Joy smiled at Brienne, "Hi, Mrs. Piérce, how are you feeling?"
"Dont call me that." Brienne deadpanned.
Aaand there she is, Luna thought sarcastically.
"Grandma, this is Joy, Haemin's cousin."
Brienne acknowledged her for a second, "I want to be alone now, you children talk."
"So, remember how we have to do the second photoshoot for Sajinsul? Well, we cannot delay it anymore and since you weren't there we came to you. The rest of the club is staying at my house."
Joy didn't have any problem delaying it before, why was she suddenly enthusiastic enough to fly the whole club to another continent? Luna narrowed her eyes, "Ahan.. and what's the second reason?"
"She's here to see Mark." Haemin said the same time as when Joy said, "Haemin was worried about how your family would treat you."
Luna chuckled, "You two, I swear.." She shook her slowly, "First of all, Joy, if you go back to Mark, I will kill him in front of you and then Ill kill you. Second of all, Haemin you needn't worry about my family, Im over them. Plus, Iv outgrown the age of needing them."
She reminded herself in her head to lay low on the killing jokes, it was too dark coming from her.
Haemin nodded while looking at the ground, she noticed how he hadnt once looked at her, "Is everything okay? You seem to be avoiding me." She gestured at his distance from her.
"Im giving you space."
She suddenly remembered what they had agreed on, "Oh that.. yeah I forgive you." She wasn't mad at him for long anyway.
Joy looked between them and settled on not disturbing them.
He brightened and Luna almost melted into a puddle despite the chilly breeze getting to be too much for her now. She glanced at Brienne and knew she had to take her back in any minute.
"I have to take Grandma inside now.."
"Oh yeah, okay you do that and can you make it to Luna Park tonight?" Joy asked.
Luna nodded, "Urm we have a family dinner tonight and it may take me a little longer."
"Alright done, we'll be waiting."
☾
Luna, upon Brienne's insistence wheeled her inside Piérce mansion, the house that Harold and Brienne Piérce had left for their eldest son Raymond and went to live in Sydney themselves. And though it was still their house they had never posed ownership over it until now, as Brienne announced that Luna and only Luna would wheel her in.
She also gave Charlize a dirty eye as Luna and her entered.
Luna, looked around and weirdly, she felt nothing and was unable to recall any memory from the place. It was all a faint thought, like a place you only briefly came to as a child.
As if, her time in juvie was like a corrector that erased her life before.
They all walked to the dining hall, Mark was with them, so was Luna's aunt and her family. Francis also followed behind lowly discussing something with their father and Harold. And lastly Changmin and Jihoon came in.
With Brienne sitting down at the head of the table and Harold sitting opposite to her, everyone silently started eating their appetizers.
This was nothing new, the Piérces almost never conversed over dinner and if they ever did, it was only about business.
Luna sat between Francis and Mark, and her hands shook, despite her will to seem unaffected, even the food seemed unappetizing, though she was starving.
"I get it." Brienne said abruptly,
"Get what?" Harold asked.
"I get what's wrong with this family, we dont share things with each other, and I mean sharing what happens to us, what our day was like. You lot only talk about the company and everything around it."
"I don't see anything wrong with that." Francis said, still looking down at his plate.
"There's everything wrong with that!" Brienne exclaimed, glaring at him, "You all have the same blood, you should stand united as one! As one against the world. You idiots are against each other!" She fumed and her breathing increased which alarmed Martha sitting next to her.
Brienne calmed down a bit, "Luna, why dont you tell us all about your love interest."
Luna's eyes almost fell out of their sockets, she could not believe Brienne just said that in front of everyone.
"What?"
"You said you were madly in love with him and I assumed you two were dating, but it didn't seem like it at the hospital."
Luna looked down shyly and muttered, "Its a one sided thing.. he already has a girlfriend."
Brienne and Martha gasped, "How could you like him first? And how dare he let it happen? You're a Piérce." Scolded Martha.
"Does he not know that you're a Piérce?" Asked cousin Dean, the eldest of the three.
"He does.." Luna replied with a small voice.
"He must be from a wealthy family himself." Said cousin Drew, the second eldest.
"Yeah, he's Kijun Lee's only son."
Sounds of recognition came from all around the table and Changmin perked up, "You like Haemin? Why didn't you tell me? Shall I arrange an engagement between you two? Kijun would listen to me."
Luna stared back in horror, she had already made it quite obvious that she liked him she didn't need another embarrassment, "No no no, please don't. That would make things so awkward."
"It's still not his place to reject a Piérce." Said Harold.
He was not usually like this but Luna was his successor now, she needed to have a stronger character.
"He didnt reject me, we're just friends."
"Oh those kind of friendships are horrible." Charlize commented as if speaking from experience and seeing how it was the first time one of Luna's parents had said anything, everyone turned to her.
Charlize rolled her eyes, "What, can't I have a love interest before Raymond?"
"I though I was your first." Raymond said, genuinely shocked.
"My first boyfriend, not my first love. Those never work out."
An incredible warmth spread inside Luna upon hearing her parents display emotions for the first time and as she heard what Charlize said about first love, she unconsciously looked at Mark who was downing his second glass of champagne, oblivious to whatever was happening on the table. The Kelseys' were like family and having one of them at the dinner table was normal.
Feeling her gaze on him he met her eyes, he was her first love and now she understood why they couldn't make it.
They were all still discussing relationships and then Brienne spoke to Luna, "Breakups happen, you should still pursue him."
"Wanna know who his girlfriend is? Ella Sommervelle."
The table fell silent.
"And I think that is like a universal sign that I should give up on him since I always lose to her."
"What exactly happened that night? Can you please tell me?" Said cousin Bentley, he was the youngest and also the quietest, him speaking up was a rarity.
Luna stared at him, would it matter if she repeated what she had been screaming for years? Would it matter today?
"That man was attacking Ella," She started slowly, "So, I struck him with the statuette with the intention to get him away from her and ended up accidentally killing him."
For a second no one said anything, and then Harold's deep voice spoke, "Francis.. you told me that Luna murdered that man, you didnt say anything about saving someone."
Luna gasped and looked at her brother with disbelief in her eyes, "She's lying!" Francis exclaimed.
"That's what Francis told me as well." Charlize said lowly.
Luna stood up, "I have served my sentence already, why would I lie?!"
"Then why did Ella not testify?" Francis fired back.
"I dont know! Maybe she didnt want people to know that she was sexually harassed, you know her father, he is very conservative."
"Maybe! Even after five years you can't bring constructive evidence to back up your lie."
"Enough!" Harold shouted and his voiced echoed, "Francis, get out."
"What?"
Raymond started to speak, "Dad.."
"I said get out."
No matter how angry Harold got at Francis, he wouldn't disinherit him. He was the most competent, but Harold never got angry, it was always Brienne who put her foot down.
Francis looked at his parents helplessly but as they turned their gazes to the ground he turned around and left.
Uncontrollable tears streamed down Luna's face as she stared after him, he was the reason her whole family had turned away from her, he had poisoned her position in the family and made it impossible for her to stay. Her beloved brother of all people.
"Luna, sit down." Harold said softly and she listened.
"That bitch lied on the stand and let her friend who had saved her! To go to prison." Brienne uttered, "She does not deserve to be treated well by you. This is all the more reason for you to pursue Haemin."