Chapter 5.2

“Moonkyeong, what’s wrong today? Is something the matter?”  

The National Ballet Company Director’s question made Moonkyeong wrinkle her nose. She bowed her head low.  

After making repeated mistakes, more than ever before, she couldn’t help but sigh.  

“I’m sorry.”  

“Let’s take a ten-minute break.”  

“Yes.”  

It had already been discussed with the Director that Moonkyeong would retire after the Giselle performance in October.  

The news that Moonkyeong, who was at the peak of her career as a principal dancer, was quitting ballet had been a major topic among the troupe members.  

At first, everyone was shocked, but when rumors spread that she was marrying into a chaebol family, they all seemed to understand.  

Even the media had caught wind of the secret that the Leehan Group was welcoming its first daughter-in-law.  

However, the coverage remained restrained for now.  

Reporters were playing a waiting game, trying to sneakily capture engagement photos of Moonkyeong and Seojun to publish articles featuring their faces first.  

“Phew.”  

Taking advantage of the Director’s consideration, Moonkyeong gulped down some cold water.  

The reason her body had been tense and her focus off during practice for the past two days was all because of Lee Heejin.  

During a dinner two days ago, Hyeran, who was busy with engagement preparations, casually brought up her name, leaving Moonkyeong unable to breathe.  

[Did you hear that Executive Vice President Kim Seouk is getting married?]  

[What? No, I didn’t.]  

[He’s already had a formal meeting, and it seems like the other side is rushing to prepare for the wedding. Do you know who the bride is? It’s Lee Heejin from the Jeesung Group.]  

Hyeran, who looked annoyed, furrowed her brow deeply.  

For someone who had spent a long time sticking to the Jeesung Group to secure political funds for Seo Jaewoo, Lee Heejin’s name was anything but unfamiliar.  

It was also because of Lee Heejin’s fury that Moonkyeong had been moved from Russia to Germany.  

[What can you do? You’ll just have to do better.]  

In other words, Moonkyeong had to work harder to avoid being compared.  

Moonkyeong bit into an ice cube while drinking her cold coffee.  

The mere thought made her furious to the point of madness.  

The idea of facing that bad blood again, and seeing Lee Heejin by Kim Seojun’s side, felt like pure hell.  

Back then, Lee Heejin, perhaps out of pride, hadn’t revealed her relationship with Kim Seojun to anyone.  

But now, Moonkyeong couldn’t be so sure.  

If they ended up in the same family, who knew what kind of pressure she might exert?  

It was yet another reason why Moonkyeong couldn’t marry Kim Seojun.  

How could a marriage seem to reveal only more flaws as time went on?  

Shaking her head, Moonkyeong stretched her legs into a side split.  

No matter the circumstances, she wanted to give her best until the final performance.  

Only by repaying the debt little by little would she one day escape the prison Hyeran had built for her.  

Only then could she flee from this wretched life.  

Pushing aside her tangled emotions, Moonkyeong refocused her mind on the tragic yet beautiful Giselle.  

When she returned to practice after a brief break, her ballet was more flawless than anyone else’s.  

Exclamations of admiration for Seo Moonkyeong could be heard from all around.  

Even the Director smiled with satisfaction.  

***

Nam Leehyun and Shin Jueun.  

The rivalry between the two women intensified even in the matter of securing daughters-in-law.  

Unlike Shin Jueun, who clung to the Chairman every day, insisting that her son Seouk should get married first, Nam Leehyun said little.  

She simply gathered information about Moonkyeong and presented it to him like a report.  

As the first daughter-in-law to enter the Leehan Group, Moonkyeong had few flaws.  

Though being adopted was a weakness, it was a fact that the general public wouldn’t know.  

Chairman Kim Seokyeong ultimately sided with Nam Leehyun.  

Kim Seojun’s wedding was set for December of this year, while Kim Seouk’s was scheduled for March of the following year.  

Shin Jueun fumed the entire time, while Nam Leehyun’s daughters kept silent, following their mother’s directive not to act rashly.  

At her engagement ceremony in September, Moonkyeong wore a lovely peach-pink dress.  

The simple, unadorned silk fabric stretched elegantly, and her long, straight hair, left loose, highlighted her pure features.  

Her radiant, dreamy appearance, which gave the illusion of scattering flower petals with every step, dominated real-time search rankings on portal sites by the next morning.  

Even the Leehan Group had made a deal with the media, agreeing to release only the prettiest photos.  

At that moment, Bora, who had woken up late and was being harshly scolded by Chief Kim, bit her lips.  

“Assistant Park, are you even listening to me?”  

“Huh? Yes, I’m sorry. I promise I won’t be late again.”  

“You’ve said that dozens of times this year alone. Even tardiness should have its limits. Where on earth is your mind? Huh?”  

Just when Bora thought the lecture was over, it seemed like it would continue for a second round.  

She kept her head bowed so low it nearly touched the ground, ears wide open.  

She let the words go in one ear and out the other.  

Though she had finally been promoted from staff to assistant manager last month, she didn’t feel the least bit happy.  

Seo Moonkyeong was soaring in the skies now.  

When would she ever get close to even Moonkyeong’s toes?  

“Just go.”  

“Huh?”

“Just leave already!”

“Oh, yes.”

After enduring the loud scolding, she returned to her desk, only to be greeted by a messy workspace.

Next to her, Chief Jung suddenly leaned his head toward Bora.  

“Coffee for me. You know my style, right? Sweet, please.”  

Why does this guy always ask me to make his coffee? Annoying.  

The workload she had to clear today was significant. The more she worked, the more tasks seemed to pile up at this company.  

Annoyed, Bora squinted her eyes sideways before flashing a wide grin at Chief Jung.  

“Yes, Chief. I’ll make it right away.”  

As she stirred two spoons of sugar into the cheap instant coffee, Bora was overcome with self-loathing.  

She admitted it. Without Moonkyeong’s sacrifices and help, she probably wouldn’t have made it this far.  

Even the countless opportunities Hyeran had thrown her way must have been because of Moonkyeong’s requests.  

But Bora had failed at everything. She was fired from stable jobs, let go of good relationships, and even kicked away the occasional stroke of luck that came rolling her way.  

It was all because of Seo Moonkyeong.  

Ever since she realized the insurmountable wall that made it impossible to start from the same line no matter how hard she tried, Bora had simply enjoyed playing in Moonkyeong’s shadow.  

Dreaming futile dreams, painting unattainable pictures, and living off her only friend like a parasite.  

She felt no guilt. How could she, when the lives of the chosen and the unchosen were so drastically different?  

Bora planned to cling to Moonkyeong’s back and suck her dry until the end of her life.  

“Because that’s fair.”  

When she placed the sweetened coffee on Chief Jung’s desk, he grinned, revealing his yellowed teeth.  

“Thanks. As expected, coffee is best when Assistant Manager Park makes it.”  

“Oh, it’s nothing. Enjoy your drink.”  

Her insides boiled, but she suppressed the anger and powered on her computer.  

The first site she accessed as she began her work was the SNS of Lee Heejin, the daughter of a famous conglomerate family.  

Bora envied her life. The clothes Lee Heejin wore, the bags she carried, the food she ate.  

Recently, Lee Heejin had returned to Korea, and, as expected, she uploaded dozens of photos taken in Seoul.  

As Bora eagerly scrolled through her SNS, she found a bag that caught her eye.  

“Wow, that’s pretty.”  

She quickly took a screenshot.  

Her purpose was to send a message to Moonkyeong, subtly hinting that she wanted it.  

Is she busy?  

Minutes passed without Moonkyeong reading the message, and Bora tapped her chin with her fingers.  

“Why isn’t she checking? Is she ignoring me?”  

Her gaze fell on her calendar, where the words “Moonkyeong’s Engagement Ceremony” were written.  

Ah, it was yesterday.  

She had been so swamped with work all day yesterday that she forgot to contact Moonkyeong. She’d reach out later.  

As Bora closed the yellow message window on her PC, her eyes caught the trending search terms dominating the portal site.  

<Ballerina Seo Moonkyeong>  

Huh? Why Moonkyeong?  

Hurriedly, she clicked on the photo of Moonkyeong’s engagement ceremony that was featured on the main page.  

“…What is this?”  

The article listed the name of Moonkyeong’s fiancé next to hers, but instead of Executive Vice President Kim Seouk, it said Managing Director Kim Seojun of HAN Motors.  

Unable to believe it, she scrolled further down the article, where a stolen photo of the fiancé, Kim Seojun, was clearly displayed.  

His appearance matched descriptions of someone so dazzling that they overwhelmed others.  

A person exuding both gentleness and strength, warmth and sharpness.  

Bora couldn’t close her mouth.  

“This can’t be. It should be Kim Seouk. Kim Seojun? Does that even make sense?”  

Bora dashed out of the office in a frenzy. Chief Kim scolded her for slacking off when work had started, but she didn’t care.