Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: This Is How You Act Without Even Having a Girlfriend!
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The fallen leaves scattered on the streets had turned into pure white snow before anyone knew it.
By the time that pure white snow melted away...
Cherry blossom petals, reminiscent of your eyes, began to bloom in full splendor.
16 years old.
Now that the long, harsh winter had ended and spring arrived without you...
Even though it's been almost a year since you siblings left our sides for a while...
You were still woven into our everyday lives.
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"Oppa! Even from your perspective, this is just too much, isn't it!?"
Here we go again.
Seeing Han Sea fuming at the breakfast table on the first day of the new semester made me sigh.
"...What now. Did you fight with Jinhyuk again?"
"Argh, what do you mean 'again'!"
Well, sure, but they bickered every single day, so saying that wouldn't help...
"Whatever, just get ready already. You wanna be late on the first day?"
"Jinhyuk oppa said, 'It's the first day, so I'll definitely wake you up tomorrow—just trust me'!"
"You should listen to me like that sometimes."
Damn that Seo Jinhyuk and his empty bravado. Don't make promises you can't keep.
"Something must've come up for him—maybe he was tired. Just let it slide."
"No way. I can't let it go. I'm gonna give him a good scolding later."
...This one's gonna take some effort.
Seeing Han Sea snort in indignation made me feel sorry for oblivious, peacefully sleeping Seo Jinhyuk right about now.
Jinhyuk, you might be better off not waking up.
I half-wanted to slip into his dreams and warn him if I could.
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I honestly thought things would drift apart with the Han Sea household.
I mean, three years isn't just any dog's name.
I might be able to wait, but that didn't mean Han Sea could too.
Sorry as I am to both of them, I figured we'd naturally grow distant—but contrary to my expectations, that didn't happen.
Or more precisely, Han Sea was the one carrying the relationship on her back?
The dynamic, already led by Han Sea, got even more lopsided when that idiot Seo Jinhyuk announced his study abroad plans right before leaving for America.
Ever since she grabbed him by the hair and laid into him at our house, he's been completely under her thumb.
A slight exaggeration, but he'd fetch water if she so much as said "water."
Of course, I'd do the same if Yerim said "water," but I'd be doing it because I wanted to. Yeah, anyway, it's different.
Jinhyuk turns pale every time he recalls that day, swearing he thought he'd go bald in a perfect circle on his crown—and seeing that, I feel pity mixed with "you deserved it."
Still.
"Ah, it's Jinhyuk oppa!"
Just moments ago fuming away...
But at a belated message from Seo Jinhyuk, her face lit up like it was nothing.
Seeing Han Sea beam like that...
I thought, yeah, they're both doing their best for each other in their own ways.
It put my mind at ease.
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"No, so... Ah, Oppa. See you at home later~!"
"Just don't go..."
So much for at ease.
From the moment we left the house together until we parted ways to our classes at school...
The walk to school was torture because Han Sea was on the phone with Seo Jinhyuk the whole time right next to me.
Because her chattering was annoying?
No.
Watching my little sister flirt in real time made bile rise in my throat nonstop.
For starters, her voice totally changed when talking to Jinhyuk. Like, who is this?
And hearing her mix in cutesy tones midway through...
It might be adorable to someone on the other side of the planet, but from the position of sharing a house and parents, it made me want to hurl.
...Next time this happens, I'm going separately. Vowing that to myself, I opened the classroom door.
"Oh, Han Woojin~ What took you so long?"
"What? Yoon Dohyun, you're in this class too?"
"Yup. Nice having you here, right?"
"First words out of your mouth make me wanna puke."
I chuckled and scanned the classroom.
By third year middle school, even if we weren't close, most faces were familiar.
—Not bad.
As the saying goes, you don't know when you're full, but you know when you're hungry. Seo Jinhyuk's empty seat had felt pretty big, but maybe thanks to that...
Sticking with Yoon Dohyun meant I had a shallow acquaintance with a lot of people, if not deep friendships.
"Perfect timing. Hey, after class, wanna do a class mixer outing? You in?"
Tsk. Not my scene.
Yoon Dohyun asking in front of everyone despite knowing that—he was dead set on this.
Fine, one day won't kill me.
"Yeah, sure, I'l..."
"Oh, and girls are coming too?"
"You bastard, say that first! Nah, I'm out."
"Ah, why~! Just once, come on! How do you always hang with just dudes?! Don't think of them as girls—just classmates! Just friends!!"
"Say that to your girlfriend and watch your ninth become your tenth real quick. Whatever, I'm not going. You know why you're asking?"
This guy's out to assassinate someone.
Ignoring his whining, I headed to my assigned seat on the board when another guy next to Yoon Dohyun spoke up.
"Uh, Woojin, right? Why skip if girls are there? Intimidated?"
"Nah. Just think my girlfriend wouldn't like it."
Not that Yerim ever said not to go where girls are.
She'd probably tell me to join if there's an event like this.
Still, it felt off to me.
And from experience, better not do things that feel off.
"Whoa, you have a girlfriend? Not from our class, huh? Which one?"
Rather than annoyed at the nameless guy's prying, I found it funny.
Girlfriend talk was prime entertainment at our age. I got it.
"She used to go here, but not anymore. She went off to~ America."
Pointing vaguely toward what I guessed was the Pacific, the guy's face turned awkward, like he'd stepped in it.
"Ah, uh... Sorry. I shouldn't have..."
"...I get the misunderstanding, but she really went to America. She'll be back soon."
—This is how you act without even having a girlfriend!
Ao, Ki-cheol you ham!!!
I'd only said she went to America, not heaven, but how many times had I seen that "off to Tulula" face at "America"?
"Oh, that's what you meant? You pointed at the sky and scared me."
"It was the Pacific, not the sky..."
My fault now?
"Anyway, you're skipping 'cause of your girlfriend?"
"Not because of her. Just me. Let's hang next time, dudes only."
"Okay, deal. Yo, Yoon Dohyun, learn from him?"
"Ah, now Han Woojin makes me look like trash again!"
"You are trash."
Teasing the flailing Yoon Dohyun had me cracking up, and I felt like this year wouldn't be boring either.
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"Dude, for real not coming? You'll regret it! Seriously?"
"Wow, already regretting~"
I breezed past Yoon Dohyun's wails—like some huffy drama heroine—and left the classroom.
Han Sea texted she'd hang with friends too.
So, heading home alone.
A sudden loneliness hit, making me think of calling Yerim, but...
The other side of the planet was deep in sleep, so I held back.
"I'm home~."
Of course, the house was empty.
Shower first? I stripped and stepped in, when Yerim's birthday gift watch caught my eye.
She said not to take it off even for showers, so at some point I just showered with it on without thinking.
......No way it's got a tracker, voice recorder, or micro-camera, right?
Someone might say Yerim wouldn't do something crazy like that.
But from experience, Yerim was fully capable of losing it when it came to me.
Yerim, you know this isn't me dissing you. I just know you that well. Deserves praise, yeah?
...I startled myself and made excuses in my head.
"......Yerim?"
Just in case, I whispered to the watch.
Silence.
...Shit.
Realizing I'd talked to my watch alone in an empty house from some delusion—my face burned with embarrassment.
Whether from the hot shower or shame, I roughly towelled off my flushed body and flopped onto my bed.
Nothing to do.
...No, I should study.
I was already good at it, but now with overseas experience, it'd be obvious Yerim would aim for a top college back in Korea.
...Ideally, the same university.
But she was a shining star, and I was a dung beetle.
The worst part?
If I somehow botched entrance exams and ended up at a low-tier school, Yerim would probably smile and say,
"Oppa, I was thinking of going here too..."
And follow me anyway.
Kraaaah...!
No. Absolutely not...! I'd be the one not okay...!
I had to get into wherever Yerim was going.
No compromises.
Screw it.
Time to study.
I bolted up from bed when my phone buzzed.
Already that time?
The screen showed Yerim's video call, as always.
"...Hello?"
"Mm, Oppa... Did school go okay...?"
"Yerim, I'm about to stu..."
"Hee, hearing your voice first thing makes me so happy..."
"...Yeah?"
Hmm.
Study tomorrow maybe?
The thought popped up.
"How was your new class...?"
"Fine, nothing special. Lucky lots of familiar faces. Yoon Dohyun's in it too."
"That's good..."
"Yeah..."
"Any pretty older sisters...?"
"..........Nah, wasn't paying attention, so dunno. Haha..."
"Why are you forcing a laugh, Oppa...?"
"......What? I'm 100% fresh and bubbly smiling right now. See? Hahaha."
"Is talking to me hard...?"
"...My bad."
"What'd you do wrong...?"
".............."
Gasp.
Breath caught.
What? Where'd I step in a trap?
By the time I snapped to, I was too deep to escape.
Me frozen in shock, then Yerim giggled on screen, her smooth legs kicking the bed.
"Just kidding, you react so deliciously..."
"...Nearly lost my mind."
"So mean. Because of me...?"
"...Hey."
"Ahaha. Sorry, Oppa. I won't anymore..."
Seeing her smile brightly in the morning sun, so innocently amused, had me chuckling too.
Yeah, who cares about classmates.
Yoon Dohyun said he'd regret not going, but nah.
For me, you're enough.