Taeyang's Vacation (1)

The sweltering heat that hit after the rainy season showed no signs of letting up. With summer vacation finally underway, I'd been sprawled out in my room trying to relax when my phone buzzed. I glanced at it, and in an instant, a chill cut right through the humidity.

So this is why people say summer's the scariest time for scary stuff.

Why did that cute puppy emoticon knocking on the door feel like the grim reaper at my doorstep? Feeling guilty for no reason, I shot upright from my slouch.

The fan whirred, cooling the cold sweat on my skin, its hum the only sound filling the silence as tension hung in the air. After a brief hush, a reply came.

Goosebumps prickled across my entire body. Damn it, Hayan-noona! Why the hell would you spill that so casually?! I definitely needed to chew her out later.

I pretended not to see that last one and swiped the notification away. What excuse could I use tomorrow? Haa... seriously... But snapping at her to back off felt too harsh. She didn't message like this all the time—just picked these perfect moments that felt just right, like she was casually texting a close dongsaeng out of boredom. And if I gave a decent excuse and turned her down, she'd back off without a fuss. It was so calculated that anyone else would wonder, Is this even obsession?

If I didn't know Choi Gahee was a yandere, I'd have bought it hook, line, and sinker.

"For now, better clear out any empty slots just in case. And... paying too much attention to other heroines like in the game... that's gonna be tough over vacation."

Right on cue, replies popped up on the anonymous advice board where I'd posted my dilemma. I'd titled it [My acquaintance older sister seems to keep obsessing over me.], stripping out names and specifics, spinning a similar tale.

The "experts" had chimed in...

Some decent advice amid the trash. Huh, not all bad. Crowd wisdom's got its moments. I thanked them each and decided to act fast. First up: consult Hayan-noona.

I knocked on her door and went in. Even goody-two-shoes Hayan was lounging around today, fan on, sprawled on the bed in a white tank top and...

"Noona, put some clothes on. What're you doing in your panties?"

"It's fine in noona's room~"

She ignored me, wiggling her legs. Those long, slender legs didn't faze me anymore—perks of being her dongsaeng. But still.

"It's blinding."

"Ehh~ You came in first... Oh, wait."

Hayan-noona grinned like the heat had finally fried her brain.

"You here to sneak a peek at noona?"

"...What the hell do you want me to say?"

The deranged Hayan-noona lifted her leg and planted her foot on me.

"Here, look."

"What the fuck? Get it off."

"Tch—lame."

What reaction was she even fishing for? As if a dongsaeng would eye his noona like that. Baffled, I sighed and cut to the chase to get out of there.

"Noona, did Gahee-noona just text you?"

"Yeah, we were chatting till a sec ago."

"You told her I'm home?"

"Yup. She asked what Taeyang was up to."

I sighed deeply, dragged her desk chair over, and sat ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in front of her. Hayan-noona plopped her feet on my lap. This was routine, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠since I was the one needing advice, I'd let it slide. I tossed her the dolphin shorts crumpled on the floor.

"Put these on at least."

"You care?"

"Yeah, that's why I'm telling you to."

Once her antics stopped, we could finally talk.

"Gahee's getting overwhelming?"

"Yeah. You kinda noticed too, right? How she feels about me."

If Hayan-noona had any conscience, she wouldn't deny it. She'd nudged me into alone time at Gahee-noona's place before. With that history, she gave an awkward smile—last time she'd schemed thinking I liked Gahee-noona, promised not to again, then did it anyway.

"Her affection's been too much lately. It's a burden."

"Really? I thought she just dotes on you extra cute."

Made sense—no red flags to outsiders. Just a tad over the usual.

"But the one on the receiving end struggles. Today I bullshitted about meeting friends, and she still checked with you."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Keeps trying to give me stuff, texts to come over, touchier by the day... Maybe I'm oversensitive, but it feels obsessively clingy."

"......"

Hayan-noona went quiet, pondering seriously before nodding slightly.

"Got it. I'll talk to Gahee nicely."

"You will?"

What if she stirred things up more? I asked worriedly, but she beamed confidently.

"Tell her you're uncomfortable."

Stating my feelings clearly was best. But her relaying it might spark misunderstandings or backfire on her.

"Noona, I'll handle it myself. Probably better."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Just watch out for me. No more matchmaking. And don't spill my every move."

Honestly, as long as Hayan-noona stopped aiding Gahee-noona, I'd be golden.

"Okay. Hit me up if anything else bugs you."

"Thanks."

Thank god she took it seriously—no jokes—and things felt a bit resolved.

Originally, I’d planned to follow the game’s strategy route: let Gahee-noona's affection simmer without feeding it. Starving interest was optimal. But the risk was too high now. If she kept texting like this and I ghosted, she might show up eventually. Especially on vacation—no school buffer like Seonwoo had with the heroines swarming him. This path led straight to one-on-one encounters.

Strategy shift: confront her directly, per the forum advice.

After agonizing, I crafted a polite message conveying my honest feelings without friction and sent it to Gahee-noona. The second the "read" marker appeared, my phone rang. I swallowed hard and picked up.

"Hello? Gahee-noona?"

"...Calm down first, Gahee-noona."

I collapsed to the floor. My legs gave out. Her desperate clinging reeked of madness. Why was it worse than before...?

"No, Gahee-noona. I'm not mad. It's just... you're rambling like crazy. Kinda scary."

"That's exactly the extreme shit I don't like!!"

Her deflation was audible even through the phone. Clutching my throbbing head, I racked my brain for the right persuasion.

"Haa~ Sorry if I'm wrong, noona, but I'd rather we just stay friends."

"Yeah. Your affection lately's been too intense for me. That's why I texted."

"The photos and cookies... no idea."

"Noona... you get it, right?"

She kept rewinding to the same words like a broken record. Something was off with her—I could feel it. If she snapped now...

Truth was, I'd hesitated to be honest because Gahee-noona seemed on the verge of Yandere Stage 2. I'd tried dialing back her affection without provoking her, but as we saw, it backfired. I'd shattered her mentally despite my caution. Time to patch her up.

"Noona, sorry. I don't want you hurting."

"...Noona, I didn't say I hate you."

I sighed heavily, choosing words meticulously.

"I don't like your actions. If I hated you, I wouldn't bother talking."

"Yeah. I said I hate clingy people. I'm scared and worried you'll get that way."

"That's what I've been saying! What're you even hearing?"

"I said I wanna stay friends."

Her voice normalized—crisis averted. I relaxed too.

"Yeah, sorry for overreacting."

I wanted to flop onto the bed post-call, but sweat soaked my back—gross. Shower first, then next steps.

"Self-defense, huh... Judo sound okay?"

In the shower, I eyed my body. After slacking on workouts, it felt weaker. Stamina down too. Back in soccer club days, no flab despite not being ripped—now some fat crept in. Gahee-noona did say she liked chubby-cute guys as her type. Needed to slim down to drift from that anyway. Exercise was non-negotiable.

Post-shower, I checked local judo dojos. Mom greenlit it without fuss since it was "exercise."

"Okay, before sparring, bow to each other first."

For my trial session, I bowed to my partner as instructed, then whispered:

"So why'd you betray track club?"

"I didn't betray anyone!"

Min Iri-noona, in her judogi, huffed indignantly.