One Glass, Two Glasses, and a Confession
I grunted as I twisted the cork open. “You’re seriously only having one glass, right? No more?”
“I got it, so just shut up and pour. You talk way too much. Seriously.”
My sister had thrown a tantrum until I bought it, but now I wasn’t sure if I should actually let her drink. She was already a handful sober—if alcohol got involved, there was no telling what kind of chaos she’d unleash.
‘Guess I’ll have to be ready… I got burned pretty bad last time. If she pisses herself again, I’m making her pay for the salt at least.’
The table was a mess of leftover steak and vegetables. After a few bites she’d declared it wasn’t her style and shoved the rest at me, claiming she preferred samgyeopsal. Even coming from her, I’d almost smacked her.
“Hey, why is this so greasy anyway? Next time leave the butter out.”
You’re the one who told me to use it. The internet said it would taste good.
“Huu.”
“Why the sudden sigh?”
“It’s a deep breath. A deep breath.”
Yeah. I’m the nice one here. I’ll endure it. I’ll endure.
Glug glug.
I filled her wine glass about halfway. She said pouring for yourself was bad luck, so she filled mine instead.
“So what do you see?”
I swirled the wine in the glass and held it up to the light.
“This is how you’re supposed to do it with wine.”
“Look at you, acting like you know stuff.”
Even as she teased me, she copied the motion, swirling her own glass in slow circles. We each sniffed the aroma like proper siblings trying to look sophisticated. I didn’t know much about wine, but I could fake it well enough. I took a sip big enough to coat my tongue, swished it around, then swallowed. A sharp, pungent scent shot up my nose.
‘Wait. Is this supposed to taste good?’
I couldn’t tell. It was bitter. No, it was bitter and sour. I’d accept a free glass, but I’d never buy it with my own money. My sister’s reaction was just as lukewarm. She set her glass down with a dazed expression.
“Be honest—you think it tastes bad too, right? It’s way too dry.”
“Good wine is supposed to be bitter. Like medicine. The best medicine tastes the worst.”
She was full of it. She’d looked just as confused a second ago. Still, as the one who’d recommended the wine, she seemed determined to finish it. She tilted her head back and drank in small, steady sips.
She threw her head all the way back. The wine that had been sloshing in the glass slid down her throat and disappeared.
“Drink slower. You’re gonna get drunk and cause a scene again.”
“I am drinking slowly. Hic. You’re the one who needs to stop nagging. It’s ruining the taste.”
Apparently she needed something to eat with it, because she reached over and stole a few pieces of meat from my plate. Then another sip. More chewing. More munching. Before I knew it, that wine whale had emptied her entire glass.
“What, are you just here to watch? If you’re not drinking, hand it over. Stop holding a funeral for it.”
“No thanks. You alcoholic. Gulp. Gulp. Kyaah, there. Happy now?”
Ugh. I knew the alcohol content was high, but it really hit different. The moment I set my glass down, the warmth rushed straight to my head.
“So uncultured. Who shoots wine like it’s beer? Hey! It’s getting on your face! You wanna die?”
To tell her to be quiet, I shook my fingers over her head. A few leftover drops from the glass splattered onto her face. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and snapped at me.
“Give me your hand. I’ll wipe it.”
“You cause the problem and then offer the solution. Real smooth.”
“Thank you.”
“That wasn’t a compliment, you know?”
I flashed her a V-sign in return. She grabbed my hand and licked it without hesitation. A couple of her fingers slipped into my mouth, then back out with wet little sounds. I gently bit the back of her hand and kept staring at her. She met my gaze for a moment before shyly looking down.
‘We’re way past the stage where something like this would make her embarrassed.’
“It tastes better when I eat it off you, sis. You know, like how tequila needs salt… and wine needs you.”
“Idiot. If you’ve got time to mess around, pour me another glass.”
“You’re already drunk. Didn’t we agree on just one glass? That was fast.”
“I’m completely fine, okay? Look. Two glasses is still safe.”
“Sis. It’s not good for you to drink so much. You can barely eat anything.”
“Then what about you? You’re allowed to drink a lot?”
“I’m me. You’re you.”
I filled my own glass to the brim. There was still this much meat left that I had to finish, and I couldn’t do it without something to wash it down. The sour, dry flavor of the wine actually paired surprisingly well with the steak.
“Just give it here already.”
“Fine, fine. Here. But only drink half. Half.”
She kept pestering me, so I ended up filling her glass again. We clinked glasses once more, I shoved some meat into my mouth, and took another sip of wine.
“Ugh. Thanks to someone, my protein intake is off the charts today.”
I was starting to crave the spicy broth of instant ramen. Or kimchi. Or at the very least, more black pepper.
“Aren’t you grateful? Eat up and build some strength.”
“Hey, be a decent human and eat some yourself. If we leave this, it’s just gonna sit in the fridge until we throw it out. You know that, right?”
“I am helping. There’s literally meat in my mouth right now.”
In the blink of an eye she snatched another piece, chewing the small cut I’d prepared while acting all proud of herself.
“Eat a lot. A lot.”
I cut a slightly bigger piece and fed it to her again. She’d better not spit it out.
“……Munch munch. I’m full.”
Gulp gulp. She knocked back more wine.
“Eat a little more. Just a little. You can’t just drink alcohol—you need food too.”
“I told you to stop nagging.”
Seeing that pale face slowly flush pink, I realized I needed to mentally prepare myself. Little by little, her expression was changing.
‘Should I go get a chamber pot just in case?’
“Ah~”
She scooted right up next to me and opened her mouth like a baby bird.
“What are you doing?”
“Feed me. I’ll eat if you feed me.”
“You don’t have hands? Or feet?”
Honestly, I was the real problem here. Even as I complained, I was already cutting the steak into easy-to-eat pieces and feeding them to her. This was exactly how bad habits got started.
“Yum yum.”
She was practically lying on my shoulder, chewing away. Seeing her like that made me think maybe it wasn’t so bad after all.
“Food tastes better when my little brother feeds me.”
“Yeah.”
“Where’s my thank you?”
“Chu.”
“You could’ve done it on the lips.”
She’d kissed my cheek, so I grumbled on purpose.
“Then I’ll do it again. Chu. Chu.”
If we were going to end up rolling around naked together later, we’d have to settle for sibling-like pecks for now. When she pressed her lips to mine, I caught the savory smell of meat.
“Yunseo’s mouth smells delicious.”
“That’s funny. Was there ever a time when I didn’t taste good?”
“You always taste good. I eat you every day, don’t I?”
Glug glug. She drank more wine.
Hmm… Two glasses might actually be okay. That was probably about half a bottle of soju, right?
“Idiot. You’ve never actually eaten me before. What do you mean I taste good? Hup.”
‘Nope. I should just put her to bed.’
Two glasses was clearly too much. I was starting to feel uneasy.
Instead of sitting in the wide open space beside me, she deliberately climbed into the space between my legs. Sure, I’d let her sit there earlier, but the mood was completely different now.
If she felt like she was going to pee, she had better tell me. I wasn’t into that kind of thing.
“Hey. Kang Minjun. From now on, you have to answer my questions honestly, okay?”
“……Yeah.”
“How much do you like me?”
“As high as the sky and as deep as the earth?”
“You really have zero creativity. You always say the same thing. It’s boring, so that phrase is banned.”
“Then set a limit. Tell me exactly how much I’m allowed to love you.”
Move over a bit. I need to cut the meat. Somehow I managed to slice more steak and feed it to her. I took a piece for myself and chewed.
“For me… there’s no limit to how much you can like me. Like me as much as you want. No cap.”
“I’m already doing that plenty. Here, another bite.”
“Yum yum. So you jerk off thinking about me a lot, right?”
“Uh, what?”
‘Is she testing me, or is she genuinely curious?’
Whatever. I’ll just be honest.
“Of course I do it every single day. Sis, stop being picky and eat the paprika too, okay?”
“It smells raw. That’s because you didn’t cook it properly.”
“You can eat it raw, actually. Our good girl Yunseo.”
I held up the fork and begged. She reluctantly chewed it with a pout.
“Then… have you… ever touched yourself thinking about me?”
I glanced at her. This time I was the one testing the waters. I already knew she’d done it next to me while I was sleeping, but I was curious if she’d actually admit it.
“Me? Why? You curious?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s a secret. I’m not telling. It’d be embarrassing. If I honestly confessed that I’ve done it countless times imagining having sex with you…”
“……”
“……”
So that’s how it was. Our big sister was surprisingly honest.
“Hey.”
She suddenly grabbed my face with both hands.
“Now that you’ve heard all that, it’s your turn to be brave. Like a decent human being.”
“What are you suddenly……”
She stared straight into my eyes. I felt like I could get sucked into those clear pupils.
“I’ve been telling you everything. How I feel about you. That thing. You know. Ha, this is so frustrating.”
She let out a big sigh.
“Why else would I tell you to buy condoms, then pretend to be drunk and cling to you like this? Do I really have to spell it out? You’re supposed to act like you can’t resist and set the mood. What kind of guy has zero sense for this stuff?”
I couldn’t keep up with her rhythm. What exactly did she want me to do?
“Sis. You’re really drunk. Let’s stop and go to bed. Day drinking was a bad idea after all.”
“I’m not drunk, you idiot. I’m completely fine. No matter how weak I am to alcohol, it’s not that bad.”
Huu. Huu. Every time she breathed out, a mix of scents hit my nose.
“Listen. Up until now… we’ve confirmed each other’s feelings. I thought if I drank… if I drank, I’d get the courage. The courage to express my feelings to you… and the courage to accept yours.”
It wasn’t the usual devilish smile she always showed me. This time her expression was more serious than I’d ever seen.
“Honestly, yours is too big. I’ve been wondering if I should get anesthesia first.”
“It’s not that bad. Sis. If I said I hadn’t been hoping for a day like this, that would be a lie, but……”
“Hey. Stop talking.”
She grabbed me again. Tightly. So hard it felt like my heart might shatter.
“Just take me. Stop pretending you can’t. My heart is already ready.”
Her face was filled with determination. I…… what was the right thing to do here? I knew how much courage it must have taken for her to say those words. Really. Truly. And if I said I hadn’t been wanting this too, that would be a lie……