Chapter 119 – Episode 119. Empty Seat (1)

“Hey. What should I do if my handsome face gets hurt…”

Si-eun applied medicine to her wound with her crying face.

“Why are you caught in the middle…”

“You can’t just watch them fight.”

“Yes, but…”

With careful gestures, Si-eun applied her medicine and applied her bandage.

After first aid was completed, she faced Si-eun.

Si-eun could hardly meet her gaze.

“Do you remember what you promised before going to see it?”

“… Yes.”

Before going to see Si-eun and her vision, she made a promise.

“You promised to just talk calmly. But why did you do that?”

Si-eun answered in a small voice.

“… Your sister looks like nothing’s wrong…! If she did something like that, she would kneel down and beg for it, but she’s acting like nothing happened…”

She seemed fine.

To me, rather than feeling fine, it seemed like I was so exhausted that my emotions had died.

Si-eun also looks sullen, as if she admits her mistake.
It may have been her fault for not keeping her promise, but it seemed like the bigger impact was her fighting with her sister for the first time in her life.

If it had been in the past, she wouldn’t have fought so hard.

The longer she spent time apart, the more she interpreted her partner’s actions in a negative light, and her emotional rift seemed to deepen.

She felt more pressure to resolve it before it got worse.

So what should we do?

The solution was already on her mind when she got into her taxi.

To solve a problem, the quickest way is to eliminate the cause.

If I, the cause of Si-eun and Si-hyeon’s fight, disappear, it may take some time, but their relationship will go back to how it was before.

If two sisters get along well, that will definitely happen.

What bothered me was whether I could say this now.

… If you start putting it off for various reasons, there is no end to it.

We had to act before it was too late.

I made up my mind and decided to tell my plan to Su-ah and Si-eun this evening.

In the evening, Su-a’s sister came home from work.

I greeted Su-ah at the entrance with a hug.

“Thank you for your hard work today.”

“Thank you. By the way, are you hurt?”

“Oh, I got a little scratched.”

“Is it okay?”

“It’s really okay. I didn’t even need to put a bandage on, but Si-eun was having a hard time, so I put one on.”

“If that’s the case, I’m glad…”

I brought the prepared dinner for the table and started eating.

Si-eun talked lively, and Su-ah listened.

I quietly waited for the right moment to speak.

As dinner was coming to an end, I spoke up.

“… I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?”

My mouth did not drop.

I made up my mind once again.

I talked about the plan I had in mind.

The plan itself was simple.

Bringing Sihyeon back home.

Of course, if Si-hyeon suddenly came home, it was obvious that he and Si-eun would fight.

So I’m leaving the house.

I thought that if I, the cause of their fight, were gone, even if we had a light fight, we wouldn’t fight like we did yesterday.

As soon as we spoke, Si-eun objected.

“Why do we have to go to such lengths!”

“I’ve been away from Sihyeon for too long. Because of that, we’re still falling out. If we see each other often and talk, things will definitely get better. We’re family.”

Si-eun did not back down her opposition.

“Oppa, how long has it been since you came home, and you’re planning to go out again?”

“… But we have to fix it before it’s too late.”

“Oh no!”

Si-eun got excited and got up from her seat.

“It was my sister who made my brother leave home…!”

“Stop it.”

She glared at Si-eun, who was trying to confess in her excitement, with her cold eyes.
Si-eun bit her lip and sat down again.

“… Sister, I’m sorry for being unruly.”

Su-ah apologized to her older sister after Si-eun became quiet.

“Sunwoo… Do you think that’s the best?”

“I think the first thing is to restore the estranged family relationship.”

Sister Su-ah was quietly lost in her thoughts.

“… If that’s what you think, I won’t object.”

“Mom!”

Si-eun, who had been quietly watching, protested again.

Now that Su-a’s sister had given permission, it was her turn to persuade Si-eun.

“Let’s go to your room separately and talk.”

I cleaned up after myself, and Si-eun went up to the second floor first and waited for me.

“I’m going in.”

As I entered her room, I saw Si-eun with her arms crossed, and her head turned.
Even though he knew I had come in, he was deliberately looking somewhere else.

She showed her determination not to bend her opinion.
I sat down on the bed and started talking freely.

“We went to see Sihyeon today, and we had a fight.”

Si-eun’s shoulders twitched and moved.

“It was so heartbreaking to see the two of them fighting.”

“… Why is my brother sad?”

“You’ve never had a fight between sisters in your life. But you think I’m the cause of that fight…”

“Why is it your fault?”

Si-eun shouted excitedly.

“… I hurt Sihyeon too much because of my greed.”

“Then it’s not just your fault! I… Furthermore, I’m an accomplice too!”

“Accomplice… That’s right.”

I smiled

“So, when Sihyeon comes, I’ll take good care of her.”

“What?”

“If you are shocked by this again, you will have a really hard time. I hope you will comfort Si-eun at that time.”

“… I’m not confident about that.”

“Please do me a favor. You’re an accomplice, right? We promised to live happily together someday.”

Si-eun frowned.
Si-eun, who hesitated for a long time, spoke in a low voice.

“… I saw what you were doing.”

“Thank you.”

“Thank you. Chi, it’s annoying!”

I hugged Si-eun, who was irritated.

Si-eun, who was struggling inside and expressing dissatisfaction, soon became quiet.

“… If you and your relationship get better, you’ll come back, right?”

“Well, that’s what the contract is for.”

“If this goes well, I won’t fail again.” Promise!”

“Okay, I promise.”

I made a promise to Si-eun and her, her ring finger her, her.

Yes, that’s right now.

If it weren’t for me, the cause, the two sisters would get along again like before.

I just have a temporary emotional breakdown.

… I hoped that Si-eun and Si-hyeon would get along well, even if it meant resentment toward me.

That was my gratitude to the sisters who treated me like real family.

“Then shall we all sleep together today?

“… Of course.”

… It was obvious, right?

After patting Si-eun for a while, we went down to Su-a’s room.

“Is the story over?”

“Yes, it ended well.”

“… I see.”

Sister Su-ah somehow looked a little bitter.

“It’s a little early, but shall we sleep then?”

We lay down on the bed in the name Naecheon (川).

Si-eun hugged my arm, and Su-a clasped her hand.

I fell asleep holding her hand her a little tighter.

**

“… Ha.”

Sihyeon jumped out of bed.

It wasn’t that dry, but it felt like it was getting drier every day.

I sat down on the bed, held her head, and was lost in thought.

“… I didn’t mean to go that far…”

I couldn’t forget the fight I had with Si-eun yesterday.

The words I said to hurt Si-eun also hurt Si-hyeon.

Sihyeon nervously messed up her hair and stood up.

“But, since Si-eun keeps saying that…”

Since she touched a painful spot, I couldn’t help but reflexively say that.

So, Sihyeon rationalized herself and got ready for work.

Si-hyeon went to work and was absorbed in his work.

When I was working, I didn’t think about anything, so I felt at ease.

Like a workaholic, I used to find things I didn’t have to do and do them.

The more it happened, the more people around looked at Sihyeon with worried eyes.

The sight of Si-hyeon was like watching a person running with all his might without thinking back.

“Let’s eat lunch soon~”

“Yes~”

When it was lunchtime, employees in groups of three or five went out of the office to eat.

Instead of going out, Sihyeon took out the sandwich he had bought in advance.

If I didn’t work, I would only think about other things, so I tried to finish my meal as quickly as possible and then go back to work.

Sihyeon, who quickly finished eating and was about to go back to work, received a text message.

[Sister, can we talk?]

… What is going on today?

Sihyeon didn’t want to meet Seonwoo.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see it.
I didn’t want to meet her because I felt like she only showed her ugly side every time I met her.
But as always, she couldn’t refuse because she wanted to see Seon-woo more.

[Meet me at the café I saw you last time.]

After sending her reply, Sihyeon quickly went to the bathroom to check on her condition.

She was haggard because she didn’t sleep well, but she was still beautiful.

Sihyeon put on makeup to cover up her slightly haggard appearance and went outside.

There were quite a few people in the café, but she was able to find Sunwoo at a glance.

Sihyeon was confident that she would find Seonwoo right away even if he was buried in the crowd.

Finally, he checked his appearance one more time and headed to where Sunwoo was.

“… What’s going on today?”

As soon as he sat down, Sihyeon spoke bluntly.

‘Oh, this isn’t it…’

Perhaps because of her lack of sleep and stress, her blunt words came out on their own.

‘If this is going to happen, I shouldn’t have come out…’

Sihyeon already regretted coming out.

Sunwoo didn’t care and said what he had to say.

“Sister, are you feeling sorry for me?”

Sihyeon bit her lip tightly.

“… I regret it.”

… Oh really, why are you doing this?

How sad I felt after Sunwoo left the café that day.

He was so despairing that he might not be able to see him again for the rest of his life.
But those were the only words that came out of my mouth.

Sihyeon began to seriously consider whether she should get up from her seat and go back now.

“Then I’ll forget everything you did to me. Will you do me a favor?”

“… What is it?”

Sihyeon took the bait.

If you can avoid being hated, what can you not do?

Pretending not to be interested, Si-hyeon waited for Seon-woo to speak.

The words that came out of Sunwoo’s mouth were unexpected.

“Please come back home.”

Sihyeon thought for a moment and shook his head.

“… No. Even if I go, I’ll just end up fighting with Si-eun.”

Although she didn’t want to show Seon-woo fighting with Si-eun, the thought of fighting with her beloved younger brother was difficult for Si-hyeon.
However, if I return home in this state, I will clash with Si-eun at every turn.

In that case, he thought it would be better to keep his distance like now.

“Sieun also regrets and feels sorry for the fight she had yesterday. She said she shouldn’t have done that.”

“…”

“How are you?”

“… I regret it too. I shouldn’t have said that, but when Si-eun heard it, she got angry…”

“So you’re coming back home?”

“… But that’s not okay. We’ll fight again when we get home…”

Just seeing the two of them together made me feel jealous.

“No, it’ll be okay, so please come home. Last time I went home, I barely even unpacked, so I’ll assume you’ll come right away tomorrow?”

Seon-woo pushed ahead without hesitation and left.

What kind of confidence is this?

Are you thinking of arbitrating in the middle?

If anything, I think we’ll fight even more…

Sihyeon sighed.

‘… If it doesn’t work out, you can come back out, so why not go back for a while.’

I had no attachment to the independent house anyway.

Like I said before, I didn’t even unpack,

Above all, the most important thing was that without Seon-woo, the house had no meaning.

**

Late in the evening, Sihyeon was on her way home from work.

The reason Sihyeon came home from work much later than usual was because he was scared of going home.

I worked overtime as much as possible and delayed leaving work, but even that had its limits.

Si-hyeon left the company after completing the lock-down and headed home for the first time in a while.

Sihyeon arrived home and stopped holding the front door.

“Whoa…”

I took a deep breath and opened the door.

“… I’ve been there.”

With an awkward greeting, I headed to the living room.

The family was sitting huddled on the sofa, probably having already finished dinner.

“Has the vision come?”

Su-ah smiled brightly and welcomed me.

“Is your sister here?”

Seonwoo also welcomed Sihyeon.

“… Are you here?”

Si-eun felt a little awkward, but welcomed her.

Sihyeon felt a tickling sensation inside her dry chest.

“Did you eat dinner?”

“Yes, I ate.”

“Now that I think about it, what about the luggage?”

“I just left it there.”

I don’t think I’ll be here for long. I swallowed the words.

The spot on the sofa where she always sat was empty, but she was reluctant to sit there.

Sihyeon left before the atmosphere became awkward.

“I’m tired, so I’ll go up.”

“Ah, are you tired from working late? Get some rest.”

Sihyeon went up to the second floor and entered his room.

The room looked the same as if time had stopped since the day I left.

Sihyeon sighed.

“Haa…”

It was a strange feeling, both comfortable and uncomfortable.

How did it end up like this?

It felt like I had become an outsider rather than a family member.

Sihyeon fell on the bed without even taking off her clothes.

‘Is it my greed to monopolize Sunwoo?’

I had that thought for a moment, but I soon shook it off.

‘No, I am normal and that person is abnormal.’

He thought that the abnormal relationship had to be corrected.

But the resolve was not as strong as it used to be.

Sihyeon, who had been lying in bed lost in thought, got up from his bed.

He changed into the comfortable clothes he had left at home and went out.

When I opened the door and came out, Si-eun and Seon-woo were arguing.

“Oh, why don’t we sleep together… Huh?”

“… Sihyeon’s sister came today.”

The two were holding pillows and pulling each other.

To be precise, Seon-woo was holding it, and Si-eun was pulling it.

“… What are you doing?”

When Sihyeon spoke, the two stopped arguing and looked at Sihyeon.

“… Are you going to sleep with Si-eun now?”

Sihyeon asked a question based on the conversation she had just heard.

Seon-woo smiled bitterly, and Si-eun answered confidently.

“No, we sleep together with mom.”

After hearing the answer, an image of three families getting along well without Sihyeon appeared in her mind.

It felt like she had no place.

“Ha, you were doing just fine without me. I’m a distraction, so wouldn’t it have been better if I disappeared altogether?”

Her mouth moved freely and poured out negative words.

… I didn’t mean to do this.

As soon as she said it, she regretted it, but she couldn’t take back what she had spilled.

Sihyeon bit her lip tightly.

“… Why do you talk like that?”

Si-eun opened her eyes and glared at Si-hyeon.

“Sister!”

Si-eun threw away her pillow and walked towards her Si-hyeon.

Seon-woo grabbed Si-eun’s arm.

Si-eun looked back at Seon-woo, and Seon-woo shook her head.

“Let’s sleep separately today.”

“But… Hehe…”

Si-eun looked at her Seon-woo with her pitiful eyes.

Seon-woo did not waver, and Si-eun, feeling downcast, went into her own room.

Only Seon-woo and Si-hyeon remained in the hallway.

… She ended up hurting me like this again.

Sihyeon felt like sighing at her own patheticness.

“… This is why I said I didn’t want to come.”

“It’s okay. … It’ll be okay starting tomorrow.”

Seon-woo came and hugged Si-hyeon.

It’s just a hug.

The negative emotions that had been solidified in my heart melted little by little.

… Actually, I don’t want to hate anyone.

Seon-woo, Si-eun, and Mom all like it…

I really like each of them, but why do they end up like this when combined?

… Was it really just my greed to monopolize?

Si-hyeon carefully lifted her arms and hugged Seon-woo.

“Sister, you must be tired from working overtime. Shall we go to sleep now?”

Sunwoo broke the hug and walked away.

“… Ah.”

A regretful sigh escaped my mouth.

If I had the same heart, I wanted to hold her all day long.

But there were too many things committed for that to happen.

Even though Sunwoo said he would forget everything, he was still hesitant to approach first.

‘Because there is tomorrow too…’ .’

Sihyeon held back his regret.

“You to sleep well.”

“Yes, sleep well, sister.”

Sihyeon went into the bathroom, washed, and then returned to the room.

“… I shouldn’t say anything like that tomorrow.”

Sihyeon fell asleep with her body curled up as if to protect the warmth left in her chest.

For the first time in a long time, I was able to sleep soundly.

The next day, Sihyeon carefully opened the door and came out.

The place Si-hyeon headed to was Seon-woo’s room.

‘Because it’s a little bit good…’

I wanted to feel the warmth of yesterday again.

Then, I felt like I would have strength today and be able to tolerate some of the bad words.

She quietly opened the door and entered Sunwoo’s room.

There was no one on the bed where Sunwoo should have been.

There was only one piece of paper left lying there.