244. Because My Sister Was Always Like That
244. Because My Sister Was Always Like That
***
Serin.
[Sorry for the late reply. And I'm really okay, so you don't need to worry about me]
"..."
After checking BaTalk, Seoyun wore an odd expression.
The reply was so like her sister that it felt familiar, but even after reading it, she didn't feel at ease.
In short, it was a reply she couldn't bring herself to believe.
"That's the kind of reply Serin always gives when she's pretending to be fine."
Seoyun had muttered the words under her breath after checking the hiatus notice that had just gone up on the streamer Rin's channel, and then she had sent the BaTalk message.
After Serin had revealed to Seoyun that she was a streamer, Seoyun had reached the point of watching every single one of Serin's streams. Her exam period had ended, so she had more free time, and the fact that a family member was a streamer drew her interest more than she'd expected.
They normally lived far apart and couldn't easily meet, so being able to see her sister through her streams was nothing short of good news for Seoyun.
And of all things, the notice said she was sick. When Seoyun saw that, she had no choice but to reach out.
In truth, she didn't show it outwardly, but the shock of her parents' accident from a few months ago still lingered, so her concern for her one remaining family member was bound to be enormous.
"...I'm worried."
Seoyun let the words slip out, and her worry began to pile up like a mountain for no good reason.
Her sister had always had a knack for making money, but in everything else, she was utterly hopeless.
When they'd met recently, Seoyun had felt that she'd become more mature, but even so, she still felt like she needed to look after her.
—@#$%.
After that, Seoyun fiddled with her smartphone and, rather than sending another BaTalk message, simply called.
Over BaTalk, she would obviously try to hide it even if she was sick. Seoyun figured a phone call was the surest way to check on her sister's condition.
......@#$%.
Right after that, the signal rang about four times. Just as Seoyun was wondering why she wasn't picking up, the call connected.
—...Hello?
When she heard Serin's voice, which sounded hoarse, Seoyun wasn't quite sure what to make of it.
The voice sounded similar to usual, yet somehow a little different.
"Serin, it's me, Seoyun. It's nothing, but are you really okay? You said you're taking a break because you're sick—are you actually in a lot of pain right now and just hiding it?"
So she spoke in a probing sort of way.
—...I'm really okay, Seoyun. Did you call because you were worried?
Right after that, hearing Serin speak with very precise enunciation, Seoyun immediately sensed something was off.
She could clearly feel that Serin was trying to hide something in her voice.
And on top of that, the decisive tell was that Serin seemed to think she wouldn't notice the difference if she spoke carefully. The way her sister was speaking slowly, unlike usual, was utterly alien.
"Yeah. I was a little worried about you... If you're taking the day off from streaming, you'll just be at home, right?"
So she casually said that.
—...I guess so?
When she heard the voice crack slightly, as if flustered, Seoyun let out a small sigh.
She had the feeling her sister's condition might be worse than she'd thought.
Then, immediately, one thought took hold.
She should just go see her. She felt uneasy for no reason.
"Then, how about I come over to see your face for the first time in a while and help take care of you? That's okay, right?"
Seoyun's voice, as if she'd already decided the answer, carried a firm resolve that would accept no refusal.
—Hey, Seoyun? You really don't have to worry that much. And doesn't it take a long time to go back and forth from your dorm? I feel like you'd just get tired for no reason.
After hearing Serin's answer, Seoyun began to reply calmly, as if driving in a nail.
"No, Serin. My exams are over, so I'm pretty free. And tomorrow I have no classes at all. And if I just sleep over at your place for a night, it'll be fine. And family should help each other and lean on each other when things are hard. I can clearly tell you're sick, so I don't feel right leaving you alone. You're not going to hurt my feelings by turning me down, are you?"
Seoyun, who had been listing reason after reason, began getting ready to go out as if she'd already heard the answer.
—...Okay, fine. Seoyun, be careful on your way, okay?
At Serin's reluctant reply, Seoyun answered with a small laugh and hung up.
Seoyun immediately reserved a train ticket, feeling oddly bitter.
"I thought she'd been acting so much more mature lately, but in the end, she's still the same Serin."
Lately, her sister's behavior had seemed to change, which had put her mind at ease, but the way Serin tried not to show anything in the strangest places hadn't changed at all.
She understood the heart behind it—not wanting to cause worry—but the fact that Serin tried to hide things even from her stung a little.
Because Serin had always been like that. Even when she was struggling, she tried not to let it show.
When Seoyun thought that, if she hadn't paid attention today, her sister would have spent the day suffering alone, her heart ached for no reason.
"Serin... you don't even have any close friends."
Seoyun muttered the words under her breath and thought that, even if she found a job later, she should probably live near her sister.
Because there was nothing more dangerous than being alone when you were sick.
Maybe it was because this situation had just come up, but Seoyun even felt a sense of danger.
The current reality—that they lived far apart—made it genuinely difficult to look after each other immediately.
Even now, just the travel time to get to her sister would take several hours.
"Seriously. The distance is a problem too."
Click.
The time when Seoyun, having finished getting ready, walked out of her university dormitory was
3:50 p.m.
***
Ding-dong.
At the sound, Serin sat up with a dazed expression.
"...She's already here?"
After exchanging messages with Seoyun, she'd been sitting there blankly, thinking she hadn't been able to refuse, and before she knew it, Sua seemed to have arrived.
Swish.
Serin pulled back the blanket and pulled herself together as best she could, then headed for the front door. But even her footsteps felt languid and drained, unlike usual.
Click.
When she opened the door, she saw Sua, dressed more plainly than usual.
Under a thin sky-blue cardigan, a pure white T-shirt, and below that, short denim shorts that showed off her legs. Dressed appropriately for midsummer weather, Sua blinked blankly when she faced Serin.
"You got here faster than I expected."
When Serin spoke quietly to her, Sua looked at her as if dumbfounded.
Her face was slightly flushed from the low fever, her eyes looked hazy and unfocused, and compared to the image of her usual composed older sister, she gave off a completely different impression.
"...You were really in this state and still replied over BaTalk saying you were okay?"
She'd ended up giving a sharp answer to someone who looked sick to anyone, but Sua simply couldn't stop herself from saying it.
Seeing her sister looking like a mess made her feel upset for no reason.
"Still, I think I'll feel a bit better if I rest, so don't worry too much."
"I'm saying this because you look really serious right now. You look like you're in really bad shape."
When Sua murmured with a deeply worried expression, Serin just laughed awkwardly.
While she'd been alone, she'd tried covering her forehead with a towel and other makeshift measures, but honestly, over the past hour, resting hadn't felt like resting at all.
If anything, her condition seemed to have gotten worse.
After that, as Sua slowly stepped inside the officetel, Serin moved aside and walked through the interior at Sua's pace.
"So, have you eaten anything yet? You look really haggard."
As Sua entered the living room and began unpacking some of the things she'd brought, she asked, and Serin shook her head.
"No, not yet...?"
"No, it's almost 5 p.m. and you still haven't eaten anything?"
When Sua asked in an incredulous tone, Serin nodded awkwardly.
"Actually, I haven't been up for long, so I didn't have much of an appetite."
"Serin! Even if you don't have an appetite, you have to eat. Don't you know that the sicker you are, the more you need to take care of yourself and eat?"
As Sua continued speaking with a regretful look, Serin just nodded in reply.
She was right, so there wasn't much to say.
As Serin watched Sua unpacking the things she'd brought in the living room, she felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
'Why does Sua remind me of Seoyun?'
She could feel the sincerity in Sua's words and actions—everything was for her sake—but she didn't know why Seoyun kept appearing in her mind.
And on top of that, thinking about how Seoyun would be arriving in a few hours was already making her head complicated.
"Serin, you really look like you're in bad shape..."
Mistaking Serin's expression for a worsening condition, Sua quickly began placing the medicines she'd bought onto the living room table.
"I bought medicines that match the symptoms you told me about. Oh, I'll get you some water."
"...Thanks."
Sua glanced for a moment at Serin as she thanked her, then poured water from the living room and held out a cup in front of Serin.
"You're not sleepy or anything right now, are you?"
She asked while checking Serin's condition.
"I slept a lot, so I'm not sleepy. It's more like... I'm just a little out of it? My body feels kind of heavy."
Serin calmly described her current state.
"Actually, I bought some porridge too just in case. So how about you eat the porridge first and then take the medicine? I think that's the right order."
At Sua's words, Serin just nodded blankly.
She felt like she was being swept along by Sua's pace, but refusing felt awkward too, and it seemed right to just accept the care she was being given.
"Just wait a moment. I'll reheat the porridge."
As Sua took the porridge she'd brought into the kitchen and reheated it, Serin watched her blankly and found herself thinking one thought.
That having someone who worried about you when you were sick might, in itself, be something to be grateful for.
"Connections might be unexpectedly important."
Serin muttered the words blankly, and being sick made her feel quite a lot of things anew.
In Black Ark, even when she'd spent years alone, she'd never felt the need for other people, but this reality of living as Han Serin was very different.
Above all, she wasn't as complete as she'd been in Black Ark, so she couldn't live the same way she had back then.
And like now, her body could suddenly fall ill, and she never knew what unexpected situation might arise.
On top of that, as her body weakened, it was hard to deny that her mind was gradually dulling too.
As the saying goes, your mental state follows your physical state. Her whole body was heavy and her head kept going blank. Honestly, she really didn't want to do anything.
"..."
After Serin had been leaning against the living room sofa for a while, Sua carefully returned carrying a bowl.
Clink.
Sua set the porridge, steam rising from it, right in front of Serin and carefully parted her lips.
"The porridge is hot, so you should blow on it before you eat, okay?"
Serin nodded at Sua's affectionate words, and the moment she looked at the porridge, a laugh escaped her without meaning to.
"Seriously, isn't there way too much abalone in this porridge?"
On top of that, there seemed to be big chunks of things like ginseng in it too. It was amazing that she'd even put thought into buying the porridge.