125. Because We're the Only Sisters in the World
125. Because We're the Only Sisters in the World
***
—If you don't want to, then don't. I don't care either way. But keep in mind that if you leave like this, this relationship ends here.
—I... never said I didn't want to.
—So, what's your answer?
With those words, the woman who had boldly exposed herself subtly crossed and recrossed her legs. She struck a provocative pose that could have swayed anyone, while simultaneously tilting her eyes up as if to seduce the other person.
Unable to hold back at the sight, the man threw himself at her, crashing into her body with reckless force.
"..."
"..."
And now. Two women were watching that vividly three-dimensional hologram with bated breath.
No, to be precise, the small-framed woman with short black hair was fidgeting restlessly even as she watched the hologram, while the woman with long silver hair was staring at the movie with indifferent eyes.
Slide...
As if checking Serin's reaction, Seoyun cautiously reached for the device, and Serin turned her head to look at Seoyun.
"What? Embarrassed now?"
"No... I, I didn't know it would be this bad."
Seoyun answered flustered, then eventually sighed and, instead of grabbing the hologram device, buried her face in her hands.
And no wonder—if there had been anywhere to hide, she would have wanted to hide her whole body. Right now, she resented herself for suggesting they watch this movie.
The explicitness of the movie called "Rose's 48 Shadows" truly defied imagination.
It was genuinely shocking.
In a runtime of just over two hours, a sex scene appeared every five minutes, so even Seoyun, who had initially pretended to be nonchalant while watching, eventually started fidgeting once the runtime passed thirty minutes.
'No... how can this be a popular movie?'
It felt like she was watching an insanely explicit video in real time right in front of her sister.
On top of that, the person who had suggested watching this movie was none other than herself, so the shame felt even greater.
Serin, who had been staring at Seoyun like that, let out a small laugh as if she found it absurd.
"...Pfft."
Serin had been watching the movie with a blank expression the whole time, so the sight of her suddenly changing expression as she looked at Seoyun felt jarring.
Seoyun's face had gone beyond bright red and was now flushed to the point of nearly bursting. Combined with her characteristically cute features, it gave off a peculiar charm, but Serin simply found the sight so ridiculous that she kept laughing.
'Weren't you the one who suggested watching this because you were confident?'
Serin had been sure Seoyun had suggested this high-explicitness movie either to tease her or deliberately to embarrass her, but in reality, Seoyun had started fidgeting before long.
"Sis, let's... l-let's stop watching now. Okay?"
Seoyun finally spoke in a small, pleading voice as she looked at Serin, but Serin paid no mind and quietly picked up the hologram device.
As she idly checked the device, a question suddenly occurred to Serin.
"Seoyun, where do you even find out about movies like this?"
"N-no, Sis, seriously, I just added it to my watchlist because it was a popular movie. I really didn't know it would be this kind of content."
Seoyun spoke in a voice that was practically crawling, making excuses, and Serin found the sight so cute that she let out a small laugh.
"Why not just watch it to the end?"
"Ugh. Sis...!!"
"Fine. Then let's just stop here."
Since Serin had seen Seoyun operate it a few times, she skillfully manipulated the hologram device and turned the movie off.
Click.
The hologram immediately distorted and vanished.
"Hoo..."
Seeing that, Seoyun let out a small sigh of relief, and Serin grinned mischievously and poked Seoyun.
"I really didn't know you were such a pervy kid, Seoyun."
"Ugh, seriously... that's not it, really! I told you I didn't know either!?"
Seoyun flailed both hands and vehemently denied it.
"And when you suggested watching this kind of movie together, I really agonized over what you were thinking."
"What's there to agonize over? Seriously!"
"No, I mean, I just thought, wow, our Seoyun is really open-minded."
Serin subtly swept her gaze up and down Seoyun's body once and grinned mischievously. Seoyun shook her head and shrieked.
"Ugh. Seriously, Sis!!!!"
"Okay, okay! Pfft... Seoyun, I'll stop. Sorry, sorry."
When Seoyun reacted loudly, Serin stopped teasing her as if conceding.
Honestly, as for the movie "Rose's 48 Shadows" itself, Serin had only been giving it half-hearted attention, letting it pass by her eyes. Teasing Seoyun using the movie as an excuse had been far more entertaining.
There was no reason to focus on a movie that had a sex scene every five minutes anyway, and even while watching, she'd wondered if this could really be called a movie.
And the situation itself was watching it with her younger sister—if she'd focused on that kind of movie, that would have been even weirder.
'The world really has changed a lot.'
Honestly, as far as Serin was concerned, the movie they'd just watched was no different from porn.
No, even thinking back to her old memories, she didn't think porn had sex scenes every five minutes either...
'Though... it's been so long that it's all hazy.'
In the first place, ever since she'd fallen into the world of Black Ark, her sex drive had essentially vanished, so watching the video didn't spark any particular interest.
While Serin was thinking such thoughts.
Seoyun, who now had room to breathe, looked at Serin with a calmer expression than before and asked.
"No, but Sis. How can you really watch that movie with such a blank face?"
"Me? Well, it wasn't very interesting. And Seoyun, your wording is a little weird? Did you want me to sit there gasping in admiration in front of you?"
Was she expecting some kind of reaction while watching a movie that was basically porn? It was absurd.
When Serin asked with that intent, Seoyun flinched in surprise and shook her head.
"N-no, that's not what I meant, Sis! It's just... I couldn't bear to watch it at all, but you were watching so calmly, so I asked because it was amazing."
"...Well, anyway, don't suggest watching movies like this in the future, okay? Seoyun, got it?"
Honestly, while she said she felt nothing watching the movie, actually watching it together with her younger sister did feel strange.
She'd also found herself having all sorts of thoughts, like why had she suggested watching this in the first place.
"Got it, Sis... And even if you suggest watching a movie like this in the future, I won't watch it."
Perhaps the movie had been a big shock to Seoyun, because she spoke with her cheeks still faintly flushed, and the sight was cute.
Serin just laughed silently, and Seoyun shrieked again.
"Ugh, seriously, Sis, stop laughing!!"
***
Time always passes quickly.
Whether spending time alone, just blankly resting, or working hard at something else, time always flows swiftly and equally, waiting for no one.
...And there is a saying that among all that time, happy times pass especially quickly.
And if it's happy time spent with someone, the feeling that it passes more than twice as fast cannot be shaken off.
That was how time felt for Serin right now.
"...I put the side dishes on the top shelf of the fridge, so don't forget and make sure you eat them, okay?"
Serin slowly nodded at Seoyun as she spoke while stepping out the front door.
"Got it. I'll eat all the food you made. You saw today that I'd finished all the side dishes you made last time, right?"
"Yeah... I saw. Sis, you didn't just throw the food away and tell me you ate it, right...?"
"Seoyun. Do I look like that kind of person to you?"
When Serin asked back, a little dumbfounded, Seoyun laughed awkwardly and shook her head.
"No... well, my sister isn't the type to lie about something like that. Sorry, what I said just now was a bit harsh, wasn't it, Sis?"
"Yeah, it was a bit harsh. I almost got disappointed in you."
"No, I just... said that because I was worried about you. Order a bit less delivery food from now on, and cook for yourself sometimes too. You need to take care of your health now, Sis."
Every time I saw Seoyun saying such mature things, I still couldn't quite get used to it.
On the outside, she was clearly a cute, gentle-looking younger sister, but her actions always seemed like she was desperate to take care of me.
And hearing her tell me to take care of my health felt very strange.
"Well... I'll try. I'll at least order Korean food when I get delivery."
"Pfft. Can't you just tell me you won't eat delivery food at all, Sis?"
"I can't keep that right now. I don't make promises I can't keep."
"Fine, okay."
Seoyun checked her things once, then turned and stepped out the front door, and my gaze lingered on her for no particular reason.
Because I had grown far more attached to Seoyun now than when I first met her.
That something that had felt like the illusion of family all this time...
Now it suddenly felt like it had become real and taken hold of me.
Step.
Step.
Seoyun stepped out the front door and headed toward the elevator in the hallway. To see her off, I also walked to the elevator.
Since I'd pressed the call button from inside earlier, the elevator was already coming up.
—Ding!
Before long, the elevator arrived. I hurriedly spoke to Seoyun.
"Get home safe. Call a taxi right away and have it drop you off in front of your place."
"Yeah. Got it."
Seoyun, who had been answering calmly, suddenly turned her head just as she was about to get on the elevator.
Hesitation.
Wondering if she had forgotten something, I stared at Seoyun.
"...Since it'd be a shame to leave just like this, let me hug my sister once, as much as I want, before I go."
She came into my arms as if throwing a little tantrum. I accepted her with a small laugh.
"Sometimes you really are such a kid, Seoyun."
Pat, pat.
Even as I gently patted Seoyun's back, my chest tingled strangely.
In a way, considering Seoyun's situation of having to live alone, this side of her now was the normal one.
If anything, Seoyun had been acting too maturely, too composedly all this time.
Maybe I had just vaguely assumed that Seoyun would manage fine on her own.
Seoyun was now 23 years old. Still a very young age.
Still far too young and overwhelmed, both for navigating society and for living alone.
And she had no family other than me...
I wondered why I had kept thinking Seoyun would be fine.
I should have taken better care of Seoyun and paid her more attention from the start.
"We're the only sisters in the world for each other, so even if I act childish like this sometimes, you have to accept it like you just did, okay?"
While I was thinking that, Seoyun said those words, and in the end, I hugged her tightly too.
"...Yeah."