Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: New Semester - 1
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*
The long winter break finally came to an end, ushering in the new semester.
Normally, the mere thought of heading back to school would have me reluctant to crawl out from under the covers, but today was different.
And for good reason.
- Finally, with Yerim...!
We'd seen each other almost every day last year too. But I was in middle school while she was still in elementary, so our classes ended at different times. With my midterms and finals, it was tough to meet during exam periods, and there were all sorts of other inconveniences like that.
- Not anymore.
Starting today, we're both middle schoolers.
Sure, she might have Han Sea and other friends, so eating lunch together or walking home might be tricky.
But just knowing Yerim was in the same school—bumping into her in the halls or meeting up whenever I wanted—made school life feel exciting already.
I finished getting ready a little earlier than usual and was giving my hair one final comb when...
♪♬♪♬
The doorbell chimed.
"Oppa, someone's here. Go check!"
"I can't right now!"
"Me neither!!"
"I really can't!!"
"Ugh, whatever. Oppa, just go already!!!"
"Argh, seriously!!!"
From morning, we were yelling back and forth from our rooms—older brother first, younger sister first—until my fists started shaking with frustration.
Who the hell did that pig take after?
Seeing Han Sea's door, stubbornly shut like she had no intention of budging, I had no choice but to come out of my room.
Who even shows up this early without any manners?
My boundless rage toward my blood kin soon turned toward whoever had come calling at this hour.
Click-
"Who is it?"
"Ah, op...pa..."
"Whoa!!"
Slam-!
What the...? Am I still half-asleep? Why am I seeing things?
Wasn't that Yerim standing there with a bright smile? Must be my imagination.
In my panic, I'd slammed the door so hard it echoed.
"...Oppa?"
Oh.
"...Yerim, I've got circumstances."
"...Hmm. Circumstances bad enough that you freaked out and slammed the door the second you saw my face? I don't think even a ghost would make you jump like that."
"...Wanna hear them first?"
"...I'm happy to see you, oppa, but you might not be. Right?"
"How'd it turn out like that...."
Even talking through the door, I could somehow picture Yerim's expression....
I still wasn't ready yet.
But leaving her standing there like this felt like it might turn her into the general of earthly suffering or something.
I glanced at the mirror by the entryway.
- Hmm, this should be fine, right?
Thankfully, my hair looked passable.
Click-
I opened the door again, and there stood Yerim—not in her usual casual clothes, but in her school uniform.
Her hair gleamed more brightly than usual in the morning sunlight, the crisp necktie neatly perched atop the puffed white uniform shirt, the skirt hem swaying gently in the breeze.
I'd figured it'd suit her well, but it was beyond my expectations—so perfect that I was at a loss for words. I hadn't realized our school's uniform was this pretty.
...Uniforms. Nice.
I made a mental note on my wishlist.
"Hi.... Didn't you say you wanted to go with oppa on the first day?"
"You didn't specify which oppa...."
"Hah."
Seeing Yerim's lips curve up like she was delighted her prank had worked, I couldn't help but chuckle.
"So that oppa... is me?"
"You don't like it...?"
"...As if."
My heart had dropped for a second in surprise, but if the payoff was walking to school with Yerim, I'd gladly get startled a hundred times over.
"Wait just a sec. I'll grab my stuff and be right out."
"Oppa."
"Yeah?"
As I turned to head to my room, she grabbed my hand—arms behind her back—and gazed up at me with a wordless, beaming smile.
...So the time had come.
The dreaded "Oppa, do I look any different?" that had made countless guys weep.
Yerim wasn't the type to paint her pinky with manicure and ask that.
But she was evil incarnate for making me say it even though she knew I was too embarrassed to bring it up first.
See? Even now.
She was staring at me with expectant eyes, like hurry up and say it.
"The uniform really suits you."
"How much?"
"...Out of everyone I've seen, you're the best."
"Hee, and...?"
"Your hair up like that... it's, uh, really pretty."
I couldn't bring myself to say her pale nape peeking through those soft-looking strands looked sexy.
"Loose or up... which do you like more, oppa...?"
"I like both."
"...Greedy."
"No, really, both are great, what can I do...."
I felt wronged, but there was no picking between them. Honestly.
"Hmm... 80 points for today."
"Isn't that stingy?"
A snicker escaped at Yerim's slightly disappointed scoring.
"40 for liking the uniform compliment, 40 for the hair one. However...."
As she folded her fingers one by one to tally, her yellow eyes sparkled brighter, brimming with mischief.
"I felt the sincerity, so +20 bonus points from the grader...."
"...Gotta stay on the grader's good side."
"Yeah, you do...."
"......Sorry to interrupt, but can I get by~?"
"......"
"......"
The ticklish warmth in my chest plummeted at the icy voice from behind.
Yerim's face was like oh, right, she was here too. Probably mine too.
Emergency, total emergency...!!!! Did she hear our whole conversation? For real?
Everything I'd said to Yerim was pure truth, but having my family—my little sister, no less—hear it was a whole other matter.
It was social suicide.
No, in this case, Han Sea might as well have killed me, so murder. Why listen in? Why...!
Sh, shit....... I was too embarrassed to even look at Han Sea.
A quick glance sideways showed Yerim flushed pink too.
"...You didn't hear that, did you?"
"Hear what~? You sucking up to the grader for a perfect 100~?"
Fuuuuck....
My fists trembled with the urge to kill as Han Sea grinned and poked my side.
Yerim was now trembling with her head down.
"...Pfft grr."
"Oppa might chip a tooth~ And shouldn't it be 'please go ahead,' oppa~?"
"...Fug off pleashe."
She cackled like it was the funniest thing, said see you later, and left. We both sighed in unison.
"...Shall we head out too?"
"Yeah...."
Dragging my suddenly exhausted body, I grabbed my bag from my room when a thought struck me.
"But why isn't Han Sea going with us?"
"Sea said she's going with my oppa today...?"
"With Seo Jinhyuk?"
"Yeah...."
"Then why not go together?"
We're not strangers. Why separate? As the question formed, Yerim averted her eyes like she'd been caught.
...Huh?
They say even a monastery dog recites poetry after three years.
From my nearly year-long experience with Yerim—who always met my gaze—this evasion meant one thing.
"Hmm...."
"W-Why...?"
As I rubbed my chin thoughtfully, she tugged at my uniform hem like let's just go.
"Come to think of it, earlier when Han Sea was gritting her teeth and refusing to answer the door despite me saying I couldn't... I wondered why."
"......"
I'd thought it odd how Han Sea—who'd normally come out in my place—was digging in her heels.
I didn't know what the two little sisters had schemed, but picturing it made the puzzle pieces click.
...Cute.
We'd have both jumped at the chance if they'd just said they wanted to go alone. Well, Seo Jinhyuk might still be in the dark. Anyway.
Imagining Yerim secretly plotting without me.
She'd turned her head away, embarrassed at being found out, clutching my uniform tightly, but couldn't hide her flushed nape peeking through her hair.
I couldn't stop my lips from curving up.
"Two's better than four, right?"
"......"
Even as she clamped her mouth shut, she nodded. I finally burst out laughing.
Stepping into the unfamiliar new classroom, I saw half familiar faces, half strangers.
"Why're you so late, Han Woojin? Thought I was gonna die of loneliness."
"Why didn't you then."
"Such a smart mouth, seriously."
The most familiar face spoke up.
"You in this class too, Seo Jinhyuk?"
"Yup. Nice, huh?"
"Nice my ass. Move, that's my seat."
Having this guy around would make adjusting to the new class easier, which eased my mind a bit.
Last year, I'd experienced firsthand how horrific a new semester with zero familiar faces could be.
The seating chart on the blackboard showed my seat was luckily by the window at the very back.
"Jealous seat."
"That's skill for ya. Walked with Han Sea?"
"Yeah. You said you had somewhere to be this morning and left first?"
"......Han Sea?"
"...? Why the face. Didn't happen?"
".........Nah, it did. Had some stuff."
For some reason, old words from Seo Jinhyuk popped into my head.
'...Yerim? Yerim said that?'
'...My sister, but she's scary. Scary.'
'I'm sorry in every sense....'
...No idea why those came to mind now.
A year later, I finally got how he felt back then.
- Damn, you're just realizing now....
What was scarier was having one little sister back then, but now two.
"Hey, Seo Jinhyuk...."
Thinking now we're even, I clapped his shoulder.
"What. Why the sad puppy face? See a ghost or something?"
"You ever hear of... double in-laws?"
"Double what...? What's that?"
"Better learn it now...."
He pulled out his phone like he was gonna search it.
Moments later, he looked at me with a rotten, despairing expression somewhere in between.
...Hey, I don't like it either.