The Sister's Tears
“What?”
“I don’t see why I should. Why do I have to forgive her? Just because she’s a student, I’m supposed to let everything slide?”
“That’s… I mean…”
Even Jeonghye, who could usually talk her way out of anything, was left speechless. If I were in her shoes, I probably wouldn’t have known what to say either. The damage was already done, and the victim had no interest in settling. All they could do was beg like dogs, hoping for mercy—and that was exactly what I was waiting for.
The younger sister, still wet behind the ears, had shouted herself hoarse, but the more mature Jeonghye would eventually find the right words.
“Give me one good reason why I should agree to a settlement. Then I’ll at least think about it.”
“I… I’ll find the money somehow…”
“Does it look like I’m talking about money right now?”
“N-no… That’s not what I meant…”
“Haah… Just say whatever you need to say. I’m a little busy.”
Of course I wasn’t busy, but the pressure was necessary. I wanted Jeonghye to cry in front of me. Then, after watching her with a mix of pity and something more twisted, I would suddenly change my mind and grant the settlement like a miracle. It was all part of the script I’d written to bury her under an enormous debt of gratitude, and it was working perfectly.
“…If you have nothing else to say, I’m leaving.”
Her hesitation and the way her lips trembled made everything obvious. Proud as she was, Jeonghye couldn’t bring herself to grovel completely. She was clever, but still an amateur. I decided to push her a little harder.
Tap.
“W-wait!!”
She was desperate enough to grab my left wrist without hesitation—the same wrist wearing a fifty-million-won Rolex set with diamonds. I slowly turned around and looked down at her with cold eyes.
“Let go. You’ll scratch it.”
“I-I’m sorry. But please… just a little more. Please listen to me… My sister—she just made a mistake this one time. She’s really a good kid. I swear.”
“…”
I stayed silent, letting her continue. The situation was unfolding exactly as I wanted. Her emotions were rising on their own; there was no need to interfere.
“Our family’s situation is difficult… It’s because I’m useless that she turned out this way… *hic* She used to be so kind and did well in school… It’s all my fault… Everything is because I’m incompetent…”
“Haah… Calm down first. Take a breath and talk.”
“I can’t calm down. Not until you agree to the settlement!!”
“…”
“Please… I’m begging you. My sister isn’t a bad person… *sob* I’m the one who messed up… I’ll do anything… Please… *hic* *sob* *sniff*”
The dam finally broke. Jeonghye clung to my collar and wailed, right in the middle of the police station. The entire room fell into a different kind of silence, filled only with the sound of her crying. Everyone pretended not to notice, but they were all listening intently. Even some of the detectives clicked their tongues, clearly moved. A woman’s tears really were a powerful weapon.
I stood still and waited until her sobs subsided. Comforting her with pats on the back or a hug would have been overkill, and I hadn’t brought a handkerchief anyway. But since I planned to grant the settlement in exchange for these tears, this level of restraint was more than enough to paint me as a decent guy.
“*sob*… *hic*…”
“…I’ll do it. Stop crying.”
“*hic*… Really?”
“Ha… Just a moment.”
I carefully pried her hands off my collar and walked forward. I could feel her following behind me, sniffling. I headed straight for the corner where her sister, Eunhye, was glaring at me like she wanted to tear me apart, then stopped in front of the lawyer sitting there.
“Attorney Yu.”
“Yes.”
“If we were to settle, what would be a reasonable amount?”
“Well… it depends on the repair period, but just the parts and rental fees would come to at least ten million won.”
When the number left her mouth, the three high school girls sitting nearby trembled. It was ridiculous that they were reacting this way over ten million when they’d had the nerve to climb into a two-hundred-million-won Porsche.
I looked at the three pathetic girls shivering in their seats and spoke with obvious displeasure. Sometimes you had to act generous when doing someone a favor. Other times, you had to make it clear you didn’t want to while still doing it anyway. This was clearly the latter.
“You. The one sitting in the middle.”
“…Yes.”
The power of money was immediate. Eunhye, who had been glaring at me like she wanted to dismember me just moments ago, had softened considerably. The anger was still there, but the way she was desperately trying to suppress it was quite satisfying to watch.
“I spent fifty million won just to hire this lawyer sitting next to you. Do you really think ten million is enough to end this?”
“…I was wrong. I’m sorry.”
Watching her bow her head in humiliation sent a rush of exhilaration through me. People without manners really did need a proper lesson. Still, if I pushed her sister too hard, Jeonghye’s favorability toward me might drop, so I decided to stop here. It was a shame, but if I wanted to savor Jeonghye properly, this much was nothing. From the first time I saw her, she’d looked like a proud, beautiful cat. Thanks to this incident, I’d get my chance to taste her soon.
“Haa… I wasn’t planning to agree at all, but you should be grateful you have such a good sister.”
“Th-that means…”
Not wanting to see Eunhye’s suddenly brightening face, I turned to the lawyer beside me.
“Please proceed with the settlement, Attorney.”
“Ten million is already the absolute minimum. Are you sure you’re fine with that amount?”
“Yes. Ten million is fine.”
I stood up. Behind me, the three girls kept repeating their thanks, but I didn’t bother turning around. I looked at Jeonghye instead. The moment our eyes met, she spoke in a tearful voice.
“Th-thank you so much!!”
For an ordinary settlement, such an extravagant display of gratitude wouldn’t have been necessary. But Jeonghye knew full well that it was her desperate tears that had made me change my mind. I had simply granted her a favor, and now she was overwhelmingly indebted to me. In a one-sided relationship like this, where only one side owed everything, a debt of the heart was bound to form.
Because of her sister, Jeonghye now carried a heavy burden toward me. From now on, she would be bound to me, following wherever I led. It was perfect.
But it wasn’t over yet. The debt she owed me was far greater than this.
“Jeonghye, let’s step outside for a moment. I’d like to talk.”
“Huh? Ah, yes. Of course.”
I led her out into the hallway and sat her down on a long bench in the corner. Then I fetched two cups of water from the nearby dispenser.
“Ah, thank you.”
She bowed slightly as she accepted the paper cup. I sat down beside her and took a sip.
Slurp.
Jeonghye stared blankly at her cup for a moment before taking a small sip as well. The way she drank in silence made it clear she had a lot on her mind—too much, in fact. When problems piled up beyond a certain point, people often found themselves unable to even begin sorting through them. And in those moments of crisis, anyone would start hoping for a miracle.
“What were you doing earlier? You looked like you rushed over in a hurry.”
“It was the freshman welcome party… Ah, I’m not a freshman. I’m the class representative. There was a lot to take care of, but the moment I got the call from the station, I dropped everything and came.”
“So you’re a college student… What about your parents?”
“They… passed away. Five years ago.”
“Ah… I shouldn’t have asked.”
Even as I said that, I had already suspected as much. The way Jeonghye kept insisting everything was her fault wasn’t just the attitude of an older sister—it was the posture of a parent. If their parents were still alive, someone as young as her wouldn’t have needed to take on that role. Responsibility always fell to those who remained.
“It’s fine. It’s been a long time… So now, well…”
Her face didn’t look fine at all, so I changed the subject.
“Ah, do you know my name?”
“Ah… No… I’m sorry.”
“No need to apologize. My name is Kim Minjun. Jeonghye-ssi.”
She nodded and quietly repeated my name a few times, as if trying to commit it to memory. There was no need for that. I’d make sure she could never forget it.
After a brief pause, I spoke again.
“…I’m going to ask something a little out of line. Jeonghye-ssi.”
“Yes. You can ask me anything, Minjun-ssi.”
“The settlement money… Can you pay it?”
“Ah…”
The moment money came up, her expression darkened instantly. Her lips and eyes trembled as if she’d been stunned, the life draining out of them in real time.
“I’ll… I’ll find a way. The other girls’ parents will probably help share the burden…”
“I suppose so. But Jeonghye-ssi, I came right after I got the call, didn’t I? And I’ve been here at the station ever since. Yet the first guardian to show up wasn’t any of their parents—it was you.”
“Ah…”
“They must be busy with work. Too busy to come to the station even for something like this.”
“Yes…”
I was phrasing it gently for her sake, but the truth was obvious: the three girls came from difficult circumstances. Even without the guardians’ absence, the way they had trembled at the mere mention of money made it clear. The people who understood the terror of money best were those who didn’t have any.
“From what I heard, yesterday was your sister’s—Eunhye’s—birthday. They were drinking with friends when this happened. Judging by their attitudes, it seems like Eunhye was the one who suggested climbing onto the car… In other words, she was the instigator.”
“I’m… truly sorry.”
“Forget it. What I’m trying to say is, it won’t be easy for the guardians to coordinate. Even if it’s just among the families for now, there’s a chance they’ll try to pin all the responsibility on you and Eunhye. After all, the one who suggested it should take the blame… something like that.”
Even in a single game where ranks went up and down, unimaginable politics could unfold. This time, ten million won was on the line. And none of them seemed capable of handling that amount comfortably. They wouldn’t start arguing over fault right away, but once the discussion about splitting the cost began, it would inevitably turn into a battlefield. When things went well, people were polite enough to share credit. But when everything went wrong, someone always had to be sacrificed. And based on my experience with these kinds of situations, the chosen scapegoats would undoubtedly be the Eunhye-Jeonghye sisters.
“B-but… we all did it together… That’s too…”
The paper cup in Jeonghye’s hands trembled. The water inside sloshed dangerously, mirroring her own anxiety.
“Well, in the end they’ll probably split it somehow since everyone was involved. But there’s nothing more exhausting than fighting over money. And it’s one thing if it’s just the adults arguing, but it could even affect the kids’ relationships… So, Jeonghye-ssi.”
“…Yes?”
“Give me your number.”