Mom……?”

A mom is playing hide-and-seek with a girl who looks about two years old. The girl buries her face in the couch and covers it with a cushion. It’s like she thinks if she hides her face, she’s invisible. She rolls around on her legs and laughs. Happiness washes over me as I watch. The corners of my mouth keep turning up.

“Erma! Erma!”

Suddenly a little girl turned in his direction and ran toward her, smiling brightly. She clutches her skirt tightly in her fern-like hands. She stares up at me with eyes that look like they’re about to burst. I don’t know what it is about that look that makes my heart skip a beat. Her faithful eyes sank into my chest.   

“You asked for a hug?”

The mother’s face relaxed as she approached. Yunseul smiled brightly and reached for her. The smell of a child hugging her neck stung her nostrils. 

That’s it, fluffy, fluffy, soft. I don’t dare touch her for fear of melting like cotton candy. I tighten my grip to keep her from falling. I watched with delight as she laughed, her breath catching in her throat.  

Yunseul’s eyes lit up with warmth. Ah, so this is happiness. She looked lovingly at the child and herself, soaked in happiness.  I wish time would stop like this.  I wanted to stay in this time forever, where there was no heartache, only happiness.

I picked her up and held her again. 

Her cell phone rang loudly, and she jumped up. She was dreaming.

 “…………….!!”   

She closed her eyes for a moment, and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

Red-faced, Yunseul jumped up and ran outside, not bothering to answer the phone.  As she quickly crossed the garden, her ankle screamed in pain. Unable to run anymore, she limped toward her in-laws’ house.

My face crumpled with each step.  I pulled my sleep-disheveled hair into a tight bun and opened the front door. At the same time, her glow hardened. She stood in the doorway.  Her eyebrows knit together as she recognized herself. Yunseul lowered her eyes, a habit she had when she was in a bad mood.   

“…I’m sorry.”

Her head tilted stiffly to the side.   

“Are you going to keep the adults waiting?”

Her voice is so sharp it cuts like a knife. I fidget with my fingers, unable to meet her cold stare. Even though I slept with lots of lotion, they’re still chapped.   

“You’re at home, playing and eating, and you can’t keep these things?”

“…………..”

“Get a grip on time.”

“I’m sorry, I’ll do better in the future.”

I could have said sorry a hundred times. What’s so hard about saying it? Ignoring the way, she was glaring at her, Yunseul raised her eyebrows.   

“Ji-hyuk… No, Mr. Seobang, please eat.”   

Yun-seul hated the sound of ‘Mr. Seo’ so much. Why would Seobang-nim, a term of honor for her husband, also be a term of honor for her married sister-in-law? No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t understand it.    She seemed to have other things on her mind, but when she saw her sister-in-law, her stony expression relaxed. She stared at him without closing her eyes. For some reason, the pain that started in her ankle seemed to travel all over her body.

It’s not the first time I’ve seen him make such a relaxed face at her sister-in-law, so why is my heart throbbing so much? With a bitter smile, Yun-seul heads to the dining area. The two people walking side by side in front of her look like a couple.  

 At first, she didn’t understand why she was calling him by his first name, but then she realized. The only time her face slackens is when he and his nephew, Seo Jun-hyuk, are together.

“Little Dad!”

Seo Jun-hyuk, who follows him closely, jumps up and runs to him. Clinging to his waist, he strokes her hair.

Why does he love him so much? Because he’s someone else’s child, not his own? Or because he loves his brother? I don’t know.   

What if he realized that there was someone in my belly that he should love more than Seo Jun Hyuk? He’d drag me to the hospital right now. Goosebumps rose on my forearms at the horrible thought.   

“I’m late, I’m sorry,”

she said, and true to her word, everyone was waiting for her. Yunseul ruffled her hair apologetically.   

“Speaking of my sisterr-in-law, I want you to be punctual.”

“Yes, I understand.”   

Yunseul replied to her mother-in-law’s firm tone. Her mother-in-law is usually friendly, but when you do something wrong or make a mistake, she can be as stern as she is now.   

“I made sure she understood, and you’ll be careful from now on.”

The man across from her glared at her, asking if why she was late.   

“Yes, I won’t be late from now on,”

Yunseul replied, promising to be on time once more. The meal began when her father-in-law picking up his spoon.   

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, though. There are days when you’re tired.”

“My father was right, they say young people sleep a lot, so maybe it’s true.”

Unable to believe that my sister-in-law was suddenly taking my side, I tightened my grip on the spoon. I gripped it so hard that my knuckles turned white.   

“Thank you, father,” I said,

“so our first daughter-in-law is an angel after all.”   

I bowed my head deeply, unable to look at my sister-in-law any longer as hse snorted that I had made a good marriage. I don’t know if it’s her duplicitous attitude or the smell of the food that’s making me sick to my stomach.  I strain my throat to keep from sighing.

I couldn’t even attempt to eat because I was afraid that putting food in my mouth would make me nauseous. I had to be careful how I breathed. I had almost finished my lunch, and I wondered if I would be okay now. I wondered if I would be okay in the future.   

“Ouch, that stings!”

my sister-in-law exclaimed, clutching her hand and wincing at her shoulder.   

“Mom, what’s wrong?”

said Seo Junhyuk, sitting next to me. Sitting next to his sister-in-law, her face turned serious with concern.  

 “I hurt my hand while preparing dinner. I must have gotten a crack while picking up the side dishes.”   

She stretches out her hand to his brother, who smiles forcedly.   

“Let me see, did you cut yourself with a knife?”

“Yes, but I’m fine.” 

“Leave that to the lady. She says you’re doing something with a knife.”   

I sat across from them and stared at them, wondering if they were upset that she was hurt.   

“You, too. Don’t worry.”

Yunseul felt her stomach twist.

“By the way,”

he said to himself, “our Junhyuk needs to be smeared with fish. By that, he meant that he wanted Seo Junhyuk to apply the fish.   

“I’ll do it.”   

Yunseul said before he could answer.

He closed his lips, which had opened slightly at   

“Sir…. Thank you.”   

Her sister-in-law looked at him as if she were overwhelmed, her eyes warmer than ever.   

“You’re welcome, but you’ve hurt your hand.”   

She kept smiling at her sister-in-law because she couldn’t see that her heart was broken, right? No, it wouldn’t have made a difference even if she did.  A cold chill ran down my spine at the realization.

 My throbbing ankle seemed to hurt even more. But she didn’t want to show it, so she lowered her eyes.

It was as if I hadn’t seen the two of them. I stubbornly kept my eyes fixed on my plate. Why, I don’t know if I’m supposed to laugh at this.  Yunseul forced the corners of his mouth to keep from laughing out loud.   

“So, any news yet?”

Yunseul’s shoulders shook. When her mother-in-law asked for news, she meant a child. Her hand went to her stomach, but she stopped herself.   

“…Yes.” I apologized.   

I added in a hushed voice. I wasn’t sorry for anything, but I said I was.  It was a habit to say sorry after every word.  Yunseul looked up.

…Of course. If she had a child, it would jeopardize her position as Seo Junhyuk’s successor. She wouldn’t want a child, of course.  Him and his sister-in-law not wanting a child while her in-laws and father wanting a child.

“We’re trying hard, just wait a little longer.”   

I know you’re on birth control, and you’ve given me permission.

Standing there, I felt sick to my stomach as he answered me so bluntly, as if he didn’t know what he was talking about.   

“If you don’t eat, the baby will run away when he tries to come in.”   

My mother-in-law’s stern voice drew the attention of everyone at the table to my rice bowl. Yunseul’s ears burned.  

 “I’ll make you some elixir, so eat it up.”

“Yes, thank you.”   

I thought of all the pills in my refrigerator at home, but I didn’t forget to say thank you. It was one thing to throw away pills without her knowledge, but now I had more.

I stifled a sigh that threatened to escape.  The fingers interlocked under the table were itchy, and I smirked. At the same time, her gaze touched her forehead, but she kept her eyes down, pretending not to notice.   

 

*********** * * * * * * *

On the way to the newlywed house after the meal,

I shifted my feet, watching his back as he walked briskly ahead. She was glad she hadn’t matched her stride. She couldn’t walk, wondering if something was wrong with her ankle.

‘It’s okay, I’ll protect you.’ Of course, it had to be a secret. I couldn’t tell him the truth, and I didn’t want to, because he’d told me to get rid of it when we had kids.   

As I kicked off my shoes and slipped into my slippers, I noticed my ankles were swollen.  A wrinkle appeared and disappeared on Yunseul’s fair forehead. When I trudged into the living room, he was staring at me coldly as he pulled down his tie.   

I put pressure on my limp ankle. It didn’t matter if it hurt. So did his father, so did his stepmother. It only made the bullying worse, which is why Yunseul doesn’t say it hurts.  

 “Come into the bathroom.”

At first, she thought she had misheard.

As he unbuttoned his shirt, his eyebrows wiggled, and it was enough to make Yunseul’s mouth burn. His head tilted to the side.   

“Come in to wash with me.”

Hating to have to say the same thing, he turned away as if he didn’t need an answer.   

“…Just.”   

I call after him as he turns to go into his room. He slowly turns to face me.   

“In bed…….”

I’d done it a few times in the bathroom, and each time it was a struggle because my body didn’t support it. It was hard enough because I am pregnant. At her piercing stare, Yunseul stuck out her tongue to wet her lips.   

“Ha, you have that choice?”

He didn’t say come to the bathroom right away, but Yunseul read the meaning in his behavior. He was telling her to come to the bathroom because she had no choice.   Yunseul limped into the room and made eye contact with the now-naked man.

She should have been dying of embarrassment, but he didn’t seem to care that she was naked.  I felt heat rising in my ears and turned my head away.   I watched him strut n*ked into the bathroom and sighed.

Now that I’m alone, the sigh I’ve been holding in spills out.  After a few moments of hesitation, she realized that he was going to get his way, and she began to undress, her skin flushed with a poisonous white as each piece of clothing disappeared from her body.   

It wasn’t every day that she shared her body with him, and she was always nervous, thinking that it was an unloving act, and she stepped into the bathroom.

I could tolerate ankle pain for as long as I wanted.   I had endured much worse, but I didn’t know how or if I could cry about a sprained ankle. I was suddenly jealous of my brother-in-law, who had cut his finger and was showing his pain with his whole body.

 I opened the bathroom door and saw him standing under the shower with the water pouring down on him.  He turned his head at the sound of the door.   

“You’re late,”

he said in a cold tone, pressing my shoulder as if to ask why I was so late.  

 “I’m sorry,”

she said, his emotionless eyes scanning her body. When his gaze dropped from her chest to her stomach, she nearly curled into a ball. But Yunseul met his gaze with a firm one.

No, she pretended to. If I acted a little weird, he would notice my pregnancy. Even if I wasn’t pregnant, he would suspect something, and eventually, he would realize I was pregnant, so I decided to carry on as usual.

Getting a divorce would be the best way to go, but getting divorced for not bearing a child as her mother-in-law and father had promised would be just as good, and she would have to hide the child for at least a few months.

As I approached him, he grabbed my arm and pulled me close. It was a gesture that lacked any semblance of consideration. The sudden tug drenched Yunseul in a torrent of water.   

“Wait…. Slowly….”

Yunseul’s cheeks flushed as he snorted in disbelief. The hand grabbing his chest was cold.  

 “Uggggghhhhhhh!”

I squeeze my eyes shut in disgust at my body’s reaction to such a touch.   

“Turn around and put your ass against the wall.”  

 I’d been in this position before. I remembered it being so intense that Yunseul couldn’t move her body.

“What are you doing?”

I turned to see him running a hand through his hair in annoyance.   

“…I’m not feeling well. Gently…….”

“I’ll take care of that.”

A large hand pressed against my back, forcing me to fold at the waist. True to his word, I gripped the wall with my hands and stuck my a$s out.   

“Hmph!”

There was no caress, as it was an affectionless act, and Yunseul’s shoulders shook as he was inserted. She should have gotten used to it since she’d been f*cked so many times, but she couldn’t get used to the p*nis entering her v*g*na with a strange opening.   

Yunseul bit her lip to keep from groaning. Her ass tightened involuntarily as his doppelganger pushed all the way in. He pulled back and was impaled once and for all.   

“Ha!”

The fluid bounce of his hips sent Yunseul’s world spinning. Her hand on the wall slipped, and just before she tumbled forward, a hand caught her pelvis and stopped her from falling.   

“Straighten up.”   

She gripped the wall in front of him, her eyes half-lidded at the command. Filled with it, she couldn’t breathe. My vision was blurry.    With each quick flick of his waist, my feet lifted off the floor.   

“Mmmmm, so, so deep.”   

We usually don’t talk during s*x. I didn’t say anything unnecessary, so I figured it was only natural to keep my mouth shut during sex. But then I changed my mind.

The baby could be in danger. Yunseul slid her hand from the wall and pushed against his thigh.   

“Why?”

“Just a little…. Slowly, please.” 

“…………..”

“It’s hard.”  

 I knew he wouldn’t listen to me, but I tried anyway.  Sure enough, he burst out laughing.   

“Why are you talking so much today?”

He didn’t seem to like it when I spoke up, as I had always obeyed his every word and action. Annoyed, he began to raise his hips again. As if to tell her to shut up, her waist bounced back harder and faster than before, and Yunseul’s legs buckled.   

When it looked like she was going to fall, he grabbed his pelvis to keep him from stumbling and frantically jerked his c*ck in and out. 

Her molded v*g*na gaped open, imprisoning her alter ego with all its might. As if that weren’t enough, he constricted her v*g*nal folds as if he were going to chew them up and swallow them.   

“Ha, ah…ha…ah!”

A thin moan escaped her mouth and she bit her fingers. If I tried to stop it, it would leak through my fingers.  My bite was so hot I thought I was going to melt.   

“Hmph! Hmph!”

She wanted to ask him how he could be so hot that she couldn’t breathe and yet so frighteningly cold to her, how he couldn’t give her the same tender look he gave to his sister-in-law.

But, as usual, she kept her mouth shut. Talking wouldn’t change anything. My eyes widened at his increasingly wild gestures.  

 Her legs trembled. He stroked his c*ck frantically, hugging her body as it collapsed in pleasure. Warmth radiated from his arms around her stomach.

Tears trickled from Yunseul’s eyes. The good news was that the water was still pouring, so he couldn’t tell if it was tears or water.  It was amazing how my body responded to him. My resolve to be the master of my body was broken by pleasure.   

In an instant, Yunseul climaxed and shuddered.  When he finished ejaculating, he released his hold on her waist, and she collapsed to the floor in a heap.   

“You’re not asking for a divorce like this morning, are you?”

he asked as he walked past her on the floor and rinsed himself off under the shower. Yunseul’s head snapped up, hanging limply.  When she looked up, his face was so emotionless that it was hard to believe she had just heard her ask for a divorce this morning.

“…Will you do it?”

There was a moment of silence. All I could hear was the sound of the water running. His laughter filled the bathroom. I avoided his piercing gaze, thinking I knew what he would say even if I didn’t have to hear it.   

“Answer, do I have to?”

 I bit my lip because the way he laughed, his shoulders shaking, was like he didn’t care if I divorced him.   

“Wash up and get out. Let’s do it again.”   

Yunsuel’s eyes fluttered open.   

“I just…. you.” 

“What does it matter?”

He turned to see if she was finished. I stared at him wordlessly as he moved toward the door.

“That’s right.”

She paused to see if he could think of anything else to say, and Yunseul’s cheeks flushed red in case he wanted to back out.   

“You’re going alone for your father’s birthday tomorrow.”  

 She paused.   

“You said you’d come with me.”

She’d already told her father. He’d been looking forward to seeing him for a long time, and I was already worried about what he might say.   

“Something happened.”

“What happened?”

“Do I have to explain it to you?”

No. No, really, no.

 “…My dad said….”

“What? Say it out loud.”

Yunseul sucked in a breath and looked at him straight in the eye.   

“My father asked me to come with you.” 

“Honestly, why would I go?”

Yunseul’s eyes darkened.   

“Do you want me to listen to your father’s stories about how he used to be rich, or do you want me to listen to his half-blackmail, half-babble about how he sent his favorite daughter to give you a lot of money? Do you think I have time to spare?”

“…Not that….”

If you had told me from the beginning that you couldn’t go, I wouldn’t have done this. I was surprised and worried, so I asked him to go with me instead of the usual, because I was surprised and worried.   

“I gave you a generous deposit instead.”   

If “generous” is a word that comes out of his mouth, how much did he give me this time?

 …….I wanted to ask him, but I clamped my mouth shut because I felt like tears were coming.  

 “I don’t think he’ll be upset. Your father loves money more than I do.”

 “……………”

 “No, he doesn’t. He likes me, the heir to the Seoju Group, to be precise.”   

I don’t cry, I have to hold it together.  I stare at him as he coldly turns and walks out, tears falling from my eyes. Yunseul covered her mouth and cried soundlessly. 

It’s hormones. Normally, she wouldn’t cry when she heard the words that turned into blades and plunged into her heart.

Staggering to her feet, Yunseul stood under the stream of water.  I put my face up to wash away the tears. 

I have to stay awake. I must stay awake to protect my baby.

 

I shouldn’t feel sad. We were going to be together anyway, so why can’t I calm down? With the good shield of her pregnancy, she kept using it as an excuse.  After a long time, Yunseul’s face was firm.  

 *****************

“What’s the point of coming if you’re going to come alone?”

True to his word, he wasn’t too angry.

“Go and tell him thank you for the money he sent this time.”

“…Okay.”

“I’ll take the call.”

In front of the table set with his father’s favorite food for his birthday, Yunseul was breathing weakly, trying not to smell as much as possible.   

It’s not like she has to hide her pregnancy from her in-laws and her parents.

“That’s why my husband goes out, because we don’t have kids,”

 Yunseul said as she watched her stepmother push side dishes to her father.   

“I can’t imagine having a baby and making a big deal out of it.”  

 If her father found out she was pregnant, he’d be the one to bully her, not just for herself, but for the baby. Being the quick thinker that she is, she’s already tapping away at a calculator to figure out what she’ll get when the baby is born.   

“How come we haven’t heard from you?”

“…………”

“We’ve been married for three years!”

There was no one to stop him from getting more and more excited.   

“Dad, don’t you know yet?”

whispered Yun Ina, her step sister who was sitting next to him, smiling wryly and lowering her voice like she was telling her father a secret.

Your father’s eyes sparkle. His eyes are warm as he looks at her, completely different from the way he looks at himself. I snorted, unable to control my emotions even though it hadn’t been a day or two.   

“You mean you’re not a woman to him? I’d rather you divorce him quickly and let him find another woman.”   

Had she heard some rumors about my husband?  Tension flashed across Yunseul’s face.   

“There are rumors that my sister-in-law has a boyfriend.”   

Yun Ina smirked at herself. Yun-seul’s shoulders slumped. What the hell?  She’d known about his complicated relationship with woman since before they were married. It would hurt her mouth to list the rumors about him, but she was the one who chose him, so it didn’t matter to her.   

“What are you so good at that you can spread rumors like that?”

Knowing full well that the rumors had been circulating about him since before they were married, her father came to her defense.   

“Why can’t you have a baby? just because your husband doesn’t like you?”

 …This is why I didn’t want to come. As if she was the reason the atmosphere had turned ugly, she slowly took in the people who were being driven away. She bit the tip of her tongue, feeling so humble that she still didn’t fit in here.  

 She had married him to protect her mother, but why did her life have to be like this?  She had never been happy, except when she lived alone with her mother.

My memories of middle school are now a blur, and I don’t know what it’s like to be happy, and I feel like I have an unknown future ahead of me.   

Yunseul slid her hand under the table and clenched her fist.  When I was younger, I was afraid that something would go wrong with my sick mom, and when I grew up, my mom went to prison and I went to live with my dad.

I was afraid of my father and stepmother, who used force to get what they wanted.  She compared herself to Yun Ina, ignored her bullying, and turned a blind eye to her stepmother’s violence. Her father’s threats were tolerated, and as time went on, Yunseul became a shy and submissive child.   

“Why don’t you just pierce the condom and….”

 “Dad!”

Yunseul’s voice rose in alarm, as it was not the first time she had crossed the line, but the idea of putting a condom in his mouth was so horrifying. My stepmother, Yun-ina, and my father’s eyes widened in surprise as they had never seen anything like this before.  

“…We’ll take care of that.”

“Really!”

Yoon-sul’s shoulders slumped as her father threw a spoon across the table. Maybe it’s because of her mom’s boyfriend, Yun-seul freaks out when someone makes a loud noise.   

“You said you’d take care of it, but it’s been three years! Three years!”

My father was beyond my wildest dreams. How can you think of remarrying me so soon?

Yunxul looked at her father with sick eyes.  

 “If you don’t like that, you can get pregnant somehow!”

Her ankle, which she had sprained yesterday, was starting to throb again. She should probably go to the doctor, but she was afraid they would ask her to take medication or take an X-ray.   

Plus, they’d probably ask if she was pregnant, and that would be a big deal, so she still hadn’t seen a gynecologist.   

“But what happened to Seo Seobang that she suddenly canceled her appointment?”

 she asked herself. He was a man of his word, so it was puzzling that he suddenly canceled his appointment.

…Well, something urgent must have happened.

It would be emotionally draining to delve too deeply, so I decided it was a good thing. If he were here, Yunseul would be in even more of a headache. Sending the money seemed like a good thing for him right now.   

“Where’s your husband? I’m sure he went to meet a girl.”   

He stared at Yun Ina as she spoke.   

“Why are you looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong?”

“…Are you sure he went to meet a girl?”

 I was going to hold back. No, I had to, but it made my stomach twist when she kept making it sound like she was going to meet a girl.   

“Don’t say things like that unless, you’re sure.”

There were times when I thought, “Maybe Yun Ina is starting rumors about him and her? The rumors had been written about before, so I had to be suspicious.

But by this point, I could tell that Yun Ina was making up rumors, or at least passing them around. Yun Ina jumped up and down as if she was being stabbed.  

“Why are you angry with me?

She looked at her stepmother. It was a signal for help.  

 “What are you talking about? What did I do?”

She shakes her head as if she’s about to be eaten.   

“Stop it, you’re ruining the mood on my birthday! Go away!”

my father said coldly, standing up. YunSeul’s face burned under the piercing stares of not only her father, but also her stepmother and Yun Ina. Her stepmother’s lips twisted as she glanced at her father, who had left the kitchen.

“Where the fuck is this bitch coming from, bitch?”

A spoon flew by, hit her in the shoulder, and fell to the floor.   

“Crazy bitch.”   

Yun Ina spat, showing her true face. She stood up and poked her finger into my shoulder, forcing me to say it again.   

“Get off my face, it’s disgusting.”  

 I run my fingertips through my hair and follow him out into the living room.   

“Dad, we’re cutting the cake!”

“Do you think so?”   

Yun Ina’s father’s voice sounded like his usual withdrawn self.   

“Forget the pregnancy. You’re such an asshole that heaven won’t give you a child.”

An asshole.   

That’s what she used to call herself. She said your mother was a murderer and an adulteress, and that you would pay for her sins.

Not long after she left the living room, the three of them laughed happily all the way to the kitchen.

…They say you get congratulated when you get pregnant, and I felt so bad for the baby that I didn’t get to celebrate. But I couldn’t cry.  In addition to my desire not to reveal my pregnancy, my mind was made up to get a divorce.   

 

* * * * * * * * * *

Yun-sul opened the window in the car on the way home. It had been hot during the day, but the breeze was quite cool.  She thought about calling her mom, but changed her mind.

The thought of her makes me burst into tears, but I’m sure hearing her voice will make me feel better.

Yunseul practiced what his father had done, not with threats, but with the knowledge that if you give, you must get.

That’s how he was able to get his mom away from his father, who wouldn’t even let her see in the first place. Now, she was in the nursing home of her choice.   

They say there’s nothing money can’t buy.

…To keep him from blackmailing her, you need power and money. Now that she had him behind her, she wasn’t blackmailing her anymore, but if she divorced him, that would be a different story.

She’d have to save up a lot of money and find a way to get away with him and the baby before the divorce.   

“Here we are.”   

The driver’s voice brought Yunseul to her senses.   

“Thank you.”   

A cool breeze rushes through her body as she steps out of the car.

You see a gate as tall and wide as a castle, and your breath catches in your throat. You’re about to enter, and as you sigh, a car pulls up behind you.   

“Thank you for today.” 

“Thanks, be careful.”   

Yunseul turned slowly, her eyes widening to tears.  It was him and his sister-in-law who got out of the car.

…You’re the reason I canceled the meeting. 

For a moment, Yunseul’s eyes filled with pain. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, and when she opened them, they were back to their usual blankness.   

He steadied his eyes on his sister-in-law staggering arm. He had met a woman.  He smiles a bitter smile, and then stops, recognizing herself.

“Ah…. sister-in-law.”  

Yunseul’s eyes were fixed seeing on the hand holding her sister-in-law’s arm.     

“I’m going to meet her, but I got some help from Seobang.”

“…Yeah.”

The older brother’s eyes were puffy.   

“Come on in.” 

“…It’s about to rain.”   

The two people who had passed through her entered the gate. I bit my lip as if they were invisible.   

“Does it hurt?”

“No, I’m fine.”   

YunSeul ankle was too weak to follow them. They stopped in the garden and Yunseul stood watching them walk side by side.

…I missed my mom. I should have called her.

Yunseul limped toward the newlyweds’ house, the corners of her mouth twisted up in a forced smile.