Chapter 3 Side Story
“Who is it?”
Thinking it might be a call from a business partner, Sua hurriedly reached out and grabbed her phone. However, the name displayed on the screen was unexpected.
Sua took a sharp breath.
The caller was none other than Sua’s older brother, Ji-heon.
“Why did he call?”
It had been quite a while since she had been in contact with him. They hadn’t completely cut off ties, but they only met occasionally at their mother’s house. Apart from family events, they hadn’t interacted much in the past few months.
Ji-heon had changed a lot recently. His once erratic personality had softened a lot, but there had been no change in their relationship as siblings. It still felt awkward, and she was afraid of him.
Sua stared at her phone, trying to figure out why Ji-heon had called. While he hadn’t made any awkward requests or begged her violently like he used to, she still couldn’t relax. People don’t change so easily.
What should she do?
―RRRRR
In the empty office during lunchtime, Sua’s phone rang loudly.
“Ugh.”
She let out a sigh. She had to answer it eventually. Family is something you can’t avoid forever, and she really didn’t want to contact her husband, Hyun-oh, about Ji-heon.
She reached out and picked up the phone.
“Hello?”
―Hello. Sua? Can you talk right now?
Why did you answer the phone so late? Contrary to her expectations, Ji-heon asked gently. She was surprised and remained silent for a moment, then spoke slowly.
“Yeah, oppa. What’s up?”
His unexpected kindness made Sua tense up.
―No, it’s nothing. I was wondering if you could talk. I had some work near your company today, so I thought I’d have a meal with my sister. Oh. Have you had lunch? Have you eaten already?
“No, not yet. I was just about to eat.”
―Good. I’ll buy you something delicious.
Sua blinked at his unexpected words. It was surprising enough that Ji-heon suddenly appeared and suggested having a meal together, but his tone was different from before.
As she hesitated, Ji-heon spoke again from the other end of the phone, trying to coax her.
―Come on, okay? If you’re not too busy.
Unable to ignore his consideration for her situation, Sua finally nodded unconsciously.
“Where… should I go?”
* * *
A Hanjeongsik restaurant near the office.
At Ji-heon’s suggestion to come there because he had hastily booked a small room, Sua headed there with only her phone and wallet. When they entered the reserved room, Ji-heon had not yet arrived.
“Why did my brother suddenly call?”
She suddenly remembered Ji-heon’s voice, which had been gentle when he spoke to her earlier.
He hadn’t been so affectionate when he asked for money in the past. Ji-heon had recently closed his company. It had failed due to poor business, and he had paid off his remaining debts by selling his own apartment. Now he was working at a friend’s company, which Sua knew about.
So he shouldn’t urgently need money. Could he still have remaining debts?
As Sua, feeling anxious, glanced around, she saw a strange car entering the parking lot. Soon, the car stopped, and a familiar figure got out.
It was her brother, Ji-heon.
“…He changed his car.”
Since getting his driver’s license at twenty, Ji-heon had always driven foreign cars. In college, it was the top-of-the-line Italian sports car, and after joining the company, it was a German sedan. He was someone for whom appearances mattered more than anyone else. But the car he got out of now was a domestic mid-sized sedan. At first, Sua thought it might belong to someone else, but Ji-heon got out of the driver’s seat. Had he sold his old car?
Not long after, the door to the room opened with a click, and Ji-heon entered.
“Oh, Sua’s here. Have you been waiting long?”
“No, I just got here.”
Ji-heon thankfully took a seat. Soon, a restaurant staff member followed. They ordered the restaurant’s signature menu and sat facing each other.
Sua felt her lips dry and swallowed hard. Whenever she met her brother, she couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable, not knowing what would happen. But unlike Sua, Ji-heon had a soft smile on his face. It was much more relaxed than the last time they had met during their mother’s birthday.
“How have you been?”
“Good. What about you, oppa?”
“I’ve been good too. Are things going well at the publishing company?”
“Yeah.”
The recent conversation between them had been back and forth without any real substance. It wouldn’t make sense for him to suggest meeting up just to have such superficial conversation.
When the meal arrived, and even after Sua had taken a few spoonfuls of rice, Ji-heon remained silent. Sua, feeling increasingly frustrated not knowing what was going on, finally spoke up.
“Oppa, why did you want to meet up today?”
“Hmm?”
“You suddenly wanted to meet, so I thought you had something to say.”
At her words, Ji-heon raised an eyebrow.
“Hey, can’t an older brother want to meet his younger sister?”
“It’s not that.”
But her brother never does that.
We’re not just ordinary siblings.
Seeing Sua whispering with her lips puckered, Ji-heon chuckled lightly.
“Okay, I get it. Considering what I did to you last time we met, it’s natural for you to think that way. I didn’t call you for any specific reason. It’s not about asking for money, especially.”
“So…?”
“I wanted to thank you.”
“Thank me?”
Sua tilted her head at the unexpected words. What could her brother possibly want to thank her for? She had indirectly refused his request for money, and she hadn’t done anything to help Ji-heon otherwise.
In the first place, the idea of Ji-heon, the master of the world, saying thank you to her didn’t seem right.
“For what our couple… did.”
“What… did our couple… do?”
As Sua narrowed her eyes, Ji-heon observed her change in complexion. As if to ask if she really didn’t understand. Seeing that Sua had no idea what he was talking about, Ji-heon continued.
“Hyun-oh helped me when I was closing my company.”
“Ah.”
Sua sighed at his words.
After learning that Ji-heon’s company was struggling and that he had been constantly begging for money from Sua and all their relatives and friends, Hyun-oh had told her not to worry about Ji-heon anymore if he wasn’t causing trouble to others. Fortunately, after that, Ji-heon hadn’t contacted her, and not long after, he closed his company. But now she knew that Hyun-oh had helped him.
“Hyun-oh helped you.”
“There were some problems when I was closing the company, and Hyun-oh found out and helped me first.”
And then Ji-heon began to talk about what happened at that time.
Ji-heon’s company was on the verge of bankruptcy, struggling to continue, and the debts were piling up. It was so difficult that he had to beg for money from Sua and all their relatives and friends.
Then one day, Hyun-oh appeared and offered to help. And his offer came with two conditions.
First, Ji-heon would close his company since it didn’t suit him and find a job. If he wanted, Hyun-oh would help him find a job.
Second, Ji-heon wouldn’t ask Sua for help anymore. If he needed anything, he would come to Hyun-oh first.
Around that time, Ji-heon also realized that it was difficult for him to maintain his business. The debts were only increasing. So he accepted Hyun-oh’s proposal, and thanks to that, he was able to close his company without causing harm to others.
“I managed to resolve everything thanks to Hyun-oh. If it weren’t for him, I’d probably still be struggling to keep the company afloat.”
There was a deep regret in Ji-heon’s voice as he spoke. Seeing him like that, Sua mumbled unconsciously.
“You’re not like yourself.”
Even if Hyun-oh helped, it seemed natural for family to help each other, or Ji-heon might even get angry, saying, “Who are you to meddle in my business?” Instead, he was thanking her now, which was unfamiliar.
At Sua’s words, Ji-heon asked in return.
“What does it mean to be myself?”
“You’re… more…”
It’s not right to say selfish.
But she couldn’t say that, so Sua cautiously changed her words.
“You’re rough.”
At her words, Ji-heon chuckled again.
“…Yeah, that’s true. I’m sorry.”
“…”
“Before, it was hard to control my anger, and honestly, just looking at your face made me irrationally angry, even though I knew you hadn’t done anything wrong.”
Seeing him speak so frankly and honestly, Sua blinked.
Even if the world turned upside down, it wouldn’t be as surprising as Ji-heon saying those words. How could her brother say something like that? As Sua stared at him, trying to hold her breath, Ji-heon smiled softly.
“I’m sorry for everything I’ve done.”
“…”
“And there’s something else.”
Something else?
What else could he have to say? Ji-heon took out a piece of paper from his wallet and handed it to Sua. When she saw it, her eyes widened.
