Her Half

“I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.” 
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Seo Hyun instantly embraced Rai-Hee to her arms, kisses were thrown to the little angel’s cheek—an action that most mothers would give to stop their children’s tears from falling—for some reasons, seeing those actions had warmed Eun Ji’s heart. Rai-Hee had been much calmer since she came in but wet tracks were left on her face. With the motherly attitude, Seo Hyun asked, “What’s the matter? Did something happen?”

“Hmm… Uh…” Rai-Hee was lost of words.

The micro expressions of cute chubby niece of hers amused Eun Ji the most, but in this situation, had her whole one person throwing with tantrums to the void. She immediately stood up, “Who dares to scare my lovely niece? Shall I-mu go out and give him a lesson?” Her used the cushion and moved it forward and backward as if it was a sword. Could it be him? There was no reason, he would do that…

“Roarrr!” A big sound of roar came out from behind the walls triggered a loud cry from Rai-Hee which heat up the whole frightening situation. As a shadow entered the room, without having second thoughts, Eun Ji spontaneously threw the cushion to its face. In astonishment, she realized that it was her brother.

The thought in her head was right—she knew it all along that it was her brother’s prank but she couldn’t help to throw. It was either her body moved faster than her head or she wanted to see his mouth agape and glaring with “how dare you hit me?” eyes and made that special—sissy turn of his. The laugh came from her like a newly sprung leak which annoyed Yong Hwa and had he stood akimbo staring at her.

He caressed his face as if she really hit him hard, and complained, “Jung Eun Ji, having Jung as your surname, how could you do this to your own brother? You’re hopeless.”

“It wasn’t my fault to blame. It is your pranks that going too far.”

“Even so, can’t you be gentler? If you continue act like this, how long will I have to wait to receive your wedding invitation? How can I explain to our parents later on?”

A cold snort was heard from Yong Hwa.

Eun Ji felt her ears were getting hot. “Can’t you STOP JOKING AROUND about my wedding? It’s not like I will soon have one.”

“Believe me, you won’t find one.”

He’s looking for fight, isn’t he? His words added fuel to her boiling ablaze temper. Their eyes glaring with hatred to each other, Eun Ji knew that there was no turning back. He was declaring war. It was JUNG’S CIVIL WAR!

“Enough, you two!”

Seo Hyun’s voice made a jump between the brother-sister glib repartees.

With that one look made Yong Hwa kept his intention to have another fight with Eun Ji.

Eun Ji was strike into silence. She was reflecting on her own actions.

The whole chaos became an extreme bumbling situation. Eun Ji could hear the crows in her head cawing all around. We are doomed.

Seo Hyun fondled Rai-Hee, afraid that the little girl would once again burst in tears. Yong Hwa’s face fell as she locked her eyes on him. Her voice rose on the sacred silence, “You all are grown-ups, how can you still acted like children?” Eun Ji sneered, but then Seo Hyun’s eyes were on her, too, “Both of you.”

She then giving those hateful disdain eyes on her husband, “Yong Hwa-ssi, how can you still play pranks to your own child, you see, Rai-Hee is now all afraid.”

Yong Hwa had that ‘forgive me’ all around him, he hoped for forgiveness. He knew that he was being childish and playing pranks were only his way to become a father to Rai-Hee. His silence was the begging of reconciliation with Seo Hyun. “I am at fault, forgive me.”

“Promise you won’t repeat it?”

He nodded his head, showing those three fingers his, indicated that he was vowing.

Seo Hyun smiled, the sweet genuinely smile was shown to him.

It wasn’t the first time for Eun Ji to see such situation—they always fight and probably be over within one hour or more but in front of Seo Hyun, he’d never be the brother she knew her lifetime—there was a saying: in front of the woman he loves, she is the dominant and he is the submissive. She sometimes got jealous of them, the whole lovey-dovey situation, it may sounded cheesy but she actually like the feeling of make fights and reconciling, they say the more you fight, the more you love.

“Ah! I almost forgot!” Eun Ji was taken by surprise to her own retention. Her hands swiftly took the bag that stuffed with the things that she would need the most: cellphone, wallet and her favorite manila-colored pocket camera and the most important thing, the book.

“See you guys later, I’ll come back late!”

On her way out, she heard the echo from Seo Hyun saying something like “be careful and take care”.