Younger Sister (2)
Younger Sister (2)
"Hey, what happened to the self-reliance support money you got?"
"Mmfmf... I used it for tuition?"
"What...? How much was the tuition?"
"Was it 400?"
She used the money they gave her for temporary living expenses—since you start with nothing when you leave the orphanage—on tuition instead.
I understood she made that decision because she was a college student who had to pay tuition, but a headache was coming on.
She dumped the whole thing at once without thinking about what came after.
"So you lived off a million won and a part-time job until now?"
"Yeah. I got by on convenience store throwaways for meals and somehow held on."
"Haah..."
Had I ever seen such a foolish younger sister?
On top of that, she said she got by on convenience store throwaways.
I'd lived a similar life myself, but hearing that my younger sister had done the same made my heart feel heavy.
I shouldn't have waited for a phone call—I should have looked after her first.
"Even if you couldn't tell me, you should have told Mom."
"How could I hold out my hand to Seonsaengnim? She must be struggling too."
Should I call her a devoted daughter?
Or should I call her foolish...
When I listened further, I learned that even when Mom offered to deposit money for her, Minji would change the subject and hang up without giving her account number.
'I came out here shouting that I'd manage just fine on my own—if I took money now, I'd be too ashamed to even lift my head.' That was Minji's one line.
Trying to live on your own without leaning on anyone deserved praise,
but suffering alone in silence, unable to overcome your pride even after failing, was the wrong thing to do.
After hearing those words to the end, I brought my fist down on Minji's head.
Minji clutched her head in pain, but she didn't say a word.
"So? What are you going to do now, then?"
"Mm... I guess I'll have to look for another part-time job?"
She still wouldn't ask me for help, right to the end.
Was it really that hard to just say, 'Help me'?
"Minji."
"Yeah?"
"Are you afraid your older brother can't help out one little sister?"
She just kept asking questions, so out of frustration, I fired a straight shot.
Right now, I was earning enough in a single month to have enough money to live on for a lifetime.
Not just the CueTube channel revenue, but also SNS advertising income and CF contract fees.
I could take care of the younger brothers and sisters still living at the orphanage as much as I wanted.
That was part of why I'd started earning money in the first place.
"Until you graduate, just focus on studying."
"Studying?"
"Haah... Do you really think someone who made it into dental school can study while also working a part-time job?"
When I first heard it from Mom, I was startled.
I knew she detested anything lazy or bothersome, and I knew she did reasonably well in school,
but she'd gotten into the dental college of a top-tier university.
"W-Well, still, I have to earn money..."
"Do you really think your brother can't take care of one little sister?"
"That's not it! No matter what, my pride is..."
There she went again with the pride and whatever else—she clearly hadn't come to her senses.
A kid who'd been kicked out of her gosiwon and had nowhere else to go, what pride was she talking about?
Right then, I flicked her forehead with a snap.
I was different from before and had put on a bit of muscle, so Minji started clutching her swelling forehead right away.
I wanted to hit her one more time, but her effort not to make Mom worry was admirable, so I stroked her head instead.
"Do you even know how much your brother earns a month?"
"I don't know..."
"I guess you also didn't hear that the orphanage building was newly built?"
"Newly built? No way, they really built it new?"
In the old building, three kids shared a room, but in the new one, everyone got their own room.
Each room had a system air conditioner installed, and the environment was now set up to let them live comfortably without hardship.
So, seeing Minji—who had struggled alongside me—in a situation this hard, how could I just stay still?
"Never mind that... first, let's go look at a place to live."
"I-I'm fine, really! If I sleep over at a friend's..."
"Do you want to make your brother angry?"
I felt my expression turn cold for the first time in a while.
It seemed she'd been staying at a friend's place until I met her today.
There was no bigger imposition than that.
Anyway, it seemed she did have a close enough friend to live with.
"D-Don't get mad..."
"Then listen to your brother."
"Fine..."
And so I waited until Minji finished eating.
I'd even followed her around, worried she might make a run for it whenever we went anywhere... aish...
*
"What's your account number?"
"Huh? Wh-What for?"
Now Minji was starting to get guarded.
I wanted to thump her on the head one more time, but wasn't I a kind older brother?
Just like A-ra stroked my head, I stroked hers very gently.
After finishing our meal, Minji and I got straight into the car and headed somewhere.
This was an era where securing a house in a single day wasn't difficult.
I opened up a real estate app right away and searched for places near the university Minji attended.
I'd thought a simple one-room would be fine, but since we were doing this, I figured a jeonse was better than monthly rent, so I signed the contract for a jeonse.
Monthly rent meant paying every single month, and if Minji got busy and forgot, wouldn't that just be a nuisance?
"I'll transfer your monthly living expenses to your account, so don't go around skipping meals."
"Uh... yeah..."
"At least once a month, go see Mom's face, and when you're on break, spend a little money while you're out and about."
Seeing the money I'd deposited, Minji scratched her head.
I'd ordered not just the house, but all the furniture and electronics she'd need right away, and a laptop too,
so she was feeling terribly sorry about also receiving money.
"Minji. I told you, with what your brother earns, it's nothing, right?"
"Right... I keep forgetting..."
I hadn't even used a thirtieth of the CF contract fee I'd received this time.
I was saving up money like collecting in-game currency, and when I spent it, I spent it just like I did back when I lived at the orphanage,
so it was just piling up whether I wanted it to or not.
And even if I didn't earn anything, A-ra said she'd feed and support me.
Back when I worked at the convenience store, she'd barely even allowed me to do that much.
"In exchange, if your grades come crashing down, you're in trouble, got it?"
"I'll study hard."
Maybe she couldn't bring herself to lie to a brother who'd done this much for her—she took a pose as if steeling her resolve, her eyes sincerely sparkling.
That expression felt so cute that I stroked her head one more time.
"Right, work hard and become a dentist, and then take a look at your brother's teeth."
"Do your teeth hurt, oppa?"
"No. That's why I'm telling you to study hard."
Maybe I'd only said things that made me sound like an old man.
Still, I'd be satisfied as long as Minji had understood me properly.
***
"But... the room feels a bit bare."
"I-It's plenty! Oppa, please stop spending money!"
I'd bought and put in furniture and electronics, but it still felt lacking.
A bed, a table, a desk, a bookshelf.....
Was that it?
In the kitchen, there was just a rice cooker, a microwave, an air fryer, and a utensil holder...
"Minji. When you do something, you have to see it through to the end."
"No, I said it's fine! This is more than enough!"
"Really...?"
Well then, nothing to be done about it.
It was her own house now, so it would be best for her to handle things herself.
Still, the urge to meddle and help out was the heart of an older brother.
A-ra must have felt this way too.
"Then, your brother will be going?"
"Yeah... Thank you for today, oppa."
"Don't mention it. This is all just a loan."
I smiled and told her to pay it all back once she succeeded as a dentist later.
Of course, this was a gift of independence for my younger sister.
How could anyone survive on the five million won the government provided?
That was nothing short of abandoning orphans who were, in essence, no different from patients—
adults who'd never once experienced social life.
Though I might not be able to look after every single orphan in the Republic of Korea,
I wanted to be a source of strength for my siblings who'd lived with me at the same orphanage.
"Phew..."
I opened the front door and stepped outside, stretching my arms wide.
Now one worry that had been rotting away in the corner of my heart was resolved, and I felt refreshed.
*
Still, there were things that bothered me, so I was doing some online shopping, tossing this and that into the cart.
That Minji—she hated anything bothersome, so even though I'd bought her a rice cooker, I doubted she'd actually cook rice to eat.
So it seemed like a good idea to send side dishes by quick delivery once in a while, or set up a side dish subscription, so that she'd eat home-cooked meals rather than ordering in as much as possible.
"Hmm..."
"Seong-hwan-a~ Noona's hungry, give me food~"
"Just a moment!"
For now, I placed an order for frozen salted mackerel and soy-marinated shrimp and things like that.
I'd also ordered a solid 20kg bag of rice.
Whew...
It had been like this when I'd become independent too.
Thinking back on those days brought out a bitter smile.
Looking after my younger sister was important, but taking care of my hungry wife came first.
I lifted my bum off the living room sofa and headed toward the kitchen.
There, sitting at the table since a moment ago, holding her spoon and chopsticks, was A-ra, beaming brightly.
Because tonight's dinner was prepared as tempura.
"It's been a while since I made fried food, so my hands are trembling a bit."
"Really? Take your time so you don't get hurt."
A-ra was grinning from ear to ear at the thought of eating fried food.
I wanted to go over and stroke her cheek once, but I had to cook, so I held back.
"But, you said you met your younger sister today?"
"Yes. That kid didn't have any money and said she'd been living at a friend's house."
"Really? Should noona find her a decent place?"
A-ra's voice was thick with worry at the mention of my younger sister.
As I thought, A-ra was a kind person.
"I took care of everything today and came back. What happened was..."
Forgetting I was even frying, I started telling A-ra everything that had happened today.