Jealousy (5)
Seo Woojin is going on a date with Lee Hayun. To put it a little more plainly, my sister’s boyfriend is going on a date with my sister. There is no dark, twisted black humor in this sentence. There is no need to overthink it; it is a statement to be taken exactly as it is. Therefore, as the first person to hear this news, I didn’t even bother wondering what kind of hidden joke might be buried in those words. I just accepted it as it was. Oh, Seo Woojin and my sister are going on a date. Oh, judging by what Seo Woojin said, he’s even planning on having sex with her. Oh, then that means there’s no reason for Seo Woojin to practice this and that with me anymore, right….
"……."
Hmm. It’s for the best. To begin with, pretending to be my sister, mimicking her tone, staying in her room, wearing her clothes, and… doing that thing that requires me to air out the room for a very, very long time—it was all pretty strange anyway. Rationally speaking, I could understand practicing for a date. But practicing kissing… practicing sex? That’s just not right, is it? When Seo Woojin first asked me for help, he just wanted to know what my sister liked, where it would be good to take her on a date, things like that….
Anyway. Now I can just go back to being a normal gaming friend with Seo Woojin. The part where I slowly drag people into my "unspeakable tastes" ends here. Still, it’s a relief. There’s no way Seo Woojin would reveal that secret to my sister. …The fact that we had sex for half a day in my room, and that one time he let me give him a long, sticky blowjob at our front door—those are things I’ll take to my grave.
"……."
I think that’s what I was telling myself, at least until this morning.
Let me be clear: I am not doing this because of some embarrassing emotion like jealousy. No, why would I even be jealous of my sister? If I’m being generous, maybe it would make sense if Seo Woojin were a complete stranger, but he’s already dating her, isn’t he? Calling it jealousy feels ridiculous. Interest—that’s a better word for it. …I mean, if I just leave Seo Woojin alone and stop caring, I’m just worried he won’t perform well in the real thing after learning from me. That’s really all it is.
"…Hmph."
Instead of the clothes I bought with Seo Woojin, I wore my usual khaki jumper and waited impatiently for school to end. Thankfully, thanks to the… well, the Japanese girl and the Korean guy sitting in front of me, the time passed quickly. Whispering and scribbling about lewd things while putting studies on the back burner was surprisingly worth listening to. They talked about whether they’d do it again, who would give a blowjob first next time, and how it might be more arousing for him if they both knelt on either side and licked him hard—I didn’t intend to eavesdrop on the secret that they were in a relationship where they enjoyed 3somes with the same guy, but still. …Why do hero-in-training types have such promiscuous hobbies, anyway?
Regardless, as I lazily sat through class, the end of the school day finally arrived. I had roughly planned what to do during the ten hours since I arrived at school. I slowly got up from my seat and headed straight for the infirmary in the main building. Of course, the plan I’d spent ten hours on wasn’t some crude, childish scheme like "get to the infirmary before my sister and butt in with advice on their date." It was a more mature and meticulous method. Namely, tailing them.
"Did you turn off the lights?"
"I did. And you don’t have to worry about it so much. It’s not like I’m the one paying the electricity bill."
"S-sorry… it’s a habit…"
"…."
They were there. Without even needing to peek around the corner, I could hear their familiar voices from far away. One was obviously my sister’s. The other was Seo Woojin’s. Hearing them, I glanced around to make sure no one would find me suspicious, and after confirming the area was reasonably quiet, I leaned in to listen to the voices coming from over there.
"W-would you like this? It’s soda-flavored…"
"Ah, I don’t really like gum."
"…Aha…."
You idiot. My sister is an idiot for suddenly offering gum, but even if you hate gum enough to vomit, you should have just smiled and taken it! You can say it’s not your thing, or it doesn’t suit you, or that chewing gum on a date is a bit much—you can say all that after you’ve put it in your mouth! Did I not teach him that when I was helping him practice for dates? …Come to think of it, that’s just basic social etiquette, so I guess I never thought to teach it. But thinking about it now, it just makes me angrier. Even I, a complete novice at dating, know that much—why doesn’t he…!
It’s like he’s a child left near the water. I don’t know what to do with him. Should I send him a text message as advice while they’re on the date? Or maybe figure out how to… when my sister isn’t looking…
"…L-let’s go…!"
My mouth was already itching to give advice, but then I heard my sister’s voice again. At the same time, the sound of footsteps started moving further away. It feels like a pretty clumsy date for a couple… well, my sister is a novice at dating too, so that must be why.
I peeked around the corner of the hallway, and I could see their backs. They looked like a couple, but also not. They were walking while maintaining a distance that could be described as fresh in a good way, or awkward in a bad way. I watched them blankly for a moment, then carefully began to follow them.
The academy was so quiet that I had to be careful following them from a distance, but once we were outside, there was no need for that. It was evening, so the streets were bustling with people, and just like people rarely look up at the sky, they rarely look back, right? Even that… is usually just a quick glance because the back of your head feels tingly. So, unless they turned into an alleyway, I followed them like I was glued to their backs. To be precise, about three steps behind? Thanks to that, I could overhear some of what they were saying.
…Well, not that it mattered….
"L-let’s go watch a movie…!"
"A movie?"
Between the arms that were almost touching but not quite, I could hear a trembling voice from beyond her swaying ponytail.
"…Do you happen to hate movies, Woojin…?"
"No. I don’t hate them, but it’s unexpected."
"D-does that mean I don’t look like the type to enjoy cultural activities…?"
"…Ah, that’s not it, it’s just that I thought you’d suggest getting dinner first."
"…Are you calling me a pig? I’m not fat…."
"I know you’re not. It’s just… how should I put it… you look good when you’re munching on food. Like a squirrel."
"…What are you saying."
Listening to them, I found myself shrugging with a crooked brow, but it was strangely sweet… Seo Woojin’s voice was full of laughter. And in addition to that.
"If you want to see a movie, let’s watch a movie first. We can eat later."
"T-then, turn left here…."
"Left…."
"……."
"……."
"……."
I saw my sister’s back as she slipped her arm through the gap in Seo Woojin’s coat, and as soon as he looked at her, she pretended to be looking elsewhere.
"…Hey, hey…! Don’t do that…!"
When Seo Woojin let out a dry laugh and ruffled her hair, she flailed her arms, saying she didn’t like it, but she didn’t offer much resistance as she let him pet her.
"Should I stop?"
"You’ll mess up my hair…. Jeez…."
"Then what should I do? You keep asking me to treat you like an older sister, but then you keep doing cute things in front of me."
"Y-you’re trying to talk casually again…! And what’s cute about it…! I just linked arms with you…."
"That doesn’t seem like something an older sister would do."
"……."
Well, just things like that….
"Why don’t you try calling me 'Oppa' for once? I think that suits us better than me calling you 'Noona'."
"D-don’t say such ridiculous things…! You keep trying to act like my equal… what kind of younger sister feeds her older sister a lunchbox anyway…."
…That wasn’t it. Something strange. Something secret.
"Can’t you just try it once? Just as a joke."
"…I don’t want to, even as a joke."
"Even if it’s my lifelong wish?"
"…W-what is that, to call it a lifelong wish…."
"…If not, then a little later…. I’ll… do it for you…."
"……."
Even things I shouldn’t be hearing. Whispering. I saw him whispering into my sister’s ear so that no one around them could hear.
"…O-Oppa…."
"Hayun."
And in the end, I saw my sister calling Seo Woojin "Oppa."
"…S-stop. That’s enough. Okay."
"Can’t you do it one more time?"
"E-enough…! I’m so embarrassed my face is burning up…!"
The "Oppa" that leaked out of my sister’s mouth. My sister’s name that leaked out of Seo Woojin’s mouth. They were clear, clear enough to be etched into my brain. But I couldn’t hear at all what the price was that Seo Woojin had whispered to my sister.
"…That’s a shame."
"A-a shame? What’s a shame…."
What on earth did Seo Woojin whisper to her just now? What could it be that made my usually proud sister murmur "Oppa" to a younger man while her ears turned bright red? He wouldn’t have offered something like a "free massage coupon" like a child… and there’s no way he would have offered something monetary like "money" as a price. Then the only thing left is….
…There’s nothing really.
"…O-Oppa, let’s hurry…."
What on earth did she hear to make her heart soften like that?
"…Let’s go, Hayun."
"……."
"Why are you just standing there? …Ah, do I have to call you 'Noona' for you to come?"
"O-of course…!"
And you. Why do you like the word "Oppa" coming from my sister’s mouth so much?
"……."
And why am I, who is secretly eavesdropping on them from behind, thinking… that I could do that too… calling him "Oppa."
…I’m such a fool. Really.