"Pathetic."
Llana spoke the word without hesitation, her expression completely indifferent, as if she were stating a simple fact.
Minyoung froze. Slowly, she lifted her head, disbelief trembling in her voice. "What did you just say?"
"I said…" Llana took a step forward, her blue eyes fixed on her—cold and unreadable.
The sun behind her cast her figure into shadow, her silhouette darkened as it stretched toward Minyoung, swallowing the space between them. And yet, Llana's blue eyes remained visible, almost glowing.
It made her heart pound.
Minyoung instinctively crawled backward, her hands scrambling against the floor as she pushed herself away. Her legs trembled, barely able to support her, her breath hitching uncontrollably.
Llana was younger than her.
So why was she afraid?
Llana stopped, looking down at her—not with anger, not with rage, but with something far worse.
Disappointment.
"You are pathetic. Insecure. Pitiful."
Minyoung flinched. Each word landed heavier than the last, pressing down on her like an invisible weight.
Llana exhaled quietly.
So much for handling this calmly.
She had planned to resolve things without escalation, but clearly, Minyoung needed a harsh wake-up call.
"Haven't you realized how shameful you're acting?" Llana continued, her voice calm but sharp enough to cut. "Letting jealousy take over you—letting it control your actions like this…"
Her gaze swept over her. "…it's pathetic."
Minyoung's fingers curled tightly against the floor, her teeth gritting as she shot back bitterly, "You have the nerve to say that because you're not in my position! If you didn't have everything you have now, we'd be exactly the same. So don't act so mighty when you don't even know how it feels!"
"You're right." Llana nodded before speaking slowly. "I would never be like you. I'd rather die than be someone like you."
She had once been just an orphan.
She had once wandered the streets, slept on public benches using pieces of cardboard as blankets, bathed in public restrooms, and eaten food taken from the trash.
She worked while studying just to support her own needs. She took on small extra jobs until she saved enough to rent a place to stay, buy her daily necessities, and continue going to school.
She endured all of that. Not once did she blame anyone.
Not once did she ask "what if."
Not once did she blame her parents for leaving her in the orphanage.
Not once did she blame God.
Because at the end of the day…
What would blaming others do?
Would it help her?
Why focus on jealousy?
Why not keep trying to improve your own instead?
"Don't you dare throw out pathetic excuses just to justify your hatred and jealousy toward me," Llana added, a hint of disgust slipping into her tone.
"I want you to listen carefully."
Her voice turned firm, unyielding.
"You're in this position because of your own choices. Because from the very beginning, you already judged yourself and your abilities."
Minyoung's lips parted, but no words came out. She couldn't even lift her gaze, her eyes fixed on the floor as she listened.
Every word felt like cold water being poured over her.
Because deep down, she knew Llana was right.
"You're talented," Llana continued. "You know that. You're easily among the top when it comes to singing. You can even compose your own songs. Most people can't do that, majority of the members can't do that."
Minyoung's head lifted slightly at the unexpected words.
Llana matches her gaze.
Minyoung was clearly someone with a fixed mindset. It wasn't that she lacked talent,she had it. But she treated every failure as proof that her ability wasn't enough, that she simply wasn't good enough, instead of seeing it as something to learn from....Instead of improving, she retreated, clinging to excuses and shifting the blame onto others.
Because she was afraid of change.
Anyone who refuses to change and learn will never rise.
Llana knew that, deep down, Minyoung understood the truth, but she was too afraid to accept it. Because doing so would mean admitting that where she stood now was the result of her own choices.
Llana continued, "That alone should've been enough to carry you to the finals, maybe even earn you a spot in TWICE."
Minyoung's chest tightened.
'Was she telling the truth?'
Hope or regret, she couldn't tell which one hurt more.
'But what if this was just another lie?'
"N-no… no… you're lying…" Minyoung shift her gaze back to the ground muttering weakly, her voice barely audible.
Llana watched her in silence as she tried to convince herself, clinging desperately to denial.
"I'm not lying," Llana said flatly. "Everything I said was a matter of truth. You had the ability, but you threw it away."
The words hit harder than anything before.
Tears streamed down Minyoung's face, falling onto the floor one after another.
"You let your insecurity win. You let jealousy blind you. That's how you ended up where you are now."
"You were eliminated because you already judged yourself from the start. In the end, you were the one who eliminated yourself."
Minyoung's shoulders trembled.
"And the worst part?"
Silence stretched between them.
"Instead of reflecting, you tried to redirect it onto someone else. Even now, you're still trying to blame someone else for it."
"But you're right about one thing."
Minyoung slowly raised her tear-streaked face. "About what?"
"Do you remember what I told you about how I was scouted?" Llana asked.
Minyoung's eyes turned glassy as the memory of their first night in the major's dorm resurfaced.
'I was scouted at my cousin's wedding by a JYP staff member who saw me performing. At that time, I was already planning to go to Korea to audition, so I was thrilled when someone approached me.'
"I said I was scouted at my cousin's wedding, right?" Llana continued.
When Minyoung nodded weakly, she added, "Now tell me… would VP-nim attend just anyone's wedding?"
Minyoung's eyes widened slightly as realization dawned on her.
No… he wouldn't.
Not unless it was family. A close friend, or someone powerful.
"So you got one thing right…" Llana said calmly. "I do have a backer. A powerful family. One you wouldn't even dare stand against. Even Sangbong Byun-nim would have to bow his head."
Minyoung wanted to deny it. She wanted to laugh, to call it a lie.
But she couldn't.
Because there was something in Llana's eyes that made it impossible.
"So if you still value your life and your family, don't ever do what you did today." Llana's gaze hardened. "This isn't a threat. It's a warning."
Because she doesn't know what her obsessive brothers would do.
Without another word, she turned and walked toward the metal door.
Just before leaving, she paused and glanced back.
"For your information… JD and I are cousins. He's just been using you against me."
The door shut.
Minyoung sat frozen, her expression slowly turning hollow and broken.
"So all this time… it wasn't Llana…"
"…it was JD who was manipulating me."
Minyoung burst into hysterical laughter as tears streamed down her face.
Pain. Guilt. Shame.
They crashed into her all at once, suffocating her.
Every word Llana said echoed in her mind, over and over.
Pathetic.
Insecure.
Pitiful.
That's right…
Her lips trembled.
"I'm pathetic."
_____
Llana pulled out her phone as she walked down the stairs, quickly dialing a number.
"Uncle Joon, I want you to keep an eye on Minyoung-unnie. She's on the rooftop… yes. If you see any signs of suicide, shoot her with a tranquilizer immediately. Yes… thank you."
She had other matters to deal with.
Without hesitation, she stepped into the elevator as soon as it arrived and headed straight to her brother's office.
The memory of what had just happened replayed in her mind, and her anger surged uncontrollably.
The moment she arrived, Llana pushed the office door open hard and closed it just as forcefully behind her.
Sebastian, who had been reading documents, was visibly startled.
She didn't give him time to react.
"Really?!" Llana half-shouted, her voice shaking with disbelief and fury. "How can you take someone's life without even blinking?! You almost killed Minyoung-unnie!"
Her chest rose and fell sharply, her hands trembling at her sides.
"Is that how little a human life means to you?" she demanded.
She still couldn't believe it. If she hadn't pushed Minyoung away in time, she would have been snipped through the head without warning.
"Didn't you even think about how I would feel?!"
Sebastian opened his mouth to respond, but Llana cut him off. She raised her hand, stopping him before he could say a single word.
"If anything had happened to her… if you ever do anything that might harm her…"
Her voice dropped, cold and final.
"I will never forgive any of you."
With that, Llana turned and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
Sebastian's expression turned cold the moment Llana closed the door.
He gritted his teeth so hard it felt like they might crack.
Without wasting another second, he pulled out his phone and called his good for nothing twin.
The moment the call connected, his voice came out chillingly cold. "What have you done?!"
"What now? I didn't do anything. I've been a good boy this week," his twin whined from the other end.
"Nothing?!" Sebastian's grip on the phone tightened as anger surged through him. "Then what is your assassin doing?!"
He didn't wait for a proper response and immediately started recounting what had happened.
His twin's dog had made a complete mess, and he was the one who ended up taking the blame.
Now, he had to console his beloved sister and apologize for something he didn't even do.
"What? He's just doing his job, protecting Llana. That kid almost killed my princess. She should be thankful she survived," Adrian lazily replied.
"Then tell that to Llana!" Sebastian roared.
"No way!"
Sebastian didn't even bother ending the call. He threw his phone hard against the wall. The impact shattered it instantly, tiny shards scattering across the floor as the device died for good.
_____
The drama ends here.
We've seen another small glimpse of Llana's past life.
What do you think will happen to Minyoung?Will she turn over a new leaf, or become an even bigger problem for Llana in the future?
Was Llana right to forgive and protect her?
We never know. 🤷 We'll find out in time. 😉
Hope you enjoyed the chapter.💙