Chapter 5.1 – The Truth of That Day
Night had deepened. Even the perfectly rounded full moon couldn’t ease her worries.
Would I really end up living as Kim Seojun’s wife?
What would Hyeran say if I told her that I had never once wished for this marriage?
「Repay the kindness.」
The answer was so obvious that Moonkyeong could only shake her head.
Even though she had been given a generous break before the next practice, Moonkyeong had to endure a grueling schedule of following Hyeran around for several days.
From dermatology clinics to shopping at department stores, not to mention aromatherapy and spa treatments. Yesterday, she even had to register for cooking classes.
The sudden advancement of the formal meeting date by the Leehan side had made her days even more chaotic.
Late at night, with two days left of her break, Moonkyeong visited a street food stall near her home.
She ordered spicy tofu kimchi with pork belly and started with a shot of soju.
The alcohol coursing down her throat with a tingling sensation felt especially welcome today.
One good thing, one bad thing.
After several days of doing only things she hated, she thought it would be okay to indulge herself for just one day.
Moonkyeong popped a large piece of tofu, freshly cut by the stall’s aunt, into her mouth.
She knew how detrimental late-night snacks were to a ballerina who always had to maintain her figure. But for now, she decided to let it slide.
She emptied another shot of soju.
“Ah.”
“It must be really spicy. Are you okay?”
The rough but kind words of the stall owner made Moonkyeong nod in assurance.
Steam rose from the stir-fried pork belly mixed with kimchi.
Even for someone like her, unaccustomed to the strong flavors after living abroad for so long, the spicy peppers, garlic, and heavily seasoned kimchi stir-fry were a welcome taste.
She had no friends to complain to about not wanting to marry, nor a lover to drink the night away with.
Still, the spicy food that helped relieve her stress was enough.
She briefly considered calling Bora, but decided against it since Bora didn’t like street food stalls.
Besides, if Bora found out she was at a stall, it would undoubtedly reach Hyeran’s ears.
Her heart felt lonely.
Even though she could clearly see how Bora thought of and treated her, Moonkyeong couldn’t bring herself to give up on her.
It hurt.
Though Bora had changed so much now, Moonkyeong had genuinely liked her once.
Back when they had nothing to give or take from each other, the names they had etched into a stone together.
The memories of those times.
They hurt, but they were too precious.
Just like Hyeran, whom she hated to death but couldn’t help but love, Bora was the same.
To Moonkyeong, both of them were like painful fingers.
When she had drunk about half a bottle of soju, Hyeran called.
Moonkyeong hurriedly ran out of the stall to take the call.
She cupped her phone with her palm, worried that the surrounding noise might seep through.
“Yes, Mom.”
– Where are you?
“I’m on my way to the convenience store. I ran out of sanitary pads, so I went to buy some.”
– You still have about a week left, don’t you?
“Yeah, but it seems early this time.”
– I’ll order some in advance and stock them at home.
“Okay.”
– You know I’ve made a big concession by letting you live alone, right?
“Yes, I know. Thank you.”
– Good. As long as you know. By the way, don’t forget to go straight to cooking class after practice starting the day after tomorrow.
“Yes.”
– Get some rest.
Moonkyeong returned to the stall to grab her wallet.
The convenience store she frequented was about a five-minute walk from home.
But from here, it would take over ten minutes.
She figured she’d have to run.
As soon as the crosswalk signal changed, she dashed across.
She grabbed the first pack of sanitary pads she saw and placed it on the counter.
When she handed over her card, the convenience store clerk inserted it into the machine for her and asked politely,
“Do you need a bag?”
“Yes, please.”
As the card transaction went through, a text message arrived on Moonkyeong’s phone.
3,600 won. ○○ Convenience Store.
Only then did Moonkyeong catch her breath.
Though she was out of breath from running, it didn’t matter.
She could drink at the stall for another hour or so.
By now, the transaction notification would have been copied and sent to Hyeran, and she would go to sleep without any suspicion.
She had gradually come to realize that her phone was being tapped during the summer break of her second year in high school.
It felt as though Hyeran knew every intimate detail of the secret conversations she had with a boy from a neighboring school, whom she had fallen for like a first love.
She had thought Hyeran only used Bora to keep an eye on her, but she hadn’t imagined that her call records and text messages were being monitored as well.
At the time, Moonkyeong had deliberately tested a few things.
The fortunate discovery was that her location wasn’t being tracked, and only calls and messages were being copied.
Conversations exchanged while her phone was off weren’t being tapped.
This was why, even during her dangerous escapades with Seojun in Russia, she had never been able to save his contact information.
Moonkyeong sometimes used this to her advantage.
As she walked back to the stall, she sent a text to Bora.
〈Bora, I’m off tomorrow. Want to have lunch together? Let’s eat something delicious. I need to relieve some stress.〉
Of course, she had no intention of meeting Bora tomorrow.
She planned to stay home all day, and canceling the appointment in the morning would suffice.
What Moonkyeong wanted was Hyeran’s leniency.
If she mentioned being stressed out, Hyeran would loosen up for a while.
As Moonkyeong lifted the orange tarp of the stall to return, she saw a familiar back at her seat, where no one should have been.
He was casually pouring soju into an empty glass and drinking it, even though the half-eaten bottle wasn’t his.
She didn’t know why he kept intruding on her personal space without permission.
As she returned to her seat, Moonkyeong glared at him.
“How did you find this place? Are you spying on me?”
Seojun stopped drinking and turned to look at Moonkyeong, who was growling at him.
Her hair was still damp, as if she had just showered and come straight out.
Even without makeup, her distinct features stood out as one of her strengths.
He casually picked up a piece of pork belly from her plate with his chopsticks.
“You were running so hard. I didn’t know you were good at sprinting.”
“I asked how you knew I was here!”
“I saw you from the car. I had some business nearby.”
He poured more soju into his glass.
The stall owner brought over another glass for Seojun, her gaze lingering on his actor-like good looks before quickly retreating at the tense atmosphere.
Seojun gestured for Moonkyeong to sit down.
He seemed to be telling her to stop ranting and calm down.
With a deep sigh, Moonkyeong took her seat.
Though she was naturally sensitive about surveillance and tapping, it didn’t make sense to suspect him after five years of no contact.
As soon as she sat, Seojun poured soju into her glass as well.
His words flowed as smoothly as the soju being poured.
“The business was just an excuse. I came to see your face.”
“……”
“They’ll set a date soon. We need to coordinate our stories. Everyone’s curious about what kind of relationship we had in Russia.”
“……”
“We can’t exactly say we were just acquaintances, can we?”
His words sounded cruel.
Memories of the time when they rolled around in bed like animals, licking each other’s bodies, stirred something deep within Moonkyeong.
The image of herself kneeling before him, shaking her hips, and begging until the sheets were soaked made her face burn with shame.
So it was even harder to understand. How could he, who wanted a proper and dignified wife, be pushing for marriage with her?
Moonkyeong couldn’t answer. Or rather, she didn’t.
He scanned the interior of the street food stall with his eyes before locking gazes with her.
“I didn’t know you liked places like this.”
Moonkyeong, resigned, took a drink. She gulped it down in one go and scrunched her nose as she set the glass down.
“You know. I’ve never been the classy type.”
“I know.”
Moonkyeong poured the last of the soju into her glass and downed it in one shot again. The consecutive drinks made her stomach churn, but she didn’t want him to notice.
“So? What are you going to say about us?”
“There’s something else I’m curious about first.”
Seojun’s long fingers circled the rim of his soju glass. Moonkyeong, unsure of what he was curious about, waited silently for him to speak.
“Why were you running like that?”
“Pardon?”
“Why were you running so hard?”
Her already flushed cheeks burned even hotter. The thought that he might have discovered her relationship with Hyeran made her heart race.
Just like when she had rushed straight to the convenience store without thinking about her surroundings, her breath quickened.
Please, don’t know. Don’t suspect anything.
She looked at him in his crisp white shirt. The clean, neutral tone suited him well, and a clumsy smile crept onto her face before quickly stiffening.
She needed to come up with an excuse, but nothing seemed fitting.
“I just ran. Like how living doesn’t need a reason.”
“……”
“As for our relationship, let’s just say I fell for you unilaterally. It’s not entirely untrue.”
She had only planned to drink one bottle and leave, so she had no regrets. After answering Seojun’s question about why she had run, Moonkyeong opened her wallet to pay.
She handed over cash instead of her card.
Even while paying, the stall owner asked who the handsome man was. Moonkyeong kept her lips tightly sealed.
The steps back to her officetel felt unusually heavy.
Every step she took, the eerie sensation of being followed made her hesitate and look back.
She turned around, wondering if he might be following her, but there was no sign of him anywhere.
As if he had never existed in the first place, there was no one behind Moonkyeong. Only her elongated shadow stretched out, chasing her.
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