Chapter 84
Chapter 84
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: Our Summer Vacation Together (7)
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I don't really remember how we played at the beach.
We built a sandcastle with Dasom, took care of her while she splashed in the waves, and then the moment Seol-i and Dasom teamed up to splash me, I fought back... That's about all that comes to mind.
Nothing more surfaced. I couldn't let it. If I snapped out of it even a little, my head would start spinning for real, so I deliberately let my mind wander just a bit.
Seol-i's bikini had that kind of devastating power. It felt like shock therapy.
Anyway, after having a blast at the beach with Seol-i and Dasom, we headed back to the lodging together.
We ate the mackerel lunch sets Mom had prepared, watched a fun comedy movie all together, and just like that, spent the second day enjoyably.
And for dinner that second evening, we had chicken...
...and now it was bedtime.
"Kids, sleep well, okay?"
"Yes~"
"Good night~"
"Dasom, say bye-bye to Seol-i unnie."
"Unnie...! Bye-bye...!"
"Sleep well, Dasom~"
Dasom and I said goodnight to Seol-i as we went into our room, and Seol-i waved back before heading into hers.
Once inside, I gently stroked Dasom's cheek and asked,
"Dasom, did you have fun today?"
"Yeah! Super fun! Super!!"
"Good to hear~"
I ruffled her hair while getting her ready for bed.
Truth be told, Seol-i had handled all the other prep. The shower, changing her clothes... No matter how I looked at it, Seol-i felt like Dasom's real big sister.
My job was just to safely tuck our princess into bed, handed over from her honorary big sis Hyeonseol.
Come to think of it, last night I'd even pawned that off on Seol-i because I was tired.
I suddenly felt bad for her again. I'd have to treat her to something tasty once we're back.
With that resolve, I started patting Dasom's shoulder.
"Sleepy-bye~ sleepy-bye~"
And then I began humming a makeshift lullaby, repeating, "Sleepy-bye, sleepy-bye, our Dasom sleeps so well, our Dasom."
I'm no singer, and definitely not a lullaby expert.
So this was my limit.
Luckily, it was enough to put Dasom right to sleep.
Look at her now.
Just five minutes into my awful lullaby...
-Snooore...
And she's out cold, snoring away.
Maybe she'd worn herself out playing at the beach.
She must've poured even more energy into it than usual because it was so much fun.
That explains why she dozed off during the movie with Mom, Dad, and Seol-i earlier, complaining it was boring.
Seeing Dasom snoring away, I figured it was time for me to get ready for bed too.
Honestly, "getting ready" just meant pulling the blanket over myself and crashing.
I did just that and drifted off...
Then the curveball hit.
-Rumble!
Thunder cracked from the sky.
It wasn't raining. Just a bolt from a clear sky.
These things happen sometimes, so I tried to brush it off.
The thunder was loud enough to wake me, but not a big deal.
But then...
-Knock knock knock
Someone rapped on my door.
Not Dasom, not my parents. And no way Seol-i's folks.
I had a pretty good guess who it was, so I whispered,
"Yeah?"
-Creak
The door opened, and sure enough...
Seol-i stood there.
In pink pajamas, clutching a teddy bear in one hand.
"Haneul... Haneul-ah...."
"...Seol-ah?"
I'd expected it to be her.
But not shaking like a leaf.
I went to turn on the light, but Dasom was there. It'd wake her for sure.
Sorry, Dasom, but I had to improvise.
I pulled the thin blanket all the way over her head to block the light, grabbed my phone from the nightstand, and turned on the flashlight.
Now I could see Seol-i clearly.
Trembling in fear.
"...You okay?"
She shook her head at my question...
-Tremble tremble
-Squeeze
...and suddenly lunged into my arms.
I knew why. Seol-i's terrified of thunder. Doesn't mind horror movies, but thunder? No way.
Thunder from a clear sky like this? Terrifying for her.
Knowing that, I didn't push her away in the middle of the night.
Instead, I just stroked her back.
"It's okay, it's okay."
"Yeah... Uh-huh...."
Nodding but still sniffling, she looked just like a little kid.
Yeah, that's what I'd have thought normally.
...If not for those massive hills pressing against me as she hugged on.
They drove me insane.
They bugged me subtly before, and today at the beach, they were so distracting I had to zone out completely. Now, with just thin pajamas between us and her pressed right up against me? Impossible to ignore.
But pushing her away for that? She seemed genuinely scared right now.
That thought chased away the weird ideas bubbling up.
Instead, I racked my brain for a way to handle this.
"...If it's too scary, wanna just sleep here?"
She shook her head.
Then she said what she really wanted.
"......Together."
"Together?"
"Yeah... together, sleep together."
Normally, "sleep together" would've set my mind racing in other directions.
Not now. She just wanted comfort, plain and simple.
I nodded, and seeing that, she burrowed even deeper into my arms.
I turned off the phone light, scooped her up, and laid her down next to Dasom.
"Dasom... won't wake up, right...?"
Seol-i was worried about her too, but I just shook my head.
"Nah, not from this."
Short of a solid whack, nothing's waking Dasom. Big bro knows.
Relieved, she sighed softly...
-Squeeze...
And hugged me tighter, more desperately.
I pulled the blanket over us and started patting her.
"It's okay, it's okay."
Earlier I was the Dasom lullaby machine; now I was the Seol-i soother.
Still, I was plenty satisfied.
Why? Because Seol-i was drifting off under my patting.
About ten minutes later...
-Sniff... sniff...
She was out like Dasom.
So adorably, so peacefully.
I gazed at the two of them.
Dasom's too cute. The big age gap makes every little thing she does so precious.
Seol-i's cute too. If I had to pick the cutest person I've ever seen, it'd be her, no hesitation. That's how cute she is.
I used to see her like a little sister. Honestly, part of me still does.
But now it's a bit different.
Her killer figure, her pretty face...
And that sweet, devoted heart of hers is just too lovable.
Every time I look at her, my heart races.
...I don't want to admit it. I won't.
For our sake, I shoved the word floating in my head away.
To be honest, it's come up before. Almost slipped out a few times.
But I kept pushing it down on purpose. Kept denying those thoughts about her.
It was easy at first. Remind myself she's like a little sister-friend, and my mind went there.
But now it's growing too big to ignore.
Maybe it already has. I'm just too scared to face it, pretending otherwise.
Someday I might have to confront these feelings.
I'm trying to put that day off as long as possible. Pushing it away.
Cowardly, yeah.
Still, I think Seol-i would understand.
She's that kind, that gentle.
Even treating her like a sister, I'm leaning on her warmth with this cowardly choice.
I don't want to assume she might like me back. Just hoping would be foolish.