Hyeri Speaks Up About ‘Interesting’ Controversy: Her Genuine Reaction to “Did Your Agency Scold You?”
On Feb 22nd, singer-actress Hyeri appeared as a guest on Coupang Play’s series “Office Workers”.
As an acquaintance of CEO Shin Dong-yup, Hyeri drew interest from employees, with some saying, “This is my first time seeing a celebrity in person.“
Car, the Garden asked “Why do idol agencies take away their artists’ phones?“, to which Shin Dong-yup replied, “That’s where everything starts.” When Kim Min-kyo commented “I bet social media plays a big role in that“, Shin Dong-yup added, “But since Hyeri doesn’t drink, she’s never drunkenly posted anything on social media, right? So you’ve never regretted anything you posted?” Hyeri firmly responded, “Never while drunk.“
At this point, Kim Won-hun chimed in “Then that means you did it completely sober, which makes it really ‘Interesting’”, referencing last year’s controversy.
In 2023, Hyeri stirred up controversy when she unfollowed her ex-boyfriend, actor Ryu Jun-yeol, and posted “Interesting” in response to dating rumors between him and actress Han So-hee. Han So-hee later addressed the “transfer dating (dating without gap)” allegations and reacted emotionally on SNS, escalating the situation. Hyeri later apologized, stating, “After coming across the news four months after our breakup, I reacted not as actress Lee Hyeri but as just Lee Hyeri. I sincerely apologize for any harm caused by my momentary emotions.“
Kim Won-hun’s remark made the atmosphere tense, with everyone awkwardly looking around. Sensing this, Shin Dong-yup cautiously asked, “Since we’re office workers here, maybe we should refrain from saying ‘Interesting’? Is that okay?” Hyeri coldly responded, “You can say ‘Interesting’ when something is actually interesting. But right now, it’s not.“
Kim Won-hun then suggested, “How about ‘Delightful’ instead?” Hyeri replied, “‘Beautiful’ would be better.”
Undeterred, Kim Won-hun pressed on, asking, “After that whole incident, did your agency’s CEO call you? What did they say?” At this, Hyeri couldn’t hold back her laughter and burst out laughing.
When Hyeri asked “It depends on the situation. Which time are you referring to?” Kim Won-hun once again mentioned “Interesting”, “Just anytime something interesting happens.”
Struggling to maintain her composure, Hyeri finally shot back, “How old are you? You seem really tactless.” Later in an interview, she remarked “Was he an assistant manager? A team leader? Something was off about him. Team leader Kim Won-hun… even his name is hard to remember“, shaking her head.
Meanwhile, Coupang Play’s “Office Workers” follows the struggles of MZ generation employees navigating life in DY Planning, a struggling mid-sized marketing company, caught between AZ and GenZ office cultures.