A/N: I am finally at a point in life where I can afford and freely spend on Kpop concerts and I am so excited to go to Blackpink's if I get the tickets. Its going to be my first Kpop concert ever and I cannot contain my happiness. Any one else planning on going to any dates in the US?

"Esther", came the reply.

"Esther, that is a beautiful name. Do you know what your name means?", Chaerin smiled, brushing off the dirt of the little girl's knees.

"It means the stars", the child proudly replied, happy at expressing her knowledge.

"Wow", Chaerin bent down to get to her level as she looked at her. For a few minutes while interacting with this child, she had almost forgotten about everything that had happened at the shareholder's meeting and how she had made a fool of herself in front of so many people.

"But that is not my real name", Esther's voice brought her out of her daze. She looked at the younger who was giving this unknown woman all the information like an innocent child without a care in this world.

"It isn't?", Chaerin was surprised as she continued to talk to the kid in a soft baby voice. "What is it then?"

"Its Chaeyong. Jeon Chaeyong"

Hearing the full name, something went off in Chaerin's mind as she looked at the kid intently. Did the last name indicate something? Was this kid possibly Jungkook and Alison's daughter? As she observed her face it became pretty evident she probably was.

The moment she smiled, Chaerin could see glimpses of Alison's face with the same dimple on the left cheek. Even a little bit of Taehyung's features. The girl had copied her mother's entire flow. How could anyone miss it?

"Chaeyong?", Chaerin asked trying her best to control her tears. "Can I ask something? Who named you?"

"My mommy did", Esther mindlessly replied playing with the hem of her tulle dress. "She is the owner of this company", with that she pointed at the building. "Do you know her?"

The moment those words left the child's mouth, Chaerin could feel her eyes water. She sniffled her nose and tried her best to not tear up. Ever since they were kids, Alison and her often wondered what would it be like when either of them had a kid. How the other would spoil their 'goddaughter' or 'godson' and love them just like their own. Today seeing Alison's daughter shifted something in Chaerin's heart. She intently looked at the kid, overwhelmed with emotions as she held her soft little hands.

"Chaeyong, did your mom know any one else named Chae?"

Esther nodded enthusiastically as if waiting to tell this story. "The lady in the photo on her desk and beside her bed. Her name is Chae and she was mommy's best friend. Like I am best friends with Sera who studies in my class. Mommy said she was her bestest best friend. I have a best friend but I still don't have a bestest best friend. Do you know what a bestest best friend is?"

"I am aware", Chaerin chuckled a little through her tears, having coined this term with Alison when they both were 10 years old. "Chaeyong, does your mom still talk to this lady? Her bestest best friend?"

"No", Esther's face fell. "Mommy fought with her. She says she hurt her friend and now her friend doesn't talk to her. That is why she tells me to not fight with Sera. So when we fight, I always say sorry and give her a hug. Sera is my only friend and if she cries, I cry too"

"Your momma is right", Chaerin couldn't control her tears at this point as she stroked the child's cheek. For a moment she didn't say anything as she continued to look at Esther. A strong filial urge took over her as she stroked the kid's cheek. Something about looking at her felt like looking at a young Alison that she was friends with.

"You should not fight with your friend. And don't hurt them. Give her lot of love and play with her. Be good friends and always help each other. Okay?"

Esther nodded with a bright smile. "Thank you Auntie. What is your name? I forgot to ask your name"

For a moment the older didn't know what to say. She kept looking at the child who was waiting in anticipation. After a moment to herself, she spoke.

"Chaerin", she replied using her original name instead of Grace. "But you can also call me Chae"

Esther gasped as she looked at the woman in surprise and awe. "Chae", she pointed at her and then at herself. "We have the same name. I have to tell my mommy about it"

With that she held the other's hand and tried to pull her towards the conference room where moments ago Chaerin had been with Alison. The latter wanted to avoid the unfortunate event where she had to face Alison but did not resist the child's actions. Before they could reach there, another door opened and Alison came looking for the former. She halted in her steps as she saw Chaerin being led by Esther.

"Mommy! Mommy!", she ran towards her and Alison was taken by surprise as she looked at Chaerin first and then the kid. "Auntie and I have the same name. Her name is also Chae. We are both Chae!", she squealed in happiness.

Alison was stunned as she looked at Chaerin. She met her eyes and for the first time she saw an expression that wasn't pure hate. But most importantly she saw a complete shift in the woman's demeanor as she looked at Esther. It held the same soft gaze she had when they were younger and before the events that changed their lived occured. A gaze full of love and admiration.

"Mommy!", Esther's squealing voice brought her back to her senses. "Auntie's name is Chae too! We have the same name!"

Alison didn't know what to say as she saw her daughter run towards Chaerin and hold her hand. It felt nice saying both their names together. It felt like life had come a full circle. She walked towards them as she bent down in front of the kid.

"Esther do you know the picture on mommy's desk?", she softly spoke, turning the kid to face Chaerin. "This is her. The lady you kept asking me about all the time. The one you said looked like your favorite princess", she smiled a little at the last bit. "This is her. Mommy's forever bestest best friend"

Esther was stunned as she looked at Chaerin who wasn't expecting her old best friend to reveal their story like this. For a moment the child was left in a daze before she blinked an composed herself. "You are mommy's best friend"

Chaerin nodded a little, not sure what else to say. Esther's face fell as she fiddled with her dress before asking a soft—

"Then why did you stop being her bestest best friend?"

———•••———

Alison and Chaerin sat on a bench in the garden that was the focal point of the Kim industries complex. A sprawling patch of green laid there completed with a beautiful landscape and expensive trees and flowers imported from the countries the company used to operate in. The duo sat in silence as cold breeze flowed, swaying their hair as well.

Alison turned to the side to face Chaerin to say something but stopped as her eyes fell onto a cluster of faded scars that adorned the other woman's face. She noticed a couple on her cheek and others randomly displaced over her brow bone and jawline. Maybe the lack of makeup was the reason they were so defined and why they missed her sight before.

"What happened to your face?", she asked gaining Chaerin's attention. "The scars..."

Chaerin touched her face as she let her finger run over the skin. "Glass shreds..", she softly answered. "I fainted and fell into a pool of glass shreds on the ground. By the time I woke up they had pierced the skin deep. I had them removed but they scared and left these marks"

Something went off in Alison as she recalled seeing Chaerin with a lot of bandages on her face during her parents funeral seven years ago. "Was it the time....", she hesitated to continue.

"Yes", came the reply. "The day I found out about you and Jungkook", she paused to chuckle dryly. "Was quite dramatic what I did back then"

At the mention of this, Alison felt a deep sense of discomfort. All her past actions surfaced again and they sent her into a guilt spiral. She looked down as she fiddled with her fingers. "Are we going to address the elephant in the room?", she gently spoke.

"What is there to address", Chaerin stared straight ahead. "It was unfortunate what happened but everyone's actions had consequences. Mine, yours, Jungkook's. We were all the victims and villains in each others lives and that's the truth"

With that she paused, thinking over her own statement before she faced Alison again. "But I am curious to know why you did it? Did you and Jungkook hook up behind my back and is that why you were forced to marry him? Did he get you pregnant? I saw your daughter Esther and she seems to be around six or seven years. That is the only explanation that makes sense after seeing her"

"Esther", Alison began. "Is not Jungkook's biological daughter"

As those words left Alison's mouth, Chaerin was taken aback. She looked at the woman in confusion waiting for her to continue.

"She is Jaewon's daughter"

"Jaewon?", Chaerin scrunched her nose. "Jeon Jaewon? Jungkook's cousin?"

Alison nodded. "We used to sleep around back in the day. He refused to take the responsibility or acknowledge the child. And if that wasn't enough, he was also trying to get rid of her", Alison spoke as tears pooled in her eyes recalling the bitter memories. "I had to find a way to keep my child safe and Jungkook was my only way out. He overheard me and Jaewon fighting and came to know. This was the same time he broke up with you. His father...", with that Alison let out a huff and she tried to fight more tears.

"He threatened to ruin your life if Jungkook didn't give up on you. He practically listed every shitty thing he would do to you including making you live in poverty and that scared Jungkook. He did not want anything bad to happen to you so he complied. But his father didn't stop at that. He said that the only way he would you be is if Jungkook married one of the girls he chose and I was a contender in that list. We figured this was the best possible union for us to save the people we loved and so we did it"

Someone seemed to have punched all air out of Chaerin as she heard all of this. Her voice cracked as she spoke the next few words, in absolute dismay at the background of their actions. "And none of you thought you should tell me about it?"

"And do what", Alison shot back looking at her in a mix of self-anger and defeat. "Make things worse for you? It was easier to have you hate us because that way it lessened the guilt of doing what we did. He acted selfless and I acted selfish. That is your answer to what we did and why we did it"

Silence took over both of them as the sound of the wind was the only thing heard.

"I can understand your actions", Chaerin suddenly spoke. "I would not have voluntarily let you take Jungkook away. Narcissism is not a choice. Sometimes its a necessity. So it makes sense you never asked me about it and did what you wanted to. At the end of the day I am selfish for my cause just like you were and the only way I would have let go of Jungkook is if someone took him from me"

Seeing no response from Alison, Chaerin continued. "But the consequences of your actions have to be handled by you. They cannot come at the cost of somebody else's happiness. You cannot get pregnant and then expect someone to be your savior. If Jaewon was threatening you, you should have stood up to him. Told me, your friends, your family the truth. Trusted them enough to stand there for you. Even when the whole world would have abandoned you, I would have stayed. And I hope you knew that"

Alison wiped her cheeks as she heard her ex-best friend's candid words.

"I was scared", she spoke as more tears rolled down her eyes. "Of losing the one thing that had given me hope and when I realized the child was in danger, nothing mattered to me anymore. And I am not proud of what I did but that was the best course of action the 26 year old Alison Kim could come up with even though it has been my single greatest regret till day. And I am sorry for doing this to you. I have beaten myself up for it all this time. Living with the guilt of it has been harder than doing it. And even though I know this sounds shallow but I hope you can forgive me. Forgive me for being a bad friend, for causing you pain and not being there for you all this while"

"This....", Chaerin found it hard to speak as a knot formed in her throat. "Is not a black and white situation. You cannot be on the bad side and crossover to the good just because you got forgiveness. An apology will never suffice Alison. No matter how sincere, a simple one word like— sorry — cannot undo years of trauma. I appreciate you having the courage to accept your actions and wanting to build the bridge but it is not easy for me to just forget everything. You have no idea the kind of shitty time I have lived through..."

"I had no motivation in life. I was merely existing not living — depressed, anxious, broken and with no hope. There have been days where I have tried to kill myself and cried over what my life had become every day. I have been almost homeless, lived off food stamps and government benefits my first year in the US. I went through hell and back reaching where I am now and your apology will not pay me back for my time, give me my parents back or lessen my hardships"

As she heard this, Alison broke into even more tears as she sobbed into her hands. Chaerin couldn't control her emotions either as she sat there crying herself. "I had no one", she spoke. "And I felt like the world had given up on me. Maybe time will mend my heart and I will have it in me to get over this and forgive everyone. Then we can share a cup of coffee and I can be in your presence without thinking about the old things. I have a lot to apologize for as well. I think have done enough damage trying to take Woolworks from you and messing with your father's company but be assured I'll have all the shares back in your name and amend the situation with the steel group. And I apologize for my behavior these past few weeks. It has been less than ideal and stemmed from a place of pain, hurt and almost borderline maniac behavior "

With that she stood up. She took one look at Alison before turning her head to the other side. As she was about to walk out, she heard the other's voice.

"I am going to give Jungkook a divorce", Alison began hoping Chaerin would hear her out. "Maybe you both can have a second chance at your romance. Nothing has ever happened between us. We were merely in a legal relation nothing more. We never slept in the same room and barely if ever conversed. Only if it was something about Esther. So you don't have to be worried...."

"I am not going to get back with Jungkook", Chaerin cut her off. Alison was surprised to hear this. "He still loves you though. He never stopped"

"He chose his actions and I will choose mine. He was in the wrong. When you love someone and decide to share your life with them, they are your partner in everything — happiness, grief, troubles, joys. His inability to tell me the truth implied his lack of faith in me. He didn't trust me or the strength of our relationship enough. It doesn't matter if he did it to protect me. His absence did more damage than his presence could ever have. We would have both been miserable because of his father but at least we would have been together. And to me that was a better gift than anything else in the world"

"He did it so you wouldn't have to sacrifice on you career, your ambition and goals. Does his sacrifice hold no value?", Alison quietly asked. "He did not let go of you because he wanted to. It was a painful choice for him. And I have seen how broken he has been. He has tried finding you for years. He came to the US on the pretext of being on business so he could ask around and dig into your whereabouts. He still loves you like the day he left you. And he made a mistake but he made it for your sake. So you wouldn't have to sacrifice your dreams. So you could live life of glory you always wanted"

"Sometimes I think I am at fault here", Chaerin said out of the blue and Alison was taken aback, not expecting this answer at all. "All these years I gave you guys the impression that I am just an ambitious person who priorities her need to be successful over her happiness or love for family. There were days during my final exams where I have completely ignored him to concentrate on my studies. Or when I had that stressful consulting gig where I did not come see you for months. Maybe my actions gave rise to this issue. And that is why he made this choice because he thought I much rather thrive in my career than be with him. And for that I am to blame"

"That is not what I meant, we know—", Alison tried to pacify the situation.

"Plus Jungkook has someone else in his life who he needs to take care of more", Chaerin cut her off. "Esther needs her father. And Alison needs her husband. I am not going to get in between your family and attempt to break what you have. You and Jungkook may not be in love but you rely on each other. I saw the way he came running when he found out about the takeover of your company. Or the rage in his eyes in the pictures from the press when the journalists swarmed you to ask questions when you were on your way to court. Don't deny yourself that support by sacrificing your relation with him"

"You don't get to do this", Alison stood up as she faced the woman, hot tears rolling down her eyes. "YOU DON'T GET TO DO THIS TO ME. You don't get to be the good person to someone who has just lied to you and been the reason for the hardships in your life. Yell at me, hit me. I DON'T KNOW GOD DAMN ruin me like I ruined you. GO AHEAD WITH YOUR FUCKING PLAN. Just do something please. I took away everything from you. I YOUR BEST FRIEND DID THIS TO YOU and I deserve the same"

Chaerin didn't say anything for a second and in that moment they both just kept looking at one another. Alison could see the shift in the other's gaze. Like it had a certain softness that had disappeared before but returned.

"Every time I see you, I am not looking at you. I see the young Alison I was best friends with. The one who had to get glasses at the age of 6 because she watched too many cartoons and wore all the latest barbie clothes to school before they even got released in stores. The one that got suspended from school for beating up a girl that used to bully me for my acne. The one who paid for all extra classes I wanted to take in college secretly and threatened the Dean to say they were scholarship classes so I wouldn't feel bad. That is the one I see. And I don't have it in me to ruin her. The 10 year old Chaerin would hate the 33 year old Chaerin for doing this to her best friend. And I don't want to disappoint my younger self. I am tired of pretending to be a viscous person. I cannot get myself to keep playing this game and so I am gracefully removing myself out of here. At the end of the day you were the only person I have ever called a best friend and I want to keep the love my past self had for you sacred"

She took a step back, leaving a crying Alison there and with tear glazed cheeks herself. She had only walked a few second when she halted and turned back. "Chaeyong — she, she is beautiful. And she looks just like you. I know she will do good things in life because she has a wonderful mother supporting her. You have grown to become an excellent parent and I can see it even though I just met her for a few minutes. But you need to take care of her and shield her from the vicious ways of the wealthy family she was born into. You don't want her to lose the games she never wanted to play in the first place"

With that she finally walked away from there leaving the other alone. Alison stood there for a bit before falling to her knees, a sobbing mess. Chaerin closed her eyes slightly, sighing in relief as she finally felt the pain she carried all the time subside. A soothing feeling of calmness took over her as she held her head high and finally left the premise, ignoring all the reporters who were trying to get her to answer for her actions.

A small smile perched on her face as she felt proud of herself for not going through with this. For not allowing the anger to consume her. For coming out of this mess unscathed and getting the closure she finally deserved.