Ji-hyun had spent years burying the past, drowning herself in lines of codes and endless data streams. As a data engineer, she believed in logic, in patterns, in things that made sense. But nothing about her twin sister's death did.
Three years had...
Dressed in a cropped beige sweater layered over a simple crop v- cleavage croptop with a high-waisted straight-leg jeans, Ji-hyun walked down the bustling street toward the café where Eun-ha was already waving at her excitedly. She had paired the outfit with white sneakers and a small white bag over her shoulder, her dark brown hair tied in a loose, effortless ponytail with a few strands framing her face.
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As she approached, Eun-ha let out a low whistle, eyes immediately darting to Ji-hyun’s midsection. "Yah, Ji-hyun-ah, have you been working out?" she teased, poking at the firm muscles just beginning to form on Ji-hyun’s stomach.
Ji-hyun squirmed, letting out an uncharacteristic giggle. "Hey, cut it out! That tickles!" she protested, swatting Eun-ha’s hands away.
Eun-ha grinned mischievously but relented, pulling Ji-hyun into a quick side hug before gesturing toward an empty seat across from her. "Sit, sit! I already ordered us something good."
A waiter approached just in time, setting down two steaming plates of samgyeopsal with rice and various side dishes, including kimchi, pickled radish, and stir-fried fish cakes. Ji-hyun’s stomach rumbled at the sight, reminding her that she had barely eaten a proper meal all day.
As she picked up her chopsticks, Eun-ha leaned forward, resting her chin in her palm. "So, Ji-hyun-ah, where are you going for your little ‘vacation’?" She wiggled her eyebrows playfully. "I can see you already have the perfect bikini body."
Ji-hyun chuckled, though deep down, she wished those words were true in a different sense—that she was preparing for an actual vacation and not for the storm that was about to unfold in her life. Still, she masked her emotions with a lighthearted smile and shrugged.
"I was thinking of going to Kenya in Africa," she said casually, reaching for a piece of pork belly and dipping it into sesame oil before taking a bite.
Eun-ha gasped dramatically, nearly choking on her rice. "Africa?! Why not Europe or America?"
Ji-hyun smirked, taking a sip of her iced barley tea before answering. "I dunno, I spun the globe, threw a dart, and it landed on Africa, so I figured—why not? Think of it as an adventure."
Eun-ha stared at her, incredulous. "That’s so random."
Ji-hyun shrugged, playing along. "Maybe I’ll go on a safari, see some lions, meet some cool people. Who knows?"
The conversation was lighthearted, exactly what she needed to avoid any probing questions. She took another bite of her food, humming in satisfaction. "Mmm, this is really good. You need to eat, Eun-ha. Don’t just stare at me like that."
Eun-ha rolled her eyes but picked up her chopsticks, muttering, "Fine, fine. But I swear, you’re acting kind of weird."
Ji-hyun simply smiled and took another bite, hoping that for at least this one meal, she could pretend everything was normal. Ji-hyun, sensing Eun-ha’s curiosity was far from fading, quickly switched the conversation. “Enough about me, Eun-ha. What about work? How’s everything going?”
Eun-ha let out a dramatic sigh, placing her chopsticks down on the edge of her bowl with exaggerated frustration. "Don’t even get me started," she groaned, rolling her eyes.
Eun-ha leaned in, lowering her voice as if she were about to reveal some deep secret. "You wouldn’t believe the chaos after you left. The person who replaced you? Completely clueless!" She threw her hands up in mock exasperation. "They have no idea what they’re doing, and guess what? The manager has been dumping all the extra work on the rest of us in the IT department."
Ji-hyun chuckled, taking a sip of her drink. "That sounds exactly like our manager."
Eun-ha nodded vigorously, then sat up straight, puffing out her chest in an exaggerated stance. Imitating their manager’s gruff voice, she said, "‘Teamwork is important, so I trust you all will guide the new recruit well!’ Meanwhile, the guy can’t even figure out how to reset a server!"
Ji-hyun nearly choked on her tea, laughing as Eun-ha continued her impersonations, mimicking their coworkers’ frustrations and reenacting exaggerated scenarios. She even leaned forward at one point, pretending to bang her head against the table.
Time flew as their conversation carried on, their laughter filling the café. For the first time in weeks, Ji-hyun felt a small lift in her chest, as if the weight of her grief had momentarily lightened. The world outside of her revenge plan, outside of her sister’s death, still moved on.
As they finished their meal and stood up, Eun-ha reached out and pulled Ji-hyun into a tight hug. Ji-hyun hesitated for a second before hugging her back, savoring the warmth of the embrace.
Just as they pulled away, Ji-hyun smiled faintly. "The network might be terrible where I’m going, so I’ll only be able to call every now and then—maybe once a month or two."
Eun-ha’s expression instantly turned exaggeratedly emotional. "Nooo, how will I survive without you?" She wiped at her eyes dramatically. "My only source of sanity in that office is leaving me for lions and safaris!"
Ji-hyun let out a soft laugh. "I’ll miss you too. Do call me when you get back," Eun-ha added, pointing a playful but firm finger at her.
Ji-hyun nodded. "I will."
With a final wave, she turned and walked away, her smile fading the moment Eun-ha was out of sight. Whatever warmth she had felt was now buried under the cold, unwavering determination that settled back into her heart.
Ji-hyun walked back home and found a box at her doorstep, 'they said it would take a week', but what is this before her?
She scanned the hallway, searching for anyone watching from the shadows. The only person in sight was an old man sweeping near the stairwell. Without hesitation, she hurried towards him.
"Ahjussi!" she called out.
The old man turned, his wrinkled face tight with unease.
"Did you see anyone leave this box at my door?" she pressed, pointing back at it. The man hesitated, his knuckles whitening around the broomstick. "I—I don’t know," he stammered, his voice shaking. Something about his fear sent chills down Ji-hyun’s spine. She opened her mouth to push further, but he quickly turned and shuffled away, as if desperate to escape her presence.
Ji-hyun clenched her jaw.
Damn it.
What was she doing? Scaring an old man like that?
She turned back to her door, swallowing the unease twisting in her gut.
