[Episode 3 - My Lips Touched My ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Younger Sister's]

Without leaving a single drop of broth, I completely emptied the stew pot.

Looking at the bowl without even a scrap left, I patted my stomach in satisfaction.

'It's been a while since I ate until my stomach felt like bursting.'

Taking a sip of water, I leaned back slightly against the chair.

Only then did Noah, who was sitting opposite me, stand up from her seat as if she had been waiting for that moment.

She grabbed my empty rice bowl and the pot, then headed toward the sink.

"Oppa, go rest! I'll finish up the dishes cleanly."

"I could do it, you can just leave them."

"It's fine! Doing at least this much makes me a good little sister."

Noah smiled as she put on the rubber gloves.

Soon after, she turned on the water, and along with the trickling sound, foam filled up the sink.

Sitting in the chair, I quietly watched her back.

Noah's hair swayed gently with every movement, and her long legs ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠beneath her T-shirt caught my eye.

'She really is a fully grown adult now.'

When was it that the kid who wasn't even half my height grew up like this?

I felt once again how fast time flies.

'I'm thinking about the randomest things.'

Smirking, I pushed back the dining chair.

Then I walked over to the mattress laid out on one side of the living room and threw my body down onto it.

As I closed my eyes and listened to the sound of the rain, it wasn't long before the sound of running water stopped.

It seemed Noah had finished the dishes.

A moment later, I heard the sound of rubber gloves being taken off and put down.

Right after, she went into her room and came back out having changed into those short shorts again.

'Can't she just not wear those damn short pants for once?'

While I was grumbling internally, Noah looked toward me and started nagging.

"Oppa, sleeping already? They say if you lie down right after eating, you'll turn into a cow."

Then she began striding toward me.

Even as she grumbled, her face was full of smiles.

She quickened her pace as if trying to get over here even a little faster.

At that moment, the tip of Noah's foot caught on the edge of the mattress.

"Uh...?!"

Noah lost her balance and her body began tilting forward.

"Hey!"

Reflexively, I raised my upper body and reached out my hands.

But it was already too late.

Stumbling, Noah's body ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠collapsed straight down onto my chest.

Kung!

"Euk!"

A groan leaked out along with the impact of my back hitting the floor.

At the same time, a soft touch landed on my lips.

"......."

My mind went completely blank.

Without understanding what was happening, I widened my eyes and saw Noah's face right in front of my nose.

Noah was also looking at me with a face dyed bright red.

A distance so close her breath touched me directly.

The soft, warm texture transmitted to the tips of my lips was vivid beyond measure.

On top of that, I could feel Noah's body heat pressing down against my chest in its entirety.

Both of us froze on the spot as if time had stopped.

After a few seconds of silence like that, Noah jolted up and lifted her body.

"Ah, at...!"

Noah cupped her lips with her hands and fell back onto her butt.

I hurriedly raised my upper body as well, wiping my lips with the back of my hand.

Even though our lips had separated, the sensation from a moment ago remained vivid.

"Y-You, be a little careful! Why'd you trip over your own feet!"

"W-Who did it on purpose?!"

Noah yelled back snappingly, but her gaze kept wandering around in empty air.

As if embarrassed, she just kept fidgeting with her lips with her fingertips.

My eyes drifted over there as well before I hastily turned my head away.

'I'm losing my mind.'

It felt like if we stayed like this, things would only get more awkward between us.

I quickly grabbed the remote control and pressed the TV power button.

"...Looks like sleep is out the window, so let's just watch a movie."

"Huh? Yeah! R-Right! Let's watch a movie!"

Noah also let out a sigh of relief and nodded her head vigorously.

She quickly came over to sit next to me, but she couldn't stick right beside me like before.

Leaving an awkward gap about the size of a fist between us, she stared intently at the TV.

I too just kept fiddling with the remote control, scrolling through the search bar.

We both pretended as if nothing had happened, but there was no way what just took place could be easily erased from our minds.

After searching like that for a long while, I selected a horror movie that was said to be popular these days.

Soon, eerie sound effects began flowing out from the TV.

An old mansion revealed itself on the screen.

The protagonist slowly walked down a hallway where only faint footsteps echoed.

A silence so heavy that not even a breath could be heard settled over the room.

As I watched the screen absentmindedly, Noah crept closer to my arm before I knew it.

Her body touching my arm trembled minutely.

'And here she said she wasn't scared.'

Smirking, I asked.

"If you're scared, I can turn it off right now."

"I'm not scared! Oppa, just watch properly yourself!"

Her words said so, but her hands tightly clinging to my arm were full of strength.

She tried hard to act nonchalant while looking at the screen.

A moment later.

The protagonist in the screen stopped in front of an old room door.

Kkiiiik.

The door slowly opened, and the moment a foot stepped into the pitch-black room.

Kwa-ang!

A ghost with a bizarre appearance popped out, filling the screen.

"Kyaaaak!"

Noah screamed, hugging my waist tightly with both arms and burying her face into my flank.

Because of that, Noah's soft chest was overtly pressed against my forearm and the line of my flank.

'Wait a minute, this feeling is...'

Separated only by a thin short-sleeved T-shirt, her soft skin was felt directly.

All the nerves in my body focused toward the side where Noah's chest was touching.

Out of fluster, my body stiffened rock hard.

However, Noah herself was so out of it from fear that she was merely buried in my arms, trembling hard.

"O-Oppa! Did the ghost go away? Did it go?!"

"It's gone, it's gone, so back off a bit. You're gonna rip my clothes."

"No! I feel like it's gonna pop out again!"

Noah wrapped her arms even tighter around my waist, pressing herself flush against me.

Noah's breathing and that soft feeling transmitted from beside me jumbled up my head.

There was no way the contents of the movie could register in my eyes under these circumstances.

Every time she inhaled and exhaled, her bustline smoothly pressed against my flank.

'Please stop moving, seriously.'

Singing the national anthem in my head, I turned my eyes toward the corner of the screen.

Quite some time passed like that.

I didn't even remember how the movie ended.

Only after the ending credits rolled did Noah finally pull her head out from my embrace.

Her face was dazed as if all her energy had been drained.

"Ah... that was seriously way too scary."

"That's why I asked, why bluster about not being scared."

"Oppa put on a scary one on purpose!"

Noah sulkily pouted her lips.

She spoke like that, but just like earlier, she couldn't meet my eyes properly.

Tucking her disheveled hair behind her ear, she slyly avoided my gaze.

"I'm... sleepy."

"Already?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna go to sleep first."

Noah hurriedly stood up from her spot.

Then, after taking a few steps, she paused in front of her bedroom door.

Showing only her back like that, she stood still for a moment before speaking in a small voice.

"...Oppa should get some rest too."

"Yeah. Good night to you too."

Noah gave a small nod and went inside her room.

Cheolkeok.

Once the door closed, only the sound of rain could be heard again.

"Ha..."

A short sigh escaped me.

'What on earth is going on today?'

After rubbing my lips once with my fingertips for a moment, I got up from my spot.

Then I turned off the light, went into my room, and laid down on the bed.

'...It was just an accident.'

I admonished myself several times, but sleep didn't come easily.

***

How long had I slept?

When I opened my eyes, the room was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠already colored with the dim light of evening.

From outside the window, the quiet sound of rain could still be heard.

I immediately picked up my phone and checked the time.

8:40 PM.

'I slept longer than I thought.'

Just as I blinked my sleepy eyes a few times and tried to sit up, that was when it happened.

I felt an unfamiliar weight against my right flank and thigh.

'......?'

Shifting my eyes to the side, Noah's face came right into view before my eyes.

'What the.'

Noah, who had definitely gone into her own room, was sleeping peacefully beside me before I knew it.

Using my arm as a pillow, she even had one leg draped over my thigh.

'When did she come in here again?'

I tried moving my body ever so slightly.

At that moment, the sensation of her leg brushing along my thigh was felt vividly.

Every time Noah exhaled, her warm breath tickled the nape of my neck.

Thanks to that, sleepiness vanished in an instant.

'Is she seriously out of her mind? Why is she sleeping here?'

I tried to carefully pull my arm out, but it didn't budge at all.

Instead, in her sleep, she hugged my arm even tighter.

'...This is driving me insane. I can't move an inch like this.'

Flustered, I gently shook Noah's shoulder.

"Hey. Noah. Wake up. Why are you sleeping here?"

"Eueung..."

Noah let out a sleep-drowsy voice as her long eyelashes fluttered.

Then, opening her eyes with a half-asleep face, she looked at me with a dazed gaze.

"Oppa... you're awake?"

"Yeah. Go sleep in your room."

When I tried to slide my body away, Noah put strength into her thigh instead, hugging me even closer.

"Hey."

"It's raining outside..."

Noah rubbed her face against my chest.

"I'm scared being all by myself."

"It's not even thundering, what's there to be scared of?"

"I feel like it's gonna strike soon."

Even while grumbling, she had no intention of loosening the strength in her arms.

Instead, she hugged my waist even tighter and burrowed deeper into my chest.

As our bodies pressed closely together, her hot body temperature was transmitted directly.

"I wanna stay next to Oppa."

"...Why are you, a fully grown girl, still acting like this?"

"We used to sleep together every day when we were little too."

"That was when we were little."

"Even now, Oppa is still Oppa."

Noah lifted her head slightly.

Our eyes met right in front of each other's faces.

"......."

She giggled softly and lightly grabbed my T-shirt with her fingertips.

"Oppa smells nice."

Then she buried her face back into the nape of my neck.

Her warm breath brushed against my skin.

'I'm really losing my mind.'

With a face that claimed to know nothing, she burrowed even deeper into my embrace.

On the contrary, my heart began to beat uncontrollably.

For a while, unable to move even a single arm, I just stared at the ceiling.