She Died Once

Chapter 9 Press conferences

The press conference for the Sang family was organized single-handedly by Sang Shuchen.

Sang Jiyue was pushed in front of the media cameras by him. Gone was the disheveled appearance from the day before; today, she looked radiant and composed. Not a trace of guilt or shame showed on her face despite the exposure of her dark deeds.

"Ms. Sang Jiyue, we would like to ask, are the rumors on the internet true? Is the video content genuine? Did you really frame Ms. Sang Siuhyeon?""Miss Sang, do you have anything to say in response to this? Is there a misunderstanding here?""Miss Sang Jiyue, don’t you think your actions are truly reprehensible? How can you face the fans who have supported you unconditionally? Aren’t you ashamed of what you’ve done?"

Reporters from major media outlets fired their questions at her. Each seemed to stand on a moral high ground, condemning Sang Jiyue as if they were the ones dispensing justice.

Sang Jiyue looked at them coldly, feeling their questions were hypocritical to the extreme. A mocking smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

"The video is certainly true," she said with an air of indifference. "I won’t deny what I’ve done. Yes, I framed Sang Siuhyeon. Even after ruining her reputation, I didn’t stop—I pushed her to her death."

She spoke with surprising ease, her tone devoid of guilt. In fact, she sounded as though her actions were justified.

The press conference was being broadcast live across the internet. People everywhere tuned in, expecting to see a tearful and remorseful Sang Jiyue—someone who would beg for forgiveness at Sang Siuhyeon's grave, confessing her sins.

Instead, they saw Sang Jiyue’s calm and indifferent attitude, which only made their anger boil over.

[How can Sang Jiyue be so unrepentant?!][She has no shame! It’s like she’s proud of what she did!][She thinks she’s right! But Sang Siuhyeon didn’t deserve that! What gives her the right to do such things?!][She makes me sick! I can’t believe I ever thought she was kind and beautiful!]

The reporters, visibly furious, continued to press her.

"Ms. Sang Jiyue, you don’t feel even the slightest guilt? Don’t you think your actions are utterly lacking in moral integrity?""Miss Sang Siuhyeon has always been kind to you, yet you pushed her to the brink of destruction. Don’t you feel any remorse?""Do you think you still deserve to be called a human being?"

Sang Jiyue listened to their tirades, her mocking smile only deepening. Her eyes filled with disdain as she looked at the crowd, their righteous anger more nauseating to her than anything else.

"You think you’re so much better than me?" Sang Jiyue spoke slowly, her voice cutting through the heated silence and effectively silencing the reporters. "You’re nothing but a group of opportunistic vultures who will pounce on whatever story gets them attention. And now you’re pretending to be the voice of justice!"

She looked at them with contempt, her gaze sharp. "You’ve forgotten how you treated Sang Siuhyeon before, haven’t you? How you used the foulest words to insult her? How you grinned when you believed the lies about her? How you begged me for favors and praised me when it suited you? Stop pretending to be so righteous now. You’re the ones who disgust me!"

Sang Jiyue’s voice grew stronger as she tore into the reporters. "You want to blame me for the damage done to Sang Siuhyeon? Don’t make me laugh. You never cared about the truth. When all this happened, you didn’t even know what was really going on. You just jumped on the bandwagon to condemn her. You didn’t care if she was innocent or not. You just cared about your clicks, your views, your popularity. Now that the truth is out, you’re trying to save face by pretending you’ve been deceived? It’s hypocritical!"

Sang Jiyue’s words came out in a sharp, biting torrent. "When Sang Siuhyeon was weak, you were all too eager to kick her while she was down. Now that I’m the one being exposed, you’re doing the same to me? Dream on!"

She gave a light, derisive laugh, her gaze sweeping over the reporters in front of her. "I’m not like Sang Siuhyeon, who was so naive and kind-hearted that she let herself be used. She had her own principles, but I don’t. Compared to you self-righteous people, I’m at least honest and upfront about my wrongdoings!"

Sang Jiyue’s words left no room for rebuttal.

The reporters exchanged looks, but none of them dared to speak.

Sang Jiyue was right. They were the ones pretending to be moral.

The media cared only for the attention, the drama. As long as it garnered views, what did it matter if the truth was twisted? They didn’t care whether Sang Siuhyeon was innocent; they only cared about sensationalizing every detail, exaggerating the smallest of events. They knew full well that Sang Siuhyeon had no chance of defending herself, so they reveled in the drama without concern for the damage done.

"Look at your pathetic attempts at justice," Sang Jiyue sneered, her words sharp as a blade. "The moment the executioner swings the guillotine, those who cheer from the sidelines are just as guilty. If I’m guilty, then so are all of you."

Sang Siuhyeon didn’t die at the hands of any one person. She died because of the collective actions of everyone involved. Nobody could escape their responsibility.

All guilty. No exceptions.

The room fell silent. The network was silent as well, reflecting the weight of Sang Jiyue’s final words.

[Are we really innocent...?][When the avalanche comes, no snowflake is innocent. We were all part of it. We all cheered as she fell.]Maybe it was the hateful words in the comments, maybe it was the finger-pointing on the street, maybe it was the insults we so casually tossed around—all of it contributed to Sang Jiyue's downfall.

[Sang Jiyue may be bad, but we’re even worse...][Ignorance is guilt. Standing by and doing nothing is just as bad as committing the crime. We’re all murderers, just like her.]