[Episode 4 - I Reacted Upon Seeing My Younger Sister's Body]
[Episode 4 - I Reacted Upon Seeing My Younger Sister's Body]
The room was quiet after darkness had fallen.
'She really has no sense of boundaries between men and women.'
I finally pressed a hand to my forehead.
"Hey, aren't you getting off me?"
"No. I want to stay like this."
Noah rubbed her face against my chest.
"...Aren't you hungry?"
"I am. But I'm too lazy to move."
"I'll make you something, so get up."
"No."
Just as Noah was stubbornly clinging to me.
Grrrroooowwl.
A fairly loud sound echoed through the room.
Noah's body flinched, then went completely still.
Unable to hold back my laughter, I lightly tousled her hair.
"Pffhaha! That was one majestic rumble!"
"Ah, whatever!"
Apparently embarrassed, Noah pulled the blanket all the way over her head.
"It growled because of you, oppa!"
"Your stomach was the one sending out a hunger signal, not me."
"I don't know! It's your fault anyway!"
Even while insisting to the very end, she refused to come out from under the blanket.
I watched Noah for a moment before getting to my feet.
When I pressed the switch attached to the wall, the fluorescent light flickered on with a Ttal-kak, brightly illuminating the room.
"Then I'll order some late-night food tonight, so stop being embarrassed and come out."
"...Really? Weren't you going to make dinner just a moment ago?"
"I changed my mind. Let's eat until we burst tonight."
At my words, Noah cautiously poked just her face out from under the blanket.
Her face, which had been bright red moments ago, had calmed down a little, but the tips of her ears were still burning red.
"What are you going to order?"
"I was thinking spicy rice cakes. Is that okay?"
"Yeah! That sounds great!"
As if she had never been embarrassed in the first place, she sprang up and scampered over beside me.
"You looked like the world had ended earlier, but you recover fast when food's involved."
"Food is food! Embarrassment is embarrassment!"
Noah puffed out her cheeks and protested.
'She really is cute.'
I chuckled and sat down, and Noah plopped down beside me.
I immediately turned on my phone and opened a delivery app.
Noah naturally rested her chin on my shoulder and began looking over the screen.
She scanned the screen from side to side, pointing at the menu items one by one with her finger.
"Oppa, let's add ramen noodles."
"I did."
"Cheese too!"
"Okay."
"For the fried food, order both fried seaweed rolls and fried squid!"
"Yeah, yeah. I added them. Check for yourself."
At my words, Noah checked the order details one more time, and her face quickly brightened.
"They really are all there! Oppa, you're the best!"
"Then I'll place the order as is?"
"Yep!"
At Noah's answer, I immediately pressed the payment button.
When the order-complete screen appeared, Noah stretched her arms high with a satisfied expression.
"So now all we have to do is wait?"
"Yeah. They said it'll take about thirty minutes."
"Oh! It'll be here sooner than I thought!"
She leaned her back against the wall, wiggling her legs as she grinned from ear to ear.
Not long after, the doorbell rang.
Tting-dong.
At the sound, Noah sprang up and dashed to the front door.
Soon, she returned with the food, unfolded a small table in the living room, and began unwrapping everything one item at a time.
The moment she opened the lid, the spicy smell of the rice cakes filled the room.
As if she had been waiting for that exact moment, Noah picked up her chopsticks.
"Thank you for the meal!"
"Eat slowly."
"Okay!"
She picked up a rice cake, stuffed it into her mouth, and began chewing away.
With both cheeks puffed out, she looked just like a hamster.
"Mmm~! It's delicious! Good thing we ordered from here!"
"I said eat slowly. Don't burn the roof of your mouth by rushing."
"Oppa, try one too."
Noah dipped a fried seaweed roll deep into the spicy sauce, then suddenly held it out in front of my mouth.
"I'm fine, so you eat it."
"No. Oppa first!"
"I'll pick one up myself."
"Ah~! Seriously~! I picked this up for you! Hurry!"
Without any intention of pulling her hand back, she waved the fried seaweed roll in front of my mouth, whining petulantly.
If I kept refusing, she was sure to get sulky.
In the end, I opened my mouth and accepted the fried seaweed roll.
The spicy sauce seeped through the crispy coating, spreading a rich flavor throughout my mouth.
"How is it?"
"It's good."
"Great! I should hurry up and eat mine too!"
Noah smiled with satisfaction, then picked up another rice cake.
I caught sight of her chewing away with a bit of red sauce on her lips.
Seeing that suddenly reminded me of what had happened earlier that day.
Even I didn't know why I kept becoming so conscious of it.
'Don't think about it, Ryu Siho.'
I composed myself and slowly took a sip of Coolpis.
"Oppa, why are you only drinking that?"
"Because I'm thirsty."
"It's because it's spicy."
"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry about me. Just eat plenty yourself."
At my words, Noah stared at me while taking a bite of fried squid.
Then she set down her chopsticks and opened her mouth.
"Oppa."
"What?"
"About what happened earlier today."
My hand froze at the question.
"...Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden?"
"I was just curious."
Noah stared straight into my eyes, then slightly lifted the corners of her mouth.
"My lips... were they soft?"
"......!"
The unexpected question made me choke instantly.
"Cough! Cough!"
"Oppa! Are you okay?!"
Noah hurriedly patted me on the back in surprise.
"Haa... I almost stopped breathing."
"I didn't know you'd get that flustered."
"No, seriously, who asks something like that?"
"Tch, I was curious."
"Don't be curious about things like that."
"Why?"
"......."
I kept my mouth shut for a moment.
'She's asking about something that should be obvious.'
I couldn't tell whether she genuinely didn't know or was doing it on purpose.
Maybe my reaction amused her, because Noah giggled and reached out her hand.
Her fingertip poked my cheek, then slowly slid down and lightly brushed the edge of my lips.
"What do you think you're doing?"
I quickly took hold of her wrist.
"Don't play around like this."
"I'm not playing around."
Noah smiled with her eyes.
'She's seriously driving me crazy.'
I carefully lowered her hand.
"Don't leave any of the late-night food. Finish it all."
"Tch, quit pretending nothing happened."
Noah pouted her lips, then picked up her chopsticks again.
A little while later.
After polishing off every last rice cake, Noah stretched both arms out with a satisfied expression.
"Mmm~! I ate so well!"
The movement made her T-shirt ride up slightly.
When her exposed waist came into view, I hurriedly looked away.
'Why am I so conscious of her? I don't even know where to look.'
I scratched my head for no reason and began clearing the empty containers scattered across the table.
"Oppa! I'm going to take a shower!"
Noah walked around the table and took quick little steps toward the bathroom.
"Take a towel with you."
"Got it!"
Along with Noah's booming reply, the bathroom door closed.
Before long, I heard the sound of water pouring inside the bathroom.
I put the delivery containers into a bag, moved them to one side, and wiped down the table with wet tissues.
Then I sat back down on the living room sofa and stared blankly at the TV.
But not a single thing registered.
The moment our lips had touched earlier kept coming back to me.
'Forget it. It was an accident.'
I shook my head vigorously.
I closed my eyes and leaned back against the sofa.
I tried to empty my complicated thoughts, but it wasn't easy.
How much time had passed?
Dalkak.
The bathroom door opened slightly, and Noah poked just her face out through the cloudy steam.
She had apparently just finished showering, because her cheeks were flushed.
"Oppa."
"What?"
"I didn't bring a towel."
"...What?"
"I brought my underwear, but I forgot the towel...."
"I told you to bring one earlier."
"Ah! Stop nagging and hurry up and give me one! I'm cold!"
"Ugh...."
I sighed and got to my feet.
Then I picked up a dry towel from the shelf and walked over to the bathroom.
"Here."
When I pushed the towel through the gap in the door, Noah snatched it away.
"Thanks!"
I heard her fumbling around beyond the crack in the door.
Just as I was about to return to the sofa, a dull thud came from inside the bathroom, followed by a scream.
Kung! Udangtang!
"Aaaah!"
"What the hell?! What happened all of a sudden?!"
Startled by the sound, I immediately yanked the bathroom door open.
"Hey! Are you okay?!"
"Eeeek! D-don't look! Don't look!"
Noah had fallen on the floor and was screaming as she hurriedly covered her chest and lower body.
Beyond the cloud of white steam, I caught sight of Noah with nothing on.
'This is driving me insane!'
Noah looked up at me, her face bright red.
"Pervert! Turn your eyes away!"
I hurriedly turned my head and covered my eyes with both hands.
"I didn't look! I swear I didn't!"
"Liar! You saw everything!"
"I really didn't look! Hurry up and wrap the towel around yourself!"
"Ah, I said I got it!"
I stood frozen in place without saying a word.
A brief silence passed like that.
A moment later, I heard Noah's voice.
"I'm done...."
Only then did I fumbledly reach out, take hold of Noah's arm, and carefully help her to her feet.
"Haa... honestly, you! Be more careful. What kind of mess is this?"
"I-I stepped on soap...."
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
"No... I'm okay."
A sigh of relief escaped me.
"Thank goodness. I'll be outside, so finish drying off and come out."
I turned around and left the bathroom.
Then I went straight into the bedroom and flopped down onto the bed.
"Haa...."
I pressed a hand to my forehead and sighed.
I hadn't meant to look, but I had already seen everything.
When had she grown so much?
She was really all grown up now.
I closed my eyes, trying desperately to forget, but the scene from moments ago only grew more vivid.
As if seeing all that wasn't enough, the thing downstairs began slowly rising, entirely against my will.
'You've finally lost it, Ryu Siho.'
I was getting a hard-on after seeing my little sister's body.
"Ugh... I'm not getting any sleep tonight...."
The more I thought about it, the more a crushing reality check came rushing in, until I finally lay facedown and pulled the blanket over myself.