Chapter 20
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: A Walk
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I woke up to morning light without even realizing when I'd drifted off to sleep.
I twisted around, groping for the electronic clock on the table, but no matter how much I flailed my arm, I couldn't grab hold of it.
'Ah... right, this isn't my room.'
Only then did I remember I was lying in Geumbi sis's room.
I threw back the covers and glanced around. Not only Geumbi sis, but the whole upstairs seemed deserted, like everyone had headed out.
"What time is it... Ugh? It's almost lunchtime already."
Even as a student on leave who wasn't going to school, this was pushing it.
Until just recently, my eyes would snap open at 7 a.m. on their own. To think I'd fallen this far in just a few weeks...
"If sis was up, she could've woken me... Nah. Maybe it's better if I don't run into anyone today."
I headed downstairs to the living room, double-checking that the house was empty.
Once I'd confirmed no one was around, I let out a sigh of relief and slipped into the bathroom. As I washed my hair with lukewarm water, I tried to sort out my thoughts.
'Yesterday was insane... Like I was possessed. Completely lost my mind.'
Looking back, even more ridiculous scenes flashed through my head.
Especially the chain of events from the living room couch in the dead of night all the way to Geumbi sis's room... Bam. I slammed my forehead against the shower wall mid-wash.
"I'm crazy, crazy. Did I really lose it? No matter how pent up I was, how could I do that to Geumbi sis... Ugh."
And yet, somehow I'd gotten off twice that day.
Why was I hard again less than a day later... and why did Geumbi sis have to be the one to take care of it? No matter how I racked my brain, I couldn't make sense of it.
"...Forget it. Forget everything and pretend it never happened. Yeah."
I crouched down on the shower floor, letting the water pour over me.
I didn't even have the energy to shampoo—just rinsed off with water before staggering out to the changing room.
'Geumbi sis said it was just for yesterday, so that's that... Yeah.'
My vision was still blurry, but my body moved on autopilot: drying my hair, toweling off, pulling on fresh clothes.
This was my routine. Act normal starting from midday, and the night wouldn't be any different.
...It had to be that way.
'Maybe I should hit the gym? With my packed schedule gone, I've got all this excess energy, maybe.'
I didn't want to analyze the cause too deeply, but if I let it sit, it felt like it'd lead me down some weird path.
Blame it all on my body, I told myself as I fired up Instagram and searched for nearby gyms with events going on.
"Annoying ads every time I scroll in bed, but now that I'm looking, nothing decent shows up?"
I tried filtering by tags, but most were flashy names with no substance.
Some weren't even gyms—why were restaurants and cafes popping up in workout searches?
"Damn algorithm. Might as well check blogs... Huh?"
I sipped a grain shake instead of breakfast, scrolling through feeds.
A familiar face caught my eye, and I stopped to swipe to the post.
"...For my first workout in ages, I'll start light with a walk. Found a nice trail too."
I rinsed and dried the empty tumbler thoroughly.
Quickly getting ready to head out, I grabbed the still-damp tumbler and stepped outside.
I hadn't put anything in it.
The person waiting at my destination would fill it up for me.
*Ding~*.
"Welcome~ Uh?!"
About 30 minutes' walk to a cafe a bit out of the immediate neighborhood.
The bell jingled cheerfully as I pushed open the door, and the counter staff greeted me warmly.
"Excuse me~ What's popular here?"
"...Y-Yeah, what brings you here?"
"Hey, 'you' to a customer? Our little sis has some terrible service skills."
The staff blushing at the sight of me was Yang Hwayeon.
A cute grumbler who was always the baby of the family, our adorable fourth sister.
She was so precious, I'd toss her 100,000 won allowance on a whim for a single word.
"How'd you find out about this place... I didn't tell anyone."
"Saw it on Instagram. Went viral or something—tons of likes. 'Goddess part-timer' blowing up~?"
"Don't spout nonsense! There wasn't a single comment like that!"
"Hmm, checking every comment, huh? Explains why you replied to them all."
"No, that's just for cafe promo... only when I'm working..."
"Sure, sure. Goddess might be a stretch, but every comment's straight-up praise."
"...It's the cafe's vibe. Shut up and pick something already!"
Praising my diligently working little sis just made her pout and throw a tantrum from embarrassment.
Her flushed cheeks and averted eyes hit just right, and the mismatch with her prim uniform and single ponytail made it even more fun.
'Hair color turned out nice too. She threw such a fit about dyeing it, but a DIY job looks pretty good.'
She looked a bit disheveled from flusteredness, but the natural reddish-brown was a nice touch.
Knowing I'd chipped in effort and cash for that final product made it impossible not to tease more.
Conveniently, no other customers waiting right now.
Time to play with her a bit longer.
"Any recommendations? Made by our Hwayeon herself?"
"No, someone else does it in the back."
"Good thing. Nearly wasted money on nothing."
"Hey, what're you saying! I can make coffee too, y'know? ...Americano, at least."
"Cappuccino? Cafe latte?"
"...Working on it. Just need to get the hang of milk ratios."
Aren't those all about the milk?
In other words, she straight-up couldn't.
"Sigh, getting paid full while doing this... Boss own the building? Or is volunteering your hobby?"
"Ugh, why come all this way just to pick on me? Order already, hurry!"
"Fine, fine. I'll trust my little sis's taste. Surprise me with something you're good at."
"...Tch, card. I'll ring you up first."
"Looking forward to it, Hwayeon~."
"Hey! You leeching off your hardworking little sis?"
I shrugged, not even pretending to reach for my wallet, and Hwayeon glared daggers, fuming.
But from here on, I've got plenty to say too, don't I? My cute little sis?
"Heard you snitched to Geumbi sis?"
"Eek?! W-What... No idea what you mean."
"Geumbi sis spilled everything. And you have the gall to take allowance after that?"
"She told everything? Argh, damn it. I kept the bathroom thing secret, at least..."
"I'll cut you slack for that—half back. Wire 50,000 won or give me ten free coffee tumbler fills."
"Sneaky, threatening your own sister? Cafe drinks all cost money anyway!"
"Says the one who blackmailed me first."
"...Hand over the tumbler. I'll fill it up real nice."
Outmatched in banter, Hwayeon opted for free fills over a refund.
Perfect. I'll swing by every time I work out nearby. Tease her to blow off steam.
"Don't spit in my coffee? Watching you."
"I wouldn't! This is my workplace—I'm not pulling that crap."
"So you do it at home?"
"...Sit down. I'll bring it."
"Sign says no table service."
"Wha, where's that say?"
"Your Instagram post."
"Argh, damn... Don't stare so much. It's embarrassing."
Hwayeon stiffly turned away, fumbling with the machine to brew the coffee.
After a few weeks, her Americano skills looked decent enough.
'Can't handle milk 'cause she's picky since she was little? Doesn't eat it herself, so hard to gauge taste.'
Maybe that's why, despite sharing genes, Hwayeon was slimmer than the sisters.
...Though like kids these days, she'd grown tall. Too bad other areas lacked—she should've built some muscle.
"Here. ...What? Why're you eyeing me up and down?"
"Nothing. Hey, wanna hit the gym with me sometime?"
"Ugh, hell no. Why suffer sweating on my dime?"
"Sigh, that's why your body's like that."
"My body...? Eek! W-What're you even looking at?!"
"Huh? ...Hey, what're you imagining? I meant you lack muscle compared to the sisters—must be tough standing all day. Cafe work means on your feet constantly."
"Th-That wasn't the look. You totally eyed my chest..."
"Jeez, just glancing top to bottom. Not that interested? Quit nitpicking."
"N-Not interested my ass. That's why you barge in while someone's bathing?"
"Still on that? I explained it was all a misunderstanding."
"Hmph, explanation nothing. That's why I warned Geumbi unnie—you're acting all brazen."
"Warned about what?"
"...To watch out for oppa. Your recent behavior's getting weird."
"Huh? When'd you... Oh. That thing you said yesterday?"
Hwayeon whipped her flushed cheeks away, dodging the answer.
But the silence was affirmation. I was dumbfounded, recalling Geumbi sis's words from yesterday.
'Geumbi sis made it sound like Hwayeon ratted me out... Which is it?'
Did Hwayeon mean it out of worry, but Geumbi sis took it as teasing fodder?
We'd fought over something similar before. What do these two even think of each other?
'Like cats and dogs. ...But right now, more importantly, time to put this one in her place.'
I took a sip of the coffee to wet my throat, ready to rein in my rumor-spreading little sis.
"Pfft?! Cough, cough—what the hell? What'd you put in this?"
"Syrup and all my love for oppa. Why? You like it sweet."
"Hey, who likes it this sweet? And I take my coffee bitter."
"Oh, really~? Sorry, had no idea."
"This is ridiculous... Hwayeon, seriously?"
"What~? Hehe?"
Her innocent act, playing dumb little sister, was infuriating.
That's our maknae's exclusive face! Not cute at all—gives me chills instead.
"Besides that, what's this about snitching to Geumbi sis? What shady stuff did I do?"
"You did. Hugging Sujeong unnie, wall-banging Geumbi unnie."
"What?! W-When?"
"Don't play dumb after I saw it all? Your room, bathroom changing room."
"Hey, that was... Anyway, all misunderstandings..."
"Then sleeping in Geumbi unnie's room this morning?"
"...Huh?"
"That a misunderstanding too? Saw you asleep inside when her door opened."
I was supposed to be on the offensive.
Her counterattack shut me up cold.
"And get this? Sujeong unnie... saw you sleeping there and went to work looking super down."
"Eh? What? Huh?"
"Don't blame me—it's all your fault. What're you doing with the unnies, anyway?"
Positions fully reversed now. Hwayeon crossed her arms tight, glaring at me.
She reminded me of Geumbi sis with her eyes narrowed fiercely, and I caught my breath without thinking.
'More than that... Sujeong sis saw me this morning? And she was down about it?'
A major issue rippled through my chest, refusing to leave my mind.
The bell jingled as another customer entered, and I hurriedly wrapped up and left.
My steps didn't take me anywhere else—they led straight home.
The walk... hadn't changed my mood like I'd hoped. It just ended.