Chapter 10
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Conviction
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Geumbi (Second Sister) wasn't even the type to be generous with empty words about physical contact.
Just think back to yesterday—how flustered I got when she grabbed my hand, how tense the one who grabbed it, Geumbi noona herself, had been. It was obvious.
'Sujeong noona and I hugged sometimes, but with Geumbi noona... I never imagined something like this.'
My slowly extending hand lightly touched Geumbi noona's shoulder.
Geumbi noona flinched, and instead of asking if she was okay, I wrapped my fingertips around her shoulder.
"Uhut."
"...Gonna pull you in a bit."
We were right next to each other, but there was still about a hand's width between Geumbi noona and me.
Rather than leaning in myself, I pulled her toward me, pressing our bodies together.
Took.
Geumbi noona nestled into my arm and was drawn in, the tips of her hair brushing my cheek.
As her slightly stiff body leaned against my chest, I clamped my lips shut and held my breath as hard as I could.
"......"
"......"
It was less like a hug and more like I'd dragged her in and trapped her.
I wasn't sure if this was exactly what Geumbi noona had asked for, but it felt easier than facing each other.
'No eye contact... gotta be less awkward for her.'
I snuck a glance, and her bright red ears came into view.
Her eyes could be chalked up to crying earlier, but there was only one reason her ears, nape, and twitching cheeks were flushed.
'She must be really embarrassed. Why'd she even ask for something like this... ahem.'
Embarrassment flooded my own face, but I didn't turn away and just quietly passed the time.
My fingers stayed relaxed without gripping too hard, my waist and shoulders keeping just enough tension. Amid her careful breathing, a soft voice reached me.
"Sorry. For asking you something weird."
"Nah. That's what family's for—leaning on each other when things get tough."
"...Yeah. You gotta lean on family when it's rough, right?"
At my attempt to comfort her, Geumbi noona nodded in agreement.
Somehow, that reaction went beyond reassurance and brought back memories of the argument downstairs.
I tensed up without realizing it.
"You think the same, right, Jigu?"
"What?"
"That when things are hard or tough, being there for each other makes you family."
"...People don't usually put it quite like that."
"Then what about the opposite? When someone's suffering or struggling, or even when they're happy and celebrating—if you're not there for that... can you even call it family?"
It was obvious who she was talking about.
It was just as clear she was saying this to convince someone downstairs, not me.
To soothe her, the right move here was to meekly nod along.
"I think making blanket statements like that is going too far."
"......!"
At that moment, I ditched the agreement and went straight for honesty.
Geumbi noona twisted around to glare at me, her eyes sharp like she'd been betrayed by someone she trusted.
Even so, I ignored it and shed the mask of the ever-smiling little brother.
Geumbi noona didn't want a sunny kid sibling—she wanted someone to make her see reason.
If it was just hollow empathy she craved, she would've grabbed me downstairs and demanded answers right then.
"You think family has to be there every single time? That's not it."
"Of course it's not absolute. But... there are minimum conditions, right?"
"Who came up with those conditions?"
"Well... social norms or family agreements, stuff like that."
"Either way, those are just things someone made up arbitrarily, no?"
"...What are you trying to say?"
Geumbi noona, with her fiery temper, didn't snap at my rebuttal—instead, she asked what I meant.
Halfway there already. I quietly turned my head toward her.
This time, I could see not just her body but her face twitching too.
Pretending not to notice, I pulled my arm tighter around her shoulder and explained step by step.
"I think as long as the people involved are okay with it, any shape works."
"...Even if family skips the bare minimum courtesy or duty?"
"The world has all kinds of families, each with their own stories. Like goose dads, separated couples, or divorced families—according to you, they'd never qualify as family their whole lives?"
"That's different. None of that applies to us."
"True. Our family has our own circumstances and our own shape."
"......So you're saying just figure it out yourself? Mom had her reasons, it just ended up like this, so roughly accept it?"
Geumbi noona got worked up and pressed her head close to mine.
But I didn't pull back, and with my hands supporting her shoulder and back, she couldn't retreat either.
That's when I reached out with my other hand and hugged her squarely from the front.
"Haut?! Jigu, what the hell are you...!"
"You don't have to understand or accept a damn thing."
"...Huh?"
"If you don't like it, toss the understanding out the window."
"Wha-what?"
Geumbi noona panicked, snug in my arms, and got even more flustered at my words.
But the hands that had started to push me away ended up clutching my chest instead—a sign she wanted to hear more.
"I told you, if the people involved are fine with it, the shape doesn't matter."
"...And?"
"Then the flip side—if you don't think of them as family, it's okay to get mad at them."
"...Like how I'm mad at Mom right now?"
"That's a natural right between family."
Like with Sujeong noona, even in a relationship where we didn't see each other often, we could understand each other's situations.
But if you saw it as wrong, like Geumbi noona did, then of course you had to call them out.
"Yielding to each other bit by bit, piecing it together one step at a time. Isn't that how you actually become family?"
Mom hadn't been a mom from birth, and she hadn't started out raising five siblings alone.
So, with a new approach that fit the present, remaking ourselves into the family we each hoped for—that seemed like the way to get closer to being truly family.
"Sounds grand, but honestly, no clue if it'll actually work out."
Of course, that was just my personal take.
Felt like I'd talked too much, so I took a step back at the end to gauge her reaction.
'Hope it didn't come off like unwanted preaching. As the little brother, overstepping... as long as she doesn't get mad...'
The tension I'd built up burst like a dam, and I swallowed hard over and over.
At some point, the Geumbi noona in my arms had gone quiet. I flashed a grin and brought my face close to hers.
"Jigu Yang."
"Yeah, noona."
"...Thanks, kid."
"Eh? Uh, yeah?"
"I said thanks. Damn, why can't you get it? Making me embarrassed, tsk!"
With the curse, Geumbi noona lifted her head, her face the reddest it'd been yet.
Grumbling and tongue-clicking followed one after another, but before that, her words of thanks had definitely reached my ears.
"Yeah, what good's worrying alone? Haven't even talked to Mom, the one involved... haa. Kept putting off something this simple and just fought with my sister for no reason... haaa!"
"C-calm down, noona. If you want, I can set up a spot for you two to make up."
"Ugh, forget it! How long you gonna treat me like a kid? I can handle reconciliation without your help."
"S-sorry."
"Nothing to apologize for. Hmph, anyway... it helped, more or less. Thanks, dummy."
Geumbi noona mumbled to herself, yelled at me, thanked me, then topped it off with an insult.
It didn't make a lick of sense, but everything she said felt genuine—that was Geumbi noona for you.
"Hmm, glad you've calmed down at least. ...So, should I let go of my arms now?"
"Hmph, it wasn't all thanks to you, okay? I probably would've cooled off with time anyway."
"Yeah, sure. Arms now?"
"Just do it or don't. Why keep asking?"
"Well...... you're still clutching my shirt hem."
Once things had settled a bit, I tried to release the Geumbi noona in my arms.
But her hand was gripping my clothes like she wanted to rip them, and no matter how I signaled, it wouldn't loosen.
"Dummy. Time to man up—can't even pry off a girl's hand?"
"Sh-showcasing strength to you would just make me trash the other way, no?"
"...Then keep holding me, I guess. Can't help it if you're such a weakling, hmph."
"Ah, um, yeah. It'll loosen up with time... yeah."
After a brief exchange, we tacitly agreed(?) to stay like this.
As we both fell silent, things I'd ignored before—the scent of Geumbi noona's hair, its glossy strands, the soft feel of her skin against mine—started shaking me up.
"Hmm, ahem."
"Stay still. Makes it hard to lean."
"Yeah, sorry."
"...Told you, nothing to be sorry for."
I worried someone might barge in and misunderstand the scene.
But thinking about it, Geumbi noona had locked the door tight—no issues there.
Yeah.
No issues at all, except for the two of us plastered together with zero intention of separating.
"Jigu."
"Uh, yeah."
"You're secretly meeting Sujeong unnie every night, right?"
"Eh? N-no? Never happened... ugh."
"Don't lie."
"...No funny business. Just listened to her talk sometimes."
"Hmm~ Is that so? Hmm, hmmm."
What was she getting at?
Geumbi noona hummed thoughtfully for a while, lost in thought, then looked up at me.
"I get why unnie kept consulting you instead of me."
"...Misunderstanding. Wasn't that she didn't trust you—it just happened that way."
"It's fine. Not gonna nitpick that now."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. But... if you're heading to unnie's room at night, come to mine during the day."
"What...?"
"Consult with me the same way. Turns out you're surprisingly good at listening, Jigu."
An undiscovered talent, huh?
Any skill was a plus, but this was inconvenient right now.
"Um, Geumbi noona, somehow that seems..."
"By the way, refusals not accepted. Can't tolerate favoritism in the family."
"Ugh...!"
Geumbi noona said it while squeezing my chest hard.
This time it pinched flesh too, and I bit my lip and nodded.
"Got it, I'll do it, ut."
"I'll be waiting. Don't want anyone seeing, so lock the door when you come."
The demands kept piling up.
Should I be glad her mood had improved, or sad about the extra workload? With mixed feelings, I tightened my arms.
Geumbi noona in my arms let out an "uhut," echoing my own sound.
We really are siblings, I thought, slyly convincing myself that this was just one of the duties of family too.