She's My Little Sister
"Oppa. Okay, I'm gonna head out~ Make sure you eat a good breakfast~"
"Yeah. Just go already. Thanks to you, I barely got anything done."
"And that unnie you're seeing? She's seriously pretty. Even I almost fell for her, and I'm a girl?"
"If you've seen everything you came to see, shut up and get going."
"Wow. Kicking me out. So cold. You're the worst."
I shooed Seoyeon off with a flurry of waves, ushering her out the door.
Only after I'd confirmed she was gone did I finally slam my head down toward my laptop.
"Said she wouldn't get in the way… damn brat."
The condition for bringing her along had been that she wouldn't interfere with my work.
Not get in the way, my ass.
Every time she got bored she started talking to me, and if I didn't answer she'd jab me with her finger. She'd lean her head on my shoulder out of nowhere. Acting like a cat begging for attention, so I hadn't gotten a single thing done that I'd planned for today.
…At this rate I wouldn't even make it to lunch with Seorin.
Seorin's meal times were pretty consistent. At the latest, somewhere between one and two.
Normally that lined up roughly with when I finished my morning work, so we'd head out to eat together. But thanks to that little menace Kang Seoyeon, everything had slipped, and if I wasn't careful we might not get lunch together at all today.
Of course, I could always just ditch the schedule and go eat with her anyway. But as everyone knows, once a plan slips once, everything after it starts to drag. I didn't want to still be studying after the cafe closed and I got home, so I wanted to finish my work on time if at all possible.
…One way or another, I'd get it done before one.
Steeling myself, I tore through my remaining work at twice my usual speed.
Ordinarily, moments like these were when I'd take the occasional breath, zone out a little—and sometimes catch Seorin's eye and share a quiet smile. Little pleasures and pockets of ease like that. Right now, though, I didn't even have time to look at her. All I could do was throw myself into the work.
"…But earlier, it kind of felt like she was deliberately not looking at me. Or am I imagining it."
Usually, the moment Seorin walked into the cafe, she checked whether I was there. Our eyes would meet and we'd exchange a little greeting just for the two of us. Today she'd come in without so much as glancing my way, sat down, and buried her face in her laptop like she was determined to ignore the fact that I was staring.
What was that about.
It was ridiculously distracting.
Why would she do that.
Had I done something worth getting sulky over?
I lifted my head just enough to check her seat. She was working through problems like someone who was genuinely angry. More force in her mechanical pencil than usual. Solving them way too fast. On top of that, her lips were pressed tight and her brows were drawn down. Completely different from the relaxed expression she usually wore even when she was focused.
…Was she actually mad? Or was she hurt somewhere?
I needed to concentrate on my own work, but it nagged at me so badly my hands wouldn't move.
"Up through yesterday the vibe was definitely good…"
That was what puzzled me most. Just yesterday we'd been clinging to each other, holding hands, the whole mess. She'd even given me a back hug as a "service." So why the sudden cold shoulder.
Was this why people said a woman's heart was a reed that bent with every wind. Or was there some reason I didn't know about.
"Aaah. Whatever. Just focus for now. I can ask her when we eat later."
Come to think of it, she'd been late to the cafe today too. Maybe she was thinking the exact same thing I was. Maybe she was racing through her morning studying so we could grab lunch together.
…Yeah. Maybe she'd been in such a hurry she just didn't make eye contact.
Worried I was only assuming the worst, I tried to spin it positively. Her expression had been far too dark for that explanation, but still.
Carrying that vague unease with me, I somehow pushed the work forward at speed. Focusing so hard I didn't even pause for a sip of americano through the straw.
[1:05]
Right around one, I finally managed to finish everything I'd needed to do that morning.
I'd somehow pulled it off.
Praising myself for the hard work, I set my phone down and walked over to Seorin.
"Seorin."
"…"
No answer.
Maybe her earphones were too loud for her to hear. Even with me standing right there, she kept her focus locked on the lecture like she had no idea I existed.
Not wanting to raise my voice, I tapped her shoulder and called her again.
"Seorin."
Only then did she turn her head.
Those eyes were a little different from the ones that usually looked at me. Extremely cold and cerebral. Not the gaze of someone who knew me—more like she was looking at a stranger. So far from the gentle way she normally watched me that it was almost frightening.
She finally pulled the earphones from her ears and asked,
"What is it."
What is it, she said.
Was there a colder way to put it.
Not just her eyes—even her voice sounded like it might freeze solid. Where had the Seorin gone who'd held onto me yesterday and asked me to stay like that a little longer. The way she was treating me now had a freezing wind whipping straight through it.
Feeling oddly cowed, I spoke carefully.
"…I was going to ask if you wanted to go grab lunch like usual."
At my cautious line, Seorin let out a cold little scoff, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Lunch? You're asking me to go eat with you right now?"
"Huh? Yeah. Who else am I supposed to eat with here if not you."
What exactly about that rubbed her the wrong way.
I really must have done something wrong.
"…Ah~ so that's how you're playing it? Thinking I'll just back down?"
She muttered something under her breath to herself, then stood up from her seat, earphones in hand.
"Fine. Let's go eat. I've got something to say anyway."
"What? Something to say about what."
"Doesn't seem like the kind of conversation for here. So let's just go outside first."
With that she rose on her own and headed for the stairs. I trailed after her pitifully, like a guy chasing a sulking girlfriend, thinking,
…No, seriously, what is it. Why are you acting like this.
We left the cafe and walked the familiar stretch of street together.
I had no idea where Seorin was headed, but she strode ahead with long, purposeful steps. No matter how fast she walked, though, there was still the height difference between us. A slightly quicker pace of my own was enough to catch up.
"Hold on. Seorin. Walk with me a second. What's going on. Is something wrong?"
"…"
When I caught her wrist, Seorin stopped and looked quietly down at my hand. Her eyes said What do you think you're doing?—but she didn't shake me off.
I looked at her, frustration mounting. She stood still, glanced around, confirmed there weren't many people nearby, and then spoke.
"Fine. I'll be direct. Beating around the bush isn't my style."
"Okay. I don't know what this is about, but go ahead and say it? Why are you so angry?"
"You really don't know? Or are you just pretending not to?"
"I genuinely have no idea…"
"Haa. Unbelievable. There's no way you don't know."
What was I supposed to do when I honestly didn't. Standing there staring at her in pure injustice, I watched Seorin quietly drop a single line.
"What number am I."
"What?"
What number—what was that supposed to mean. Was there some kind of ranking. Or was that the answer she wanted. First in my heart?
"What are you—"
"If you're honest, I'll forgive you. Am I second? That has to be it, right? You looked closer with that other girl than with me."
"I'm telling you, I still don't know what you're talking about…"
"Are there more than two? How many total? I think I saw it on the news. Some college guy who cheated with five girls or something."
A situation I couldn't begin to parse. Who was "that girl," and why was she suddenly talking about cheating—my brain couldn't keep up, and I froze solid.
"You don't want to say it, is that it? Fine. Then don't."
"Seorin. Just calm down first and tell me what it is you want me to—"
"Just promise me you'll end it with all of them. That you'll cut things off with every other girl besides me. Then we'll pretend this conversation never happened. If not, we're done."
Like someone who had steeled herself. Seorin bit her lip and spoke to me with absolute seriousness. As if this were her hard limit—as if she couldn't concede another inch.
Watching her say those things, I took her by both shoulders, trying to settle her agitation.
And then.
"…I thought about this a lot before I decided. I still don't really know what kind of person you are, Ijun."
"…Seorin?"
"I like you. So… however you've lived up until now, we can figure it out from here. This is the best I can do. Just tell me you'll choose me. Please."
Tears rolled one after another from the corners of her eyes.
Why was she crying again. Seriously.
My head started to pound in the middle of this insanity. Clutching at the throbbing in my temples, I spoke as calmly as I could, trying to untangle a misunderstanding I couldn't even measure the depth of.
"Calm down. Seorin."
"…"
"Calm down, and I don't know what kind of misconception you've gotten into, but there is no other woman I'm seeing besides you. So for now, just don't cry."
"…Liar. I saw you."
"You saw me? Where exactly…?"
What on earth was she talking about. How could she have "seen" a woman I wasn't even seeing.
Seorin, had she had a dream or something? Or was she secretly a delusional menhera type all along.
If she was a delusional menhera, that could be kind of a moe point in its own way—my train of thought was drifting in that direction when—
"You were with her at the cafe today. You think I'm an idiot? The girl in the leather jacket and mesh stockings."
"…What?"
"You two were walking arm in arm, laughing, messing around, and you even fed her salad. And you're telling me there's nothing going on?"
Leather jacket. Mesh stockings.
The girl who'd been with me at the cafe today.
If that was the description, there was only one person it could be.
Kang Seoyeon. My little sister.
My head went dizzy and blank.
Seorin. What kind of misunderstanding have you gotten into.
"So while you were seeing a girl way younger and prettier than me, you wanted to string along someone like me too? You're pretty greedy, Ijun."
"Seorin. I think there's been a misunderstanding."
"She had an amazing body too. And she dressed so cool and trendy. Her makeup was perfect. Compared to her, I'm…"
Seorin was burrowing straight into the ground like she couldn't even compete. What was this person even saying. If you compared her to Seoyeon, Seorin was obviously way prettier.
"Seorin. Stop. You're way prettier than her, so just stop."
To keep her from spinning any further misunderstandings, I covered her mouth with my hand.
At least I roughly understood what she'd gotten wrong. Thinking about it, Seoyeon's style and looks were pretty different from mine. And given the way Seoyeon always acted around me, it was the kind of thing someone could misread in exactly that direction.
"Okay. The person you saw today at the cafe with me—that's right, yeah? Silver piercings, leather jacket?"
"Mmph."
With her mouth still covered, she nodded. Slightly flushed cheeks and damp eyes. Somehow that face looked so pitiful. She looked up at me like she was nervous about whatever I was going to say next, and I carefully opened my mouth.
"I don't know what you thought that girl was, but she's my little sister."
At those words, Seorin's eyes went round.