From Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin to Lee Do-hyun and Lim Ji-yeon, reel-to-real couples are loved in the K-drama world.

But what happens when a K-drama bully could be one in real life also?

In an article released yesterday (Sept 6), Korean publication Dispatch revealed that they received a report earlier in May about Kim Hieora's alleged past school violence.

The informant, who was not named, stated that they never thought they would "hear a Big Sangji bully curse on television".

Dispatch reported that they met with 10 former students of Sangji Girls' High School between May and June to secure a "common statement" as proof. They also spoke to Hieora herself.

"There was a group called Big Sangji at the school. They extorted money from others and gave it to the oldest members of the group. If you didn't have money, they would curse at you and hit you. Kim Hieora was also part of Big Sangji," said one of the former students, referred to as B.

Dispatch added screenshots of Hieora's alleged messages on Big Sanji's group message board on the Korean social media platform Daum Cafe.

The messages were dated 2003 to 2004.

"This punk LOL, tried to mess with us but never came in the end LOL. Come often you punk LOL," read one of her alleged messages.

"They'll die if I see them," said another message, though it was unclear who she was referring to.

While Hieora admitted to Dispatch to being part of Big Sangji, she denied bullying anyone and claimed to be a "bystander".

"Yes, I wasn't a model student when I was in middle school. I did mess around but Big Sangji wasn't a group of bullies," Hieora told Dispatch, adding that Big Sanji was just the name of the online community, which was a "popular" space to have with friends.

'Why did my name come out in this?'

Hieora also stated that she was hit by seniors at the school "for no reason" but denied hitting younger students and her friends.

She said that the seniors would ask for 100,000 won (S$102) from second-graders like herself back then, which made them collect money from others.

"I do admit I was a spectator to these things, and I am sorry but I did not participate in verbal abuse or assault. Why did my name come out in this?" said Hieora.

A second-grader in middle school is around age 14.

She continued: "Maybe I didn't take it seriously because it was the younger students who were being bullied. Thinking back on that, it was a big mistake for me to be a bystander."

In response to accusations from other informants that she made them buy cigarettes and took money from them to sing karaoke, Hieora reiterated that she "never directly participated in the bullying".

"I went to karaoke often. There were times when my friends paid for it. I don't remember how we got the money. However, I have never taken money from others for the fees," she added.

'She's the same as when she was in middle school'

In the K-drama The Glory, Hieora played the grown-up Sara, one of the school bullies who tormented the main character, the adult version of which was played by Song Hye-kyo.

According to Dispatch, when the drama was telecast, several members from Big Sangji who were still in contact talked about Hieora's image in the show.

"Kim Hieora found her life's character LOL," said one member.

"She's the same as she was in middle school," remarked another.

Another said that she was acting how she is in "real life".

Hieora rose to fame after starring in Bad and Crazy (2021) and The Glory (2022-2023).

Recently she appeared in the second season of The Uncanny Counter which just finished broadcast.

Dispatch claimed that they waited until the show ended to release their report as Hieora was worried that the scandal would affect the drama's ratings.

Following the report, Hieora's agency Gram Entertainment released a lengthy statement refuting the allegations.

They wrote: "It is true that actress Kim Hieora joined an online cafe named Big Sangji that she made with friends while enrolled in Sangji Girls' Middle School, and it is true that she hung out with the members.

"However, we want to reveal that all the allegations that the news outlet reported are false."

The agency said Dispatch contacted them saying they received a tip-off regarding Hieora and a meeting was set up.

"Unlike the provocative title of the relevant exclusive article, the actress has neither acknowledged her participation in school bullying-related activities nor has she ever participated in them. She never engaged in school violence. We once again inform you that these are the truths that actress Kim Hieora discussed with the media outlet that visited her," Gram Entertainment said.

"Furthermore, the media outlet and the actress learned that the informants' mention of actress Kim Hieora to the relevant media outlet stemmed from a mistake and misunderstanding. We resolved the misunderstanding with the informants, they apologised to the actress, and we informed the media outlet of this truth. Thus, we thought that the events at the time were wrapped up as a misunderstanding that occurred."

Hieora made an Instagram post on the same day to "apologise for causing concern".

"I plan on facing every situation honestly and calmly.

"I am apologetic once again to those who support and trust me, and I sincerely apologise to those who have been hurt by me even at this moment. As I know that many people trust me, I will continue forward without lies. I ask that you watch over me," she wrote.

syarifahsn@asiaone.com

For more original AsiaOne articles, visit here.