K-pop sensation Hwa Sa made an emotional confession about the emotional burden she had carried after last year's indecency controversy, and shared the support she got from family and bandmates that helped her through it.

The Mamamoo member discussed the fallout from her controversial university festival performance during the July 13 broadcast of KBS2's reality show "Crazy Rich Koreans."

Hwa Sa, whose real name is Ahn Hye-jin, faced police scrutiny after the provocative performance sparked public backlash.

The case was eventually dropped, with authorities citing insufficient grounds for further action.

"When the criticism hit its peak, my mom texted me for the first time and asked, 'Are you okay, my daughter?'" Hwa Sa recalled during the episode. "Just reading those words — 'Are you okay?' — broke my heart."

She shared how that message reopened old wounds from her childhood.

"Even my parents didn't really understand me when I was younger," she said. "So I told my mom, 'If even you couldn't understand me growing up, how could others?' And she replied, 'You're my proud daughter.'"

Hwa Sa also revealed she suffered symptoms of panic attacks while traveling after the incident.

"I suddenly became unstable at the airport in Turkey, and the members hugged me — no exaggeration, they all embraced me at the same time. That's when I broke down in tears," she said. "They might not even remember it, but I could feel that instinctively, they wanted to protect me."

Speaking separately to the show's production team, the 29-year-old singer admitted that anxiety still affects her.

"I'm human too, so there are times when I feel unstable. I don't know why — it's like I can't breathe," she said. "When that moment comes, just being hugged by someone really helps calm me down."

Hwa Sa rose to fame as part of the chart-topping girl group Mamamoo and has since built a successful solo career.

Despite her usual confident stage persona, the singer's recent revelations have sparked fresh conversations about mental health and the pressure of public life in the K-pop industry.

Representatives for Hwa Sa declined to comment further on her mental health but confirmed that she remains active in her current promotional schedule.

The now-resolved controversy and her emotional reflections have garnered sympathy from fans and fellow artists, many of whom expressed support across social media platforms.

As one fan wrote, "She might be a superstar, but moments like this remind us she's human, too."