Must Be Fate
"Sis, hi..."
Compared to me and Jia noona, who were still frozen stiff, Yoo Seol-ah seemed to regain her composure remarkably quickly.
"Hello."
I couldn't just keep staring, so I stepped into the elevator and offered a light greeting. But honestly, my heart was pounding a little—no helping it. And for good reason. Up until now, people like my little sister or Yoo Seol-ah's childhood friend Park Harin hadn't been much cause for worry. Even if we'd told them we were engaged, they'd just been shocked and actually found it amusing.
But this was different. For one, I'd known since freshman orientation that Jia noona was a massive siscon. And more than that, the fact that it was past 10 PM was the real problem. Getting caught emerging from her studio apartment together at this hour was plenty to ignite imaginations—and to top it off, Jia noona had spotted me buying condoms at the convenience store once before.
"...Hi."
After a pretty long silence, right before the elevator hit the first floor, I finally heard a greeting. At least she was talking to me—maybe there was hope for smoothing this over? Once we stepped out, Jia noona didn't head outside right away. She glanced back and forth between us and said softly,
"You two want to grab a drink with me?"
"Sure. I was getting hungry anyway..."
"Me too."
I didn't really have a choice, so of course I accepted. But why did Yoo Seol-ah look so relaxed? She wasn't the type to fake being okay in situations like this. She broke away from my side and started walking alongside Jia noona, chattering away about nearby bars worth hitting up. She even seemed a little excited, which left me feeling like I was on pins and needles, quietly trailing behind the two of them.
"How about kuo bao rou and mala hotpot? Sound good?"
"Yeah, I'm in."
"...Think we can finish it all?"
"Of course. There's three of us."
We settled into a bar specializing in Chinese-style pub grub, and after poring over the menu for a bit, Yoo Seol-ah picked out two dishes. Jia noona seemed mildly worried about leftovers at first, but after glancing at Yoo Seol-ah, she just rang the table bell without a word.
"One kuo bao rou and one mala hotpot, please."
"One kuo bao rou and one mala hotpot. Drinks later?"
"Yes. We'll order in a bit."
Jia noona placed the order on behalf of Yoo Seol-ah, who never took the lead unless she was alone. Once the owner vanished into the kitchen, a brief silence settled over the table.
Now the real talk was coming, right...? I braced myself inwardly as Jia noona slowly opened her mouth.
"How've you been, Sion?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, good."
I'd been bracing for something like What the hell is going on between you two?, so I was a bit thrown. Come to think of it, we hadn't met since freshman orientation and that convenience store run-in, and the only contact since had been seeing her chat in the 23-22 class OFF group room. I never really chit-chatted in group chats, so from her perspective, she probably had no clue what I'd been up to. Her starting with small talk—maybe because she was just a kind person—eased my tension a little.
"Why not ask me?"
"...You're obviously doing fine. I see you all the time when I drop off side dishes..."
Yoo Seol-ah's total lack of worry played a big part in calming me down too. Just like I hadn't been tense around Baek Sia, if Yoo Seol-ah—who knew Jia noona way better—was chill, I didn't need to be so rigid. This was the first time seeing them together, but despite slight style differences, they really screamed sisters.
Jia noona shot Yoo Seol-ah an exasperated look for butting in, then turned back to me.
"...So it was you, Sion."
"Pardon?"
With a faintly bitter smile, Jia noona let out a soft sigh and continued.
"...Guess I'll back off, then, for someone like you."
"What are you even saying, sis?"
Yoo Seol-ah nailed exactly what I'd been thinking. We were totally in sync right now. But back off from what?
After downing a glass of water like her throat was parched, Jia noona dropped her usual gentle demeanor and whined like a kid throwing a tantrum.
"Seol-ah... I'm giving up on living with you forever...!"
"......"
"Sis, were you drinking before you got here? And we don't even live together now..."
"Boss! One Seolwon and one Yeontae goryangju!"
I checked just in case, but my senses—sharper than any breathalyzer—confirmed she wasn't drunk. So either she hid this side normally, or it only came out over Yoo Seol-ah stuff. The two bottles arrived quick, and Jia noona poured herself a glass of the unfamiliar Seolwon and knocked it back in one go. It must've been strong; she clutched her face with both hands, groaning softly, then dove into the main topic.
"I'd kinda suspected she had a guy... Lately I was sure of it, so I asked her over dinner the other day..."
"Sis, no...!"
"Know what she said? 'Sis, am I really that obvious...?' She wasn't even trying to hide it."
"Ugh..."
If it'd been recent, yeah, she must've been obvious. Just this morning, Park Harin had picked up on us before we'd even said a word. Yoo Seol-ah had stopped trying to hide her feelings lately anyway. Even I couldn't help smiling at messages from her—what about her?
"She used to swear she had zero interest in guys, but college really changes people, huh... Whatever happened to our promise to live together forever..."
"Sis! Why bring up something from before elementary school...?"
She must've been a total daddy's girl back in the day. Saying stuff like that to her sister. And Jia noona remembering it all these years just proved the siscon thing.
"I'd planned to block her if it was some weirdo... Haah..."
With a deep sigh, she cracked open the Yeontae goryangju, poured a glass, and slammed it back. She hadn't seemed weak to booze last time, but this disheveled state meant the shock hit hard. She glanced at me and kept going.
"But you're a good guy, Sion..."
Did I have a better image than I thought? We'd chatted a bit at orientation drinks and warmed up, but nothing memorable. Still, good vibes with Yoo Seol-ah's sister and senior? Definitely a win.
"Want a shot, Sion?"
"Sure."
The mood wasn't as heavy as I'd feared, so booze felt okay. Jia noona said Seolwon was better for newbies, so I went with that. We clinked glasses, I sipped—that burned. Checked the label: a whopping 30%.
Shaking off the buzz, I noticed Jia noona's face flushing bit by bit. Yoo Seol-ah fiddled with her tiny glass, looking tempted, but Jia noona beat her to it.
"You're weak to booze. This'll floor you."
"It's close to home anyway."
"...Fine, just one shot."
We toasted including Yoo Seol-ah this time, and all three of us downed it together. Strong proof, but way tastier than soju—went down easy. Too easy for Yoo Seol-ah, though. Her face went beet red fast, and she looked dizzy even from here. I filled a water glass to the brim and set it in front of her.
"...Thanks."
Jia noona smiled faintly at Yoo Seol-ah calming down with water, then turned to me.
"Hard to believe, since it's not that long since you met. She never drinks unless she's super comfy."
That was because when Jia noona first brought her up, I didn't know Shabu and Yoo Seol-ah were the same person. I'd played it cool, so she'd assume we'd only linked up recently.
Yoo Seol-ah, somewhat recovered, jumped in.
"We've known each other online for a while. But we didn't know real names back then, and only met face-to-face recently..."
No Astasia details, but cleverly weaving truth made explaining us easier. Sharp as ever, Yoo Seol-ah.
"Online friends who ended up at the same uni, huh? Must be fate."
"Yeah, must be fate."
"......"
Maybe the booze hit her quick, but she only blushed a tiny bit more than usual saying it. Jia noona stared in shock.
"...You never say stuff like 'fate.'"
Made sense—Yoo Seol-ah's usual realism and cynicism would surprise her sister, who'd seen it all.
"But meeting Baek Sion made me get it..."
Running into the Yoo Seol-ah from another world at the same university? Felt fated to me too. But Jia noona, clueless on details, looked conflicted. I could see it—if Baek Sia suddenly brought home a boyfriend spouting this, I'd get it.
"...Next you'll say it was love at first sight."
"Yeah..."
It wasn't a real question—just sarcasm—but Yoo Seol-ah ducked her head and whispered it anyway. We both heard clear as day. Jia noona's jaw dropped, stunned. Me too, thrown. Yoo Seol-ah didn't shy from admitting we were together, but love at first sight? A sip of 3% got her tipsy; 30% was overkill...
Reasons varied, but throats parched all the same—we three drained our glasses in near unison.