Chapter 1.2

The two leisurely enjoyed their course meal. They didn’t exchange many words, but their conversation was typical of what a couple would share.  

Even when she couldn’t understand half of it, he would often talk about work.  

She didn’t mind listening. The future of Leehan Group that he would soon lead seemed so dependable, and that made her feel good.  

As the meal neared its end, Moonkyeong presented the tie she had chosen at the department store.  

“It might seem modest compared to yours, but I picked it out with great care.”  

“Thank you.”  

He smiled, almost as if it was the first time he had ever received a gift.  

At that smile, Moonkyeong lightly touched the pearl earrings hanging from her ears.  

In the last season of her twenties, the snow outside continued to fall, blanketing the world.  

When the season of melting snow arrived, would I be living a slightly different life?  

She hoped that her thirties would bring her more happiness than now.  

Moonkyeong looked at him.  

“Seojun.”  

“…….”  

“Let’s get divorced. You promised that if I ever wanted to, we could part ways. Please keep that promise now.”  

Her words were brief and to the point.  

It was as if she knew exactly how much Seojun liked things to be handled neatly.  

Her request for a divorce struck sharply and precisely into his ears.  

***

1 year and 6 months ago.

It was around the time her 28th birthday was approaching.  

In a season when her clear and radiant skin shone brighter than ever, she had just completed a dazzling finale to Swan Lake.  

After the performance, Do Hyeran visited her daughter’s dressing room.  

In her hands was a bouquet she had been busy preparing since morning.  

Hyeran ran to embrace her daughter as soon as she saw her.  

“My dear, you were amazing today. Even though I’ve seen this performance so many times, I cried again. It was so moving and emotional.”  

“Really?”  

“Yes. Everyone is singing your praises. Even though Odette (the protagonist of Swan Lake) isn’t a real person, they said it felt like she came to life. A swan so tragic and beautiful—it makes me so proud that you’re my daughter.”  

Hyeran even shed a tear, still caught in the lingering emotion of the performance.  

Moonkyeong buried her face in the large bouquet.  

The sweet fragrance of the flowers filled her senses, and the vibrant colors of the bouquet were a feast for the eyes.  

“They’re beautiful.”  

“Yes, your father is outside. And the Chairman of Leehan Group is here too. After watching your performance, they couldn’t stop praising you, saying they’d love to have you as their daughter-in-law.”  

“Leehan Group?”  

“Yes, I’ve mentioned them to you several times before. Surely, you remember?”  

“Of course. I’ve heard it so many times it’s like a nail in my ear.”  

“Good. We’re having dinner together, so finish up and come out quickly. It wouldn’t be polite to keep them waiting too long. You understand, right?”  

“Of course. I’ll be right out.”  

Her hands moved quickly to remove her heavy stage makeup.  

As her mother had said, it wouldn’t do to keep such esteemed guests waiting.  

Having returned to Korea only six months ago after many years of activity abroad, Moonkyeong looked around the now-empty dressing room while fixing her hair.  

It was customary for the troupe members to gather for a meal after the performance, but she had never been able to join them.  

Every time, she had dinner with her parents, who came to watch her performances.  

At first, her colleagues had expressed their displeasure, but over time, they seemed to accept it as normal.  

Even when someone teased her, calling her a “mama’s girl” instead of a “mama’s boy,” Moonkyeong simply laughed it off.  

Other people’s opinions didn’t matter much to her.  

***

At the high-end restaurant on the first floor of Leehan Hotel, Moonkyeong sat across from Chairman Kim Seokyeong and his wife.  

The family was so famous that she had read about them in the media several times.  

However, the woman sitting beside Chairman Kim seemed unusually young.  

Chairman Kim’s first wife was Nam Leehyun, the curator of HAN Gallery, who was nearing seventy.  

Since Leehan Group was known for keeping women’s involvement in management and media exposure to a minimum, her face was shrouded in mystery.  

But the woman next to him now gave off a completely different vibe.  

Despite her complicated thoughts, Moonkyeong’s posture, honed through years of ballet, remained perfectly straight.  

Watching her neatly cut her steak, Kim Seokyeong’s second wife, Shin Jueun, smiled.  

“What should I do? The more I see her, the more I want to take her home.”  

Hyeran seized the moment and lightly nudged Moonkyeong’s elbow. It was her way of signaling her daughter to make a good impression.  

Leehan Group was one of the most prestigious corporations in the country. If this marriage were to succeed, there would be nothing more to wish for.  

The gossip at the golf club Hyeran frequented was that Kim Seouk, the Executive Vice President of Leehan Hotel, was already thirty-four and well past the prime age for marriage.  

Rumors had circulated that numerous matchmaking proposals had been made for him, but no one seemed more fitting than her daughter, Moonkyeong.  

After all, how could she not be proud of the daughter she had raised? Moonkyeong was worth more than ten sons combined.  

Moonkyeong, sensing her mother’s subtle coercion, smiled faintly and dabbed her dry lips with a napkin.  

“It’s truly an honor. I’ve heard from my mother since I was young that Leehan Group is a virtuous company.”  

“Oh my, really?”  

“Please, feel free to speak comfortably.”  

“Shall I, then?”  

Shin Jueun, seemingly pleased with Moonkyeong’s words, couldn’t stop smiling.  

She had seen countless ballet performances over the years, but Moonkyeong was undeniably different.  

Her long, slender limbs and graceful figure stood out. Most importantly, she seemed like someone who knew she was beautiful.  

She had mastered how to present herself in a way that maximized her appeal to others and left a lasting impression.  

As the meal drew to a close, Shin Jueun directly targeted Do Hyeran’s ambitions.  

She succinctly and clearly brought up the topic of her son Seouk’s marriage.  

She mentioned that they would soon set a date and send word.  

On the drive back to their Seongbuk-dong residence, Hyeran couldn’t stop smiling.  

Her laughter kept bubbling up uncontrollably.  

***

Back at home, Moonkyeong began shedding her restrictive clothes one by one.  

She pulled out her phone and searched for information on Kim Seouk, the Executive Vice President.  

The news articles related to his hotel management were endless, but they were all formal and superficial.  

Just then, a call came in from Bora.  

Moonkyeong asked her to stop by her studio apartment.  

A short while later, Bora, her childhood friend from the orphanage, arrived at her apartment.  

Dressed head-to-toe in flashy designer brands, Bora gave her a thumbs-up.  

“Seo Moonkyeong. I heard you killed it at your performance today?”  

“Sit down. Want some coffee?”  

“Yeah. Make it strong. You know my style, right?”  

Moonkyeong brewed two cups of coffee and placed them on the table.  

As she set them down, Bora squinted and asked, 

“What’s so urgent that you had to call me at this hour?”  

“I have something to ask you.”  

“Go ahead.”  

“Do you know Kim Seouk from Leehan Group?”  

“Who doesn’t? Oh, right. You’ve been abroad for so long, so you probably don’t know much about this scene.”  

“Tell me. What kind of person is he?”  

“Hmm. A luxury-brand piece of trash?”  

Bora was quick with information.  

She had always boldly declared her dream of marrying into a chaebol family, so she kept herself well-informed about the lives of chaebol heirs.  

Having attended several social gatherings on Moonkyeong’s behalf, she had heard and seen much.  

Her words were often close to the truth.  

“In one word, he’s a scoundrel. Aside from the fact that his father is Chairman Kim Seokyeong, he’s not worth a second glance. Oh, you know he’s an illegitimate child, right?”  

“An illegitimate child?”  

“Yeah. Not the son of the Chairman’s first wife. When Kim Seokyeong became the head of the group, he got himself a young secretary named Shin Jueun. That’s Kim Seouk’s mother. The Chairman was so fond of her that she bore him three sons. The first died of leukemia at the age of seven. There’s a rumor that the family is cursed—something about disturbing their ancestors’ graves—so whenever they have sons, they die young. Anyway, the second son is Kim Seouk. The third is…”  

Moonkyeong cut her off.  

The curse of Leehan Group or the identity of the third son didn’t matter.  

The marriage proposal was for the second son, Kim Seouk.  

“Why is Kim Seouk a scoundrel?”  

Bora burst into laughter.  

“Oh, that? He supposedly has a perverse hobby. He only goes after young girls and has a reputation for being utterly depraved. There’s even talk that he can’t perform properly in bed.”  

“Don’t my parents know? They think he’s upright.”  

“What? Who? Kim Seouk? Upright? Tell them to stop talking nonsense.”  

At Bora’s response, Moonkyeong gave a faint, pitying smile.  

“Maybe they can’t see their own son clearly. Then again, my mom’s like that too. Parents are strange like that.”  

“Wait. Don’t tell me Leehan Group proposed marriage to you?”  

When Moonkyeong nodded, Bora’s expression turned contemplative, as if she were lost in thought.  

“I’m so jealous, Seo Moonkyeong.”  

Moonkyeong, who had been sipping her coffee, suddenly paused.