In his new drama "Cyrano Dating Agency," Lee Jong Hyuk plays a pretty cynical guy. As the head of a dating agency, he sets up fake scenarios to convince people to fall in love but he does not really believe in love. He's in the dating game for the money and looks down on anyone who is gullible enough to believe that romance is real. He's not the kind of guy who easily trusts someone.
So, it's ironic that the actor got scammed in real life because he was so trusting and fell for a hard luck story.
The person he trusted was his manager, Mr. Choi, the same person that the Seoul Central Prosecutor's office indicted this week for embezzlement and fraud.
Choi not only borrowed money from the actor by lying but he embezzled money from several actors at the same agency.
Lee Jong Hyuk's agency was concerned that it might seem like he was the only one who was taken in by Choi and that the agency's reputation might suffer because of Choi's crime.
"The fraud case is almost closed," said a statement released by the agency. "We worry that people will think Lee Jong Hyuk is the only victim in the case. We also hope that the public does not misunderstand the situation and that the actions of his previous manager not be allowed to damage the entire company's reputation."
Choi borrowed money from Lee Jong Hyuk and six other celebrities managed by the agency, as well as his agency co-workers. He earned their sympathy by telling them a story that was not true. According to the police, two years ago Choi told Lee Jong Hyuk and others that his mother was diagnosed with cancer and he needed money to pay for her treatments. Lee Jong Hyuk gave his manager $3,500, which he did not have to repay.
Altogether, Choi used this story to borrow $22,800 from seven victims and he has not repaid any of it. The police indicted Choi but he has not been detained. As well as borrowing money to pay for his mother's fictional cancer treatment, the manager also embezzled $10,000 from the actors' paychecks and used the money to pay off his own debts.
Even though this was not a pleasant experience to go through Lee Jong Hyuk may find it helpful in creating his "Cyrano Dating Agency" character, Seo Byung Hoon, who does not trust anyone.
