Gathered at the Lunch Table (3)
"Hmm! As expected from the cafe owner brewing it himself, it's different. Especially the aroma—it's so deep."
Su Yeonhwa savored the coffee's scent from the sofa. I was still on my feet, handing out cups one by one, while Ari and Deulle sat next to her.
"Right? It doesn't even compare to instant coffee. Not too strong either—this is something I could drink every day."
Min Jangmi sat on the sofa farthest from the family, sipping her coffee with the most casual tone imaginable.
"I made yours lighter on purpose, Noona. You didn't drink any at the cafe yesterday. Figured you'd hate it if it was too strong."
"Rea~lly...♥ You've been paying that much attention to my tastes..."
I activated the remote to shut down any weird noises. Couldn't go too strong or she'd spill her coffee and cause a mess, so I kept it light.
"If... if I'd known... you could've just asked... I would've told you everything..."
"It's just customer service. I try to remember as many preferences as possible. Nothing special just because it's you, Noona."
"Oh, so that's why mine's sweet too?"
I nodded at Deulle's question.
"You never go for bitter stuff usually. I didn't add much sugar, but you noticed? Impressive."
"This is nothing. It just tastes sugary, so I said it's sweet. Not that big a deal."
Deulle grinned, her lips curling up bashfully. But Ari's expression soured a bit beside her.
"What about me? Anything special in mine?"
"You only ever drink iced Americano anyway, Ari. No ice here, so I made it the same as Mom's."
"Well, if that's the case, nothing I can do about it..."
A brief silence fell. The air grew a touch awkward. Amid it all, one person stood out—Min Jangmi, toes wiggling with the dildo inside her. She seemed to be enjoying even this tension.
"So, how's Deulle doing lately? Studying well at the cafe?"
Su Yeonhwa broke the ice with a new topic.
"Yes, she's working really hard. If she keeps this up, she could get into a top university no problem."
"Really? Oh my."
"She seemed totally uninterested at first, but she's completely changed. Her passion for studying is incredible."
Deulle nodded, pleased by my praise.
"It's because Oppa teaches me so well. If I don't get something in a lecture, I ask him. If I can't solve a problem, I ask him. He explains everything. Makes me want to study even harder..."
"That's great. Then please keep looking after our Deulle from now on, Uju-mong."
"I see it differently."
Ari set her coffee down and crossed her arms. Placing the cup on the table in front of the sofa confirmed it—warm coffee wasn't her thing.
"Watching you two study while working... you don't seem focused at all. Your minds are somewhere else entirely."
"What? So you're saying I'm lying just to stick around Oppa?"
"No? You said you like Uju-mong. You think you can study purely with no ulterior motives next to someone you like? Does that even make sense?"
"......"
"You too, Uju-mong. Even if she's my little sister, you don't have to go that far. If it's a burden, just cut ties clearly."
Deulle let out a disbelieving scoff and set her cup down. The two carefully brewed coffees sat abandoned side by side on the table.
"So you're saying he's only nice to me because I'm your little sister. That's the only reason?"
"Obviously. If it wasn't for your best friend begging, why would he tutor a repeater? What a hassle, right?"
"......"
"Uju-mong's too nice to push her away properly. He's worried that if he rejects her outright, she'll lose her study motivation again. Then the favor I asked would go to waste. He hates that."
"Wow, Unnie, you really do whatever you want. That's not what he said, is it? You're just spouting your own assumptions. So obvious."
"What's to ask? Anyone can see that's how it looks."
Deulle blinked slowly and took a deep breath.
"Fine. I don't care what you think anymore. I'm seriously motivated to study now. I've even got clear goals."
"Goals? What goals?"
"I'm going to learn baking and coffee."
She looked at me proudly, her words brimming with solid determination and passion.
"I'll make bread good enough for Oppa's cafe, and coffee he can trust me to handle."
"See? It's all ulterior motives."
Ari's voice sharpened beyond her usual tone.
"How can you study like that?"
Deulle bristled to retort, but Jangmi cut in smoothly.
"Hmm... I think it's fine, though?"
All eyes turned to her. Jangmi sipped her coffee leisurely, taking it in stride. Even with the dildo slowly stirring inside her, no one would guess.
"That so-called ulterior motive? Or primal desire, whatever you call it? The energy from that... it's seriously powerful."
I knew I shouldn't, but her words stirred something primal in me too. My hand slipped into my pocket. Click.Click.
"Y...esterday...♥ I watched you two study for a good while...♥ It looked great. The vibe got weird sometimes... but even accounting for that, you seemed really into it."
"Unnie..."
Deulle's eyes sparkled with emotion. Of course, Jangmi was wiggling her toes, savoring the vibrations.
"And Uju-mong doesn't seem totally uninterested in Deulle either, right? So isn't it all good?"
Every gaze shifted to my face. They all stared, but each with different emotions.
Jangmi was purely enjoying the chaos, mischief gleaming in her eyes—like when she teased her sisters at the table, now dragging me in too.
Su Yeonhwa had a similar vibe. Thrilled, like a viewer hooked on a soap opera.
Deulle's eyes brimmed with curiosity: Does Oppa really like me too? She looked ready to bombard me with, So that's why you never said anything when I got clingy lately? or Everything Unnie just said is wrong, right?
Ari, meanwhile, wore utter disbelief, her eyes filled with suspicion.
"No, Unnie's seeing things wrong. Do you know how old they are apart? Eight years. When Deulle was in elementary school, Uju-mong was an adult. While he was in the military, Ari was in middle school. No way he'd have those feelings..."
"They're both adults now. Age doesn't matter. It's just a number, right?"
"No..."
"Ari, are you just hating on Deulle getting close to Uju-mong at all?"
"......"
Ari clamped her mouth shut at the question, gaze dropping to her coffee as she pondered.
"No. It's not that."
A grudging reply, laced with dissatisfaction and discomfort.
"Then we're good. Let's watch for a bit. Honestly, compared to Deulle holing up...♥ in her room doing nothing...♥ I like her like this mu~ch better."
"......"
"From the start, I wanted her retest success less than for her to live passionately again. Right?"
Ari nodded without a word. Was this the power of the eldest sister? Looking out for her sibling, cutting through the mess decisively... How did she end up as the woman wandering around with a dildo inside her?
Click.Click.
I dialed back the intensity in gratitude. Jangmi let out a deep sigh and sipped her coffee.
"Oppa... once we're done with coffee, can you help me study a bit?"
Seizing the lull, Deulle jumped in.
"I've got some parts I don't get... even just a quick look would help..."
"Sure. If you're not busy, help Deulle study, then stay for dinner."
Su Yeonhwa smiled, backing Deulle up.
"You said earlier you eat alone and feel lonely. Dinner then straight home to rest—perfect, right?"
"No, even so, I can't impose that much..."
"Like Ari said, you're tutoring her for free. One more mouth isn't a big deal—eat comfortably."
I tried to refuse, but eventually nodded. With Su Yeonhwa, Deulle, and Jangmi united in persistent persuasion, the mood made it impossible to say no.
"To my room then!"
"Huh? I haven't finished my coffee yet."
"Help me while you drink. I've got tons to ask."
Deulle grabbed my arm, dragging me to her room. Su Yeonhwa and Jangmi watched us go with fond smiles, while Ari glared stiffly at the coffee I'd brewed her. Hers hadn't gone down a single drop.