Actor Kim Soo Hyun is currently facing consequences for being involved in a dating controversy with a minor that might result in hefty penalties for his upcoming drama, 'Knock-Off.' Industry insiders disclosed on March 27 that Disney+ has decided to delay the launch of Season 1 of 'Knock-Off,' which was originally scheduled for the next month. The drama, with 18 episodes split into two seasons, had Season 1's filming already completed, and Season 2 was set to finish by the upcoming month. However, due to the controversy surrounding Kim Soo Hyun, all production schedules have been paused. 'Knock-Off' is a high-budget production costing over 60 billion KRW (~41 million USD) for both seasons, with a significant portion allocated to Kim Soo Hyun's pay. His fee was reportedly 500 million KRW (~341,354 USD) per episode, totaling 9 billion KRW (~6.14 million USD), accounting for about 15% of the total production expenses. The financial ramifications of the delayed release are anticipated to rest heavily on Kim Soo Hyun. While specific penalty details are undisclosed, standard agreements usually dictate that if an actor causes a public uproar due to legal infractions or socially unacceptable behavior, they may be required to reimburse two to three times their usual payment. In an extreme scenario where 'Knock-Off' gets completely scrapped, Kim Soo Hyun might be liable for damages ranging from 18 billion to 180 billion KRW (approximately 12.3 million USD to 123 million USD) based on rough estimates. Furthermore, he could potentially owe penalties to the companies he endorses. Kim Soo Hyun acts as a brand ambassador for 16 firms, including Eider, Shabu All Day, Dinto, Homeplus, Shinhan Bank, Tous Les Jours, Cuckoo, Prada, and Jo Malone London. His yearly endorsement fee is around 700 million KRW (~478,00 USD) per contract, which could result in penalty fees surpassing 22 billion KRW (~15 million USD). The controversy arose when claims emerged that Kim Soo Hyun had a relationship with the late Kim Sae Ron when she was a third-year middle school student in 2015. Additionally, he and his agency, Gold Medalist, were accused of pressuring Kim Sae Ron to repay a 700-million-KRW debt. Initially, Kim Soo Hyun refuted the dating allegations altogether but later confessed to being involved with her from 2019 to 2020, after she had come of age. However, on March 27, Kim Sae Ron's family held a press conference revealing text messages supposedly sent by Kim Soo Hyun to her in 2016, containing messages like, "Give me a real kiss later. Is that forbidden too?" and "I miss you."