Spring Break (1)
The year had turned, and on some day in February as it approached, while I was enjoying the short spring break, I sat down at my desk.
I'm about to become a high schooler. The Pulkkot High School uniform hanging on one wall of my room suddenly reminded me of that fact.
"Phew~ Yeah, high schooler. Can't put it off anymore."
High school life, drawing ever closer, filled me with tension. Because of the new classmates I'd have to deal with? Because of college entrance exam prep? It would've been nice if my worries were that ordinary for a freshman.
I opened up my second notebook. Oh, by the way, I'd burned the original Love Chain notebook to ashes. While settling things with Seonwoo, I wanted to extinguish even the slightest spark. I didn't need it anymore anyway. It didn't feel right to keep messing with my sisters' lives using those flags.
Anyway, this new second notebook. I planned to jot down countermeasures for my upcoming high school life.
The game's protagonist was gone. But now a new problem had cropped up. I was riding the yandere heroines' routes just like that game's protagonist.
March was coming soon, and I'd be attending the same school as the heroines.
"Sure, I said I'd handle it all myself."
But before they were yandere heroines, they were my precious sisters. So all I could do now was find a way for everyone to get a happy ending.
For now, before chasing that ending, I needed to focus on immediate goals.
"First up, Iri noona... No suspicions right now."
I wrote Iri noona in the notebook and next to it, 'keep distance'.
Ever since I broke that promise, she glares at me fiercely whenever we meet. It wasn't just anger—more like an intense emotion packed into her gaze. Yeah, like a beast spotting prey. As a weak little animal, I might get overpowered by force, so better to steer clear and run.
Plus, never make weird promises again.
Next, Gahee noona. Actually, she was one of the reasons I changed my mind. Yandere or not, cutting ties completely felt wrong.
I needed to think seriously about my relationship with Gahee noona. For now, I wrote 'maintain friend relationship'.
"Gahee noona... She's gotten better than before, at least."
After I told her how I felt last time, and we agreed to just be friends, yeah. She won't be printing out tons of my photos or plastering her room with them anymore.
"Yeah, this one's somewhat reassuring. Next, our sister."
Kim Hayan—off-limits. I wrote that and moved on.
No, think about it logically—we're blood siblings. No way she'd get obsessive. Hooking up with my own sister would be incest. Sure, Hayan noona's a bit playful, overly protective at times, and she laughs it off with a grin when people tease her about being a brocon, but she wouldn't turn yandere over me.
"Come to think of it, what was Hayan noona's yandere trait again?"
Oh yeah, that was why in Love Chain, I thought she was the most unlikely to go yandere. She hardly ever showed those yandere eyes in the game. Only rarely, like during heroine rivalries or key scenes. While the other heroines' eyes clouded over, Hayan noona stayed normal, so players often called her route the hardest.
I was shocked too when I learned her yandere trait was 'conscious yandere awakening'. A heroine who perceives her own yandere eyes as part of her charisma ability. In a way, the scariest one.
"Man, I was lucky to be born Kim Hayan's little brother."
If I'd possessed Seonwoo's body, I'd live in fear of when she'd snap yandere, right? Gotta thank my past life for letting me reincarnate into the family later.
Next, Yuyeong?
"Yuyeong... No clue."
She'll play nice if I just go along with her vibes. Since the Eunbi incident—or more precisely, after I applied to Pulkkot High—no yandere eyes from her.
Oh, but I did learn one lesson I almost forgot to note: 'Don't be nice to any other girls.'
I mean, come on. Get a little friendly with someone, and one starts a huge public fight with Yuyeong to humiliate me, another pulls a kidnapping stunt. Who'd wanna socialize after that?!
"I just wanna hang with the guys now."
If I get tangled with one more weird girl, I'll develop full-on social anxiety. Might be better to hold Gahee noona's hand and flee to a deserted island.
Yuyeong stays a good friend like this.
"Now Juyeon noona and Yuri noona."
They're as reassuring as my own sister. Juyeon noona liking me romantically? No way, even if you stretch it. After the Seonwoo stuff, she's probably seen my true colors. We're just close now. Moving on.
"Yuri noona's safe for now too..."
One potential issue: Gahee noona knows the secret. But if she doesn't wanna make me hate her on purpose, she won't spill.
"Huh? Come to think of it lately..."
Hasn't it been over a month since I chatted with Yurimental? Last time, her replies felt sparse too.
"Did she make other friends?"
That'd be great, actually. Proof her dependence on GoldFridayAngel is fading. If she can live fine without me, we can end the fake relationship no problem.
'Yuri noona—don't get caught.' That's enough for now.
"Phew~"
I closed the notebook and stretched.
"Taeyang, come down for cake~"
"Huh? Oh, sure."
I gave a vague reply to Hayan noona's voice from outside the door.
"Who's visiting?"
Cake probably meant high chance of Gahee noona. Nope.
"Hi!"
"Oh, Juyeon noona, long time no see."
"Heehee."
Juyeon noona had come over to hang out, for once. Well, with her childhood friend gone, she must be lonely, so she visited our house more often than before.
"Hey, come eat cake."
"Yeah, thanks."
"Whoa~ But Hayan, your little bro got... so... tall..."
"Right?"
I approached the table and stood in front of the sisters. Juyeon noona trailed off mid-sentence?
"Yeah, I've grown a bit, huh?"
A bit? Hayan noona laughed in disbelief too.
"I've been having trouble adjusting to Taeyang's height lately."
My height had surpassed 180cm before I knew it. No wonder Juyeon noona, visiting after a while, was stunned speechless.
"...Noona? Juyeon noona?"
Now I had to look straight down to see petite Juyeon noona sitting there. After glancing up at me briefly, she dropped her gaze under the table.
"Ugh... What's with this heart-fluttering height difference."
Isn't the reaction a bit much? Anyway, I sat in a chair too.
"Hmm, your upper body's not that long."
"Th...then your legs are that long?"
Hayan noona scanned me up and down once, and Juyeon noona chimed in.
"Had to get the uniform pants refitted late."
"Phew~ Happy my little bro's growing, but now all his old clothes are unwearable."
"Yeah, running out of stuff to wear lately."
We bantered like that. Sipping tea, talk turned to shopping for clothes soon.
"Oh yeah? Then... wanna let noona buy them?"
"Huh?"
"Juyeon noona?"
The siblings' eyes focused on Juyeon noona at the sudden gift offer.
"I-I mean... just! Thought I'd get a present for my close dongsaeng's enrollment... or something!"
Juyeon noona's voice dipped low then shot up, flustered like she'd said too much.
"Thanks for offering, noona. But I'm good. Got some allowance, planning to shop soon anyway."
"Oh, okay?"
She backed off after my polite refusal.
"Ah, how about this then?"
"Huh?"
Hayan noona, who'd been quiet, spoke to me.
"Taeyang, nothing this weekend, right?"
"Plans? Nah, nothing."
Middle school was over, no vacation homework or anything.
"Then let's go clothes shopping with noona this weekend!"
"Sure."
Shopping with sis after so long sounded fine. But no, I couldn't think that simply. Shopping with Hayan noona takes forever.
"Wait, hold on! Thinking about it, I might have plans. I'll check and let you know."
"Huh? Taeyang? Avoiding shopping with this noona?"
Hayan noona grinned at me. That look said she already knew my game.
"Noona, please spare me."
"Legs grew long, but still whining. You need clothes anyway. Right, Juyeon?"
"Uh? Yeah."
"We'll go together this weekend."
"Can I come too?"
"Of course? That's fine, right Taeyang?"
"Yeah. But... won't it mess with your studies, noonas? I can go alone..."
"It's fine, class assignments aren't out yet, so not officially third-years."
"What kinda logic is that."
"You gonna coldly shoot down this noona's request to have fun once before diving into exam prep?"
"Haa~ If you put it that way."
Yeah, trudging through a mall beats a third-year's suffering any day. We ate cake and set the plan.
"Should we invite Gahee and Iri too? Oh, Yuri."
"Hm... Bustling's fun, but wanna do just us three?"
When Juyeon noona pulled up the chat to call the others, Hayan noona stopped her.
"Huh? Just three?"
"Yeah, they're all busy studying anyway."
I chimed in quick, not sure what Hayan noona was thinking.
Truth is, I didn't think they'd skip for studies. Iri noona won't study, Gahee noona would drop everything for my shopping trip. Yuri noona might bail out of fear of me.
"Won't they come if it's for Taeyang's clothes?"
Juyeon noona noticed too.
"But too many cooks spoil the broth, right?"
"What?"
"Just us three this time. We did threesomes with Gahee or Iri before too."
"Sure?"
Juyeon noona glanced at me then nodded. I sighed inwardly in relief.
Sorry to the other noonas, but no other yandere heroines? Way more relaxed.
"Ah, let's get me some clothes too while we're at it."
Scratch that last thought.
"Noona, just shop with your friends."