Chapter 27
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Harmonious Family (4)
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"Hoo..."
After finishing the housework, I stopped in front of my big sister Se-yeon's door and took a light deep breath.
From massaging my little sister, I'd realized that my skill-assisted massages were a bit different from ordinary ones.
Her reactions had been unmistakably those of an aroused woman.
I didn't think it was because she harbored sexual desire for me.
It was probably just that the stimulation from this skill-enhanced massage was intense enough to excite her too.
Standing in front of the door, I pictured what it would be like giving my big sister a massage.
Her body twitching with every movement of my hands, getting all excited...
"..."
Even imagining it felt awkward, my breath catching in my throat.
But for my big sister, who risked her life fighting, it made sense to always give her a massage before she headed into a dungeon.
Once she received one and entered, she'd go in with an insane buff, skyrocketing her survival odds.
Even knowing that, I hadn't had the confidence to watch her squirming in excitement, so I'd avoided it until now.
Then I learned she was jealous that everyone else had gotten a massage from me except her.
Now that I knew even her inner thoughts, dodging it because seeing her embarrassed side felt awkward wouldn't be right.
Eventually, I had to break the ice on massages for her.
And I figured now was the perfect timing.
Steeling myself, I carefully knocked on the door.
"Sis?"
I cautiously called out to my big sister on the other side.
Creeeak.
The door eased open, and Se-yeon peeked out.
She must have been doing some light exercise inside, as her hair was tied up and she was in training clothes.
"Hoo... What's up?"
It was the middle of the night, and she tilted her head, clearly puzzled about why I was there.
It felt too burdensome to straight-up say I came to give her a massage, so I made up an excuse.
"Just... wanted to chat for a bit."
"Chat?"
Se-yeon gave me a strange look before slowly opening the door wider.
True to her word, simple home workout gear was scattered around the room.
A faint sweaty scent wafted out too.
Even though it was sweat, for some reason, it didn't bother me.
If anything, it was strangely addictive.
It wasn't a good smell, but not a bad one either—just this oddly captivating aroma.
"Sorry, it probably smells like sweat a bit."
Se-yeon seemed aware of it too and headed toward the window, maybe to air out the room.
"Ah, it's fine."
I was planning to start the massage soon anyway, and I didn't want any noises leaking outside, so I stopped her from opening the window.
"Huh?"
She looked a little flustered when I blocked her, but luckily, she didn't question it and went along with me.
Grateful for that, I quietly sat down next to her on the mat.
Normally, I wouldn't have dreamed of sticking so close to my big sister.
But lately, her attitude had softened up in this subtle way, so it didn't feel too burdensome.
"..."
When I sat beside her, Se-yeon flinched in surprise.
Thankfully, she didn't pull away or create distance.
If she'd moved away from me, I might've felt a little hurt, so I was relieved she stayed put.
"Wh-what is it?"
Even my usually cool-headed big sister showed some agitation on her face.
Acting natural, I said,
"Just wanted to sit close and have a nice, intimate talk with you after so long."
"..."
I'd come to chat as family, so she had no real reason to refuse.
She was always the one emphasizing how we should all get along harmoniously.
Seeing she wasn't objecting, I relaxed and gently took her hand.
Her warm body heat flowed into me.
Confusion flickered across her face.
Hand-holding was common among family, but not with Se-yeon.
She'd never initiated it with us, and we'd never suggested it to her either.
"What... are you doing right now?"
"What, can't family hold hands?"
Since I was going to give her a massage anyway, I planned to test out all my skills.
First, I activated Family Hand Warmer.
My hand heated up like a hot pack.
Se-yeon stared at me in bewilderment, not pulling her hand away.
Next, layering on Family Counselor with my right hand free, I carefully draped my arm around her shoulder.
She always protected our family as the sturdy pillar, so I'd thought her shoulders were broad.
But when I put my arm around her, they fit perfectly into my embrace.
"..."
She was human too, after all. Why had I been so scared of her until now?
Maybe I couldn't treat her as casually as my little sister or youngest sister.
From now on, I resolved to get closer to her too, and sneaked a peek at her expression.
Her body had gone rigid the moment my hand touched her shoulder.
Seeing her frozen like that gave me courage.
I looked at her and whispered carefully,
"Mind hopping onto the bed for a sec?"
Se-yeon felt a strange sensation from the warm touch in her hand.
She shook hands every day, but Ha-seong's hand was special.
What was it?
Holding it felt soft and fluffy, warming her heart.
All the stress she'd built up seemed to wash away cleanly.
When Ha-seong first grabbed her hand, Se-yeon had planned to firmly pull away.
They'd held hands plenty as kids—going grocery shopping together, him walking her to school.
But now was different. They were both full adults, and it had been ages since they'd last done it.
So it felt awkward. Embarrassing.
But the longer she held on, the better it felt, and she couldn't bring herself to let go of that warmth.
She wanted to feel his warm body heat a little longer.
'Guess I've been pretty lonely too.'
Her memories of affectionately holding hands with family were hazy.
Even Da-jeong, who loved skinship with the family, had never tried it with her.
It might've been over five years since she'd last held anyone's hand.
'Maybe... it's okay now?'
After a brief internal debate, Se-yeon decided not to let go.
Her choice was heavily influenced by Ha-seong's honest words she'd overheard while pretending to sleep.
The whispered "I love you" at the end had shocked her too.
But what hit her hardest was his heartfelt, pitying voice saying she only sacrificed for us.
Se-yeon had never once thought of herself as sacrificing.
She'd just been fulfilling her duty as the family head.
Yet to others, it looked like sacrifice.
After hearing that bombshell, she'd started reflecting on herself.
And realized she'd been pushing too hard.
Too caught up in responsibility, neglecting family bonds.
Now that everyone had settled into their roles stably, maybe it was time to lighten the load a bit.
As a first step, wasn't it fine to hold hands affectionately with her beloved little brother Ha-seong?
That's why, even as she grumbled verbally, she didn't shake off his hand.
But.
Ha-seong wasn't satisfied with just holding hands.
He even draped his arm around her shoulders.
'This is weird.'
This crossed the line of acceptability.
Hand-holding was understandable, but shoulders? No.
Judging it so, Se-yeon tried to remove his arm.
But then.
"Mind hopping onto the bed for a sec?"
"..."
Ha-seong whispered something that made her doubt her ears.
What? The bed?
Cold reason flooded back into Se-yeon's mind.
This clearly crossed the line.
Inviting family onto the bed?
She wasn't an idiot.
No dating experience, but she had basic knowledge.
This was blatant seduction with ulterior motives, in her view.
"..."
This deepened her suspicions that Ha-seong and Da-jeong might've done something siblings shouldn't.
If he was this bold with her, why not with Da-jeong?
Time for a good scolding to knock some sense into them.
Resolved, Se-yeon shot up from her seat.
That's when.
"Ah, it's not anything weird. I wanted to give you a massage."
"Massage...?"
"Yeah, massage. I finally awakened, so I thought you should try it once."
"Ah..."
Se-yeon inwardly scolded herself for the misunderstanding, her cheeks faintly flushing as she sat on the bed.