The First Crown
I had finally returned to South Korea after a long rest period in England.
Thanks to my manager hyung's meticulous security measures, I was able to slip into the country without drawing attention from the reporters.
At Incheon International Airport, there was only the usual hustle and bustle of travelers going about their business.
No one there knew that the goalkeeper of Manchester City had come home.
"Ah, this is the Korean air I haven't felt in so long."
"What are you saying, hyung? Come on, let's hurry home. Mina is coming too."
"Mina? Isn't she super busy these days?"
"Of course I'm going to come when my hyung has been away for so long."
My younger sister Mina and my girlfriend Da-min were both members of the world-famous girl group Queendom, which had just claimed the title of rookie powerhouse thanks to their debut track "First Crown."
They had been dominating music shows for two weeks straight, sitting at number one every time.
Even though their schedules were even busier than mine, and I had already resigned myself to not seeing them while I was here in Korea...
"Well, if I'm going to see anyone, I wanted to see Da-min..."
As if she could read my mind, my mom tossed in a casual remark.
"Ah, Da-min is coming too."
"Mom, shall we head home quickly?"
"Aigoo, you brat. Of course I'm happy Da-min is coming. You never bat an eye when we talk about your sister, but now you're all excited?"
Embarrassed by my mom's teasing, my face heated up without me realizing it.
"I was just happy to see my sister after a long time, that's all."
"Hah..."
I pretended not to notice the laughter bubbling up in my mom's sigh.
Since Mina and Da-min shared the same dorm, I worried they might already know about my relationship with Da-min.
But so far, Mina had never brought Da-min up in front of our mom, and there hadn't been any hint of her noticing anything unusual.
Probably she still didn't know.
That my relationship with Da-min was public knowledge.
With that thought, we climbed into mom's car and arrived at our family home.
"Is Mina home already?"
Standing in front of the front door, my mom was punching in the password.
My heart skipped a beat.
Even though I didn't mind seeing my sister after so long, the thought of meeting Da-min made me strangely nervous.
We had talked and texted a lot, but this was the first time I would actually see her in person since we started dating.
Click.
The front door opened, and the familiar scent of home welcomed me.
'Ah, I'm home.'
The feeling was even more comforting because it was a house I had grown up in since I was a child.
From inside, I could hear someone cooking.
"Mina's already here cooking?"
As I took off my shoes, my mom called out.
"Mina!"
Footsteps came from the kitchen.
"Mom!"
Mina stepped out wearing a white apron.
"Mom, it's really been a long time!"
'Wow, I look like I don't exist at all?'
"Yo, I came too!"
"Ah, oppa is here as well?"
With a playful grin, Mina's voice carried genuine warmth.
"But what kind of cooking are you doing? It doesn't suit you at all."
"How is that? I'm preparing for a program where I'll be cooking with noona and the chef soon, so I'm practicing."
"Hah~ Just when I thought I'd get to eat something delicious since I'm back in Korea after a long time, I end up being your experimental ingredient... Poor me, really."
"Hah, you're exaggerating. Don't worry. Noona's a great cook."
Before Mina's words were even finished, my ears perked up.
'Noona' – my heart gave a little jolt.
"Hello."
Da-min's head peeked out from the kitchen.
"Oh, Da-min, it's been a while."
My mom's bright voice was met with Da-min's polite response.
"Yes, it's been a while."
As Da-min and my mom chatted, my gaze remained fixed on Da-min.
'She's still so beautiful.'
"You like her that much?"
Mina walked over with an incredulous look.
"Compared to you? Definitely not."
That was when our eyes met for the first time.
The air grew still, as if time itself had paused.
Her eyes, reflecting my image after so long, met mine.
Da-min's fair cheek turned a gentle pink.
I could feel the corners of my mouth curving up without permission.
My mom, watching the scene, smiled and said,
"Well, well, it seems you two haven't seen each other in a while. One of you has been abroad, and the other's in the hottest girl group right now. Aigoo, my son is so lucky. Seeing a member of the group that's been dominating everything."
"Lucky, huh..."
Even though I said that, I was certain.
There wasn't a single man happier than me right now.
We moved into the kitchen, where a beautifully plated creamy pasta and tomato risotto sat on the table.
"Ta-da! How is it? Italian food I made with noona!"
Normally, a soccer player returning from abroad would miss Korean food, but I had no such worries because Chan-kyu hyung was an excellent cook.
My only concern now was which of these two dishes Da-min had prepared.
'I don't want to praise Mina's food... but what if I said it was bad and it was actually Da-min's? That would be terrifying.'
The mere thought made me shiver.
Da-min could get secretly upset, after all.
"Wow, you really did amazing! Which one is Mina's and which is Da-min's?"
"Ah, we both helped. We cooked together."
At Da-min's words, I breathed a sigh of relief in my heart.
'Phew~ I'll just assume Da-min made both and eat.'
"Come on, let's eat."
My mom gestured for us to take our seats.
Da-min sat opposite me.
"How's Queendom's schedule lately? I saw you on music shows recently. You were incredible. My sharp-tongued sister putting on such a professional performance, and Da-min still so pretty."
My mom started the conversation first.
"Wow, thinking about it still makes me nervous... but it turned out well with the seniors."
Mina spoke as if recalling her first broadcast.
"Thank you."
Da-min answered calmly.
"Tae-woo, you have nothing to say to your sister and friend you've been away from for so long?"
Everyone's eyes turned to me.
"Ah... Well, honestly, I was shocked when I saw the First Crown stage. Especially Da-min's part... that..."
As I spoke, our eyes met again, and my face heated up.
Even though we had been dating for quite some time, because of our separate schedules, we hadn't seen each other often, so the freshness still lingered.
"Mina's just like that... but she really tried hard. As much as someone like me could."
To break the awkward tension between me and Da-min, I deliberately shifted the topic to Mina.
"Seriously, this is ridiculous. Fans are calling me an abuser, oppa. Saying I bully you."
"Ah, really? But why don't you just tell the fans your oppa's name is Jung Tae-woo?"
"Do I have to? The fandoms are different."
"What's the difference? Among the male fans who like you, is there anyone who doesn't know me?"
"Wow, you're full of yourself?"
That was a fact.
In Korea, after Park Seo-joon hyung, I had the most Instagram followers among soccer players.
Countless passionate comments like 'hyung is so cool' and 'I want to be like player Jung Tae-woo' had flooded in, and surely a few were from Mina's fans?
Not to mention the female fans.
"Oppa, please sign this", "oppa is so handsome", "please marry me" – love confessions pouring in from Korea and around the world...
It was genuinely embarrassing.
"Seriously, among the men who like you, there must be some who love soccer, right?"
"If they like soccer, they just like you, oppa?"
"Of course. Where else would you find a player who performs so well at such a young age?"
"It's Hee-sung, oppa."
'Ah, it's starting again. He's been like this before...'
"Yo, Hee-sung hasn't even come to Europe yet. Anyway, the chances that your fans like me are 100%. So when we go on variety shows later, just say it straight that your oppa is Jung Tae-woo."
"Really?"
"Yo, think about it. What if I was dating you and..."
"Stop! This is weird. Why would I be dating my oppa?"
"Ah, it's just a hypothetical. Anyway, if you were dating me and photos of it got leaked to the reporters, and a rumor went around that you guys are dating secretly, could you handle it?"
Mina, after imagining it for a moment, made a face like she was about to throw up.
"Wow, I hate that."
"See? I told you to think carefully."
Honestly, if Mina were to be publicly revealed as my sister,
it wouldn't be strange at all for us to be together.
Of course.
No one would question dating your own sister.
And at that point, I would be able to spend time with Da-min naturally.
As a 'friend'.
Of course, it would be even more natural if Da-min and Mina were together...
Suddenly, the thought hit me, and I glanced at Da-min.
How wonderful it would be if our relationship could be publicly acknowledged.
But that was a faraway story.
Soccer players had relatively free dating lives, but for girl groups... and this was a brand-new rookie group just debuting.
The waves it would cause in their romance would be enormous.
'Hah... the world keeps pushing Da-min and me farther apart.'
After chatting like that, we finished dinner at my mom's home as if it were the first time in ages.
Each of us headed to our own rooms.
Da-min naturally went to Mina's room.
Lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling, I let my thoughts drift to her.
Her bright smile, her playful eyes, and the occasional shy expressions...
Everything about her I was seeing after so long felt like the strongest kind of magic.
Just then, a knock sounded.
Knock knock-
"Tae-woo, can I come in?"
It was Da-min's voice.
"Come in."
The door opened slightly, and Da-min entered the room carefully.
She was in pajamas and closed the door quietly, as if sneaking in.
"Mina?"
"She's in the shower."
Da-min whispered in a small voice and perched on the edge of the bed.
Her cautious movements were adorable.
Thinking about it, this was the first time.
I had been to her room before, but I had no idea why, but this was the first time she had come to mine.
"It seems this is the first time you've come to my room. How does that make you feel? I'm happy."
With a smile, I asked.
Da-min's face flushed, and she answered carefully in a small voice.
"I like it... I like you, and I like coming to your room."