Chapter 4.1 – So Naïve

Standing before memories she never wanted to revisit, that man slipped a ring onto her finger and whispered,  

“How does it feel? Seeing me again—isn’t it still tempting?”  

Moonkyeong shot him a look full of contempt.  

“Mr. Kim Seojun, or should I say Managing Director Kim Seojun, I have no desire to marry you.”  

Seojun’s face was as smooth as a finely-crafted porcelain vase. Having passed his thirties, he now exuded a fatal charm, even carrying a seductive intensity in his gaze.  

“Why not?”  

“You already know.”  

“Why? Are you afraid you’ll ruin yourself again, like how you used to take anything handed to you?”  

“……”  

“Or are you scared I’ll be the one to destroy you this time?”  

His taunts, unchanged, no longer pierced her. Moonkyeong had become a woman indifferent to the wounds inflicted by others.  

Her indifference, weathered by time, had now become her weapon.  

She removed the ring from her finger and placed it in his palm.  

“I said no.”  

“You will.”  

He placed the ring back into its case and slipped it into his suit pocket.  

As he turned and walked away without hesitation, she followed his retreating figure with her eyes.  

She wanted to find a way.  

Once, she had wanted him. But now, she didn’t. She didn’t want to hold onto any trace of Kim Seojun.  

***

The weekend performance was sold out.  

People loved Moonkyeong’s ballet.  

At the final performance, Hyeran came to greet her.  

The bouquet in her arms, as always, was as luxurious and elegant as Hyeran herself.  

Handing the bouquet to Moonkyeong, Hyeran rattled off her hastily arranged schedule for the next day.  

“Director Nam Leehyun wants to see you.”  

“Tomorrow?”  

“Yes, we’re having a meal together. Let’s stop by the department store now to pick out some clothes.”  

“I already have enough clothes.”  

“No. She’s someone who used to work as a hanbok designer, so she has a keen eye for fashion. Both of her daughters have inherited her talent and are excelling in home shopping and retail. I don’t want my daughter to be outshined anywhere.”  

It was clear she intended to spend hours shopping until they found something satisfactory. Having been through this many times, Moonkyeong simply gave a short reply, agreeing.  

As they moved to the parking lot behind the Art Center, Moonkyeong reached for the passenger-side door of Hyeran’s luxury sedan.  

“Sit in the back.”  

“The back?”  

“Yes.”  

Unlike Seo Jaewoo, who always had a chauffeur as a National Assembly Member, Hyeran had driven herself since Moonkyeong was young.  

Though it was strange to be told to sit in the back instead of the passenger seat, she didn’t argue and opened the back door.  

As she checked her makeup, hastily removed in the dressing room, Hyeran tossed her a paper bag.  

“You still can’t eat on performance days, can you?”  

“……Yes.”  

“It’s a sandwich. You’ll need to eat that if you want to get through the shopping.”  

“Thank you, I’ll eat it well.”  

As Hyeran said, she had only eaten a chocolate bar and coffee all day, so she was hungry. Moonkyeong took out the sandwich Hyeran had packed and took a big bite.  

During her school days, she often came across articles about adopted children being abused by their adoptive parents.  

Beyond physical punishment, there were horrifying stories of adoptive fathers committing s*xual violence or locking children in basements for days without food.  

Hyeran had never once physically harmed her in any way.  

Given Seo Jaewoo’s usual character, it wouldn’t have been surprising if he had taken advantage of a young girl at least once, but Hyeran had always stepped in to block and mediate such situations.  

Even now, Seo Jaewoo used his power to invite celebrities or young women to drinking parties.  

Sometimes, women who used photos taken at hotels as blackmail demanded money from Seo Jaewoo. Each time, Hyeran quickly handled the situation.  

Watching her remain unfazed by her husband’s affairs, Moonkyeong occasionally found herself admiring Hyeran.  

Her sincerity, born from a childhood of extreme poverty and a determination never to live such a pitiful life again, sometimes persuaded Moonkyeong.  

“Is Dad busy these days?”  

Hyeran, driving, twisted her lips into a smile at her question.  

“Of course he’s busy. Why wouldn’t he be?”  

“Mom.”  

“Yes?”  

“Does it make you that happy for me to become part of Leehan Group?”  

At a red light, Hyeran turned to look at Moonkyeong. Her daughter, though pretending otherwise, was sharp and perceptive, with a kind and tender heart.  

For Hyeran, training her daughter with a mix of reward and punishment was as easy as pie.  

She would loosen her grip just enough, then tighten it again when things got slack. When she pushed her relentlessly, she would occasionally let up, turning her into a docile lamb.  

She knew her daughter hated her to death yet loved her all the same.  

Hyeran felt the same.  

Even as she pushed Moonkyeong to the edge of a cliff, it wasn’t because she didn’t love her.  

From the beginning, Hyeran’s goal was Leehan Group.  

Not the uncouth, filthy Jeesung Group, but the socially prestigious and untouchable Leehan Group.  

“Yes, Mom is happy.”  

“……”  

“So work harder. Don’t let anything ruin this marriage.”  

“……Yes.”  

“Ballet… Honestly, it’s a shame. I wish you could continue for a few more years. Maybe you could try persuading him yourself.”  

Moonkyeong quickly interrupted, fabricating a natural excuse.  

“No, once I’m married, I should focus on supporting Mr. Seojun.”  

“Really? Alright.”  

Hyeran let go of one ambition. To achieve something greater, such sacrifices were nothing.  

To be honest, Moonkyeong had received many marriage proposals from various families.  

Though her status as an adoptee was a blemish, her accomplishments made her a highly sought-after daughter-in-law.  

As if my daughter would settle for anything less.

Hyeran thought, smiling faintly as she refocused on driving.  

At a restaurant in Ikseon-dong, remodeled from a hanok, Nam Leehyun and Kim Seojun were already waiting.  

Although they arrived 20 minutes early, the two were already seated when Hyeran and Moonkyeong entered the private room.  

Hyeran, startled, quickly explained to avoid making Nam Leehyun uncomfortable.  

“Our chief of staff is an excellent driver, so we arrived earlier than expected. Please don’t feel inconvenienced. Let’s sit.”  

Nam Leehyun, now 68, didn’t look her age at all.  

To Moonkyeong, however, she seemed like an aging wife compared to Shin Jueun, who had been by Chairman Kim Seokyeong’s side before.  

Shin Jueun, despite being a mistress, had youthful, flawless skin and a sophisticated beauty that made her seem much younger than her thirties.  

Nam Leehyun, on the other hand, wasn’t a beauty.  

Her marriage to Chairman Kim Seokyeong had been an arranged one between families.  

While Shin Jueun’s sharp features reflected years of being a mistress, Nam Leehyun’s stern face revealed her stubbornness in holding onto her position as the matriarch of Leehan Group, even if she lost her husband.  

Moonkyeong greeted them again after entering, bowing courteously.  

“I’m Seo Moonkyeong.”  

Her white dress, adorned with a peacock design, emphasized Eastern beauty and perfectly matched Nam Leehyun’s taste.  

Seeing Nam Leehyun’s eyebrows arch in satisfaction, Hyeran smiled inwardly.  

She had never doubted that Moonkyeong would shine, no matter what she wore.  

Hyeran politely lifted her teacup.  

“Feel free to speak informally.”  

Nam Leehyun took a sip of the warm tea served before the meal and responded,  

“How could I? She’s not yet officially part of my family. You never know until things are finalized, right?”  

She directed the question at her son, Seojun.  

“Yes.”  

The two individuals, bound neither by blood nor any form of affection, did not appear mismatched in Moonkyeong’s eyes. She recalled something Bora had once said:  

That Shin Jueun wasn’t even his biological mother. The two were more estranged than sworn enemies.  

Who exactly are you?  

Her sharp gaze landed on Seojun, and at the same time, his gaze met hers.  

The man who always spoke arrogantly and condescendingly in front of her was polite in front of Director Nam Leehyun. His hypocrisy was so laughable it made her stomach churn.  

Nam Leehyun and Do Hyeran were setting a date for the formal meeting between families. Unlike Shin Jueun, who demanded everything be adjusted to Leehan Group’s schedule, Nam Leehyun frequently asked for Hyeran’s opinion.  

Even so, Hyeran knew that Nam Leehyun, who was nearing seventy, was not someone to be underestimated.  

In place of her two deceased sons, Nam Leehyun had two sons-in-law. Both held powerful positions in the prosecution and served as her unshakable pillars of support.  

After Chairman Kim Seokyeong’s death, the people who constantly sought to undermine Seojun were all close to Nam Leehyun.  

Even so, Hyeran fully trusted her soon-to-be son-in-law. Seojun was someone deeply tied to Jeon Taepyeong, the strongest candidate for the next presidential election.  

Hyeran had learned about a top-secret matter directly from Seojun himself—something even Leehan Group hadn’t uncovered.  

When Seojun had brought up the marriage proposal involving Moonkyeong, the card he handed Hyeran was none other than Jeon Taepyeong.  

Blood is thicker than water. Yes, indeed.  

Even Chairman Kim Seokyeong, who had flown to Russia to bring Seojun back and register him under his legal wife, had shown this.  

The moment he realized his days were numbered, his thoughts must have turned to his son, Seojun. Blood ties naturally draw people together.  

Placing her half-empty cup of water back on the table, Hyeran let out a peculiar smile. This marriage had to happe