’s not your fault, then it’s just a disaster. Life throws so many different things at you; how can you predict every single one of them?

From what he’d said before, he really seemed to love human stories. Meanwhile, all I remembered from working at a company was gradually losing my faith in humanity. Maybe creators have to carry love in their hearts, like Lee Cheonghyeon.

— I hope you don’t blame yourself too much. If it actually were your fault, it would have been damaging, but since it wasn’t, it just became noise marketing for our project. Free promotion is precious in a time of recession like this.

Afterward, the PD continued to check on me and offer a wealth of supportive words.

— This situation makes it awkward to say it’s thanks to you, but I got an interview request about the behind-the-scenes of Exclusive Report.

“Ah, congratulations!”

— It’s nothing worth congratulating over. Anyway, whenever I get a chance at a press event, I wanted to talk about the scar, on the condition that you agree.

Was it a way to appeal ‘realism’ to the viewers? Like boasting about actors doing action scenes without doubles, or filming underwater scenes in the actual sea.

— Given how things turned out, I thought it might be better not to mention this, but before deciding that, I wanted to ask you first.

“What is it?”

— The scar—did you get it because of your parents?

The question hit me out of nowhere. As I was choosing the right words, an urgent voice came through the phone.

— I’m not asking out of curiosity. I need to discuss with you whether we should erase it with post-production and reshoot the past scenes, or if we should answer that it’s makeup when related questions come up.

Reshooting at this point would be a loss in many ways. It would cost the production company money, and I didn’t have the time. I was already barely keeping my head above water just preparing for the concert.

“If the viewers won’t find it uncomfortable, I’m fine with it. I’m sure the writer had an intention when adding that setting to the work.”

— Hmm...

“However, it’s true that the scar was caused by my father, and since the details of the dispute are likely to be revealed, I’m worried it might have a negative impact on the drama.”

The writer and PD had given Cheon Yoonsung that setting before they even met me. I also thought that unless I opened my mouth, the reason behind the scar would never be known.

But anyone seeing the final product and the news at the same time would likely feel the similarity between me and Cheon Yoonsung. If that was a negative factor, it had to be corrected before the broadcast.

— I’m sorry for asking similar questions repeatedly, but I’ll check one last time. Mr. Iwol, do you have no reservations at all about your scar? No trauma or negative emotions?

“No, I have none.”

After hearing my answer, the PD was silent for a long time.

A moment later, he broke the silence.

— Then, what do you think about just doing some blatant media play?

Media play? Even more than this?

Even though Spark hasn’t left the front page of entertainment communities for days...?

Producer Jeon’s interview was released much faster than I expected. It dropped simultaneously with the premiere of Exclusive Report.

In the meantime, I’d been completely cut off from the internet and unable to monitor anything. The stress of reporting on public opinion at night and writing legal documents during the day must have piled up, because my nose started bleeding like a faucet.

I ignored my rising total fatigue and got punished for it. The only online activity I was allowed was sending Bubble Pop messages on a spare device.

For these reasons, it °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° had been several days since my phone was confiscated. Today, at my request to see the PD’s interview, Jeong Seongbin hesitated before handing me back my phone.

“I told you I could just print it out for you.”

“If it’s just a printout, I can’t read the comments, Jeho.”

“Are you even in a position to be reading comments?”

Choi Jeho scolded me. Jeong Seongbin didn’t say anything, but I could feel him siding with Choi Jeho through his gaze. I tried my best to ignore the sharp stares of the two.

As I mechanically scrolled through the interview, the letters ‘Iwol’ caught my eye.

≫ Q: Is there a specific character you’d like people to pay attention to?

A: It’s Cheon Yoonsung. He’s a character with much more charm than what was revealed in the teaser. I wanted to make him a character that makes viewers think a lot, and I believe we succeeded.

≫ Q: Was it not a burden to entrust a significant role to such a young actor?

A: Not at all. In fact, I had my eye on Mr. Iwol from the very first casting phase. I thought his refined image from ‘In My Office’ and his intellectual image in ‘Act On’ were perfect. During filming, I found parts of the actor that were the exact opposite of Cheon Yoonsung, as well as parts that were identical. I think these elements made Cheon Yoonsung even more attractive.

≫ Q: I’m curious about the ‘exact opposite’ and ‘identical’ parts.

A: Doesn’t everyone experience trials or hardships during their growth? Mr. Iwol and Cheon Yoonsung share a similar vibe. It wasn’t intentional, but I was shocked when I found out during the audition. I thought he was born to play Cheon Yoonsung. I can’t say more than this. It’s a spoiler. Please check it out in the broadcast. (Laughs)

‘This is totally...’

It was startlingly bold. The past scenes of Cheon Yoonsung were airing right after the truth of my family life was made public? And with an interview like this released beforehand?

This wasn’t just pouring oil on a fire. It was dumping thinner on a bonfire and welding right next to it.

— No media outlet will miss out on a story that keeps providing fuel. And no judge is completely immune to public opinion.

Now I finally understood what the PD meant. PD-nim, you really did look out for me. Thank you for turning me into a trending topic...

After touching my nose and confirming it didn’t hurt, I checked the communities. My name wasn’t plastered everywhere like before, but the number of posts was clearly higher than before the IAD and family implosion issues.

≫ I guess they’re keeping Kim Iwol for ‘Exclusive Report’

It’s not like there are no other actors to sub inㅋㅋㅋ Are there really that few young male actors?

└ It’s not just a supply issue; reshooting everything costs money...

└ It’s not even confirmed that Kim Iwol did anything wrong; he says it’s false information. Why would they swap actors?

└ Even if they wanted to swap, there aren’t many male actors who could actually pull it off.

≫ These bastards are tearing Kim Iwol apart like they want him dead.

The agency said the charge is ‘defamation by spreading false information,’ and the idiots going ‘but even stating facts is defamation’ — how low is their IQ, seriously? You think some basement-dwelling trolls have more experience with lawsuits than an agency? Unless you want to receive a lawsuit for being a hater, shut it. UA might suck at other things, but they’re damn good at suing haters.

└ It didn’t even take long between the first exposé and Kim Iwol filing the complaint... That means they already had all the evidence. Only idiots would believe clickbait titles like ‘Idols who are guilty’

≫ That old guy who gambled himself into massive debt and then goes ‘My kid abandoned me! They tore my family apart!’ is ridiculous.

Be grateful they didn’t lock you in a gambling addiction center, ahjussi

└ Apparently his daughter would jolt awake in the middle of the night whenever she heard registered mail coming to the door and run to the entrance. How can he be so shameless?ㅋㅋ

└ ? Who are we talking about??

└ When CJH’s sister was little, mail from loan sharks kept coming, so she’d run to the door whenever the bell rang and open it without even asking who it was. Apparently, the mom decided on the divorce after seeing that.

└ If it were me, I’d stop my younger sibling from seeing a dad like that too. Is that how an adult acts?

≫ I can’t help but cry whenever a ‘Bubble Pop’ comes from Iwol

You don’t have to tell Sparklers not to worry

Please worry about yourself...

Please eat well, sleep well, and look at lots of pretty things T_T

└ He told us not to worry because he has nothing to be ashamed of since he lived honestly, and then he hasn’t mentioned the lawsuit once... I know he’s doing that for the fans’ mental health, but like the OP said, I wish he’d only think about himself for a while.

≫ Can you even call that a human being, doing that to their own kid?

Anyone can see they’re trying to kill their son’s career

Everyone already knows they didn’t support him during school, yet they claim they spent a lot of money raising him and issue a statement about a joint lawsuit with other parents?? Just what kind of battle has Kim Iwol been fighting all this time...

└ Where did the story about not getting support during school come from?

└ He mentioned before that he couldn’t go on school trips and couldn’t go to college because he couldn’t pay tuition

└ Is the idol who couldn’t go to S University because he lacked tuition money actually him?

└└ Yeah...

└└└ Wow, I remember seeing that briefly in a Best post board... if that’s true, it’s heartbreaking

≫ But it’s true he received 15 million won in support.

So it’s not total abandonment, right?

└ You go out with 15 million won right now and see how many months you can live in Seoul after finding a place to rent.

└ How much are parents supposed to support their kid anyway? Once you’re an adult, you’re supposed to figure things out yourself.

└ That only applies when parents have fulfilled their roles. This kid had so many reasons to report his parents that he should have been separated into a facility long ago. Ah, you’re making me want to curse.

Somehow, all kinds of details had come out, as if a Dispatch reporter were attached to me. Even explanations I’d made long ago were being dredged up again, turning everything into chaos.

‘Still, I’m glad the primary reaction isn’t negative.’

The premiere of Exclusive Report was just around the corner. Bad public opinion at this point would’ve been unbearable.

“Hyung.”

I looked up at the sound of my name and saw Jeong Seongbin holding out his hands. I submissively handed him my phone.

“Don’t worry too much.”

“...Yeah.”

“Next week, let’s all watch the drama together.”

Jeong Seongbin smiled. The kind warmth from a boss who sometimes looked like he was about to cry and other times offered sweet comfort was impossible to resist.