The Side Story Poll

"Hey, let's remake it."

"…What the hell are you talking about. If we remake it now, I'm seriously gonna get shot, you lunatic."

"…Why?"

"Because no one likes it when you suddenly remake something after serializing normally. Who's gonna reread it from the beginning? Even I would drop it if the author pulled a remake out of nowhere. So are you gonna support me then? Huh? I'm telling you, we won't make anywhere near as much money if we remake it."

"Aren't you overreacting?"

"You just don't know shit."

The request for revisions might have simply been a way for her to mess with me. But the moment I heard the word "remake," another thought flashed through my mind.

"…Hey, I just got a good idea."

"Oh god, please… I already said I'm not doing a remake even if I die."

At my firm refusal, another idea sparked in her head.

"A side story. How about a little sister side story?"

"…What are you saying. The main story isn't even close to finished yet. Why write a side story now?"

"I mean, it's a harem right now. From the comments, Park Eun-yeong seems to be the most popular. Why not write a pure romance side story with her?"

"…Wait, you read the comments too? God… Please don't do that, okay?"

"Whatever. Let's just write the pure little sister side story, alright?"

I climbed on top of my brother again. This time, I wrapped my arms around his neck and started choking him.

"Ah, shit… D-don't do this… Hup!"

"Do it. Say you'll write the side story right now."

Through his back, I could feel his firm muscles. My hips were also grinding against his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ass. A familiar, warm scent drifted up from near his neck. It was that night-flower smell I'd mentioned before. The scent I'd once thought was disgusting now felt like perfume.

"Huu, huup! Haah!"

"You're gonna die like this, you know? So hurry up and surrender. Say you'll write the side story…!"

I pressed my lips right against his ear so he'd hear me clearly. My lips brushed past his ear, and for some reason it felt burning hot, like I'd been scalded.

"…Haa, I'll do it! I'll do it, so just… hng!"

"You said it!? I heard you loud and clear, okay?"

"Y-yeah… I said it, I said I'd do it…!"

My brother kept nodding frantically. I finally released his neck and sat on his hips like before.

"Haa… You're actually insane…"

Smack—

"Stop cursing."

"…You curse way more than me."

"Heh, hehehe… Let's just eat."

For some reason, my mood had improved. I started seriously thinking about the tags for 486 Ways to Eat My Little Sister - Side Story.

*

The erection that had been raging because of all that nonsense finally calmed down. Thanks to that, I was able to calmly leave the room while holding my "little sister's" hand. But that small comfort did nothing to ease my growing anxiety. After all, I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had zero intention of doing a remake even if someone held a knife to my throat. While the side story idea she'd suggested as a compromise was tempting, the worries still outweighed everything else.

"Hey, but… I'm already struggling to write one chapter a day. How am I supposed to write two?"

"Sleep less."

"…People still need at least five or six hours of sleep…"

"You won't die if you cut it more. So, are you writing the side story or not? If not, you're dead."

"…Is this really worth going this far…?"

"You talk so casually when it's someone else's problem. I'm being dead serious here."

"…Someone else's problem, my ass. This is my problem too."

"Okay. Then I'll draw illustrations for free every twenty chapters."

"…Hey, that's not the issue here."

"Isn't it super important though?"

"……"

Honestly, it was tempting. A single illustration cost a fortune, so for a 300-chapter completed novel, that would be fifteen high-quality illustrations.

"Hey, still no. You can't just write a side story whenever you feel like it."

"Then what's the problem if the author wants to write one?"

"Because the main story readers might feel uncomfortable. Just the existence of a side story could be unpleasant enough. Even I would feel that way."

"Aren't you just making excuses with the readers?"

"No, really. I'm serious. And let's be honest, you're asking me to do a pure romance drift in the side story. If I get labeled as a drift author because of that, I'm seriously fucked. Remember how I got roasted for the yuri drift early on when I made the girls go at each other without thinking? You saw the comments back then too."

"Ah, that…"

"I had no idea what I was doing, so the moment I realized, I apologized the same day and fixed everything. God… I couldn't sleep for days after that."

"……So in the end, you'll write it if the readers want it."

"Well… yeah. But most readers are harem fans, so it's not that simple."

I explained it as clearly and thoroughly as possible. But Park Eun-yeong's desire for the side story didn't waver in the slightest.

"And you already said you'd do it. You promised me. So make it happen even if it's impossible. Change your pen name, do a drift, whatever. That's not my problem. Either way, you have to write it."

"Haa… What's the point of me saying anything?"

No matter how I looked at it, the only future I could see was one where I got completely screwed. While I was sighing in frustration, she spoke up.

"…Let's post a notice today. We'll hold a vote for the side story. And we'll go with whatever gets the majority."

"No. Even a simple majority will get us torn apart. It has to be overwhelmingly in favor with zero complaints."

"Haa… Why is this so difficult? But there will always be some noise no matter what."

"Exactly. That's why touching the side story feels so risky."

The free illustrations were tempting, but right now everything was fine as it was. Continuing the main story normally was the best option for me.

"Fine. I got it. Let's just post the notice first. We can talk again after we see the reaction."

"Hey, but… the moment we post the notice, people are gonna say we're already planning to slack off…?"

"Aish… So what if they curse a bit? You wrote such a shitty novel, you deserve some hate. Or should we go to the police station together? Want to experience jail time for filming your own family? That could be good material for the next work. How about a story about a sex offender?"

"Haa… I'm losing my mind."

Park Eun-yeong casually bringing up the police and hidden cameras again made my hair stand on end. Sweat was dripping down my forehead.

"…If the reaction is bad, we take the notice down immediately. And illustrations will be one every ten chapters instead."

"Ha! What a thief's mentality."

"Whatever. I'm done negotiating."

Since the future was uncertain anyway, I decided to squeeze as many illustrations out of her as possible.

"Deal. Post the notice already."

"Huu…"

Thanks to Park Eun-yeong readily accepting, I ended up writing the notice for the main story after all.

"There, I posted it. I even commented myself just now."

"Oh… Let's check the comments."

"There aren't any yet. Huu, I can't look. You check and tell me."

"Are you really going to keep whining over something this small? Your concept is so damn annoying."

"Kuh, it's not a concept, it's my actual feelings, okay? Do you even understand how I feel? I'll be lucky if I don't get accused of brain damage."

"Ah, that has nothing to do with me. Just read the comments already."

Park Eun-yeong pounded on my back. My head was already throbbing at the thought of comments I hadn't even seen yet.

"Hurry up and look."

"Huu…"

Under her relentless urging, I closed one eye and hit refresh. Several comments had already appeared besides mine.

"Whoa, there are already twenty comments?"

"Ah, shit… I really can't look…"

"Scroll up a bit. Your comment got pushed down."

"U-ugh…"

With half-closed eyes, I slowly scrolled up. Comments came into view, but I deliberately avoided reading them.

"The reaction's pretty good? Wait, what do you mean by essay…"

"E-essay?"

"Yeah. People are going crazy saying you're finally writing a real essay…"

"Ah, fuck…"

"Fuck? Did you just say fuck?"

Something felt off. I'd seen the occasional joke comment calling it an essay before. But back then it technically wasn't one, so I'd just laughed it off. Now the situation felt different. No one knew which direction the story would go, but the essay-like form was definitely getting closer than ever.

"Uh… Right now comment #1 has 50 recommends and #2 has zero?"

"…R-really?"

"Yeah. Their unity is insane… Ah, shit… Stop squinting and just look already."

Park Eun-yeong smacked my back again. I opened my half-closed eyes and faced the comment section.

Every single comment was supportive. Almost too supportive. And every time I refreshed, the recommends for #1 kept skyrocketing.

"Hey, you're writing the side story now."

"Ah, this… This isn't the reaction I was expecting…"

There were occasional negative comments. One in particular stood out: if writing the side story meant putting the main story on hiatus, they'd tear me limb from limb.

"I seriously can't write two chapters a day…"

"Ah, fuck… Why is a guy whining so much? If you don't want to write it, go to the police station."

Police station or two chapters a day. Maybe the answer had already been decided.