Chapter 112: Autumn (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 112: Autumn (1)
They looked alike.
That was my first thought the moment I saw her.
The aura she radiated, and especially her physical appearance, was strikingly similar to Ji Nuri’s. I suppose it was only natural, given they were sisters.
“Nuri…” Lee Sol scurried over to Ji Nuri and whispered in a quiet voice. “Is that… your older sister?”
“Yeah, that’s my sis,” Ji Nuri nodded awkwardly.
Her eyes looked weary, as if she had just bitten into a sour lemon. It was written all over her face that this was the last person she wanted to run into here.
— “…Are these Nuri’s friends?”
Ji Hyori’s Mini-Me watched us, gauging the atmosphere.
“Are you Nuri’s friends?” Ji Hyori asked as she slowly approached our group.
“““Hello.”””
The three of us bowed our heads in unison.
— “They really do say birds of a feather flock together…”
Ji Hyori’s Mini-Me let out a hollow laugh after looking at Lee Sol and Shin A-young.
— “The boy is quite handsome, too… Is it because he has good proportions?”
They say praise can make even a whale dance, but I kept my expression neutral, acting as if I hadn’t heard a thing. I tried my best not to let any emotion show regarding the thoughts I heard through her Mini-Me.
Ji Hyori gave Ji Nuri’s shoulder a playful nudge. “Same class?”
“…Same class, and we’re in the same club.”
“Is that so?” Her gaze shifted toward me.
— “Ah.”
She let out a short sound as if she had just remembered something.
— “Then is this the one called Lee Seung-ho?”
She knew who I was. I wondered if Ji Nuri had mentioned me, or if she had heard it from Nuri’s father or mother. Since we had met during the family trip, neither would be surprising.
“…….”
Under that lingering gaze, Lee Sol stepped hesitantly in front of me.
“Excuse me…”
Ji Hyori’s expression turned serious as she tapped Ji Nuri on the back. “This kid doesn’t cause you guys too much trouble at school, does she? She can be a bit eccentric.”
She added that we should let her know immediately if she ever did. As expected of an older sister, she knew Ji Nuri well.
“Ugh, Sis, stop it…!” Ji Nuri pulled at her sister’s shoulder as if scolding her.
“What? I’m just asking,” Ji Hyori responded shamelessly.
Ji Nuri glared at her with sharp eyes, telling her to stop talking nonsense.
“……Anyway. What are you even doing here?” Ji Nuri’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.
At the interrogation, Ji Hyori simply shrugged. “I just had some business nearby.”
It was a simple reason. They had just happened to run into each other by chance.
“You’re on your way back from school, right? Have you eaten?”
“We were just about to go eat.”
“Really?” At those words, Ji Hyori lightly clapped her hands together. “That worked out perfectly. Want me to buy you guys a meal?”
“Huh?”
“You said you haven’t eaten yet.”
“…….”
The skin under Ji Nuri’s eyes twitched slightly.
— “What is wrong with this woman today…?!”
Inside, she was freaking out. Her Mini-Me was jumping up and down while clutching its cheeks.
“Do you have to? Right now?” Ji Nuri desperately tried to change the subject, her voice filled with the desire to just eat with her friends.
However, Ji Hyori didn’t seem like the type to back down easily.
“I have to head back down in a few days. Who knows when I’ll get another chance to buy you food? Do you guys like meat?” She immediately passed the choice over to us.
— “…Meat… not bad.”
Lee Sol didn’t seem to mind either way. Her attitude suggested that since there were already several of us, one more person wouldn’t make a difference.
“…….”
On the other hand, Shin A-young just smiled brightly without saying a word.
— “……Ugh, this is uncomfortable.”
Her Mini-Me’s expression sank. It seemed she felt the awkwardness of the situation more than the desire to eat meat.
— “Urgh…… what should I do? Should we just eat?”
Moreover, given Shin A-young’s personality, it would be difficult for her to speak up.
“Forget it. I told you, we’ll take care of ourselves,” Ji Nuri insisted.
“It’s fine. You’re always whining about your allowance being too small. Don’t go borrowing money from your friends.”
“…….”
Ji Nuri’s lips clamped shut. Her protests weren’t working at all. Or rather, maybe they weren’t working because it was Ji Nuri saying them. The sisters were exactly alike in how headstrong they were.
So, I stepped forward slightly. “I think we’ll be okay for today.”
At the sound of my voice, Ji Hyori’s gaze turned to me.
I continued calmly. “We appreciate the offer, but we’ll eat just among ourselves today. We’re out for a club dinner of sorts.”
At that, Ji Hyori nodded lightly. “Well, if that’s the case, I can’t help it.”
She looked a bit disappointed, but she backed off without further argument. The way she understood immediately when spoken to clearly was also just like Nuri.
“We’ll take you up on that offer next time we have the chance,” I added as a polite formality.
“Sure, let’s do that then.” Ji Hyori nodded. Then, she gave off the vibe that she was about to head out. “Have fun, you guys~”
“Yes, goodbye.” I bowed slightly toward the departing Ji Hyori.
“Phew……” Once Ji Hyori had completely disappeared, Ji Nuri let out a deep sigh of relief.
“She’s a bit different from Nuri, isn’t she?”
“Yeah… she is,” Lee Sol agreed with Shin A-young’s remark.
— “Her personality is very bold.”
— “…All the genes went to Nuri.”
Shin A-young was referring to her personality, while Lee Sol was focusing on a certain physical aspect… her upper body. They were clearly talking about different things, yet the conversation somehow flowed.
Grumble—
Just then, the sound of an empty stomach rang out softly.
“…That wasn’t me,” Ji Nuri spoke up as if making an excuse. No one had accused her, but she had stepped forward to deny it anyway.
I started walking without saying much. “I’m hungry. Let’s get inside quickly.”
Whirrr—
As we passed through the automatic doors and entered the restaurant, I felt the warm air from the heater. I could really feel the weather getting chillier.
“How many in your party?”
“Four.”
“Would you like to follow me this way?”
We sat down at the table the employee led us to. It was a spacious four-person table by the window. I set my bag down and tapped on the kiosk. I set the spice level to medium, just like last time, and started adding various ingredients.
“Bok choy, bean sprouts… flat glass noodles, corn noodles…”
“Add cheese rice cakes for me,” Ji Nuri requested.
“What about you, Sol?”
“Umm…… add more bunmoja for me.”
“Adding bunmoja.” I followed Lee Sol’s request as well.
Shin A-young said she didn’t eat Malatang often and would just eat whatever we ordered, so I didn’t ask her separately.
A short while later, the food arrived.
“Sss…” I licked my tingling lips with my tongue.
It was spicier than I expected. It felt like the spice level had increased since the last time. I soothed my stinging tongue with some peach drink.
Munch, munch—
Meanwhile, Lee Sol’s small lips were moving busily. She didn’t shed a single drop of sweat, her face perfectly composed. As expected, she handled spicy food well.
On the other hand, there was someone who didn’t.
“Haa— sss—”
Shin A-young was taking short, quick breaths. Beads of sweat were forming on her forehead.
— “Haa, haa—”
Her Mini-Me looked like a drowned rat, soaked from head to toe.
Glug, glug.
Noticing this, I poured her a glass of peach juice. “…Is it too spicy?”
“I-I’m fine?” The end of Shin A-young’s sentence pitched upward. She forced a smile.
“…Really?”
No matter how I looked at it, she wasn’t fine. Her entire face was flushed red. Because her skin was naturally so pale, the color stood out even more. I should have ordered a milder version.
“…Want some milk?” Lee Sol asked softly with a faint smile.
“……I told you, I’m fine.”
Provoked by something, Shin A-young firmly gripped the chopsticks she had half-set down.
*
Evening had fallen. Ji Nuri returned home after finishing dinner with the others.
“I’m ho-ome.” She kicked off her shoes and walked into the living room.
“You’re back?” She heard her mother’s gentle voice. “Wash your hands and feet, then come over here and have some fruit.”
“Okay~”
After washing her hands in the bathroom and shaking off the water, she walked into the living room. A bowl of fruit sat on a small low table. She saw Ji Hyori lying sprawled on the sofa.
“…….”
Hmph.
Ji Nuri ignored her and plopped down in front of the sofa. That woman had caused her no end of trouble earlier.
Crunch—
Ji Nuri took a bite of a sweet apple.
“…That boy earlier, he’s the one, right?” Ji Hyori struck up a conversation while looking at her phone.
As if she’d tell her.
“…….”
“Hey, answer me.”
Ji Nuri poked an apple slice with her fork before opening her mouth. “…Who?”
“You know. Your crush.”
“Hey, I told you it’s not like that.” Ji Nuri turned her head away in denial.
“Hmm, I guess that boy earlier really was the one called Lee Seung-ho.”
“…….”
Ji Nuri’s face crumpled visibly. Her lips pouted out. Again. She had fallen for the same trick again. Why did she keep falling for it?
Ji Hyori chuckled at Ji Nuri’s reaction and continued. “But looking at the atmosphere between them, you’d better hurry up.”
“I told you, it’s not like tha—” Ji Nuri stopped mid-sentence. “? What are you talking about?”
Something about her sister’s words felt off.
“Huh? What?”
“What?”
Both of them looked at each other with questioning eyes. The focus of their conversation wasn’t aligning. It had veered off somewhere.
Ji Hyori shifted her body sideways. “…Wait, did you seriously not know?”
“Know what?”
“I mean, those girls…” Ji Hyori paused for a moment. She seemed to be debating whether to say it or not. “Well, I’m not entirely sure, but…”
Ji Hyori trailed off. “The way I see it, those two girls.”
“Sol and A-young?”
“Yeah, the two girls.” She held up an index finger with a serious expression. “Those two… the vibe between them and your crush is definitely something.”
“…….”
At those words, Ji Nuri chewed her apple slowly. She took her time tasting the sweetness of the fruit. She swallowed slowly. She blinked a few times, and then……
“……What?”
Still unable to comprehend, she asked back with a blank expression.
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(!Signpost!)
(Illustration below!)
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