DEAR NAME | jjk.

CHAPTER SEVEN

"This past month, Mom's sickness has been getting worse. Are you still working at the cafe?" My older sister, Serena, asked from the other line. "Are you earning additional money?" she lives in Singapore, in order to take care of Mom, as she is a nurse. 

"Eon already told me about Mom's condition." I say, referring to our only brother and youngest sibling, who is still studying in Singapore. "I just got a new job at bar. I'm working right now." as I talked to her on the phone, I was cleaning the counter. 

It was my decision to live here in Korea. It wasn't because I wasn't close to my family-- in fact, us 3 siblings were pretty much inseparable, and I love my Mom a lot. However, I was given a scholar by the owner of my law school to study here in Korea, and I grew attached. 

I got used to living alone. It's when I realised, I do work better alone. But it's not I don't yearn for some company from time to time. As much as I love my privacy, it's nice to talk to others. Though, most of the time, whenever I needed someone to talk to, I would just write everything down. 

"Reyna, you know how much we need money." she says, as if she was pleading me. "Just go and become a lawyer." I know it would be much better if it was that way, but.. "That happened one time. And it doesn't even happen often in a lawyer's career." 

It's been so long since I actually thought about what happened back then. Yes, successful cases after one another, and one time, someone threatened my family because I put their ally to jail. It was cowardly of me, to suddenly forget about my triumph just because of something so small, compared to all of the hard work I put into becoming a lawyer. 

"Even if it's just once," I gritted my teeth, lightly pressing my phone in my hands, "I can't risk it." 

There has to be another way for me to earn more money. Not just work at a cafe, or a bar. It's impossible that I'm backed up so much to the point that I only have one thing to turn to-- which is that thing I ran away from in the past. My career.. I badly want to have again. But I can't risk it. 

Even if there was another way to earn money, it won't be so easy. I didn't like doing something without assured success, so I often chose these jobs that are easy, even for ordinary people. If I don't want to fail, and I need money the most, would I really have no choice? What would I do? No.. I believe I could think of something. It's how my mind works. 

"Reyna.. please." she sighed, "Thinking about everything we have to pay makes my mind hurt. We're glad Eon has a scholarship here. But Mom's bills.." even though I couldn't see her, I could feel her running her fingers through her hair, something she would do whenever she got stressed. "Are in high numbers." 

"I'll see what I can do about it." 

"All right.. Stay safe." 

Growing up, me and my siblings have inherited our likes and dislikes, and noticed our similarities and differences. One of the biggest similarities we have from such few, is our diligence, especially when it came to work or studies. So our parents never really had much problems when it came to paying our school. Me and Serena graduated with scholars, and Eon is currently studying with one. 

Serena, the eldest of us 3, has always been that motherly sibling. She always looked out for us, cooked our breakfast, and even took care of us, by the time our mom started getting sick, a few months after father left us. 

I, on the other hand, am quite different from her. There was never any favouritism among us siblings, so it didn't matter that I was the middle child. I'm more quiet and reserved than both of them, and even though we all loved school, there's no doubt I'm the one that loved studying the most. I was always reading books, criticising, and taking them to national museums. I don't think I can ever tell them I smoke.