Chapter 6.1 – The Forge in the Forest

Goosebumps rose all over her body. Bora met Moonkyeong’s gaze as she sat at the edge of the bed.  

In her eyes, there was neither resentment nor hatred—just a bitterness, like coffee left cold in a teacup. Startled, Bora stammered as she spoke.  

“W-what are you doing there?”  

Moonkyeong glanced at the vitamin drink bottle placed on the vanity table. The cap was open, but she hadn’t taken a sip.  

Having lived an extremely controlled life since childhood, she had developed a natural sensitivity. In other words, it was intuition.  

She had the ability to keenly read the subtle glances and moods of others. This was why she had immediately noticed when Lee Heejin secretly spit into her beer bottle. Such things might have been second nature to Moonkyeong.  

Even if that weren’t the case, one should never recklessly drink something offered by someone else. Moonkyeong lifted her dark eyes and looked at Bora.  

Unable to trust each other, and now filled with mutual hatred, the sadness of their situation made her words come out slowly.  

“I was just wondering what might be inside this. Do you know?”  

What she thought was an empty bottle turned out not to be. Bora swallowed hard at the change in Moonkyeong’s gaze.  

“I-I don’t understand what you’re saying. Moonkyeong, stop beating around the bush and just say it directly.”  

Moonkyeong stood up from the bed she had been sitting on. She pushed the open bottle toward Bora’s chin.  

“Drink it. You said it’s good for fatigue.”  

“What?”  

“Drink it.”  

“No, I’m fine……”  

As Bora tried to say she was fine, Moonkyeong suddenly grabbed her hair. Caught off guard by Moonkyeong’s unexpected retaliation, Bora let out a scream.  

“Ack!”  

Already tense, Bora collapsed forward as her hair was yanked. Yet Moonkyeong didn’t let go of her grip.  

Unlike Bora, who spent her days idling, Moonkyeong had consistently trained her body, so she was surprisingly strong.  

Moonkyeong climbed on top of Bora, who was lying face down, and pressed her head down with all her strength.  

Pinned beneath her, Bora struggled to resist, her voice barely audible.  

“Are you crazy? Get off me right now! Seo Moonkyeong! Get off me now!”  

Moonkyeong whispered into Bora’s ear.  

“Did you enjoy it? Did I seem easy to you because I treated you well?”  

Even Bora, who had been writhing around, froze at the iciness in her voice. She couldn’t predict what Moonkyeong might do next if she moved even slightly. Her head spun with anxiety.  

Bora turned her chin to the side, resting it on the floor.  

“Do you realize how creepy you are right now?”  

She found it hard to accept Moonkyeong’s changed demeanor. Although Moonkyeong had occasionally spoken to her with a longing for rebellion, such incidents were rare.  

The Seo Moonkyeong she knew was kind and always gentle.  

Even when Bora had accepted large sums of money in exchange for reporting Moonkyeong’s every move to the professor, Moonkyeong had seemed compassionate enough to forgive her.  

But now, seeing her act as if she had known everything all along gave Bora chills.  

She couldn’t believe that all the kindness Moonkyeong had shown her had been an act. Bora struggled to straighten her twisted neck.  

“Were you pretending all this time? Acting like a virtuous, good daughter? Acting like a pure and kind friend?”  

Moonkyeong nodded calmly.  

“Yes, it was an act. It’s something I’m very familiar with.”  

“Ha…… You’re truly terrifying, aren’t you?”  

“Park Hanju. Listen carefully.”  

Her voice dropped to a low tone. The icy chill in Moonkyeong’s voice was enough to make Bora, who had been yelling in anger, tense up.  

“If you keep acting out, I won’t stay quiet anymore.”  

“What? What did you just say?”  

“The reason I’ve tolerated you until now is because I know how much you’ve changed. You changed because of me. Because of my mother. I wanted to help you because of that. But you keep crossing the line.”  

“……”  

“But from now on, if you cross the line again, I’ll do everything in my power to destroy you. How does that sound? Doesn’t it seem like it would be easy if I stood in your place, not as Min Bora but as Seo Moonkyeong?”  

“You really……”  

“So behave properly.”  

Only then did Moonkyeong get off Bora’s back. She also released her grip on Bora’s hair.  

Looking at her disheveled self in the mirror, Bora felt a surge of rage.  

She wanted to scratch Moonkyeong’s face with her sharp nails, but the words Moonkyeong had just uttered held her back.  

Min Bora wasn’t scary, but Seo Moonkyeong was. Bora knew better than anyone that if Moonkyeong used the power of her background, there was nothing she couldn’t do.  

Even before Bora could take any action, Moonkyeong drove the final nail in.  

“Should I call the police?”  

“What?”  

“This thing.”  

Moonkyeong pointed at the vitamin bottle still in her hand. In a chilling voice, she murmured,  

“If you don’t drink it, I’ll have no choice but to call the police and have this investigated.”  

“Seo Moonkyeong!”  

“So make a choice. Either get out of my life, or drink this right now.”  

At that moment, Bora realized she would never see Moonkyeong’s face the same way again.  

The innocent and kind friend she once knew was gone, leaving only a cunning Seo Moonkyeong who would occasionally threaten her.  

Tears blurred her vision. Bora cried out in desperation. Moonkyeong had become a tree she could no longer climb.  

Even knowing this, she had twisted herself in denial, unable to accept it until now.  

She wanted to ask for forgiveness, but her pride wouldn’t allow it.  

She wished from the start that she could have lived under Moonkyeong’s name. After all, Moonkyeong had never seemed happy despite having everything.  

She hated her for that. She hated how someone who had everything never once smiled genuinely, like she did when they were kids.  

Wiping her tears with her sleeve, Bora spoke her final words.  

“Why did you come on this trip if you already knew everything?”  

“It wasn’t your choice. It was mine.”  

Moonkyeong extended her hand, asking for her phone back. Bora returned the dismantled phone she had hidden in her pocket.  

As she left the hotel alone, leaving Moonkyeong behind, she regretted everything.  

If only she had stayed quiet, she could have continued to leech off Moonkyeong’s life.  

Seeing her reflection in the lobby mirror, Bora gave a bitter smile.  

Instead of blaming herself for her limitations, she was still blaming Moonkyeong.  

***

It was true that this trip was her own will, not Bora’s.  

Even if it wasn’t her, she would have hidden or run away somewhere by now, planning to ruin the wedding.  

The reason she had been accommodating Hyeran and Seojun all this time was because both of them would feel reassured by now.  

Moreover, she couldn’t miss the perfect opportunity to quit ballet.  

By tomorrow afternoon, there would probably be chaos.  

After all, the first daughter-in-law of the Leehan Group wouldn’t show up at the wedding hall.  

If ruining the wedding wasn’t enough, the fact that she caused enormous trouble for the family might make Hyeran disown her.  

If they asked when she started plotting such an evil plan, she was ready to confess.  

She would say, ‘Mom, your daughter grew up harboring such wickedness from the very beginning.’  

That was the truth, so she had no intention of denying it.  

Moonkyeong stared up at the empty ceiling.  

The feeling was strange.  

She couldn’t be sure if it was good or bad, but it was definitely better than becoming Leehan’s daughter-in-law.  

There would be no need to face Shin Jueun, no need to walk on eggshells around Nam Leehyun, and no need to feel shaken every time she saw Kim Seojun’s face.  

She wished to live a life in a secluded mountain, worrying only about three meals a day.  

In spring, she would gather wild greens; in summer, she would play by the stream; in autumn, she would enjoy walks under the warm sun; and in winter, she would roast sweet potatoes.  

Was it too cliché?  

Anything would be fine.  

Even if she did nothing all day, there would be no one to scold her for wasting time.  

Feeling embarrassed by her own thoughts, Moonkyeong sat up from the bed.  

After Bora left, she called the hotel lobby to check, and it turned out the accommodation was already booked until tomorrow.  

So, it meant she could stay here until the wedding tomorrow.  

When she received her phone from Bora, she searched through the call history, but fortunately, it seemed Bora had turned off her phone immediately.  

Bora, who hated the idea of marrying Kim Seojun as much as she did, wouldn’t tell Hyeran either.  

Moonkyeong decided to enjoy this exhilarating moment of freedom a little longer.  

Though it was risky, she thought, when else would she have such a chance?  

Late at night, after a long shower, Moonkyeong came down from the hotel rooftop, where she had a glass of champagne.  

It was almost midnight since she stayed until closing time.  

When she opened her phone in the elevator, there were two messages from Hyeran.  

They were filled with affectionate words, saying she would pick her up at 6 a.m., and reminding her to sleep early to look her best for the makeup session in the morning.  

Moonkyeong laughed silently.  

Mom, the bus has already left. I’m sorry I couldn’t repay all your kindness.  

As she walked toward Room 809, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.  

Leaning against the door was Seojun, dressed in a navy suit and a brown wool coat.  

The suit, which perfectly captured his elegant physique, exuded sophistication and a masculine aura.  

However, his face, unlike his impeccable attire, seemed somewhat disheveled.  

His slightly tousled hair and the deep wrinkles on his forehead suggested he had rushed to get here.  

Moonkyeong pressed her lips together tightly.  

No matter what threats or persuasion he might use, she was determined not to give in this time.