The Gap with Noona
While Noona was petting my head, my stomach started to feel a little empty. I'd eaten lunch late and not even that much, but it was already growling again.
"Is Noona eating dinner here tonight?"
"Why? Don't wanna eat with your big sis?"
"No, no, that's not it."
I shook my head in a fluster, and Noona placed her hand on my head again, ruffling it like I was the cutest thing ever. Ehehe... No, snap out of it. Why did my mind go all fuzzy every time Noona petted me?
"Then we'll eat together, right?"
"Got it."
"Anything you wanna eat?"
"Hmm..."
While I sat in the chair pondering, Noona's hand shifted from my head to my wrist, grabbing it gently.
"Huh, Noona?"
She pulled me to my feet and headed straight for the bed. After laying me down on the narrow mattress, she slowly leaned in closer.
Why's she coming in so close...!
I squeezed my eyes shut after one last glimpse of her approaching. Then something settled beside me, so I cracked my eyes open and glanced over. Contrary to my wild imagination, Noona had just flopped down next to me and was scrolling through a delivery app on her phone.
"Let's lie down together and pick something out."
"Ah, yeah."
My body had trembled a bit and I'd closed my eyes, but I swear I wasn't thinking anything weird. Instead, the old male me—the crazy bastard Seo Ha-yoon—was dominating my thoughts with What the hell is this bitch doing right now? Of course, the current female owner of this body, Seo Ha-yoon, was just going along with it like it was normal...
"What should we get?"
Noona stared intently at her phone screen from her prone position, totally oblivious. I let out a silent sigh and mirrored her, flopping down and turning my gaze to the screen.
"Got anything you wanna eat?"
"Hmm, nothing really jumps out..."
I was peering at the screen in response when one item caught my eye, and I trailed off.
Bewildering Tteokbokki | Mala Rosé Tteokbokkihot
Mala rosé tteokbokki? What a violently tempting combo of words.
-Gulp.
I swear I heard Noona swallow loudly. Definitely not me. It had to be her. Otherwise, I'd have to admit this fragile male soul had lost to estrogen after the body swap.
"Yoon-ah? Find something?"
"Uh, no. I mean..."
But Noona's question forced me to concede defeat to estrogen. Against my will, my trembling finger pointed at the menu item on the screen.
"Mala rosé tteokbokki? We had mala tang for lunch, and you want more?"
"...Y-yeah."
"Pfft."
Noona stifled a laugh at my meek voice, deeming it adorable, and patted my head. Why had I turned into such a mess...?
"Alright, alright. If our little Ha-yoon wants it, of course we'll order it."
While Noona placed the order, add-ons like extra rice cakes and glass noodles taunted me from the options list, but I held back. Voicing them would shatter something inside me for real—but Noona must've noticed my gaze, because her fingers flew across the screen.
"Should I add rice cakes and Chinese glass noodles too?"
"Ah, uh..."
In the end, I squeezed my eyes shut and nodded faintly. The male Seo Ha-yoon's soul wailed in my heart, but my mouth kept flooding with saliva.
I wondered how far these damn hormones would drag me down. No way it'd go as far as with a guy... right? I'd die before that happened.
"Order placed! About 40 minutes."
Noona set her phone down with a satisfied look and buried her face in the pillow. Wasn't her chest hurting from lying like that so long?
Mine already ached a little just from being prone... Oh, right, the sizes were different. At least this one thing felt the same as my little sister days, which was oddly comforting. As I stared at Noona's chest...
"Come here, Yoon-ie!"
Noona suddenly stretched out both arms and yanked me into a tight hug around my waist.
"Eek!"
With a weird squeak, I got sucked into her embrace. The novel soft sensation against my arm blanked my mind for a second.
She's hugging me. My little sister. Noona. Noona. Little sister. Noona...
Stuck right against her, my whole body went rigid. My breathing, already constricted by my own chest, got even worse. We never used to be like this before, right? Was this just average for sisters? Did all sisters in the world cuddle like this?
"Noona! Can't... breathe...!"
"Why can't you brea—"
Noona started to respond but trailed off, staring at my chest. Then she glanced down at her own, her face filling with disappointment as she let go.
"Haa..."
"Haa."
I escaped her arms without missing a beat and rolled over to breathe freely. But right in front of me came Noona's sigh—full of genuine sadness, unlike mine.
"...Sorry?"
"Why apologize?"
"Dunno. Felt like I should."
Noona gazed at me quietly, then extended her hand forward. Wait... if she reached out like that...
"Uh, Noona?"
"...You've grown a lot."
Genes are truly miraculous.
After Noona's handiwork passed, I lay sprawled on the bed with a dazed expression.
I'd heard girls do this kinda stuff casually... was that real?
But rummaging through my memories, high school Ha-yoon had never initiated it. Noona occasionally got handsy like today, though. I kinda wanted to retaliate, but she looked a bit pitiful, and I was still embarrassed.
"You okay?"
"...Yeah, Noona."
"You're extra sensitive today?"
"Well..."
I wanted to say it was because she started it, but that'd clash with the memories in my head and make her suspicious.
"Probably 'cause I streamed too hard today."
I brushed it off vaguely, and Noona chuckled while fiddling with my cheek. After all her touching today, it barely registered anymore.
"Our Yoon-ie did work hard. Looked pretty good from the sidelines, too."
"You had a tough day too, Noona."
"Tough? I had fun."
What was so fun that she smirked like that? The back-and-forth with me and the viewers? Or banning them with a single finger?
"Yoon-ie is such a baby..."
-Ding-dong.
I thought she said something, but the doorbell rang right then, so I jumped up.
"I'll get it!"
"Huh? Oh, sure."
Had to be my imagination. No way Noona would call her 20-year-old sister a baby.
Before opening the door, I glanced back at her from the entrance. Her face was almost identical to my little sister's, but as Noona, she felt scarier in a whole new way.
I turned back and opened the door to find the tteokbokki bag on the floor. No smell, but just looking at it made my mouth water. My brain was seriously messed up.
"Sluuuurp..."
Estrogen or whatever—couldn't fight it now. Food was innocent anyway, and more tasty options were a plus, right?
Yeah, I'm not in the wrong here.
I nodded to myself in justification, grabbed the bag, and turned back inside. Noona had already spread out the small folding table on the floor and was sitting there, smiling at me.
"That excited?"
"Huh?"
"Looked like you were wagging your tail the second you picked up the bag."
"...No."
"Sure you were. What are we gonna do with Yoon-ie loving mala this much? Breakfast, lunch, and dinner mala from now on?"
I wanted to argue, but in this body, three mala meals a day seemed totally doable. Unable to retort, I set the bag on the table and hastily peeled off the lid.
"Haaa...!"
"Let's dig in. You must be starving."
I nodded and picked up some rice cakes with chopsticks, popping one in. The chewy texture—not quite like tteok—and the harmonious blend of mala spice and creamy rosé.
"Fuck, this is goddamn delicious..."
"Yoon-ah, use nice words."
"Uh, yeah. Super tasty!"
Noona nodded approvingly and started eating her own. I'd been an adult for four years now, but getting scolded for language felt unfair—though right now, mala tteokbokki mattered more, so whatever.
"Mmm...!"
The spicy, creamy smoothness filled my mouth, drawing out an exclamation. Why did the cheap glass noodles and sausages—stuff I'd barely touch before—taste so amazing?
Somewhere in my head, the army-vet guy was screaming, but the mala on my tongue left him powerless. I'd top up testosterone with games or streams later—chill for now.