As soon as Jihoon opened the door to her room, Luna rushed out, "Hurry! The flight leaves in 30 minutes and check in for international flights takes time!"
He groaned and ran after her, "Next time you book a flight on such short notice at least think if its possible to make it."
"You just had to lock me in and take the keys with you, what am I, a prisoner? And what if there was an emergency?!"
"Attempting to take a life, may it be your own, is wrong, so yes you are a prisoner."
They both got in the car and the driver stepped on it.
"I already told you I wasn't gonna do it!"
"You were thinking about doing it."
She sighed dramatically and stared out the window, "When was the last time you met Renè?" She uttered.
"Mm its been a few months, we bumped into each other at an auction in England."
"How was she?"
"I don't know.. the same quiet and reserved Renè I guess... she didn't even ask about you then, and now she just had a whole conference about your case and even posted a audio recording from 'Le Caprice'! That I gotta admit is a very un-pièrce move."
She turned to him, "What do you mean?"
"She's self made, has her own resources. She cares about her company AND family." He gestured towards Luna.
She smiled a little, "She should be the inheritor of the empire."
"Perhaps she doesn't want to, its not like she ever does something that everyone expects her to do. And did you call her?"
Luna shook her head, "As soon as I watched the video my phone died, I had to shout at the maid from the other side of the door to book a flight to Melbourne."
The car stopped at the gate and they got out, checking in really did take a while and at the end they had only 3 three minutes before boarding would end.
So, they both ran like crazy, looking even more crazy. What, with Jihoon's unpressed suit, his tie loosened and his hair a disheveled mess. Luna's unbrushed and tangled hair, wrongly buttoned coat and furry slippers.
But her heart was thumping because of a different reason, all the love for her sister she had that she couldn't ever show over the years, blossomed inside her.
The sister who cared for her in secret, the one who looked after her from afar, the one who, unlike her brother, genuinely loved her and she couldn't wait to meet her.
Haemin had seen the video of the girl attempting to jump at Namsan on the internet portal while he was in the air, on his way back to Seoul. And of course he instantly recognized that it was Luna.
And to say he was worried was an understatement.
If he could've he would have jumped off the airplane and parachuted to Luna's house. And in his mind he was perhaps already planning that. In the last 10 minutes of the flight he kept on tapping his foot and chewed on his dry lips.
I should've stayed with her, I should've met her first.
He thought to himself.
But he had been so focused on correcting his mistake of trusting Ella that he couldn't face Luna then.
"Welcome to the Incheon International Airport. Please remain seated until the plane is parked at the gate." The captain announced and Haemin took his bag in his lap and dashed as soon as the seatbelts sign was off.
He bumped into many people, got cursed at, glared at but he still managed to get out first.
As he ran, he thought he saw a blue blur pass him by just as fast as him and abruptly -almost falling- he stopped and looked back to see Luna's back disappearing into the crowd.
"Luna!" He got up and ran after her.
She didn't hear him and she entered the gate. Haemin shouted once more, before the gate closed and she was completely out of his reach.
☾
"What do I say to her when I see her?" Luna asked Jihoon in a small voice as they sat in the lobby of Renaissance.
"Mm thank you? Or you could just hug her."
Luna sucked in a breath and bunched her skirt in her fists, "Hug Renè? She used to glare at me when I used to do it."
"That was a long time ago, both of you are adults now. It'll be fine."
A thin man along with a thin woman, both tall and professional looking, scurried to Luna and Jihoon. They gave her the brightest grins, so bright they almost looked fake,
"Miss Pièrce, Miss Pièrc- uhh I mean the older Miss Pièrce, our CEO is delighted to have you here and has asked us to escort you to her office right away." Said the woman.
"Right." Luna nodded and got up, shaking with nervousness. They got in the elevator and rode to the top floor.
In front of her office door she smoothed her skirt and Jihoon pulled her hand slightly and they walked in.
He himself went and stood at the corner of the room alongside Diane, both watching the sisters' encounter.
Luna stood awkwardly in front of her sister, looking at the ground then at her then to her sides, and Renè mirrored her nervousness.
"Th- thank you. For what you did." Luna muttered.
Renè's bottom lip quivered and she rushed to her, pulling her in the tightest embrace.
"Of course. You're my baby sister. I would do anything for you."
Luna was stunned at the actions of the latter but soon hugged her back with the gladdest smile on her face.
Diane on the side started tearing up too, "You know, Iv known Renè Pièrce her whole life and this is the first time she has cried."
Jihoon looked at her awkwardly, "Oh, Im her cousin and I haven't either."
She extended her hand towards him and he stared at it for a second and then shook it, "Jihoon Seo."
Diane gave her a weirded out look, "What? No Im asking for a tissue, handkerchief or something."
"Oh." He gave her his handkerchief and they continued to stand there for the next five minutes in awkward silence as Luna and Renè continued their embrace.
After Renè pulled back, they grinned at each other and sat down. Luna apologised for not trying harder at being a good sister all those years, she just always thought that Renè hated her.
And Renè apologised for not visiting her in juvie, she was always too ashamed to face her, she was sorry that she couldn't help her. Thats why she wanted to find a way to prove her innocence first and then go see her but she was a bit late and she realised much later (thanks to Diane) that visiting Luna in juvie was just as important.
"Its okay, the clothes you sent made me really popular in juvie and the other girls never bothered me." Luna shrugged with a smile.
Renè laughed, "Really? Thats great! Oh and there's someone I'd like you to meet. He worked hard for your retrial more than anyone else."
"Sure!"
Renè left to get the office to get the guy and Diane came up to her, "You're happy right? Even if the court doesn't allow a retrial?" She asked anxiously.
"The world knows the truth, that's all that matters." Luna said and Diane pulled her in a bear hug too.
"Luna, I'd like you to meet Karl Gellar. Remember him?"
Luna turned to see and of course she remembered, it was Lawyer Gellar! She gaped at him with wide eyes,
"Hey there champ, how's it going? I think it's finally time for me to buy you that Subway I promised you."
Luna laughed and shook his hand, "I can't believe it. You never gave up on my case after all."
"Of course, I always believed that you were innocent, I just had to prove it. Sorry it took so long."
"He truly did believe you all along, and that's why I love him." Renè stared at him with a twinkle in her eyes,
Luna's mouth formed an O, "You guys are dating?"
"We're engaged actually." Karl said and Renè showed the ring.
"Oh my god!" Luna exclaimed and gave her a congratulatory hug.
Later Renè asked for the cars to get ready to take them to Pièrce Mansion. She had messaged her parents to fly back to Australia so that they would all meet up, and after they saw the headlines, they rushed.
"I know they aren't the best parents, but if they want to reconcile now, I think we should give them a chance, for us." Renè said seriously as they all rode the elevator, "Because if we want to move on and have happy lives, we need to solve the messes of our past."
Luna nodded in agreement, it was her main goal at therapy and she genuinely did believe in it.
They walked out as the elevator door opened , Jihoon on his phone, Renè and Karl hand in hand. Luna slowed down to walk with Diane at the back.
"So, Renè.. has Karl. What about you?"
Diane smiled but it didn't reach her eyes, "Nah, Im still single."
"Are you still.."
"In love with your sister? Yes, yes I am."
Luna chose to ride with Diane and when they got in the car, she continued the conversation.
"But its been years Diane an-"
"And she will most probably never love me back and she has even found her significant other. Yes, I know." She said calmly.
Luna waited for her to continue,
"But I cant control my feelings, my heart still beats for her. And perhaps one day I'll move on or maybe I wont. Im okay with both of them."
"You are? Does it not hurt?"
"People get hurt in relationships too, it's inevitable."
Luna frowned and looked out the window, She didnt like what she had just heard. She didn't have the patience and maturity of Diane, so, she was unsure whether she was okay with staying in a one-sided love for who knows how long.
Even if she wasn't, there was literally nothing she could do about it. Stupid uncontrollable feelings.