Business owner Kim Ji-won and lawyer Kim Soo-hyun are under intense family pressure to marry. Ji-won's parents want her to wed her ex, photographer Ji Chang-wook, while Soo-hyun is bombarded with blind dates, including persistent heiress Seo Ye-ji...
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I sat on the family’s balcony, staring out at the quiet cityscape from the terrace.
The breeze was cool against my skin, but my mind was restless, filled with a whirlwind of thoughts about Ji-won, our relationship, and what the future held.
I was happy—there was no doubt about that—but there was also a nagging sense of unease.
It wasn’t that I doubted my feelings for her; rather, it was the weight of everything that came with it: expectations, family, the future.
As if on cue, the sliding door behind me opened, and my older sister, Hyun-joo noona, stepped out, followed by my second sister, Go-eun.
They had clearly been watching me from inside, waiting for the right moment to intervene.
Hyun-joo noona took a seat beside me, her gaze focused on the same distant horizon. “You look like you’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders, Soo-hyun.”
Go-eun noona plopped down on my other side, a teasing grin on her face. “Let me guess—it’s about Ji-won, isn’t it?”
I sighed, unable to help the small smile tugging at my lips.
My sisters always had a way of seeing right through me. “Yeah, it’s about Ji-won,” I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck. “It’s… a lot.”
Hyun-joo nodded thoughtfully. “Of course it is. A relationship is always a big deal, especially one as important as this.”
“You like her, don’t you?” Go-eun noona asked, her tone softening as she leaned in slightly.
I didn’t hesitate, my voice firm. “Yeah, I do. I like her.”
Go-eun noona grinned. “Good. That’s a start. So what’s the problem? You two look like you’re doing fine.”
I shifted in my seat, feeling the weight of my worries press down on me. “It’s not about us, exactly. It’s more about… everything else. You know how Mom and Dad are. There’s always pressure. And Ji-won, well, she has her own family stuff going on, too. It’s just a lot to navigate.”
Hyun-joo noona leaned back in her chair, arms crossed. “Ah, so this is about family expectations. Let me guess—Mom’s been dropping hints about marriage?”
I let out a dry laugh. “More than just hints. And it’s not just her. Ji-won’s family has their own expectations, and I don’t want her to feel pressured by anything.”
Go-eun noona nudged me lightly with her shoulder. “Soo-hyun, you’ve always been like this. You carry the weight of everyone else’s expectations, even when you don’t need to. But what about you? What do you want?”
I paused, her words hitting me harder than I expected.
I hadn’t really thought about it that way.
I was so focused on what everyone else might think—what my parents, Ji-won’s family, and society expected—that I hadn’t stopped to ask myself what I wanted.
