I want to stop the gossip about our friend here.
Near the end of the workday, my friend brought up another friend again. “I don’t want to hear this” kept circling in my head as I sat with my cup of tea.
Near the end of the workday on Friday, Sujin listens to a friend gossip about someone else. She opens her mouth to ask her to stop, but a familiar laugh slips out first.
At a café near the end of the workday on Friday, Yuna starts gossiping about a friend who isn’t there. Sujin laughs it off, but when Yuna keeps going, she fidgets with her cup and swallows her words. Yeonhwa asks if Sujin has ever said she didn’t want to hear it, and Sujin thinks of the sentence she still hasn’t said aloud. The gossip goes on, and the words never leave her lips.
When a friend’s gossip makes you uncomfortable
Asking someone to stop telling you something you don’t want to hear doesn’t necessarily mean you dislike that friend.
What did your friend say that you most wanted them to stop?
It’s hard to look closely at those moments when a friend keeps talking about someone else and you laugh along. To me, it seems that laugh comes less from agreeing with the gossip and more from wanting to protect the friendship. If you’ve swallowed your words after hearing something similar, tell me what happened then, too.
Scenes
- 01 · The Story Starts Again The Story Starts Again — Yuna gossips that their absent friend is always changing the time of their plans. Sujin smiles and nods. Yuna: She’s always changing our plans to suit herself. Sujin: Yeah. She did it again?
- 02 · Silence Behind the Smile Silence Behind the Smile — Yuna keeps gossiping about the same friend. Instead of answering, Sujin looks at the rim of her teacup. Yuna: She was only talking about herself in the group chat earlier, too. Sujin: ……
- 03 · A Conversation About Speaking Up A Conversation About Speaking Up — In the counseling room, Sujin tells Yeonhwa she doesn’t want to hear her friend gossip. Sujin: When my friend gossips about someone else, I don’t want to hear it, but I just end up smiling. Yeonhwa: While she’s talking, you find yourself smiling first. Is there something you feel like saying?
- 04 · The Words Still Swallowed The Words Still Swallowed — Sujin remembers looking at her teacup that day and swallowing the words, “I don’t want to hear any more about that.” Yeonhwa: When those words reached the tip of your tongue, what held you back the most? Sujin: I was afraid she’d be upset. But I didn’t want to hear any more about it.
Stories by Yeonhwa
- Yeonhwa
- The way people spend at work dinners keeps catching my attention.
- I keep thinking about the conversation that ended, every afternoon.
- On my way to work, I heard about a big expense.
- On their birthday morning, you hold back the greeting, afraid your feelings might show.
- I want to choose someone to live with, but I’m just waiting for the tarot reading.
- Every lunch break, I’m left alone, wondering where my part ends.
- On my birthday morning, I’m ready, but they aren’t yet.
- My heart starts racing in the car.