Mom was standing in the living room, having grabbed a plastic broom.
The tears that had pooled in Sohee's eyes were now overflowing, running down her cheeks, and dropping.
"Minji, if you're done eating, go to your room, close the door, and do your homework!"
Mom sent Minji to her room first.
Minji looked back at Sohee with worry as she entered her room.
"Jinwoo, stay right there!!"
Jinwoo, who seemed unable to move as he was hard, gratefully adjusted his position according to mom's command.
"Sohee, come here!!"
In a terrifying voice, Mom summoned Sohee to the center of the room.
Sobbing, Sohee walked up to Mom.
"You haven't been cleaning your room for days now, have you? A high school student buying flashy clothes and makeup, scattering them everywhere and never tidying up!"
Mom glared fiercely at her and then burst out with everything she had been holding back.
Sohee Noona stood there, sobbing with her head bowed.
"And cigarettes and a lighter!!! You think I wouldn't know if you hid them in your bag? Just because I give you allowance, you spend it all like that!!"
Mom had clearly rummaged through her bag.
Suddenly, when mom brought up cigarettes and a lighter, Sohee looked genuinely flustered and started to tear up more.
Then, covering her face with her hands, she began to sob pitifully.
"Hiiiing... Waaaaah..."
"Sohee, tell me the truth. When did you start smoking?"
Regardless, mom pressed on, questioning Sohee.
"Sob..sob~ It's just that a friend asked me to hold onto them... I wasn't the one smoking."
Even as she cried, Sohee was making up lies.
"What kind of friend leaves you with cigarettes? Are you really going to lie to me right now?"
Mom wasn't buying it.
"Jinwoo, did you know your sister was smoking?"
Mom turned her attention to Jinwoo.
The sparks suddenly flew towards Jinwoo.
Jinwoo looked at his sister with pity, offering neither a confirmation nor a denial.
"Jinwoo, do you smoke too?"
Another question flew from mom.
Jinwoo immediately shook his head no.
"Jinwoo, tell me the truth! How long have you known about her smoking?"
Mom was determined to get to the bottom of the situation.
"A few days ago, I saw her smoking in the park."
Jinwoo glanced at Sohee as he spoke.
"Was she alone?"
"No, she was with some friends."
"Which friends?"
"Shinbi and three other girls I didn't recognize."
Jinwoo thus honestly spilled everything he knew to mom.
Sohee looked at him with a face full of betrayal and glared fiercely.
Thwack!
Seeing the glare, Mom punched Sohee on the head.
"Why are you glaring at your brother?! Huh? Why are you glaring?!!! If you try to blame him or touch him, just you wait?!!"
Mom was really scary as she scolded Sohee.
"Aish~ Mom is really~ Why are you snooping in other people's bags~?"
Sohee Noona, with both hands covering the part of her head Mom had hit, tried a futile last resistance.
"How can you say that when you did something wrong? Do you want Mom to really make you scream today?"
Mom mercilessly beat Sohee's thighs and legs with the broom she was holding.
Thwack! Thwack!
"Ah! Stop! It hurts!"
Thwack!
"Aack!"
Sohee Noona screamed and clung desperately to Mom's legs.
"Mom, I did wrong! I did wrong!! I won't do it again, sob sob sob~"
Sohee Noona was on her knees, begging with clasped hands.
"Mom, I did wrong, I won't do it again, sob sob sob"
Mom glared fiercely at her then said.
"What exactly are you sorry for?"
"Smoking."
Sohee confessed immediately.
"What else!?"
"Not cleaning my room, sob sob~"
"And?"
"Lying."
"And what else!?"
"Uh... talking back to mom, sob"
"Anything else!?"
"Anything else? That's... uh..."
Sohee Noona struggled to think of another mistake.
"Your clothes!"
Mom's voice rose as she snapped at her.
"Uh.. wearing sexy clothes that made Jinwoo uncomfortable, sob sob sob sob~"
After answering, Sohee lay on the floor and began to cry sorrowfully.
Jinwoo found the sight of his big sister incredibly pitiful.
He wondered if all this was truly worth such a harsh scolding.
But he didn't dare to speak up.
"I've always told you how much I hate lying, haven't I?"
Mom continued her lecture.
"Yes..sob sob"
Sohee tearfully responded, still lying on the ground.
"Since you lied today, you're not getting any allowance for a month, you understand?"
"Yes…"
Sohee replied with a despondent tone, suggesting the length and melancholy of a tragic heroine.
"And don't wear those clothes your aunt gave you anymore. Do you have any idea what could happen if you wear something so revealing?"
Mom looked deeply troubled as she spoke.
Sohee suddenly started shedding tears more heavily and said,
"I just wore it because Aunt picked it out and it was pretty~ I didn't mean to make Jinwoo uncomfortable~ sob sob.. I thought mom would say it looks nice too~ it's too much~ sob sob sob~~"
Hearing this, Mom's expression softened into one of compassion.
"Sohee, come here."
Mom said this and then embraced Sohee, who came over crying, and soothed her by stroking her back.
"Yeah~ Sohee, mom is sorry for not understanding your feelings~ You didn't mean anything bad, but it hurts when mom yells, right? But you know you can't wear those kinds of clothes, right?"
Mom's tone had softened as she comforted Sohee.
"Sob sob sob"
Sohee continued to sob into Mom's arms.
"Yeah, mom's sorry, it's mom's fault~ I'll buy you different clothes that you'll like, okay? Stop crying now."
Seeing her daughter so broken, Mom's voice sounded as if she were cajoling a small child.
"Really? Sob… will you really buy me clothes I want to wear? Sob sob..."
Sohee Noona sniffled.
"Yes, but no sexy clothes, okay?"
Mom continued to soothe Sohee while stroking her back.
"Okay... I understand, Mom. sob sob sob"
Sohee clung to Mom, acting more like a child than a teenager.
"Really, all grown up and still such babies~!"
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Mom held her for a while longer, then applied ointment to her bruises before sending her upstairs.
Finally, she turned toward Jinwoo.
"Jinwoo, can we talk for a minute?"