LEE IN-HYE Β· BULLETIN CORPORATION CEO Β· ENEMY NO. 1
β Donβt worry. The night wonβt frighten me and the cold wonβt 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. β
THREADS Β· WANTED CONNECTIONS Β· CHARACTER STUDY
[ ! ]Β β 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 ]. itβs 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 ]
Thereβs a girl that stands in the middle of the woods. SHE KNOWS HOW THIS STORY WILL END. Sheβs read it a thousand times β 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 β because every story has an end, doesnβt it? β 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 β 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 β 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 β 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 β 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 β 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 familyβs 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 familyβs empire and failing to maintain it.
And for a while, she was content.
She worked at the countryβs 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 firmβs 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 everyoneβs plans.
And it was about time that she returned to take back what was rightfully hers.
















