AN: Please read this in your free time, it quiet long? Read it slowly too, don't rush it, I wrote this for you all so don't skip ahead. Why? This is 80% angst chapter, that's why . Here you go, thank you for waiting! Errors are all mine, let it slide, please, angels and wheepups (lol) 

A special message at the end :)

+++++

MAY 2020

"STOP IT!" Yongsun entered, she's mad.

"Yong I told you to wait-"

"No, Byul, shut the up." Yong said walking towards the group.

"Oh god." Hyejin said under her breath as she pushes Wheein out of the room. "Go, go, you have to go. You're going to be late. They're already in the studio by the 9th floor. I'll go as soon as this is done."

"You don't talk to Wheein like that, Lee! Everybody shut up! No one hurts, Wheein!" All heads in the room whipped on Yong's direction.

"No one hurts me, but you? Is that it?" Wheein said as she swats Hyejin's hands away from her arms.

"Wheein please, just... go." Hyejin pleaded.

"Wheein, I-" Yong started as everyone in the room watched her.

Wheein lifts her hands to block Yong's face. "Oh no no no no. Save it, Yongsun. You've already apologized twice. You think third time's a charm?"

"Listen to me, Wheein. I'm sorry, I really am. I didn't have anything to do with this, I was betrayed as well."

"Oh, betrayal is a strong word, Yongsun." Manager Lee interrupted and Byul shot him a glare.

"I'm firing you, one more word!"

"You can be sorry about something and not regret it."

"Wheein, we just talked last night, do you think I will deliberately break your trust again? After all the begging?" Yongsun asked and Wheein looked straight in her eyes,

She's saying the truth.

Wheein and Yongsun stared at each other a little too long to be 'just friend', Wheein snapped out her head and recollects her thoughts. "Well, I don't know, Yong. Make me understand because sometimes the person you would take a bullet for is the one standing behind the trigger." 

Yongsun just mastered this for a long time now, even if she's on the verge of tears she won't cry. She successfully gave Wheein a smile, knowing full well how she's breaking inside. She can't make Wheein feel used again. "I see the way you look at me, and I don't know how to be this person that you lost. But there's one thing on my mind right now..."

"What are you saying?"

"I will do everything to protect you, and I mean it," Yong said and she smiles, Wheein knows Yongsun's facade, but she'd rather not drag this conversation anymore. 

But this smile is real, Wheein. The way you stare at me and you putting a little trust in me. How beautiful is that someone can make your heart beat so fast when you don't want it to beat at all.

"You have somewhere to be right now, you should probably go, Wheein." Yongsun said and Wheein nods. "-and this place is toxic, you don't belong here."

"-and yet you're still here, doing Manager Lee's dirty business, the queen of the empire, you must really love the taste of poison."

"I'll do better..."

"You should remember that he's working for you and not the other way around," Wheein said and she left. As soon as Yongsun felt Wheein's totally gone, she looked at the three bosses of STAR.

She finally gave up, dropped her fake smile as a tear run down her cheek, and said. "I can't do this anymore."

"Yong..." Byul walks closer to her friend and pats her back. "What are you saying..."

"Yongsun, let me and Byul figure this out, you're angry and it's-" Hyejin tries her hardest to stop Yongsun, but no, they are not in control of the situation anymore. Yongsun reached her breaking point and this is it.

"I am clearly angry, but I'll try not to..." Yongsun said and her friends looked at her, she is CLEARLY angry. "I'm also scared, I'm scared of you my whole life that I was working here," Yongsun said addressing Manager Lee. "Wheein's right, she's always right, I should've listened to her, so then I won't be here like this now, ed up, lonely and unhappy."

"Well you should be, you should be scared of me. You know what I can do." Manager Lee then said as he walks closer to Yongsun.

"Don't you dare move an inch!" Hyejin said as she lifts a protective hand in front of Yongsun.

"Am I supposed to be scared?" Manager Lee said and he looked at Byul. "Your father built STAR with me! I can't believe that you're out here defending these kids, STAR is a big conglomerate now because of me, this is not a charity house for your friends, it's either you make money or you don't."

"You are making me look like a liar, and worse, an abuser sympathizer. MY company, MY entire ing brand, is specifically about giving women voices after they've been given fewer opportunities compared to their male counterparts. And here I am, the chairman's daughter who enables a man who's trying to degrade them." Byul said and Yongsun never saw Byul stood up against her father's ideology like that, but she's here trying to protect her friend, maybe enough is really enough. "As the fourth generation of Moon group, I refuse to stand by and watch you and my father bury my legacy, what I started, STAR Management is not just a family business. It is a part of me, I want to change this disgusting industry..."

"Byul, why are you protecting her? She's no prude like an old ," Manager Lee said and he looked at Yongsun's direction. "I can always find a replacement for you, and don't you ever forget the fame that you have now is all because of my work."

"You helped me, you helped me grow, and I know that. I would never forget about that, Manager Lee, but I'm done enabling you, for both of our sakes." Yongsun said and she felt Hyejin's hands on her back.

"Oh, please! You're an excellent actress, Yongsun, but cut me out of this bull. You're just like the rest of them! Suddenly you're all squeaky clean, huh? Because you're calling me out? Aren't you forgetting what I've done for you and your friends? How much I paid a certain news outlet not to leak pictures of you and Wheein. You know damn well deep down, you're just as disreputable as the rest of us. So you can shove that halo all the way up your as far as I'm concerned. You're full of ."

"Well, isn't that the Moon impulse? It's to throw money at a problem and if that doesn't work, lie. My father taught me well too, Manager Lee, don't be out here pretending to spend even a penny because the company's money is my family's money. Not yours."

"All of you worked here and gained a certain status in the real world because of this company, I think going after me is a huge mistake." Manager Lee stated and Yongsun shakes her head.

"Of course you do, because the right thing is always what serves you, isn't it? Well, that doesn't work for me anymore! I am leaving because I know that staying means that you're just going to use me again like how you used everyone else around you. Now I know that I need to own up to my mistakes, because I can't keep enabling you to do all these dirty businesses around here. I am done enabling your self-serving behavior! I'm also done blaming you for mine. I am at fault too, I'm not saying I'm a saint now because I'm not, I'm just going to start accepting those things that I've done wrong. So in order to stop the cycle of bad behavior, at least for me, I need to distance myself from you which is why I'm terminating my contract with you for good, I am leaving STAR." Yongsun said and everyone looked at her when she saw Manager Lee was about to open his mouth, she added. "What?! You were essentially asking me to myself out every single time, and I've been telling you repeatedly that I don't need publicity boost because I can handle myself!"

"Oh come on, Yong. At least I recognize your true talent."

"Oh, my god-shut the up!" Hyejin shouted, she's so mad that she would literally start jumping on this old hag but she won't, this is Yong's fight and she's here to support her.

"You are ed without me, Yong." Manager Lee said, deliberately ignoring Hyejin.

"Don't you think I know that?! I should've done this before! Losing Wheein because of you isn't really worth it! How stupid I am to follow every single thing that you said?! I thought I was protecting Wheein, but I'm not! I was hurting her the whole time and I was unaware how much I caused her!"

Manager Lee scoffs and looked at Yongsun. "Whatever, I AM terminating YOUR contract, just know, I don't forget things. You will pay eventually for everything." Manager Lee said and he hurried out of the room. 

Yongsun finally let her wall crumble and let herself fall to the floor. "Yong..." Byul said as she and Hyejin envelop Yongsun into a hug. "What did you just do... You can't leave STAR just like that."

"At this point Byul, I don't know anymore. I just want this to be over." Yongsun said and Hyejin held Yongsun's face and wipe her tears, just as what Wheein will probably do if she's here.

"You're going to be okay, Yong," Hyejin said and she can't help but feel bad for the girl, she didn't know that this is the extent of her love for Wheein, they've been out of each other's lives for three years and yet. . . Yong still feels so strongly for Wheein all these years, maybe she made a mistake as well when she closed her door and turned her back away from Yongsun, but she's just so angry at Yong for doing that to Wheein, Hyejin can't help but feels guilty.

"I know you won't believe me when I say this, but I feel so much better now, career aside, I feel like cutting him off my life is the best decision I've ever made in my life," Yongsun said and she smiled at Byul and Hyejin. "Thank you to the both of you..." Yongsun said as she wraps her arms around Byul and Hyejin's neck. "I am so lucky to keep both of you in my life... Thinking back all of our memories, I always find myself aching in regret as the truth always hit me like a bullet that at some point in my life I got you two and Wheein in my life, Wheein, she-"

"It's okay, Yong, we are still here for you-"

"But-It's just that... I'm so desperate to have Wheein back, and when I thought I was doing the right things, I ed it up. Wheein loved me more than anyone else in the entire world, and I destroyed her." Yongsun just tears up, crying in pain so loud as the realization of everything went down and hit her all at once. The room is quiet as Yong hears her own cries, and then she lifts her head, saw Byul and Hyejin looking at her attentively, Yongsun forced herself to smile, bright and wide. "I feel like I spend the last five years loving Wheein, there's not a day in my life that passed that I never think about her, that I never hoped to be back with her, that I never miss and love her...  All these years that I have her and the years the I didn't, all I want is for her to come back in my life, is that too much to ask for?"

"Chin up, superstar," Hyejin said as she continues wiping Yongsun's face. "That's why you have us right? I mean if anyone can help you get back with Wheein, it's us," Hyejin said and Byul is just nodding, Hyejin is better at words than her so she let the youngest comfort the eldest. "Just because you can't see Wheein hurting the same way as you do, it doesn't mean she's not hurting at all, I've been through hell and back from the last years and Wheein went through the same process as you, trust the process of healing, it helped Wheein and it will help you too."

"It's just that when someone you love leaves you, it shatters everything inside of you, and I'm out here desperately trying to glue and fix all my broken pieces, and it hurts me and shatters me, even more, when I see Wheein starting to move on from me, that's selfish, I know, but I just want her to-"

"Shhh..." Byul had to stop Yongsun. Byul has been a friend to Yong for so long now, and she never saw this side of Yongsun, she's always been brave, composed, and confident, but never defeated, loser, and desperate. Wheein opened a whole new door for her to know Yong as a person, even more, Yongsun never showed any of her weakness to anyone before, but when Wheein came into her life, the girl became her kryptonite, her Achilles heel, her weakness, but with all that said, Wheein became her best friend's strength, she became Yong's first line of support, Yong learned how to fight for herself because of Wheein, and she is never angry rather thankful that Wheein came into Yongsun's life. "If my father has taught me anything, is that whenever you felt like you're so tired and exhausted that you just want to stop, you take a step forward," Byul said these words made Hyejin smile at her.

"She's right, Yong. One of the hardest parts of life is deciding whether to walk away or try harder. After all of the things you've already done, you just have to move forward. Byul and I, and I know Wheein will be here for you too, as your friends no matter what."

Byul opened her phone when it beeped, it's from her secretary. "Well, that was fast." and she showed the article to the two.

"I swear Satan has someone in Hallyu scoop. The way he manipulates the general public to favor him." Hyejin said and Yongsun just looked at the article and nods.

"Its going to be a long night for me. I should go-"

"Hey, I will come with you." Byul offered.

"No, I'm fine, Byul. Just stay here, I'm sorry if I made all of your lives harder than what it already is. I'm really sorry." Yongsun said as the three of them finally stood up.

"I will go with you, I don't mind, you need someone, Yong." Hyejin insisted and Yong just shakes her head.

"Wheein will need you here, I'm fine, Chorong's still staying with me, I'll be fine," Yongsun said and she gave the two a smile. "I appreciate the offers, but everyone has a lot on their plates right now-"

Yongsun stopped when the door opened, it was Minsoo, Byul's secretary. "I'm sor-" she choked on her words when she saw her idol looking like she's been crying, Minsoo cleared and delivered a message. "-I'm sorry to interrupt, but Manager Lee wants to let you know, Ms. Moon that chairman Moon just entered the building, he wants to meet you in his office."

"Oh?" Byul said and she felt a bit nervous. "Okay, thanks, Minsoo." the girl got out of the room and Byul looked at Hyejin and Yongsun. "I'm kinda nervous. Worst case scenario, all three of us, well four, are all gonna end up unemployed,"

"What are they really gonna do to you? You're Moon Byulyi. Come on, you don't need a job when you have a Moon in your surname." Hyejin said being the calculating one in the squad, as if she's playing chess, she's always going to be ten moves ahead from her opponent. "Like it or not, we are living and working in an age of chaebol. Who else can you trust to run the family business? At the end of the day, your dad would never side with