79. Evidence
"...You really have a boyfriend?"
"Uh..."
After a moment's hesitation, an easy answer came to mind. Just say it was bullshit. That I had no intention of dating anyone, so I was pretending to have a girlfriend. It'd be the simplest way to brush it off. I'd said it from the start with that purpose in mind... and if you really nitpick it, I'm not even dating Gyeo-ul. We're just siblings who get along way too well.
"Of course it was bullshit. I was just putting up a wall, Noona."
"No, Kim Ga-eul, I don't care about you. ...Gyeo-ul, is it true?"
"I, um..."
Noona ignored me completely and turned straight to Gyeo-ul, asking with the anxious eyes of a father who'd just learned his daughter had a boyfriend.
My sister fidgeted, chewing her lip before swallowing hard. ...She lies like a pro usually. What's with her now? We hadn't even started drinking yet—was she already drunk?
"...Gyeo-ul, do you really have a boyfriend?"
"W-Well, it's..."
...This conversation wasn't going anywhere good if it dragged on. We couldn't keep feeding intriguing gossip to people with such wide-ranging curiosity. It didn't seem like Gyeo-ul was going to give a proper answer anytime soon. How could I cover for her naturally? Tell them to mind their own business? ...No, that's too aggressive. And unnatural. Just say she was bullshitting too. We're a family of liars anyway—it'd fit perfectly.
"Of course Gyeo-ul doesn't have one either. I've never seen her go out except for work."
In the end, the only way to gloss over one lie was to pile on another.
"...Really?"
"I said really. Geez, you can't trust anyone these days."
"..."
My colleague gave us a meaningful glare. ...How much did she overhear to look at us like that? Just shut up already. We're not even that close.
"Aw, come on. I was worried some weirdo had lured away our cute little Gyeo-ul."
"...I don't want to date anyone yet. It was just a... lie, Unnie."
"Right? Of course. Our Gyeo-ul wouldn't do that. Oh, wanna drink?"
"...Yeah."
Noona's face relaxed again as she poured Gyeo-ul a shot of soju. ...It wasn't that hard, but my heart still skipped every time. I couldn't be sure how long we could keep burying lies with more lies.
As the four of us crammed down meat and booze, even I couldn't ignore the weird vibe. Shin... Nara? Was that her name? The dongsaeng of my noona's friend. She kept shooting suspicious glances at Gyeo-ul, and it was pissing me off. I couldn't even enjoy my meat in peace.
"...Why do you keep staring at us like that?"
"...Huh, me?"
"Yeah, you."
"M-Me?"
"You've been doing it nonstop since earlier. What's your deal?"
Was it the booze? Or because Gyeo-ul and Noona had stepped out to wash their hands? Whatever the reason, when it was just the two of us, I did something I'd never normally do. ...Even I knew it sounded confrontational as hell, but whatever. I was annoyed. A little.
"I just... why lie about something like that. About your sister."
"What?"
"I heard... that Gyeo-ul has a boyfriend. For sure."
"...What?"
"What, you didn't know either?"
...What the hell did she hear to be so convinced? It couldn't have been straight from Gyeo-ul herself.
"What rumor did you hear?"
"It's not a rumor exactly. I heard it from people at the cafe. They say she always heads out on dates after her shift, grinning like an idiot. ...They said she looks so happy it makes them jealous."
Haa... How does that kind of thing spread to random people? She must've been too excited to control her face. ...Not that I can talk.
"That's just gossip. Why believe rumors like..."
"Doesn't it worry you?"
"What."
"If your little sister has a secret boyfriend she's hiding... Wouldn't that bother you?"
"..."
"I have a little sister too, so I get worried for no reason. And since she's your friend Nara, even more so."
...She really is nosy. Makes sense why she clicks so well with my noona. Not that I mind that, but we could do without the attention. We're the last people who should be drawing interest.
"I'm telling you for sure. My sister has no boyfriend. You're mistaken. I hang out with her all the time—think I wouldn't know?"
"...Really?"
"She hasn't gone out to meet anyone since her Suneung, not once. No way she has a boyfriend. These days, after work she either eats with me or goes home to eat and crash. Doesn't go out on weekends either."
"...?"
I dismantled the nonsense point by point with cold, hard facts, but doubt only grew on her face. ...Is it that weird?
"...Why? What's so strange?"
"Yeah, it kinda... is?"
"What is."
"She doesn't even hang out with friends or anything?"
"...Nope?"
"...?"
Staying home is normal for people... right? Sure, she's out now for work, and during semester she goes to school, but otherwise, she's glued to her room. ...Are we the weird ones? Come to think of it, before the military, I did meet up with friends sometimes...
"Oh, what're you two having such a deep debate about, Ga-eul? Haneul?"
"...Ah, Noona."
Just as we were both floating question marks over our heads and staring weirdly, Gyeo-ul and Noona came back. ...Ah, whatever. She probably gets the gist. As long as she knows my sister has no boyfriend, that's what matters.
"...Oppa. Hold on, I wanna go to the convenience store."
"Convenience store?"
...Or so I thought. Gyeo-ul, who'd been trailing behind Noona, shot me a blank look before yanking me up from my seat with triple her usual curtness.
"My head hurts from the booze. ...Grab something for me. I want chocolate milk."
"Ah, Gyeo-ul. Then go with Unnie and..."
"Come on, Oppa."
"...Uh, yeah. We'll hit the convenience store quick, Noona."
Gyeo-ul ignored Noona completely, not even turning her head as she grabbed my arm and shook it. Sitting there felt like it'd make things weirder, so I followed her out without protest.
Outside the barbecue joint, the chilly air hit my throat as she clung to my arm. We rounded the corner toward the crosswalk to the store, and suddenly Gyeo-ul blocked my path, slamming her forehead into my chest.
"...Why."
"...What the hell are you doing, Oppa?"
"Huh?"
"You two seemed to be hitting it off."
...Ah, so that's it. The booze loosened her tongue. She used to be cuter about it before. This is why soju sucks—her drunk side is weird.
"What'd you talk about?"
"...Your stuff. I told her it seems like you have a boyfriend but you're lying about it."
"What? Talking behind my back?"
"No, not like that. She was worried about you in her own way."
"...You're taking her side now?"
"Absolutely not. ...I snapped at her for it. Asked why she kept giving me those creepy side-eyes."
...The words weren't that harsh, but the tone and intent? Spot on. Can't exactly tell my cousin's friend's colleague "Why're you looking at my sister like shit?"
Once I spilled the truth, Gyeo-ul's pissed-off expression softened a bit. I'd react the same if the roles were reversed—easy to understand.
"She said the cafe rumor mill's buzzing about you grinning like an idiot and heading out on dates after every shift. ...You could've been more discreet."
"...That's not my fault. The gossips are the problem."
"True, but... whatever. We're not innocent either. ...Our whole existence is the problem."
Rumors. If you think about it, those people didn't do anything wrong. It wasn't malicious, and they weren't spreading anything bad. We started the lie about having partners, and we brushed off their kindness with date excuses. If the rumors were even half-right, we wouldn't have gotten off this easy. If those guys we bumped into last time had opened their mouths, we'd have been fired on the spot. Hard to blame anyone. It's mostly our fault.
"And when I explained why you don't have a boyfriend, she started looking at me all weird—then you came back. Didn't say much."
"...How far did you go, Oppa."
"Mm... Up to how you've only hung out with me since Suneung and haven't met friends."
"...Why say that much, idiot."
"No, I had to, or she'd never drop the suspicion. What if she tells Noona later that Gyeo-ul really does have a boyfriend?"
Suspicion. That Gyeo-ul has a boyfriend. ...No need to clear it up. If anything, I just stirred up more. All my reasons were just excuses after the fact. Truth is, I was pissed at the idea itself. Even if she suspects, it won't be about me.
"You didn't have to go that far. Now I sound like some antisocial freak..."
"What? Isn't it true? You only hang out with your real bro."
"No. I choose not to. ...It's scary. What if."
"..."
"Aren't you scared, Oppa?"
"...Yeah, I am."
Honestly, I keep wondering if I slipped up earlier. It still bugs me. I'm scared. Scared of the suspicion. Scared of the pointing fingers. Scared of the stones. Even if I could take it, what if Gyeo-ul can't? ...Above all, terrified Mom might look at us with those anxious eyes.
"Let's grab something from the store quick and head back. Noona'll complain if we're out too long."
"...Kiss."
"...What?"
"I'm scared, so kiss me. ...Kiss."
"Gyeo-ul, we're on the street..."
"Kiss."
Scared as I was, I couldn't refuse my sister demanding a kiss with her booze-slurred tongue. She's probably more scared than me. And I promised I'd do it if she asked. Promises are promises.
I cupped her chin, tilting her face up as she leaned into me with eyes closed, and shared the taste of alcohol. Not too deep or long—wouldn't want to bother passersby. But not too light either. It fell a bit short of what she'd usually be satisfied with, but considering the place, she'd have to settle.
As we pulled apart our joined lips and locked eyes, savoring the aftertaste, Gyeo-ul suddenly jerked away from me.
"Ah, the convenience store... we went, right?"
"Ha...neul Unnie."
...I wanna puke. The booze hit too hard—my head's splitting.