[No title provided]
I want to see all your old looks too... what to do...!
The warm, lively atmosphere hits me right from the front door. Honestly, if it were just the three of us—me, Seol-ah, and Sia—it wouldn't feel this energetic. But with Lee Seo-yeon here, her naturally outgoing personality creates some insane synergy.
"Ah, come on in first. There's nowhere to sit... should we head to the bed?"
Seol-ah's voice is a whole octave higher than usual, buzzing with excitement from seeing Sia after so long. Sure, there's no sofa in the living room yet, so the bed's the only option, but the way she says it just sounds off.
"...Unnie, you've always been the bold type, huh...?"
Sia snickers, picking up on the weird vibe too and playing along perfectly. Seol-ah finally realizes how it sounded and starts blushing furiously.
"N-no, I mean, there's really nowhere to sit yet...! The sofa's supposed to arrive today..."
Sia just chuckles at Seol-ah's rambling, and Lee Seo-yeon, with her face full of mischief, can't stay quiet either.
"Wow, going after both brothers and sisters? What's that about...?"
"Nooo!!... What the hell are you saying..."
"I know. That's why I'm here to help tidy up."
My sister steps in to soothe Seol-ah, whose face looks ready to explode. Seol-ah's technically the unnie, but every time she meets Sia, she ends up getting dragged along—it's become routine.
We haven't been in touch much, so Sia must've been the one Seol-ah called. True to her polite nature, Sia turns to Lee Seo-yeon next.
"I, uh, heard about you. Same club, right...?"
"Yeah! I'm Lee Seo-yeon... You're Baek Sion's little sister?"
"Yep, just a year apart. Feel free to talk casually!"
"Cool if I do? Oh, but you really look just like your oppa... Bet you hear that a lot?"
"...Well, pretty much everyone who knows us says so..."
Sia looks a bit annoyed, so even I—who usually stays quiet in groups—can't help but chime in.
"Hey, why the face? You're being way too obvious about being pissed."
"What? I look thrilled—you're just forcing negativity again."
"Right? Why do you always pick on Sia? Where else are you gonna find such a sweet, pretty little sister?"
"Exactly, unnie?"
"......"
As far as I know, this is only their third time meeting. Or is it? These two are clicking like blood sisters already. If they shared a surname, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. Heck, if Sia just started calling herself the unnie everywhere, they'd pass as full Baek sisters. They don't look that alike, but their vibes match perfectly—especially that cool aura when they're just sitting there.
Catching my dumbfounded reaction, Sia and Seol-ah even laugh the same way, chuckling in sync.
"...No, honestly, it doesn't bug me that we look alike."
Sia picks up from earlier. Both of us take after our parents half and half, so if you quantified our looks, it'd score high for sure.
"But they keep making me crossdress as class rep for every festival... Seriously, the last two years, and probably this one too...?"
"......"
Suddenly, my empathy skyrockets. We do look alike, and I've heard "pretty boy" since I was a kid. Sia's the handsome-pretty type—feminine lines, sure, but her old crossdressing pics from back then? Male idols go home.
She sighs a little, but Seol-ah and Lee Seo-yeon light up at the story.
"Arts high schools do festivals big, right?"
"Oh yeah, Sia does music, yeah?"
"Unnie knows too? Oppa must've told you..."
"Yep, last time we hung out at my place. And drop the formal talk!"
Lee Seo-yeon heads straight for the bed like it's natural. Staring at the three of them lined up on it, Sia suddenly points at me.
"Oppa, you stay over there."
"...Why?"
"Sharing a bed with you feels weird."
I wasn't planning to anyway, but calling me out specifically pisses me off a bit. Scanning the room with a sour face, I spot Shabu peeking out from beside the bedroom door.
...Guess I'll play with Shabu then.
I grab Shabu quick and plop down on the floor, setting him on my lap. As expected, no resistance—he just perks up his ears, eyeing the new guests.
Unlike calm Shabu, though, the guests freak out.
"...Whoa, he's adorable... So chill?"
"Cute, right? Name's Shabu."
"Like the hot pot...?"
"Nah, just Shabu."
Sia reacts exactly as expected the second Seol-ah says the name. People really do think alike.
No matter how sparkly-eyed Sia gets, Shabu ignores her, grooming himself right there.
"But Shabu doesn't pay attention to anyone but these two."
"Really? He knows who feeds him?"
"Kinda... yeah."
I'm 100% sure it's the mana he senses, but we can't say that outright. We just exchange glances and wrap it up vaguely.
"Oh, right—the festival. What do you guys usually do?"
"More than regular schools, but not by much? Clubs do their thing, collab on animations sometimes."
"Makes sense—with all the art and music kids, you could make anime..."
"Yeah. They go hard... Use it for portfolios later."
Even among arts highs, her school's grade-obsessed, but portfolios matter as much for arts majors. Look at Seol-ah—huge illustrator without an art degree.
"They do crossdressing contests too?"
"Uh, yeah. One guy and girl per class."
"Then you dance on stage or whatever?"
"...Ours is in the big auditorium, judged by panel scores. Girls judged by women, guys by men."
Sia looks a tad glum explaining. Makes sense now.
"Guys usually do flirty lines, but it's all comedy, so everyone laughs?"
Even heavy makeup can't fix bone structure and build completely. Not something I wanna know more about.
"Girls play cute too?"
"Usually."
Drama or shoujo manga lines—light laughs, move on.
"But before I could even perform, the judges scored me."
"......"
The other two shut up like they get it. Sia, still sad-eyed, keeps going self-deprecatingly.
"...Just walked up close, and boom—perfect scores."
Prince Charming treatment. Her hair's shoulder-length normally, but with a wig for crossdressing...
Popularity cuts both ways.
"They laughed it off, but I'm the embarrassed one..."
"...Tough break."
Seol-ah pats Sia comfortingly, then glances at me all casual.
"It's fine. Your oppa pulls off crossdressing great too."
"...How the hell do you know that?"
Seol-ah's the only natural one here—I'm shocked. We talked festivals before, but I never showed pics. That's top secret.
"...Ah."
She finally clams up with a gasp. That reaction screams she's seen them. How?
I glare at prime suspect Sia, catching her eyes flicker.
"Hey, spill. It was you."
"...Wasn't."
Sia seals her lips. Fine—time for the ace.
"...Remember skipping piano for that day trip to the amusement park? I never told Mom, right?"
"Th-that was!"
Family bonds are sacred. I've got ten more cards like that—not just parks.
Sia glances at Seol-ah, then speaks sadly.
"...Just snapped pics from the grad album at home and sent 'em..."
"......"
Albums have event pics in back—hers had my center-stage winner shot from that contest.
So she did see it. Give me back my manly dignity.
I switch targets to Seol-ah.
"...You asked her to hunt them down?"
"......"
Her eyes dart—guilty. Meeting my suspicious stare, she goes defiant.
"...Yeah, I asked. Sia's innocent."
"So bold now?"
Voices rising, but the other two look zero tension—like it's casual.
Finally, Seol-ah yells, face red.
"...I want to see all your old looks too... what to do...! Even if I ask, you'd never show me anyway..."
"......"
The heating mood fizzles as the awkwardness hits our faces.
...Saying that with people around? Impressive.
"Unnie does this all the time at school, right? Must be fun."
"Yep. Few times a day."
With them chatting like we're a TV show, we can only hang our heads lower.
Then a theory hits—I look up at Seol-ah.
"...Wait, how many of my pics you got in that album?"
"N-not many...?"
We took some together recently, so maybe a few. First admission's hard; second's easy.
Sia smirks at blinking Seol-ah.
"Unnie begged, so I sent all the solo oppa shots from our family shared folder."
"Siaaa!!..."
Sia was protective earlier, but seeing shaky Seol-ah, she cracks.
That scream's believable. That folder's got hundreds—explains her giggling at her phone sometimes.