House Hunting Drags into Dinner-Time Lunch
We finished off a lunch that was getting dangerously close to dinnertime after the house viewing ran way too late, then waited for Mom to come home. Pretending to be normal siblings again, we sprawled on the sofa watching TV.
"Oppa, the sofa's too small. Get down."
"I can just sit up instead of lying down."
"You're lying down too—what are you talking about?"
"You sit up first, and I'll sit up too."
"No way. Get down."
My sister kicked me repeatedly with her legs until she forced me off, so I had no choice but to climb down from on top and sit leaning against the base of the sofa. She'll probably start tickling my ears or messing with me like always, I thought naively.
"...What are you doing?"
"You told me to sit, so I sat."
Gyeo-ul pretended to sit on the sofa but then straddled my neck like she was riding a horse, choking me with her thighs.
...Damn, she's gotten way too strong for no reason. Shouldn't have made her work out.
"Can't breathe. Let go."
"For real?"
"For real."
"You hate it 'cause you can't breathe?"
I looked up, and there she was, peering down at me with her hair draped like a curtain.
...That expression again. The one she always makes when she's teasing me. Part of me wanted to scold her hard, but Mom was due any minute.
I gave her a quick peck to loosen her thighs a bit, then tickled the sole of her foot while she was off guard.
"Eek, that tickles! Stop it!"
Gyeo-ul arched back and flailed, but she didn't relax her legs at all—in fact, she squeezed my neck even tighter.
...If I let this go on, I'm actually gonna suffocate. No good. I stopped tickling, grabbed her knees, and forced them apart to escape.
I was planning to climb back up and keep tickling her...
But the moment I started crawling onto the sofa, the doorbell rang.
"...Mom?"
"Oh... time flew."
We instantly called a truce and grabbed the blaring phone. Not Mom—it was Big Aunt's number.
What the...? No way, right?
I picked up with a nagging suspicion.
"Son! You doing okay?"
Mom's voice came through, right on cue.
"Mom? Why from Aunt's phone...?"
"My phone broke when I got off the plane, so I'm borrowing hers!"
"What happened?"
...Please don't scare me like that. I thought something bad happened.
"No idea! Suddenly calls and data just stopped working. Wi-Fi connects fine, though."
"Maybe the SIM card's busted?"
"Dunno the details. It just happened out of nowhere."
"...Got it. Where are you now?"
"Riding with your cousin bro and Big Aunt."
"Okay."
"You both ate lunch? Gyeo-ul didn't go out?"
"Yeah."
"Lemme talk to her."
Gyeo-ul, who'd been eavesdropping, snatched my phone, sat on my lap, and took over.
...Sigh. If that hadn't been Mom, I really would've tickled her senseless.
"Yeah, Mom. I'm with Oppa."
"Hey, sweetie. Eat okay?"
"Yeah. We had sundubu jjigae yesterday, ordered in today."
"Good. What'd you do yesterday?"
"...Stayed home. With Oppa. We just... studied, took breaks."
"Okay. No plans today?"
"...Nope."
"Don't eat dinner without your bro—wait for me? I'll bring meat."
"Sure."
"Good girl. Put Oppa back on."
Gyeo-ul reached back and handed me the phone. The second I took it, she turned, looked at me, and started ruffling my hair roughly.
...Am I a dog?
"Yeah, Mom."
"Hey, son. No dinner till I get there!"
"What delicious stuff are you buying?"
"Depends on how good you are later."
"...Okay."
"I'll call when I arrive—come down. Gotta carry my stuff up, then hit the market."
"Market?"
"You think I'm dragging my suitcase around shopping? Drop the bags first. Need food too, so be my pack mule, 'kay?"
"...Hey, cut it out... "
"...Son?"
She didn't stop at hair-ruffling—now she was poking my side. I couldn't take it anymore. I picked up my sister, tossed her on the sofa, and barely kept the call going.
...Just you wait till this ends.
"Sorry, Gyeo-ul keeps messing with me."
"What'd she do?"
"Just... when she's bored, she tickles me all the time. ...Kinda why we broke up before..."
"...Put up with it for a bit. She's hurting too."
"...Yeah."
She had some leeway since she was pretending to soothe her breakup pain by tormenting me.
...If only she actually had a breakup.
"Anyway, call you soon? Wait up?"
"Yep."
"Okay, bye~"
The call ended. Gyeo-ul stared at me with wide, sparkling eyes.
An hour and a half. Even being safe, at least an hour.
...Ah, we really shouldn't, with exams coming up soon.
"No tickling while I'm on the phone."
"...Why?"
"Not 'why'."
"Mom doesn't care anyway, right? ...I'm the poor girl who broke up 'cause of you—can't I mess with you a little?"
She wasn't wrong. I broke up with my girlfriend because of her too.
...Though that girlfriend was her.
Sister or girlfriend, same difference when you're doing everything anyway.
"No naughty stuff, Oppa."
"What? I wasn't planning that."
Right or wrong, I had more than enough time for payback.
I wasn't letting this slide easy.
"Liar. You're making such a lecherous face right now."
"Well..."
I pushed the seated Gyeo-ul down flat on the sofa. Then groped her chest...
"Kyaa, Oppa! That tick—huh?!"
Pretended to, then instantly went for her armpits.
She's the one at fault for squealing like that every time. How can I not mess with her when she reacts so perfectly?
"Not naughty, see?"
"Tickles...! Stop...!"
Too late—she tried crossing her arms to block my fingers, but no chance.
Truth is, she's insanely ticklish everywhere, not just armpits. Poke her side or ribs, same deal—her body jerks every time.
"Surrender?"
"Ha... ah... ha... stop..."
"Keep going?"
"Surrender... I'll surrender..."
"You surrender?"
"...Yeah."
I scooped up the exhausted Gyeo-ul and headed to my room.
No naughty stuff. Just cuddle, grope a bit, and nap.
...Seriously, living like this would be pure bliss.
Screw ethics and morals—I didn't want to think about that bullshit anymore.
Who gives a fuck anyway? Damn it.
Lying side by side on the bed, kneading her breasts for a full hour, my phone rang again. Mom's number this time.
"Mom?"
"Yeah."
"...Why aren't you moving, Oppa?"
"...Just till the call ends."
I refused to let go of the glorious handful in my palm. Answered with one hand, switched to speaker, set it by my head, then slipped my hand back under her tee.
...Insane, I know. But we're already insane.
"Hey, Mom. Phone fixed?"
"Yeah. Swapped the SIM like you said—works now."
"Cool. Where are you?"
"In front of the house."
"Coming down now?"
"Yeah, you alone."
"What about Gyeo-ul?"
"Let her rest... for a while."
"...Got it. On my way."
Call ended. I reluctantly pulled my hand from her shirt, opened the closet, and grabbed an outer layer.
...Sigh. When will we get time like this again? Summer feels so far away.
"...Oppa."
"Yeah."
"I'll come down too."
"Mom said rest."
"...Still."
"...Fine, put on an outer layer then."
Whether she hated even a moment apart or resented Mom's concern, Gyeo-ul got up and stole my jacket.
...It doesn't fit you. At least wear your own going out.
"Why the sudden mood drop?"
"...I'm not tired, I'm super happy... but Mom fussing makes it feel weird."
"I see."
"It's your fault for setting up that weird story. Blame you. ...Making your sister out like some fool who got duped by a shady guy?"
"Wouldn't have if you hadn't worn that slutty outfit."
We threw on rough sack-like clothes and headed out, taking the stairs.
...Huh, weird. We were just doing super suspicious stuff, but now we look totally like siblings. Similar looks, similar vibe.
"...You made me buy that too, so still your fault."
"Fine, ...don't throw it out. Show me later."
"...Yeah."
...Words alone, you'd never guess.
We stopped talking and reached the first floor. Mom waited at the entrance, gripping her suitcase handle.
"Hey, Mom. Where's bro?"
"Bro?"
"Yo-han Hyung dropped you off?"
"He just gave Big Aunt a ride home. I took the train."
As we chatted idly with Mom, I noticed Gyeo-ul trailing behind me.
...Mom flinched for a second.
"Our girl came out too? Thought you were making Oppa do all the work and resting."
"...Wanted to see you quick, Mom."
"...Yeah?"
Gyeo-ul trudged over and hugged Mom. Such a heartwarming mother-daughter scene.
...Ah, damn. My feelings are all jumbled now.
Just moments ago... I was so happy.
"...I'll take the suitcase up first."
"Son."
"Yeah?"
"Come here too. ...Hug time."
"...Suddenly?"
"Come on. ...Gotta hug my son too."
I couldn't grasp Mom's sudden sentimentality, but refusing wasn't an option, so I obediently went and hugged her.
Sigh... The guilt I'd thought dead in my chest started wriggling back to life.
...Not easy.
"...Son."
Then, in a whisper:
"Send Gyeo-ul up first. Gotta talk to you. ...About Gyeo-ul."
I realized it was something important.
Something I couldn't let Gyeo-ul hear.