Annyeongz One-shots

83. Hard

The house never truly felt like home to Wonyoung.

It had been a few months since she married Yujin, yet every hallway still felt foreign, every glance from his parents still heavy with silent judgment. The only warmth she ever felt inside those walls came from one person — Leeseo.

Eighteen years old, soft-hearted, stubborn in quiet ways. She was the only one who called her “Wonyoung unnie” with genuine affection.

Yujin had insisted on this marriage.

Not because Wonyoung was rich. Not because she had status. Not because she fit his parents’ expectations.

But because she stayed.

When he had nothing.

When his business failed.

When his friends disappeared.

When his relatives whispered that he was a disappointment.

When he could only afford a cheap handbag from a street stall instead of the luxury one she once paused to look at.

She had smiled like it was the most precious thing in the world.

“I love it,” she had said back then, hugging him tightly. “Because you gave it to me.”

She never complained. Never compared him to other men. Never demanded more.

So when he rebuilt his life from scratch, working until his hands trembled and his eyes burned from exhaustion, he did it for her.

“I’ll give you everything one day,” he had promised.

But for now, they had no choice but to live in his parents’ house.

And his parents had never forgiven him for choosing her over the “perfect daughter-in-law” they had prepared.

That night, the dining table was full.

Yujin was still at work.

His father sat at the head of the table. His mother’s voice carried sharply through the room. The dishes were laid out neatly dishes Wonyoung had cooked.

Yet she wasn’t sitting there.

She was in the kitchen.

His mother had handed her a cloth and pointed at the floor earlier.

“There’s dust under the cabinets. Clean it.”

“And after that, wash the backyard and separate the trash properly. If you’re going to live here, at least be useful.”

Leeseo had stood up immediately. “Mom, that’s too much—”

“Sit down,” her mother snapped.

Leeseo clenched her fists. “Wonyoung unnie hasn’t even eaten.”

“She can eat later.”

But Wonyoung had gently touched Leeseo’s arm and smiled.

“It’s okay. I’ll finish quickly. You go eat.”

Leeseo’s eyes turned red. “Unnie, you’re part of this family too.”

That sentence made Wonyoung pause.

For a split second, her composure cracked.

But she smiled again.

“I need to finish this first. Don’t worry about me, okay?”

Leeseo sat back down at the table, but she couldn’t swallow her food.

Her chest burned with anger.

She knew her brother loved Wonyoung more than anything. She knew how much Wonyoung had endured when Yujin was struggling.