Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: 9. With My Sister's Boyfriend (5)
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[Lee Ji-yoon]
—Isn't it weird to be embarrassed?
—Come to the cafe after it ends.
Isn't being embarrassed the weird thing?
For someone saying that, you seem even more embarrassed yourself.
I stared at my phone with my expression fixed after reading her message.
It was good that she'd taken the bait from my half-hearted "just in case" probe...
Lee Ji-yoon.
Hasn't she been subtly different ever since that weird thing at the karaoke yesterday?
That was why the thought lingered in my head.
"Hmm..."
The brief DM we'd exchanged yesterday, and this talk just now.
Why was she acting so playfully?
People don't change out of nowhere without any reason.
And the only thing that came to mind as a possible cause was what had happened at the karaoke yesterday.
[Seo Woo-jin]
—Yeah. See you later.
Love budding?
Bullshit.
Friendship blooming?
Yeah, maybe that's plausible enough.
She might figure she's gotten moderately close to me now and is finally starting to mess around to make up for all the times she held back.
But it felt too filled with a sweet-bitter nuance that was anything but simple friendship to brush off that lightly.
What the hell should I call that feeling?
"Tricky..."
Well, I'd probably pick up some clue when I met her today.
The health room that Lee Ha-yoon—who'd been glancing at me more than usual today—had left.
As I leaned back against the chair's headrest and stretched, my gaze shifted to the phone vibrating annoyingly once more.
[Lee Ji-yoon]
—Probably not, but just in case.
—Don't tell my sister. Come secretly.
—It's nothing big, but she might misunderstand.
—Got it?
[Seo Woo-jin]
—Yeah.
—I'll keep it secret.
48
"No other clothes?"
"Why?"
"Wearing a jumper every day might get boring."
"Not bored."
"It has fleece inside and looks warm and baggy... Hmm."
"...If it's comfortable and warm, that's enough. Don't fuss..."
"Doesn't it smell?"
"Wanna die? ...No smell, so it's fine. It's just for quick outings anyway."
The evening was turning a caramel color.
Lee Ji-yoon responded casually to Seo Woo-jin's words, arms crossed under her chest as she stared intently at the empty coffee cup.
She was somehow keeping up the nonchalant chit-chat for now, but soon enough, she'd have to do "that" with Seo Woo-jin.
Well, doing "that" itself was just advice, so no issue there.
But was the "location" she'd agonized over for about five hours during her shift today the right choice?
Her head wasn't just complicated—it felt ready to burst.
"Don't you go out much usually?"
"Besides work and the convenience store, where would I even go?"
"Hmm. Meet up with friends?"
"No real-life friends."
"...Why not?"
"Too much hassle."
"Ah. Meaning you couldn't make any 'cause you're always gaming."
"......Not that."
So, let's think this through.
Motel.
Outdoors.
And karaoke.
No way in hell would she ever go to places like that with Seo Woo-jin, even at knifepoint.
So what was left? Seo Woo-jin's place,
or her own place.
Man inviting a woman over?
Or woman inviting a man over?
Which one looked more natural?
As she pondered between those two options while taking incoming drink orders,
a sudden thought flashed through Lee Ji-yoon's mind.
To truly put herself in her sister's shoes and help Seo Woo-jin,
to steel her hazy heart with "I'm just doing my absolute best to help Seo Woo-jin,"
"......"
Obviously, she had to help him practice in her sister's room... right?
That kind of thought.
"......"
Thanks to it, there was a minor spill of the finished drink onto the floor,
but anyway.
Her sister got back from work after 11 p.m.
It was 7:10 now.
The house would be empty for about four hours, so even if a suspicious smell lingered in her sister's room, somehow...
...Th-that is.
Not some weird smell,
but Seo Woo-jin's scent or whatever...
"Shall we head out?"
"Uh, yeah?"
"Let's go. We've been sitting forever, right? About 30 minutes."
"...Yeah."
As Lee Ji-yoon agonized over her various thoughts, Seo Woo-jin stood up with his empty cup in hand.
She got up belatedly after him, gave a greeting to the part-timer eyeing them—it was closing time—and slipped out of the cafe.
And then,
"Then, my house..."
"First, my house..."
Their voices overlapped, with Seo Woo-jin beating her to it.
The awkward silence didn't last. Lee Ji-yoon lifted her hat slightly, met Seo Woo-jin's eyes, and spoke.
"Your place?"
"Yeah. You said not to tell Ha-yoon noona."
"So? What does that have to do with anything..."
"Worried about leaving traces."
"Wh-what?!"
"Why so shocked?"
"It's just practice—why would there be traces, you crazy bastard...!"
"There might be. Right?"
"There won't!"
Traces—what the hell, how far did he plan to take this "practice"?
The traces Lee Ji-yoon had imagined stopped at "smell."
And even that was just body scent.
But with Seo Woo-jin bringing it up so casually, her mind flooded with stuff like "socks,"
"semen,"
"sweat stench,"
"bed sheets all stained and sticky from their sweat,"
"the door lock beeping because they were too lost in it to check the time,"
—anyway, scenes straight out of some shady video reeling through her head nonstop. She punched Seo Woo-jin's arm repeatedly with her tightly clenched fist.
"Stuff like a guy's hair would be bad if it got left behind."
"...Ah, th-that's what you meant..."
"Why? What were you thinking?"
"...Shut up. Please, just shut up."
She smacked his firm shoulder a few more times before muttering under her breath.
"D-don't say weird shit—just quietly follow me."
"So we're going to your house?"
"Yeah. Why? Don't wanna?"
"Not that I don't want to... but isn't it pretty much the same as mine?"
"...There's a difference. A big one."
"And earlier you said you'd kill me if we got caught having sex at your place during the day?"
"Se-sex..."
How could he just blurt that out on the street?
Lee Ji-yoon whipped her head around, scanning the surroundings, then continued in a hushed tone.
"...This isn't sex, idiot."
"It's sex practice, though."
"Not sex practice either! This is just..."
"Just?"
"......Ad-advice."
"......"
"Like a guideline for how to do it when you pounce on my sister?"
"...What's the difference?"
"Th-that... um..."
No good.
This way, they'd just keep standing in front of the cafe yapping about it.
"Anyway, we're doing it at my place—so behave and follow me...!"
Lee Ji-yoon yanked her hat down over her eyes again and spun on her heel toward home.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"W-wait here a sec."
"Why?"
"Just in case. One moment."
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Lee Ji-yoon punched in the door lock code out of Seo Woo-jin's sight and opened the door. She first checked the shoes at the entrance.
Staring down blankly, there were just two pairs of cute slippers.
Good. Sister's not home.
"...Come in."
"Pardon the intrusion."
"N-no useless greetings. Anyway, it's just you and me—no one else home."
The house, empty save for the two of them.
Today, unlike her usual routine of heading straight to her own room, she veered off to the side as she spoke to Seo Woo-jin.
While he was taking off his shoes, she sneaked a peek into her sister's room.
Still as cluttered as ever.
Black polka-dot pajamas tossed haphazardly over the bed,
underwear poking out from the dresser drawer,
blankets not even folded—just shoved into a corner,
and all sorts of gacha-machine plushies rolling around the floor.
She was diligent with housework around the house, so why not clean her own room?
Like how the chefs hated coming over to cook... that kind of laziness?
If he saw her sister's room in this raw state, he might get disappointed deep down. Better tidy it up a bit.
She hung her hat on the door handle for now and started roughly folding the rumpled blankets.
"What're you doing?"
"Sister overslept today—room's a mess. Tidying it up for her."
"...I get what you're saying, but why now?"
"You asked me to help with practice."
She finished folding the bedding, then spun around to plant herself right in front of Seo Woo-jin.
Looking up at him steadily, she said,
"Okay. ...Pounce."
Her hands shoved deep into the pockets of her khaki jumper,
like go on, try it,
as if unlike you, she wasn't tense at all,
...yet
she couldn't hide the slight tremble in her voice.
"Here?"
"Yeah. Quick."
"This is Ha-yoon noona's room."
"I'm playing the sister right now, aren't I? So obviously we practice here."
"......"
"If it feels off, I'll say stop—so do whatever. You'll know where to draw the line."
"...You serious?"
"Not gonna? Or can't you?"
Sigh. Cowardly bastard.
Knew he'd chicken out.
Well, if he'd pounced on her sister right away when told to, they wouldn't need this practice.
Relieved she wasn't the only tense one, Lee Ji-yoon pulled her hand from her pocket and gripped Seo Woo-jin's wrist tight.
And then.
"......Okay. Roughly grab here and shove me down. Easy, right?"
She laid her slender wrist atop his.
Positioned so he could yank it and force her onto the bed anytime.
Worried her pounding pulse might give her away—but his face, deep in thought as he gripped her wrist, suggested it hadn't.
"I'm relaxed, so give it a try."
"...For real?"
"You wanted this."
"No, seriously—here? Not your room, Ha-yoon noona's."
"Yeah. I'll play sister to the hilt....... ...Ah, hold on."
Right. For proper acting, she'd mimic this too.
She glanced around briefly and spotted the hair tie container on the dresser. She fished out a black rubber band.
Her hair wasn't as long as her sister's—just tying it up would do...
"Okay. More like sister now?"
She tied her white hair into a ponytail and flashed Seo Woo-jin an awkward smile.
...The kind she saw
occasionally,
absolutely, absolutely, absolutely
not often,
sometimes.
Really just sometimes,
like in some bad video.
Pretending to be her sister.
In front of her sister's boyfriend.
Behind her sister's back.
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