Chapter 21
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Sister's Question
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I got home and lay down on my bed, but with nothing to do, I just scrolled through some short videos with similar content before quickly putting my phone away.
I sat in the living room and turned on the TV, but there was nothing worth watching, and the sofa felt uncomfortably prickly against my skin, so I shut it off right away.
'Maybe I should take a shower to clear my head...'
I hadn't even worked up a sweat from exercise, but sitting still made my body itch, so I ended up wandering off somewhere.
The day was a bit hot, but I didn't mind—I turned the water on scalding and let it melt away the tension from my skin.
"Phew... Now I feel alive again."
It was less cooling my head and more like heating it up, though.
With the heat surging through me, blood flow to my brain picked up too, and my thoughts started spinning clearly.
Like what happened with Geumbi sis yesterday.
Or teasing Hwayeon at the café.
Or Sujeong sis heading to work with that troubled look on her face...
"Just in case, maybe I should send her a message."
Learning from last time, I kept my phone close at all times.
I sent Sujeong sis a quick text while showering, then tossed the phone back into the changing room.
Ten minutes or so later, as I toweled off my hair roughly, I checked for replies.
Sujeong sis had messaged asking me to meet her at the park around evening.
"...Guess I'll do some home workout in the meantime. Might as well burn off some energy ahead of time."
I rolled out a mat in the living room and hammered out push-ups, squats, and crunches in sequence.
It felt ridiculous—going for a walk, showering, then jumping straight back into exercise.
But moving my body like this definitely lifted my mood.
'And fewer stray thoughts popping up.'
Ever since my discharge, my body had felt sluggish, dragging my energy down with it.
Regretting not starting sooner, I kept at the home workout until I was gasping for breath, all for the sake of my future.
Soon Mokhui came home, and about an hour later, Hwayeon got back too.
Geumbi sis would be here any minute, so I decided to head to the nearby park early and wait.
"Ah!"
"Ugh...! J-Jigu."
Did the subway arrive right on time today?
As I turned the corner from the alley, I bumped right into Geumbi sis on her way back.
"Oh, heading out?"
"Yeah. You just got off work, sis?"
"Uh, yeah. Figured the subway would be packed... so I took a cab straight home."
"Ah, got it."
So that's why we ran into each other.
What a pointless early exit.
"......"
"......"
"...Well, sis. I should get going."
"Yeah... But where to?"
"Just... have an appointment."
"Appointment? With who?"
"...Someone you know."
"Huh? Who?"
"......Sujeong sis."
This was exactly why I didn't want to run into her.
I cursed myself inwardly for not being able to lie smoothly as Geumbi sis's eyes widened in surprise.
'But she'd find out anyway if I lied. No real reason to hide it.'
I was just going out to greet Sujeong sis briefly on her way home from work and chat a bit.
Nothing shady about it. But while Geumbi sis stared straight at me, my gaze kept dropping to the ground.
"What're you meeting... sis for?"
"She said she wanted to talk for a bit."
"Outside... just calling you out alone?"
"Yeah."
"......You're not going somewhere weird, right?"
"N-No, just the park nearby. Don't worry too much."
I had no idea what Geumbi sis meant by "weird place,"
but like my own foot was sore, I pointed toward the park and swallowed hard enough to feel my throat bob.
"......"
"......"
And silence again.
Our conversations always had awkward pauses like this, and forcing words out didn't feel right with Geumbi sis's head bowed like that.
'What kind of face is she making? Can't see from up here...'
Geumbi sis clenched her fists tight, hand hovering at her chest like she wanted to thump out her frustration.
But she didn't actually strike—instead, she just gripped hard enough for her knuckles to tremble.
"......Jigu."
"Y-Yeah, sis."
"You're still thinking about yesterday?"
"......!"
Looks like it was my chest that needed thumping.
My heart plummeted with a thud, and the world went dark for a split second.
"W-Why bring that up out of nowhere...?"
"Feels like... if not now, I might never say it."
"Why's that?"
"Because you're going to talk with sis..."
"That's...... No, it's nothing."
I had no clue how last night's slip-up connected to Sujeong sis,
but asking would feel like crossing an irreversible river.
'But I can't just ignore what she said now either.'
Bringing it up right in the middle of the street meant Geumbi sis wanted an answer straight away.
I didn't think it was just some emotional outburst. She was older than me, more mature.
'So I need to respond like an adult too.'
My halted heart pounded wildly, and I clutched my chest to calm it.
As I steadied my breath and looked at Geumbi sis, she had lifted her head at some point and was staring right into my eyes.
"You mean what happened last night?"
"Yeah... more precisely, until dawn this morning."
"You asked if I'm still thinking about it?"
"Yeah, that's right..."
"What a dumb question."
"Eek......!"
I scratched my head to ease the tension as I spoke, and Geumbi sis flinched.
Worried my wording might cause a misunderstanding, I cut straight to the point.
"What guy wouldn't be dwelling on it after being alone with a girl—his own sister, no less?"
"R-Really? So you too...?"
"Of course I'm dwelling on it. Hell, I still don't know how to face you right now. Sigh."
The walk to cool off? Taking it out on Hwayeon? All because of that.
I guess hearing it from her lips made it real—I covered my face and sighed, and Geumbi sis let out a little "pfft."
"Heh, so that's it? That's why you're acting all embarrassed now?"
"Wouldn't you be? You were super tense until I answered too."
"Well, yeah, you were dragging it out all weird-like... got me nervous too."
"Oh, sure~ Sure~. Glad you're so calm about it."
We'd both been too awkward to look up moments ago, but now Geumbi sis clasped her hands behind her back, smirking like it was nothing.
"Hng~ Anyway, good that you're thinking about it. I was worried you'd be such a perv you'd brush it off like no big deal."
"Crazy—what perv does that? What kinda story are you spinning?"
"Or the opposite, acting like you didn't care at all. That... might've actually hurt."
"No way that'd happen. It's not like something you experience every day."
"Hehe, right. So...... Never mind. We'll talk the rest at home, got it?"
"...If you're okay with it. Might be late."
"Text me if it's gonna be really late. And... talk well with sis."
With that, Geumbi sis patted my shoulder like business was done and walked off.
I watched her back, thinking her steady stride screamed 'real adult.'
'In the end, she brought it up first and got me to spill my true feelings. Totally got outplayed.'
She didn't press for details on why I was meeting Sujeong sis,
but that casualness would probably keep me on edge around her from now on.
'Good thing sis has no guy in her life. If she did, she'd have a trail of broken hearts.'
Her swaying ponytail felt like a taunting tail,
and I shook my head vigorously before hurrying toward the park.
-Boom!
The front door slammed shut like thunder.
Hwayeon, munching snacks in the living room, widened her eyes and glanced toward the noise.
"Geumbi sis? What, why'd you slam the door like that?"
"S-Sorry... Slipped my mind. Uh, is the bathroom free?"
"Mokhui's in there, so upstairs should be open? You in a rush?"
"Y-Yeah, kinda... I'm heading up! Study hard."
"Huh? Oh, okay. Good work at—hey."
Hwayeon was thrown by Geumbi sis—who always nagged her—acting so frantic.
But seeing her desperate state, she tried to understand, though Geumbi even dropped her phone mid-stairs.
"Held it that long? Should've gone at work, tsk."
Grumbling, Hwayeon still picked up the fallen phone for her.
No loyalty to take it upstairs, though—she figured Geumbi would find it on the living room table.
"Hm? Text from Sujeong sis? Says she'll be home late tonight... Huh?"
The phone buzzed on the table with a new message.
The weird part: skipping the family group chat to text Geumbi sis directly.
"What the... Maybe call later."
Hwayeon tilted her head at the mystery but soon switched her focus to the music show on TV.
Forgotten was her last warning—she cranked the volume, drowning out the rushing water from the upstairs bathroom for ages.
"Haa, haa, whoo...... Haa."
At the bathroom sink, Geumbi kept splashing her face relentlessly, head bowed.
But the flush burning across her cheeks wouldn't fade no matter how much she rinsed, pouring endlessly like the faucet.
Geumbi didn't emerge until well after Mokhui finished her shower—over 30 minutes later.
In the shaded corner of the park, two shadows merged into one.
I fumbled for balance, carefully wrapping my arms around the person who fell into my embrace.
Confirming the touch, she pressed her cheek to my chest and whispered softly.
"Jigu."
"Y-Yeah."
"Do you love me?"
"Of course... I do, sis."
I half-shouted it at Sujeong sis in my arms, like it was the most obvious thing.
But she wasn't done—her next question hit even harder.
"As family? Or as your sister?"
"Huh?"
"Or is it some other reason?"
Sujeong sis lifted her head and brushed my cheek lightly.
Her eyes gazing at me swirled with emotions too complex to name, leaving me speechless, breath caught.