Low on Serotonin

Prettiest Thing?

"Unnie please let me live will you?" I urge as I throw on my cutest little floral dress. Only rarely do I wear short clothes but today I just felt like it. 

Unnie stands at my closed door and makes helpless cries.

"Jen I am really nervous. I haven't gone to work since I can remember. I have no clue how anything works since Joaquin has taken over everything. God knows what she'll do!"

"God Unnie. That woman is a nightmare. What can I do? And I swear if this time she lashes out on you over anything she'll have it from me."

I open the door the minute I am done putting on gloss and tying my hair into a pony and Unnie cuts my way.

"No honey you can't repeat what you did last year or you'll have it from me! You know how Joaquin gets when he sees Ajumma fretting over anything."

"Okay. You know what? I am ready now. Will you let me leave Unnie? I am already late." I suddenly start despising every word that just came out of Unnie's mouth. It's always been Ajumma vs me and no I can't let her win. Despite what Unnie says.

"At least Have lunch Jen." Unnie calls out but I just want to get my butt out of here today.

"Can't."

"Woah!" I rub my head as it bumps into Joey's bulky shoulders.

"Dude watch will you? Is that true though? Crone really coming over?" Joey gives me puppy eyes.

"God yes! And this time for a month or so."

"I am staying over at Richie's then. I don't care but I am not ready to deal with that hag all over again."

"Well I would suggest that you do exactly that cause you are going down this time dude."

"Aaaah." Joey yelps as Oppa grabs him by his neck.

"You call Ajumma a hag one more time and I make you go to work every fucking day for the rest of the year." Oppa makes way to his room as he gets ready for another one of his meets which is about to happen in Hong Kong. Right before entering he comes back, takes my hand and gives me a peck on the forehead.

"Thank you so much for doing this Jen. Make sure you tell George that I have something important coming up okay."

"Yeah sure oppa. All the best." I give him a look that only me and Oppa can understand and he tousles my hair.

I grab my sling bag from the dining table and call out Unnie to shut the door as I leave.

I get my phone out of the bag and open cabatyourdoor.com. While I wait I wonder how all four of us have come a long way with Ajumma playing a big role in our lives. Although, how it was back then and how it is today, differ a lot.

Ajumma is the matriarch of our family. I know I said it's Unnie but it's only when Ajumma isn't here and over there in Seoul. She is my mother's sister and 3 years older than her. When parents left, she took our responsibility and took over dad's firm until Oppa grew old enough. She never deemed Unnie good enough for the firm. 

All hail Ajumma who never understood the gravity of female authority despite manifesting it herself all the fucking time!

Anyway. As we grew up she only became a pain. The Ajumma we thought only wanted the best for us just wanted to be drunk with success. Out of us four, Oppa is her favorite for obvious reasons. 

Guess whom she hates the most? Well. Why not? Rebellion runs in my nerves.

Thankfully, only rarely does she come here to Pennsdale now and wishes to spend the rest of her life in this village in the outskirts of Seoul where my mother is originally from. At least that's what Unnie told me. She comes over every now and then to see if the business is doing okay and to make sure Oppa is spending sleepless nights over it.