We left the kitchen and went to my room.
It was early in the morning and I didn't want to wake my brothers if we spoke too loudly.
"Sister, what's going on? Tell me more."
"I've just had a message. I was on an international call... Hang on. I'll tell you."
Geum-Bi tapped her foot, feeling nervous.
Her arms were crossed and her face was frowning, which made my heart race.
"I understand, given what happened. Mum, I hope you're not too hurt.
I told her it was no big deal, but I couldn't wait to find out more.
Sister Soo-jung, who was also frowning in confusion, sat up in bed and opened her mouth.
"The accident was... you were crossing the road and a lorry hit you."
"What?!"
"Uh, my mum says you're in hospital now, how's your condition?"
"Fortunately, it looks like she's not too badly hurt. They said she's fine, just a few cracks in her legs and arms..."
The word "lorry" left Geum-bi speechless, and I couldn't hide my excitement.
Thankfully, Soo-jung was able to calmly explain the situation to us, which helped us to stop crying.
"Haha, so you did... Did you do all the tests properly? MRI scans, CT scans, all that stuff?"
"Yes, hospitals are very expensive abroad, aren't they? You didn't skip some tests just to save money, did you?"
"Relax, Terra, you're so sure they're not to blame that you don't have to worry about the cost, and it's not as if our house is going to be very expensive. I'm sure they have local insurance, so don't worry."
"Ah, right... I guess so, huh."
When Geum-bi started talking about MRI scans and other medical procedures, I panicked, remembering the news about the cost of medical treatment abroad.
But Soo-jung's words quickly made me realise that I could actually be relieved. Just as I realised that, my legs became shaky and my body trembled.
"Ouch."
"Are you all right? When you're a boy, you don't fall for something like that."
"I'm sorry. I just felt so relieved..."
"That's what happens when you get too scared.Geumbi, don't be too hard on yourself."
I almost fell over, but Geumbi caught me and held me up, even though I was complaining.
As she comforted me, she kept looking at her mobile phone. After a while, when she didn't see any more news, she switched it off.
"That's the end of our contact... Phew. I've been shouting at you all morning."
"I feel like I've been beaten up by my mum lately. I'm afraid of what I'm going to hear next."
"Hey, hey, hey, hey, don't say things like that."
"I'm just worried about my mum. I think she'd be better off living on her own."
As soon as he was sure his mum was safe, Geum-Bi started acting his usual evil self.
Crystal's eyes widened at the way she stuck out her tongue, but when her mouth was pierced, she didn't stop.
"After the bomb you dropped last time, we weren't the only ones in trouble, and I'm sure you've got just as bad a headache."
"But you suffered the most.They say it's something mild, but do you really think you needed to be hospitalised?"
"You never know. First, why did you have an accident on the pedestrian crossing? Doesn't that mean you were walking carelessly?"
"Geum-Bi, stop it, you're really making me angry."
"Okay, I was a bit harsh this time, but you know how irresponsible your mum is with us, don't you?"
What started out as concern for my mum turned into a rant about her.
I tried to stop them, but Geum-Bi was holding me back.
'It's okay to let go now... Hmmm, maybe not. Maybe it's because she's still nervous.
I could feel that she was trembling.
Maybe the news of the accident had taken her by surprise, and the way she was standing was a way of hiding her reaction.
The problem was that his voice was becoming more and more genuine as he spoke.
"Let me ask you something, sis, did your mum say anything else to us?"
"No. Not really.
"You see? She said that a while ago and now she's only told us about herself. Shouldn't she have said when she'll be back or when she'll be home?"
"Well, she's in a bit of a hurry after the accident, and this is just a reminder that she's late..."
"Did your mum send this contact first?"
"Ugh...!"
Her surprise was replaced by enthusiasm and she started speaking more excitedly.
But some of the things she said hit Soo-jung hard, and Geum-bi touched her hair as if she knew what was coming.
"I see. That's what Mum says, huh."
"Goldie, you're talking too much. I told you Mum's still recovering from the accident."
"If she has been to the hospital, it must have been for at least a few hours, right?"
"You're out of the country, you didn't think to tell the rest of us."
"If someone in my family had been hurt, and not me, I would have told them to call me right away."
"People have different ideas."
"I think there should be some kind of understanding between families."
His opinions about his mum didn't change.
This had often happened, but this time, without brothers and sisters and with the recent news, it seemed to have really flared up.
"I should say something, but it's difficult. If I take sides, things will get worse."
But if he didn't take sides, the atmosphere between them would only get worse.
Soo-jung wasn't willing to back down as easily as she had in the past, and Geum-bi wasn't willing to give in and lose.
"I've always thought you were very generous with your mum."
"You are, Goldie. Don't you think you're being too hard on your mum?"
"What am I, a mum of five who can't even keep in touch with one of them?"
"It's because she's working alone abroad. It's because we're together that she can work in peace."
"Maybe now, but back then... When my father died, my older sister was only in high school, and we've been alone ever since. Isn't that practically neglect?"
"Look at it this way. How hard must it have been for her to raise five of us on her own, without our father? Even we children had to rely on her. Why can't you think of that?"
"You said it yourself, we're not exactly a family that needs to worry about money. I think it's been like that for a long time, but if I'm not mistaken, she might have worried more about us than about money."
"Well, money is always there, and you never know what might happen, so I'm sure she'd rather have more while she can, just in case."
"Even if it meant leaving her children?"
"She was trying to be busy for us."
I listened and I understood both sides, and it broke my heart.
As the older sister, Soo-jung naturally felt for her because she had taken on the role of her mother.
Geum-Bi had seen Soo-Jung struggle, so she felt even more resentful towards her mother.
"I'm not sure. I grew up with older sisters, so I didn't have many problems, and I grew up with younger brothers, so I didn't feel alone.
Life was pretty good until they hit puberty and locked themselves in their rooms.
It was only recently, after leaving the army, that I felt more distant and lonely. But even then, it was nothing compared to what my two older sisters were feeling.
So they understood.
In fact, the two of them didn't understand each other at all.
"Yang Keqi, you really need to be more moderate. There are limits to what you can say and what you can tolerate."
"Ugh...! Every time we talk about it, you end up like this, don't you think it's too much?"
"I think it's better to know what you can and can't say to your family."
"What? Who am I to think like that? Ugh!"
In the fight that followed, Geum-bi was the one who cried first.
But she didn't want to be seen crying in front of Soo-jung, so she spun on her heels and ran out of the room.
"What? No, no, calm down."
"Get off me, you idiot."
"Don't be so emotional..."
"Get off me, you idiot!"
Goldie tried to escape, but I still held her arm and she pushed my arm away, swearing and shoving my shoulder.
"Ouch."
"Hey, Yang Geum-bi!"
It didn't hurt much, but my body moved back a little, and Soo-jung yelled at me when she saw what had happened.
Seeing this, Jinbi lost her temper and quickly ran up the stairs to the second floor without looking back.
"Haha, she really is... ha ha."
Crystal stood up confidently, then sat back down on the bed with a frown.
I stood in the doorway, looking back and forth between Soo-jung rubbing his forehead and Geum-bi, who had gone.
"Earth."
"Ugh, yes. Sister."
"I think she's crying. Do you think you could go and comfort her?"
"Oh, okay, I'll do that."
The better-behaved Soo-jung welcomed me with a wave of her hand.
I carefully closed the door behind me and climbed the stairs to Geum-Bi's room.
"She's here, but... what can I tell her?
[I stopped in front of the door marked "Geum-Bi", my hand ready to knock.
I hesitated for a moment, but if I couldn't think of an idea during the previous fight, I couldn't think of one now.
"Yes, let's just have a frank chat, that's what younger brothers do.
An older person's job is to calm someone down in an adult way, and a younger person's job is to be slightly understanding.
I knocked on the eldest sister's palace room door, thinking about how to help.
"Fuck off, you idiot."
"Oh, um, uh, uh... sorry."
She didn't even come to the door, let alone answer it.
I thought about going back inside quietly, but I decided that wasn't right, so I crouched down in front of the door and whispered.
"Listen, tell me when you're well. I'll wait here until you feel like talking."
I felt like a horrible person, like a stalker.
I didn't want to be seen as a stalker, so I got down on my knees and looked up at the patterns on the ceiling.
One row, two rows... ten rows, twenty rows.
I started counting how much time had passed. I counted about three hundred and fifty lines and, at one second per line, it was probably six minutes.
"Idiot. Get in here, you idiot."
A red-eyed Goldie greeted me through the open, creaking door.
She swore at me, but I didn't care.
Ding.
Click.
I hadn't been in her room for a long time.
She felt embarrassed too, so she closed the door tightly and locked it, in case anyone saw.
But did she really need to lock the door handle?
"Dude."
"Mmm."
"Sit there."
"Oh yeah, here?"
"That's on the bed. Sit on the floor, you idiot."
I was made to feel cold when Soo-Jung came into the room.
She sat me down on the cold floor, brought me a pillow and sat next to me, cuddling me.
"If I ask for a pillow too... you're going to tell me to leave now, aren't you?
I tried to find the right words to say to my sister, scanning the room for the right atmosphere.
But I couldn't think of anything when I went into the room, and my sister's long-standing empathy would be useless if she didn't speak up.
"...."
"...."
Time passed without any reward for entering the room.
Just as I was beginning to think that something was wrong, Jin Bi's lips moved as if she was about to speak.
"Yang Jiuzhi."
"Yes."
"Can I... give you a hug?"
"Huh?"
I turned my head, surprised, and there she was, on her knees, leaning her cheek against mine, looking up at me.
Her eyes were red, as if she hadn't stopped crying yet... I reached out to her without thinking.