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It was midnight, and the entire family was huddled in the living room, each of them doing their own thing. The soft hum of the TV mixed with the tapping of phones, but the biggest thing hanging in the air was the silent anticipation for Iseul's return. But no one needed to wait any longer.

Iseul's mother, sitting in the armchair with a tired sigh, broke the silence. "They didn't fix their relationship."

Sohee, who had been scrolling through his phone, looked up, clearly confused. "How'd you know?"

Without skipping a beat, their mother answered, "Heejin wrote it in the group chat."

Sohee blinked, even more perplexed than before. "Wait, what? aunt Heejin knows? But how...?"

Their mother didn't look up from her knitting, her voice steady as she casually added, "We have a groupchat for tea with the women in our neighborhood. You know, the ones that catch everything that happens on the block."

The door creaked open, and in walked Iseul, her face pale and her shoulders slumped. The energy in the room shifted instantly. Her mother, who had been sitting quietly until now, stood up with an angry flare in her eyes.

"If that scum wasn't going to apologize, then why the hell did he call you?"

Iseul's eyes widened, her worst fears confirmed—news of her disastrous meeting had spread like wildfire. Her father glanced up at her from his seat, taking in her disheveled appearance.

"Why the long face? Tell us what happened."

Iseul sighed heavily, sinking into the nearest chair. "He called to give me money."

At the mention of money, Sohee's ears perked up, his eyes suddenly wide with interest. "How much?"

"I don't know," Iseul muttered, rubbing her temples in frustration.

Sohee smirked, already imagining stacks of cash, and reached for her bag with eager hands. "Come on, it must be a lot—like, enough zeros that you can't even count!"

But when he opened it up, the bag was empty. His smile faltered, and he shot Iseul a confused look. "Wait... there's nothing here?"

Iseul's voice hardened as she replied, "I didn't accept the money. Does he think we're in need of his charity?"

"We are, my idiot sister, we are in need."

Her father, proud of her defiance, added with a grin, "Good job. That's my daughter. Don't feed into his ego. You also have your pride."

Leaving her family mid-convo, Iseul trudged up the stairs, exhausted and emotionally drained, her mind swirling with a mix of anger and frustration. Her mother's words still echoed in her ears, and the disappointment of the day weighed heavily on her. She slammed the door behind her as she entered her room, hoping to escape it all.

But as she dropped her bag and collapsed onto the bed, there was no relief. She grabbed her phone, hoping for a distraction, and her heart sank as she saw the message from her boss.

"Iseul, effective immediately, your employment is terminated. We appreciate your efforts, but the company is going in a different direction. Best of luck in your future endeavors."

It was like the universe had conspired to kick her while she was already down. The anger, the humiliation, the constant setbacks—it all became too much to bear. She threw her phone on the bed and buried her face in her pillow, muffling her screams of frustration.

Her life, it seemed, had become one cruel joke, and she couldn't escape it. With her breath shaky and her heart pounding in her chest, she shouted into the pillow, as if the fabric could absorb all the hurt, all the disappointment, all the broken pieces of her heart.

"Why is everything falling apart?" she whispered hoarsely, feeling like the weight of the world was pressing down on her shoulders.

While Iseul was grappling with the chaos of her life, her brother had other thoughts on his mind that were going to make her life harder.

Sohee sat in front of his father, a nervous tension in the air as he hesitated. "Should I call him?" he asked, his voice unsure, fingers tapping against his phone screen.

His father, lost in his own world, was sketching, his pencil moving rapidly across the paper, not sparing Sohee a glance. "Ah, Sohee," he said, his tone distracted but full of conviction. "I have so many plans, so many ideas. This is it. This is our chance."

Sohee's patience wore thin, and he crossed his arms, irritation evident in his voice. "Dad, it's been ten years—when exactly is this supposed 'chance' coming? You sold everything we had. Everything! And we're still stuck in the same spot."

His father finally looked up, his eyes narrowing slightly, but he didn't seem phased. "You'll see. I know it's been a long wait, but this time, it will work. Trust me."

Sohee rolled his eyes and, with a sarcastic tone, asked, "So, should I call him?"

His father, still not fully aware of the situation, shook his head dismissively. "No, Sohee. Don't call him. Your sister will kill you if you do." With that, he stood up and walked away, leaving Sohee sitting there alone.

A mischievous grin crept across Sohee's face as he muttered to himself, "That's his opinion, but I don't respect it." He quickly picked up his phone, dialing Sunghoon's old number, praying he would answer.

To his relief, Sunghoon picked up, but his voice sounded confused. "Hello?"

Sohee paused for a moment after Sunghoon answered, his voice laced with confusion. The awkward silence stretched before Sohee blurted out, "Hello, to my favorite son-in-law—haha, I mean Sunghoon! You know, slip of the tongue."

There was a pregnant silence, and Sohee could practically hear Sunghoon rolling his eyes on the other end. But Sohee was too focused on his own excitement to care. He wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but he knew one thing—he wanted that money.

Iseul had turned it down, but Sohee wasn't about to let that opportunity slip away.

"I'm thinking about dropping by your company," Sohee said casually, as if it were no big deal. "You know, just to talk, see how things are going. Maybe I'll take you up on that offer. I mean, it's not like we're in any position to turn it down."

Sunghoon's annoyed sigh was evident, but Sohee didn't catch it. He was too busy imagining the money in his hands, the things he could buy, the things he could do.

Sunghoon probably thought Iseul was just too proud to accept the money, Sohee figured. But if she wasn't going to take it, he sure as hell would. He didn't care about pride or whatever else Iseul was playing at.

As he hung up, Sohee felt a grin spread across his face. He was going to get that cash, and no one, not even his sister, was going to stop him.

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sohee has to stop thinking