On the 9th, the YouTube channel “CBS Renew” released a video titled Gaslighting, Sponsor(?), Confinement—Breaking Through All This Darkness. In the video, actress Lee Ja Eun, who appeared in dramas such as Dear My Friends, Graceful Family, and Again My Life, shared her acting career and the shocking experiences she went through during that time.
Lee Ja Eun recalled an incident from her rookie days where she was subjected to inappropriate demands by the head of an agency. She said, “It was a time when I was looking into many agencies. When I went to one, the director’s gaze was strange,” adding, “He said, ‘You don’t really know how things work here, so you need some helping hands. You need a sponsor, and the company has to be good.’”
She continued, “Suddenly, he pulled down the blinds and said I had to be verified before attaching a sponsor, then told me to take off my clothes. He even tried to take off his own. He forcefully tried to assault me, so I ran away,” recalling the situation. She added, “Back then, this kind of thing happened all the time. I was left a complete wreck.”
She said she later suffered greater harm through another person. Lee Ja Eun said, “At that time, there was an agency, and through the head I met someone who said, ‘Don’t worry anymore. Your problem is that you don’t have a proper agency or sponsor. I’ll help you.’”
She recalled, “He said he would take over the management and suggested signing a new contract. It included living expenses for a month, lodging, car, investment costs, and contract fees. Nothing was unfavorable to me, and at the time, he seemed like a prince on a white horse.”
But the reality was different. Lee Ja Eun said, “At first, he seemed very gentlemanly and cool, but things got weird. There were many gang-like people around him, and he often said scary things,” adding, “None of the promises in the contract were kept.”
She revealed, “He said he would provide a place to stay, but he had me stay in a hotel, and that’s when a life like confinement began.” She confessed, “I had left home to succeed in acting and had some pride. I was afraid to tell my family, worried he might harm them.”
According to Lee Ja Eun, there was even a watcher present at the hotel. She said, “They already knew who I met. The surveillance got more intense,” adding, “I even heard rumors that drugs were slipped into my food. Since it wasn’t my home, I didn’t know what they had done.”
Eventually, she decided she could no longer endure and escaped. Lee Ja Eun said, “I couldn’t act or get paid during that time. I felt this isn’t right, so I just ran away blindly,” confessing, “I was gaslit and had severe delusions because of it. I thought it wouldn’t be strange if I died immediately.”
Even after her escape, anxiety did not subside easily. She said, “I couldn’t go home or live a normal life for about a month,” adding, “My family didn’t know, but I slept with a kitchen knife out. I was afraid that person would break into the house and do something. He actually made those threats,” revealing the shocking truth.