When someone believes you’re in pain
She texted that she was feeling unwell, but his reply took a long time. What might she have held back while she waited?
Her husband puts off replying when she says she feels unwell, and she holds back her words while she waits.
As she’s about to do the evening dishes, Seoyun texts her husband that she’s feeling unwell, but he doesn’t reply. When his message finally comes, it misses the words she was hoping for. In counseling, they begin to talk about what each of them hopes to hear when someone says they’re feeling unwell.
When you say you feel unwell
Sometimes, when you say you feel unwell, what you want first is to be believed, not to hear a solution.
On a day you said you felt unwell, what did you most want to hear first?
I keep thinking about the glass of water left untouched on the table while she waited for his reply. Sometimes, after saying you feel unwell, what you want first is for someone to believe you, not to offer a fix. If you’ve ever swallowed similar words, you’re welcome to tell me about that moment too.
Scenes
- 01 · An Evening Request An Evening Request — As Minjae clears the dinner table, Seoyun tells him she’s feeling unwell today. Seoyun: I’m feeling a bit unwell today. Minjae: What hurts?
- 02 · No Reply No Reply — Seoyun texts Minjae, “I’m feeling unwell,” but no reply comes.
- 03 · A Late Reply A Late Reply — A long while later, Minjae texts, “Take some medicine and go to bed early.” Even after reading it, Seoyun can’t bring herself to turn off the screen. Minjae: Take some medicine and go to bed early. Seoyun: Not that… I just wanted you to believe me.
- 04 · What the Words Mean What the Words Mean — In the counseling room, Seoyun says she wanted Minjae to believe her when she said she felt unwell. Cheongun suggests they write down what they’d each like to hear first the next time something similar comes up. Cheongun: Seoyun, shall we write down what you’d like to hear first? Seoyun: I just… I wish you’d tell me you believe me.
Stories by Cheongun
- Cheongun
- On payday, Dad asked me to pass that along
- At the light, I think of what I want to say to my family.
- At lunch, I want to choose my child’s career path for them.
- When I step out after washing and stand before the mirror, the comparisons in my family come back to me.
- After the meeting, the plans and the spur-of-the-moment ideas clash again.
- When we get home from work, the first thing we talk about at the door is caring for our parents.
- As we left the exam room, Mom asked first.
- We put off the decision again while doing the dishes