p/s: This is after moonbyul went to see her real mom (Miss / Madame Choi in chapter 16)

“You came to see her,” she accused.

The gloomy weather on the outside seemed to have a great influence the mood on the inside, as the cold wooden dark walnut floor beneath her croaked in attention upon hearing the flat tone of the refined woman sitting calmly across her.

Her wide working desk separated the two of them away as they faced each other head on; one with a twirling confidence and the other with a tiring mind.

The smell of the strong black coffee lingered around the much rather large room – though was comfortable to be in, but lonely to be with. The younger one lifted her attention away from the ever bustling papers on her hands, begging to be crumbled up with their non-sense business tongue, the one she wasted learning onto for the knowledge she gained in high school and college were nothing but troubles for her now.

She breathed out, staring back at the stern pair of eyes in front of her – even with the amount of worries latched upon the calm pupils, Moonbyul couldn’t help but to engrave the distrust instinct of the older woman into the back of , invading her memories once again with the intrusion of the woman’s offensive tone, shaking her ever known patience that she has trained upon for the past 6 years, stubbornly burning her head with anger and disbelief.

Yet, nothing was heatedly exchange between the two of them – for always they know, the person who exposes their feeling on the sleeves will be the one who loses first.

She immediately noticed how neatly the woman’s hands really were folded over each other on her laps, but tensed noticeably with curiosity and itchy probably, wanting to voice her opinion loudly, wanting to say a lengthy reason to scold the young CEO indeed, no doubt.

Her smile developed into a thin line, an expression she perfected for so many years the younger one has known her; a face that neither encourages the truth nor will it demands more lies. A face that Moonbyul has grown to read clearly over the passing years – a face wrinkled with a cold soul bossing behind but graceful as ever. Moonbyul often wonders whether or not she should feel at lost for such beauty of the woman to appear indifferent, like a statue would, trapping the timeless eyes of hers that Moonbyul has memorized the complicated emotions map behind them.

She gently laid down her black painted pen, as it made a soft thud against the hard surface, a sound that enthusiastically embraced the unbearable silence in the room that came along short after.

“To see whom?” Moonbyul played along. She of course, knows who the older woman was referring to, for the amount of restless aura she emitted can only be caused by one and one person only. Madame Moon does not really enjoy being in the dark after all, and seeing the glistening humour behind the younger woman’s eyes shook her a tad stronger than she anticipated. She wasn’t really expecting for Moonbyul to react this way, knowing very well that the young CEO is pure with her obeying traits – something that Madame Moon grown to appreciate as time goes by.

“You know exactly who I meant,” her sentence was getting longer, as Moonbyul realized, louder, slithered with open emotions. Madame Moon is getting weaker, as her words now quiver failingly with feelings; make it easier for people to read somehow, as if she didn’t know any better.

She is getting older in spite of everything, Moonbyul thought, as she remembers vividly the fear that the older woman once introduced to her naïve little self; with her unwavering stares, firmed tones, complicated words that have never failed to let her feel small, never failed to let young one throbbed with unwanted decisions – the one that she had no choice but to make on her own 8 years ago.

How merciless.

Moonbyul, with her un-blinked eyes, softly glared the woman in return as her little smirk lifted slightly, gracing her face with just enough mischief – the one that continued to boil Madame Moon’s dark blood even further.

“I was just around, and I thought I should go see her--”

“You do not have the permission to see her on your own, without my knowledge of your visitation beforehand,” she cut the light haired one swiftly, ignoring the reason away from the younger one’s mind.

Moonbyul, used to such treatment, dropped her gaze back to her work nonchalantly, as she caressed the edges of the paper harshly, earning to gain any pain in return to distract her away from the ticking bomb inside of her.

“Forgive me, Madame, for being non-thoughtful of such action I have committed,” she apologized half-heartedly, and before Madame Moon could even comment harshly on such behaviour, Moonbyul quickly finished that made Madame Moon’s head twirled with deep profound confusion, “But I am allowed to see my mother, am I not?”

It wasn’t particularly a genuine question, but it was almost like a threat, a warning, as the question clearly laced around with a sarcastic politeness but with a much visible challenge to any pairs of ears lucky to hear such feminine, yet convincing voice. However, Madame Moon, despite of her weakening self as assumed by the much taller one, is still indeed the wiser amongst the two women after all, as she gave no indications whether the unmistakably trapping question affects any of the things she felt on the inside.

Moonbyul is a young woman, old enough to know the difference between what is true and what can be persuaded as the truth but Madame Moon is rather in an another category – as she has always never been able to be compared to those as inexperienced as her grand-daughter. For people like the young CEO might have been able to see the small flickering of the bright fire dancing wildly behind her eyes, nevertheless, the statement she heard almost did nothing to bother the strong walls of hers; as if the attack was a mere wind, hitting her softly in the gut but was never enough to knock her off completely.

She slowly saw the uncomfortable senses of the younger one’s silence; time is after all her old friend, the one she is unfortunately used to, the one she regretfully longed for at such moments like this, for the strength it embraces her every time – letting her enemies to feel the discomfort she has silently and effortlessly radiated, the one that does not harm her in the process.

“Miss Moon,” she began, once again sensing the apprehensive presence of the woman situated on the leathered chair directly opposite of her, “the amount of time you have been spending sitting on that throne of yours… apparently has gone quite blinding for you, I assumed, with the type of behaviour your confidently wear,” she finished with a calm voice.

“Forgive me, Madame,” Moonbyul was tired of asking forgiveness at this rate, but knowing very well that the conversation persistent in the air was heading towards a dangerous path, the one she has waited for, the one she has prepared for – the only reason why, really, for her decisions to keep on apologizing politely to the older woman seem like an appropriate idea, for the kinds of words she has stored in heart were nothing but plain inapplicable and stinging, “But do not give only credit to myself upon the marvellous bravery I have planted in me – after all, I am quite the perfect of yours, am I not Madame?”

Moonbyul smiled lightly but her eyes unquestionably hardened with deep anger, annoyed with Madame Moon’s daring scolding upon her voice being heard loudly this time – a rarity truly to be observed from the young CEO for she does not thrive for attention nor hatred from the older woman, respect has always been what she had wanted to achieve but now seeing the accumulations of the stabbing words every time the girl opened was rather alarming; as if it feels like the young CEO has been planning this all along.

It couldn’t be, now could it?

“You have been careless,” Madame Moon cut to the chase, choosing to be ahead on at the end with the woman who is now much stronger with her words than just a couple years ago, for the languages she has spoken a few minutes were so pretentious, languages that often been understood better only with the people of their flashing custom world. For this was when any other time than this exact moment, Madame Moon might have been proud with the way Moonbyul played and used the attack words as her shield and bullets instead, but seeing that she has been on the receiving end of such matter, worries her a little bit more deeper than she usually needs to.

“Please elaborate, as I have to disagree for such accusation.”

“You do not step your foot into Madame Choi’s properties without your men following your tail and without any consultation with me. We have done this multiples times,” they started to swing back and forth now without a single pause, each other with enough armies in their mind to attack senselessly.

“I am an adult – I do not need babysitters every time I go anywhere nor do I need to inform anybody,” Moonbyul clenched her fists tightly, but both women remained stoic in appearances, still.

Her composed voice soothed over the other as for those who would see them from afar would have thought that the Moon women were solely having a light conversation for the unsympathetic expressions they constantly played around each other, minus the fact that Madame Moon tapped her heels every second passing by now in pure frustrations, clicking the sound almost rhythmically, accompanying the ugly stillness surrounding them.

“Foolish girl,” she started, as the statement successfully rewind Moonbyul’s nervousness for the nickname she mentioned was nothing Madame Moon ever said before, “What do you think people would do if they found out about Madame Choi’s true identity?”

“She’s a Madame now, for such title she carries brings a reputation along – no one would dare to spit on her.”

“No, but they would rather spit on your relationship. Think about their privacy and think about Young Master Choi too.”

Moonbyul gritted her teeth in return upon hearing the loose threat of the older woman, even if the main purpose of the such terrifying statements flying by from was to prevent the younger girl from doing something irreversible, however, the young CEO still realized the lacing truth behind the meaningless arguments shared between the two of them, as they already lucidly knew how dangerous would it mean to Moonbyul’s reputation for one day people might find out about her origin, rather than Madame Moon cares about the Choi household for she never showed a single mercy to anybody else including for those who she has spent, even years and years with.

Well, that is what Moonbyul thought.

Madame Moon obviously cares about the well-being of her friend. She may be a Madame now, but Mrs Choi did raise the young woman on her own, for such person she fed, for such person she cared, for such person she loved unconditionally, for such person who carries the genes of one of the most powerful families in the world – for such history they shared could be nothing but a problem to them now, no matter how much Madame Moon wanted to protect that family.

A secret is meant to be kept, but if the younger girl keep on acting like this, Madame Moon fears for the worst, fears for the day that the blinding headlines shared across the country that will say a lot something like,

‘Hit news – CEO Moon Byul Yi have been discovered of being raised in a regular home?’

‘Could CEO Moon save her dignity and lead people for she herself came from the dirty street?’

‘Can we really lean our army on the hands of a liar?’

‘What else does the Moon Group keeping secrets of?’

‘Is one of the youngest CEO across the globe even the real blood of the Moon Group?’

‘What really happened behind Young Master Moon’s death 26 years ago?’

For such scandalous headlines keep playing inside Madame Moon’s eyes, for such scandal that would attract unwanted attentions to the Moon Group as they are too close to be taken down now, too close to be the 1^st on the food chain of the world to be beaten up now, too close to rule the world for giving up now.

Madame Moon does not tolerate such possibilities, as she would do anything to eliminate such horrifying, yet entirely avoidable alternative future.

“Stand down,” Madame Moon ordered as she saw the pair of pupils in front of her darkened, as the glare of the young CEO became sharpened, as the hatred she has constantly shown elevated and as the disgusts she has planted shone brightly that graced Madame Moon’s heart with the painful narrowed knife, slowly stabbing through her as she could not help but to withstand such pain

For such pain she felt could never be advantageous for once the young CEO happened to realize.

Moonbyul closed her eyes and counted to 7; ignoring every parts of fibre in her body that annoyed her with words of vulnerability for losing her wits and power in front of a cold, unloving woman, moreover.

She diffidently opened her eyes at the end but only after hearing the discernible demand once again from the older woman – she then thought to herself, maybe she wears her expressions too much for today, for the extension of responses she gets from the other one.

“Stand down,” Madame Moon repeated, spiking the warning tone with the rather unforgiving murderous melody,

And Moonbyul knows exactly, when to stop.

Not today, then.

She smiled mockingly but her eyes glistened with still the ever passionate hate.

“I may be foolish, but I am not stupid enough to be against you,” she said sarcastically.

How she hated herself for losing.

“Forgive me Madame, this would not happen again; I assure you.”

Madame Moon became silent.

Moonbyul smiled brightly, be that as it may, as her eyes crescent into a moon shaped, as her body shifted swiftly – standing up elegantly, not even making a single sound as the chair so very softly scraped across the smooth wooden floor underneath due to the movement of hers at the first place.

She made a move then, towards the dark oaked colour trolley, not far away from her working desk, leaving the woman behind, as her wrist slickly huddled forward and almost impulsively, embraced one of the tiny transparent wine glasses from the most bottom shelf with her right hand as her left hand already busied itself, eager to find the poisonous comfort of the fluid, choking the neck of a large wine bottle in front of her – definitely choosing the one with the strongest taste surely, impatiently wanting to wash off the bitter hints of a conversation she just had a few seconds ago with her back now facing the still sitting woman, who was continuously glancing worriedly at such a younger woman’s undoubtedly stressed posture, yet tall, as she frowned upon the CEO’s bewildering replies early on.

But even more so, she could not stand herself but to feel extremely helpless, watching her grand-daughter fights on her own, suffers on her own, crumbles down on her own.

Madame moon predicted the burst, of course – predicted the moment when the woman could no longer hide behind her stoned mask, could no longer ignore her thunderous loneliness deep within.

Who wouldn’t?

For she stood shakily once, for she was forced to realize such reality she had agreed on far too soon – she was a child of dependency, she was only just 18.

Indubitably, Madame Moon knew the possible consequences of dumping such huge responsibilities to a hand of a teenage girl – but ever since then, Moonbyul showed no symptoms of slowing down; she caught on faster than she thought, she understood quicker than she thought, she adapted much better than she thought.

She was doing great.

Madame Moon didn’t know any better, that the effect would come a little bit later.

“I have not yet lost my sanity – do not need to fret,” she suddenly heard the young woman in a white blouse and dark pants announced as her back still not shying away from the older woman’s intense stare. She gulped down entirely the severe dark red liquid slowly before putting it down lightly on top of the trolley with a small ‘clink’ sound came alongside.

“Your silence is too loud, Madame. You starting to give me headaches,” she let out an almost inaudible sigh as her eyes concentrated into nothing particular but her right hand, unconsciously twirled the glass around, uncaringly leaving wet stains on the hard surface of the wood.

Madame Moon blinked her eyes in return, but refused to give out any words as she could only think for one thing;

‘Do you know how worried I am for you?’

Moonbyul turned her head around, but because her body repudiated to stay away from such heavenly stationeries, only half of her face can be seen but her eyes, solely, were enough to communicate with the older woman, enough to press her points out clearly, as once again, Moonbyul smiled courteously alongside,

“Sometimes, you act like as if you have not seen me paid my own decisions.”

Madame Moon hummed lowly, “I will not let your stupidity brings dishonour to this family and to myself.”

Moonbyul’s smile remained unaffected.

“It’s a good thing that I do not need you anymore, then.”

Madame Moon’s eyes widened and the younger woman’s smirk return instantly, taking her face back to her side and away from her grandmother’s eagle eyes – quite satisfied to pull of such reactions from such woman.

But then again, she heard a soft snickering laugh soon after.

“You wouldn’t survive without me, my dear, being at the top and all,” despite her biting remarks, Madame Moon was full with anxiety on whatever reasons the younger CEO had in mind for stating such fearless decision.

Does she really want to do this on her own?

‘I can’t protect you if I don’t act like this, please understand,’ she begged in her thoughts.

Moonbyul nodded.

“Maybe…” she stretched, finally moving her whole body around, looking down to the used-to-be intimidating dark haired soul, “or maybe not.”

“Are you acting this way because of what I said about the Choi household?”

“No,” she sighed disinterestedly, “I act this way because I realized that you care too much.”

Moonbyul smiled knowingly, as she made Madame Moon speechless – speechless of such unforeseen words that came out of , so casually she delivered those lines, how heartless, how negligently.

What is she talking about?

“You care too much about me,” her sweet smile twisted into a thin line; her eyes glowered like a powerful prey – cold, hungry, but in pain almost.

As if she wanted to cry right there and then, as opened slightly, as if she wanted to say something else instead, something that she has been held captive in her mind for too long, something that has driven her mad, something that has been controlling her for eternity, for something that she has failed to convert into any coherent sentences.

In spite of this, Madame Moon could feel how scared her grand-daughter really was, how her breath shook in fear, how her eyes dilated in tension, how her fists clenched until her hands turned visibly white.

She doesn’t know of what particularly, but before she could further unlock the mysterious expression the CEO was wearing – her next words came abruptly, pushing her sanity away, as she felt her body quivered in sorrow looking at the unbreakable dark eyes of the girl who used to be so small, who used to be so weak, who used to be so kind, so warm.

“You care too much about me, and I do not need such weak of a heart to be near me – you will only going to slow me down.”

What have I done for you to react this way?

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p/s: I know its a bit chaotic with all the random flashbacks and stuff, but just to let you guys know, this is entirely intentional haha so whoever thinks moonbyul is innocent all along, what do you guys think of this chapter? :D  if you guys have any questions or want to say hello, please do on my twitter @flynross <3 thank you for reading and thank you for your support!