Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Your Little Sister's a Babe
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Now that she seemed a bit calmer, her eyes—which had been pink just moments ago—had already returned to black.
Tsk, what a shame. It had suited her so well. I almost wanted to ask her to show it again.
I figured the conversation would fizzle out there, but surprisingly, it was the girl who grabbed the thread and held on.
"...Oppa said I was special?"
"Huh? Me?"
"......"
"Sorry. You meant Seo Jinhyuk. Got it, so don't look at me like that...."
Shit. Han Woojin, you fucking idiot...!
If my eyes were special too, they'd probably be pink right now.
If the girl had just scowled or recoiled at my words, that would've been one thing, but the way she stared at me like What the hell is this guy talking about? made me want to die.
Please, please don't look at me with those eyes....
I'm your oppa too, right? It was a totally understandable mix-up....
Not that hearing you call me oppa felt good or anything. Not like I'd been dying to hear it from you. ...Okay, maybe just a little.
"Ahem. Seo Jinhyuk was talking about you at lunch today. Said his little sister was special. It sounded intriguing when he mentioned it, but seeing you in person..."
Oh. Right, it wasn't just her eyes that made her special. When I asked if she was pretty, he said even as her family, he thought she was on the cute side.
Back then, I'd let it go in one ear and out the other, but now that I'd seen her myself, I realized he hadn't exaggerated even a little.
As that memory hit me mid-sentence, I trailed off, and the girl tilted her head like she was wondering what was up.
"...Seeing me in person?"
"...Seo Jinhyuk was right."
"......Really?"
"Yeah, really."
With that, the familiar silence settled in again.
I'd expected her to ask what exactly felt special, but she surprised me.
...Was she upset that we talked about her behind her back?
My head stayed facing forward, but I snuck a glance sideways with just my eyes.
And what I saw there?
The girl gazing off to the side opposite me, twisting the strands of hair that had fallen onto her shoulder.
...Was she embarrassed right now?
She should just be happy about it.
Seeing her try so hard not to let me catch on made me chuckle despite myself.
Ah, the suffocating silence from earlier now felt a little fun.
"I figured Seo Jinhyuk was just hyping up his own sister, you know? Like, I get it—I have a little sister at home too."
"...You have a little sister?"
"Yeah. We're always bickering."
"...How old is she?"
"One year younger than me. Thirteen."
"Hmm...."
"...?"
"........."
".........?"
After hearing my sister's age, the girl stared intently at me without a word.
What? What was that look? Eye candy?
I had no idea what she wanted, so I stared right back. Soon, her eyes gradually took on a pale crimson hue.
...Was she mad right now?
My guess hit the mark—she furrowed her delicate brows.
"...Aren't you curious?"
I almost reflexively shot back About what?, but something told me that was the absolute wrong answer, so I clamped my mouth shut.
It felt like picking that option from a bunch of choices would lead straight to a bad end.
Sh...shit. What the hell? Why was she suddenly asking if I wasn't curious? About why her eyes change color? Would knowing fix it? Wait, was that too T-type?
Help me, Han Sea—you've probably already stolen my snacks at home and digested them by now...!
Oppa, when talking to girls, always follow up on the last thing they say. They like it 'cause it shows you're interested. Got it?
Got it?
...That's not what I meant. Forget it, oppa should just live with me forever.
That's not it either. And don't say creepy shit like that.
I brushed off the nonsense from the Han Sea in my memory and barely extracted the useful bit.
The end of what she'd just said was...
"Ah, of course I'm curious...!"
"...About what?"
"Huh?"
Oh. It was open-ended?
Shouldn't there be options or something, humanely speaking?
Was this that classic Do you know what you did wrong??
Damn it, sis—this just got harder...!
What the hell? In our whole conversation, what was there that I'd be curious about...?
Oh.
No way.
Her age?
No, but as a 'middle school freshman,' asking a total elementary kid...
—Heh heh, how old are you? What's your name?
That felt kinda off for my friend's little sister, so I'd held back even though I was dying to know.
Was it...okay to ask after all? That question?
But she'd laid out the perfect setup, and running away now wouldn't be manly—and I'm a total man's man, so—
"Uh...how old's the age gap between you two?"
...I asked it a bit indirectly.
Luckily, my words nailed the intended answer. The crimson in her eyes slowly faded away.
"...We're one year apart too."
So, thirteen?
Now that I knew the girl in front of me was thirteen, my mind naturally pictured her in a school uniform next year.
O........................
Wow...........................
I could see the future without even trying.
Just like her oppa Seo Jinhyuk—no, even more so. She'd get dragged out for confessions every break time.
......Maybe I'd be one of them.
Just imagining her in a uniform made me desperately wish she'd come to our school.
No, don't go there with your friend's little sister, Han Woojin.
On the flip side, if Seo Jinhyuk looked at my sister that way and confessed... Urk, fuck.
Mirror therapy worked too damn well—I snapped back to reality.
Once I came to my senses, a sudden thought hit me.
Wait, was I the only curious one?
"What about you?"
"...Huh?"
"Don't you have anything you're curious about me?"
I asked your age. You could at least ask my name or something.
I could've casually slipped in my name now that I'd asked hers, acting all nonchalant.
—But nah.
Somehow, ending it like that felt...lacking.
Her expression, her voice... her eyes.
Of course, if she went cold and said I have nothing I'm curious about, I'd be kicking the blankets off in regret tonight, writing black history.
"......Ngh."
That's the one.
She clearly hadn't expected me to turn it around on her like that—her face twisted in flustered surprise as she looked at me.
...Good. I wasn't the only one curious about you.
"Nothing? Well, whatever then."
...Should I not have said that? Brain fart?
Seeing her bite her lip and stare at me, I got all excited and took it one step further without thinking.
What if she got offended and said she had nothing? I'd been panicking in my head, rehearsing every scenario,
"...Tell me."
"Huh?"
"Your name...tell me......"
Was she annoyed? Shy?
Her small, trembling voice barely reached my ears.
The street was dyed red in the sunset glow, and maybe because of that, your cheeks were flushed too.
But one thing.
Your cherry-blossom eyes sparkling within, holding my reflection. I couldn't tear my gaze away.
"Han Woojin. ...Han Woojin."
Remember it. Me.
My name, which I'd never thought was special.
As I passed that handful of hope to the girl before me, for some reason, it felt special.
"Han Woojin...."
The girl murmured my name softly, then slowly nodded.
"What's your name?"
She probably would've told me if I'd just waited.
But I couldn't wait.
I wanted to know. Your name.
"...I'm Seo Yerim."
Watching Seo Yerim—no, the girl—smile with a satisfied little Hee-, I thought to myself.
I might forget Seo Jinhyuk someday.
...But I'd never forget the name Seo Yerim.
And so, we'd finally learned each other's names and ages, but sadly, we arrived at Seo Yerim's house—er, Seo Jinhyuk's house—soon after.
Ah, I should've asked sooner.
Seo Yerim, Seo Yerim. Even the name's pretty. Lives up to the hype. How is my name Han Woojin?
Upon reaching Seo Yerim's place, I learned two things.
First, as expected, her house was super close to mine.
Like two paths in a leaf-matching game—90% the same, but at the end, left for my house, right for hers.
Seo Jinhyuk and I had only been close for a month, and he always headed straight to cram school after classes, so I'd never known.
Second, Seo Yerim's house was an officetel—one of the priciest in the neighborhood.
No, this is too much. These siblings have the looks and the money? That's cheating.
The life difficulty gap is insane— I grumbled internally, and just then, we reached the door.
—Why am I even here?
I'd definitely planned to head back from the first-floor entrance, figuring this was far enough.
But Seo Yerim stared at me like What are you doing?, leaving me with no choice but to follow her up to the seventh floor.
Now I really had to turn back, right? I glanced at her,
Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-♩♪♩♪
As if no way—the door cheerfully unlocked with the password tones.
And there, as the door swung open...
"Yerim, you're ho—...?????"
"...Nice to meet you?"
...Don't look at me like Why'd you come with my little sister?
I don't know either, for real.
All I knew was one thing.
............Your little sister's a babe.