Netizens React As Tables Turn After Former Schoolmate Of Kim Hieora’s Letter Goes Viral

In her post, the schoolmate reveals that she had once been bullied herself. Rather than being cursed at or physically hit, her bullies would go over to her house, when they liked, after school to eat and play.

I was at the time ostracized and bullied because I had misspoken about a friend that I had made in my first year of Middle School. In truth, there wasn’t any bullying like cursing or hitting. Instead, they would just meet up at my house and eat ramen and play, but due to my family’s financial situation, this became a burden, but I couldn’t say anything to them. To others, it may not have been much, but I remember feeling small and not being able to stand up for myself.

— Netizen

The schoolmate then denied that Kim Hieora was a bully and instead revealed that the actress had befriended her when she was being picked on and stopped others from bullying her.

That day was no different. After school ended, (the bullies) said they wanted to come to my house and play. On that day, there was another classmate who I didn’t know very well. That was Hieora. And so they all came over to my house, including Hieora and, on that day, I was free from being bullied.

I am not sure if Hieora remembers, but when she left, she thanked me for the food and told me she was sorry for not helping with the dishes. She told me I seemed nice and said she wanted to become friends with me. Although she may have said that in passing, her words gave me great strength. After they all left, I remember crying for a long time. I can’t forget those kind words, and even now, it brings me to tears.

Anyways, after that day, whenever I saw Hieora, she’d say hi to me and would walk to the school store with me. Naturally, the bullies stopped picking on me, and by our third year, we studied together and gave each other advice. I even went to Hieora’s home… I think we became close.

— Netizen

To further prove that she was indeed Kim Hieora’s schoolmate, the netizen uploaded private messages between her and the actress from 2021.

• “Hi Hieora. I am ㅇㅇ! I thought if I just said I was Sangji Middle School’s ㅇㅇ, you wouldn’t recognize me. This might be random, but I really wanted to tell you how thankful I am to you! I couldn’t muster up the courage to contact you, but today, for whatever reason, I gathered my courage to tell you that I wanted to thank you for what you did for me in Middle School. I am not sure if you remember me then, you told me I was nice and wanted to be my friend and thanks to you my time at school became easier! You didn’t know that, right? Thank you. I made a lot of memories, and I was thankful to have a friend like you. You are a pivotal part of my Middle School experience, and I really thought of you a lot! I would see how you were doing when I thought of you, but I never could contact you. LOL. Although I haven’t been on Instagram for that long, as soon as I started, I followed your fan page thinking it was you, LOL. Anyway, I think you’ll receive much more love in the near future. You are someone who deserves a lot of love. If the opportunity arises, I really want to watch you perform. Hieora, I am always thankful for you and am rooting for you!”
• “Oh, hey!!! It’s been so long, and your message touched me so much, LOL. Thank you! I got strength from the message! How are you?”
• “I’m well! I really miss you, lol. I didn’t think you’d see my message or respond, so I’m glad you did! How are you? You really haven’t changed!”
• “Same goes for you… You haven’t changed at all, LOL. You’re right. I just saw your message ㅠㅠ. Thank you.”
• “No, I changed a lot. I was so thankful for you and am glad I was able to deliver my thanks.”
• “It’s already 20 years ago… We’re old now… I received so much strength from your message. It really touched me.”

Netizens reacted to the schoolmate’s letter, with many questioning the original allegations. Many felt that if Kim Hieora had indeed just been popular and wasn’t a bully, this controversy was unwarranted.

• “There is a f@cking huge difference between being popular and being a bully.”
• “Don’t we have to separate those who are rebellious and those who are bullies?”
• “I feel so bad for Kim Hieora ㅠㅠ. I hope she succeeds even more.”
• “I mean, why did the first alleged victim say Kim Hieora made her buy cigarettes when she doesn’t even smoke?”
• “I actually like Kim Hieora more. It’s not easy to be that kind in Middle School.”
• “I’m rooting for Kim Hieora. She was actually the one befriending those being bullied.”
• “There is a difference between being popular and being a bully.”
• “The contents of their messages are so heartwarming.”
• “I actually think Kim Hieora has lived a great life. Amazing.”
• “I think this post is the truth! Kim Hieora, I will support you!”
• “I hope she succeeds even more. Please pay us back with your acting.”
• “She’s lived as a good person.”

Meanwhile, Kim Hieora has maintained her innocence after Dispatch released a report sparking allegations of bullying. Kim Hieora has since asked her fans to wait for the truth to come out in a statement you can read below.