Chapter 76
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: Teetering on Crossing the Line
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It used to be a fight over who had crossed the line the most.
Now it was two older sisters and a younger sister battling over who had plunged the deepest into forbidden territory.
'...Not much different from the start, huh? One way or another, it all leads to the same place.'
I scratched my head in confusion at the bewildering situation, watching the three of them squabble.
Staring contests, verbal sparring, taking turns standing up only to turn away and sit back down—their unyielding tug-of-war dragged on without end.
"God, how did it come to this... Sigh. Geumbi, I can understand Hwayeon, but you're jumping in too? Wouldn't it feel good if the whole house fell apart?"
"Hmph. And you're in any position to say that, sis? You're involved too, and it looks so sneaky how you only bring up family when it suits you."
"Exactly! And why am I automatically excluded? I've said it a million times—I'm the one who's gone furthest with Oppa!"
"......Sigh, Hwayeon, really."
"......Hoo, Yang Hwayeon. You're about to flip the table. Can't you just shut up for five minutes?"
Unable to persuade with words, Sujeong noona and Geumbi noona turned to nitpicking each other's attitudes in a standoff.
But Hwayeon exploited the gap—whether naively or shrewdly—and the conversation veered off into parallel lines once more.
"Hwayeon, like I said... We're all family. This isn't a race. Comparing how deep our bonds go is pointless."
"Yeah, Yang Hwayeon, listen to Sujeong sis. Just because you got ahead first doesn't mean it's real dating. Anyone would think you're already his girlfriend."
"Geumbi? Did you even hear me? That's not what I meant at all."
"It's basically the same thing, right? No matter who ends up with him or how, what matters is the result."
"Huh? Well, results do matter, but it doesn't have to end in dating or anything like that..."
"Or what, just a physical fling? Either way, you're saying don't make a fuss over a one-night mistake?"
"Hold on! The more I listen, the more it sounds like you two are gossiping about me and Oppa like it's your business. Whether comparing matters, if it's just bodies or hearts too—we'll figure it out ourselves! Hmph!"
Sujeong noona tried to calmly soothe Hwayeon, but Geumbi noona drew a sharp line, signaling 'don't get cocky over something trivial.'
Hwayeon, of course, bristled at that, glaring and pointing fingers at both sides, demanding they stop meddling in her affairs.
But the noonas weren't about to nod along to logic fueled purely by emotion.
Geumbi noona, chin propped determinedly, muttered with sarcasm.
"...When you've never even tasted Jigu yourself."
"Hng?!"
"What good is it if only you enjoyed it? These things need to be mutual... no, the other person has to enjoy it too."
"G-Geumbi sis! You're talking about me, right? Right?!"
"Oh, you heard that? Wasn't aiming at anyone specific. Why? Guilty conscience stinging?"
"Ugh, that was 100% aimed at me! What? Only I enjoyed it? Oppa's the one who didn't like it, and I'm just hyping it up alone?"
"How would I know? Why don't you spill. What face does Jigu make when he finishes? How does his body tremble? How much and how intense? You'd know if you've seen it."
"Eek?! U-Uh, that's... It wasn't the vibe to check details like that... Uw."
Geumbi noona side-eyed Hwayeon, wagging her finger as if demanding proof.
But in a pitch-black room, drunk on their first night, no virgin could recount the details precisely.
As Hwayeon clammed up, Geumbi noona flashed a victorious smile and slyly licked her thumb.
"Lick. Too bad. I thought we could chat more if you knew. Guess that's your level, huh? Yeah, got it~."
"Th-That's not it. Oppa's body... it was too dark to see properly."
"So you don't even know if Jigu liked it? Then everything you've bragged about so far is just your~ guess?"
"No! Oppa definitely liked it too, he was happy doing it with me... Right? ...Right, Oppa?"
Hwayeon, confidence shaken, turned to me with teary eyes seeking agreement.
Geumbi noona licked her lips more provocatively with each plea, shooting me a suggestive glance.
As my flustered eyes met Geumbi noona's, Hwayeon grabbed my wrist and shook it, face on the verge of tears.
"Oppa, it wasn't just good for me. Right? Right?"
"Uh, well, y'know... Yeah, right."
"See! Oppa just said it was good now too!"
"When your little sister's sniffling and begging, anyone would nod. You were spouting facts earlier, now straight-up fabricating?"
"I'm not fabricating! Uw, I hate you, Geumbi sis! Really hate you!"
"Hey, I hate you too. And don't hide behind Jigu! So cowardly, tsk."
"Baa~ This is little sister's privilege. Duh, someone who hasn't even mixed with Oppa can't even try. Go ahead and envy me~!"
"Wh-What?! Hey! If I drink with Jigu, I can do way worse than you! No, I can do it right now without drinking!"
"......Huh? G-Geumbi noona?"
"Yeah? ...Ah, nooo, I didn't mean I'd definitely do it! Don't misunderstand, Jigu? It's not like that, really. Believe me!"
Hwayeon using me as a shield had planted me right in the crossfire.
Geumbi noona's bombshell ignited a strange blaze between them.
"Ugh, damn... That Yang Hwayeon brat."
"Tch! What did I do? You blurt it out in anger, hmph!"
"Mm... Geez. Ahem, cough."
The three flushed faces cooled in their own ways.
In the tacit ceasefire on the battlefield, Sujeong noona—who'd gone quiet—suddenly extended her hand.
"I see. Geumbi helped Jigu feel reaaally~ good, and Hwayeon enjoyed it reaaally~ much with him too?"
"Uw? S-Sis?"
"Ahh, Sujeong sis... Well, that's true, but."
"Jigu. You fooled around with those two and even tried laying hands on me? Even filming in the bathroom."
"Pfft?! N-No, noona? You said it was okay to film first..."
Sujeong noona pointed at each one in turn with her outstretched finger, summing up the situation.
I felt a twinge of injustice as her final target, but her gaze froze me silent.
"So with things like this, Jigu, what do you plan to do next?"
"Do about what...?"
"We can't just keep living like this. I tried preventing stuff like this, but failed. Time to think about what comes next."
"Next... like what?"
"Either you leave the house, or some of us do. Pick one."
"Eek, what?!"
"Hold on, sis?"
"S-Sujeong sis? Leave? Oppa? Why? How'd you jump to that conclusion?!"
All eyes in the noisy battlefield locked on one person.
The center of the uproar tapped the table calmly and spoke.
"No matter the backstory, we three all did what we shouldn't with Jigu. What's the alternative to putting physical distance between us?"
"N-Noona. That doesn't mean we have to move out..."
"Then what? Jigu, if you go home now, can you treat us like before? Like nothing happened?"
"That's... Honestly, it'd be tough, but..."
A far cry from her earlier blushing bickering, Sujeong noona pierced me with a cold stare.
Maybe in her quiet moment, she'd reaffirmed her duty as the eldest.
I couldn't lie under that gaze, so Geumbi noona and Hwayeon stared silently at the table below.
"Seems we're all thinking the same. Can't go back to seeing your face normally."
"So... you want me to leave? When? For how long?"
"Not forever. We'll set a date later. How about until Mom returns?"
In the solemn air, Sujeong noona stepped back, proposing a compromise.
No one could miss the implication; the restaurant air grew heavier.
"......Once the truth comes out, we can figure out what next."
"......Not thrilled, but yeah, that part needs settling."
"......Ww, but Oppa leaving alone... Uw, hng."
The root of our mess—the truth still lost in a maze.
No whining or whimpering could halt steps out of that labyrinth.
"Actually, I thought something similar, noona."
"...About living separately?"
"No, about contacting Mom. I even tried texting... but doing something new like that wasn't easy."
"I see. ...Should I reach out again?"
Sujeong noona's question felt like self-directed urging.
Delaying contact with Mom might be partly why things escalated; maybe guilt over that.
'Here... better to just cheer silently.'
The other two nodded or stayed silent in agreement.
As the saying goes—pull the iron horns while hot—Sujeong noona pulled out her phone and texted Mom right away.
Unsure when she'd see it due to time zones, we'd continue after a reply.
"Let's head out first? I'll handle the bill. You all pack up."
"Yeah, sis. Thanks for the meal."
"Thanks for the delicious meal~."
Sujeong noona went to pay first, while Geumbi noona and Hwayeon grabbed their bags.
With nothing for me to pack, I excused myself to the bathroom and slipped out.
The dining hall mirror was unusually large; even washing hands drew my eyes to my face.
'......Rice stuck all over my mouth. Been like this the whole time, Jigu Yang?'
Rice bits on lips.
Squid caught in teeth.
Chunjang sauce on chin.
I scrubbed it all off, scrutinizing my clean face.
"Handsome, sure... but no idea who I take after."
Dad passed when I was too young.
Noonas and sister being girls made comparison tough.
But conversely, not resembling anyone might mean just that.
"If I'm the adopted one... might explain it. Sigh."
Someone else frets all night wondering if they're adopted.
Me thinking this alone felt ridiculous yet absurd.
But stepping out, facing the three waiting for me—
My wry smile vanished like a ghost, leaving me awkwardly staring at the pavement.
Something must've clung from the sink.
Rice grain, seafood bit, sauce—whatever, I kept my face hidden in a panic.
All the way home, my gaze never returned to my family's faces.