Chapter 2.2

Kim Seojun’s eyebrow twitched, and he let out a small laugh.  

Then, like Lee Heejin at the club, he mocked her.  

“No.”  

Leaving her standing there alone, he turned and walked away.  

Overwhelmed with shame, Moonkyeong’s legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground.  

Her cheeks were as red as her dress.  

Watching his retreating back, she forced herself to stand.  

“Excuse me, your jacket…”  

She called out for him to take back his jacket, but Seojun didn’t look back.  

She decided she would chase after him, return the jacket, and retrieve the coat she had left behind at the club.  

“Excuse me!”  

She called out again, but his reaction was the same.  

It wasn’t just her burning face that made it difficult to face him again and return the jacket—it was also his cold demeanor.  

Still, she disliked the idea of taking someone else’s jacket home even more.  

“Hey.”  

She ran a few steps to catch up to him, but before she could reach him, Lee Heejin emerged from the club entrance, spotted Seojun, and ran toward him.  

“Senior Seojun! Oh my gosh, it’s Kim Seojun!”  

Unlike Lee Heejin, who was jumping with excitement, Seojun remained as cold as he had been with Moonkyeong.  

“Take your hands off me.”  

“Senior, what are you doing here? Where are you going? Or, where are you coming from?”  

Lee Heejin clung to him, but her interruption gave Moonkyeong the chance to catch up.  

In that brief moment, Moonkyeong calculated the situation.  

It was clear that Lee Heejin’s attention was entirely on this man.  

Even when a Russian billionaire’s son had approached her at the club, Lee Heejin had been arrogant and dismissive. Yet, here she was, completely flustered by Kim Seojun.  

Moonkyeong removed the jacket from her shoulders.  

She extended it toward him as if she had completely forgotten the humiliation she had just endured.  

Instead of saying, ‘Take your jacket; I don’t need it,’ she deliberately chose words that would provoke Lee Heejin.  

She adjusted her tone.  

“Thank you.”  

Seojun’s eyes curved slightly as he took the jacket.  

His gaze, filled with curiosity as if he were observing something strange, was something Moonkyeong pretended not to notice.  

She walked past the two of them, entered the club, and retrieved the coat she had left behind.  

She deliberately moved slowly, and as expected, Lee Heejin followed her moments later.  

The moment she entered, Lee Heejin shoved Moonkyeong’s shoulder.  

“Hey. How do you know Kim Seojun?”  

“…”  

“I’m asking you—how do you know Kim Seojun?”  

The strong smell of alcohol wafted from her as she leaned in close to ask over the loud music.  

Moonkyeong whispered softly into her ear.  

“If you’re curious, have lunch with me. I’ll tell you everything.”  

Though Lee Heejin’s eyes flashed with suspicion, Moonkyeong was confident.  

Just as her mother wished, she would soon be having lunch with Lee Heejin.  

***

Monday morning, a message arrived from Lee Heejin.

〈Wednesday, 12:30 PM, Pushkin.〉  

While eating cereal with milk, Seo Moonkyeong fell deep into thought.  

She had 54 hours to find some kind of connection to Kim Seojun.  

Although there were quite a few Korean university students studying abroad in Moscow, she thought it would be possible to gather enough information since Lee Heejin seemed to know him.  

During her break, Moonkyeong approached Dennis, a fellow ballet member in the same year as her.  

“Hi, Dennis.”  

He was the only one among the members who was kind to her.  

Earlier last year, Dennis had confessed to her several times, but Moonkyeong had no choice but to reject him. The reason was simple.  

Because I have no self.  

Even my choices in love were entirely up to Hyeran.  

Back in high school, Moonkyeong knew all too well how Hyeran had treated the boy her age whom she had shared feelings with. That’s why her interactions with men always had to be calculated.  

Dennis, who had been stretching, changed his expression at Moonkyeong’s sudden greeting.  

“What’s the occasion, Moonkyeong? You’re actually talking to me first?”  

“Want to have lunch together?”  

“Today?”  

“If you don’t want to, never mind.”  

“Let’s eat!”  

Using Dennis’ wide network, Moonkyeong managed to gather information about Seojun.  

He told her that Lee Heejin and Kim Seojun were senior and junior in the piano department at the same university. While Heejin was openly pursuing Seojun, he didn’t seem interested in relationships.  

In fact, to put it bluntly, he was so reclusive that he rarely appeared outside of class hours.  

Judging from his attire and demeanor, one could guess that his family was quite wealthy, but no one knew exactly which family he belonged to.  

Even among students in the same department, Kim Seojun was considered somewhat mysterious—a guy who gave off that kind of vibe.  

Wednesday morning, Moonkyeong stopped by a café for an early coffee.  

The narrow scope of Kim Seojun’s activities wasn’t helping her find any connection.  

She waited, hoping to run into him here again, but by the time she had nearly finished her coffee, there was still no sign of him.  

Would my attempt to build rapport with Lee Heejin end in failure? What kind of punishment would my mother impose if I confessed the truth?  

Just as her dry gaze wandered outside the window, he walked into the café, wearing headphones.  

Moonkyeong swallowed hard.  

She didn’t take her eyes off him for a second as he ordered his coffee.  

Although she had seen him twice before without paying much attention, his face now became vividly clear to her.  

His long, dark eyes carried a hint of rebellion, and they were very deep. His nose was sleek and sharp like a glass shard, and his lips didn’t disrupt the beautiful balance of his eyes and nose.  

Perfectly positioned, his lips exuded a decadent sensuality just by being there.  

Now, she understood why Lee Heejin was so fixated on him.  

After finishing his order, Seojun walked briskly to the same seat he had occupied last time. His tall stature and long legs made his stride confident and masculine.  

Glancing at her watch, Moonkyeong ran her hand over her lips.  

She knew she’d be late for practice if she didn’t get up now, but she had to decide quickly.  

Instead of heading for the café entrance, she sat down across from Seojun without permission.  

His cold gaze turned toward her as he lowered the earphones he had been wearing.  

“I’ll only take five minutes of your time.”  

Under the table, Moonkyeong clasped her right hand tightly with her left.  

Though her gestures were riddled with discomfort as she faced a man three years her senior, her eyes were bold and unyielding.  

Having lived her life accepting Hyeran’s rewards and punishments without question, her instincts moved faster than her thoughts.  

“I’m Seo Moonkyeong.”  

His eyes seemed to ask without words: ‘So? What about it?’  

“It seems like we run into each other quite often. Do you come here every Wednesday?”  

If he simply said yes, she could deliver this valuable tidbit to Lee Heejin, and that would be enough of a connection for her.  

However, even after the promised five minutes had passed, he didn’t respond.  

He drank his coffee in silence, treating her as if she were invisible.  

Watching him, Moonkyeong pressed her lips together.  

What’s with this guy? He’s strangely unpleasant every time I see him.  

Still, she couldn’t give up. There were only about six hours left until her lunch appointment with Lee Heejin.  

She stared into his eyes. Though prickly, they somehow seemed kind. Though dangerous, they somehow seemed filled with sorrow.  

The peculiar gaze that had unsettled her when they first met—it was as if those eyes resembled her own.  

Betting everything on those eyes, she spoke.  

It’s okay. I’m immune to getting hurt. Even if you reject me, I won’t feel pain.  

“I have a favor to ask, Kim Seojun.”  

When she revealed that she knew his name, Seojun’s gaze shifted slightly.  

Thinking she had piqued his interest, Moonkyeong continued.  

“Could you come to this café at the same time next week?”  

Resting his chin on his hand, he stared blankly at her face as if observing a strange creature. Then, in a cold tone, he asked:  

“Why should I?”  

Moonkyeong straightened her spine. Her voice came out soft and delicate.  

She might seem sly, but she knew her strengths. She knew that most men liked her face and smile.  

Moonkyeong smiled sweetly.  

“That’s why I’m asking. To repay the kindness you showed me when you gave me your jacket—just one more time.”  

“Do you want to sleep with me that badly?”  

Her radiant smile vanished instantly as Seojun’s sharp question cut through her words.  

“What?”  

“Do you get wet every time you see me?”  

“…”  

“Stop playing games and get lost.”  

His mocking gaze shook her more than his vulgar question.  

What do you know to say such things? Do you know anything about my life? Why do you look at me like I’m trash? Who do you think you are?  

She glared at him, pressing her trembling lips together before finally managing to speak.  

“I’m sorry for bothering you. I made another mistake. I’ll be going now.”  

Fleeing the café, Moonkyeong’s day was ruined.  

Her crushed pride and the constant motion of her restless feet, like a swan paddling furiously beneath the surface, didn’t matter.  

She had lunch with Lee Heejin without batting an eye, delivered the news to Hyeran, and even endured a call from Bora, who seemed to be monitoring her for any signs of straying thoughts.  

But the thing that tormented her all day was Seojun’s gaze.  

The pity in his eyes, as if to say, ‘Why are you living your life like this?’  

That gaze ruined her day. It stirred the dormant sense of self she had long buried.