A Sudden Raid
Not long after the school year started, we found ourselves on a holiday break. Why the holiday?
Because Founder's Day had landed right next to the weekend.
"Woohoo, it's Founder's Day! Founder's Day~"
I was stretching luxuriously, basking in the good news, when—
"Hey, little bro."
"What?"
"Minji-noona says she wants you to come out."
"Huh? Minji-noona? Wait, where is she right now?"
"She says she's in our neighborhood."
The news hit out of nowhere.
Our family doesn't really gather for the holidays. It's not that we don't get along—we just meet up once for Seollal, and beyond that, only whenever we feel like it.
If anything, we're closer because we don't make a big deal of the holidays.
There's another reason for that, too… Our grandfather was kind of an eccentric.
He passed away years ago, but his last words on the subject were, "Times are changing—what's the point of gathering for Chuseok? The eldest son can handle it however he wants. Just make sure the family stays close." And with that, he passed on.
Thanks to him, we've actually grown tighter as a family. Even without gathering for Chuseok.
So why am I telling you all this?
Because my cousin barging in unannounced is the perfect illustration of how our family works.
"Seriously, that noona never gives any warning."
"Right? You're going, aren't you?"
"Of course I am. Might as well go and freeload something off her, right?"
"You absolute monster. She's in her graduation year and you want to freeload?"
Hyung was trash-talking me, but he was grinning the whole time—like freeloading was the obvious play.
The two of us shared a wicked smile and headed for the café where noona was waiting.
September weather was still hot. Calling it autumn felt wrong when summer still had such a firm grip.
So hyung and I headed over in short sleeves and shorts, and the moment we walked into the café, a familiar face was waiting for us.
"Oh~ You're here~ Hi hi~"
Noona waved, and hyung and I waved back as we walked over.
"How've you been?"
"Pretty good."
"Hard not to be."
We were snickering among ourselves when hyung suddenly started ruffling my hair and bragging about me.
"Noona, if you haven't ordered coffee yet, let's make this guy pay."
"How am I supposed to freeload off the youngest?"
"Youngest or not, he makes as much money as I do. Probably about the same as you, even."
"Same level as me? From those videos? How much do you make a month?"
How much a month? I couldn't exactly say. It would sound like I was bragging.
But at the very least, I could buy noona or hyung a cup of coffee without blinking. No burden at all.
I didn't say that out loud, but my actions answered for me.
"Oho… So you're raking it in, huh? Guess I should freeload a whole meal today, then?"
"Noona, I don't have that much money."
"Jinhyuk says otherwise?"
I glared at hyung, and he just shrugged.
Watching the two of us, noona giggled and clapped us both on the shoulders.
"Hey, how could I freeload off a guy who just got discharged last year and a high schooler? This noona's treating!"
"But noona, you're graduating this year. Can you just throw money around like that?"
"Being a senior means I have fewer expenses, actually~"
At that, hyung and I accepted her coffee without a shred of guilt.
Of course, I still had a conscience, so I ordered an iced americano. Hyung, conscience-free, ordered chamomile tea.
"Hey, Seo Jinhyuk. Why are you ordering something that expensive?"
"Come on, it's only four thousand won."
"Learn from Jinwoo. He read the room and ordered an americano."
"Jinwoo, this is exactly when you don't read the room and order something delicious."
"What are you teaching the kid?!"
Smack!
"Ow!"
Minji-noona's back-of-the-head smack had hyung writhing in pain, and I couldn't help cackling at the two of them.
Hyung turned twenty-three this year, and so did Minji-noona. The reason he still calls her noona is that, as family, her birthday comes first, so he's called her that since they were little.
Thanks to that, even though they're the same age, they still have that older-sister-and-younger-brother dynamic.
It's actually because of that weird relationship that hyung and Minji-noona are even more like real siblings than hyung and I are.
"Aaaargh… That hurts, that hurts."
"That's why I hit you."
"No violence!"
"Oh? Getting cocky, are we?"
She said that, but she clearly had no intention of hitting him again, just grumbling as she ordered a drink of her own.
Noona's order was a cold brew—a pretty pricey one. Though looking at the price alone, it wasn't all that different from the chamomile tea.
"Jinwoo, you can order something more expensive."
"This is fine. I like this."
"Interesting. Kids your age usually still prefer sweet stuff, don't they?"
"True, but when you're making videos you pull a lot of all-nighters. So I've been drinking a lot of americanos."
"All-nighters at your age? You'll stunt your growth, you know?"
She brought up height, but it didn't really sting.
Hyung was over 180, and while I hadn't cracked 180 myself, I was pretty satisfied with my 177.
Plus, I was still taller than Minji-noona. Granted, at 172 she was tall for a woman.
Noona was seriously tall, though.
"So what have you been up to lately, noona?"
"What have I been up to? Curious? Don't you already know?"
I did know. Noona was an artist. A pretty famous one, at that.
Our whole family has always been strong on the arts side. Dad works at an entertainment company, and Mom used to work at a magazine publisher—she freelances for them now.
If anything, hyung going into STEM was the weird one.
"Drawing, I assume."
"Yep. Drawing, and making VTubers."
"You do rigging too?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
This person… was a Mama? The blanket term for people who create VTuber models.
"What have you made recently?"
"I'll show you later. But you can check my portfolio if you want. Don't you have my account?"
"I do."
"Then look there. Too lazy to send it."
"Yeees~"
I answered like that and took a long sip of my coffee.
And that was when it happened.
…Outside the café, my eyes met Lua's.
I blinked. Lua blinked back, looking just as startled.
A moment later, she'd already walked into the café and ordered a coffee.
Then she walked straight over to me and, with zero sense of the situation, greeted me.
"Hey, Jinwoo."
"Uh… hey."
"Lua? Long time no see."
"Oppa, have you been well?"
Watching her greet hyung and me so familiarly, noona looked at Lua, then shot the two of us a look.
The kind of look that said, Who is this pretty girl?
I was still scrambling for an answer when Lua spoke first.
"Hello, unnie. I'm Lua Im, Jinwoo's childhood friend."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Minji Seo, these two's cousin."
They exchanged a light greeting—and that was the moment I should have gotten Lua out of there as fast as possible.
Why?
"We're about to go grab lunch. Want to come with us?"
"Huh…?"
Unlike your average artist, this woman was an extreme E.
She'd just met Lua for the first time and was already trying to feed her on the strength of "my cousin's childhood friend!"
"I-I'm fine, really…"
"Come on, don't be shy~ We're getting meat! You'll be missing out if you don't come, Lua."
Lua turned out to be the type who got swept up by this kind of steamroller personality more easily than expected, so she couldn't refuse outright, and in the end…
"You boys and Lua—eat up?"
About thirty minutes later, we were sitting in a Korean BBQ place, eating meat together.
Seriously, how did this even happen.
"…So, noona. Why'd you come today?"
"To see my beloved little brothers?"
"…For real?"
"Nah. I finished a meeting yesterday, had nowhere to sleep, crashed at a jjimjilbang, and figured I'd stop by to see you guys before heading home."
"If you had nowhere to stay, you should've come to our place. We could've at least cleared out my room or Jinwoo's."
"And what would happen if a delicate flower like me walked into a house full of guys?"
"Delicate, my ass. You could take me and Jinwoo out with one hand."
"You looking to die?"
While the two of them bickered entertainingly, Lua leaned over and whispered a question.
"…You guys are really close, huh…?"
I nodded, of course.
"Closest among all the cousins."
Our cousins can basically be split into two groups.
The late-born group and the early-born group.
Hyung, me, and Minji-noona all fall into the early-born group. Because of that, we've hung out together since we were little, and we still do.
Plus, we live only a thirty-minute bus ride apart, so getting together is easy.
That's why we always had so much fun.
I was reminiscing about the old days when a sudden attack came in.
"Hey, Lua."
"Y-yes?"
"How did you and our Jinwoo get so close? Mind telling us that story?"
"Jinwoo and… me…?"
Uh, noona? What are you even talking about.
Weren't we just here for a quiet meal?
Yeah, right. As if Seo Minji would ever pass up an opportunity like this.
Lua hemmed and hawed, glancing at me for cues, then finally opened her mouth.
About our first meeting and all that.