Manipulation

MEANWHILE AT THE MOON ESTATE

The sound of shattering glass echoed through the halls, followed by screeches.

The maids and butlers standing in the room lowered their heads as they shook in fear. The young miss was going around breaking every precious artifact in her bedroom. She was looking for a way to relieve her anger and they didn't want to be the victim. The young miss had terrorized and hurt many of the workers and in extreme cases, to the point of stitches. Although they were used to her tantrums, they were never on this scale.

Jaeun Moon stared in the mirror. On her face, valley's of red bumps tainted her precious snow skin, turning her into a rough, monstrous mess. Her fingers lightly grazed against these bumps, only for her to feel a sharp pain increasing from each touch.

Another shriek escaped her chords, piercing like a high-pitched violin.

Yoona was going to die.

Her precious skin. The beauty in her face. Had instantly disappeared in the matter of minutes. Although the hives would go away in a week, there was no doubt that there would be scars left on her skin. In a worse case scenario, it would be irreparable.

She grit her teeth before turning around. The pink, silky robe around her body violently trashed from the movement, like raging waves in a storm.

Jaeun was going to kill Yoona. She had to kill Yoona. That girl was the reason for the darkness in her heart; the one that created the mess on her face. While Jaeun was thrown into the darkness, in the end, Yoona was the one that stood up to the heavens.

She grabbed some jewelry and threw it on the floor. The precious pearls bounced up and rolled around, slipping into the crooks of the furniture. Then, she proceeded to throw herself onto her bed, sinking into the cushion.

But there was a single problem. A sudden obstacle that crossed her path.

Chae Minhyun.

Who would've thought the two were childhood friends. It was absolutely absurd to think about.

The most perfect man - a being no ordinary girl could obtain was protecting the very girl she hated. She should be the one in his arms for her beautiful looks and status, yet he picked an average citizen. How cruel was fate? Why would he lower himself for a mere girl?

Everything was ruined. She wasn't dumb. Attacking Yoona more would lead Minhyun to hate her; from a romantic and business perspective, it was the worst move she could take. He was a powerful man. MH unrivaled by any other business in Korea. Even the Moon group could not compare. She couldn't take the risk.

This is why she was so frustrated to the point of wanting to tear her hair out. How was she supposed to get her rightful revenge and ruin Yoona's life if there was a shield in her way?

"Are you done?"

Recognizing that voice from anywhere, Jaeun turned around to face her brother Jaemin. He was lazily standing against the door frame with his hands in his pockets.

He proceeded to tell the workers to exit the room, saying that he needed to talk privately with his sister. Once they exited, he turned his attention back to her.

Jaeun grit her teeth. "What do you want?"

Jaemin smirked before making his way to his distraught sister. He stood over the bed, letting his shadow cast over her. There was a smile on his face, his eyes shaped like crescent moons.

"You're face looks disgusting. What happened?"

She didn't respond. Instead, she just glared at him.

He chuckled, before grabbing the wooden bed frame with his fingers. He leaned in further. "You failed didn't you?"

She bit her nails. A wave of fury entered her heart and she suddenly lifted her upper body from the bed. She turned her face towards her brother and sent him a glare. "Yeah she fucking got me okay! Yoona caused this horrendous shit to happen on my face! I lost! So fucking what?!?"

Jaemin stayed calm, not affected by the raging witch in front of him. He knew better than to act in such an crazy manner. Behind the walls were ears that could hear the large shouting. He couldn't let himself look like a fool, he was supposed to be a prince. Besides, his sister played the pitiful role perfectly.

"Then pay her the pain back ten fold," he replied. Wasn't it obvious?

Jaeun scoffed. As if she didn't think of that. If it weren't for Chae Minhyun, she totally would've gotten her revenge.

She glowered at her brother. "There is a reason I can't."

Jaemin traced his hand down the wooden frame to the very end, before bringing his hand back to his side. "Don't give me your stupid excuses. You have the power, money, and beauty, why don't you use them to your advantage like always? You were great at it in high school."

She was about to respond, explaining about Yoona's relations with Chae Minhyun, but she was interrupted by her brother.

He let out a sigh. "But then again, you are Jaeun, the useless one in our family. If only Jihee was still here, she would've gotten the work done perfectly. After all, she was better than you in every aspect."

Jaeun froze and looked up to her brother in terror.

He brought up that dreaded name. The very person who even Jaeun wasn't able to compete with.

Cold sweat appeared on her face. She couldn't breathe. Coughs escaped her lungs and she rolled around in her bed, gasping for air. The air was poison to her body, stinging needles into her organs. No matter how hard she tried to forget, the only person that effected her in such a manner was Jihee.

While Yoona arose anger, the mere thought of Jihee made her feel pain. She didn't know why. Her body just reacted this way, every time they were compared. Some times more severe than others.

Jaemin stood still, watching his sister struggle. His eyes were hallow, no emotions showing through his pupils. "Sister, are you okay?"

She didn't answer.

He gently moved, sitting on the bed beside of her. He gently used his hand to caress Jaeun's head to calm her down. "It's okay. I'm sorry for using her name. I forgot how much the thought of her hurts you."

Jaeun nodded slowly, trying to recollect her thoughts. "It's okay," she whimpered.

When Jaeun began to calm down, he lightly whispered in her ear. "But to topics of real importance. You are a Moon group member. The reason for your existence is to be better than anyone else. However, look at you now. You look ugly, monstrous, and fucked up. You can't even handle a poor girl like Yoona. Isn't this a little disgraceful? You need to do better."

Jaeun's eyes began to water, her body shaking with anger. Not towards her brother, but towards the very girl he was talking about. Her.

He was right. She was so useless, unable to do her duty as a member of this family. She was supposed to be perfect. The best person in the world. She was the one that should be loved by everyone, not Yoona.

Upon seeing her reaction, Jaemin let out a smile. "Good. Understand your flaws and do better next time little sister. I should expect to see the fruit of your actions soon."

He was about to stand up but felt a pair of hands grab his arm.

"But -" Jaeun said. "T-there is something I have to tell you."

Jaemin fought the urge to push her arm away. He didn't want her disgusting hands on him, especially with that face of hers. He thought his speech had snapped her out of her pitiful state. Apparently not. "What."

She took a deep breath. "Today, I found that Yoona has someone very wealthy protecting her."

Jaemin narrowed his eyes. This was new information.

"Who?" From what he knew, Yoona had little friends and the only close people in her life was the people at work. There was no way she could've found someone to go against them so fast.

He had planned everything out. Jaeun was supposed to torture Yoona as pleased.

Who was this unknown variable?

"It's Chae Minhyun, the CEO of MH."

Jaemin felt his whole body freeze, and for once, he had no words to speak.