You Must Really Like Your Sister
You must really like your sister a lot.
A month had already slipped by since I'd started living with her.
It wasn't as if everything had changed dramatically in that short-yet-long stretch of time. Still, my life had quietly shifted in small but noticeable ways.
I'd been so certain I'd never grow close to a man-eating monster like her. Yet human adaptability was terrifyingly swift. Whether I wanted it or not, sharing space with Vane had made her presence feel almost routine.
Of course, that didn't mean we'd become friends or that I felt comfortable around her. Whenever she did something that defied human logic, I still felt a chill run down my spine instead of any sense of familiarity.
At the very least, I'd started to learn what she liked and disliked.
Maybe that was only natural after seeing her face every single day.
“..What are you thinking so hard about, Jaewu?”
“..It's nothing. I was just spacing out, so please stop reading my mind.”
She walked over, grabbed a canned drink from the fridge, and downed it in one go.
“Want one too?”
“Yeah.. thanks.”
She handed me a drink and returned to the sofa to watch TV.
After a month of observing her, I'd learned that as long as she wasn't starving, she was surprisingly well-behaved unless provoked first.
She went out hunting roughly once every three days. According to her, that interval kept her hunger manageable and her body stable.
I could only pray for the victims, but at least it meant she wouldn't touch me once she'd eaten her fill.
Indulging her perverted tastes was exhausting, but I could endure it.
Today had been relatively peaceful. Vane was watching some cheap variety show as usual while I caught up on housework.
Ding-dong! Ding-dong!
The phone I'd left on the table started ringing while I was vacuuming.
The caller ID read: Beloved Noona.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Jaewu! I'm at the café near your place. Mind if I drop by? It's been a while since I saw your face.”
“Huh..? Wait, what?!”
“What's wrong? Did something happen?”
“Oh.. no, it's just..!”
Letting Noona into the house right now? With Vane here, there was no telling what she might do. A bad feeling crept in—what if her attention shifted to my sister instead?
As long as that man-eating monster was inside, bringing Noona here was out of the question.
Vane was still on the sofa, licking a piece of candy while watching TV. But the moment I started stumbling over my words, she glanced my way.
“No.. I'll come out instead, Noona. The place is a mess right now. It's not really fit for visitors.”
“..Noona?”
My voice had turned urgent without me realizing it.
“Come on, why worry about that? I've seen your messy place plenty of times. I'm almost there. Just wait a bit.”
“No, Noona, let's just meet outside..!”
Click.
The call ended.
Shit.
I'd known Noona could be stubborn, but I hadn't expected her to push this hard today.
When I turned my head, Vane was already resting her chin on the back of the sofa, staring straight at me. Her attention had completely left the TV and was now fixed on me.
“Jaewu. Why is your sister coming over such a disaster?”
“Your face is completely pale and you're even sweating. You look terrified.”
“…”
She stood up and walked toward me. She was definitely trying to read my thoughts again. My body tensed at the sound of her approaching footsteps.
“I get it now. You're scared I'll eat your sister, aren't you?”
“That's..”
I should have denied it. Told her that wasn't the reason. Told her not to jump to conclusions. But the words wouldn't come out.
Suddenly, she rose onto her tiptoes and leaned in close, then pulled me into a tight hug as if to reassure me.
“You should be grateful, Jaewu. I ate yesterday, so I'm not hungry yet.”
“..You're really not hungry? You're not just messing with me again..?”
“I'm serious.”
“If I were actually hungry, you wouldn't even be able to look me in the eye right now.”
“…”
“You can tell the difference by now, can't you?”
I couldn't argue. Thanks to living with her for a month, I'd learned to sense whether Vane was hungry or not.
When she was starving, she was far more dangerous than this. Her eyes changed, and she never started pointless conversations like she was doing now. If she were truly hungry, she would've already gone out hunting.
“..Yeah, you're right.”
The problem was that a full stomach didn't guarantee safety. Vane could be just as unpredictable even when she wasn't hungry.
What do I do..? What the hell do I do..?
Should I call Noona back and force her to turn around? Or try to get Vane out of the house somehow? But that monster would never listen to me without a fight. Acting suspicious would only make her more curious.
“My dear Jaewu. Why are you so nervous?”
“I'm not.. I'm just a little tired, that's all.”
“Don't lie. I can hear your heart pounding from here. Why pretend, Jaewu?”
“…”
“..The way you're fidgeting is making me curious.”
“About what..”
“Your sister. I'm wondering what kind of person she is that you're reacting this strongly.”
“What..?!”
A headache throbbed behind my eyes. As if the situation wasn't stressful enough, now she'd developed an interest.
The mere thought of that man-eating monster paying attention to my sister made my stomach twist.
“..Don't get interested in my sister, Vane.”
“Hmm.. Well, she's coming soon anyway, right? I'll just see for myself.”
Frustrated, I rubbed my face and looked down at her.
“Vane.. please, just behave today. Don't do anything weird.. I'm begging you.”
“I haven't done anything yet, though?”
“That's why I'm asking you to stay exactly like this..”
I grabbed her shoulders tightly.
“Noona won't stay long anyway.. so just stay calm. Once she's gone, I'll do whatever you want..”
My grip tightened.
“..Got it?”
Vane blinked slowly.
“This is the first time I've seen you beg like this. You're usually just angry.”
“I figured this was the only way you'd actually listen..”
“Hmm.”
“You can eat people outside or do whatever you want.. I'm not trying to stop you anymore. I don't have the power to anyway.”
“But please, don't touch my family. You promised..”
She let out a sigh, as if tired of my pleading.
“..Fine. I'll try. But Jaewu.”
“..What.”
“You must really like your sister a lot. Way more than me.”
“..Of course. She's family.”
Vane fell silent for a moment after hearing my answer. I couldn't tell what she was thinking, and I didn't want to know. All I could hope for was that she'd keep her word.
Ding-dong!
The doorbell shattered the silence.
“Shit.. she's already here?!”
I hadn't even prepared myself mentally, let alone calmed Vane down properly..!
After one last desperate plea to her, I headed for the door.
“My cute little brother~!!”
The moment the door opened, Noona pulled me into a tight hug. Her embrace was warm and comforting.
“Whoa.. did you get even taller?! How much taller are you planning to grow?”
She reached out, grabbed both my cheeks with her hands, and stretched them.
“I told you to call me more often, but you just leave me on read. Living alone means you don't need your noona anymore?”
“Ow..! That's not it, Noona. I was really busy..”
“Busy with what? You don't even have a job.”
She flicked my forehead with her finger, exasperated.
Just as she was about to launch into another lecture—
“..Huh?”
Her eyes landed on Vane standing behind me.
Noona blinked a few times, then asked carefully.
“Jaewu.. who's that? A friend?”
“Ah..! She's, um.. well..”
While I was still trying to figure out how to introduce Vane, she stepped forward.
“Hey, wait!!”
It was already too late to stop her.
Vane met my eyes once, then mouthed silently.
'Trust me..?'
What came out of her mouth next left me stunned.
“..Nice to meet you, unni. Jaewu has told me a lot about you.”
Vane smiled shyly and extended her hand to Noona.
“I'm Bae Jieun, Jaewu's girlfriend.”
“Girlfriend..?!”
Noona's eyes widened.
Then she whipped her head toward me.
“Seon Jaewu..!”
“Ah.. no, that's not.. Noona, listen..!”
“Seon Jaewu, you got a girlfriend?! Why the hell didn't you tell me sooner!!”
Noona grinned, looking back and forth between me and Vane.
Vane's shoulders shook as she tried to hold back laughter at the sight.
..Yeah. Today was definitely not going to be quiet.