[Episode 2 - Noah's Persistent Physical Affection]
[Episode 2 - Noah's Persistent Physical Affection]
I headed back down into the subway station, shook off my wet umbrella, and folded it.
Then, after sending another text to Noah from the platform, I waited for the next train.
'Noah's probably still at home.'
I boarded the train that arrived a moment later and grabbed a handle.
It was disappointing that the work site got canceled, but a day off wasn't bad either.
About an hour passed like that before I arrived at the subway station near home.
As I walked up the stairs, the rain had grown much thicker than before.
Raindrops falling from the tip of the umbrella repeatedly tapped against my pant cuffs.
'I got completely dragged around by the rain today.'
Chuckling quietly, I stepped into the familiar alleyway.
The rain-soaked alley was quiet, without a single person in sight.
Hurrying my steps a bit more, an old semi-basement building came into view.
Escaping the rain, I stepped under the villa structure and headed down the stairs.
'Phew, I finally made it.'
I approached the front door and stopped right in front of it.
Catching my breath for a moment, I shook off my wet umbrella, set it to the side, and pressed the door lock password.
Bbik, bbik, bbik, bbik.
As the door opened, I immediately called out to Noah.
"Noah-ya, I'm back."
Then, a dadada sound echoed from inside.
"Huh? Oppa! You came back really early?"
"Yeah. As soon as I got there, the site was canceled, so I drew a blank."
"Hehe, I like it though."
Noah smiles and wraps her arms around my arm.
A soft touch transmitted through my forearm where her body heat met mine.
Trying hard not to be conscious of it, I said to Noah,
"...What's so good about it? I drew a blank today and lost my daily wage."
"Money can be earned again next time! I like it much better that Oppa came home early without getting hurt."
With her arm linked through mine, Noah fiddled with the edge of my sleeve with her fingers.
'Even though she's grown up, she still does skinship like it's nothing.'
Seeing stuff like that makes her still seem like a kid.
Thinking that made a smile come out naturally.
"Noah-ya. It's damp, so step away for now."
As I tried to pull my arm away, Noah put strength into her arm and clung even closer.
Thanks to that, the crown of her head came close to the tip of my chin.
Although it had been a habit of hers to act spoiled since she was young, today felt especially like she was rubbing her skin against mine.
"Oppa, you said earlier you'd buy me hair ties."
"Yeah. I said I'd buy them when going grocery shopping."
"Then let's go together right now!"
Noah let go of my arm and tried to step toward the shoe rack.
'She's going to end up coming back completely soaked at this rate.'
I quickly grabbed the back of Noah's T-shirt collar, lightly pulled it back, and brought her to a halt.
"Hey, where are you going? What's up with your clothes?"
"Why? It's comfortable and nice."
"Are you sure you're wearing pants? It's covered by my T-shirt so I can't see anything."
Noah looks down at the hem of her T-shirt and laughs.
"After Oppa left earlier, I made sure to put on shorts underneath, you know?"
Noah slightly lifted the hem of her T-shirt to show the line of her short denim shorts.
They were shorts that daringly revealed her thighs.
'Those pants might as well not even be on, seriously.'
I scratched my head.
"Those are short too. Put on long pants and come out."
"Alright, alright. Oppa is so conservative."
Pouting her lips, Noah went into her room.
Only after the room door closed did I let out a sigh and take a seat on the living room floor.
'She's probably thinking way too comfortably just because I'm her oppa.'
Since she's already twenty years old, she should be a bit cautious, but no matter how much we're family, she didn't guard against me as a man at all.
It seemed even more so because she was a kid I raised on my own back after losing our parents when we were young.
A moment later, Noah emerged from her room after changing into long sweatpants.
"Done? No complaints now, right?"
"Yeah. Wear it like that from now on."
"Chii, fine."
After poking Noah's sulky cheek once, I picked up the large umbrella standing by the entrance.
"Let's take only one umbrella. You find it bothersome to carry an umbrella anyway."
"Yeah! I want to share it with Oppa!"
As if she had been waiting for that, Noah stuck close to my side.
We opened the front door and stepped outside.
Climbing the stairs and coming outside, heavy torrential rain was still pouring down fiercely.
I unfolded the umbrella I brought out wide.
"Stick close to this side. Your clothes will get completely wet."
"Okay!"
At my words, Noah clung close to my side.
Like that, we pushed through the pouring rain and walked for a good while before reaching the supermarket at the end of the alley.
The automatic door opened, and the cool air conditioner wind inside the store wrapped around our whole bodies.
After shaking off the wet umbrella a few times into the umbrella stand at the entrance and sticking it in, we walked inside.
Noah picked up a shopping basket and gently placed it into my hand.
"Oppa, let's go buy hair ties first!"
"Alright. We should go to the 2nd floor."
We stepped onto the escalator side by side.
Noah stood one step below, already looking around the 2nd floor.
A moment later, the escalator reached the 2nd floor.
Entering the general goods corner, a display rack hung with colorful hair ties came into sight first.
"Uwaa...."
Noah strode up, touched various items, and then thrust a black hair ring tie and a pastel-toned hair tie right in front of my eyes.
"Oppa, which one looks prettier?"
"The black one looks the most simple."
"Mmm... Oppa really only likes dark colors."
Noah pouted her lips slightly.
Even while doing so, she popped the bundle of black hair ties right into the shopping basket.
Then she took a step toward me, gently reached out her hand, and intertwined her fingers between mine.
As her smooth fingertips dug between my fingers, I unconsciously stopped in my tracks.
"Hey, why are you holding hands? It makes grocery shopping inconvenient."
"There are lots of people. If I lose Oppa, I'll get lost."
"Why would a full-grown girl get lost in a supermarket?"
"No way. I'm going to hold hands like this."
I tried to gently pull my hand back, but Noah squeezed her fingers firmly and wouldn't let go.
Meanwhile, she subtly pressed her body close against my arm.
'All the people passing by are going to stare.'
Feeling self-conscious, I looked around.
Then my eyes met with a customer who had come to shop.
With a fully grown man and woman tightly holding hands and even linking arms, it was a sight perfectly suited for being mistaken as lovers.
But Noah didn't seem to care about those gazes at all.
She simply held my hand tightly and took brisk steps forward.
"Oppa, let's go quickly."
Led by her, I moved my feet as well.
Like that, we headed to the 1st floor food corner.
"Oppa, I'll make you a really delicious kimchi stew later."
"You're going to make it?"
"Yep! My cooking skills have improved a lot, you know? You can look forward to it today."
Noah swung our held hands up and down as she smiled brightly.
'If it's kimchi stew, that's a very excellent brunch.'
Looking at her smile, the sense of emptiness that had washed over me from the site cancellation was washed away before I knew it.
We slowly looked around the food corner and put the items we needed into the shopping basket one by one.
Putting a carton of eggs in first, we made sure not to miss pork for stew, bottled water, and toilet paper.
"Is there anything else needed?"
Noah peeked inside the shopping basket once and nodded her head.
"Nope. We just need to check out now."
We headed to the checkout counter.
As we placed the items from the shopping basket onto the counter one by one, the employee scanned the barcodes with practiced hands.
Finishing the payment, I lifted the plastic bags.
Right up until leaving the market, Noah held my hand tightly and showed no intention of letting go.
As the automatic door opened, the sound of rain filled my ears once again.
Stepping one foot outside, the heavy rain was still pouring relentlessly.
I unfolded the umbrella wide and naturally pulled Noah inside my embrace.
"Stick close so you don't get wet."
"Okay, Oppa."
Noah naturally wrapped her arms around my waist and clung close.
Lightly patting her head, I tilted the umbrella a bit more toward Noah's side.
Matching our footsteps to avoid the rain, the alley in front of our house came into view before we knew it.
We went down the semi-basement stairs and stopped in front of the entrance.
Next, shaking off the wet umbrella and standing it to the side, we opened the door and stepped inside.
Putting the plastic bags down at the entrance, Noah immediately picked up the bags and headed to the dining table.
And then, unpacking the groceried items one by one and arranging them, she tied on an apron with an excited face.
"Oppa, wait just a bit! I'll make it in no time!"
"Yeah. Just don't make salt soup."
"Ah, seriously, stop bringing up old stories!"
Noah snapped back with a ttekttek as she pulled out the pork and placed it on the cutting board.
Seeing her diligently chopping away, a soft smirk escaped my lips.
I went into the bathroom, stripped off my wet clothes, and tossed them into the laundry basket.
After that, I started showering.
Washing off the rain and sweat with hot water for a long while like that, my whole body felt much lighter when I stepped out.
Changing into comfortable short sleeves and shorts, as I came out to the living room, the aroma of boiling kimchi stew was spreading throughout the house.
A moment later.
Noah carefully set the stew pot down onto the dining table with both hands.
Steam billowed up from the bubbling kimchi stew.
Right after, she scooped freshly cooked rice from the rice cooker and set a rice bowl down in front of me.
"Ta-da, it's finally complete! Go ahead and try it, Siho-nim."
"Mmm, the visual looks plausible enough."
I picked up my spoon, slowly scooped some kimchi stew, and blew on it once.
"Huuu."
As I took a mouthful of the moderately cooled broth, the flavor of rich pork broth and well-ripened kimchi spread throughout my mouth.
'Huh? It's actually delicious?'
My eyes naturally widened at the unexpected flavor.
"How is it? Delicious, right?"
"...It's decent. You seasoned it well."
"Chii, it's delicious and yet you're playing hard to get for no reason!"
Noah grinned as she pulled out the opposite chair and sat down.
Then, dragging her rice bowl forward, she scooped up a spoonful of stew.
After looking at the broth for a moment, she picked out the thickest piece of pork and gently placed it on top of my rice.
"Oppa, eat lots of meat. Since you worked hard getting caught in the rain."
"You eat plenty too. You like meat."
"I'm full just watching Oppa eat."
Having finished speaking, Noah rested her chin on her hand and smiled bashfully as she looked at me.
Even though she herself only picks up and eats the fatty pieces of meat, she pushes all the delicious ones in front of me.
'I really raised my younger sister well.'
A smile escaped me for no reason.
I immediately put a piece of meat into my mouth and chewed slowly.
As I scooped up and drank even a spoonful of the warm kimchi stew broth, it felt as though heat was spreading all the way inside my body.