Jimin walked into her house, trying hard to hold back tears. She had just been dropped off by Minjeong. As she entered the living room, she saw her mother sitting on the couch, sipping wine and looking at her with a cold expression, as always.
"Why are you late?" her mother asked, startling Jimin. She felt a sense of panic rise within her as she tried to come up with an excuse.
"The professor told us to stay for a few minutes," she lied, hoping her mother would buy it. But she saw her mother stand up, her face red with anger, and take closer steps towards her.
Jimin could only swallow as she avoided her mother's angry eyes. "Who was that with you just now?" her mother demanded to know. Jimin felt as if ice water was being poured over her. She had been so careless to let Minjeong drop her off in front of the house like this. She had taken the risk because she didn't expect her mother to be home since she wasn't always home.
"I- it was a friend of mine," Jimin stuttered, cursing herself for not being more careful. Her mother raised a brow and looked at her, her eyes now raging more than before.
"A friend?" she repeated, her tone calm but Jimin knew that she was raging inside.
She nodded slowly and dared to look into her mother's eyes, only to find them darkened from anger. To her surprise, her mother let out a laugh as she took a sip of the wine in her hands. She then clenched her teeth and looked at Jimin, who was looking at her confused. "Oh my dear Jimin," her mother started. "Did you think she'd stay by your side?" Her expression turned serious as she continued, "She is using you for your wealth, dear." Jimin knew that her mother would say something like this.
The words spoken by her mother continued to echo in Jimin's mind. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. "Did you think she's friends with you because she likes you?" Her mother had laughed mockingly before continuing, "Why would anyone like someone like you dear? I only was by your side and no one else will be because they are fake."
Jimin's heart sank as she heard her mother speak. She felt hurt and confused, wondering why her mother was being so cruel. Her mother's words had cut her deeply, leaving her feeling worthless and alone.
As she was excused to her room, Jimin couldn't help but think about her mother's words. Who would want to be her friend? Her self-esteem was shattered, and she was starting to feel some things for Minjeong, which is why she had run off crying earlier.
Jimin was afraid of her feelings and didn't want to face them. She needed to obey what her mother said, which was to focus on her career and that relationships were useless. She couldn't shake off the feeling that her mother was right and that friendships were nothing but a distraction.
-
Minjeong couldn't shake off the feeling of guilt that nibbled at her heart as she saw Jimin crying. She didn't know why Jimin was crying, but she felt responsible for it. She wondered if she had pushed Jimin too hard, too fast. Maybe she should have been more patient, and given her more time. She wanted to talk to Jimin about it the next day, but then she thought it might be better to give her some space and time to respect her personal space.
After returning home, she carelessly dropped her keys and kicked off her shoes. Exhausted and emotionally drained, she headed straight to her bedroom, hoping to get some rest. But just as she was about to settle in, her phone started ringing, interrupting her thoughts and startling her.
With a deep sigh, she buried her face in the pillow hoping the caller would hang up, but the ringing persisted. Finally, she reluctantly answered "Yes?" her voice laced with irritation.
she recognized the voice of the person on the other end. It was someone she knew but didn't particularly want to talk to right now. "Did you forget what today was?" the person asked, their tone laced with annoyance.
