Weekend
"Oppaaaa!!"
Thump-thump-thump-thump!
From the crosswalk up ahead, a little kid with an elementary-school backpack came barreling straight at me.
My late-born little sister, Ryu Se-ah — first grade this year.
"Guh."
She slammed a rocket headbutt into my stomach and immediately jerked her chin up to glare at me.
"Oppa! Why are you so late! I thought you were already home, but you weren't there!"
"Aigoo, my little cutie!"
I grinned, bent my knees a little, and scooped her up without any effort at all.
Nestled in my arms, Se-ah puffed her cheeks out and sulked for all she was worth.
"Aw, sorry. Oppa had to stop and buy some notebooks. Did our Se-ah run all the way here just to see me? You're so cute I could die."
I gave her cheek a gentle, careful pinch and laughed.
"Mom told me to deliver your side dishes! Aren't I the best?"
Se-ah proudly thumped her backpack.
"Whoa, for real? That must've been heavy. Hand it over — Oppa'll carry it. Aigoo, what a good kid."
"Okay, here!"
I took the plastic bag of side-dish containers from her.
And then—
Her gaze slid sideways and locked onto the girl frozen stiff beside me.
"························."
Se-ah's eyes went round as saucers.
She tugged hard on my sleeve and asked, bright and clear as a bell:
"Oppa!! Who is this pretty unnie!?"
Flinch!
At the sudden call-out, Han Yeoreum's shoulders gave a startled little jump.
I scrambled to clean things up.
"Ah — she's my desk partner. Our way home is the same after school, so…"
"No way! Desk partner!?"
Se-ah's jaw dropped. She looked me up and down like she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Oppa, you finally did it? You got a desk partner this pretty? Mom's been singing about how she wants you to get a girlfriend — did you actually reel one in!?"
"Hey now. Tsk. Ryu Se-ah. Don't tease Oppa."
I coughed awkwardly and smoothed her hair to rein her in.
"Shh, shh! Se-ah, you're scaring Unnie."
Our Se-ah sure picked things up fast from Mom.
Still cute, though, so I let it slide.
I carefully glanced sideways.
Figuring she was about to bolt again.
But—
"························."
Yeoreum's expression was nothing like usual.
Wee-woo! Wee-woo! Known male person's little sister has appeared!
Too cute!! Defenses disengaged!!
No pupil-quake. Honey was practically dripping from the way she looked at Se-ah.
Looking at her now, the whole animal-loving thing was just because she loved cute things, period.
And yeah — our Se-ah was ridiculously cute!
Yeoreum carefully bent her knees to meet Se-ah at eye level.
"Ah… hello…? I'm Han Yeoreum… Taekyeong's desk partner…"
Her voice was endlessly gentle and soft.
A tone she had never once used on me.
Huh. Why do I feel kind of left out?
Se-ah stared at her for a beat, then beamed and introduced herself.
"Hello! I'm Oppa's little sister, Ryu Se-ah! Unnie, you look just like an angel!"
"A-an angel… Thank you. Se-ah, you're super pretty and cute too…"
A soft smile melted across Yeoreum's lips.
Her cheeks pinked a little, but it was clearly from embarrassment, not from her usual shyness around people.
The two of them were so warm and cheerful there was no room left for me to squeeze in.
Se-ah eyed the plastic bag in Yeoreum's hand and asked,
"Unnie! Is that a cat toy?"
"Mm-hm! I bought it to play with the stray cat behind the school. Do you like cats too, Se-ah?"
"I love them! That's why I put Churu in Oppa's pocket and everything!"
"Ah…! So that Churu was from you. Thanks to you, I had so much fun playing with the cat. Thank you, Se-ah."
"Hehe, you're welcome!"
Their conversation flowed as easily as water.
Okay, I have officially been erased from existence.
I laughed awkwardly and opened my mouth.
"Ahem. My little princess — playing with Unnie is great and all, but Mom's going to worry. Time to head back."
The moment I gently scolded her, Se-ah whipped her head around and glared daggers at me.
"Tch, Oppa has zero sense. You should be grateful a pretty, kind unnie like this is even your desk partner!"
"Okay, okay. I get it."
Se-ah gave my leg a little smack, then tightly took Yeoreum's hand.
"Unnie! Our Oppa is only big on the outside — at home he's a total softie, okay? But if he ever bullies you or steals your snacks, you tell me right away! I'll give him a big smack!"
"Pff—!"
At Se-ah's adorable declaration, Han Yeoreum finally couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.
"Hahaha, okay. Got it, Se-ah. I'll definitely tell you."
It was the first time I had ever seen Yeoreum laugh out loud.
She was always the one shrinking away or bolting at the first chance.
Watching her now, I felt the corner of my own mouth lifting without meaning to.
"Alright, alright. Oppa will take really good care of Unnie, so don't worry. Watch for cars, and call me when you get home!"
"Okay! Unnie! See you next time! Come over to our house too!"
"Okay, bye Se-ah. Get home safe!"
Se-ah skipped off toward home, humming under her breath.
After she disappeared—
It was just the two of us again in front of the crosswalk.
"························."
Yeoreum looked at me still wearing that bright smile from a moment ago.
She didn't hunch her shoulders or look away the way she always had.
"Your sister… is so cute…"
"Cute, yeah. At home she's a little tyrant who drops truth bombs sometimes, but she's still so pretty I could die."
"Hehe… You really dote on your sister, huh…"
Yeoreum said it a little shyly, but clearly.
"I've never heard you talk that sweetly before… You seem all blunt on the outside, but you're secretly really gentle, Taekyeong."
Wait.
This girl just said my name.
Second time, after cooking class.
And a compliment on top of it.
"…Well. Gotta do the big-brother thing."
Suddenly embarrassed, I looked away and scratched the back of my head.
"That feather toy — if the cat likes it tomorrow, tell me. Se-ah's gonna want to know."
"Okay! I'll definitely tell you."
As the light turned green, we crossed the crosswalk and fell into step side by side, naturally.
Walking home with Han Yeoreum — and she wasn't running away.
This… wasn't half bad at all.
Ding-dong-dang-dong.
The end-of-day bell I'd been waiting and waiting for — Friday homeroom.
School starting on a Monday had been brutal.
But the week was finally over.
"Yo, Taekyeong. What're you doing this weekend? PC bang, you in?"
Jinhyeok came ambling in through the front door and wandered over to my desk.
"Haa… Dad's dragging me to a job site this weekend."
"Ah… That's rough."
"If I want to clean up the food money and computer cash I blew over break, I've got no choice but to go slap cement around."
"Aigoo, what can you do. Suffer well, Taekyeong~ This hyung's gonna go see a movie with Ji-eun unnie this weekend, then."
"You bastard. Get out of here."
"Heh. See you Monday!"
Jinhyeok waved smugly and vanished out of the classroom.
Ugh.
Life.
Saturday afternoon.
Wheeeeeee—!
Bang! Bang!
"Taekyeong! Haul that scrap out for me!"
"Yessir."
Following Dad's orders, I hauled wooden boards while sweat poured off me.
Old baseball cap jammed down over my head, a sweat towel around my neck, full site work clothes.
My clothes were coated white with dust, my face a sticky mess of sweat and grime.
"Whew. Hot as hell."
"Taekyeong, go grab some cold drinks. I want a sports drink."
"Yeees, yeees~"
Dad held out his card.
If he was buying, I was going right now.
I stuffed the card in my pocket and trudged toward the convenience store nearby.
Man, I really want to chug something ice-cold.
Shuffle, shuffle.
Jingle.
The second I opened the convenience store door, a blast of air-conditioned cold hit me in the face.
Heaven, pure heaven.
"Let's see… sports drinks…"
I was wiping sweat off my face with the towel and heading for the drink cooler when—
"Nari, what about this one? Looks like a new snack."
"Oh? Looks good! Let's buy one and split it."
Wait…?
I knew those voices.
I turned toward the sound on pure reflex.
"························."
Beyond the shelves, two familiar schoolgirls stood browsing.
Han Yeoreum and Seo Nari.
I'd only ever seen them in uniform, but it was the weekend, so both of them were in casual clothes.
Yeoreum especially was wearing a soft, floaty light-brown dress — totally different from her usual classroom wallflower mode. Bright, and honestly pretty.
Oh no!
Of all the times—!
I ducked behind the display rack in a flash.
Look at me right now.
Dusty old work clothes, sweat-soaked face, a grimy towel around my neck.
I was still a high-school guy in his prime, wasn't I?
I knew what shame was.
Guys were one thing, but I did not want girls catching me looking like a total wreck.
Maybe leave and come back later?
Bzzzt, bzzzt!
Damn it.
No choice.
Play dumb. Just play dumb, grab the drinks, and bolt.
I yanked my cap brim down over my eyes and crept toward the fridge like a ghost.
Sneak.
I killed every scrap of presence and snatched two sports drinks as fast as I could.
Perfect. Just get to the counter, pay, and—
Tap-tap.
"…?"
Someone carefully touched the sleeve of my work jacket.
No way.
It had to be the part-timer telling me to hurry up and pay.
I slowly turned my creaking neck.
"························."
"…Um, excuse me."
Han Yeoreum was standing right in front of me.
Pupil-quake? None.
Getting ready to scream Narii!! and run? Not happening.
Instead she looked up at me with a faintly shy little smile.
"Tae… Taekyeong… right?"
"Uh… Yeah. Hey."
I'm doomed.
Mortified, I tugged my cap even lower and jerked my gaze away.
"I, uh, look kind of rough, huh? Weekend, helping my dad with work…"
"No!"
Yeoreum cut me off in a rush.
"Huh?"
"Y-you don't look weird at all…"
She fidgeted with both hands, then added in a voice so small it almost vanished:
"Actually… you look reliable and cool…?"
"························."
What did she just say.
Did I mishear that?
Ears bright red, Yeoreum suddenly thrust something she'd been hiding behind her back toward me.
A cold canned coffee.
"Here… You've been working hard, so… drink this while you work…"
"························."
This girl.
Had she recognized me from the second I was cowering like a loser behind the shelf?
I hid for nothing.
Somehow that made it even more embarrassing.
Still — if she was offering, I was taking it.
I accepted the canned coffee in a daze.
"…Thanks."
"Oh my? Ryu Taekyeong?!"
That was when Nari, still picking out snacks behind us, spotted me and came over.
"Whoa, why do you look like that? Weekend day labor?"
"Helping my dad with interior work."
"Ah, gotcha. Filial son. Filial son. And the whole sweaty look is actually pretty manly?"
Nari thumped my shoulder and grinned wickedly.
Yeoreum stuck right to Nari's side, still glancing back and forth between the coffee in my hand and my face, smiling bashfully.
I lifted the can a little and teased Nari.
"Hey, Seo Nari. Han Yeoreum bought me coffee 'cause I was working hard. Jealous?"
Nari gave me the full Hollywood reaction.
"Whaaat!? For real!? Our Yeoreum bought a guy canned coffee first!?"
She gawked at Yeoreum with her mouth hanging open.
Obviously just messing with her.
"N-Nari! Be quiet…!"
Yeoreum's face went nuclear red as she smacked Nari's arm over and over.
Watching them, I couldn't help cracking a grin.
Suddenly I couldn't remember why I'd been so embarrassed a second ago.
If it was going to be like this, I should've just walked out and said hi from the start.
"I'm gonna head out first. Dad'll yell at me for slacking."
"Okay! Hang in there, Taekyeong~"
"G-good luck… Don't get hurt…"
Yeoreum fidgeted and gave a tiny little wave.
I nodded, paid, and stepped out of the store.
Jingle.
"Whew."
Pssst. Pop.
I cracked open the canned coffee Yeoreum had given me.
Gulp.
The cold coffee slid down my throat.
"Khhh."
Sweet.