Jealousy Awakens
Meanwhile, at the exact moment Lee Seojin stepped out, the sisters were resting inside the house. But as if recalling some shameful memory, both of them were twisting and turning, rolling around, writhing in embarrassment, not knowing what to do with themselves.
The cause was none other than their obsessive grilling of Seojin the day before.
"Haaah... Why? Why did we do that, Se Eun-ah?"
"Don't ask, Unni... I'm dying of shame too..."
Originally, the sisters hadn't thought twice about Seojin talking on the phone with Han Sujung. He had promised not to hate them, not to dislike them, not to leave them—he'd always stay by their side. That invisible trust had firmly rooted itself in their hearts.
But when they heard a woman's voice and saw Seojin smiling happily, chatting joyfully with another woman, their feelings and thoughts flipped in an instant, as if seized by some force. And not content with that, they'd thrown a childish tantrum, begging him to sleep together like kids.
By the time they snapped out of it and reflected on what they'd done, dawn had broken—it was already hours later.
"Were we always such pathetic kids? Is that why we're so jealous and petty?"
"M-maybe, Unni. We've never met anyone as kind as Seojin-ajusshi... but we can't blame it on that, right?"
"Yeah... you're right."
"...That's it! Maybe it's because we're prone to possession! Some lovesick ghost suddenly latched onto us and made us act like that toward Ajusshi!"
"R-really? That... actually makes sense, what you're saying, Se Eun."
Possessed. Manipulated. A hidden second personality. All sorts of hypotheses and guesses flew around as they desperately tried to justify or explain their actions—but they found nothing.
In the end, they concluded, 'Let's just act like nothing happened.'
They exchanged awkward smiles, ready to end the conversation... but it was such an absurd answer that they circled right back to square one.
In a way, it was inevitable. They'd never had a chance to express emotions growing up, no one to express them to. And for sisters who had only recently begun to grasp the concept of emotions themselves, realizing something as profound as obsession or attachment was no easy feat.
"...Haa. What should we do? We'll be living with Ajusshi from now on..."
"...Let's hold back as much as we can, Unni. So it never happens again."
No matter how they racked their brains, no answers came.
Had they always been so lacking in self-control, so rude, so quick to interrogate others? Absolutely not—that much they agreed on. Reflecting on their lives so far, they could find no trigger for such behavior.
Objectively speaking, if they'd been curious, they would've politely asked who it was and slowly gotten to know through conversation, or so they firmly believed.
But reality had twisted strangely the moment they saw Seojin connected to another woman—they'd reacted explosively.
That sparked worry: Had they made him hate them?
"...Ajusshi doesn't hate us now, right?"
"...He won't. He's a good person."
"...Right?"
"...Yeah. He will be."
The dejected sisters slumped limply. Praying they hadn't earned Seojin's dislike from yesterday's fiasco, they awaited his return with bated breath.
How long had they waited? When Seojin finally came back, they greeted him with anxious yet delighted voices.
"You're ba—"
"Ajusshi's ho—"
But the instant he entered, the sisters froze again. Their empty yet brimming-with-emotion eyes... like dead fish, they switched on like a flipped circuit.
The reason was simple. For some reason, Seojin was walking in, embarrassed, smiling and chuckling to himself intermittently. And they instantly knew the cause: Han Sujung from yesterday's call.
※
At Han Sujung's loud voice, I froze solid the moment I heard it.
"...Huh?"
I stared blankly in confusion. What had she just said? Date...? On December 25th, Christmas, lovers' day.
N-no way... This was a co—
"Ah... AHHH!!! No, I said it wrong!!! It-it's just, y'know, meet up!!!"
Not a confession, then. Seeing Sujung blush furiously and stammer an explanation, I felt a twinge of disappointment. But I'd lived basically alone in my previous life, and as for romance... well, my track record down there wasn't great. I shook it off quickly.
"Oh... that's what you meant. I thought it was a confession."
"C-co-confession?!"
"A confession from my popular junior? I was looking forward to it. Why, can't I?"
Caught off guard by my unexpected words, Sujung's face turned beet red, but she shook her head vigorously, shaking off the embarrassment. She tried to keep a straight face—though her pleased vibe and lingering shyness peeked through.
"C-co-co-what confession! Why would I confess to someone like you, sunbae? No confessions for a scruffy old-beard ajusshi~?"
"Ugh... Hey, aren't you being too brutally honest?"
"Hmph. What can I do? It's the truth."
Unable to retort, I deflated a bit. Sujung eyed me sideways, clicking her tongue. Then, as if resigned, she shook her head and flashed a confident smile.
"So, let's meet up and do something about that beard."
"Huh? Meet up?"
"Yeah. I know a great shop. They specialize in grooming, and they have clothes inside for fittings too."
"...Don't places like that usually cater to models? Can a guy like me even go?"
I asked, puzzled. Sujung blanked for a second, like she'd run out of answers, then scrambled to respond.
"Ah, w-well yeah! But heroes go there too. Plus, I have connections, y'know?"
"You do?"
"I do!"
I paused, vaguely recalling she'd mentioned her family was well-off—something about running a company. But I still didn't know which one. Probably some small family business. She'd never flaunted luxury brands or acted snobby.
"What's with that look? You doubting me?"
"Huh? Oh, no! Why would I? Just thinking."
"Hmmm... Fine. I'll trust you."
While I spaced out, lost in thought, Sujung narrowed her eyes suspiciously. When I hurriedly smiled and replied, she pouted like I'd hurt her feelings, turning away dramatically before pointing back at me like making a declaration.
"Anyway! Consider it scheduled—get ready and come!"
"Uh... Got it."
"Oh, and don't dress sloppy! It's a grooming place, so dress nice!"
"Sure."
I almost asked if casual was fine for a grooming spot, but held back. No need to catch flak. In my previous life, I'd never made personal plans with Sujung like this. Guess deciding to change after regressing led to stuff like this.
Personal plans... nice.
...But why did part of me keep thinking date?
Because she said "date"? Christmas meetup? Just the two of us? No way... Did Sujung like me?
"You're thinking something weird again. Bad habit."
I shook my head hard to dispel it. Just a common male delusion. I knew it wasn't true, but for some reason, my heart raced with tension.
※
Seojin had zero dating experience in his entire life up to now. With so much happening since regressing, he tried to brush it off easily—but the feeling lingered all the way home. In the end, he'd shown the sisters his awkward, flustered side, lost in thought.
"Ahem! *Cough*! Hm... Huh?"
Clearing his throat repeatedly to compose himself, Seojin suddenly felt a chilling gaze. Looking around, he saw the sisters staring with those same eyes from yesterday. Sensing danger, he forced an awkward smile and asked cautiously.
"Uh... Sua-ya? Se Eun-ah?"
"...Yes? What's up, Seojin-ajusshi?"
"Why call him Ajusshi?"
They'd agreed to use names after yesterday, but now it felt like he needed to add "-nim" for respect. Not wanting to relive that explosive atmosphere, he hurried to change the mood.
"Uh... Did I do something wrong...? I left without a word this morning—is that it? Could you ease up on the faces a bit...?"
""...!""
The sisters jolted like souls returning to bodies, snapping out of it. Self-reproach hit them for nearly repeating yesterday's mistake, and they apologized.
"S-sorry, Ajusshi. I don't know why, but I just... change without realizing. Is it a sickness?"
"Like Unni said, something bad must be happening to us..."
They looked to Seojin with eyes pleading for answers, but what could he say? He couldn't even see straight in his own love life.
"Hmm... Not sure...?"
"Even Ajusshi doesn't know..."
"Guess we just have to try our best..."
"D-don't get too down. That side of you is fine too."
As the sisters wilted, Seojin quickly comforted them and stepped inside. It came and went fast—probably some self-defense from their unfortunate past, he guessed. He wasn't far off himself, numb to emotions after his own desensitized life, so he knew little about them either.
"But Ajusshi, why do you look so pleased?"
"Huh? Do I?"
"Yeah. Super."
"Ah... Ahaha. It's nothing. Just... first time making plans to meet Sujung?"
Crackle— They nearly flipped again, but this time the sisters held it back. Instead, unwanted smiles crept onto their faces as they sat on either side of Seojin on the sofa, staring.
Feeling the pressure, Seojin grew sheepish.
"Hmm... I see."
"Got it."
"Yeah. But why are you looking at me like that?"
"Huh? Us? Like what?"
"What look?"
"...N-nothing."
They tilted their heads innocently, and Seojin instinctively knew not to push. The sisters smiled even brighter, slowly probing.
"So, Ajusshi, what're these plans?"
"Yeah, we're curious—can you tell us?"
"Oh? Uh... nothing I can't say. It's just—"
The sisters listened to the story, already plotting something.
※
December 25th, Christmas. Crowds filled the streets, each with their own reasons. This Christmas was special—a white one.
"Haa... Cold. When's sunbae getting here?"
Standing in the snowy street, Sujung looked up at the sky. Overcast and dimmer than usual, but the falling snow made it beautiful. She secretly hoped today would be meaningful.
Of course, only if Seojin showed.
"Seriously, sunbae has no sense of time. Well... he's changed lately, so I'll let it slide."
Chilly wind. Beautiful snowflakes. Perfect weather for solitary reminiscing, for craving warmth.
Sujung thought of pre-change Seojin.
'Don't nag, just scram.'
'Rest? Will that make me stronger? No! It'll just weaken me!'
'Shut up! I'll handle it!'
A guy who neglected self-care, living in the training grounds swinging his sword, enduring ridicule and insults. Yet utterly unfazed, with iron will. Ignoring care and concern. But stepping up to protect the one person everyone else trashed—warm at heart.
"Hehe..."
Recalling the past, a soft smile graced Sujung's lips.
How long did she wait?
"Haa... Haa... Hey, sorry."
Seojin panted roughly, apologizing right in front of her.
"...What? Making me wait 10 minutes. You know how cold it is out here?"
"No, it's Christmas, so I took the bus instead of a cab. But traffic was bad."
"So you ran?"
"Yeah. Got off 5 stops early and sprinted. It's fine! Counts as a workout."
Even for a superhuman, sprinting that distance wasn't easy—it'd tire anyone. He looked like he'd gone full speed but was pretending nonchalance. Realizing it was for her sake, Sujung beamed.
"...Fine, forgiven."
"Haa... Thanks."
"But in return—"
As Seojin grinned back, Sujung sidled closer. Without hesitation, she hooked her arm in his and pointed to the department store nearby.
"Wh-what?"
"Why so flustered? Just arm-in-arm. Friends do this, right?"
"N-no, it's not that..."
Seojin averted his eyes, embarrassed. Sujung laughed brightly, tugging his arm.
"C'mon! I'm freezing—let's get inside."
"Uh? Oh... yeah."
At her casualness, Seojin thought, Of course, no big deal, regaining calm. Arm-in-arm like a cozy couple, they headed to the store.
But they didn't know. A certain pair of sisters had meticulously planned and was tailing them.