My Terrifying Younger Sister
"Aaaah!"
Without even flipping the selector from safe to semi, I reflexively raised my rifle.
"Halt! Halt! Halt! Move and I'll shoot! Disk!"
I shouted the challenge. My voice cracked.
But then—
"Oppa~"
……Huh?
"I missed you so much!"
……Huh?
It was a familiar voice. Far too familiar—the one I heard on the phone every day and deliberately ignored.
"You came out to greet me personally because you knew I was here! I'm so moved……"
The black silhouette stepped into the glow of the streetlight.
Bright blonde hair tied in a side ponytail.
Round, sparkling eyes.
Cheeks flushed peach-pink from the cold.
It was my younger sister.
The phrase "devastating beauty" must have been coined for her. Nine out of ten people who passed her on the street would turn to look.
Her features were flawless, yet she also radiated approachability, making it impossible not to stare in a daze.
If even her own brother reacted this way, any boy she spoke to would probably lie awake all night, heart pounding.
"Uh? J-Jiheon?"
Without waiting for an answer, Jiheon lunged at me.
Her patented move—wrapping both arms around my neck—activated instantly. There was no time to dodge.
The moment her soft, definitely F-cup breasts pressed against my upper body, blood rushed downward.
In an instant she was in my arms, rubbing her cheek against mine.
My entire body stiffened at the sensation of smooth skin.
Only for a moment.
The warmth of her soft chest and the heat radiating from her face right in front of mine made all the strength drain out of me.
"Oppa’s scent……"
Jiheon sniffed with an enraptured expression.
"I missed you so much……"
"H-Hey, hey, hey."
I came to my senses and tried to peel her off, but her arms clung like a leech and wouldn’t budge.
"Wait, how the hell did you even get here?!"
"I took a taxi."
"A taxi?! At this hour?! All the way here?!"
"Yes. From Seoul to Pocheon it was about 110,000 won with the late-night surcharge."
My mind went blank as I stared at my sister answering so nonchalantly.
From behind me, Private Bae Seo-jin’s voice rang out.
"Senior! Is that a ghost?! Do you know her?!"
I couldn’t answer.
How was I supposed to explain that this was my younger sister—someone far scarier than any ghost?
"Hey, get off me first."
I pried her off with all my strength. Jiheon looked disappointed, but she finally let go.
A sigh escaped me.
"Are you out of your mind? How did you get here alone at this hour?"
"I already told you. I took a taxi."
"Does that make any sense? From Seoul to Pocheon? After ten at night?"
"Yes. The driver said he wouldn’t go at first, but when I offered double the fare he agreed."
I was speechless again at how calmly she said it.
Double the fare meant 220,000 won. How much of her allowance was she wasting?
"Haa……"
Calm down. Getting angry wouldn’t help.
I’d learned over twenty years of living with her that common sense simply didn’t apply to this girl.
"Give me your phone."
"Huh? Why?"
"Now."
Jiheon obediently handed it over.
When I opened the recent calls, the very first entry was saved as "Pocheon Taxi Driver." She’d even saved the name?
I dialed. After three rings, a tired voice answered.
"Hello?"
"Ah, hello. You’re the driver who took a passenger from Seoul to the Pocheon military base earlier, right?"
"Oh, yes. The blonde girl? What’s the matter?"
"I’m sorry, but could you come back? I need you to take this passenger back to Seoul."
"……Right now?"
The driver’s voice was heavy with exhaustion.
Of course it was—he’d just driven from Seoul to Pocheon and was being asked to turn around and do it again.
"Yes, I’m really sorry. I’ll pay double the fare, obviously."
"……Haa."
A long sigh came through the line.
"Understood. I’m in downtown Pocheon right now, so it’ll take about ten minutes."
"Thank you. Thank you so much."
I hung up and returned the phone. Jiheon pouted.
"Oppa, I just got here and you’re already sending me back?"
"Of course. This is a military base. Civilians aren’t allowed inside."
"Can’t I stay even for a little while? I want to see your face more."
"No. It’s late, and you have academy tomorrow. What are you doing wandering around at this hour as a twenty-year-old girl retaking exams?"
"Oppa is more important than academy."
"……That mindset is exactly the problem."
I pressed a hand to my forehead. A headache was coming on.
"Anyway, why did you come? Did something happen?"
"……"
Jiheon hesitated, then put on a sad expression.
Under the streetlight, that look was heartbreakingly pitiful.
"Oppa’s scent."
"……What?"
"It’s all gone."
Her voice was serious.
"After you enlisted, I held on by smelling your pillow and blanket. But now there’s really nothing left. The withdrawal symptoms got so bad that I came here in a daze."
"……"
I had no words.
Withdrawal symptoms. Not from drugs—from her brother’s scent.
I seriously wondered if I should take her to a hospital.
Jiheon ran a hand through her hair.
Blonde strands slipped between her fingers.
"I’m not leaving empty-handed."
She spoke firmly.
"Give me something that smells like you and I’ll go."
"What am I supposed to give you? I’m on duty right now."
"Then one of the things you’re wearing."
"Are you crazy? How am I supposed to give you my uniform?"
"Then what’s underneath."
She was relentless. Truly relentless. Where did this sister’s obsession end?
I glanced toward the guard post. Private Bae Seo-jin was staring at us intently.
His eyes were still full of questions about whether we were ghosts or humans.
"……Haa."
I let out a deep sigh and unzipped my field jacket.
Underneath I was wearing a military vest for warmth. It wouldn’t be that cold even without it as long as I kept the jacket on.
I took off the vest and handed it to her. She’d clearly been angling for my underwear, but that was never going to happen.
"……Will this do?"
Jiheon’s eyes sparkled.
"Oppa……!"
She buried her face in the military vest on the spot. I could hear her sniffing loudly.
It was a good thing no one else was around. If there had been, someone would’ve reported us.
"……Haa, I’m so happy."
Watching my sister’s blissful expression, I pressed my forehead again.
That was when I noticed the paper box she’d been holding the whole time. Up close, it was clearly a fried chicken box.
"What’s that?"
"Ah!"
Jiheon proudly held up the box.
"It’s XX Chicken’s soy sauce flavor—your favorite! You must be working so hard, so you should eat something delicious!"
"……"
For a moment, I was genuinely moved.
This sister might be obsessive and sometimes creepy, but she really did care in her own way. She’d even bought chicken and carried it all the way from Seoul to Pocheon.
"……Thanks."
I meant it.
"But Jiheon."
"Yes?"
"When did you leave Seoul?"
"Um, around seven?"
"……It’s ten-thirty now."
"Yes."
"That chicken’s been sitting for three and a half hours."
"……Ah."
Jiheon’s face stiffened. When she opened the box, the chicken inside was completely cold.
The batter was soggy with grease.
"……I’m sorry, Oppa. I didn’t think it through."
Her voice was deflated.
"It’s okay. I appreciate the thought. You can eat it at home after reheating it."
"……But you’re the one who should eat it."
"No outside food allowed inside the base. I couldn’t take it in anyway."
It was a lie.
With some explaining, it probably could’ve been brought in, but the PX wouldn’t open until tomorrow morning, so there was no microwave available at night.
"So you eat it. Enjoy."
"……Okay."
Jiheon nodded, looking disappointed, but she didn’t argue further.
We waited about ten minutes like that.
The whole time, Private Bae Seo-jin kept glancing over from the guard post.
He was definitely going to interrogate me when I got back. My head already hurt trying to figure out what excuse to give.
Fortunately, the taxi arrived.
A black taxi with "Reserved" written on it slowly approached along the road.
Its headlights cut through the darkness as it drew closer.
"Taxi’s here. Time to go."
"……Yes."
Jiheon looked up at me with reluctant eyes.
"Oppa, please take leave next time. Please."
"……I’ll think about it."
"You have to. Promise."
"Yeah."
I answered half-heartedly and nudged her toward the taxi.
Jiheon opened the door and climbed in, glancing back at me one last time. She clutched the military vest I’d given her tightly in her hands.
"Oppa, I love you."
"……Uh, yeah. Be careful."
The taxi door closed.
The car pulled away slowly. Through the rear window, I could see Jiheon waving. She kept waving until the taxi disappeared into the darkness.
I stood there for a long time, watching until the taillights were completely gone.
"……Haa."
A deep sigh escaped me.
I had to go back to the guard post. Private Bae Seo-jin’s barrage of questions was waiting.
"Who was that girl?", "Is she your girlfriend?", "Why were you hugging her?" The expected questions flashed through my mind.
What excuse should I use?
While pondering, I slowly crossed the road.
The moment I returned to the guard post, Private Bae Seo-jin rushed over with sparkling eyes.
"So what was that, Senior?"
His gaze was full of curiosity—like an auntie who’d just discovered fresh gossip.
"It was a ghost……"
I answered flatly.
In a way, it wasn’t entirely wrong. To me, my younger sister was exactly like a ghost.
She watched my every move, followed me wherever I went, and no matter how many times I peeled her off, she stuck right back on. A truly ghostly woman.
"What kind of ghost takes a taxi?"
Seo-jin looked unconvinced.
"I clearly saw it! You were hugging her. Were you hugging a ghost? Don’t tell me this is one of those possession stories?!"
"……"
Didn’t this guy say he wasn’t interested in the occult earlier?
"And you gave her something earlier, didn’t you? Like a vest. Why would you give a ghost a vest?"
It had been quite a distance, yet this guy’s observational skills were terrifyingly sharp.
"Enough."
I cut him off.
"Just get ready to eat all that rice noodle soup tomorrow."
"Eeeh……"
Seo-jin looked disappointed.
"You really won’t tell me? I’m dying of curiosity."
"Just stand your watch."
I spoke firmly and returned to my original spot in front of the guard post.
I slung the rifle strap over my shoulder and stared straight ahead. The spot where my sister had been standing was now empty.
"Geez, Senior is really……"
Seo-jin grumbled behind me, but I ignored him.
My head was a mess.
Today’s incident was clearly my sister acting alone.
Our parents were still overseas on business, so Jiheon had decided to come here on her own.
The problem was that this might not be the first or last time.
What would she bring next?
Pizza? Pig’s feet? Or maybe an entire bundle of blankets?
"Oppa’s scent is all gone."
Her earlier words kept circling in my head. What she meant was that if she ran out of things that smelled like me, she might come again.
I’d given her the vest today, so it should be fine for a while, but the scent would fade after a few months.
Then she’d come again.
Taking a taxi at ten at night. Paying double the 110,000-won fare. Bringing chicken.
……Haa.
Another sigh escaped me.
I was probably going to have to take forced leave just to make sure she never came here again.
If I didn’t regularly supply her with scented items, this would definitely happen again.
In my head, I was already planning my next leave.
What should I do to satisfy her? Eat together, watch a movie, go for a walk. Would that be enough?
Ah, I’d also have to do a lot of laundry.
If I left behind several pieces of clothing that smelled like me, she’d probably last until the next leave.
A soldier playing drug dealer for his sister.
With bitter thoughts, I gazed at the distant mountains.
Under the star-filled night sky, I pictured my sister riding the taxi back to Seoul.
She was probably burying her face in the vest right now, sniffing away.
……I really should take her to a hospital.
I seriously considered it, then shook my head.
What would a doctor even diagnose? "Oppa scent addiction"?
No such illness existed in this world.