Chapter 120 – Episode 120. Empty Seat (2)

Sihyeon, who had been staring blankly at the empty bed, came to her senses.

I walked over to the bed and picked up the note on top.

I slowly read the contents of the note.

But she couldn’t understand the text clearly because her mind was so dizzy, her heart was pounding so loud, and her hands were shaking.

No, maybe she didn’t want to understand.

Maybe I read it wrong. Or maybe I misunderstood.

I reread it several times, but the content did not change.

[Sihyeon’s older sister, how are you?]

[I probably won’t be home by the time you read this.]

[Um… Where should I start talking?]

[When my sister left home, I was really sad.]

0[It was heartbreaking to know that we were part of a family that had been together almost our entire lives and that we had become separated from each other like this.]

[I thought it was my sister’s fault, but I still couldn’t give in.]

[Because I already love Si-eun and Su-ah as much as I love my sister.]

[I thought about what to do for a really long time.]

[I couldn’t think of a suitable way, and my anxiety was only growing]

[I thought about this and that when I saw my sister and Si-eun fighting.]

[You can’t put it off any longer. You need to reconcile before the emotional rift deepens.]

[After all, it’s because of me that the family fights, right?]

[So I thought that if I, the cause of the conflict, disappeared, we could return to the harmonious family we once had.]

[It may take a little time, and it may hurt a little, but we will definitely be able to return to the peaceful times.]

[I’ll come back when that happens.]

[Well… We became so close at that time that my empty seat may have even disappeared]

[Still, the most important thing to me is the happiness of my sister and family, who accepted and cherished me when I had nowhere else to go, so it’s okay.]

[Sister, you are doing well even without me… I love you.]

The strength went out of my hands.

The note slipped through my fingers and fell to the floor, fluttering.

Sihyeon closed her eyes tightly and bit her lip.

“… Why… Why…”

The reason why Seonwoo had to leave.

The reason was something Sihyeon also felt.

The day he fought with Si-eun, Si-hyeon realized.

It can’t go on like this.

The more we spend time apart, the further apart we become.

It has to be resolved before it can’t be undone.

“But this isn’t it…”

Sihyeon sat down on the floor and sobbed.

I felt someone coming from behind.

When I looked back, Si-eun was standing there with a bitter expression.

“… I guess he really went.”

Si-hyeon jumped up from his seat and clung to Si-eun.

“No, right? It’s a lie, right? You two made it up, and now you’re making fun of me, right?”

Si-eun didn’t say anything.

She just looked at Sihyeon for a moment and then turned her head.

Sihyeon took out her cell phone and called Seonwoo.

[… Connection is not possible, so it is connected to Sorisam.]

The connection tone didn’t even ring a few times, but I heard an announcement message.

I tried calling again, and the result was the same.

Si-hyeon threw away her cell phone and grabbed Si-eun and screamed.

“What if I leave the house? Then will everything be resolved well? Will the fight become nothing that never happened!”

He poured out his feelings to Si-eun as if he was taking out his anger on Seon-woo’s behalf.

His grip grew stronger.

There were red bruises on Si-eun’s forearms, and she shook her hair so violently that it became tangled.

Si-eun silently accepted Si-hyeon’s anger.

Sihyeon, who was pouring out intense anger, suddenly fell limp as if she had been discharged from an electric discharge.

The hand that was holding her arm came down and grabbed her hand.

“Well, then how did you say you would come back? Can I at least pretend to be friendly? Should I shake hands in reconciliation? Or hug? Or even just kiss?”

“… I don’t know either.”

Si-eun pulled away her desperately grasping hands.

Sihyeon lowered her head like a doll whose strings had been cut.

“… You shouldn’t have fought then. No, if you hadn’t fought last night…”

Sihyeon muttered to herself.

Most of my self-talk was filled with regret.

Si-eun, who couldn’t see that, fell to her knees.

She held Sihyeon’s cheek as she lowered her head and lifted it up to meet her eyes.

“… Sister, come to your senses. You have to go to work.”

Si-hyeon muttered as she looked at Si-eun with unfocused eyes.

“… Yes, I have to do it.”

“Wash up and come down. I’ll prepare breakfast in the meantime.”

Sihyeon got up from her seat and headed towards the bathroom with unsteady steps.

Si-eun, who was watching her anxious back, sighed a little and went down to the first floor.

Sihyeon went to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror.

Her eyes were red, and she looked haggard from crying since morning.

Sihyeon wiped away the tears that flowed down her cheeks.

He was so heartbroken that he couldn’t see Sunwoo.

Even when she moved away from home and became distant from Seon-woo, her heart didn’t hurt like this.

Back then, I could see it if I wanted to.

I really had to endure it and if it didn’t work out, I could have gone back.

But it was different now.

It was Seonwoo who left, not him.

It was an endless wait.

I didn’t know when I would see you again.

Since I thought I couldn’t see it, I wanted to see it more.

‘… Instead of going to work, let’s go look for it.’

If you ask the crime report, you might be able to find it in a few days.

Sihyeon thought for a moment and shook his head.

If you do that, you might be able to see it for a moment.

But what if it disappears again?

What if next time I hide even tighter and never find it again?

I felt like I was going to collapse just thinking about it.

Instead, Sihyeon decided to wait and believe in a glimmer of hope.

‘You said you would come back once we got back to those days of harmony.’

Going back to those harmonious times wasn’t that difficult.

Even though we hit and fight, it wasn’t because we truly hated each other.

Of course, I wouldn’t be able to go back to the way I was before right away, but I thought I could go back if I had a little time, as it was written in the note.

Once I made up my mind, I was able to stand a little straighter.

There wasn’t enough time to get to work.

I washed up briefly, tied up my hair, and went down to the first floor.

When we entered her kitchen, Si-eun had prepared toast and jam.

“Sister, would you like some coffee?”

“… I will do it.”

She made up her mind, but it was still awkward.

Perhaps because of that, Si-eun wasn’t as lively and foolish as she used to be.

As she was making coffee and eating it with toast, Su-ah came out of her room.

Su-ah asked a question after seeing the empty seat at her table.

“… What about Sunwoo?”

“Oppa is gone.”

“… So?”

Su-ah’s expression darkened for a moment, but she soon smiled again.

“Then did Si-eun prepare breakfast?”

“… Yes.”

“Shall we try the breakfast Si-eun prepared?”

As if trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere, Su-ah smiled and spoke in a bright voice.

It was only for a moment, and Suah’s smile gradually faded.

Before the atmosphere got any heavier, Sihyeon forced down the stubborn bread with coffee and got up.

“… I ate well.”

“I’ll do the cleaning. You go to work.”

“… Thank you.”

She felt awkward receiving consideration from Si-eun, who was always acting like a child.

Sihyeon sighed as she entered her room on the second floor.

“… It’s more awkward than I thought.”

The reason for the awkwardness was partly because it was the first time I had seen Si-eun’s dignified appearance, but it was also largely because she had been away from home for a long time.

‘… You might blame me.’

Seon-woo disappeared to reconcile his sisters, and the cause of the fight was mostly due to things Si-hyeon had done.

However, rather than showing signs of resentment, Si-eun actually took care of Si-hyeon.

Not at all indifferent, not too interested

She calmly stayed by her side and listened to her complaints, and that alone was a great help.

It looked like he was going to collapse and cry at any moment, but Sihyeon lightly slapped both cheeks and came to his senses.

“Si-eun must be having a hard time… Instead of giving her consideration as her older sister, she only receives it. She is disqualified from being an older sister.”

Sihyeon checked her appearance in the mirror.

The corners of her mouth lifted, and she smiled.

The smile I forced was awkward.

Still, she looked better than before.

**

As time passed, Sihyeon gradually narrowed the distance between herself and her husband.

I can now smile naturally, even though it was awkward at first.

Si-eun seemed to be feeling more comfortable, but she became more and more foolish.

“Sister, is this drama fun?”

“Uh, it’s an important part, so be quiet.”

“Hmm…”

Si-eun lay down on her Si-hyeon’s thighs.

He also played with her thighs and played with Sihyeon’s long hair.

“Stop it. Her hair is tangled.”

“Then stop watching dramas and play with me.”

“You can watch it together too.”

“Hmm… This is a bit… Too cringe-inducing.”

“That’s a good thing…”

The family returned to its former harmonious state.

Even if it is only in form.

It had a shape, but it seemed empty inside.

Even as time passed, my stomach was not filled.

It looked like a castle made of sand that seemed ready to collapse at any moment.

Talking about Sunwoo has become an implicit taboo among the family.

I was afraid that if I talked about Seon-woo, I might end up fighting with Si-eun again,

More than that, she didn’t want to be conscious of the empty seat.

Once she started to become aware of it, it seemed like even the form she had maintained would collapse.

Everyone is trying, but how long can they last?

Although Su-ah pretended that nothing had happened, she would sometimes look at the empty space at her table and get lost in her thoughts.

Si-eun went in and out of Seon-woo’s room at night.

Late at night, you could hear small sobs coming from Sihyeon’s room.

Sihyeon said she regretted what she had said in the past.

I wonder if the three of you are doing well without me.

… It wasn’t like that at all.

It wasn’t necessarily because Sunwoo disappeared.

Even if Si-eun and Su-ah were gone, Si-hyeon would have felt the same emptiness.

Even today, the family maintained an empty harmony.

The three sat on the sofa together and watched TV.

In the past, we did things separately, but now we spend time together until we each go to bed.

Si-eun said while watching TV.

“Seeing that reminds me of the old days. Do you remember that time? My older sister and older brother got lost… Ah.”

When the story about Sunwoo accidentally came out, everyone froze as if time had stopped.

Su-ah quickly changed the topic.

“Well, Si-eun, didn’t you ask me to go somewhere with you the other day? Where are you planning to go?”

“Oh, I originally went with my brother when I went out at night…”

There was silence once again.

This time, Su-ah couldn’t say anything either.

Before the atmosphere got any more awkward, Sihyeon stood up.

“I’m a little tired today. Mom, I’ll go to sleep first.”

“Huh? Uh… Okay, sleep well.”

“I’ll go up with you too! Sleep well, mom too~”

The three dispersed to their respective rooms.

I laid down in bed, but it was still too early to fall asleep.

Sihyeon was lost in thought.

Is Sunwoo doing well?

Don’t you miss us?

… When will I return?

When I thought about that, anxiety began to creep in.

… Maybe it won’t come back like this?

Sihyeon shook his head.

Because I promised to come back. I will definitely come back.

Sihyeon calmed her anxious mind and forced her eyes to close.

**

Maybe it was because of what happened yesterday, but I had a bad dream.

It was a dream in which Seon-woo left with a woman who seemed to be Chae-young.

Sihyeon shook off the sleep as quickly as possible and washed her face with cold water.

After washing briefly, she went down to the first floor to prepare breakfast.

When she came home not long ago, Si-eun took charge of preparing breakfast, but as time passed, Si-hyeon naturally started preparing breakfast.

“Haam… Her older sister comes back~”

After breakfast, after saying hello to Si-eun, who had become close enough to see her off, Si-hyeon went to work.

After working so hard all morning, it was already lunchtime.

Sihyeon went out to eat lunch and met an unpleasant person.

“… I had that dream for no reason.”

“Sihyeon~ Hello?”

Sihyeon hardened her expression and glared at her, but Chaeyoung didn’t care.

“I don’t think we are close enough to pretend to know each other.”

“What’s wrong between us? Are we on our way to lunch? I didn’t even have lunch.”

“Yes. Then enjoy your meal. I will go on my way.”

Sihyeon passed by Chaeyoung.

“How are you and Sunwoo?”

“…”

Sihyeon flinched and stopped walking.

Do you know that Sunwoo has left the house now?

… No, that can’t be true.

He paused for a moment, but soon started again.

“Oh, that’s right. You’re out of the house now, right?”

“How do you do that…”

This time I couldn’t hold back and looked back.

Chaeyoung was smiling as if she was teasing Sihyeon.

“Seonwoo said where he was staying…”

“Do you know where it is?!”

Sihyeon rushed at Chaeyoung.

“Do you feel like talking to me now?”

Sihyeon nodded her head as if fascinated.