Though, Jinsol could have slept in since it is the weekend, her body naturally wakes her up. Side effect from working the same early hours for years and habit, she supposes. 

Yongguk is right– her habits are really no good. 

Anyways, things have gotten predictable unlike the beginning. As soon as her eyes open, her stomach starts growling to remind her that there must be a table filled from one end to the other with plates of food. Slipping out of the room, she nearly knocks into Yongguk as he passes. 

“Why are you up?”

In response, she pats her stomach. 

“Come on, I think the table is set,” he says and walks away first. 

Trailing behind him down the stairs, Jinsol soon takes a seat at the table across from Yongguk. 

“What do you plan on doing today?” he asks as she begins to fill her plate with food. 

“I downloaded a game on my phone yesterday.”

He stops sipping on his coffee. “A game?”

She nods her head.

Yes, she had decided to download a game onto her phone. What better way to fight boredom? And, when she gets sick of that, she’s just going to take a nap. She has pretty much planned out her whole weekend.

Yongguk doesn’t comment on it any further and Jinsol can go back to eating without distractions. Well, that is until her phone begins ringing. Without bothering to look as she already knew who is bothering her so early in the morning, she silences her phone before another ring can hit the air. 

“Have you spoken to them?”

Did he see her screen from over there? “We’re not that kind of family.” But, Yongguk must already have some sort of idea about that.

“Why don’t you come to the company today with me?”

His suggestion is met with a grimace. “No, thanks.” Her boss is going to be there today and she wasn’t going to risk running into him. 

“What’s so fun at home?”

“Nothing.”

“Then?”

“I can’t imagine going to the company with you is any better.”

“I can keep an eye on you.” 

“I’m not someone that needs to be babysat,” she retorts. “Besides, I’m older than you. I don’t need to be monitored.”

“By 13 months.”

“Yeah, well, 13 months used to be a big difference back then and I was somehow always left to take care of you,” she says pointedly. 

“So, let me take care of you now.”

His words were said so suddenly that it took a moment for Jinsol to register what he was exactly saying.  

“What?” he asks. “Are you agreeing?”

She gathers her wits. “Absolutely not.”

“Then, right now, tell me what your plan is today,” Yongguk urges. “If it’s a good one, I will let you stay home.”

“You have to give me some time.” She has to come up with something better than phone games and it’s hard to do so on the spot. 

“One minute.”

“Well, I’ll just–,” Jinsol falls silent when she makes eye contact with Yongguk. Why is he staring at her like that? That’s too much pressure. “I’m going to visit my family,” she blurts.

“Your family?” he repeats.

“That’s what I just said.” 

Thinking Yongguk wouldn’t accept her plan after what she said earlier, she’s surprised to find him not immediately against it.

“Take Himchan with you.”

“Doesn’t Himchan usually go to work with you?”

“I’ll lend him today and I’ll take Jongup.”

“Why?”

“I will feel more comfortable.” 

***

Jinsol sighs while leaning her head against the window of the car. Lost in her misery, she watches the window glass fog up with each of her breath.

“Miss Jinsol, if you didn’t want to go, why did you say you would?” Himchan asks.

“Yeah, why did I do that?” she mutters to herself quietly. 

Her family has brought nothing but stress and worry. It’s always the same when they meet so, she asks herself the important question… has she been that terribly bored? She knows better to stay away. 

“We can turn back around,” Himchan offers.  

“You’ll take me straight to the company.” 

“Then, what will you do here?”

She straightens up when the familiar neighborhood comes into view. After getting a taste of the more affluent lifestyle these past few weeks, this place is certainly not anywhere close to that standard.

“Himchan, can you help me with something?”

With his agreement, she slips out of the car and walks up the broken steps to reach the front door of the apartment. Expectedly, she freezes. Maybe something good will come out of this– yeah, hopefully. 

“Miss Jinsol,” Himchan calls out from behind her. 

“Yeah?” she responds with her eyes still on the barrier.

“This is the right place.”

That’s not why she’s hesitating. But, she brings herself to lift her fist to knock against the front door. Listening carefully, she could hear murmurs coming from inside. 

She sighs. “It’s me.”

The door opens a crack and half of a face stares back at Jinsol.

“Open the damn door, Haeun.”

The young woman throws the door wide open and her parents come up right behind. “We have been trying to call you. Is it handled?”

“Who is he?” Haeun blurts, stunned by the appearance of Himchan beside her older sister. “I thought you were marrying an old guy.”

These people are unbelievable. She has been gone for a while now and they think this place will still be standing if it didn’t? And, that’s what Haeun is concerned about right now?

“Himchan.”

Upon hearing his name as a signal, he pushes inside quickly with Jinsol following from behind. 

“Sit down,” she orders them. 

Himchan reaches the back pocket of her dad’s pants and pulls out a small booklet. A booklet that has been through a bit with quite a few wears and tears over the betting years. 

“Give that back!” Her dad tries to retrieve it back but, before he could get his hands on it, Himchan had started to rip it to shreds. He watches in horror as his betting livelihood falls onto the ground like December’s fresh snow. 

“Where to next, miss?” Himchan asks. 

“Black boot by the door.”

Her mom’s eyes widen and she rushes forward, only for Jinsol to slide in her path in order to prevent interference. 

The state of her booklet ends up pretty much the same way as the one before. Both her mom and dad can only stand and stare in disbelief. 

On the other hand, reprieve surged through Jinsol. 

Lastly, Jinsol looks over to Haeun to find her staring at the ground, trying so hard not to be noticed. “Her phone, Himchan.”

Haeun’s head snaps up. She immediately drops her phone inside her shirt. “You won’t stick your hand inside,” she challenges Himchan. As expected, he doesn’t make a move. 

But, that wouldn’t stop Jinsol. 

“No!” Haeun tries her best to fight off Jinsol’s hands but, to no avail. 

Jinsol tosses the phone over to Himchan who drops it on the floor before trampling on it. He made sure there was no chance of recovery with every stomp of his heel.

Haeun falls to the ground, her eyes on what used to be a proper phone. She glares up at Jinsol. “How could you!?”

“Since you all can’t seem to be able to stop on your own, I’m helping you. Cold turkey.”

“Jinsol!”

“What?” she snaps. “What did I do wrong?”

“Everything I’ve gathered, it’s all for nothing,” her dad mutters. “We could have won, Jinsol. We could have made up for our losses.”

How many times has she heard that? “The last time you said that, I had to sacrifice myself to bail all of you out.” They couldn’t have already forgotten. It’s only been two weeks. “I’m sick of your excuses,” she says as she walks to the door.

Her mom stands up to her feet. “You think you’re high and mighty now just because you married into a rich family?!” She screams at Jinsol f