Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: The Twin Sister Pulls the Strings, But Aunt Gets the Cake (6)
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Juyeon-hee had bought the chicken for one simple reason. To comfort her twin brother.
With chicken on hand, there was no need to bother with dinner. Neither she nor I ate huge portions anyway.
"I should let Aunt know ahead of time."
Thanks to Juyeon-hee bringing chicken, cooking dinner felt awkward now. Better to eat out or just have the chicken at home. I sent her a message to that effect.
[Aunt] ─ What's with the sudden chicken?
I told her what had happened that day in response to her question. Admitting my own screw-up.
'This way, she'll comfort me too.'
I suppressed a grin and waited for her reply. While I was at it, I checked the bag Juyeon-hee was holding. There was more than just chicken inside.
"You got booze too?"
"Just some light beer."
There was a hint of anticipation in Juyeon-hee's voice as she winked playfully.
Half of it was her genuine desire to cheer up her heartbroken brother. The other half was her wicked urge to get her hands on her brother's dick.
Watching my twin sister's blatant antics made me want to burst out laughing.
"...Yeah, beer sounds good."
I'd messed up big time today. My mind was a mess. It was the kind of night where I wanted to drown my sorrows and pass out.
With that line of reasoning, I kept my body's impulses in check. She didn't seem like she was trying to stop me, but better safe than sorry.
To maintain control, I needed my own self-justification. Convincing myself this was the right course of action.
Bzzz-!
A reply from Aunt came in.
[Aunt] ─ I wrapped up early today.
> [Aunt] ─ Chicken it is, then.
She didn't seem keen on eating out. Sure enough, she got home right away.
It hadn't been long since Juyeon-hee arrived. Ten minutes, maybe? Luckily, the chicken was still hot.
"Just in case it's not enough."
Aunt had come back with both hands full too. The bag in her right hand held boneless charcoal-seasoned chicken—the kind known for its smoky flavor—and the one in her left had two bottles each of soju and beer.
"Aunt got booze too...?"
Juyeon-hee shot Aunt a glare. Her eyes weren't friendly.
My twin sister didn't like Aunt. There wasn't a clear reason yet, but judging by the manga title currently in effect, I could guess.
'She's gonna find out someday.'
I wondered what face Juyeon-hee would make if she walked in on her beloved brother banging the aunt she hated. It was intriguing.
We quickly set the table. Opened the bags, pulled out the chicken. Dumped the chicken stock broth down the drain, of course.
'No way anyone's drinking that.'
I'd accept homosexuality before I'd stomach that stuff. Straight into the sink it went.
Thankfully, neither Juyeon-hee nor Aunt were into chicken stock broth. If either had defended it, I'd have lost all interest right then.
We spread everything out in front of the living room TV and sat around it.
Eating chicken at home as dinner-slash-late-night snack? It had been ages. Not since I'd come to this world had I ordered any midnight munchies.
I started with a crispy bite of fried chicken. Franchise chicken might be pricey, but damn if the taste didn't deliver every time.
"Mmm."
"Cheers."
We chased it with beer-soju mixes. As I raised my glass, the eyes of Juyeon-hee and Aunt, sitting across from me, lit up. Nothing innocent about it.
'They're looking at me like they wanna devour me.'
No chance of sleeping easy tonight.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Aunt Shin Jae-eun had been avoiding Juyeon-woo. Until recently, she'd even used overtime as an excuse to stay away from home.
But things had changed. Ever since the day Juyeon-woo forgave her, she'd been coming straight home on time.
'Chicken? Hell yeah.'
Chicken for dinner tonight. That meant booze was a must.
Shin Jae-eun seized the opportunity. She deliberately picked up drinks on her way back.
Her target: Juyeon-woo. Get the lightweight Juyeon-woo drunk and tuck him in, then sneak over later for some fun.
'He won't last long. Kid can't hold his liquor.'
She'd gauged his tolerance during their last outing. Barely half a bottle before he was done. A little push, and he'd be feeling it.
"No matter how I look at it, I really can't handle my booze. My face is already heating up."
Juyeon-woo's cheeks were flushed red. His expression had loosened up a bit, the alcohol kicking in.
Adorable. That faint smile tugged at her heartstrings.
Even back when he was just her nephew, she'd figured he'd have women falling all over him. Now, seeing him from an outsider's perspective, he was no ordinary guy.
"Something like that happened?"
Juyeon-woo recounted the screw-up from earlier. The booze had loosened his tongue.
"...I should probably apologize to the teacher or something."
As his guardian, she felt like she owed at least that much.
Dismissing it as "just one of those things that happen at the academy" felt too shameless, even for her thin-skinned face.
"Nah, don't. She said it was fine."
"Still."
Juyeon-woo was earnestly trying to dissuade her.
From Eum Ji-hye's perspective, it might be a hassle. He laid it on thick with concern for the teacher, blocking any contact.
'He might start wondering about my connection to Eum Ji-hye.'
Deep down, Juyeon-woo wanted to minimize contact between the two. Same with Geum Tae-yeon or the other girls. Unless it was a special circumstance, he'd prefer they stayed separate. Taking turns like this, being summoned one by one.
"...She said she was okay with it?"
"Yeah. She told me not to worry—said stuff like that happens on-site sometimes, worse injuries even."
"Even so."
"Anyway, something weird happened."
Juyeon-woo changed the subject. He'd accidentally hurt Eum Ji-hye, but her bleeding wouldn't stop despite the hemostasis.
Shin Jae-eun shook her head firmly after hearing it.
"No way. Unless your magic has some property that interferes."
Eum Ji-hye must have activated her mana to amplify her healing. It was one of the basic mana utilization techniques all heroes learned.
No matter how lacking Eum Ji-hye's skills were, she wouldn't botch the fundamentals.
That left Juyeon-woo as the cause. That magic he'd used.
Brain lightning.
"No way..."
Shin Jae-eun's older brother—listed on paper as the twins' biological father—had ordinary null-attribute mana. Nothing special, since most heroes lacked attributes.
'Joo Seo-hyun. What was that bitch's attribute again?'
Shin Jae-eun dredged up memories of the twins' biological mother. She had null-attribute mana too.
Her head throbbed. Shin Jae-eun frowned and glanced sidelong at Juyeon-hee.
Juyeon-hee didn't know yet. That her own mother had tried to commit taboo incest.
She might be a bratty, affection-starved niece, but Shin Jae-eun didn't want to hurt her on purpose.
She clamped her mouth shut. Decided not to say it.
"......"
Juyeon-woo was a mature kid. Quick on the uptake, great comprehension.
He pieced it together from her reaction alone. Understood immediately. Accepted it.
Juyeon-woo downed his glass. Chugged the full beer-soju mix without stopping. Emptied it with effort.
"Phew... Man, our dad had it rough."
"Rough how, all of a sudden?"
Juyeon-hee couldn't grasp Juyeon-woo's hollow mutter. Couldn't comprehend it.
Neither could Shin Jae-eun.
How could they? The misery of a male cuckolded by taboo.
It was a tragedy only men could truly understand.
Maybe that's why his voice rang with such sincerity.
"Huh? Why?"
"Nothing. Let's drink. I wanna get smashed tonight."
"...Oppa, you can't hold your liquor either. Why chug like that?"
Juyeon-hee's lips twitched. Her voice carried a subtle delight. Like she was hoping he'd get wasted.
That's how it seemed to Shin Jae-eun.
'Why on earth?'
It was baffling.
She could explain her own motives easily: she wanted to play with Juyeon-woo's dick, so she got him drinking.
But what was Juyeon-hee's excuse? She had no reason to get him drunk.
'......'
Normally, Juyeon-hee followed Juyeon-woo obediently. Twins or not, they never fought. Their relationship was too good compared to most siblings.
She'd chalked it up to Juyeon-woo's maturity, how he looked after his barely-younger sister. Until now.
'No way...'
Nah, couldn't be.
Shin Jae-eun brushed off the unpleasant suspicion. No way. It shouldn't be possible.
She took a sip of her drink. Staring blankly might tip off Juyeon-hee, so she emptied her glass while sneaking peeks at her.
'...That's not how you look at a brother.'
Shin Jae-eun had an older brother too. They hadn't gotten along.
Now she couldn't even see him if she wanted. On anniversaries, she'd miss him tenderly sometimes. But under the same roof? They were like sworn enemies.
Even with healthy parents alive, they'd bicker like they'd killed each other's folks. Got scolded to cut it out.
That was normal. No one likes a living, breathing sibling.
But Juyeon-hee was different. Her eyes didn't hold a little sister's grudge against a parent-slaying foe.
'Yeon-hee, tell me it's not true.'
Chicken, booze, Juyeon-woo slumping over first like last time.
'...Come to think of it, it was weird. Whenever I doted on Yeon-woo, she'd get annoyed.'
The puzzle pieces clicked perfectly.
Shin Jae-eun wanted to dispel her suspicions. She wanted reassurance that they were just close twins, nothing more.
So she stood up first.
"Aunt, heading to bed?"
Watching Juyeon-hee's eager reaction, Shin Jae-eun was certain.
'So that trash bitch's blood really does run through your veins.'
She'd wondered where all the trash blood went. Looked like Juyeon-hee had inherited Juyeon-woo's share too.