AVSH 3

Chapter 3

 The Fall

Do Da-hee, who had voluntarily submitted to investigation before the police even summoned her, underwent two consecutive days of intense questioning.

Da-hee, who hadn’t expected to face such grueling interrogation, was taken aback.

Time passed agonizingly, each minute feeling like an hour, and the detective’s fatigue-lined face was full of irritation.

“Ms. Do Da-hee. You’re not a parrot—what am I supposed to do if you keep saying nothing but ‘no’ and ‘I don’t know’?”

“I’m only telling the truth, Detective. Please believe me.”

“This isn’t a matter of believing or not believing, Ms. Do Da-hee. Think carefully. Have you truly never bullied Ms. Yoo Min-a?”

Slam—!

The detective struck the table. Da-hee flinched and clenched her fists tightly.

“I’m stating the facts exactly as they are. But Detective, you’re speaking as though you’ve already concluded that I really did bully Min-a and drive her to death?”

“Ms. Do Da-hee!”

“That suicide note Min-a supposedly wrote—did you even run a handwriting analysis? Frankly speaking, can you prove that a note whose author can’t even be verified is 100% true?”

“I’d think you, of all people, Ms. Do Da-hee, would know that better than anyone.”

“Detective!”

Unable to hold back any longer, Da-hee rose as her emotions flared—then her gaze turned to the document the detective tossed out carelessly.

” > See for yourself. It’s the handwriting analysis report. ”

“……!”

Da-hee’s eyes, holding the document with trembling hands, wavered violently. It was a document concluding that the handwriting was indeed Yoo Min-a’s own.

What particularly threw Da-hee off was a portion of the suicide note inserted into the report.

「The one who made me like this / Do Da-hee / Did you hate me that much? / I leave unable to endure the bullying / Even in death, I will never forgive you」

Yoo Min-a’s suicide note—about which only rumors had swirled since the full text was never released—was steeped in anger and resentment directed at someone. And within it was included Do Da-hee’s name.

The detective shook his head at the sight of Da-hee covering her mouth as a hollow breath escaped her in disbelief.

“If you’re done confirming, shall we have the truth now?”

Just then, a knock sounded and the door cracked open.

“Detective Lee. Just a moment.”

The detective, who had been glaring at Da-hee, followed the junior detective out of the interrogation room.

Min-a. Why on earth…….

For years, she had let it slide when the media chattered on about them being rivals.

They had no deep grudges against each other, nor were they particularly close.

Just same-age colleagues in the entertainment industry. Nothing more, nothing less—yet why the woman had resented her and attempted suicide was beyond comprehension no matter how much she thought about it.

Frustrated, Da-hee dropped heavily into her chair and bit down firmly on her lower lip.

She slowly opened the hand she had been clenching. On her palm—damp with tension—the nail marks dug in deep were vivid.

Seeing the suicide note’s contents she simply couldn’t understand made her heart heavy, and Da-hee buried her gaunt, dried-out face in both hands.

A short while later, the interrogation room door burst open.

“Da-hee!”

“Je-min oppa?”

Da-hee’s eyes went wide with surprise at the appearance of actor Park Je-min, who had once been under the same agency.

“You must have had a hard time. Sorry—I was too late. Let’s get out of here quickly.”

“Get out? What do you mean……?”

Just then, the detective who had entered the interrogation room gathered the laptop and documents from the table.

“Ms. Do Da-hee. You may go home.”

“Really? I can just leave like this?”

“Let’s go, Da-hee.”

Da-hee’s eyes trembled as she looked at the hand Je-min extended, silhouetted against the light.

As Da-hee stood there blankly, Je-min grabbed her wrist and walked quickly.

“There are too many reporters in front of the police station right now. While Manager Kim distracts them, you just need to move in my car.”

“Do you even have a thought in your head or not? You should have brought a lawyer with you. What did you do wrong to be interrogated for two whole days? Do you know how shocked I was?”

“Da-hee.”

Je-min, who had been firing off words like a machine gun, finally stopped walking and turned around when Da-hee gave no response. Tears were welling in Da-hee’s eyes as she bit down hard on her teeth to hold back sobs.

“You…… are you okay?”

As Je-min reached out with a pained expression, Da-hee took a step back and quickly wiped the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand.

“Yeah. I’m fine. But Je-min oppa, how did you get here……. I heard you were filming a drama overseas.”

” > The moment I heard you’d turned yourself in to the police for investigation, I booked a plane ticket. I’m sorry I couldn’t get here sooner. ”

“Why are you sorry, Je-min oppa. This is my problem…….”

Je-min, who had been gazing quietly at Da-hee as she drew a subtle line, opened his mouth.

“Let’s go for now. I’ll take you home.”

Having safely escaped the reporters besieging the police station thanks to Je-min’s help, Da-hee finally remembered something she had forgotten.

The fact that Park Je-min—known in the entertainment industry as a golden-spoon child—had a father who was the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency.

Come to think of it, there had been a time years ago when she had received Je-min’s help as well.

When Da-hee’s mother, Do Geum-ja, had caused an uproar over gambling fraud, it was Je-min who had quietly buried the case. And because of that incident, Da-hee had cut ties with Do Geum-ja.

Je-min, having seated Da-hee in the passenger seat, got into the driver’s seat.

“You haven’t moved, right? Should I take you to the address I know?”

“Yes. But Je-min oppa, you don’t have to keep helping me like this every time. We’re not even under the same agency anymore.”

“What’s wrong with helping a close younger friend. And speaking of agencies—while we’re on the subject, why don’t you terminate your contract and come to our company?”

“What?”

” > Seeing how they handled things when this incident broke, I really don’t like it. ”

“You know too, oppa. Our CEO Lee is such a pacifist…….”

“Peace, in an industry as fierce and terrifying as a battlefield? A company without crisis management skills is best escaped from. Otherwise, you die.”

Park Je-min, who usually only ever chose warm and affectionate words, was a little different today. He wasn’t wrong, so Da-hee, unable to argue, quietly fastened her seatbelt.

“Anyway, think carefully about terminating your contract and moving companies.”

“……Oppa. Do you believe me?”

“What kind of question is that?”

“I want to believe, but the way Yoo Min-a ended up…… it’s because of me.”

Having seen the suicide note’s contents firsthand, Da-hee, deeply shaken, bowed her head. Then Je-min placed his hand on Da-hee’s head.

Startled, Da-hee looked up and met eyes with Je-min, who was gently stroking her hair.

” > How many years have I known you? I can vouch that you’re not that kind of person. ”

“Don’t worry. Whatever happens, never entertain any bad thoughts. I’ll help you.”

“Thank you, Je-min oppa.”

“Thank me? Between us?”

At last, the affectionate expression of the Je-min she had always known emerged. Da-hee answered with a smile instead of words.

Soon the car the two were in passed through the police station’s back gate and safely merged onto the road.

Da-hee stared blankly out the window. Ironically, unlike her insides which were burnt black, the world—covered pure white by snow that had piled up overnight—was dazzlingly bright.

Even after voluntarily undergoing police investigation and being released, public criticism toward Do Da-hee did not easily subside.

From rabid reporters to fans who had crossed the line, they cruelly chattered on as if Do Da-hee were a murderer who had driven Yoo Min-a to death.

No matter how much one tried to block it, sensational articles—led by the workplace bullying of a colleague—poured out along with baseless rumors that Da-hee had a sponsor pushing her.

Naturally, Da-hee’s schedule was disrupted. Domestic and overseas schedules, events, and commercial shoots were canceled one after another.

It was amid all this that the production team of a drama scheduled to begin filming this summer requested a meeting.

The drama was a fantasy romance starring Do Da-hee, a work that had drawn much anticipation ever since the casting confirmation articles went out.

It was also helmed by a director who had previously worked with Da-hee personally, and written by a star writer any actor would want to work with at least once.

So Da-hee, dressed as neatly as possible, went to the meeting place and, forcing down her slightly fluttering heart, faced the production team.

“We thought it would be more polite to meet you in person and talk, so we asked to see you.”

“As you know, our drama has a production budget of 30 billion won. It’s a difficult role, and it’s true that casting you made it easier to secure investment. But because of the controversy that broke out, the investors…….”

The writer and director trailed off with troubled expressions. Da-hee, who had sensed without needing to be told that things were not going well, asked with difficulty.

“You can speak comfortably. You want me to voluntarily step down from this project, don’t you?”

“No. We agonized over it for days, and we were thinking—how about you take a role other than the lead?”

At the words the director had struggled to bring out, Da-hee bowed her head, and Joo-young let out a hollow breath.

In this work, whose original source material was already well known, the only character Da-hee could play besides the lead was a supporting role with very little screen time.

For Do Da-hee, who had already been reported as confirmed for the lead, appearing as a supporting character might be worse than voluntarily stepping down. That was why a heavy silence fell over the office.

This situation, where no one could easily open their mouth, felt like sitting through torture.

“Da-hee, want to step out and get some air for a bit? I’ll wrap things up and come out.”

At Joo-young’s words, Da-hee forced a smile, nodded, and rose from her seat.

Da-hee, her face covered with a mask, stepped outside the building. Despite the cold weather, perhaps because it was Saturday, there were many people near the office building close to the Han River.

Fearing someone might recognize her and follow, Da-hee pulled the hat she was holding down firmly and walked slowly along the bridge.

She had been able to endure it when she was caught up in something completely unexpected and her schedule was canceled one after another as public criticism intensified. But something like today cut deep.

” > Where did it all go wrong……. ”

She hoped Yoo Min-a, lying unconscious, would wake up as soon as possible.

If by any chance Yoo Min-a died, the situation could become even worse than it was now.

It was then, as she bowed her head to wipe away tears that had spilled without her realizing.

A fierce river wind blew, and the hat Da-hee was wearing was swept off.

“Huh? My hat!”

Reaching out past the railing to catch the hat flying in the wind, Da-hee lurched violently.

“No! Aaaagh!”

In the blink of an eye, Da-hee, having lost her balance, plummeted through the air. Before she could do anything to save herself, the dark river water swallowed her whole in an instant.