Chapter 27
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Siblings' Excitement
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I sluggishly checked the clock and saw that breakfast time had long passed.
Still sitting up in bed, I rubbed my eyes and blankly scanned the spots where my two older sisters had tossed and turned in their sleep.
'They've both already headed to work... Yawn.'
As the saying goes, you don't notice when you're there, but you feel the absence when you're gone. The bed was the same as always, yet it felt strangely empty.
To be precise, last night and the early hours of this morning had been far too eventful. To the point where I couldn't even twitch a finger.
'Sujeong kept placing her hand on my body or draping her leg over mine. And Geumbi kept bumping her hips into me like the space was too cramped.'
Whenever I twisted my body to claim some space, Sujeong would sense it like a ghost and wrap her limbs around me.
But if I tried to push the sisters away, Geumbi would flinch, and my fingertips would brush against the soft flesh of her butt.
Either way, it was too stimulating for a young man in his prime, and I barely held onto my blanket to preserve at least a shred of dignity.
'It's still covered now, so they probably didn't notice down there? Though mornings are unavoidable anyway...'
I'd explained it clearly to both of them, so maybe they'd understand.
But even so, it felt like something precious had been invaded, so I decided to hide it and tough it out for a while.
'It'll be fine. You'll get used to this kind of thing after a few days.'
Convincing myself it was just uncomfortable because it was the first day, I folded the blanket and headed out.
I was debating whether to have some milk for breakfast-slash-lunch when Hwayeon came stumbling down the stairs from the second floor.
"Yaaawn~ Huh? Bro, you're still home?"
"What about you? No school today?"
"I have a free period today. ...No, really this time. What's with that look."
"Your track record is just too colorful for me to believe it. Want some milk?"
"Tch, what can you do when you can't trust your own sister.... Get a cup out, and I'll pour it."
Hwayeon, whom I suspected of skipping again, sauntered over and held out a glass.
I filled it to the brim with milk while staring intently at her half-asleep face.
"Hng? What? Why are you staring holes into my face?"
"Maybe it's the morning, but you look extra ugly today."
"Says the guy whose eyes and cheeks are all puffy."
"And you're swollen up to your nose, huh? Huh?"
"Ow! Ah, it hurts. Why start trouble first thing in the morning... Ouch."
Who was the one pointing fingers at whose face?
Unfortunately, there was no mirror in the kitchen, so I took it upon myself to pinch Hwayeon's nose and punish her ugly mug.
"It's to maintain household order. Take it like a good girl."
"Ack, what nonsense! Don't press the bridge of my nose, it really hurts!"
"There? Feeling awake now?"
"Tch... You don't have to wake me up like this. You're the worst."
"Shake off the rest of your sleep with the milk. Want some cereal?"
"Ugh, look at you ignoring me. ...Give me chocolate if you have it. Whatever if not."
"Sadly, it's just the grain flavor."
"Eww. I need to ask Sujeong sis to buy a new one."
Thankfully, it didn't seem like I'd be eating face-to-face with Hwayeon in broad daylight.
As I poured cereal into a bowl, I warned Hwayeon, who was eyeing a chance for revenge.
"By the way, Yang Hwayeon. You told Sujeong sis everything too, huh?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"What else? What happened in our bathroom."
"Eek?! N-No! I only told Geumbi sis, but Sujeong sis overheard by chance...."
"So the end result is both of them know?"
"...I didn't say you saw me naked. Or that you peeked when you came into the changing room."
"Those two are the same thing. And peeking is a fabrication anyway."
"Anyway, not everything got out."
"So you only confessed that I got caught doing that in the room? You've spilled all the important stuff and now you're complaining?"
"......Sorry."
Thanks to someone, I'd become the guy who jerked off in front of his little sister.
Realizing her mistake, Hwayeon shrank back and silently accepted the violence from moments ago.
'That's getting off easy. I pinched lightly since she was sleepy. Tsk.'
Of course, I'd still claim that coffee voucher separately.
Since I let it slide without pressing further, Hwayeon hesitated before chugging the rest of the milk in her cup.
"Gulp. Well, I'm heading out then."
"Not going anywhere today?"
"Just to my part-time job this afternoon. ...You're not coming to see me again today, right?"
"As if. What's with the sudden narcissism? No matter how pretty you are, I wouldn't trek all the way to that far-off cafe just to see my sister."
"That's not what I meant! I mean, you're not coming to tease me again."
"Aah~ Don't worry. This big bro isn't that free."
"Really? What's your schedule like today, bro?"
"Gym soon, then a walk on the nearby trail, and swing by that cafe I know with the voucher when I get thirsty."
"So you are coming! You just said you weren't!"
"Not to see you. Hey, their coffee's pretty good, right? It's addictive; keeps drawing me back."
"You only had it once last time! And you hated it with all that syrup."
"Maybe it's the love from my sister, but it was decent."
"Ugh, whatever. If you're coming, at least text first! So I can prepare myself mentally or whatever."
We live in the same house—what mental preparation does she need?
I'm not going to cause a scene or anything.
'...It'd be fun if I did. Not that I actually will. Hm hm.'
Maybe my lecherous thoughts showed on my face, because Hwayeon shot me a wary glare.
I was about to tease her more for a mood boost when a petite figure appeared from behind.
"Ah...! Bro, sis. You're up?"
"Yeah. Good morning to our little maknae too."
"Yes, good morning~."
Unlike the prickly Hwayeon, our family maknae Mokhui greeted us shyly.
I quickly finished my cereal and stood up, asking Mokhui what she needed.
"Milk? Water? Or should I make you breakfast?"
"Ah, water then... Thanks, bro."
"No big deal. Hey, maknae, you short on allowance? Freshmen have all sorts of expenses these days, right?"
"Ah, no... I'm okay for now."
"Take it anyway. They'll hit you up for MT fees and stuff soon enough."
"Is that so...? Then I'll gratefully accept."
Mokhui bowed deeply over a bit of pocket money, and I wished the Hwayeon next to her would learn some manners.
You've got to reward a good kid. Time to dip into my military savings I've been hoarding.
"Around 200,000 won should do it?"
"Y-Yes... That's more than enough, bro."
"Wait, wait, wait! Hold up!"
As I pulled out my phone app to transfer, Hwayeon, who'd been listening, jumped in.
Mokhui startled and stepped back a bit, while Hwayeon rushed forward, glaring at me.
"Why 200,000 for Mokhui out of nowhere? I only got 100,000 last time even after all that fuss!"
"You're jealous of your little sister as the older one? Not embarrassed?"
"Ow... That's a different issue! This is about family discrimination."
"If you wanna talk like that, haven't I been giving you allowance since your college entrance exams? Don't you remember?"
"Even then it was 100,000 or 50,000 at most."
"Hey, I was still active duty back then. 50,000 is a fortune for a soldier."
"Forget the past— the point is your attitude toward me versus Mokhui! You tormented me over milk earlier, but you offered her breakfast the second you saw her."
"Don't ignore the history. Remember: the sister scheming to squeeze money from her vacationing bro, versus the one who wrote me letters every day from training camp. Who do you think I favor? Huh?"
"That's... Ugh! Still, this is discrimination. I'll tell the sisters!"
"Go ahead, snitch. I can already picture you getting scolded for stirring up nonsense."
I waved her off with a sigh, and Hwayeon stomped back to her room with a face full of grievance.
Meanwhile, Mokhui, who'd witnessed it all, fidgeted with her fingers as if she'd done something wrong.
"Um, bro.... Now that I think about it, I don't need that much."
"It's fine. Hwayeon's just talking big; she's not actually mad over the money."
"Huh? Then what?"
"She said it herself—it's the difference in how I treat her versus you. Mix that with her usual grudges, and she's sulking."
"Isn't that the same problem? Sounds even worse...."
"It's her own karma. Buy her a juice at the cafe later, and she'll cheer up. Don't worry about it."
In the midst of it, I admired Mokhui's thoughtfulness and sent an extra 50,000 won.
Later, when Hwayeon left for work, she glared daggers at me on the living room couch, but it didn't faze me.
'She knows Mokhui's situation but acts like a kid. Sigh. Gotta hit that cafe today. Gym first, then....'
Thinking of last night's ordeal, it was best to burn off energy beforehand.
This time, I even checked blogs for a good gym with nice facilities and headed out before I could second-guess myself.
......And the plan was only half successful.
My body loosened up nicely from the workout after so long, and I sweated out the passion properly.
But my legs gave out too, making it impossible to walk to Hwayeon's cafe.
'Eh, whatever. I'll cheer her up later.'
I hadn't done anything majorly wrong anyway.
Back home, I showered and melted my tired body into bed.
Unaware of the accident this would cause.
I rolled around and dozed off peacefully, waking when evening had fully settled.
"Jigu, Jigu? Time to wake up."
"Yawn~ Huh? Sis, when'd you get home?"
"Um... Could you talk with me for a bit if you're okay?"
"Huh? Sure, what's up?"
Sujeong's expression looked a bit dark as she woke me from the bedside.
Her serious gaze made me throw off the blanket and sit up straight.
"Hey, did something happen with Hwayeon today?"
"Hwayeon? Oh, we argued over giving Mokhui allowance, but no way...?"
"Mm, that issue kinda blew up."
"Blew up how? She was threatening to tattle to you sisters over nothing, and she actually did?"
I scratched my head in confusion, planning to stay up and soothe her when she got home.
Sujeong patted my shoulder reassuringly.
"That part got resolved fine."
"How?"
"Hwayeon came to us all fired up, and after hearing her out, Geumbi neatly sorted it. Said the past was just an accident, and today wasn't your fault."
"Phew, good. Gotta thank Geumbi sis later."
"But... that's where two more problems popped up."
"Huh? Why? If Geumbi sorted it, shouldn't that be the end?"
I tilted my head puzzled, and Sujeong glanced up, directing my gaze upward.
"First one... Hwayeon's super sulky and holed up in her room."
"Huh? ...Well, self-inflicted. Jealous over Mokhui's allowance, scammed me for money before by blackmailing, and now she's playing the victim?"
"More than that, Geumbi got a bit harsh. You know how those two are... Neither backs down in a fight."
"Ah, yeah. True."
Our house's two spiciest tempers.
Hwayeon probably didn't really want a solution; she just wanted comfort from Sujeong sis.
'But Geumbi sis overheard and scolded her instead, so she locked herself away feeling wronged.... Hmm, I get the vibe.'
Even with Mokhui, it was less about the money and more about family favoritism—same extension.
Looking back, I'd been extra prickly with Hwayeon lately. Not joking; time to properly make up.
"I'll check on her room later. Sorry it escalated because of me."
"No, you didn't do anything wrong."
"Sigh... But two problems? What's the other one?"
"Oh, right. This one's just me noticing; the others don't know......"
Sujeong bit her lip, gauging my reaction.
Her demeanor screamed it involved me directly, and the bombshell that followed confirmed it.
"Geumbi said it mid-fight? 'Even bumping into her in the bathroom—Jigu wouldn't get excited over you of all people.'
"Eek?"
"Seemed like a heat-of-the-moment jab, but her eyes had this conviction...."
"Ugh."
"Anything ring a bell... Jigu?"
Geumbi sis, what the hell did you say in that fight?
The parties involved seemed oblivious amid the bickering, but Sujeong, watching from the side, caught on quick.
"Was there... some incident between you two?"
Sujeong hesitated but stared straight at me.
Her hand was now on my thigh—soft, but firmly pinning me in place.
I'd slept through all this like an idiot.
It wasn't overkill for a first gym session in ages.
"Tell me, Jigu. Have you... ever gotten excited over Geumbi before?"
"......!"
Hesitating only made Sujeong press more directly.
The physical distance closed too, the pressure pounding like my heartbeat in my ears.
A quick glance: door was locked.
No escape in this space, Sujeong's eyes boring into me.