The Argument

I was aware, distantly, that this was a terrible idea. That I was sitting in the middle of the school's most watched table, across from the girl I'd apparently tormented for years, with two boys who clearly wanted me gone. That if this was a webtoon, this was the exact panel where the villain got put in her place.u

But I had come here for one thing. And I had lost too many minutes to bad timing already.

I looked at Soo-jin.

She hadn't moved. Her spoon was still in the air, her eyes wide and dark and wary.

I reached across the table, chopsticks open, and picked up the nearest piece. It was soft, still warm, slightly sweet. I was about to lift it towards my mouth, and a pair of steel chopsticks came down over mine.

Not hard. Not fast. Just deliberate, calm, pinning my chopsticks and the egg gently to the edge of her tray, like a small, polite barricade.

"Not so fast," said Jun-ho

Oh I knew something was coming, was i prepared for what was next?

_______

A FEW DAYS EARLIER

Ye-jin had been awake since five in the morning

Not because she wanted to be.

Her alarm had gone off twice before she finally reached for her phone and silenced it. She had planned to sleep for another hour, maybe two, but the moment she remembered everything she had to do that day, there was no going back to sleep.

---

She had everything and it felt complete.

A successful company

Money

A beautiful apartment

A car that cost more than the house she had grown up in.

What she didn't have was time.

Time for friends.

Time for vacations.

Time for relationships.

And certainly no time for love

Some called her ambitious, cold even

Ye-jin didn't care, she had everything she ever wanted to protect.

“Her sister”

She had spent too many years fighting for the life she had now to feel guilty about protecting it.

She hadn't always had money.

She hadn't even had a family.

Her parents died when she was young, leaving Ye-jin and her little sister alone in a world that seemed determined to separate them.

The orphanage had been their only option.

But Ye-jin still remembers what the woman had told her the day they arrived.

"You should prepare yourself. Children are usually separated by age."

Ye-jin had tightened her grip around her sister's tiny hand.

"No."

She had been barely old enough to understand what an orphanage was but she understood one thing perfectly.

She couldn't lose her sister, the only family she ever had left.

So she worked.

At first, it was small jobs, anything she could find.

She studied whenever she could and worked whenever she wasn't studying. As she grew older, the jobs became better.The hours became longer. The sacrifices became bigger.

And eventually, the money she desperately needed to make sure no one could take her sister away from her.

Years later, she succeeded.

She was able to legally take responsibility for her sister.

They stayed together.

That was all Ye-jin had ever wanted.

After that, she threw herself completely into work completely, one opportunity became another.

By twenty-eight, Ye-jin had become a successful CEO.

People saw the woman at the top.

They didn't see the little girl who had once been terrified of losing the only family she had left. Her sister was the reason she had worked so hard. Her sister was also the reason Ye-jin had never allowed herself to become attached to anyone.

Love was a luxury she could never afford nor had it's time.

—

There was an email she hadn't answered.

A report that needed to be submitted.

A meeting at nine.

And another one in the afternoon that she had already considered skipping until she remembered the project depended on her.

Ye-jin stared at the ceiling for a few seconds. Then she sighed.

“Just another day.”

She pushed herself out of bed. Her apartment was quiet, too quiet, she walked into the kitchen, still half asleep, and reached for the coffee machine.

Then she smelled something.

Ye-jin stopped.

Seaweed.

She smiled.

“Ji-won?”

She followed the smell toward the kitchen.

There her sister stood, her hair was tied messily at the back of her head, and one hand rested on the small but noticeable curve of her stomach.

She was stirring a pot.

Ye-jin smiled

“When did you get here?”

Her sister looked over her shoulder. “Good morning to you too.”

“You're supposed to be resting.”

“Good morning, Ye-jin.”

“I'm serious.”

“So am I.”

Ye-jin walked over and took the spoon from her.

“You're pregnant, not invincible.”

Her sister laughed. “And you're twenty-eight, not eighty.”

“I feel eighty.”

“That part I believe.”

Ye-jin rolled her eyes and tasted the soup. Her expression immediately softened.

“It's good.”

“Of course it's good.”

Her sister smiled. For a moment, they simply stood there.

It was an ordinary morning, the kind Ye-jin secretly wished she had more often.

She looked at her sister's stomach.

“How's the baby?”

“Kicking just fine.”

Ye-jin laughed. She took two bowls from the cabinet.

“Sit down. I'll serve.”

“I can serve my own soup.”

“You can sit.”

Her sister gave her a look.

“You're bossy.”

“And you're pregnant.”

“You've used that excuse three times already.”

“Because it works.”

Her sister finally sat down. Ye-jin brought the bowls to the table. She placed one in front of her sister before sitting opposite her. Then she remembered.

“Oh.”

She went into her room and pulled out a small box.

Her sister raised an eyebrow.

“What is that?”

“You were supposed to be home but here it is, A birthday present.”

“Who’s?”

“Yours, silly”

“You didn't forget, I'm surprised.”

“Why would I?”

“Maybe it’s the fact, you are always so busy.”

“You know why”

Her sister sighed, watched her for a moment. Then she said,

“I have something for you too.”

Ye-jin looked up.

“You do?”

“Maybe.”

“Where is it?”

“You'll get it later.”

“Why?”

“Because I said so.”

“You're terrible at surprises.”

“And you're terrible at waiting.”

“That's because I'm impatient.”

“I know.”

Ye-jin smiled.

She picked up her spoon.

The warmth of the soup spread through her chest.

For a few minutes, they ate quietly.

Then her sister spoke.

"Did you sleep at all last night?"

Ye-jin paused.

"Yes."

"How many hours?"

"Enough."

"That wasn't my question."

Ye-jin continued eating.

Her sister narrowed her eyes.

"Ye-jin"

"Three or four."

"Three or four hours, what?"

Don't look so surprised; I have to work.

"You always have work."

Ye-jin shrugged.

"That's how work works."

"No. That's how you work."

Ye-jin glanced at her.

Her sister sighed.

"I don't know how you do this."

"Do what?"

"Everything."

Ye-jin smiled faintly.

"Someone has to."

There it was again.

That answer.

Her sister hated it.

"You always say that."

"Because it's true."

"No, it isn't."

Ye-jin put her spoon down.

Her sister leaned back in her chair.

"You don't have to carry everything yourself."

"I know."

"Do you?"

Ye-jin didn't answer.

Her sister looked at her carefully.

"You're working because of me, aren't you?"

Ye-jin frowned.

“Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about.”

“I'm working because I have a job.”

“You've barely taken a day off since I told you I was pregnant.”

Ye-jin's expression softened.

“Because I want to help.”

“I have a husband, he works enough.”

“I know.

“Then why?”

Ye-jin looked down at the table.

Because she'd watched her sister struggle.

Because there was going to be a baby.

Because bills didn't disappear simply because people were tired.

And because somewhere along the way, Ye-jin had convinced herself that if she worked hard enough, she could keep everyone she loved safe.

She finally looked up.

“I just want to make sure you don't have to worry.”

Her sister's eyes became sad.

“Ye-jin…”

“I'm serious.”

“I know.”

“And when the baby comes, things are going to get more expensive.”

“We'll manage.”

Her sister looked toward the stack of papers sitting on the kitchen counter. Then toward the laptop beside them.

Then back at Ye-jin.

“You're acting like you're responsible for everyone's future.”

“I'm not.”

“You are.”

Ye-jin sighed.

“Can we not do this today?”

“Why?”

“Because it's your birthday.”

Her sister stared at her. Then she laughed.

“That's exactly why we're doing it today cause now you’ll have to listen to me.”

Ye-jin groaned.

“Please.”

Okay, fine but we’re having this discussion later.”

Ye-jin couldn't help laughing.

“Okay. I'm sorry.”

Her sister reached into her bag to bring out a manuscript.

“ I have something for you”

Ye-jin immediately recognized them. She sighed.

Her sister immediately caught it.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“You sighed.”

“I breathed.”

“That was a judgmental breath.”

“No, it wasn't.”

“You don't believe in me.”

“I do.”

“Then why do you always look like that whenever I talk about writing?”

“It's just that, you've been writing for a long time. Sending chapters to publishers, submitting proposals. Getting reject

Ye-jin had read several manuscript, she didn't see how this was any different from the others. She knew how much her sister cared about it. She also knew how little money it had brought in.

Her sister held up the pages.

“I started something new, it's really exciting”

Yuna looked at her.

“I want you to tell me how it feels to you.”

Ye-jin sighed. Her sister was looking at her expecting more but she couldn't let her go on.

“I don't think this is going to be any different.”

She said it. She knew it would hurt her and it broke her even more.

“What”

“You can't continue to spend years chasing something that might never happen.”

Her sister went quiet.

Ye-jin regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth.

She softened her voice.

“I don't mean your writing is bad.”

“Then what do you mean?”

“I mean…”

Ye-jin struggled to find the right words.

“I just want you to have something good.”

Her sister gave a small, humorless laugh.

"Good "

“Yes.”

“Like your life?”

Ye-jin looked at her.

Her sister gestured around the apartment.

“You work yourself sick. You sleep three hours a night. You rarely eat except when I come over with food. You haven't gone anywhere in months.”

“That's different.”

“How?”

“Because I have responsibilities.”

“And I don't?”

“That isn't what I said.”

“You don't have to say it.”

Her sister's voice cracked slightly.

“I think I should get going, I have responsibilities waiting for me home.”

Ye-jin fell silent.

“Wait”

The room suddenly felt much smaller. Her sister looked down at her manuscript.

“You're the person who knows how much this means to me.”

Her sister looked at her.

“Maybe I don't need you to protect me from failing.”

Ye-jin's chest tightened.

“Ji-won, wait”

“You can't protect everyone, Yuna.”

Ye-jin looked at her.

“I can try.”

Her sister shook her head.

“That's the problem.”

Neither of them knew those would be the last words they exchanged for a long time.

—

'Ye-jin stood there frozen; she knew she had to make amends, but it could wait. She had an important meeting to get to. She grabbed her things and left for work.

Rain began falling in the afternoon. By the time Ye-jin left work, it had become heavier. She stood beneath the building's entrance, staring at the rain.

Her phone buzzed, a notification. No message from her sister; she knew she might still be upset.

6:46 p.m.

She still had time.She put her phone away and hurried toward her car. Among my files, i saw the manuscript; opened the folder and read a few pages, just so I could tell her, gently, that I'd tried.

"It really is different from the others; she had to make it up to her."

She took a picture of the manuscript and sent her a message:

"I went through it a little. I'm sorry for earlier. It really is great. I’ll support you no matter what."

Message not delivered. No signal.

She got to her destination and picked up what she had ordered. A soft, expensive blanket for the baby, wrapped and ribboned.

She’ll love it. It's perfect for the baby.”

I closed the folder and put it beside the gift bag on the passenger seat, and set off for my sister's house.

Traffic was slow. The road was wet.

Ye-jin sighed as she watched the line of cars ahead of her. She checked the time.

She could already imagine the joy across her sister face. She turned up the volume on the radio. For the first time all day, she allowed herself to relax. She checked the time

7:54 p.m

She was going to be late.

“Not today.”

The rain tapped steadily against the windshield. Streetlights blurred across the wet road.

Then—

A pair of headlights appeared ahead

Too bright.

Too close.

Ye-jin’s smile disappeared.

A horn blared.

She slammed on the brakes.

The tires screeched against the wet road.