Chapter 126: Side Story - Younger Sister (9)
Chapter 126: Side Story - Younger Sister (9)
It wasn’t as if Kang Yu-jin and his sister, Kang Yu-ri, had never been caught before.
However, the people who had caught them were almost always the type they would see once and never encounter again.
They were people like part-time workers at internet cafes or random passersby—people with whom they had no connection and no potential for one. Because of that, there was never any risk of their incestuous relationship being exposed or causing any real trouble.
But they had never faced a situation like this before. Whether it was due to luck or thorough preparation, they had managed to avoid it until now.
It was clear that neither Yu-jin nor Yu-ri knew exactly how to handle this.
The siblings stood frozen, staring at Shin Ye-ji.
She was a girl with a small frame and a cute face—someone who, to Yu-jin, was merely a presence he’d seen a few times.
His sister’s friend, with her petite, doll-like stature, stood there dazed, as if trying to process the scene before her.
Her mouth hung open, and even the people passing by were starting to cast curious glances their way.
This was not good. The same thought seemed to have occurred to Yu-ri.
“Ye-ji.”
There was no answer, but Ye-ji’s eyes shifted. Her gaze moved toward Yu-ri, filled with nothing short of horror.
“Can we talk?”
Yu-ri acted with total composure. It was a level of confidence that left even Yu-jin, standing right beside her, feeling flustered.
As far as Yu-jin knew, Yu-ri’s friend, Shin Ye-ji, wasn't particularly strong-willed or assertive.
She was the type who was used to being led, and as her innocent appearance suggested, she was clearly panicking because she had never even imagined a situation like this.
However, in Yu-jin’s estimation, there was a high probability that a rigid sense of morality lay beneath that surface.
Persuasion was essential. Yu-jin nodded, and Yu-ri led Ye-ji to a nearby cafe.
Silence hung over their secluded table from the moment they ordered until Yu-jin returned with the drinks.
It was an uncomfortable, stifling silence. Yu-jin set the three drinks down and sat next to his sister, carefully reading the room.
He didn't know if any conversation had taken place while he was gone, or if they had simply sat in silence.
Hesitantly, Yu-jin opened his mouth.
“Um.”
“…Ah.”
“What happened to your boyfriend…?”
He wasn't sure whether to speak formally or casually, and as he struggled to settle on a tone, he noticed Ye-ji’s eyes trembling slightly.
Like Yu-jin, the girl was hesitating. She seemed to be choosing her words carefully before finally casting her gaze downward.
What could it be? As Yu-jin watched her with a puzzled expression, the girl stammered out an answer.
“We fought…”
She spoke clumsily. A sudden realization hit Yu-jin, and he fell silent, glancing over at Yu-ri.
In truth, though Yu-jin hadn't known it, a conversation had already taken place. Yu-ri, perhaps having already guessed or heard part of the story, quietly sipped her drink and looked at her friend.
Her eyes were filled with a complex mix of emotions. Seeing his sister’s gaze, Yu-jin pressed his lips together even tighter.
In the midst of that lingering silence, Yu-ri spoke.
“She said she fought with her boyfriend because he was badmouthing me.”
“…Really?”
Yu-jin knew that Ye-ji was innocent and truly considered Yu-ri a close friend. He had seen it many times from middle school—when the siblings were in the heat of their affair—all the way through graduation.
She had even followed Yu-ri to the same high school. Though they didn't end up at the same university, he always had the impression that she cherished Yu-ri as a special friend.
Knowing they had used such a girl as a sort of "spice" for their own excitement made him feel a twinge of guilt.
On the other hand, it was unclear whether her current reaction came from a full understanding of the situation or not.
Yu-jin glanced at his sister again.
“Ye-ji.”
“Yeah…?”
“What do you think?”
Yu-ri asked her friend in a frigid voice. It was a cold tone that sent a chill down even Yu-jin’s spine.
Ye-ji seemed to feel it too, as her body stiffened, but she continued to wring her hands, barely squeezing out her words.
“What happened earlier… I don’t know what that was.”
She doesn't know what that was? Yu-jin looked at Ye-ji with skeptical eyes.
“I’m not an idiot. I know Yu-ri was… doing that with her brother. But I just don’t understand why…”
Her words were incredibly mild. It was a condemnation so soft it made Yu-jin feel frustrated just listening to it.
She could have asked why on earth she was kissing her own brother like a lover in a public place.
It wouldn't have been strange if she’d asked outright if they were committing incest, but Ye-ji said nothing more, as if she didn't want to ruin her relationship with her best friend.
Only then did a thought flash through Yu-jin’s mind.
“…Was the fight with your boyfriend…?”
“Yes.”
“Was it… related to this…?”
“Yes…”
Since the social boundaries were still vague, he asked in a way that was neither strictly formal nor casual, and Ye-ji nodded in response.
Yu-jin had prepared himself for the worst, but he hadn't expected the boyfriend to have noticed and started badmouthing them right then and there. While caught off guard, he could now piece the scene together.
After they finished their meal and went their separate ways.
Ye-ji’s boyfriend must have said it to her. That her friend was a pervert who was hooking up with her own brother.
That she was a freak committing incest.
He didn't know how harsh the language had been, but to Ye-ji, it must have felt like an unbearable insult.
They must have fought, and in the heat of the moment, she probably started walking blindly in the opposite direction.
This alleyway was long and narrow, with almost no side paths.
Yu-jin finally understood how his sister’s friend had stumbled upon them, and he wiped his face with a complicated expression.
After all, nothing Ye-ji’s boyfriend said would have been a lie.
Yu-jin was a pervert committing incest with Yu-ri.
These siblings were blood relatives, yet they boldly whispered words of love in the same bed and engaged in physical intimacy that even ordinary lovers might hesitate to perform. They were possessors of a twisted sexual desire.
And yet, Ye-ji, who had been defending them and claiming it wasn't true, had run straight into the reality of it.
Yu-jin didn't know what to say.
Should I make an excuse?
He wasn't sure if it would work. While the girl before him was certainly innocent and naive, that didn't mean she lacked intelligence. In fact, considering she attended a prestigious university, the opposite was likely true.
A university degree didn't always correlate with intelligence, but it usually did.
More than anything, while she was dressed up now, she used to look like a total bookworm who spent all her time in the library.
She had only started putting effort into her appearance after entering college.
After thinking for a moment, Yu-jin realized that making excuses wasn't the best move.
Then… should we just be upfront?
That didn't seem right either. No matter what the world was like, unless Yu-jin was some powerful aristocrat, it wasn't a good idea to openly admit to an incestuous relationship with his sister.
So what the hell was he supposed to do? As Yu-jin agonized over the decision, he looked at his sister.
“Ye-ji.”
“Y-yes?”
“What kind of answer do you want to hear?”
Ye-ji flinched visibly. Her eyes trembled. Behind her innocent, puppy-like face, a clear hesitation took root.
“Can you… tell me the truth?”
It was obvious she didn't actually want to hear it, yet the words slipped out of her mouth instinctively. A look of regret crossed her face the moment she said it, but Yu-ri didn't hesitate.
“What you saw is correct.”
A short answer. But one delivered without a hint of wavering or doubt.
Yu-ri faced her friend with a bold attitude, as if she wouldn't care if this relationship cost her everything and sent her life spiraling into the abyss.
“I’m in that kind of relationship with my brother. Just like you are with your boyfriend.”
Yu-ri spoke as if this were actually a good opportunity. Yu-jin could read the calculation hidden beneath her words.
Since Ye-ji was innocent and faint-hearted, Yu-ri calculated that even if they were honest, she wouldn't tell their family or spread rumors.
There was a chance Ye-ji’s boyfriend might spread rumors second-hand, but who would believe a third party’s story? And even if they did, Yu-ri seemed not to care.
Of course, his sister’s social media would probably blow up, but she looked like she could handle that much.
And so, Yu-ri stared her friend down.
“…That kind of relationship…?”
Yu-ri blinked rapidly at her friend’s clueless reaction.
“I don’t really… understand what you mean…”
“You don’t have to act innocent. Your boyfriend isn't here for you to play coy with.”
“No, nooo… I’m not playing coy…”
Her voice grew slightly thick with emotion.
Seeing Ye-ji looking like she was about to burst into tears, clutching her skirt and hanging her head, Yu-jin glanced at his sister.
“Hey, what Yu-ri meant was—”
“So, you mean, like… you go on dates… and kiss?”
The sister’s friend spoke up shyly. After speaking, Ye-ji looked up tentatively, as if anxious. Yu-jin, unable to grasp the situation, shifted his eyes toward his sister for guidance.
“…I said we’re in that kind of relationship.”
When Yu-ri answered with a hint of irritation in her voice, Ye-ji flinched, looking intimidated.
And yet, a clear look of confusion and bewilderment remained on her face. Yu-jin narrowed his eyes, a suspicion forming.
“How long have you been dating your boyfriend?”
Ye-ji froze, clearly not expecting the sudden question, and her eyes darted around. Finally, she managed to speak.
“A week…?”
Wait, at that point, can you even call him a boyfriend? Yu-jin let out a hollow laugh of disbelief, and Yu-ri wore a similar expression as she realized the situation.
“Then… what about kissing or sex?”
“Yu-Yu-ri!”
The girl cried out in shock. From that reaction alone, the siblings could vaguely grasp the reality of things.
It was a first date. He’d probably asked her out because she looked cute and easy to handle, she’d accepted, and then the relationship had ended abruptly because of a pair of incestuous siblings they encountered on that very date.
So, forget sex—she hadn't even kissed him yet. Realizing this, Yu-ri stole a glance at her brother.
This was an opportunity. Yu-ri looked down for a moment, then looked back up at her friend and smiled.
“Do you really want to know? The secret between me and my brother.”
It was a wicked smile that Yu-jin knew all too well.