Me or Her | Bbangsaz

Chapter 17

Minji

I pause at the sound of Hanni's voice and lean back against Danielle's bedroom door, my eyes falling closed. Who am I kidding? I came here because I knew this is where I'd find her, and not because I wanted to speak to my sister.

"I'm worried I won't be able to change her mind," Hanni says,"With just a few days left, my anxiety is off the charts. If Yunjin doesn't show up on her wedding day, I'll be the one getting married."

"Would that really be so bad?" Danielle replies.

My heart races as I wait for Hanni's answer, but all that follows is silence. I brace myself and straighten my spine before knocking on Danielle's door. The door opens, and my sister's eyes widen when she sees me standing here.

I can count the amount of times I have been here on one hand. Being forced to live so close together meant that my siblings and I are very protective of our privacy, and normally I would never breach our unspoken rule of respecting each other's private space when we aren't in communal areas.

Today, however, is an exception. I'm not here for Danielle. I'm here for Hanni. I look past my sister into hazel eyes that carry a hint of agony.

"Hanni, can I speak to you for a moment?"

She hesitates, but then she nods and rises from her seated position on my sister's bed. She walks up to me, her dress swaying. Even when she looks this distraught, she's beautiful.

"Follow me."

She falls into step with me as I lead her to my house.

"Where are we going?" she asks, her voice soft.

"My place."

It's strange to think that Hanni might soon be living there with me. Neither of us wants this, but with each passing day it's becoming more and more clear to me that this is inevitable.

Both of us are just caught in a web of our own deception, convincing ourselves that Yunjin will change her mind, that everything will be the way it should be.

But we both know better.

Hanni is quiet as she follows me down the long hallway that connects Danielle's house to the main house. Perhaps it would have been better to take her to the main living room, but I'm not certain our conversation would be private there.

I lead her to my home, suddenly seeing it through fresh eyes. Yunjin designed and decorated most of this throughout the years, both of us expecting to live here together someday. I wonder what Hanni thinks of it. Does she like the monochrome theme Yunjin went with? I can't imagine what it must be like to even entertain the thought of having to live your sister's life.

"Can I offer you a drink?" I ask as she sits down on my white leather sofa, the same one she and I fell asleep on just a few weeks ago.

Hanni shakes her head and looks up at me questioningly,"I'm okay," she says,"What is it you want to talk about?"

I sit down next to her and turn to face her,"You know exactly what I need to talk to you about, Hanni. We can neither avoid nor ignore this for much longer."

She looks down, trying her best to hide her distress from me,"Minji," she whispers, her voice breaking.

I can't stand seeing that torment in her demeanor. I hate knowing that I played a role in the pain she's feeling, and it kills me to know that from here on out, I will only break her heart more.

"I'll speak to her," she promises, but I shake my head and grab her hand.

"You know that won't make a difference. Don't you think I've tried?"