My heart raced as our lips met in a soft and hesitant kiss. It was as if time stood still, and all that mattered was the feeling of his lips against mine.
Our lips met in a soft and tender embrace, and I could feel the warmth of his breath against m...
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From the moment my father raised his voice, I couldn't help rolling my eyes. But the gods didn't seem to have been kind to me, because my streak of bad luck just didn't seem to end.
"Now answer me!" My father's voice literally echoed through the hallway.
"Now don't yell at her like that!" my mother suddenly interjected, joining us with a sigh.
"I'll yell at that snotty brat as much as I want to. Stay out of it woman!" my father now yelled at my mother as well.
"If you yell at me like that in front of the kids one more time, you'll be sleeping outside with the chickens tonight where you belong!" she countered, now giving my brother an angry look as well. "And you stop teasing your sister! You're a grown man so act accordingly!"
My father didn't seem to like my mother's telling off. He angrily grabbed his jacket that was hanging just a few steps away from us and left the house in a rage.
"Zao! Behave yourself your sister has her divine blessing tomorrow. A little more sensitivity would be in order. Understood?" my mother asked, to which Zao just nodded, turned aside and quickly disappeared into his room.
"And now for you Yona! You don't think I'm going to let you off that easily, do you?" my mother asked, still stern. Affected, I looked down at the floor. I couldn't talk back to my mother. She would ignore me for days and make me do the hardest work if I angered her too much. Accordingly, I lowered my gaze and avoided eye contact.
"You don't think I'm going to let you off that easily either, do you?" she repeated. And then she started lecturing me about my behavior.
But I remained silent. It wasn't worth it.
***
I sat on my bed, surrounded by dirty clothes and books. There was so much stuff on my small bed that I could barely move. At times I would need to crawl to the other side to get out of it.
As I sat there in a miserable mood, I thought about how my brother would marry the village slut the following day.
I was sure that he had just used me to manipulate the rest of the family. Just when I had finally found some peace, a fresh wave of irritation passed over me. This time I was angry at myself.
Why did I feel this anger towards my brother?
My mother had said that I shouldn't be angry with him for having chosen Hua. I would agree if it hadn't been for the fact that I had been manipulated.
For quite a while I had fantasized about taking revenge on Zao and Hua. I often pictured myself waiting for them outside of the wedding location when they were about to get married.
But there was nothing I could do about the situation. My brother and Hua were getting married and somehow I would have to come to terms with it.
While I was thinking about my miserable life in my room, my forehead throbbed. The pain stretched from my temples up to my hairline and abruptly subsided.
