Playing Hooky... Hmm. It's Hot.
...Hmm. So hot. My body felt sticky all over, so I cracked my eyelids open. The faint sunlight filtering in kept the room from being pitch black. Focusing right in front of my nose with that light as my guide, my sister's sleeping face came into view.
"...Mm..."
...A dark, twisted urge to torment her crept up from a corner of my chest. I barely held back from pinching her cheek and pulled her even tighter into my arms instead. She let out a faint whimper and rubbed her head against my shoulder.
...I'm going crazy. Is this girl really a high school senior? She looks the part height-wise... but when she's deep in sleep like this, she's... insanely cute.
I loosened my right arm and placed all five fingers on the top of her head. Stroking down to her back in one smooth motion, I felt every strand of her hair. I lightly gripped the back of her head and gently caressed it with my thumb.
Not waking up, huh. I straightened my bent fingers, slid past her shoulder blade, and grabbed her upper arm. I shook her lightly, intending to wake her, but she only burrowed deeper into my chest.
"...Gyeo-ul."
"...Mm... yeah."
"...Wake up."
"...Nooo..."
...I couldn't pry her away as she mumbled against my chest and shook her head. ...What do I do? It feels like morning. We can't stay like this forever. I tried to pull out the arm trapped under her head, but she was stuck way too tight.
No choice—I wrapped my arms around her and lifted her slightly. I laid her straight on the pillow and adjusted her shoulders, and that's when she opened her eyes.
"Ah... ...Oppa."
"...Good morning."
"...Yeah."
Facing each other with me blocking the light made the morning greeting feel awkwardly intimate. ...I came here because I didn't want things to get awkward. She seemed flustered too, blinking and rolling her eyes every which way.
"The sun's rising, so I'll head back to my room."
"...Okay."
"Sleep more if you're still tired."
"...You too, oppa."
I slipped out of bed, quietly opened the door, and returned to my room. ...Crap, I forgot to grab the pillow.
What an embarrassingly clingy night. ...Back in my room, sorting through my thoughts, shame rose all the way to my throat. Did I seriously lose it just because she was a bit cold to me? My face burned.
But honestly, what could I do? Lying there hugged up, she was all... warm and fluffy. So it's not my fault. She was the one who asked me to hold her in the first place. As her big brother, I couldn't refuse my little sister's request.
Whatever the reason, it was the best sleep I'd had in ages. I used the fever excuse to make her skip school. After breakfast, I nagged her to rest and not study today, then headed back to my room.
She couldn't go anywhere anyway, so I took the chance to study English with a clear head. ...By watching an English movie, that is. I propped the tablet up in the corner of the bed and lay on my side, savoring the visuals, when one earbud slipped out of my left ear.
"...What."
"Bored."
"I told you to rest."
"Slept too much. Not sleepy."
"Resting isn't just sleeping, you know."
"My room smells like paper. Hate it."
I closed the tablet and turned my head. The culprit was my sister, in her usual black rock tee and dolphin pants. She plugged the stolen earbud into her own ear and rested her face on my forearm.
I shook her off lightly, but this time she straight-up draped her upper body over mine.
"Why."
"Whatcha watching?"
"A movie."
"What kind?"
"Time travel one."
"Sci-fi or something?"
"Nah, just a regular romance."
"...In the morning?"
"No law against watching romance movies in the morning, right?"
"Didn't you say you're not getting married or whatever?"
"Since I'm not, gotta get my vicarious fix somehow."
If she kept pressing down, my arm would go numb again, so I flipped over to shake her off and tried to get up. But the second I did, she climbed on top of me, foiling the plan.
"...Heavy."
"That's the point."
She overlapped our limbs, flattening me out spread-eagle. I tilted my body, and she slid toward the edge of the bed. Not liking that, she kept kicking me with her feet, so I wrapped her legs with mine to pin her still.
She squirmed for a bit, then seemed to acknowledge the strength difference and gave up, going limp and pressing her jawbone gently against my arm.
"...Gyeo-ul."
"What."
"That hurts with your jawbone."
"Then let go of my legs."
"You'll kick me again."
"...I won't."
"For real?"
"Yeah."
I eased up on her legs, and she half-sat up before piggybacking onto my back again. Then she nuzzled the pillow I'd been using.
"...Now what."
"...Watch the movie together."
"...Like this?"
"No?"
"You're heavy."
"Then I'll just nap like this."
"Weren't you not sleepy?"
"Lying down'll make me sleepy."
I knew arguing wouldn't win, so I gave up and moved the tablet to my headboard. Unlocking it and tapping the screen lightly, dialogue flowed from my right ear. Being foreign, I didn't catch much.
I pulled out the earbuds as the credits rolled. It was a famous movie for a reason—my heart was pounding. Well made.
"...Crying?"
"Wasn't crying."
"Your voice is shaking."
"Just a little touched."
No, it wasn't even that sad. Core was romance, with some family stuff on the side. Right? After marriage, it's family, so in a way...
"What was so sad?"
"That part in the middle. Sending off dad..."
"...Why are you so sensitive."
"You're the insensitive one."
Hearing her trembling voice made me weirdly want to tease her. I shifted my gaze to her slightly teary eyes, and endless prank scenarios popped up. As I pondered which to pick, she turned her head away.
"...Oppa."
"Yeah."
"If you could turn back time, when would you go?"
"...Me?"
"Yeah."
"...Don't wanna go back."
"Why?"
"Gotta do military twice."
Truth is, I'd go back to before Grandma passed to say a proper goodbye, but saying that here might make her actually cry when she's already teary.
"...I'd go two weeks ago."
"Why?"
"Wanna make it so my friends never saw that."
"...That big a trauma?"
"You'd get it if you were in my shoes. How tough it is with friends pitying you."
I kinda get it... If my friends suddenly got serious and worried about me, my guts would twist.
"It'll fade with time."
"...Hope so."
"Be grateful they're worried. Means they care about you."
"That's not caring, that's not knowing what to do."
"If it's bugging you that much, just say it straight. 'We're super close siblings.'"
"Are you nuts?"
"Says the one plastered to my back right now?"
If they saw that, suspicion would turn to certainty. Yesterday I went to talk, not necessarily to cuddle and sleep... ...Not that I hated it.
It's our special sibling bond, but yeah, it'd look suspicious to outsiders.
"...You could've just said no."
"I don't wanna get awkward with you."
"...Then don't say awkward stuff."
I braced for a hit, but it didn't come today. Kinda disappointing.
After lunch, sitting on the sofa watching TV, my phone rang. Surprisingly, it wasn't family—it was a friend.
"Communications security, civilian Kim Ga-eul speaking. How may I assist?"
"Yes, trainee-to-be Park Man-seok reporting."
"Aigoo, feeels so gooood!"
"Wanna die?"
It was my buddy enlisting soon. Come to think of it, I should grab a meal with him.
"Why'd you go Air Force anyway."
"Failed KATUSA."
"Exact enlistment date?"
"Next Tuesday."
"Discharge?"
"June in two years."
"Fucked."
"Totally."
I couldn't hold back the grin, but I stifled the laugh so no cussing back. Ah, too fun. This the dischargee mindset?
"But seriously, how'd you disappear for a month after discharge."
"Busy."
"Busy dating, huh, you dog."
"What dating. No, some bullshit rumor— I got no girlfriend."
"Then why cancel every meetup, asshole. Wanna die?"
"Sister stuff."
"Sure, girlfriend cancels, sister cancels. Never heard you mention a sister in high school. Dial back the bullshit."
"For real."
"Prove it then. Pic or whatever. Admit you got a girl."
"Piss off. I'd rather die than show you guys her pic."
Why won't they believe me. These idiots. They buy her friends' nonsense easy enough.
"Anyway, you coming out before enlistment, right?"
"Gotta see you before you go."
"Saturday. Your birthday too."
"Nah, Saturday's no good."
"Yeah, figured, dickhead. Gotta date the girlfriend on your birthday."
No, gotta eat seaweed soup at home. What're you saying. Mom does lunar calendar, but I don't even know mine.
"Friday or Sunday. Saturday's tough."
"Tomorrow then. Better to eat and crash on Friday."
"Who's coming."
"Usual 7-8 guys."
"Outta the usual crew, I only really know you and two others?"
"No one's expecting much from you anyway. Shut up and show."
"Yes sir."
"Get ready to get beat before coming."
"Yessir~ Buzzcut don't hurt anyway~"
"Come here and say that."
"The one needing a smack is your heel. Fit those boots at training."
Roasted him good and hung up. Time to meet people, huh. ...Yeah, late. Spent the whole month post-discharge just with sis? Never got boring though.
Room too comfy maybe.
"Who was it?"
Sis came out of the bathroom shaking her hands and asked.
"Friend."
"Sound close."
"For real?"
"For real."
She walked over tossing a joke, then sat naturally beside me.
"You use that voice with friends, oppa."
"Not much different from usual."
"Higher tone."
"Really?"
Yeah, got a teasing tone. Same as when poking fun at sis? Can't tell my own voice.
"You're surprisingly chatty."
"What'd you take me for?"
"Haven't met anyone in a month. Weird not to think that."
"...Fair."
"So, plans tomorrow?"
"Yeah."
"What time?"
"Not set, but Friday afternoon probably."
"Drinking?"
"Likely."
"Don't come back too late."
"...Won't stay out all night."
No place to go anyway—dinner then drinks. Last trains early now, so wrap up before late.
"...Drink in moderation."
"I know without you worrying."
"Not trustworthy."
So worried. ...Where'd yesterday's anxious girl go. Got spare energy for others now.
"It's Friday anyway. Mom's off too."
"...I'll lock the door if you're late."
I'm so whipped. If your friends saw this, maybe clear the misunderstanding?
"I'll call till you open if locked."
"...Just don't come late."
"You don't trust me."
"Prove you won't."
"...Birthday Saturday. Gonna be late?"
"...Know that, so don't."
Birthday's Saturday—why harp on Friday. ...I'll be home before midnight. Obviously.