Chapter 10 - Unnie!!!!!
A girl came running from down the hallway.
Harin Yoo instinctively pressed her back against the wall. Her short hair bounced with each step, and her round-cheeked, big-eyed face rapidly drew closer. She wore a sleeveless T-shirt and training pants, with one shoelace undone.
The girl stopped right in front of Harin, panting hard, her eyes sparkling as she looked up.
"It's you, right?! The one who came today, right?! Chae-ah unnie told me! Silver hair!"
"Ah… yeah. I'm Yoo Harin…"
"Whoa!! Real silver hair!! Is this natural?!"
The girl's gaze fixed on Harin's hair. Her mouth hung open in an O.
"I'm Kang Nari! Newbie model here! Started a week ago!"
"Ah, hi…"
"Unnie, how old are you?"
Harin's mouth opened, then closed.
Age.
Yoo Hajoon was twenty-four. But this body's appearance looked younger. She didn't have a resident registration yet, and she hadn't heard specifics on what age Jung Sia would set for her legal identity. Saying twenty-four wouldn't match this face, and she hadn't checked the contract for the birth year yet.
"…Eighteen."
The safest answer. Ian was eighteen too.
"Really?! I'm eighteen too!"
Nari clasped her hands together.
"Same age!! This has to be fate, right?!"
Harin looked at Nari. And recalled the girl's first words to her.
"…Hold on."
"Yeah?"
"You called me unnie."
"Yeah! Unnie!"
"If we're the same age, I'm not your unnie, am I?"
Clear doubt colored Harin's voice for the first time. Nari's eyes widened, then she tilted her head.
"Oh, the one with the later birthday is the dongsaeng! When's unnie's birthday?"
"…July."
"Mine's May!"
"……"
Harin shut her mouth.
May was two months before July. If born the same year, Nari was the unnie and Harin the dongsaeng.
Nari beamed. And continued as if nothing had happened.
"…Unnie, so what are you up to now?"
This kid just glossed over it…!
"…No, you're the unnie."
"Huh?"
"I should be calling you unnie, right?"
"Ah!"
Nari slapped her own cheeks with both hands.
"Ahaha…! You're right…! I'm the unnie!"
Her laughter echoed down the hall. Someone from the office area peeked out through the glass door, then ducked back in.
Nari stopped laughing, clasped her hands in front of her chest, and bowed her head slightly.
"But…"
"Yeah."
"I wanna be the maknae of the agency…!"
"……."
Harin was speechless before this sheer nonsense.
Sibling hierarchy was decided by birthday. They'd just confirmed it. Yet the conclusion was 'I wanna be maknae, so I'll call you unnie anyway.'
"That's just your wishful thinking…"
"Unnie!"
"…Ah, fine."
Her energy was drained. It felt like her vitality was physically sucked away. Any will to argue evaporated before Nari's smile.
Fine, my mental age is twenty-four anyway.
"Then from now on, take good care of me, unnie!"
Nari bowed at a perfect ninety degrees. Her hair spilled forward.
"…You too."
"Let's go, go!"
Nari grabbed Harin's arm—not the wrist, but the upper arm. With both hands. Less grabbing, more clinging.
"Where?"
"Break room! The coffee machine's latte is so good! Unnie, you like sweet stuff?"
"Not that much…"
"Awesome! Let's go!"
Pretending to wait for an answer, she was already dragging her. Harin's feet slid half-steps along the floor.
Passing the office and turning into the inner hall revealed a small space.
Nari mashed buttons on the coffee machine.
Two cups came out. She handed one to Harin. Vanilla latte.
They sat side by side on the bench. Nari took a sip and immediately spoke.
"Unnie."
"Yeah."
"Got a boyfriend?"
Harin's hand froze.
Boyfriend.
The question itself felt alien. Her brain lagged a beat, adjusting to the gender-flipped version from her old self.
"…No."
"What?!"
Nari's upper body pitched forward on the bench. Her coffee sloshed.
"For real?!"
"For real."
"No boyfriend with that face?!"
Nari framed Harin's face with her spread hands. Silver hair and pale skin fit perfectly in her finger frame.
"The world is weird if unnie's single. What are guys doing? Total idiots."
"…Never had the chance."
"No chance? You'd get numbers just walking down the street with people staring?"
Nari took another sip, set her cup on the bench, and looked Harin straight in the eye.
"Then what about a girlfriend?"
"……."
Harin stared at Nari.
"You mean… like, romantically?"
"Yeah."
It was casual. No hint of joke or provocation in Nari's expression.
Harin's mouth wouldn't close.
"People don't usually think that way… between girls?"
"Why not?"
"Why not, just…"
"If no boyfriend with that face, it's gotta be girls, right?!"
Nari pointed at Harin's face again.
It was an unbearable lightness. Casually prying into someone's sexual orientation.
"Not gotta be…!"
"Totally is! No interest in guys with this visual? Means girls. Logically."
"What logic is that…"
Nari read Harin's flustered face. Her lips quirked up. Not the innocent smile from before—mischief sparkled in her eyes.
"Huh? Unnie, what's wrong? Hit a nerve?"
"No nerve hit."
"It is. Your face says it all."
Nari leaned toward Harin on the bench. Her torso brushed Harin's shoulder.
"Na, Nari?"
"Unnie."
Nari's face drew closer. The coffee machine's button lights reflected as twin dots in her eyes. Cheek-to-cheek distance.
Nari's hand rose, lightly pinching Harin's chin with thumb and forefinger. Turning her head toward herself.
"Then… does this make your heart flutter?"
"……!"
Harin's back hit the bench rest. No escape. Nari's fingers on her chin, noses a palm's width apart.
Her heart pounded.
Yoo Hajoon's remnants blared alarms. A girl's face this close, girl's hand on chin, girl's eyes locked on hers. Overstimulation.
"…Your face is red."
Nari whispered. Her lips fully curved. Little devil. Hiding under that innocent face.
"N-no it's not. It's hot."
"AC's on?"
"AC must be weak."
"It's 22 degrees?"
"Body temps differ…"
Ridiculous excuses. Harin knew it. Nari knew it. Nari's grin widened.
"Admit it, unnie. Easier."
"Admit what."
"That it flutters."
"Doesn't."
Nari's hand left her chin. As Harin exhaled in relief, Nari overlaid her hand on the back of Harin's hand. On the bench. Gently cupping.
"This?"
"…What's this."
"Holding hands."
Nari's fingers slipped naturally between Harin's. Interlocked.
"Wa-wait…"
"Flutters, right?"
"Doesn't fl—"
"Ears are red."
Harin's hand flew to her ear. Burning.
Nari burst out laughing, unable to hold it.
"Ahahaha! Unnie's too cute!!"
"Don't tease!"
"Can't help it! Your reactions are hilarious!"
Nari clutched her stomach, laughing. Tears welled in her eyes. Genuine amusement. Harin glared, hands cupping her ears, but it only doubled Nari's laughter—far from threatening.
"Even unnie's mad face is cute!"
"Not cute."
"For real! Look in a mirror! Right now!"
Nari whipped out her phone camera, shoving it in Harin's face. Screen showed a silver-haired girl with red ears and flushed cheeks. Wide eyes, half-open mouth. Not angry or scared—flustered.
"…Ugh."
"Pretty, right?"
Nari grinned through the screen.
Harin pushed the phone away, turning her head. Nari pocketed it, still giggling.
"Unnie's reactions are too good. Can't stop."
"So stop…"
"Okay, okay. No more teasing."
Nari raised both hands in surrender. But her shoulder leaned against Harin's again. Naturally. Like breathing.
"…This?"
"Not teasing. Just comfy."
Harin didn't protest further. No weird aversion to the warmth on her shoulder.
Ian doesn't even go this far, but this kid…
Nari sipped her coffee in that leaned pose. Mischief lingered on her face, but no sign of resuming attack.
It was quiet.
Nari's hand lightly tapped the back of Harin's hand again.
"But really, none? Girlfriend."
"Told you, no."
"Bummer."
"Bummer why."
"Coulda teased more."
"…You little."
Harin poked Nari's forehead with a finger. Nari's head snapped back, giggles spilling out.
Right then.
The break room door opened.
"Harin, you're here…"
It was Seo Ian.
Mask pulled down under her chin, standing at the door. Clearly come looking after afternoon reading. Her eyes scanned for Harin, freezing on the bench scene.
Junior leaning on Harin's shoulder. Harin's ears red, girl's hand near the back of Harin's hand, Harin's other hand on girl's forehead.
Ian's gaze locked.
Oh no.
Harin felt crisis more intensely than ever.
More than excusing Hajoon as cousin. More than blackmail over identity with the CEO.
Couldn't explain, but instinct screamed danger.
But oblivious Nari looked up at Ian and beamed.
"Hi! Senior, you here for Harin unnie too?"