Chapter 132: Side Story - Younger Sister (15)
Chapter 132: Side Story - Younger Sister (15)
“An accomplice?”
Kang Yu-ri asked. Her expression was one of bewilderment, yet it also carried a look that said, Is she talking about what I think she’s talking about?
In fact, at this point, if someone offered to be an accomplice or to help, nine times out of ten, it boiled down to exactly that.
Even the dense Kang Yu-jin realized how things were unfolding and quietly gauged his younger sister’s reaction.
He wondered if she would actually accept it.
And just as expected, the look on Kang Yu-ri’s face was one of suspicion and jealousy rising to the surface rather than gratitude.
“Let’s hear what you’re thinking. Speak.”
It was only natural for Shin Ye-ji to be flustered in the face of that. Startled by the hostility in Yu-ri’s voice, Ye-ji’s eyes widened, and she opened her mouth hesitantly.
“Well… right now, you and your brother… are in a relationship. But that’s… not exactly acceptable by social norms, right?”
“True.”
A silence followed, as if Yu-ri were asking if she was just now realizing that. Shin Ye-ji chose her words carefully, mulling over the relationship between the two again and again.
Kang Yu-ri was no fool. Likewise, she was surprisingly rational for someone in such a situation.
She knew that her relationship with her biological brother was something that deserved social ruin, and yet she was sincerely committed to it despite that knowledge.
Because she loved him.
She loved her brother so much she couldn't help it, so much that she didn't even want to interact with any man who wasn't him.
Even though she knew her brother wasn't cheating, her blood boiled and jealousy scorched her insides whenever she saw her eldest sister, her second sister, or even her mother clinging to him at home.
That was why Kang Yu-ri had chosen independence and made her brother live in the same house as her.
Her hostility stemmed from that same place.
“S-so… if you ever get caught, it’ll be a problem. So, to make things safer…”
“What are you planning to do?”
“…A fake marriage?”
The answer came not from Shin Ye-ji, but from Kang Yu-jin. He spoke in a serious tone while watching his sister’s reaction, but it was a voice that Yu-ri couldn't help but glare at.
Naturally, both of them flinched. Kang Yu-jin and Shin Ye-ji exchanged glances.
“So you two already talked about this?”
At that moment, they both realized their mistake. It was a clear blunder.
Kang Yu-jin, who knew Yu-ri’s jealousy well, should have known she’d be upset just by the fact that they’d discussed it beforehand. He knew she wouldn't be able to accept the idea of him marrying someone else, even if it was just a sham.
He had even mentioned some of this to Shin Ye-ji—that Yu-ri wouldn't like the idea itself.
Shin Ye-ji had brushed it off. She thought he was exaggerating or that he was overlooking Yu-ri’s rational side.
She thought he was just unable to see clearly because love is blind, as the saying goes.
But Ye-ji realized that she was the one who hadn't been seeing clearly.
“W-well, that’s true, but…”
“Why?”
“U-um, well…”
Seeing the timid girl hesitating as if she were about to burst into tears, Yu-ri felt a mix of annoyance and guilt.
Of course, she knew.
She knew this was for her sake, and that it was a way to create a brilliant alibi for her relationship with her brother.
But.
I don't like it.
She hated the mere fact that someone else’s name, not hers, would be on the family register.
And what about the wedding? She also didn't like the idea that it wouldn't matter who actually gave birth to a child.
Because she disliked all of it, Yu-ri crossed her arms and tapped her bicep.
As she openly displayed her displeasure, Shin Ye-ji just quietly watched her.
“…I want to accept Ye-ji’s proposal.”
Kang Yu-jin, realizing now was the time to step in, spoke up.
“…What?”
He flinched at the cold response that came back instantly, and for a split second, he did regret it.
But he still had to say what needed to be said.
“I don't want to be a stumbling block in your path.”
It was a rare moment of him asserting his opinion manfully. For a second, Yu-ri felt her heart beat so fast she wondered if it had skipped a beat.
The thought that he looked cool when he acted like that lasted only a moment. Yu-ri fought to control her emotions.
“Don't try to push this through with a honey trap. Do you really think this is a matter that can be solved by Ye-ji’s goodwill alone?”
“…Honey trap?”
Leaving aside Kang Yu-jin and his bewildered expression, Yu-ri continued.
“Conceding a hundred steps, I admit it would be better for our future. We’d have an alibi, and in the long run, we could build a foundation while protecting our love. But there’s still a problem.”
“What problem?”
“That there’s no reason for Ye-ji to do this.”
When Kang Yu-jin looked blank, failing to understand immediately, Ye-ji hunched her shoulders, knowing the expected question had finally come.
Even though she had anticipated it, it wasn't an easy question to answer.
“Ye-ji.”
“Yeah…”
“Why do you want to do this for us?”
Knowing her explanation was insufficient and that her brother wouldn't understand, Yu-ri elaborated.
“The favor you’re offering us. I’m truly grateful, and it is a good thing. But it’s only a favor. If you ever lose the desire to do it, or if you decide to expose us, or get jealous, or want to ruin me… you could do it whenever you want.”
Kang Yu-jin’s eyes widened as he finally realized what he had overlooked. Yu-ri gave him a slight glare before turning her gaze back, finding it even hard to keep glaring.
“So I want to ask. Why are you trying to do such a thing?”
Kang Yu-jin retraced everything he had overlooked and looked at Ye-ji, agreeing that it certainly made sense.
“What do you stand to gain?”
A fake marriage, a fake relationship.
In reality, the subjects of the relationship would be Kang Yu-jin and Kang Yu-ri, and she would be pushed aside.
If it were just that, it might be one thing, but she was essentially giving up her life.
Because of that fake marriage, Shin Ye-ji wouldn't be able to date or marry anyone else. She could try, but it would lead to a de facto marriage and infidelity, which would lead to legal issues.
Even without that, there were problems. There was at least a ten percent chance she could sue for a fraudulent marriage. If they couldn't trust her, their life wouldn't be about safely and comfortably committing incest, but rather a form of submission while trembling in anxiety.
In short, it wasn't something to be lightly offered or accepted.
“Yu-ri… do you not trust me?”
“I’m not such a fool that I’d say I blindly trust you when it comes to a matter like this.”
“I guess that’s true…”
Kang Yu-jin shifted his eyes back and forth, wondering if she was calling him a fool or just taking a jab at him, but neither woman gave him an answer.
Instead, they faced each other.
“So I want you to be honest. What is it you want?”
As if caught off guard, Shin Ye-ji’s mouth hung open. Because she was wearing Yu-ri’s clothes that were a size too big, her loose T-shirt and dolphin shorts fluttered with her fidgeting movements. Her small face looked up at Yu-ri every now and then.
“What is the reason you’re trying to help us even at the cost of your own life? What are you trying to get out of this? As you know, this is… a sensitive issue. And it’s my everything.”
Yu-ri truly felt that way.
She couldn't live without her brother anymore.
It might have been different if she’d had no relationship with him at all, or if they had grown up as a normal family until they were adults.
But through middle school, high school, and all the way to college graduation.
These siblings had been together as lovers.
It’s hard enough to part with a pet you’ve spent a long time with, but to suddenly go back to being a normal family with someone you’ve lived with like a lover…
It was impossible. Yu-ri couldn't imagine such a future anymore.
Whenever she tried to draw it, her brush would stop, and the days ahead would turn dark.
Just the thought of her brother not being in that future made her dizzy.
That was why Yu-ri wanted to be cautious.
As long as there was even a slight possibility of losing this relationship, she had to be careful.
“So tell me. Why do you want to help us that much?”
Kang Yu-jin also looked at Shin Ye-ji, seemingly curious now, and Ye-ji stopped fidgeting and lowered her head.
“What is the reason you’re trying to help us even at the cost of your own life?”
There was no anger in her voice, only pure curiosity tinged with a faint suspicion.
When Shin Ye-ji didn't speak, Yu-ri added.
“If it’s because you still have feelings for my brother…”
“…Still?”
Yu-ri shot a glare at her brother for suddenly cutting in, and Kang Yu-jin shrank back and retreated.
Yu-ri saw that as the only possibility.
Turning a fake marriage into a real one. Since she realized she couldn't have him all to herself, she wanted to possess at least a part of Kang Yu-jin this way.
Perhaps, by pushing Yu-ri out like that, and eventually taking Kang Yu-jin…
“…No.”
“No?”
“Mhm, no.”
One couldn't trust everything based on words alone, and Yu-ri was still looking at her friend with suspicious eyes.
“I can't say there’s none at all, but…”
“I knew it.”
“But still, I… I wanted to be with you in the future too, Yu-ri.”
Those were sincere words. Yu-ri froze, just as she was about to snap back, and looked at her friend.
“We’re really close friends, and I wanted to see you often, hang out often, and talk often. But… when I thought about it.”
Ye-ji slowly raised her head and looked at Yu-ri. What was reflected in her eyes was a friendship that was closer to love.
Yu-ri flinched and stiffened at the gaze she hadn't expected to be directed at her.
“I thought that if your current relationship gets caught or goes wrong, you might disappear.”
Yu-ri couldn't deny it. That was actually one of the scenarios she had considered.
Getting caught in her relationship with her brother and fleeing abroad.
Of course, the ending would likely not be good. There were almost no countries where incestuous marriage was allowed, and it was even more so for biological siblings.
It would be a place that was incredibly underdeveloped, or a place where it would be hard to live properly without a massive amount of money.
Or, living in a foreign land under the assumption that they hadn't been caught. Neither was good. They would have to abandon all their previous relationships.
It was clear that Shin Ye-ji didn't want that.
“I… I didn't want that to happen to you, Yu-ri.”
It was sincere. It wasn't an incomprehensible reason. But it was still a story that was difficult to accept simply.
People’s hearts change. Even love is not unchanging or immortal. Even Kang Yu-ri, who had started with pure affection, had ended up like this.
So Yu-ri chose her words for a moment and then pinched her friend’s cheek.
“Ouch.”
“Dummy.”
“E-hehe.”
Shin Ye-ji gave an awkward laugh, thinking her proposal had been accepted. Yu-ri looked at her and replied.
“I’ll think about it. For now… should we eat something?”
“Already? It’s still the middle of the night.”
“You didn't eat anything yesterday.”
“…Ah, well.”
“Well, you see…” Shin Ye-ji trailed off, averting her eyes. At her friend’s reaction, Yu-ri slowly turned her head like a wooden doll.
“…She said she was hungry, so I took her to a 24-hour drive-thru and fed her…”
Kang Yu-jin avoided her gaze.
No wonder it felt like they had discussed it beforehand.
Yu-ri looked at her brother with a smile, and Kang Yu-jin lowered his head, breaking out in a cold sweat.