Chapter 195
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 195
Chapter Title: Little Sister's Secrets
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Seeing my youngest sister beaming with a bashful smile, thrilled over the secret now just between us, she looked so cute and angelic at that moment.
The little one poked and prodded at my changed face and body, utterly fascinated.
But her hands wandering over me felt a bit... naughty?
Her cheeks were flushing a little too. Hmm... this kid. No way she's crushing on me?
"Ahem."
"Ah, s-sorry, Oppa. I didn't mean to... it just happened."
Suddenly, an awkward, embarrassed vibe hung in the air between us.
Normally, she'd tease me and steer the mood, but with her face red and silent, it felt weird.
This tension reminded me of those cringey blind date setups, making it even stranger.
To shake off the awkwardness, I scanned her hospital room.
The hospital room where my sister was staying was a VIP suite.
No wonder it was spacious inside with top-notch facilities.
"Wow, it always feels like a hotel in here."
"Second Sis got me this room. She makes bank. Even as a college student, she's already known as a big player in the stock and loan shark markets. Mom and Big Sis rake it in too. Third Sis seems to make good money hacking or something. In our family, it's just you and me who's the problem kids."
"Hey, what do you mean you're a problem? You're just not feeling well. No one thinks you're trouble. And you're a total brainiac with studies. You just couldn't go to school because of your health."
I comforted her since she seemed down about her illness.
But why lump me in as a problem child too?
It irked me a bit, but I let it slide for the greater good.
"Yeah, I know. I only included myself because I felt bad calling just you the screw-up while you're visiting me. How dare anyone compare sweet, cute, smart me to a black-haired beast with his brain in his dick. Right?"
"...No, seriously, even when I'm consoling you, you pull this shit..."
Thinking about it, I'd been played again.
Like all the women in our family, my youngest sister had that bold, tough streak—she didn't get down or depressed over stuff like this.
Probably.
"Oppa, here. Pocket money. Thanks for the trouble running my errand."
She casually pulled out cash and pressed a hefty sum into my hand.
Way more than what her errand deserved.
In a way, she was giving me pointless chores just to hand me money.
The nerve of this little sister...
We've had this dynamic forever, so I naturally reached to take it... but then it hit me—taking money from my own sister for this felt off.
"...?"
"Huh? Why not take it?"
As I hesitated, she tilted her pretty little head adorably.
Then she read my face, smirked, and took the money back.
"Now that you're a Tower trial survivor, you've got your own cash flow? Too proud for your baby sis's money? Fine by me. I'll enjoy what you buy me. Thanks, Oppa."
"...Yeah, sure. Makes sense I'd be the one buying. ...Hey, random thought, but where does all your money come from? It's suspicious."
"...Oh, curious about my funds' source? Hmm, well... Oppa, you really don't know? For real?"
"No clue. If it's Mom's allowance, spend it yourself. Don't use errands as an excuse to give it to me anymore."
"Nah, Mom doesn't give allowance. She covers living expenses, barely enough to scrape by... And how much do you think I earn? You seriously have no idea? Didn't you used to deliver my manuscripts to the publisher for me when we were kids? Don't you know what awards I won back then? Sure, now it's all online, so maybe you don't since I don't ask you anymore... But you know several of my pen names, right?"
"...?"
"Holy crap... You didn't even know that? Sigh... Whatever. You've never cared about this stuff. Anyway, my money comes from publisher royalties, web novel sales payouts, etc. You know I'm talented in academics and arts."
"Yeah, that tracks."
"If I were healthier, I'd make way more. ...Plus, Second Sis sends me over 5 million won allowance every month. Sometimes up to 20 million. You get that too, right? Second Sis splashes cash on the whole family."
"What? Second Sis gives allowance? I've never gotten any."
"...?"
"...?"
"...S-sorry. Guess she skips you. Yeah... Mom gets it too..."
She pulled up her banking app and showed me Second Sis's monthly deposits—amounts that'd make me pass out.
From what she said, it wasn't just her; she spread it to the whole family.
Except me.
"...What the hell. That's way more than the living expenses Mom sends me... No, why?! Why does everyone get it but me...?!!"
Why! Why me!
"Oppa, hate to say it, but considering what you've pulled at home... Isn't it obvious? I wasn't gonna mention it to spare your feelings, but that aggrieved look on your face is seriously pissing me off. Oppa, put your hand on your heart... ...Oh, right, you don't have one? Or is your conscience in your dick too? C'mon, figure it out. Why you don't deserve it?"
"Still!"
"Look, it's true, and you know it. You're the black sheep of the family. But it's not 'cause you're worthless—it's karma from your screw-ups. Yeah? If you had some physical disability or illness, Second Sis would've babied you more than me, showered you with cash."
"...?"
"But yours is mental... I barely convinced Mom and the family it's a mental issue, a kind of disability, so you stayed on the family registry and kept getting living expenses."
"...?"
"Not convinced? Want me to list your crimes one by one? ...Hmm, let's see. First off, jerking off with my hair while I slept and getting caught red-handed. Then with the women's underwear, caught again..."
"Hey. Hey. Stop. Got it. Please, stop."
I'd done plenty of shameful shit in my wild teenage phase, so I begged her to quit.
Hearing more would traumatize me.
This brat had an annoyingly sharp memory.
And she structured her storytelling so well... Novelist talent?
Anyway, she recounted those events like replaying a video or reading a fairy tale, making them vivid and torturous.
Damn it. Everyone has embarrassing moments they cringe over under the covers.
But she kept replaying them in my brain with her memory + narrative skills?
"It was a sweltering summer day. A huge cicada on the tree out front was screeching loud. Probably why you didn't hear Mom and the sisters approaching."
"...?"
"I was showering inside the bathroom, and you were in the changing room outside, furiously jerking off with my just-removed panties. Then boom—Mom and sisters fling the door open. Remember their shocked screams?"
"...?"
"Big Sis was pissed, unleashed a face-gut-balls triple kick combo, dropping you instantly. You bawled and groveled to the fight-pro Big Sis, begging for mercy. I remember."
"...?"
"Pathetic. Snot and tears streaming as you apologized to me that day. After, your rank dropped below the family dog. Even the pup seemed to know."
"...That's why I hate being around you... I'm going home..."
"...Heeheehee, okay, I'll stop teasing. Heehee, Oppa? Mad? Don't be. I'll quit. ...But isn't this karma for what you did? ...Ah, don't go. For real this time."
The little tormentor soothed me after her verbal jabs.
She's always had a knack for wounding and healing.
She munched on the ice cream and snacks I'd brought, then flicked on the TV to kill boredom.
The news was deep into Tower coverage, with so-called Tower experts as panelists chatting away.
—"So, Doctor, you're saying the Towers seem to have stopped?"—
—"Yes. 'The Towers appear to have entered a dormant state' is the global phenomenon buzzing right now. The Towers, which kidnapped countless people daily, haven't moved for days. No Tower-related deaths reported since Monday this week."—
'Monday this week... That's around when I entered the Tower.'