Chapter 5
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: I Love You (4)
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A peaceful morning.
Jeong Yu-rim, draped in her pajamas, felt her mind slowly rising from the depths of sleep as she opened her eyes.
Warm sunlight pouring in through the window.
Lying in bed, she blinked for a moment before wiggling her fingers.
She was sure she'd left her smartphone on the nightstand before bed, but it looked like she'd knocked it onto the floor while tossing and turning in her sleep.
"Ugh..."
Her body still hadn't fully woken up, making it hard to move, but Jeong Yu-rim rolled around on the bed to peer underneath.
Sure enough, her smartphone had fallen under the bed.
"Ow..."
She flailed her short arms and barely managed to grab it.
Checking the time, it was 7 a.m.
Considering her brother usually came to wake her at 7:30, even if she fell back asleep now, she'd only get another 30 minutes.
Jeong Yu-rim was the type who felt even more tired after a short nap, so she decided to just roll around until her brother came to get her.
As she fiddled with her phone, her eyes caught the empty mug on the desk.
And next to it, on a tray, were some bowls she didn't recognize, neatly covered with lids.
'What's this?'
Jeong Yu-rim tilted her head at the bowls that had appeared while she slept and approached them.
A sweet, savory smell of galbi marinade was wafting faintly from the bowls.
And at the bottom of the tray was a small note.
[It's only 5 o'clock—are you seriously asleep already? I left some food, so eat it if you wake up in the middle.]
"Ahh..."
It seemed her brother had left dinner for her while she dozed off.
Jeong Yu-rim usually polished off every bite out of respect for whoever cooked, but with breakfast so close, eating galbi now and then breakfast again felt like too much.
She hated to waste the galbi but reluctantly decided to toss it as she headed back to bed.
If it had been earlier, she could've just told her brother she wasn't eating, but...
At this hour, breakfast prep was probably done.
If she had to give something up, wasn't it more sensible to skip the cold dinner?
She climbed back into bed, planning to check the Hunter Community and catch up on last night's events.
"Achoo..."
But her finger wouldn't swipe the screen.
Instead of community posts, her mind filled with the image of her brother looking hurt at the cold dinner but pretending it was fine.
Jeong Yu-rim felt her chest tighten just imagining it.
It reminded her of when she was little and whined that she hated the food her brother made.
Every time their eldest sister scolded her, he'd hide his bitter expression and wrap her in a forced smile.
She hadn't realized it then, but looking back now, she often regretted how thoughtless she'd been.
She didn't want to repeat that mistake again.
"If it's not tasty, you're in trouble..."
Jeong Yu-rim let out a short sigh, sat at the desk, and picked up her chopsticks.
She uncovered the bowl and took a bite of galbi.
The lid had kept some warmth in, but it was still cold.
Having cooled completely, the galbi was tough instead of tender.
"It's not tasty..."
Jeong Yu-rim wrinkled her nose in complaint.
But her chopsticks didn't stop.
Knock knock.
"You up?"
I knocked pretty loudly, but there was no sound from inside.
She must still be asleep, as usual.
I opened the door without hesitation and went in.
Maybe because she went to bed early last night and we didn't have our happy time, the air in the room felt fresh.
I smiled at the rare clean air and scanned the room. Sure enough, Jeong Yu-rim was sleeping with her pale white thighs fully exposed.
But I didn't hear her usual soft breathing sounds.
I'd grown fond of that faint breathing, so it was a shame. As I looked around...
I spotted the empty bowls, cleaned spotless.
"Oh, she ate it."
I'd thought she might sleep straight through to morning since she was out cold, but it looked like she'd woken up once and eaten the dinner.
Nothing beats the happiness of someone enjoying food you made.
Grinning ear to ear, I tidied the bowls and mug so I could take them out easily, then carefully sat on the edge of the bed to wake my little sister.
I slowly observed her sleeping form.
Her beautiful hair harmonizing with her snow-white skin.
Her doll-like features.
"She's ridiculously pretty."
Even for a sister who's practically a frenemy, I had to admit it.
I feel this every morning when I wake her, but asleep, she looks like an angel.
That illusion shatters the moment she wakes and opens her mouth, but seeing her like this, I totally got why she had so many fans.
As I watched her for a bit, her body twitched and she rolled onto her side.
I'd been careful, but she must have sensed me even in sleep.
Feeling it was time, I leaned close to her ear and whispered.
"Rise and shine. Get up."
No reaction, as expected.
She'd never woken from just a whisper by her ear before, so I figured it was a bust and prepped the next step.
Next: pinch those soft cheeks.
As I reached for her squishy cheek...
Her eyes snapped open.
"Whoa!"
I jolted back in surprise.
I hadn't even touched her cheek yet.
I wasn't prepared at all, so the shock hit harder.
Shocked as I was, making a fuss would make it seem like I'd been caught doing something shady.
So I swallowed hard, played it cool, and poked her forehead with my index finger.
"Breakfast time."
"Yeah..."
Normally she'd freak out at the forehead poke, but today she seemed shy and docile.
Feeling a strange vibe, I grabbed the dishes and left the room.
The whole family gathered cozily around the table.
My eldest sister was in her suit, scrolling news on her phone.
"Argh... stop it!"
"Think you can escape this sister's embrace?"
"Eek..."
My second sister, not fully awake, was half-lidded and playfully squishing our little sister's cheeks.
A harmonious family scene.
Feeling warmth in my chest, I prepared breakfast.
Today's menu: abalone porridge.
The Hunter Association sent premium abalone yesterday, so I made it for the first time in a while.
It's good to start the day with easy-to-digest porridge. Plus, it's our little sister's favorite.
Opening the pot, steam rose, revealing the porridge packed with abalone.
I portioned it evenly into three bowls, then dumped all the leftovers into the last one.
I loaded up extra since she goes crazy for it. She always smacked her lips regretfully when it ran out.
She'd love this huge serving.
Following house hierarchy, I set the first bowl in front of my eldest sister.
"Porridge today?"
"Hunter Association sent abalone."
"Ah, the Hunter Association."
My eldest sister tapped her phone with a blank expression.
Probably planning to send them a thank-you.
Next, I placed a bowl in front of my second sister.
"Ooh? Abalone porridge?"
"Yeah."
"Lucky little sis."
She smirked at the porridge, then yanked our little sister again.
"Ack..."
Our little sister flailed, buried in second sister's chest.
Even while struggling, her eyes sparkled at the mention of abalone porridge.
To meet her expectations, I finally set the massive bowl in front of her.
"Here, this one's yours."
It looked at least twice as big as everyone else's.
Her eyes wavered at the sight.
"Wh... why so much?"
"You love abalone porridge, so your bro made extra special."
"Ah..."
Her expression was hard to read—happy or not?
Her lukewarm reaction threw me off.
"Don't like it? Did I mess up?"
"...No, I'm just so happy."
"Good, then."
True to her word, she scraped the bowl clean.
Watching her, I nodded in satisfaction—the morning hustle was worth it.
Still some abalone left, so I'll make it for dinner too.