WHAT IS LINEAGE?

—if not a gold thread of pride and guilt?

[inhyelee]

LEE IN-HYE · BULLETIN CORPORATION CEO · ENEMY NO. 1

❝ Don’t worry. The night won’t frighten me and the cold won’t drive me away. There is no winter as cold as my winter, no night as deep as my night. I myself freeze the wind. I myself darken the sky. ❞

THREADS · WANTED CONNECTIONS · CHARACTER STUDY

[ ! ] — it seems that [ in-hye lee ] has entered the scene ! she looks exactly like [ song hye kyo ]. this [ forty year old ] is the [ ceo ] of [ bulletin corporation ]. it’s a small wonder since she is known for being [ intuitive and scrupulous ] and [ erratic and haughty ]. she has been involved with the company for [ 2 ] years. [ MAI | SHE/HER | TWENTY-SEVEN | EST ]

There’s a girl that stands in the middle of the woods. SHE KNOWS HOW THIS STORY WILL END. She’s read it a thousand times — a child gets on the gingerbread path, then finds the old house at the edge of the woods, presided by a witch. Eventually, the witch eats her. She knows how this story will end, so she takes a different path. She wanders all day and night, avoiding the gingerbread path; old enough to understand her fate upon fine print; young enough to foolishly believe she can change it. But in the end — because every story has an end, doesn’t it? — she ends up in front of the old house, as she was meant to. AS SHE ALWAYS WILL, no matter how many detours she takes. QUESTION: Had she truly been trying to escape the woods? Or had she simply forgotten the location of the house? ANSWER: There are two characters in this story. How can you be so sure that the girl is the child — AND NOT THE WITCH?

She had been born with the world at her feet.

Of course, the firstborn of the Lee family would have nothing less than the best of what the world had to offer. But In-hye would only realize it after — after the pressure; after the rage; after the resentment of the rest of the world. The rest of the world, smiling at her with their too-sharp teeth and calling her name, saccharine compliments dripping from forked tongues, who saw her as nothing but the handle of a finely crafted knife; a tool that could slice through any obstacle that got into their way. An expensive chess piece. No matter the accomplishment; no matter the charm — she would always be another step upon the ladder to success; hopeless but to witness the rot of humanity ( the greed; the selfishness; the stain of blood upon velvet gloves ) attempt to disguise manipulation with friendship. Disguise love with subjugation.

Call it disillusion; call it cowardice — but at the tender age of eighteen, In-hye sought her own path. Despite the numerous arguments and disappointed stares, she studied Corporate Law and became a lawyer specializing in Venture Capital — not caring that it was none too obvious she wanted to steer clear of anything that had to with The Bulletin Corporation. She rarely attended family gatherings, ignoring the sinking in her chest as she insisted she was happy her younger sister was shaping up to be the perfect successor to her family’s empire. Ignoring the soft voice inside her head repeating over and over that the person sitting beside her father was supposed to be her. In-hye had been born with the smarts; In-hye had been born with the skills. But she had not been born with the courage. Because she was paradoxical at best, and building her own empire from newly plowed land was less of a risk than inheriting her family’s empire and failing to maintain it.

And for a while, she was content.

She worked at the country’s best law firm. Heads did not turn when she introduced herself with a name that was not her own. Her accomplishments were her own, instead of attributed to the family whose surname she shared.

Yet, when her father called for her return a year ago, In-hye did not hesitate to erase her name from the firm’s sign. After all, she had already climbed to the top of her chosen field; had already proved to herself that she could be recognized not for her family, but for her own victories and skills. In-hye was her own person, and not simply a symbol that could be manipulated and used for everyone’s plans.

And it was about time that she returned to take back what was rightfully hers.

[savcyy]

˙    ៹   open  starter  ,  @  a restaurant bar   . 

the loud click of the expensive ring , dropping against the polished wooden floor . the sound echoed through the quiet restaurant, drawing the attention of a nearby table as she reached to catch the engagement jewelry from the person's hand . " thanks you , " she says . " –––––– it keeps rolling off , i need to get it adjusted again . may i buy you a drink as a thank you? "

[inhyelee]

what was it people liked to say? no good deed goes unpunished. and the punishment came in the form a blonde, inhye's expression indifferent as she listened to the spew of words. in the back of her mind, she knew the one in question was engaged to an alderidge brother — but it wasn't bernard, so she'd never bothered to learn her name. 〝 why wear it at all, if it doesn't fit right? 〞 she deftly avoided the outstretched hand, keeping the ring in her own grasp for a moment longer. this all felt like stunt for attention, and as a fellow snobby-rich-person, she felt obligated to put this snobby rich person in her place. 〝 might as well give it away. the server would appreciate the generous tip, i think. 〞

[pcrkhcneul]

"not avoid you. if i was doing that, i wouldn't show you where i was hiding out."

[inhyelee]

〝 well, you're certainly not here to find me. 〞 which was somehow even worse, apparently.

[barrettalderidge]

"I wonder how bad Bernald would take it if I just sold my stock in the business to myself through a shell company. I'll tell him I've finally given into the Bulletin's offers."

[inhyelee]

〝 is it too obvious of a lie if i attempt to suggest he'd be just fine? 〞

[pcrkhcneul]

location: national galley

"i usually only step in here because it's cool and quiet. you?"

[inhyelee]

〝 so this is where you go to avoid me? 〞

[orsonhewitt]

orson's laugh boomed in the room, a sign of it being genuine for a change. tooth revealing grin played on his features and he clicked his tongue. " i'd get a pong table and you'd tend my soul. you'd make an enemy out of comoedia and my church. " brown eyes studied the woman for a moment. the smiles and the laughs felt like a way to dance around a heavier topic. had he been a smaller man, he would have mentioned the signs of exhaustion on inhye's face. a long and quiet sigh escaped his lips. " is tbc empty of friendly faces ? "

[inhyelee]

perhaps she should have known better — the whimsical nature of their past interactions had made her almost forget that they were similar in more ways than one. and it was a similarity that could only be found in the sea — murky depths, high tides. friendship was but a buffer against instinct — so long as there was blood in the water, a shark would always sense it. she could not fault him for speaking her vulnerability to light; so gentle was his bite. 〝 i don't care about friendly faces, 〞 she replied, evenly meeting his gaze. because avoidance would only be yet another show of weakness. 〝 amiability is fickle — i'd much rather believe in self-interest. at the end of the day, people will only truly look out for themselves. even if they can't stand the sight of me, they'll let me stay in my seat so long as it benefits them. and if they can't reap benefits, i wouldn't be able to keep the position even if i was their best friend. 〞 it was comforting, in its own bitter way.

[morabbots]

SUCCESSION 1.10 “Nobody Is Ever Missing” 4.06 “Living+”

[edenwest-a]

˙   ៹   event starter , @inhyelee

“  have  you  made  it  over  to  the  tennis  court  yet  ?  i  can’t  tell  if  we’re  actually  meant  to  be  playing  on  these  things  or  just  kind  of  window  shopping  .  .  .  everything  looks  so  new  and  clean  i’m  honestly  a  little  scared  to  scuff  up  the  ground  .  “  

[inhyelee]

〝 window shopping? 〞 she considered it for a moment before dismissing the idea altogether. 〝 if they had intended for anything to be put on display, it would be not the equipment, but the attendees. 〞 a small shrug as she sipped at the wine some staff member had put into her hand — likely an attempt to subdue whatever destructive impulses inhye would have while trapped at the country club for three days. 〝 the most powerful players in the media industry breaking in this hallowed ground? their marketing team is probably popping champagne as we speak. 〞

[inhyelee]

EVENT II › COUNTRY CLUB OUTING

[keikcdci]

keiko watched her for a moment. that was a face she'd see on a magazine somewhere. maybe? normally, she hated confrontation but keiko hated these shoes more. she sat down gingerly on the chair across from the woman. "i'll take that as a yes."

[inhyelee]

this time, she did look up from her tablet. not many were able to dismiss her attitude without giving back their own — and even less that simply did what they wanted, in spite of her remarks. inhye supposed it was why she hated industry events — everyone seemed to enjoy showing their teeth, but how many truly had the nerve to bite? 〝 why wear uncomfortable shoes at all? if someone takes issue to your footwear, isn't it easier to snap back at them than for your feet to suffer? 〞 still, she reached into her bag, producing a couple bandaids and placing them on the table in front of the other.

[orsonhewitt]

" gracious. you think i'm that expensive, do you ? "

[inhyelee]

〝 dear orson, has comedia misled you to believe that your worth can be quantified? quite insulting. 〞 absolutely zero effort went into making her frown of sympathy believable. 〝 come to bulletin and we'll gladly let you work for free. 〞 this time, she didn't bother to hide the wide grin, mischief glinting within her gaze.

[cretewhisham]

"Pardon?" Her brows hiked up. The question was so unexpected that Crete's cup of tea stopped midway to her lips. "Ah..." Was it the precision or the personal nature of the question that had her metaphorically squirming in her seat? "We try not to bring work home." Emphasis on 'try'. "Not everything is that personal. Work is work."

[inhyelee]

〝 i'm glad to hear it. 〞 somehow, it sounded sarcastic coming from her lips, even if the sentiment was genuine. 〝 it hasn't been announced, but i'm planning on increasing your company's budget by twenty percent for 2025. though you're not directly involved in the operations, i wanted to give you a heads up — in case of impending turmoil. 〞 inhye nonchalantly stared down at her teacup, if only to hide the anticipation that lurked in her gaze. because if there was turmoil, then it meant they were doing something right in the competition with comedia. 〝 what i mean is, 〞 a small pause, her brows drawing together, 〝 i'm trying to be considerate. 〞 did that sound condescending? this entire conversation had gone much more smoothly in her head. 〝 as in, a considerate friend. 〞 this wasn't much better. she reached into her bag, pulling out a flask and pouring most of its contents into her teacup. much needed when inhye had the emotional intelligence of a teenage boy. a heavy gulp later, she decided — to hell with her dignity. 〝 i just don't want to lose you, too. 〞

[leeminkyu]

" she's a HUMAN too. " he would not confirm or deny the former statement. " does it even matter ? we're pretty much done. " knowing inhye, 'pretty much' would not be good enough.

[inhyelee]

〝 i don't know which is worse: that being part of the same species is the best defense you have for her — or that your standards are truly so low. 〞 she contemplates minkyu's position as her favorite brother. ( inhye only has one brother. ) 〝 all i'm saying is that you should look out for yourself, if you are pretty much done. are you really sure she has good intentions towards you? 〞 there's a barely detectable softening of her tone. 〝 dad isn't here to protect us anymore. 〞

[inhyelee]

〝 say — how do you and arnold handle working at competing companies? does it put much strain on your relationship? 〞 it should have been a warning — the calm before the inhye-sized storm. because she may have never cared for feelings, but she cared even less for feelings involving arnold whisham. ( @cretewhisham )

[inhyelee]

〝 what is the most ridiculous offer you've gotten for incognito's acquisition? i need to know what exactly i have to surpass. 〞 ( @hwangsieun )

[pcrkhcneul]

it wasn't that he expected her home for dinner; there was no resentment of a missed meal or evening alone. he only wished- there was something to be said for the heads-up. lawyers kept odd hours there was no doubt but he it felt like the tbc office had swallowed his wife whole. haneul liked rhythms and they had built one over the years, is dissonant as it often was. they had become a unit and now inhye had gone missing in the tbc building.

he didn't turn around to look at her, just picking up his gaze from his computer to the window, curtains pulled back to let in the city lights. "yes, it does. as i remember, it's one of the reasons we picked this place."

he flicked off his computer and stood, taking his time to push in his chair. only then, when he had swallowed the urge to look at her and say you don't call, you don't text like his mother when he went off to university, did he turn around to look at her. and she...

inhye looked tired. he's been upset after an evening of feeling neglected and fragile in a way that would have made him anxious is he hadn't felt that way in a long while now. and inhye was standing in the study doorway looking ready to drop. and haneul felt guilty and relieved all at once. he didn't have to think about himself, the way he was vibrating apart.

"have you eaten?" he asked, stepping towards her. which wife would he get tonight? and would it matter? he would love her just the same.

[inhyelee]

〝 i wasn't talking about the view from the window, 〞 she couldn't help but snap back, already regretting her semi-compliment to him. and yet he wondered why she wasn't nicer to him? ( as if she even had the ability to be nice; after ten years of marriage, she was sure haneul would be even more uncomfortable if she showed affection — because it would most likely mean that something was very, very wrong ). but her expression softened when he stood up, whatever snide remark quickly forgotten when he asked his next question. have you eaten? she remembered the first time she had heard it — the way she froze in place, unable to mask the confusion that marred her features. it was a simple question; could even be considered an expected one. she'd heard all sorts of insults throughout the years, both veiled and overt — but questions like these? she'd been independent ever since she'd been a child. if she was hungry, she'd eat. reminders were taken as insult — were framed as incompetence. yet every time he asked, there was no belittlement; no reproach. a kitchen table was just a kitchen table. a place to eat; a place to talk. food wasn't only a means of nourishment to keep up her fight. it was a simple question — but somehow, it had clawed its way into her chest, creating a place where she could put her guard down — if only for a moment. she met him in the middle of the room, closing the distance between them and ignoring the question altogether. some would think that evasion meant she didn't care — that his concern didn't matter. but perhaps the silence meant that it did. she usually always had a remark on the tip of her tongue. but this time, words were arbitrary. perhaps the silence meant that it mattered too much. inhye's expression shuttered as she took his left hand in both of hers, studying the ring upon his finger with a sort of mild curiosity. 〝 how many times have you thought about filing for divorce? 〞

[inhyelee]

〝 come to bulletin. i'll put a pong table in your office. 〞 ( @orsonhewitt )