Min-a Came to Our House
Min-a came to our house. I hope the two of them get along. I was the one who invited her, but actually seeing the two women together filled me with unease. I knew the look on Min-a's face from that time. I didn't think my woman was cruel enough to pick a fight with a girl who was simply sitting quietly... but you could never be sure.
"Hi, Yerin. Have you been well? You heard your unnie was coming, right?"
"......Hello."
Contrary to my worries, Min-a greeted her niece with a bright, sunny smile. She strode right up to the blunt girl, grabbed her hand, and shook it enthusiastically, acting as if they were the best of friends. It was a relief to see her being so warm and round instead of her usual self. Maybe it was thanks to what had happened at the company. With an endlessly gentle expression, she handed over the paper bag she'd brought as a gift.
"Hey. You haven't even finished what you bought last time."
"That's separate. This is for Yerin. Are both of you actually eating proper meals? Every time I come to oppa's place, the frying pan is covered in dust."
"You're asking the exact same thing as Mom. Usually Yerin does the cooking."
"Really? Well, that tracks. Oppa isn't exactly known for his cooking skills."
"Then I handle it."
"I can do it. I just choose not to."
Min-a leisurely scanned the interior of the house. I sat on the sofa while our niece, caught between us, carefully read the mood of both adults.
"Yerin. Just sit down. Your legs must be tired."
"I'm fine. I thought Sungmo might need some help."
"Hm? Oh, no need. Just relax. If it's uncomfortable, you can go to your room."
Min-a naturally pulled cups from the shelf and began preparing tea. Soon she approached me, acting far more coquettish than necessary, and pressed a kiss to my lips. Her intention was blatant. She kept circling me, flaunting it as if to declare exactly who the owner of this house was.
That girl, honestly. Because of you, now I have to watch my niece's reaction. You could just do this when it's only the two of us. There's no need to put on a show.
"Aigoo. My legs ache from wearing heels all day."
Min-a draped her leg across my thigh. Her stockinged foot pressed down firmly. She deliberately avoided anywhere else and only dug her heel into the space between my legs.
"Easy there."
What the hell are you doing in front of our niece?
"Easy? Don't just sit there—massage them for me. Look, my calves are all swollen."
She ignored my protest and pressed her body even closer. It was as if she wanted someone to watch. As if she were taunting someone. Showing off affection was her right, but......
Yerin's eyes look strange. She wasn't saying anything particularly pointed, but still. The way she looked at her Sungmo could hardly be called warm. It was cold.
"Yerin. If unnie is making you uncomfortable, you can head to your room first. I can just talk with Samchon."
"No. It would be rude to leave when an adult is visiting."
"Adult, adult. You really love that word. How much older am I than you, really? I keep telling you to just call me unnie, but you never listen."
"Even if the age difference isn't that big, a Sungmo is still a Sungmo, isn't she?"
Thud. Yerin dropped straight down, planting her backside on the floor.
"Ah... that's right. To be exact, you're a prospective Sungmo. You and Samchon haven't even made it official yet."
"......"
"Still, I'm glad the two of you made up. Samchon seemed so troubled every day that even I was nervous this time."
"Oppa... was troubled?"
"You didn't know? That's odd too. You're stuck together at the company every day—haven't you even noticed how Samchon is doing?"
"Hey. Hey."
The atmosphere in the house was turning strange for no reason.
"What do you mean? Whenever I see Samchon, his face is always dark. There are shadows under his eyes too. He always looks worn down by something. Well... I don't know exactly whether it's work or a person, but for me, I only see Samchon at home."
The current flowing between the two women felt bizarre. I didn't expect my niece and Sungmo to get along like real sisters, but I at least hoped they wouldn't fight. Yerin kept twisting her words, constantly prodding at Min-a.
"My niece worries about Samchon so much? Oppa must be thrilled."
As if in retaliation, Min-a began moving her foot more aggressively. Whether she had forgotten her niece was right there or whether this was the first time anyone had challenged her like this, she couldn't hide her expression. Still, she couldn't explode in open anger either.
I'm the only one getting crushed in the middle.
"If it's like Yerin says, who exactly is making oppa struggle? Is it our dad? Mother? The people at the company? Surely it can't be me."
After fidgeting with her foot for a long while, Min-a suddenly stood and leaned against my shoulder as if for support. She twisted her body and dug her palm into my thigh.
"Take it easy."
"What? I almost fell, so I grabbed on. If there's someone making oppa struggle, tell me. If it's at the company, I'll drive them out. If it's someone I know, I won't let it slide."
"Struggle... there's no one like that."
"Then why is oppa's niece saying those things? Are you saying she's making things up?"
From Yerin to oppa's niece. From niece to that girl—the titles kept growing sharper. At least she hadn't called her that bitch. That was something.
"Ugh, fine. Right now you're the one making me struggle the most. Stop pawing at me. It's going to wear out at this rate."
I spoke as if joking and lightly pushed her body away, but she was truly going too far. What exactly was she trying to do in front of the kid?
"What did I do? I only touched you a little from the side. Starting tomorrow, I'll have to inspect every corner of the company. To find out exactly who's making oppa struggle."
Her words had thorns. Knowing that what Yerin implied was her, she deliberately spoke this way to pressure me. If things continued like this, I'd end up watching her mood even more carefully. Even if I felt suffocated because of Min-a, I couldn't tell the truth. Even if I couldn't tell the difference between obsession and love, she only needed the excuse that it was all for oppa.
"There's no one making me struggle. It's just... there have been a lot of things happening lately, so I haven't been sleeping well."
I let my words trail off and glanced at Yerin. When our eyes met, my niece gave a meaningful little smile before quickly erasing it after checking her Sungmo's expression.
You take it easy too. I'd have to speak with my niece later. It was good that she was taking my side, but if she kept this up she might end up getting her hair grabbed. Her Sungmo was more than capable of it.
"That's why I'm telling you—if it's hard, say something. Our dad isn't the type who wouldn't look after you. If it's difficult, just tell him and rest. Why do you keep acting so stubborn?"
Min-a grumbled and stroked my cheek. She seemed to have already forgotten that I had stormed out because of her father. Or perhaps she had already cleaned everything up. Because oppa had apologized. Because the generous CEO had accepted that apology. With that, everything had been settled, and I had lost even the right to speak of wounds or pain. After I had already knelt. After it had already ended. And now here we were again. Even though she had graciously accepted the apology, I was once more overstepping my bounds and being rude.
"I guess I'm the type who endures sadness through work. Going to the company is actually more comfortable than staying home, so don't worry about it."
"Ugh, seriously, I need to bring you to our house soon. I'm too anxious to stand it."
Why was she glancing at Yerin again? Her mouth must be itching to say that the girl was the obstacle.
"Yerin, aren't you going to bed now? Even though tomorrow's the weekend, if you're going to study you should sleep early. The mock exams are coming up soon."
"Ah... it's fine. Sungmo, are you staying over tonight?"
"Yes. Right, oppa. Can I borrow some clothes? I only brought myself today."
"I'll lend you some of mine."
"It's okay. I can wear oppa's. Do the two of us have to sleep on the sofa? How does oppa usually sleep?"
"I... I sleep on the sofa. Yes, on the sofa."
Since I couldn't tell the truth, I gave a vague excuse. Lately I had been sleeping with my niece in the bed in my room. It was a story that would sound strange to anyone, and if it reached her ears in particular, it would be impossible to handle.
"But it's definitely too narrow. If both of us lie down, we won't be able to move at all."
"Then you sleep on the sofa. I'll sleep on the floor."
"If we're sleeping, we should sleep on the floor together. How could I leave oppa all alone? Now that I think about it, we've never slept on the floor together before. That could be fun in its own way."
"Or you sleep on the floor. I'll take the sofa."
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
When I stood up to get her some clothes, Yerin followed behind me under the pretense of clearing the cups.
"Samchon... you're not very good at lying."
"......"
She whispered it against my back, so quietly it was barely audible, then headed for the sink. I stopped my niece as she reached for the rubber gloves to wash the dishes and quickly turned on the water myself.
"Watching from the side makes me a little nervous."
There were only three cups to wash, yet the two of us stood side by side.
"......What?"
"The truth is, I want to reveal everything. That Sungmo is the person who makes Samchon struggle the most."
"......"
I couldn't say a single word. I simply fidgeted with the dishes. The cup Min-a had used still bore a vivid red lipstick mark. Even when I rubbed at it with my hand, my fingertips only turned red. It refused to come off easily.
"If you're uncomfortable with Min-a sleeping over... I can take her back right now."
"No. That would only make Samchon struggle again. Instead..."
My niece stepped one pace closer to me.
"Please don't do the one thing I'm worried about. The affection displays—keep them moderate."
My niece put special emphasis on the last words, as if they were the most important part.