Episode 53

**"My Confusion (part 4)"** is the fifty-third released episode of *My Deepest Secret* by Hanza Art. Hanamika confides with Emma and Yohan the harassment that she faced during the previous semester. As more information is divulged, the pieces of the puzzle begin matching up, and Emma learns an unpleasant truth about a person she once considered a friend.

## Synopsis

Emma and Yohan listen intently as Hanamika admits that she received several harassment notes the previous semester. The notes, typed and unsigned, contained threatening messages and excessive profanity. Appalled, Emma comments on how horrible the experience must have been for Hanamika. Surprised to hear about this for the first time, Yohan indignantly exclaims that he could have helped find the culprit had Hanamika confided with him earlier. Hanamika explains that she assumed the notes were harmlessly sent from a coward and, considering them an inconvenience, decided to throw the subsequent notes away without reading. Slightly dumbfounded but unsurprised by Hanamika's aloof attitude towards the harassment, Yohan states that she should have kept the notes as evidence. Ignoring his comment, Hanamika continues to explain that after she began throwing the notes away, she stopped receiving them. She concluded by the sender's actions that they were watching her movements. As a result, she began to observe the people around her as a precaution.

One of the clues she picked up on was that the sender habitually used a specific type of light brown paper to send the threatening notes. Near the end of the semester, Hanamika noticed a pile of identical paper lying on the desk of the classroom. As she picked them up to examine them closely, however, she heard a camera shutter sound from behind. Turning around, Hanamika caught sight of Sophie peeking through the open doorway of the classroom, holding a cellphone. Defensively, Hanamika approached Sophie, demanding to know if she was taking a photo of her. Before Sophie could answer, a group of students began entering the classroom. Noticing Sophie seemingly shaking in fright, Hanamika decided to drop the subject rather than cause a scene. The next day, Hanamika was called into the professor's office. The professor informed her that an anonymous student claimed to have witnessed seeing her with answer sheets for the final exam. He regretfully explained that unless she had hard evidence to disprove the claim, he was forced to ban her from taking the final exam.

At this point of her story, Yohan intervenes to note that Hanamika's participation in the field trip as a committee member is the punishment the professor chose as a result. Hanamika grumpily states that she is irritated by being forced to spend time outdoors instead of staying in bed and reading a book. As Yohan cheerfully teases Hanamika for her dislike of the outdoors, Emma, sweating profusely, apprehensively raises her hand. In a timid voice, she confesses that she is responsible for accusing Hanamika of stealing the exam papers. Both Yohan and Hanamika freeze in shock at the sudden confession. Hanamika glares at Emma, her expression growing furious as she processes the information. Seeing this, Emma frantically apologizes and ducks behind Yohan, who encourages Hanamika to calmly listen to Emma's explanation first. After Emma shares her side of the story, including the misunderstanding with the photo that Sophie took, Hanamika coolly declares that Sophie is too suspicious to be let off the hook. Emma's expression changes into one of distress. Hanamika continues, explaining that she has been suspecting Sophie for pushing Emma into the river. Since Emma revealed earlier that she is friends with Sophie, however, Hanamika decided to refrain from sharing her thoughts. As Emma struggles to find the words to express herself, Yohan suddenly receives a phone call. Seeing that it is from his friend, Harith, he hastily excuses himself from the room, assuring the others that the conversation can continue once he returns.

After a brief conversation over the phone, Yohan returns to the lounge and asks Emma to step outside with him. Curiously, Emma follows him out the door. In the hallway, Yohan solemnly informs Emma that he had previously asked Harith, a faculty member from IT (information technology), to conduct an investigation on the anonymous person who spread the video involving her and Yohan. The phone conversation that he just had with Harith confirmed that the culprit behind the video is Sophie. Remembering all the terrible rumors about her that circulated as a result from the video, Emma clenches her fist, unable to respond. Yohan assures Emma that is is better for her sake to hear the news sooner rather than later, regardless of how difficult it may be to accept. He then asks Emma how she wishes to proceed with this new information.

## Characters

*Characters are listed in order of appearance. Character first appearances are **bolded**.*

* Hanamika
* Emma Wilson
* Yohan Lee
* Sophie McCarthy (mentioned; flashback)
* Nura Kim (mentioned)
* Harith (mentioned)