The Lie That Went Too Far
“Shut the hell up, Vane!!”
“Seon Jaewu, you got a girlfriend?! Why the hell didn’t you tell me sooner?!”
My sister’s eyes sparkled as she looked back and forth between me and Vane.
Just from that expression, it was obvious she’d already swallowed Vane’s story hook, line, and sinker.
“You said your name was Jieun, right? Nice to meet you. I’m Jaewu’s older sister, Seon Sera.”
Sera took the hand Vane offered and greeted her warmly.
“Oh, you don’t have to be so formal. If you’re Jaewu’s noona, you’re my unnie too.”
“Really? What year were you born…?”
“Same age as Jaewu. 2000.”
“Oh, 2000? You look way younger… Our Jaewu managed to land such a polite, sweet girlfriend while I wasn’t looking?”
“No, noona, that’s not—”
“You move fast, huh? How long has it been since you broke up with Nayeon, and you’ve already got yourself this pretty new girlfriend?”
“Noona!!”
“What~? Did I say something wrong?”
Sera burst out laughing and gave my shoulder a playful shove.
I, on the other hand, couldn’t even fake a smile.
When I glanced sideways, Vane was still wearing that gentle smile, calmly watching my sister.
“But seriously, unnie, you’re gorgeous. Your proportions are insane… You look like a celebrity.”
“Oh my, really? You’re the pretty one here~.”
Sera was already beaming at the compliment.
…Still weak to flattery, I see.
“I can see exactly why Jaewu likes you so much.”
“Yaa~ Seon Jaewu! You’ve been talking about your noona to your girlfriend too?”
“I have not!!”
I raised my voice, genuinely indignant.
Vane clapped her hands in delight, clearly enjoying my panic.
…She was obviously teasing me on purpose, savoring the whole situation.
“…Just sit down, noona. I’ll make some coffee.”
“Thanks, Jaewu~.”
Before I knew it, the two of them had left me behind and were sitting side by side on the sofa, chatting away.
I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but the uneasy feeling in my chest refused to settle.
I kept worrying Vane might suddenly snap and do something.
But…
For the first time, I decided to trust her.
Sera seemed to like her quite a bit, and Vane herself looked like she was enjoying the moment.
So far, nothing strange had happened.
Still, I couldn’t relax. Even while making coffee, I kept glancing toward the living room.
They’d already gotten that close?
Sera had always been the type to hit it off with anyone instantly. She was so outgoing that she could laugh and chat with complete strangers within minutes.
But seeing that same charm work on an alien was honestly kind of impressive.
…She really was something else, in more ways than one.
The name “Bae Jieun” that Vane had casually dropped earlier suddenly came to mind.
Had she prepared it in advance…?
For something she’d made up on the spot, it sounded surprisingly natural.
“Haa…”
I pressed the button on the coffee machine and made two cappuccinos.
Carrying the cups, I headed to the living room and set one down in front of each of them.
“Noona, and Bae— I mean.”
I barely managed to correct myself before the wrong name slipped out.
“Jieun. Drink up. It’s cappuccino.”
The moment I almost messed up her name, Vane immediately started teasing.
“Nervous because your noona’s here? You can’t even say my name right.”
“Shut up…”
Embarrassed, I shot her a glare before meeting my sister’s eyes again.
“Seon Jaewu, is this how you always act when you’re dating? You’re like a completely different person~.”
“What are you even saying now?”
“You’re usually so blunt, but in front of your girlfriend you don’t know what to do with yourself. It’s hilarious…”
“Noona, please…”
My ears burned.
While Sera kept teasing, I glanced at Vane once more before looking back at my sister.
“…How long are you planning to stay, noona? I can’t hang out for long.”
“I just sat down and you’re already trying to kick me out? I’ve barely taken a sip of my coffee.”
“It’s just… I’m tired today. So if you could leave soon, that’d be great.”
I scratched the back of my head, making excuses.
The fact that a man-eating alien was sitting right next to my sister was already making my stomach twist…
I wanted nothing more than to throw her out immediately.
But of course, Sera had no idea what I was thinking. She just pouted.
“You’re so mean… By the way, what have you been up to lately? You’re not just lazing around at home all day, are you?”
“When have I ever just lazed around? I’ve been volunteering, doing short-term part-time jobs, and…”
I glanced at Vane.
“…Lately, I’ve been spending the most time with her.”
“Really? Our Jaewu’s turned into a total romantic~.”
“Romantic, my ass…”
“Oh, right. What about that thing you mentioned on the phone last time? You said something happened that you couldn’t handle.”
“…Ah.”
It had been right after I first met Vane.
I’d called my sister asking for advice, saying something had come up that I couldn’t deal with.
The problem still wasn’t solved—in fact, the very person responsible was sitting right in front of her now.
Not wanting to worry her, I gave a vague answer.
“Ah… that? It’s not completely resolved, but… somehow it worked out.”
Fortunately, Vane just fiddled with her cappuccino cup and didn’t react to my words.
“…Your tone sounds weird.”
Sera looked at me suspiciously.
“Lie to someone who’ll actually believe you. I’ve lived with you this long—do you think I don’t know when you’re hiding something? …Did you get into trouble?”
“…!”
“Damn it. I’d forgotten how sharp her intuition was.”
Back in school, whenever I got into a fight with a friend and came home, or when I bombed a test and tried to act normal—she was always the first to notice.
What should I do?
Just laugh it off?
Or make up another excuse?
While my thoughts were spinning, Vane—who had been quietly playing with her cup—spoke up first.
“…I’m sorry, unnie. Jaewu’s been through a lot because of me.”
“…Huh? Because of you, Jieun? Was that what he was worried about? Relationship stuff? I was worried for nothing!”
“So what… did you two have a fight or something? That’s ridiculous.”
“Uh…! Yeah, it was about dating. I guess I made it sound way more serious than it was…?”
I jumped on her lie and spoke quickly.
“…I thought maybe you’d gotten into debt or something. Or that you’d hit someone.”
Sera let out a sigh of relief and set her cup down.
“If you called me that seriously over relationship problems, Jieun must’ve had a hard time too.”
“Ah… well… yeah, I guess.”
“…”
Please let the conversation end here.
Stop talking about this and just move on quietly…
But contrary to my hopes, Vane—who had been quiet until now—suddenly opened her mouth again.
“…It wasn’t a big deal.”
“We just… had sex without a condom and her period didn’t come, so we were both stressed out about it.”
“!!!!!!!!!”
What the hell is this crazy bitch saying in front of my sister?!
“What the fuck are you saying, you lunatic..!!”
I shot up from my seat and yelled at Vane, my face burning.
“…W-what did you just say?!”
Sera’s face turned bright red all the way to her ears the moment she heard Vane’s words.
“…Why? It’s true. We do it raw in the bedroom every day—”
“Shut the hell up, Vane!!”
In my panic, I blurted out her real name.
I frantically covered Vane’s mouth and turned to look at my sister.
Sera just sat there, face flushed, awkwardly clearing her throat.
“W-well… I mean… you’re both adults now, so… it’s understandable you’d worry about that sort of thing…”
“I should get going… It was nice seeing you after so long, though.”
“Noona, wait a second..!”
Without even listening to the end, Sera scrambled to her feet.
Her steps toward the front door were so fast it was practically a sprint.
Click!
Just like that, she was gone.
“Ah, shit—hey!! What the hell do we do now?! Fix this!!”
The second the door closed, I whirled on Vane and shouted.
“…Why should I fix it? We’re both adults. What’s so embarrassing about having sex?”
“It’s embarrassing, you crazy bitch…”
“Whatever. Your noona kept asking annoying questions, so I figured I’d just get rid of her quickly.”
“I read her mind earlier. I figured if I brought up something like that, she’d get super embarrassed and run away.”
“Your noona’s been dating her boyfriend for ages and still hasn’t done it once. That’s actually pretty impressive.”
“Just shut your mouth, Vane…”
How the hell was I supposed to explain this to my sister?
I’d only wanted to see her face for a bit and send her off quietly…
“Jaewu.”
“What, you bastard, what?!”
“Your noona was pretty fun.”
“…”
“A few little lies and she really thought I was your girlfriend. She’s so naive.”
Vane stood up and started heading toward the bedroom, then paused.
“Girlfriend…”
While I stood there dazed, clutching my head, Vane spoke again.
“…You remember what you said to me before your noona got here, right?”
“…What did I say?”
“You said once she left, you’d do whatever I wanted.”
“…Ah.”
I’d completely forgotten.
“Yeah… I did say that. But right now, I’m really not in the mood…”
“…Jaewu.”
Vane tilted her head slightly.
She stared at me for a moment, as if thinking something over, then smiled meaningfully.
“…Want to have sex with me right now?”
“…What?!”
“I’ve been annoyed since earlier. Your noona’s body, her face… kept catching my eye.”
“You’re mine. But you looked closer to her than to me, so I felt a bit…”
Vane started to say something, then hesitated and closed her mouth.
“…Forget it. Just follow me.”
She grabbed my wrist and started dragging me toward the bedroom.
…What the hell is wrong with her today?!
