I sincerely apologize for not updating for so long. My parents just got separated and I had to deal with battles that is impossible to fight easily or in just a short period of time. Thank you for supporting my story. This story is already near to an end so I guess I will try to update as fast as I can :)
• • • • • • •
By the way here's a guide to the characters of the past because some of you might get confused:
Yujin > Taehee (Ryujin and Ji Eun's mom)
Shin > Mr. Kim (Ryujin and Ji Eun's mom)
Hyunmoo > Mr. Na (Jaemin, Yoona, Yuna and Lia's father)
Seohyun > Mrs. Na (Jaemin, Yoona, Yuna and Lia's mother)
Seyoung > Mrs. Lee
Luna > Ji Eun
Neoma > Ryujin
Sohyang > (Ryujin's Step Dad)
AN: The Moon Family's family tree is at the end of this chapter so enjoy
• • • • • •
"Any update?"
"We're still working on it"
"Find her as soon as possible. We can't let the higher ups know about this"
George stood up and stare outside the window. It's rainy season now and they still have no idea where Yujin and Neoma is
Yujin left right after she found out the truth. She didn't bothered to listen to any of them as she believes that all of them betrayed her. George didn't bothered to stop her from leaving as he thought that she will be back right away because she didn't brought Luna with her. But a week has passed and she's still not coming back
"Shin just arrived. He's waiting for you downstairs" Eugene is still calm despite the situation even though deep inside, she wants to go outside and help to find Yujin and Neoma
"Don't let Hyunbin and Jin see him. They might hurt hi---"
"They already did"
"And you let them?" George asked in disbelief but Eugene just stared at him with a soulless eyes
"He deserves it, George" she answered which made George speechless. Part of him wants to agree with her but part of him was also saying that none of this could've happened if he didn't started the feud between the Shin's and the Moon
When George and Eugene go downstairs, Shin was already on the ground and beaten. Beside him was Seyoung who's still clueless about everything
"How's the competition?" George asked even though he already knew the answer
"He won" Seyoung answered and glared at Jin and Hyunbin "Why did you do that?" she angrily asked
"You're protecting the wrong person, Seyoung" Hyunbin seriously said which made Seyoung confused
"Do you know that Yujin and Neoma is missing?" Jin said right away which made them confuse and shock at the same time
"W-What? W-Why? Since when?" Shin can't find a word on how to express his confusement
"She already knew everything, thanks to your family. She's been missing for a week now" Hyunbin was about to attack him once again but Jin stopped him when he recognized someone standing on the door, soaked in rain and looking tired
"S-She's missing?"
"Hyunmoo?"
George was about to approach him but he immediately left with his car. The rain is getting heavier and it's not safe to drive especially right now, the visibility of the road is low and Hyunmoo might get into a car accident so George and Hyunbin immediately followed him
"Why is Hyunmoo still here?" Eugene asked confusedly
"He said he can't left Yujin here" Seyoung answered, trying to analyze everything. On the other hand, Jin and Eugene received a call that made their world stop. Jin dropped his phone, his hands begin to tremble and the tears started to form on the corner of his eyes
"No!"
Eugene's loud cries echoed in the whole mansion. She lost her balance but Jin managed to catch her
"T-Tell me, it's not true right?" Eugene asked, hoping
"I-I don't know, mom" Jin tried his best not to cry but ended up breaking down along with her mother
On the other hand, Hyunmoo and George also received the call and immediately went to the area of the accident. And there, they saw a familiar car, crushed by a truck and a tree down a cliff where the river is flowing nonstop because of the heavy rain. The rescuers had a hard time pulling out the car out of the river buy they still managed to do it
Hyunmoo, Hyunbin, and George was still not convinced that Yujin was the one who's driving the car not until when the medic pulled a baby stroller out of the car. George's knee gave up when he realized who's the owner of the stroller
It's Neoma's
"M-My daughter, N-Neoma" he whispered while tears are slowly streaming down his face
Hyunmoo was just standing there, watching how the medics are pulling the bodies out of the car. He can't process everything. He's too hurt to react and cry. His decisions from the past started to hunt him. He started questioning himself that led him to losing himself
Jin later on arrived together with Shin and Seyoung. They all can't believe it too when they saw Neoma's stroller, covered with dirt and blood. Hyunmoo lost his control the moment he saw Shin crying. He immediately punched him and beat the hell out of him with all his might like it was the last time that he's going to do it. They started to make a scene but Jin and Hyunbin didn't dare to stop Hyunmoo
Jin touched the stroller and his heart broke when he confirmed that it's really Neoma's stroller. His knees gave up when he saw a woman's body being carried by the rescuers. He saw a familiar bracelet from the woman's body
It's the bracelet that will prove that you're a member of the Moon Family
But Jin noticed something strange about the bracelet. He secretly stole the bracelet and checked it only to realize that...
It's fake
The bracelet was tarnished which is impossible to happen as their bracelet was made of rare and premium materials. He's still young but he knows a lot of things because he's naturally smart. He also checked the woman's face which is so unrecognizable now because of the long exposure to the water. He looked throughly to the woman's neck to find Yujin's minimal mole that only him knows and he found it. He got confused when he realized that it's much the mole is more visible and darker compare to before. He tried to rub it and it doesn't come off which means it's true...
Or someone purposely put it there using a henna
Jin immediately looked around as he felt like someone is watching him. And from afar, he saw a familiar figure, wearing a raincoat, a cap and a mask. The tears started to form from his eyes once again when that person removed the raincoat and her mask and smiled at him
"Y-Yujin"
The tears started to fall from his eyes when Yujin gave him a meaningful look and smile. Even though she's not saying anything, he understood what Yujin wants to happen
She wants them to believe that Yujin Moon is now dead, for her to start a new and peaceful life
"B-But what about Luna" Jin whispered
"Take care of her for now, I will take her with me, sooner" Yujin mouthed and nodded before she left
Jin looked at the woman's body and the stroller. He can't process everything about how Yujin managed to plan everything about faking her own death and why does she have to go this far. But one thing is for sure, Yujin has a good reason. She always has
Everyone was mourning because of Yujin's death except him because he's the only who knows the truth. He made sure that the Moon Family will immediately cremate the woman's body whom they believe is Yujin which is really not. Yes, only one body. No one can find Neoma's body and they all believed that it has been swept away by the raging river. George, will never give up looking for Neoma's body but of course, it was all useless because they're all looking for nothing
Jin spent all his time taking care of Luna. Hyunmoo never attended Yujin's funeral. George was busy about the trial held by the higher ups of their organization regarding what happened. Hyunbin was the one who's in charge of Yujin's funeral. Seyoung stayed on the Moon's mansion for the mean time to help while Eugene was busy about the statue that was supposed to be a gift for Yujin, Jin and Hyunbin. A statue of them in the middle of District 9's garden. Yujin was no longer there but it's still the sign that proves that they're the holy trinity of the Moon Family
Shin, on the other hand was busy processing everything about his termination as a member of the Shin family. He processed and insisted it himself as he wants to forget about his family who led him to this situation. He's full of regrets and also mourning because of Yujin and his daughter's death but he's trying his best to hide it and to be strong as he doesn't want every sacrifices that he and Yujin made to be useless. He looked at the torn family picture that Yujin left inside his room and started to cry. The picture shows him and Neoma in his arms
"I'm sorry" he whispered to himself while touching Neoma's face "I promise, I will take care of Luna until my last breath"
He badly wants to visit Yujin's funeral but he's already banned from entering District 9 which he personally think is he deserves. He's now moving forward and trying his best to prove himself to the Moon Family again that he's deserving of their forgiveness and that he's deserving to be known as Luna's dad
• • • • • •
"You're my wife and she's my daughter?"
"Yes, that's right"
"I-I'm sorry but I really can't remember anything"
"It's okay. Just take a rest"
Yujin waited for Sohyang (Ryujin's Step-Dad) to fell asleep before she left the room with Neoma and go to Daegu Hospital's rooftop to watch the moon and stars. It's exactly been a month since her fake death and everything was still new to her. It's completely a back to zero start of new life
She's currently in the Daegu Hospital to take care of Sohyang, the husband of the girl who got into that car accident whom everyone believed was her. She has been taking care of him since the accident because she felt so guilty about using his wife's dead body. Luckily, Sohyang lost his memory after the accident so it became more easier for her
"Who the hell are you? I can't remember that my brother already has a child"
But there's one problem, Sohyang lived alone in Seoul since he was young but it doesn't mean that he doesn't have any relatives. All of his relatives are here in Daegu but none of them knew everything about his life except his sister who's always hunting him to ask for money. Yujin is always two step ahead. She already checked Sohyang's and his family's background
"I also can't remember you. You are?" Yujin kept a poker face just like always
"What? I'm his sister" Sohyang's sister looks so offended because of the way Yujin asked her that question
"Then, I guess hi?"
Yujin was about to leave with Neoma when Sohyang's sister blocked her way, looking mad and desperate
"How's he? Was he on a critical condition?"
Yujin red her face and realized what she wants to happen. It made her mad to see the desperation on her face to hear that her brother is going to die. Yujin already met a lot of people like this before but this time, it's different as she's already involved
"No, he's doing well so you will never get any penny from his insurance as of now. You have to wait for atleast 50 years, I guess? My husband and I are going to live long" she seriously said which made her speechless
Yujin's plan was to take care of Sohyang until he recovers but it became longer than she expected as Sohyang already started to love her and Neoma. She watched Sohyang's every gesture to Neoma and she can't deny that he's naturally kind and gentle. She introduced herself as his wife so it's natural for Sohyang to think that they're inlove with each other but that's not the case because...
Yujin was still inlove with him
Yujin and Sohyang decided to live in a small but modern house in Daegu together with Neoma. They live as a happy family. Sohyang finally started to get used of everything and found a job. They're a happy family, that's what Sohyang thought but on the other side, Yujin was secretly visiting her family, especially him and Luna. She's happy about having Sohyang and Neoma but she still can't forget about him and Luna
But everything changed when she found that he's already engaged. Knowing that made her realized that she should also start forgetting about the past. And that's what she did. She changed her name to Taehee and Neoma's to Ryujin. She tried to love Sohyang as her husband but she can't. She tried her best but ended up hurting herself instead because no matter how hard she tried to fake it, she knew it's always been him
She thought she can live up with the lies that she made Sohyang believe not until when he found out everything. The happy family that they used to have turned upsidedown. Sohyang completely changed but she can't blame him as she knew that what she did was unforgivable. Sohyang almost lost his mind when he found out everything and visited his real wife's grave together with their unborn child. Yes, that's right. His wife was pregnant when they got into that car accident
Yujin already expected that Sohyang will reveal everything to Yujin's family after knowing the truth. She thought he will hate them but no. Sohyang chose to remain silent and chose to keep them because he already loves them and he doesn't want to lose them
Sohyang was suffering every single day whenever he see Ryujin because she reminds him of his real daughter that failed to see the world and feel his love as a father. Ryujin turned her back against them and became a rebel after finding out the truth. He became cruel to Ryujin because of that. He wants Ryujin to realize that she's lucky to live and witness everything in this world. He knew that Ryujin might hate him by the way he's disciplining her but he doesn't care. He wants Ryujin to grew up with a sense of discipline and braveness
Because if his child was alive, he will also do the same
They live as a complicated family but Sohyang already forgave Yujin and even thanked her for taking care of him after what happened. Yujin and Sohyang tried to fix their family but it became really hard for them because of Ryujin's stubbornness but they can't blame her as she doesn't have any idea about anything
"I wonder what she will feel once she found out that I'm not his real father. I'm sure she will be so happy" Sohyang whispered while watching Ryujin walk away after slapping her
"Don't say that. Someday, she will realized that she's so lucky that she grew up with you as her father" Yujin answered and hugged him
Little did he know, that was the last hug that he was going to receive from Yujin
Yujin left earlier that time to meet her lawyer from U.S. that will process Ryujin and Luna's (Ji Eun) inheritance but unfortunately, she didn't make it. She got into a car accident on her way there. Luna (Ji Eun) was the first person who came into her mind
"I promised to get you sooner, I'm sorry that it's taking me so long" she whisphered while looking at Luna's picture on her necklace "Please forgive me if I didn't made it"
She later on took her phone to left a message for Ryujin. Every word was like a knife stabbing into her heart because she knew that it's going to be her last words for her
While she was saying those words, her eyes landed on someone whom she never expected that she's going to have a chance to meet for the last time
"H-Hyunmoo-yah" she whispered
There, Hyunmoo is standing behind the crowded people, wearing a cap and hoodie jacket, smirking at someone. He looks completely different than before but Yujin still managed to recognize him because...
Heart will always recognize whom it really belongs to
Yujin managed to flash a smile despite her situation because she feels so grateful to see him, again, for the last time
""I-I want y-you to k-know that the t-three of y-you are the b-best thing that h-happened in my life" those were Yujin's last words
Yes, that's right. All the "him" in Yujin's thoughts was him, Na Hyunmoo. Her first and last love. How awful their love story is, because the reason behind her death was also him
It's him, all this time
But how come that Na Hyunmoo, known as the good boy of their town became like that? Well, just like every villain in the story. The pain changed him
After believing that Yujin really died, he lost himself. He didn't even bother to visit her funeral, not even once. He started to keep going but part of him was gone. It became really hard for him to move on. He always cry every single night. He's always visiting Yujin's statue on District 9's garden and wishing that she would came back to life and hug him but none of this happened
A few years later, he got engaged to a random girl named Seohyun. Daughter of an owner of an orphanage. He's against it because he knew that he can't love anyone the same way he loved Yujin. He refused to be engaged with her only to find out that Shin was also already engaged with someone else. Not just that, the Moon Family already forgave him and even gave him the custody of Luna who's now known as Ji Eun. Yes, Shin also used the name that he gave to the twins. All of this made him insane. None of this makes sense for him so he decided to talk to George for the first time after that night of the accident
"How have you been?" George asked
"How can you forgive him that easily?" he asked right away
George already expected him to ask this but he didn't expected to see the same pain in Hyunmoo's eyes. It didn't lessen, not even a bit
"We've already moved on, so you should too" George answered
"How? Tell me, how can I do that knowing that the reason behind her death was now living a happy life with his new family?" Hyunmoo started to tear up "It's so unfair!" he shouted
"Life is always unfair, Hyunmoo" Jin suddenly came out of nowhere. He became taller and more matured now than before but his respect for Hyunmoo didn't changed because up until now, he believes that Yujin was better with him
"If you're thinking that everyone here already moved on and forgave him then you're wrong" he said and sat beside Hyunmoo "Because I still haven't"
"Jin" George warned him but Jin lost his respect for him since that day
"I will never forgive the people who hurt my sister and so is you. I will never forgive you if you will waste and ruin your life" he seriously said to Hyunmoo "Touch some grass man. Do whatever it takes to beat Shin. That man didn't deserve anything from our family"
"Jin!" George shouted angrily
"I can't understand why you're giving that man much credit. You're probably out of your mind now, George. Giving him the control of District 9 is bullshit" Jin angrily said before he left
Hyunmoo realized that Shin already gained George's trust for him to give him the control of District 9. He already heard that the Moon Family are planning to left for good. They also have business to take care of in U.S. so District 9 really needs someone who will take care of it
"Accept the engagement. It will help you to move on. Seohyun is a great woman" George said
"But not as great as Yujin" he said and stood up. He was about to left when George said something
"Use your pain as a motivation to keep going. Do not let the pain change you. You're more than that, Hyunmoo" George meaningfully said
Hyunmoo accepted the engagement just like what George said with the thought that he might gain George's trust but ended up falling inlove with Seohyun because of her genuine kindness but of course, he didn't love her the same way he loved Yujin. They got married the same day as Shin's marriage and the same day as The Moon Family's departure
Hyunmoo loves Seohyun but she's not his priority. His priority is to get everything away from Shin to give Yujin the justice that she deserves. He believes that Shin didn't deserve everything that he have right now but in the end, Shin managed to keep everything that he have which made him insane. Not just that, a few months later Hyunmoo found out that he can't have a baby with Seohyun because she has a weak heart but it's not a serious problem because the real problem is him. All of this things changed him, completely
That made him who he is right now
Once known as a good boy
But now known as a living devil in District 9
Who would have thought that his eagerness to get the justice that he wants for Yujin would literally kill her and change him like this
How unfortunate
• • • • • •
3rd
You can't hear anything inside the room but Hyunmoo's loud cries, asking for Yujin's forgiveness. Everyone can't believe what they've just heard especially Ryujin and Ji Eun who has no idea about a single thing from the past, especially about Hyunmoo and their mom's relationship
"So all of this started because you killed a member of a Shin family just because they leaked information about your family?" Ji Eun asked in disbelief
"Who said we killed them?" Jin laughed sarcastically which made everyone confused especially Shin
"Then where the hell is my uncle?" Shin asked angrily
"Dead. And guess what, they're killed by Hyunmoo because of you" Jin clenched his fist because of anger "You're the reason behind everything, Shin"
"What do you mean?"
Jin later on approached Giselle who's now slowly realizing everything. He tapped Giselle shoulder and smiled at her
"Say hi to your cousin, Shin"
Everyone was shocked when they realized what Jin meant by that except Ryujin who's just silently watching them
"N-No" Shin started tearing up, same with Giselle who's now being comforted by Hwiyoung
"George didn't killed your uncle, Shin. They actually protected them from the higher-ups that might hunt them fot leaking information about us. He gave them a chance to start a new life, and Giselle is the proof" Jin explained "George managed to protect your uncle but failed to protect my sister, how awful" Jin bitterly said
"Enough, Jin" Ahjumma warned
"Sorry, I'm enjoying this revelation too much" Jin laughed and approached Heejin
"You're probably wondering why you're here" he said and immediately removed his hand from Heejin's shoulder when he saw Hyunjin glaring at him which made him laugh "Well, someone wants to meet you"
The moment Jin said that, the door opened and it shows a visitor that no one expected to see. Yeji, Ji Eun and Heejin immediately stood up when they recognized who it is
"W-Winter?"
Winter changed a lot. Her hair became shorter and she looks brave and fierce unlike before. Instead of approaching her sister, she approached Ji Eun instead and slapped her really hard that echoed in the whole room
"Yah--"
"I'm okay" Ji Eun said to Haruto when he tried to stop Winter
"I've been waiting for so long to do this" Winter said and smiled before approaching her sister and hug her
"H-How?" Heejin can't believe that her sister was standing infront of her right now. She started to tear up when she confirmed that it was really her
"Let's just say that I'm monitoring everyone's movement in Dream High Academy. Not because Shin is the Director of the school doesn't mean I have no control in the school. We, the Moon Family are still the owner of Dream High Academy" Jin said
"He's enjoying it too much" Jennie whispered which made Yoon Su laugh
"I heard that" Jin said and glared at Jennie who just rolled her eyes at him
"Now let's talk about how Hyunmoo killed my sister" Jin suddenly became more serious when he saw that which made everyone serious. He looked at Ji Eun who's now holding her cheeks and Ryujin who's now leaning on the wall with her eyes closed
"Neoma, are you okay?" Jin asked but didn't received any response from Ryujin
"Hey, are you okay?" Jaemin asked but only received a nod from Ryujin
Jin noticed that Ryujin is getting pale even more as the time goes by but base on her position it looks like she's still fine
"Hyunmoo killed Giselle's parents for the land in Cheongdam-dong that Shin badly wants to have to do his secret business. Mr. Hwang found out about it and Hyunmoo asked him to cover it just like what he always does inside the court trial, am I right?" Jin looked at Mr. Hwang who's now trembling in fear
"Y-Yes"
It's unbelievable how a young man like Jin can make him tremble in fear. Maybe this is the power of the Moon Family
"But you found out that the couple that Hyunmoo killed was somehow related to Shin so you tried to betray Hyunmoo but Hyunmoo immediately found out about it and made you drunk. But he knows that it's still not enough so he sabotage your car to kill you. Unfortunately, Mr. Lee was inside the car too. He managed to help you about the car but ended up crashing into another car" Jin smirked and glared at Hyunmoo
"It turns out that the one who's driving the car was my sister, Yujin who's known by some of you here as Taehee"
Ryujin opened her eyes and looked at Ji Eun when she heard her loud cries. She was now being comforted by Haechan and Haruto
"I'm sorry" Shin and Hyunmoo repeatedly said like it can change everything that happened
"Did you really do all of that dad? I-I can't believe that you can do such thing---"
"He's not your dad" Mrs. Na (Seohyun) suddenly said. Everyone looked at her, seeking for an answer
"S-Seohyun" Mr. Na (Hyunmoo) was already on the verge of tears. He can see from Seohyun's eyes that she already had enough which made him feel that he's going to lose everything now
"Since we're already here, I guess it's time for you to know" Seohyun smiled weakly and looked at Lia, Yuna, and Jaemin "We're not your real parents"
Yuna and Lia covered their mouth in disbelief. The tears later on started to form on the corner of their eyes. Jaemin's reaction didn't changed. He's just standing there with his hands on his pocket, silently listening to everything
"You're all from the orphanage that my family owns. Hyunmoo and I can't have a baby so we decided to just adopt the four of you" Seohyun started to tear up when she saw her daughter's reaction "I'm sorry that I adopted you. If only I knew that you will experience hell in us, then I shouldn't have adopted y---"
"We only experienced hell in his arms, mom. Don't blame yourself for something that you didn't do"
Taehyung stood up when Yoona suddenly came with a baby. She looks much better than before. More sophisticated, more elegant and prettier. Everyone was shocked to see her because of her sudden disappearance
"Y-Yoona"
"U-Unnie"
Yoona entered the room with Eugene's approval and cherished her mom in her arms. Yuna and Lia also did the same except Jaemin who's silently observing Ryujin who's still leaning on the wall with her eyes closed. Everyone might think that she's so calm but not him. He knew that Ryujin is deeply hurt too and just enduring it
Yuna later on faced her father with a serious face. This is the second time that she gained strength to go against her father but this time, the strength was from her and not from anyone else. She gained the strength to fight for what she wants by herself
"I heard that you're once called as the "good boy" of District 9. But it's all in the past now. Because starting from this day, you will be known as an abusive father, a corrupt mayor, a murderer, and a jerk. Goodluck in jail, dad" Yoona seriously said
The moment she said that, the police entered the room with a warrant of arrest for Mr. Na, Mr. Hwang, and Mr. Kim. The trio who's trying hard to be the "Holy Trinity of District 9"
"The Holy Trinity of District 9 will never change. It's always been us" Jin seriously said to Shin
All you can hear inside the room was loud cries while Mr. Na, Mr. Hwang, and Mr. Kim was being dragged out of the room by the police
"Seohyun-ah, Yoona, Lia, Yuna, Jaemin, forgive me" those where Mr. Na's last words and that's the first time that Mr. Na apologized to them sincerely which made it even more painful for them to watch him go. Yes, he became cruel to them and he treated them like sh*t but they can't avoid the fact that he's still their father. All of their memories with him wasn't only bad, there are happy times where Hyunmoo became a father to them but all of it was eaten by the worst nightmare that Hyunmoo gave to them
"Neoma, Luna, I love you" and those were Shin's last words for his daughters
Ji Eun started to break down and was immediately comforted by Mrs. Kim, Taehyung, Haruto and Younghoon. On the other side, Ryujin only opened her eyes the moment Shin completely left the room. Everyone was busy about crying so she decided to left silently. She secretly watched her dad left the Moon's mansion before she decided to go at the Moon's garden where no one will see her
She looked around the garden and tried to imagine how her mom's childhood was. Was it happy? Sad? Memorable? She doesn't have an idea, but one thing is for sure. The place where she's standing at is the place where her mom grew up
She sat on the bench and saw her mom's name written on it. She gently touched it while her tears are slowly coming out from her eyes
"How I wish you were here to explain everything to me" she leaned to the bench and looked at the sky "I miss you, mom" she started to break down when she felt someone sitting beside her. She doesn't have to open her eyes to see who it was. She immediately leaned to him and cried her eyes out
"I-It hurts so much" she whispered
"I know but we need to hang on and fight because at the end, I'm sure there's a prize that will make you say that "Gladly, I fought". That's how life is" Jaemin whispered and wrapped his arms around her while tears are slowly streaming down his face
And there they are again, clueless about how they're standing at the place where they first met when they're young. Surrounded by daisy flowers that Yujin and Hyunmoo raised
Jaemin stayed beside Ryujin, silently listened to her sobs, made her feel that he's with her, and comforted her even though, he, needs it too
"J-Jaemin-ah, are you okay?" Ryujin finally asked, she was about to look at Jaemin's face but Jaemin refused to and hugged her instead
"D-Do you hate me now? A-After finding out the truth?"
Ryujin got flustered because of his question. It took her a while to answer his question
"No, I can't hate you" she whispered which made Jaemin smile weakly "Answer my question, are you okay?" she asked once again
"I'm okay as long as you don't hate me and as long as you're near me" Jaemin answered while gently caressing her hair
They stayed like that for a long time like none of them wants to be separated from each other, like their comfort was each other not until when Jin, Eugene, Yoon Su and Sohyang (Ryujin's Step Dad) came.
"Excuse us but we need to talk to Ryujin" Jin said
"You're not the one who's going to decide that. I will talk to you if I want to" Ryujin seriously said while glaring at Jin, Eugene and Yoon Su
"You reminds me of your mom" Eugene said and smiled but what she said didn't changed Ryujin's reaction. Ji Eun later on came together Haechan, Taehyung, Haruto, Mrs. Lee, and Younghoon
"Sorry to interrupt your little family reunion but Ryujin, Ji Eun, Jaemin, and Haechan needs to go to prepare for the awarding ceremony on Dream High Academy. The winner was already decided" Mrs. Lee said and held Ryujin and Haechan's hand
"Oh, I understand. Please make Luna and Neoma look beautiful and elegant. Made them wear the gown that is made for the member of the Moon Family" Jin said
"Again, you're not the one who's going to decide that. We just met and now you're acting like you have the control over our life?" Ryujin seriously said which made Yoon Su laugh as he already expected Ryujin to say that. The bodyguards who heard their conversation was shocked because that's the first time that they met someone who can talk like that to Jin
"I agree with her. Just because you're Yujin's family doesn't mean you're also our family" Ji Eun added, refusing to call Yujin as her mom
"So this is how the twins throw tantrums uh?" Jin said, trying to piss Ryujin and Ji Eun
"So childish" Ryujin said and dragged Jaemin with her. Jin's jaw dropped because of what Ryujin said. The other members of the Moon Family started to laugh
"Did she just call me childish?" he asked in disbelief
"Yes, you are" Jennie said and walked away
"Give them time. It's going to be really hard for them to accept the truth but I know that they will someday" Seyoung said and looked at Ahjumma, her mother-in-law "Same with Juyeon, he will forgive you someday" she said and smiled before she left with Haechan
• • • • • •
Ryujin's POV:
Here I am now, standing at the backstage, lost and pretentious. Smiling at the others and keep on saying that I'm fine despite everything that happened earlier. Well, I'm already tired of crying and suffering. I'm honestly already tired of everything. If there's only a way to escape all of this then I would take that way no matter where and how far it is going to take me. I want to run away, for the first time
"Neoma" Jaemin held my hand and smiled
But there's one thing who keeps holding me back
"I know a lot of things happened tonight but I want you to know that no matter what happens, I will always be here"
How? How can I afford to run away knowing that I am going to lose this man? I said to myself before that I am going to make him braver but no, he's the one who thought me how to brave. I used to believe that I'm brave but no, just by looking at Jaemin's fake smiles infront of me made me realize that he's probably the bravest man I ever met. I never saw him shed a single tear tonight. All he does was to check on me, ask me how I am, and smile like he's not in pain wherein fact we're both suffering from the same pain
Losing this man will surely feels like losing myself, completely
Instead of answering, I gave him a hug and gently caress his hair. He always feels like home
We was later on asked to go to the stage so we broke our hug and go to the stage. Haechan and Ji Eun came from the other side of the stage. I caught Haechan looking at me, worried, so I flashed a smile which made him smile too
"Let me call the co-founder of Dream High Academy, Mrs. Moon Eugene"
Everyone started to clap except me and Ji Eun. She entered the stage gracefully with a smile. I can clearly see her resemblance to my mom but I don't want to admit it. They didn't do something bad to me but I don't like them. I hate the fact that they suddenly came out of nowhere revealing everything all at once like they're in a drama
"Goodevening ladies and gentlemen, it's a pleasure to meet all of you here tonight, especially the talented candidates from Dream High Academy" Eugene looked at us but I didn't dare to smile at her
"If George was still alive, you're probably being dragged out of the stage right now" Jin suddenly appeared beside me, wearing a red suit
"If Beomgyu was still alive, he will surely beat your ass out for annoying me" I said
The sadness suddenly eat me again when I remembered Beomgyu. How I wish he's here to witness all of this
"The winner was carefully chosen by our beloved judges, who's personally picked by my son, Moon Hyunbin" a guy stood up from the VIP seats and waved his hands to the media. Beside him was a beautiful lady, a guy who's obviously on the same age as me, and a beautiful girl with deep dimples on her face. They're all wearing dark red outfits, exactly the same as the Moon Family so I guess they're Moon Hyunbin's family
"Are y'all excited to know who's the winner?" Eugene asked which made the crowd scream out of excitement
"The winner will be the representative of South Korea to the biggest talent competition in France. Not just that, the winner will also win a $1,000,000,00 cash prize, house and lot, scholarship to a prestigious school in France, and many more. It's too many to mention" Eugene laughed
I used to care about the prize before because that's the key for Beomgyu and I to have the life that we always wanted to have. But now that he's no longer here, I can't see the value of those prizes. It didn't even amazed me, not a little bit. It doesn't matter whether I should win or not anymore. I'm worrying about what's going to be my next step after this
"With an average score of 94%, the Dream High Academy's third placer is no other than..." I got flustered when Ji Eun held my hand. She looked at me and smiled weakly. It's so strange to see her being kind to me and smiling at me like this but it somehow made me happy. I can't believe that she's my twin sister
"You look so calm" she whispered
"And you look so nervous" I said which made her laugh
Everyone went silent when Eugene opened the envelope
"Kim Ji Eun!"
Everyone started to clap, some are confused, and some are celebrating. I understand them though, Ji Eun is the current ace of the aces of Dream High Academy so everyone was anticipating her to be the winner. Honestly, me too. I'm expecting her to win even though I didn't watched her performance
"Congratulations" I said
"Thank you" she smiled genuinely at me, Haechan and Jaemin. She looks genuinely happy and contented about the result like she was already expecting it. There's no sign of anger or bitterness
She was called infront of the stage to give her speech. Infront of her was Haruto, Taehyung and Younghoon who's cheering for her. I smiled weakly as I realized that Ji Eun was so lucky to have brothers like them. I'm lucky too to have Beomgyu but unfortunately, he's no longer here
"Some of you are probably disappointed that I didn't won. Well, I guess Mrs. Haze and Dad too" she bitterly said
From what I heard from Heejin, Mrs. Haze was already in jail. She's the one who hurt Winter and made it look like that it was suicide. Mr. Kim covered her up to protect Ji Eun because he knew that Ji Eun will blame herself from what happened. But little did they knew, Yoon Su and Jin was monitoring them so they managed to save Winter and decided to hide her and protect her
I didn't bother to know the whole story because my own story itself was already complicated
"Well, let me disappoint all of you even more. I honestly didn't deserve to be here. The original owner of the ace of aces position was Winter and not me"
I smiled secretly as I realized that Ji Eun wasn't really bad in the first place. She was just surrounded by wrong people. I'm glad to see her slowly accepting the consequences of what she did
"And now, let me use this opportunity to apologize to her" Ji Eun looked at the camera and smiled. The whole awarding ceremony was on live TV and Winter was surely watching right now
"Right from the start, I knew that you're better than me. You have always been better than me. I sincerely apologize for stealing your throne as the ace of the aces of Dream High Academy. I knew that it might took you so long to forgive me but I will surely wait, no matter how long it is"
Kim Ji Eun, above elegance, admired by a lot me and women, is now kneeling infront of everyone and asking for forgiveness. It's probably too embarrassing for others to do this kind of thing but for me, what she did is the real definition of braveness
I'm proud of her, as her sister
Everyone started gossiping after what she said and started to ask questions but everyone suddenly became quiet when Eugene approached her and lend her a hand
"You did the right thing, Luna"
Ji Eun accepted her hand offer and hugged her. I suddenly felt like I'm one step behind because I don't think I can hug any member of the Moon Family. They're all my mom's relatives but they're all completely strangers to me. They can call me heartless all they want but they can't blame me, I don't want any people to enter my life again
Especially if they're going to leave and hurt me with their lies
Ji Eun left the stage bravely even though she knew that a lot of people will hate her. With the help of Younghoon and Taehyung, she managed to go to her dressing room safely
"She's so brave, right?" I said to Jaemin and Haechan. I'm now standing between the two of them
"We all are" Jaemin meaningfully said
"Moving on to the 2nd Runner Up with an average score of 98%"
Everyone scoffed in disbelief when they heard that. Even I, was shocked too. 98% was already considered as the average of the winner which means, the 2nd Runner Up's skills can be compared to the winner and 1st Runner Up
I wonder who it is. Was it me?
"Na Jaemin!"
I covered my mouth in disbelief when Jaemin's name was announced. I jumped out of joy and celebrated like it was also my victory. Happiness can be seen on his face but the sadness can also be seen in his eyes. I'm sure it's not because he didn't won the highest plave so I wonder why
"Congratulations!" I happily said. He immediately hugged me so tight and gave me a kiss which made me blush because Jin, Eugene and my step dad saw it
"I'm so proud of you"
"Me too, bro" Haechan said and hugged Jaemin
Jaemin go in the middle of the stage and received the trophy, medal and bouquet of Daisy Flowers from Eugene. He looked at me before he started his speech
"Today is one of the toughest day I ever had" he meaningfully said but only us, who knew what happened will understand what he's talking about "Dad, are you watching me?" he suddenly said which made me lose my smile "I'm sorry, I didn't won but I just want you to know that I did my best to win it, for you to have the greatest reputation that I thought you've always wanted" the tears started to stream down on his face which broke my heart
Greatest Reputation was not Mr. Na truly wanted. What he wants was to avenge my mother's death whom he truly loved. And now that Jaemin found out about it, I'm sure he's having a hard time thinking that all his efforts to get what his dad wants before was useless
"Mom, Noona, Yuna, and Lia. You're still proud of me, right?" he asked while looking at his family from the audience
"And for the girl who made me who I am today and never left my side, thank you" he later on looked at me and smiled while wiping his tears "I will always stay beside you just like how the stars stayed beside the Moon in every situation"
Crying wasn't on my plan but what Jaemin said made me really emotional
"I love you, my moon" he said
I love you too
I badly wants to say those words to him for how many times but I was always gets interrupted. But now that I already have the chance, I don't know why but I can't say it. Why is it so hard to say?
He still flashed a smile despite of not receiving any response from me. He gave Eugene the mic and left the stage silently. He received a loud clap from the audience. He didn't go back to his dressing room and decided to stay at the side. He probably wants to witness who's going to take the victory between Haechan and I. I looked at Jaemin but he just smiled at me
"Fighting!" he mouthed which made me smile
I was brought back to reality when Haechan held my hand and interwined our fingers. He smiled at me and wiped the tears from my eyes
"Even if you don't say it, he knew that you love him" he said and looked infront "But he still need to hear it. He deserves to hear it" he meaningfully said and dragged me in the middle of the stage
For a moment, I forgot that we're at the awarding ceremony and me and Haechan are the only candidates left. He faced me and held both of my hands. He, later on, stared at my face and observed it like it's his first time seeing my face. You can clearly see the amazement in his eyes. His mouth that is slightly open later on turned into a smile
"Who would've thought that the girl that I saw in the bus stop that time will be standing here with me, tonight" his eyes looks so sad and I don't know why "You're doing well since then, up until now, Ryujin-ah"
For some reasons, I got emotional too. Those words are exactly the words that Beomgyu will eventually tell me if he's here. Looking back when I first came at District 9, it was Haechan who's always there to help me. He's always there whenever I needed him. He's always there, beside me. But I didn't even thanked him for that
I stepped closer to Haechan with a smile and gently hugged him. I felt how he got flustered because of what I did but I just stayed like that for a moment until he hugged me back
"Thank you for everything, Haechan-ah. You're one of the best things that happened to me" I whisphered
"Now let's call on Moon Jin to announce the winner" Eugene said. Jin stood beside us with the envelope and the trophy. He looked at me and smiled genuinely
"And now, the biggest even of the night. I'm here to announce the winner of Dream High Academy with an average score of 99.6%..."
Haechan broke our hug and held my hand
"Shin Ryujin!"
My jaw literally dropped when I heard my name. Everyone started celebrating. The camera flashes nonstop
"I won?" I asked to Haechan in disbelief and he nodded with a proud smile. He later on signaled me to go infront so that's what I did but while I was walking to the front what he said made me stop from walking
"You're the best thing that ever happened to me, Ryujin-ah" it's almost a whispher but I still managed to hear. I looked back and saw him walking away
Did I heard it right?
Or am I just hallucinating?
"Congratulations!" I was brought back to reality when my step dad greeted me, carrying the bouquet of Daisy Flowers. I immediately hugged him out of joy that he's here, witnessing one of the most important day of my life
I said, winning doesn't matter anymore but now that I really won, my efforts and hardships made me think that it was all worth it, just like what Jaemin said
I was about to look back when I felt his arms around my waist. I hugged his arms and slowly faced him. I immediately hugged him so tight
"You made it!" he happily said and kissed my forehead
"We made it!" I said and jumped out of joy
The other elites celebrate with us on the stage. They keep on congratulating me and telling me that I deserve it
"Noona! I knew that you're going to win it!" Haruto said and hugged me
It felt so good now that I found out that Haruto is my brother. In the whole revelation that I heard tonight, knowing that Haruto is my brother is the only thing that made me happy
"You won. Your mom is surely proud of you" Mrs. Lee said and gave me a hug "You made one of her dreams come true"
The Moon Family later on approached me too. I don't know how to react around them but I don't want to be rude to them and ruin the moment
"I'm so proud of you, couz" Yoon Su patted my head but I glared at him
"Liar" I whispered
"I really have no idea at first! I even almost court you because I didn't know. I'm sorry, okay?" he said and almost beg infront of me
"Congratulations, goodluck on your next step" Hyunbin said and gave me a gentle hug
"Thank you" I said
"Congratulations, I guess? You really is a member of the Moon Family" Jin said which ruin my moon
"I'm a Shin" I corrected him "And you're not one of those people who helped me to win this so stop mentioning your family name"
"Yah! Don't you know that I'm the one who took care of you when you're still a baby? I even bought you the most expensive toys---"
"I can't remember"
"Of course, you're still a baby that time---"
"Then say that to the baby version of me, I guess? Because I don't really care about what you're saying" I said
This guy really annoys me. He looks powerful and strict but the truth is he's childish
"Enough" Eugene said which made him shut up. She later on approached me and held my hand. She gently patted my head and smiled genuinely
"Thank you for fulfilling one of your mom's dreams. I'm so proud of you" I don't know why but she suddenly got emotional
"Uhm excuse me, the winner needs to have her speech"
Our conversation got interrupted because of that. I immediately went in the middle of the stage holding the trophy, bouquet and sash. All eyes are on me now
"Some of you probably didn't know me so let me introduce myself. I am Shin Ryujin from Daegu, daughter of Shin Sohyang and Shin Taehee" I looked at my dad who didn't expect what I just said
Yeah, they're my parents. Not anyone else
"I worked so hard to win this award not for myself but for my bestfriend, Beomgyu. But unfortunately, he's no longer here" I smiled weakly and looked above while tears are slowly forming on the corner of my eyes
"Beomgyu-yah, are you watching me? I made it" the tears started to fall from my eyes the moment I said that
"To those people who helped me on my way to this victory. Mrs. Lee, Mr. Lee, Haechan, Juyeon, Mark, Chaeryeong, Haruto, Younghoon, Taehyung, Ji Eun, Sunghoon, Jay, Yeji, Hyunjin, Heejin, Yuna, Yoona, Lia, Dad, Mrs. Kim, Mrs. Park, Mr. Park, Mrs. Na, and Mr. Kim" I paused for a moment when I mentioned Mr. Kim's name
"Thank you so much" I genuinely said
"And to the guy who showed me how beautiful the world is and taught me how to be brave" I looked at Jaemin and smiled "Saranghae" (I love you)
I finally said it!
"I love you too" he mouthed
I later on raised my hand and placed it on my left chest
"I am Shin Ryujin, the representative of South Korea, will promise to do her very best to take the victory for our country and prove that I am the pride of Dream High Academy"
Everyone started to clap. This is probably one of the happiest and saddest day of my life. I don't what's going to be my next step but one thing is for sure, I will keep going
I looked around and watch everyone celebrating my victory when I realized that I can't find Haechan and Ji Eun. I looked around to find them but there's no trace of them
"Have you seen Ji Eun and Haechan?" I asked to Jaemin
"Probably in the backstage" he said and joined me to go at the backstage. We first go to Ji Eun's dressing room but only her make up artist and hairstylist are there so we headed to Haechan's dressing room
My brows furrowed when I heard loud coughs inside his dressing room. The door was closed but I can hear Haechan's cough and Ji Eun's voice. I slowly opened the door and saw tissues on the ground with full of blood
"I think you should go to the hospital now" Ji Eun said
"No, let me stay here for a moment. I still haven't said my goodbye to her" he said and coughed once again. I covered my mouth in disbelief when I realized that all the blood from the tissues was from his coughs
"H-Haechan-ah, what's happening to you?" I worriedly asked. The tears started to form from eyes when he faced me and saw how pale he is. He looks so shocked to see me
"Why did you bring her here?" he asked to Jaemin
"She deserves to know. Let's stop hiding anything from her. She already had enough" Jaemin said which made me even more confused
"What do you mean?"
Haechan took a deep breath and looked away
"W-What is it?" I asked once again but he refused to answer so I stepped closer and held Haechan's arms "Tell me, what is it?"
"I don't want to ruin your victory---"
"F*ck that victory! Tell me what's wrong with you!?" I angrily asked which made him cry
"I-I have..." he took a deep breath and wiped his tears. He later on flashed a smile "I have a leukemia, Ryujin-ah"
I feel like my whole world stopped the moment I heard that. I covered my mouth in disbelief while tears are slowly streaming down my face. I suddenly remembered the medicine from the garden, the moment he collapsed at the school and how pale he always was. Also when he got hospitalized...
So those are the signs that I failed to recognize once again, just like what happened to Beomgyu
Am I going to lose Haechan now?
"N-No, please don't disappear on me"
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A warm welcome to the Moon Family