Author’s POV

SooJi sat down on the swing beside SooJin. Deciding to break the awkward silence, SooJi asked, “So, why did you ask to meet?”

SooJin cleared . “About the marriage…” she began. SooJi stiffened. SooJin noticed this and continued, “Do you really want it?”

Her sister didn’t speak for a while. “Unnie, are you sure you want this marriage?” she asked again.

“I… I don’t,” SooJi answered finally.

“Then why did you accept it?” SooJin asked angrily.

“I had no choice,” SooJi replied, without emotion. “I had to accept it.”

SooJin glared at her older sister. “When do you ever not have a choice? Umma and appa always let you do your own thing.”

“Look, I don’t have the energy to argue with you, okay?” SooJi burst out. “This conversation is going nowhere. I’m going home.” SooJi didn’t feel like answering SooJin’s questions, especially not about the marriage.

She got up and started heading home. SooJin watched her unnie go for a few seconds before realizing that she wasn’t going to let her unnie walk away. “Unnie!” she called.

SooJi acted like she didn’t hear her and instead walked faster. SooJin started to run and caught up with SooJi before she left the park. SooJin grabbed her unnie’s arm and said, “You met up with me to talk and we’re going to talk, okay?”

SooJi slowed down a bit while SooJin tried to catch her breath. “Don’t just run off like that. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m wearing heels while you’re wearing tennis shoes. That’s rather unfair, unnie.”

SooJi cracked a small smile. “Arasso. Let’s go sit down on a park bench or something.”

The siblings went to sit down and SooJin started to massage her sore legs. “Okay, back to the topic. Why’d you accept that arranged marriage?”

SooJi stayed silent for a few seconds before answering, “Appa had a heart attack because of me.” SooJin’s eyes widened. SooJi looked at her dongsaeng’s face and continued, “On the day, appa had a heart attack, no, just a couple of minutes before that, we were arguing about how I didn’t want to marry this guy, WooHyun.”

“I’m not trying to make excuses for myself. It was because of me answering back at him that he had a heart attack. I refused to accept that arranged marriage,” SooJi said sadly.

“So, why did you tell the adults that you’ll marry him?” SooJin asked, not understanding her unnie’s actions.

“I felt guilty about what I had done to appa,” SooJi confessed. “It just felt like the right thing to do.”

“How is it the right thing if you’re not happy about it?” SooJin wondered.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” SooJi said. “I don’t even know what to do now.”

“Unnie, do you think you can be happy with that guy?” SooJin suddenly asked.

“Wait, why are you being so inquisitive, all of a sudden?” SooJi asked. “Just a few days ago, you wouldn’t talk to me, at all. You wouldn’t even look at me.”

SooJin looked sheepish and said, “I just thought that maybe it was time for me to warm up to you. I realized how much you were sacrificing to atone for your mistakes. I realized how much you’ve been trying to be a good unnie but I just kept on distancing myself away from you.”

SooJi suddenly placed her hands on her sister’s forehead. “Are you okay? What happened to the ice princess SooJin? Are you sick or something?”

SooJin scowled and pushed her unnie’s hands away. “Yah! I’m trying to be honest here and you’re ruining the mood!”

“I was just checking,” SooJi said. “What if an alien took over your body and is making you say all those things?!” She shuddered.

“Hmph. Anyway, I just realized that maybe it’s time for me to be a good dongsaeng since you’re suffering so much,” SooJin confessed.

“Oh…” SooJi said, finally understanding her sister’s changed attitude. She softened and said, “Thank you. At least, I know now that you don’t hate me.” They both laughed.

“SooJin-ah, we should head home, it’s getting dark.” SooJi said, pulling her sister to her feet.

As the sisters walked home, SooJin decided to ask her unnie again, “Unnie, do you think that maybe, someday, you’ll be happy with that WooHyun person and not regret marrying him?”

“I don’t know, SooJin-ah,” SooJi whispered sadly. “I really don’t know.”

After a few moments of silence, SooJin spoke up. “If you really don’t want to marry him, I’ll marry him in your place.”

“What?!” SooJi yelped. “No way, young lady! You’re only 16! That guy is 20! Why would you want to be in an arranged marriage I’m trying so hard to get out of?”

“I just figured that maybe, that could be my way of atoning for my mistakes,” SooJin said, thoughtfully. “Maybe they would let you off if I take your place.”

“No way! I’m not letting you!” SooJi said firmly. “I’m the one marrying this guy. I brought this upon myself. You shouldn’t suffer.”

SooJin looked at her sister and said, “Unnie, gomawo. Thanks for being such a good unnie when I was such a horrible dongsaeng to you.” She placed her arms around her unnie, who froze at first but softened at her sister’s apology.

“It’s okay, SooJin-ah. We can’t do anything about it anymore,” she said. “But you have to do something for me.”

SooJin nodded and said, “Anything. I’ll do anything.”

“Could you be my bridesmaid for the wedding?” SooJi requested. SooJin’s eyes widened. “I’m going to need someone to lessen my suffering.” SooJi joked.

“Okay. I’ll be you bridesmaid,” SooJin agreed, happily. “But just a small question. Why me? Why not your friends?”

SooJi grinned and started, “Well, first of all, I want to spend some time with you to make up for the time we’ve spent being so cold to each other.” Then her expression became sadder.

“And also because I don’t have them with me anymore.”