I wouldn't date any of the characters in this. They're all too damaged. Our main heroine is obsessed with fame and that desire almost ruins her. She is extremely charming though. She's a true princess. A girl with a noble heart who is willing to do whatever it takes to avenge her prince.
Bae Eunsoo has it all. She dances for the New York city ballet. She is an elite professional dancer. Her performances have charmed tons of ballet fans, but she's still new. She wants more attention. One solo isn't enough. Ten solos aren't enough. She is a princess and she wants to be treated like one. Her boyfriend indulges her. He spoils her and then he gives her a massive diamond ring. When her prince proposes she doesn't hesitate. She says yes, and then she tells the other dancers immediately. They gasp and growl jealously like they always do, because her finance is rich.
Then he kills himself the next day. Bae falls into denial. When Kiwoog's grieving family calls she ignores them. She hasn't even met his family yet. Hmm. Red flag. So she goes out and drinks with the other dancers. Then, reality hits. Her prince is gone. His family is cold to her too, because they don't know her. When she says he proposed they don't care. It doesn't matter. He's dead. There is no connection between them. In fact, they're suspicious of her. Kiwoog didn't mention her, even though they've been living together for a year.
Strange.
Bae completely falls apart slowly and painfully. She's not as glamourous as she looks. She has always dated men with money to get ahead. Kiwoog was special. Her feelings were a little shallow, but she did love him. She thought he was husband material. He did have money, but she also just enjoyed his company.
She thought she was lucky.
She hides his death from her dance team. Becoming a famous dancer requires sacrifice, and talent. Only the toughest make it. Bae knows she will get cut if she mentions her fiance's death. How? Well another primadonna ballerina ruined a show because of "personal drama". Her boyfriend died in a car crash, and her unprofessional crying made the city ballet look bad. The investors didn't like that, so now personal problems are career suicide. Bae must be perfect and happy all the time, or her primadonna role will be snatched away.
It's a fairly innocent lie at first. She doesn't want to discuss personal shit with her opportunistic co-workers. That's understandable.
Ahem.
You must be surprised. Please prepare yourself this will take awhile.
These two villains killed Kiwoog. He killed himself, but they pushed him towards madness. Nam Eunsoo was his ex girlfriend. Seokhyun was his best friend. Both of them were freakishly obsessed with Kiwoog. Seokhyun is a gay man in denial who slept with Nam to feel closer to him. He's also a perverted stalker who spied on Kiwoog's every move. After Kiwoog found out that damaged his sanity. He distanced himself from Seokhyun, but he didn't break their friendship. Most likely because they were childhood friends, and he needed support. From anyone. He was stuck in a hellish situation before he met Bae.
Nam Eunsoo is the true villain. The big boss. The bitch. She slept with Seokhyun because she wanted to. Tormenting the confused gay man was fun for her. She did "love" Kiwoog. He was her favorite toy, but then he ran away from her. She's a New York elite who also happens to own the city ballet stage. She's their number one investor.
After Kiwoog broke up with her he tried to be happy.
I think he really did love Bae, but it was too late. Nam and Seokhyun played with him for two years. Nam also introduced him to hard drugs. He tried to be a good prince for Bae, but he was already hopelessly addicted to heroin. He was depressed too. I... wouldn't know how to function if I found out my best friend was a pervert stalker. I would cry too if my rich girlfriend treated me like a living accessory. Bae made him happy, but he couldn't go on. He killed himself right in front of one of Seokhyun's hidden cameras.
That was his final revenge.
Isn't that more impactful than a simple "you did this to me"?
Nam and Seokhyun both try to manipulate Bae while she's grieving. It works well at first. Nam lies her ass off and tells Bae that Kiwoog told her to watch over her. Then Nam gives Bae lavish gifts. The kind of things Kiwoog used to give her, and more. Nam is much richer than Kiwoog. The money blinds her. Then the lies keep growing. Bae still can't tell her boss that Kiwoog is dead. The leader of the city ballet, Carolina, is ruthless. Luckily Nam is friends with her. Nam sends presents to Bae and "pretends to be Kiwoog" so Bae can keep enjoying life as a princess. Nam also makes the investors give Bae special treatment, and more fame.
Bae is still in denial, so she lets Nam manipulate her. Nam is heavily linked to Kiwoogs suicide. She actively tries to make Bae look crazy and egotistical. She wants to pin his drug addiction fueled depression on her.
Seokhyun also pretends to be Kiwoog for a while. Bae's coworkers haven't met him, so he can easily pass as Kiwoog. However, he is unhinged. He quickly snaps and stops pretending. Kiwoog's ghost torments him. He has only ever loved Kiwoog, and Kiwoog loved him like a brother.
He watched Kiwoog die.
That guilt eventually kills him.
Nam has a secretary named Piper who is willing to kill for her. He's a nice bonus yandere. Nam has caused more than one murder. Piper ties Bae up and they abuse her together near the end of the story. It's heartbreaking, but Bae doesn't give up. She finds the truth. She slowly realizes that these two people from Kiwoog's past are evil. Psychotic. Manipulative. Everything in between.
Bae gives up her dream of becoming a primadonna ballerina. The corruption in the dance hall disgusts her. Giving up her dream hurts, but she wants revenge. She did love Kiwoog, and she also doesn't want to go to jail. She didn't cause his death. Her love almost saved him. Kiwoog thought she was too good for him. He thought he was broken. He wrote letters for her, but Bae doesn't read most of them. She decides to leave Kiwoog behind. After she gets her revenge she lets his memory rest. She wasn't obsessed with him. She was his real princess, not Nam. Nam ends up in jail. Seokhyun jumps off a building. Then it's over and Bae leaves.
She sends the villains to hell and takes revenge for her prince.
Then, she moves on with her life. She starts dating one of the side characters too.
