PETALING JAYA, Nov 10 — Former Black Swan member Hyeme has been accused by a former fan of manipulating him into giving her 50 million won (RM184,000).
An office worker known as B told Korean media outlet Dispatch that he plans to take legal action after becoming a victim of fraud by a K-pop singer that was later revealed to be Hyeme.
The report stated that B, who is in his early 30s, first exchanged messages with the Tonight singer on social media in 2018 and that he had been a fan of her music at the time.
The two then met up in real life for meals and drinks and B began to develop romantic feelings for Hyeme, which motivated him to help her when she faced financial difficulties in 2019.
“At first, I cheered her on as a fan. Then we became close. Following which, I developed feelings for her.
“I truly hoped Hyeme would find success. That’s why I helped her,” said B, based on translations by Koreaboo.
B claimed that Hyeme had requested for him to rent an apartment for her so she could focus more on her activities as a singer and that she promised to pay back the money once she succeeded in her career.
He reportedly paid the RM3,300 monthly rent on a small officetel apartment for a year and even took care of the RM73,900 deposit fee so Hyeme could live there.
B then gave Hyeme a credit card and she racked up a bill amounting to RM47,300 within five months in addition to her requests for direct cash transfers.
He said that Hyeme had allegedly squandered the money by spending it on entertainment and leisure activities and that she cut contact with him after he asked her to pay him back in March 2020.
“She said that she would pay me back when she finds success. But she changed her number and disappeared.
“More than anything, the sense of betrayal is huge,” said B.
B also clarified that he never had a sexual relationship with Hyeme despite harbouring unrequited love for her.
Shortly after the scandal broke out, Hyeme’s agency DR Music confirmed that she had indeed borrowed money from an individual and that they were investigating the matter.
The label released a statement today announcing that they will be filing a countersuit against B on behalf of Hyeme despite previously ending her contract on November 7.
DR Music said that B had “greatly exaggerated” his claims and will sue him for defamation of character, spreading false and malicious rumours, and violation of sexual harassment laws.
“The individual will also face additional legal action for interference of business and false reporting, which not only damaged Hyeme’s character but also inflicted damages on Black Swan’s promotions,” said DR Music, based on translations by Allkpop.
Hyeme has since left her position as the main vocalist for Black Swan and deleted her Instagram account.
She first debuted as a singer with the girl group Rania in 2015.
