Want Some Ramen?
The gacha was a total disaster, and I felt like absolute shit.
I didn't even have the energy to want to do anything. A heavy wave of lethargy pressed down on me, but even so, I still needed to eat.
Right on cue, my stomach clock went off without reading the room.
Gurgle—
“…Sigh. Yeah. What's done is done. Let's just eat.”
I shook off the gloomy mood and headed down to the first-floor kitchen.
Ignoring the neatly organized utensils, I grabbed a single pack of ramen from the cupboard.
Honestly, I wasn't in the mood to cook anything fancy.
So for this morning, I figured I'd just throw together some ramen and call it a meal.
Even if it was just ramen, it was only polite to ask the others if they wanted any too.
There were three people in the house right now, including me.
Me—Ha Doyun, the family's one and only boy.
My eldest sister, Ha Chaewon.
And our youngest sister, Ha Yuna.
I figured I'd just go ask Chaewon and Yuna if they wanted to eat ramen together.
Starting with Chaewon first.
I went up to the second floor and was about to open her door when I heard strange, breathy moans coming from inside her room.
“Hngh…! Mmph…! Nnghh…!”
Yeah. Sounded like Chaewon needed some alone time.
I carefully backpedaled away from the door.
Whoa… Thank god I didn't just barge in. That would've been insanely awkward.
Quick reflexes, me. I deserve a pat on the back for that one.
Since Chaewon was clearly occupied, I'd just ask Yuna instead.
I walked past my own room and stopped in front of Yuna's door at the end of the hallway.
I never knocked when entering Chaewon or Sieun's rooms, but Yuna's was the exception.
Because Yuna had a seriously shitty personality.
If you walked in without knocking, you could actually get torn in half.
I gave two light knocks and called out.
Knock. Knock.
“Hey, Ha Yuna. I'm making ramen. You want some? Answer right now if you do, 'cause I need to boil the water.”
Crash. Bang. Thud.
It sounded like a war was breaking out inside her room.
A moment later the door cracked open, and Yuna poked her face out.
She was wearing her usual venomous scowl, like something had pissed her off. I really wanted to give her a good smack upside the head.
“Yeah. I'll eat. Make it with green onions and an egg.”
“Did you leave your brain in the ramen pot? You want me to cook for you? Make it yourself.”
“What the hell? You’re the one who offered, so you cook it. I'm busy right now.”
“Right. Fuck off. I'm busy too, you bitch.”
“You really wanna die? Who the hell do you think you're swearing at? Want me to rip your fingers off?”
“…Ahem. Okay. Sorry for swearing. My bad.”
When Yuna glared at me with that murderous look and growled, it was genuinely terrifying.
It hurt my pride, but I tucked my tail between my legs for now.
Our family carried the ultra-overpowered genes. Every member except me was ridiculously strong.
Mom and Chaewon were both S-class hunters.
Sieun wasn't a hunter, but she still had strength at least on par with A-class.
And unfortunately, this venomous little shit was the same.
Even though she was only nineteen, Yuna was already an A-class hunter.
When she said she'd rip my fingers off, it wasn't a bluff.
If she felt like it, she could do a lot worse.
Sigh. The gods really were unfair, weren't they?
Giving that kind of talent to a girl with such a shitty personality.
Good thing I, as her older brother, had raised her properly. Otherwise she would've become a straight-up criminal.
“…Hey. You were just badmouthing me in your head, weren't you? You wanna die?”
Now she could even read minds?
This girl was a walking disaster.
Whatever. There was no point arguing.
As her older brother, I'd graciously let it slide.
It definitely wasn't because I was scared of her.
“It'll be ready in five minutes, so come to the kitchen then. If you're late, yours is gone.”
“Yeah. Make it tasty. If it sucks, you're dead.”
“Yeah, whatever. Just eat what you're given. And you're doing the dishes.”
“What? The dishes are obviously your job. You're not seriously telling a girl to go into the kitchen, are you? Men should act like men. Got it?”
She was the youngest in the family, but she had the most outdated way of thinking.
I couldn't take it anymore.
I hadn't wanted to use this because I had my dignity as her older brother, but she left me no choice.
My ultimate, one-hit-KO secret technique that could subdue Ha Yuna instantly!
…It was called tattling!
“Hey. Keep acting like that and I'll tell Mom and Chaewon. Don't push your luck.”
“…”
Yuna could act like a total brat toward me, but she never dared do it in front of Mom or Chaewon.
Because if she did, she'd actually die.
Those two were on a completely different level of strength from her.
Mom and Chaewon, both active S-class hunters, could beat the crap out of Yuna with one hand.
They were incredibly sweet angels to me, but not to Yuna.
Maybe because I was a boy and she was a girl, they were extremely strict with her.
Especially Chaewon.
She'd eased up a bit lately because Yuna had grown up, but when we were younger, she used to beat her so badly it was life-threatening.
That's why Yuna obeyed Chaewon without question.
When I threatened to tattle to Chaewon, Yuna went completely silent, like she'd swallowed a mouthful of honey.
She knew exactly what would happen.
Chaewon adored me more than anything. If I went and complained about her?
It would be the premiere of the episode titled “Yuna's Funeral [1/1].”
Ha. Seriously. I hadn't wanted to use such a cheap tactic because it hurt my pride, but she was being such a brat that I had no choice.
Still, since I'd already pulled the tattling card, I might as well milk it for all it was worth.
I looked up at her with a smug, triumphant expression.
“You're doing the dishes. And you're going to speak to me politely from now on. Otherwise I'll tell Chaewon to scold you.”
“…Fine. I'll do the dishes. Just don't say anything to Ha Chaewon.”
“Hmm~ I'll think about it depending on how you behave~”
Okay. Ha Yuna hierarchy reestablished.
I hummed a cheerful tune as I headed down to the first floor.
I could feel Yuna glaring daggers at the back of my head, but I ignored it.
The ramen was done in no time.
Once the water boiled, you just added the noodles and the soup packet. Of course it was fast.
It would've been good even plain, but to make it better I sliced up some green onions nice and thin and cracked in two eggs!
When the five-minute kitchen timer went off and I turned off the heat, a truly mouthwatering bowl of ramen was complete.
Whoa… Just looking at it made my mouth water. The visuals were perfect.
I only grabbed my own bowl and chopsticks and started eating right away.
Just as I was about to take my first bite, Yuna came trudging over.
“Hey. Where's my chopsticks?”
“Go get them yourself. I already cooked the ramen. You want me to set your utensils too?”
“You really are asking to get your ass beat, huh? This is why men need to be disciplined regularly. You've been spoiled way too much.”
“Yeah. So what? Hit me if you can, dumbass.”
“…Sigh. If Chaewon wasn't around, you'd be getting beaten black and blue right now.”
“Yeah. But Chaewon is around, right? So you can't hit me, right? You can't do anything, right?”
“…”
“What are you gonna do if you keep glaring at me like that? Keep it up and I'll really call Chaewon. You know she's in her room right now, don't you?”
“…You're seriously too cocky. You should be grateful I'm your little sister. If I wasn't, you'd already be dead.”
“Pfft. That's my line. If I were the youngest and you were the third oldest, Mom and Chaewon would've beaten you so badly you wouldn't even have bones left to pick up.”
“…Ugh. So annoying.”
Yuna was completely defeated by my brilliant verbal skills.
In the end, she went and got her own bowl and chopsticks.
“Tsk… The presentation passes, at least. You know what happens if it tastes bad, right?”
“Know what? Just shut up and eat.”
“Your mouth is seriously filthy for a guy. Can't you speak nicely even once?”
“What are you talking about? I only talk like this to you. I speak super politely to Chaewon and Sieun.”
“Ha. You really never lose an argument, do you?”
There wasn't much to talk about while eating with Yuna.
The two of us just quietly ate our ramen.
Then, for once, Yuna spoke up first.
“…Hey. You're starting college soon, right? So… um… are you going to things like MT?”
“MT? Nah, I'm not going. Why?”
I'd gone to a college MT once in my previous life.
So I didn't really feel like going again.
Besides, skipping MT wouldn't affect college life at all.
“Ah… just… I saw on YouTube that there are a lot of weird girls at MT… so I was just asking. Just in case.”
Yuna looked visibly relieved after hearing my answer.
She was always glaring at me with that venomous look, so this was a bit surprising.
“What? Wait, were you actually worried about me?”
“…”
“Pfft. So you can be kinda cute sometimes. Thanks for worrying about me.”
“…Ugh. So annoying. I shouldn't have said anything.”
“Aww, why? I'm so happy I got to see my little sister's cute side.”
“…Whatever. Just shut up and eat your ramen.”
Yuna was clearly embarrassed, so she tried to cover it up with more venom.
But to me, it just looked adorable.
I'd been depressed all morning because the gacha had gone to complete shit, but seeing this made me feel a lot better.