374. If I Get It Right, What Will You Do for Me, Sis?
374. If I Get It Right, What Will You Do for Me, Sis?
***
—...Yeah. Sua.
When Serin's characteristically gentle voice came through, Sua lowered the hand she had raised to her chest and let out a relieved breath.
After sending the BaTalk message, nearly an hour had passed with no reply, and she'd run through all sorts of thoughts on her own. But it seemed her worries had been unfounded.
She slowly opened her mouth.
"It's nothing, really. I just called because I thought you pushed yourself too hard today. Still, hearing your voice puts my mind at ease, you know?"
She spoke carefully, then finished with a playful tone. A soft laugh came through.
—I'm really fine. Sua. Don't send me such worried messages. Seriously, just reading them makes it sound like something happened.
"...Was it that bad? Still, I reached out just in case. Your stamina's weak, after all. You didn't answer for so long that I got really worried all by myself."
Even as I kept talking, I felt embarrassed and fiddled with my hands. Listening to Serin, it felt like I'd been the only one making a big deal out of nothing, fretting over whether something had happened.
—Okay. I get it. Sua, thanks for worrying. So let me ask you too — are you okay right now?
When Serin asked about me, I nodded with a smile.
"I'm fine. Oh. Hearing your voice, you do sound tired. I'll let you go now. You really worked hard today."
—Yeah. Okay... Right. I'm glad you're okay too. Get some good rest tonight.
With Serin's voice answering more gently than usual, I slowly ended the call.
Once the short call was over, a sigh escaped me belatedly.
"Seriously. Why do I feel like I'm always such a bother..."
Only now that the call was over did I realize how my actions must have looked to Serin.
I'd sent messages every ten minutes for the past hour... From Serin's perspective, it must have been annoying.
"...Ugh."
Thinking about it, I felt embarrassed at how foolish I'd been.
Even if this raid had been especially hard, what could possibly have gone so wrong that I'd sent Serin that many messages?
'If she's really tired, she can just rest.'
When Serin hadn't answered for a long time, my anxiety had apparently grown without me realizing it.
"Haa..."
I sighed again, berating myself.
I'd told myself I wouldn't be a bother.
I'd told myself I wouldn't cause trouble like last time.
In the end, I'd gone and bothered Serin again.
"I wonder if I interrupted her rest."
I muttered in a slightly deflated voice, then shook my head.
What was done was done. I'd have to apologize when we met in person tomorrow.
Just as I thought that.
BaTalk!
A message suddenly rang out.
Serin.
[Sua. I didn't get to mention this earlier. That raid footage from today. I'd rather you not send it straight to the editor. I want to talk about the video tomorrow.]
I checked the notification—it was Serin.
Me.
[Got it. Um... I'm sorry if I bothered you with that call earlier. I overdid it, didn't I?]
I felt like I understood why Serin had sent that message, but I still added my own at the end.
Serin.
[Why are you suddenly apologizing? I'm really fine. Don't worry about it.]
Seeing Serin brush it off like it was nothing, a laugh slipped out before I caught myself.
I forced myself to stop typing a reply.
"Let's stop here."
I barely held back from messaging again, feeling like I'd just end up clinging to Serin.
After that, I ordered a late dinner through a delivery app and leaned back against the sofa.
I closed my eyes at the faint fatigue, but sleep didn't come.
As if in some kind of heightened state, my consciousness was strangely sharp—even with my eyes closed, it felt like they were open.
I spent a while spacing out like that.
Ding.
When the delivery arrival notification popped up, I slowly got to my feet.
I was heading toward the front door.
"Huh?"
For a moment, my vision seemed to sway.
I hastily braced myself against the wall and instinctively brought a hand to my nose.
"...What the."
Something bright red was dripping down.
I wondered why I suddenly had a nosebleed, then let out a hollow laugh.
I'd been so focused on Serin... I hadn't even properly registered my own condition. I really was an idiot.
Swish.
I pulled out a tissue and wiped it away, feeling a bit strange.
"Was I really this tired?"
Tilting my head, I went to get the food left at the door.
***
Serin stared at the BaTalk that no longer buzzed, then left the room.
Click.
The living room lights were on, and she spotted Seoyun just getting up.
"Sis!"
Seoyun beamed, and I smiled back before suddenly registering the current time.
Past eleven, well beyond dinner time. Knowing Seoyun's personality...
I opened my mouth, suspecting the worst.
"Seoyun. Don't tell me. You still haven't eaten dinner?"
"...Oh. Yeah. I was waiting to eat with you."
Seoyun answered with a bright smile, and I blinked blankly for a moment.
She was so cheerful about it that I was at a loss for words.
'Seriously. Why is everyone around me like this?'
Everyone cared about me too much, or maybe it just felt excessive.
Sua and Seoyun both meant well... I was grateful, of course, but it also seemed a little foolish.
Anyway, they were both the same.
"...Why didn't you eat dinner? Don't wait for me, just eat. No, seriously, do you know what time it is?"
"No, you're working. I thought about you eating alone later and it felt sad, so I waited. You like eating together too, right?"
Seoyun said it with a slight pout, and I reached over and pinched her cheek.
"What am I, a kid? No, what's wrong with eating alone? You really waited without knowing when I'd be done..."
As I stretched Seoyun's cheek and said that, Seoyun immediately scrunched up her face.
It was the look of someone who'd waited.
A thoroughly hurt expression.
Reading that kind of emotion so easily on Seoyun's face, I let out a small laugh and released her cheek.
"Okay, okay. I get it. So, Seoyun, are we making dinner now?"
I was about to suggest just ordering in. But Seoyun shook her head firmly.
"No. I already got dinner ready. We just need to heat it up or set the table again."
She said it wouldn't take long, so I followed her to the table.
There, several dishes were already laid out as if prepared in advance.
"You sit and wait~ I'll set everything up."
Clink.
Seoyun poured a glass of water and started setting out the food. I picked up the glass and nodded.
She really was devoted... It was endearing.
'And definitely convenient.'
As I slowly drank the water, I felt completely at ease.
Normally I'd spend at least thirty minutes just deciding what to eat. Now I just had to sit and eat whatever was served.
Seoyun even made different dishes every time, so I never got tired of the food.
Once Seoyun finished heating the stew and setting the table, all I had to do was scoop the rice to complete the meal prep.
I hadn't contributed anything at all, but Seoyun was smiling brightly and handling everything, so I couldn't bring myself to insist on helping.
And so the meal began.
Only the soft clatter of utensils broke the relatively quiet mealtime.
Quite hungry, I focused on eating, and Seoyun—perhaps hungry from waiting for me—moved her spoon diligently too.
By the time I'd eaten about half a bowl of rice.
"...So, Sis. Did you clear the raid today?"
Seoyun's voice came suddenly, and I looked up.
Seoyun was watching me with eyes full of curiosity.
I couldn't help but laugh.
"Hmm. What do you think happened?"
"Well... If it's you, I'd say you cleared it. Plus Sua was there, and that Yujeong person too. You cleared it, right?"
At Seoyun's follow-up question, I thought for a moment, then smiled oddly.
There was no need to hide it. But answering just that would be boring.
"You're right, we cleared it. But raids have this thing called a settlement when you clear them. So here's a question. Want to guess how much I contributed to the raid?"
Seoyun looked at me with mild fascination.
"...So you're saying. The raid shows your contribution as a number?"
"Yeah. It shows as a number."
As I answered, the contribution figure I'd seen at the end came to mind.
Honestly, it was so high that even I wondered if it made sense. It was a little funny.
"Sis. If I guess your contribution, what will you do for me?"
Seoyun asked about the reward first, as if it were only natural, and I was momentarily dumbfounded.
"...If you guess right, I have to do something?"
Seoyun nodded calmly at that.
"Yeah. I waited for you all day today. Where else are you going to find such a good little sister?"
She touted herself so confidently that I found it cute and nodded.
"Fine. So what do you want? If it's something light, I'll do it."
"Your definition of 'light' seems pretty broad. If I guess your contribution, make some time this weekend to go shopping with me."
...Seoyun wanted something so modest that I nodded without hesitation.
"Sure. If you guess right, I'll take you shopping and buy you whatever you want."
"Yes. So what's the margin of error?"
She asked quite seriously, and I let out a hollow laugh.
"Plus or minus five percent?"