Chapter 58
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Story
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The room felt chilly from the AC we'd cranked up to dry our wet clothes, so we pulled the blanket all the way up to our shoulders.
Since I'd kept a little distance from Hwayeon, there was a small gap inside the covers.
I curled my body as tight as possible, treating that thin pocket of air like some massive barrier to make sure no skin touched hers.
"Bro, you cold? Why are you shaking like that?"
"I'm right under the AC vent. I'll turn it down before we sleep, so don't worry."
"Hmm~ Or you wanna scoot closer? I can shift more to the edge."
"Weren't you just whining about there not being enough space? And telling me not to get too close 'cause it's gross?"
"That was before we got under the blanket together... What am I supposed to do now? Even if I don't like it, gotta make room."
"You'll fall off. It's bearable, so don't make a fuss."
"You're the one shivering like crazy right now."
"Whatever. Where were we? Weren't we gonna start with the sisters?"
Hwayeon seemed to realize her own clothes had caused the hassle, which was rare for her to show concern like this.
But it was my own fault, and thinking about what we had to discuss next, getting too cozy with her wouldn't help.
"Just so you know ahead of time, nothing weird's going on with the sisters, okay? Better not get any funny ideas."
"I didn't really think anything... but now that you say it like that, it sounds suspicious."
"That's exactly the kind of expectation I'm telling you to drop. Sigh, where do I even start?"
"How close have you been to them lately? Start from there."
I'd drawn the line beforehand, but even in the dark, I could see Hwayeon's eyes sparkling with curiosity.
Maybe it'd be better not to see them. I stared up at the ceiling and slapped my forearm over my forehead.
"First off... you know we've been sleeping together a lot lately, right?"
"Huh? Sleeping together? You and the sisters? ...First time hearing about it."
"What? You asked like you knew! Even if not, you must've seen something by now."
"Not at all... I don't leave my room at night except to shower. I figured you were just hanging in their rooms sometimes."
"...Shouldn't have brought it up."
"What? What? Why are you sleeping with the sisters? How? Do you two take turns every night? Or do you sneak into their rooms...?"
"Don't get all worked up already. It's not something to make a big deal over."
I'd thought she'd picked up on it from how sharp she acted at the bar.
Now it was like I'd tossed logs onto a smoldering fire. I groaned, rubbing my forehead hard.
"Ugh, how to put this. Nothing weird at all—just straight-up sleeping. It happens in my room, and all three of us together, so it's never just two of us alone."
"What even...? You seriously just sleep and that's it? All three side by side? No funny business?"
"Hey, what do you think would even happen between us? That's the weird thought here."
"Ugh, okay, but... still not exactly normal, right? Why do it every night?"
"After what Mom said last time, both of them got really anxious. They said being alone at night felt suffocating and they couldn't sleep well, so it started as a way to fight insomnia—group style."
"Insomnia cure... So you're like a body pillow? They hug you like a dakimakura or something?"
"Why do you assume hugging? We don't even hold hands. They just lie next to me, like right now—still."
I waved my hands at Hwayeon to cut out her wild imaginations, explaining by comparing to our current setup.
She finally seemed a bit less puzzled, mumbling as her energy deflated.
"Hmm... I see. Yeah, what Mom said must hit them hard. Until they knew you were the 'third child,' they probably wondered if they were the adopted ones themselves."
"Exactly. Even if it's not confirmed I'm the adopted kid? You're doing this on purpose by now. You just wish I was the adopted one, huh?"
"No, come on... I'm not just saying it without reason. A bunch of clues point to you, don't they?"
"What clues exactly? The sisters thing is a misunderstanding, so leave that out and spill."
"Well... you're the only guy in the family, right?"
"Gender's a 50/50 shot for anyone at birth. Just coincidence."
"Your age is smack in the middle too. And everyone else is consecutive years, but you're two years off from them—super suspicious, no?"
"Suspicious how?"
"Mom and Dad wanted a son so bad, they went and got you. It used to be like that here too, right? 'The family line has to pass through a boy'—son preference!"
"So Mom and Dad adopted me for the family legacy?"
"Sounds plausible, doesn't it? Things were good before the sisters, but then girls kept coming, so they fought. Brought you in, made up, then had me and Mokhui right after... Ow! What? Why'd you hit me?"
"I'm so dumbfounded. Where do I even start correcting this?"
My hand, which had been on my forehead, smacked the side of Hwayeon's head without thinking.
Even in the pitch dark, I felt her glaring, so I flicked her forehead again and let out a big sigh.
"Haa, dear little sister. Let's think logically, okay?"
"Huh? Uh... sure."
"One. If it was about carrying on the family line like you say, would they trust something that important to an adopted kid? And Mom and Dad aren't infertile—they didn't have to."
"Um, they're not super traditional, so maybe they weren't hung up on bloodlines..."
"Two. Would your super modern, trendy parents decide on adoption just to have a son carry the line? You think so?"
"...Maybe they thought different back then... Hmm."
"Three—and even if all that, why stop having kids after me? You and Mokhui could've been boys. Why assume and adopt beforehand?"
"Couples are unpredictable, y'know. They were on the rocks when they got you, made up, and boom—kids started popping out... Hehe?"
"Yang Hwayeon."
"Yeees...?"
"You know that's nonsense, right?"
"Ugh, yeah... Thinking it over, it doesn't add up. My bad, sorry."
It took a detour, but this cleared up her ridiculous adoption suspicions about me completely.
Of course, the truth was still unknown, but at least her absurd theories were debunked.
"Anyway, that's why things got closer with the sisters—nothing more. Not because I'm adopted and they're looking out for me, so drop the misunderstanding. Got it?"
"Got it... But bro. So, nothing more than that with the sisters, right?"
"I told you. Sleeping together lately just brought us closer naturally. What else would there be?"
"Still, just sharing a bed every night makes you that tight? Really, truly... just sleeping? Right?"
She was weirdly sharp about the oddest things.
I knew I'd been rambling vaguely myself, but Hwayeon pressed on, scooting closer on pure instinct.
'Better not mention the rest... No way I'm spilling everything unfiltered.'
Some adult stuff was best left unsaid to kids.
I shrugged like it was no big deal and quickly changed the subject.
"That's all that happens in my room. We've brushed against each other while sleeping, but nothing beyond that."
"Hmm~ Really? Weird. My instincts don't lie."
"Put that weird radar away and spill your story now. That damn curiosity or whatever—how'd that even start?"
"Huh? Wh-what do you mean how...?"
"You got flustered and I let it slide at the bar, but it's still so out of nowhere. Sure, interest in guys' bodies, fine—but why me, all of a sudden?"
"Ahh, well... It's a long story."
"We got all night since you're crashing. No holding back."
"Ugh... Hey! Don't you still sleep with the sisters? You tell them you won't be back tonight?"
"I texted I was drinking with you and might be late. I'll message before bed."
"Ugh, you're so thorough about the dumb stuff... Seriously."
She was all bold when attacking, but clammed up now that it was her turn.
But in the dark, puppy eyes wouldn't work, and pressing so close was just digging her own grave.
She wasn't the type to handle that pressure up close.
I cleared my throat pointedly to give her a hint, and after hesitating, Hwayeon fidgeted with her fingers and confessed.
"A bunch of reasons mixed together... It started at school. Kids kept asking me for love advice..."
"Love advice? To you, Hwayeon?"
"Yeah. Guess I give off that vibe like I've got experience? Plus, I repeated a year, so I'm older than them. They expect all kinds of stuff."
"I get it. Fresh out of high school, that one-year gap feels huge."
She'd figure out soon enough we'd all be sloppy drunks together in a few months.
They hadn't even finished first semester, so I could guess what was bugging them.
"I gave advice where I could... But when it got deeper, faking it without experience was tough..."
"Making stuff up from the start was the problem, no?"
"Put yourself in my shoes! Can't ignore those expectant eyes... Ugh."
"So you came to me as your solution? Why not just ask straight-up about how guys think during relationships?"
"...The deep stuff was kinda... that direction."
"Huh?"
"Y'know, holding hands, hugging, then stuff after... Beyond the cutesy stuff!"
Beyond cutesy, huh.
Probably full-on sticky territory. Kids these days moved fast.
'Yeah, guys that age spam [sex] in group chats nonstop. Guess it's universal...'
I shut my mouth once I caught on, and Hwayeon hesitated before moving to her next excuse.
"And at the cafe job, they said that after seeing you talk to me? Figured you must be pretty popular..."
"Really? News to me. Who said that?"
"Why so curious all of a sudden? Gonna ask for their number?"
"Nah, just curious. I don't even know the other staff's names besides you. No need to get defensive."
"Hmph. Anyway, after hearing that, I thought you might know about this stuff... so I tested the waters."
"Tested? That was straight-up blatant."
"It wasn't that blatant, was it?"
"Grabbing my butt out of nowhere? Asking me to teach you about guys using my body? Not over the top?"
"Wh-when did I say teach me with your body?! Explaining with words is fine! I was just figuring how to ask... and you stick to the sisters so well, so I threw a fastball. Don't twist it!"
"If you're calling it a fastball yourself, it's not twisted."
"Anyway, that wasn't what I meant! ...90% anyway."
"What's the other 10%?"
"Well, it started as a heat-of-the-moment rant. But after saying it, I wondered what if... Y'know? Imagination happens!"
"So you realized after saying it. And?"
"Then... like in dramas, 'If he's adopted, is it okay?' But just for a second! And I figured you wouldn't just grope anyway, so I tempted—er, tested it! Yeah!"
She backpedaled mid-sentence, but the point was she trusted me enough to push that far.
The direction of that trust was off, but given her complicated situation, I decided to chalk it up to that.
'Kinda relatable lately—getting tangled up outta nowhere. Happens when people crowd in.'
I stacked my hands on the pillow, rested my head on them, and pondered.
It was tangled, but bottom line: no malice from Hwayeon. Today alone, she'd caused cafe worries, bar nuisance—owed her a lot.
"Hey, bro. But it's not confirmed yet, right? So we're good now. I went too far... Sorry."
Once she finished, I turned to her unusually subdued apology.
And casually, nonchalantly, just loud enough, I asked:
"How far do you want me to go?"
"...Huh?"
"How curious are you? You must have some line in mind."
"Uh, well... You serious, bro?"
"Not like you wanna experience it yourself. Talking's fine, right? As long as we keep boundaries, no reason not to tell."
Siblings talking about this wasn't normal, but better me than her picking up weird knowledge elsewhere.
With her boldness, she might actually try it somewhere, so I played it cool and checked her limits.
From what she'd said and how she reacted so far, probably nothing too sensitive.
I let my guard down a bit there.
Forgot one thing.
The more innocent the kid, the more casually they drop bombs like 'How are babies made?'
"Hey, bro... What's sex feel like?"
"......Huh?"
"Is it really that good? Like you're flying? Head all... scrambled? Right?"
The space between us had vanished like it was nothing.
Hwayeon, inching closer, naturally pulled my arm and wrapped her hand around it.
Her chest—smaller than the sisters' but with definite presence—pressed against my forearm.
Intentional or not, her other hand slowly slid toward my waist.
We'd talked at a distance in the cafe, bar, even on the bed until now.
But the moment my startled hand landed on Hwayeon's shoulder, our conversation suddenly kicked into high gear.